NaNo Excerpt - Week Three

Okay, in this episode, Skyler and Bran (whom you were introduced to last week) are exploring an ancient temple. They found some interesting stuff inside so Bran went outside to make a report and Skyler was left to his own devices. He stumbles across a secret passage that leads him to a very high tech chamber. Curiosity getting the better of him, he starts pressing buttons.


“Oh, crap!” Skyler backed down the stairs and away from the platform. This was no display case, it was a coffin, and he’d just opened it.

All at once a light appeared. Dimly at first, then with growing strength and brilliancy, it fell in a tight beam aimed at the mask covering the body’s face. Still growing stronger, it seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The body began to glow, building in intensity until Skyler was forced to shield his face with an upraised arm.

“I’ve really done it this time,” he muttered as the light winked out as suddenly as it appeared. “Tampering with alien burial customs, crypt robbing, who knows what else?”

He stopped suddenly as the figure on the platform began to stir. Transfixed, he could only stare as the figure slowly sat up and removed the black funeral mask. From where he stood he couldn’t see many details, but he could definitely tell the figure was a female.

She put a hand to her head, as though she were dizzy, then swung her legs over the side. He ducked further back into the shadows as she staggered, almost falling, down the stairs. For a moment she stood there, taking in her surroundings. Her manner became stealthy, as though she expected to be discovered. When she seemed sure she was alone she made her way slowly and carefully towards an exit Skyler hadn’t noticed earlier.

A sound from his short range communicator stopped him from following.

“Skyler here.”

“Where are you?” Bran asked.

“I’m not sure,” he said slowly. He filled Bran in on what had happened and how to open the secret passage. “Just make sure you wedge the panel open or we’ll both be trapped in here. I’m going after the woman. I think she has the answers to a few dozen questions I’d like to ask.”

The passage the woman had taken wasn’t long, but there were several doors lining it. He tried a few of them but they were all either locked or stuck shut. The passage emptied into a store room of sorts. It wasn’t large, metal boxes took up most of the space leaving no room for hiding.

“Where did you go?” he muttered. He whirled at a sound behind him. The woman stood framed in the doorway, holding an unfamiliar pair of weapons pointed at his chest.

She was younger than he’d expected. Large dark eyes stared at him from a heart shaped face, framed by a cascade of silvery white hair. Tall and slim, the pale yellow robe she wore did an excellent job of concealing her figure. When she spoke he was so entranced with the sound of her voice that it took him a moment to realize he couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“Listen, I don’t know what you're doing in here, but we only want to help.” He took a step towards her.

She barked an order at him and cocked her weapons. Taking the hint, he took a step back again, raising his hands.

“I hate to say it, sweetheart, but I think we’re at a bit of a stalemate.”

She spoke again, this time a longer string of words. Impatiently, she repeated herself.

Skyler shrugged and tried to look harmless.

Without lowering her weapons, she tried again, but this time it sounded like a different language. Skyler looked at her blankly. She tried a third language and he could almost feel the frustration coming off her in waves.

“Listen,” he said, lowering his hands and holding out one hand. “You don’t really want to shoot me. Why don’t you just hand those over and—”

Her eyes narrowed and she raised one of the weapons to fire. Suddenly, there was a flash of light behind her and she sank slowly to the ground.

If you want to read what happens next, check out the excerpt on my other blog.

NaNo Excerpt - Week Two

As you may (if you're my Facebook friend) or may not (if you're not yet my Facebook friend) know, I jumped ship with my NaNo this week. I've shelved the SNI to work on at a more leisurely pace, and I've gone back to my OI (original idea). Who needs sleep for the month of November, right?

Anyway, this story is along the lines of my space opera, only set way before it. It's seven years into the Kohl-trin/human war and follows the firefighter class starship Valkyrie on it's quest for information that may swing the war in the human's favour.

In this weeks excerpt we have Calandra, last of the Old Race, breaking the news to Aleron, commander of the Valkyrie, that she intends to go behind enemy lines in search of some information that will help them on their quest.


“I still don’t understand how the Kohl-trin found us.” Aleron sipped the amber liquid in his goblet as he considered his next move on the logos board.

“Simple, my friend, we have a yanis on board.”

“A what?”

“A yanis, a Kohl-trin spy.” Calandra poured herself another drink.

“A spy,” Aleron mused. “I half expected that. Any leads as to who it might be?”

“No, unfortunately. We’ll have to start running security checks. I’d offer Skyler and Bran to assist you, but I’ve another task in mind for them.”

Aleron moved a piece and looked up. “What makes you so sure you can trust them?”

“Aleron, there are only four people on this entire vessel I trust completely: Skyler, Bran, our chief medical officer, and yourself.”

He grunted and lapsed into silence, studying the board.

“Calandra,” he said at last. “I think you should give up this Temple of Knowledge foolishness –”

“We go through this every time we play logos. On your world there could be a lengthy rainfall and a dozen legends would spring up as to the cause. However, my people were never known to twist the truth, no matter how entertaining it might be.”

“You have no idea where this temple might be, and from what you’ve told me, even if we do find it you’ll still need a key.”

“Which is why I must visit the Hall of Records on Agon.” She got the pronouncement out quickly and drained her goblet.

For a moment Aleron simply started at her. “The Rihal system is under Kohl-trin control.”

“At one point in our history,” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “There was a prophecy of danger and there would be a need of secrecy concerning the temple. Its location was stricken from all records, save those used in the test of Avonahl.”

“What’s that?”

“Suffice it to say it was very dangerous, often fatal. But the reward for success was the accumulated knowledge of the Old Race. I was the last of my people to undertake it. Unfortunately, some knowledge was lost before my time.”

She paused, remembering. “I know vaguely the location of the temple, but there were five keys that could unlock it, and that knowledge was lost.”

“So it’s hopeless, just as I suspected.”

“Not so. The location of each of the keys was hidden well, however, one of the priests of knowledge, who were in charge of such things, had a dream—”

“Let me guess,” Alerson said sarcastically. “He dreamt of impending doom, when the location of the keys would be needed so he wrote down the locations in the Hall of Records.”

“Close. Only the location of one key.”

“This is ridiculous!”

“That priest,” Calandra said, her voice rising. “Was my ancestor. The information has been passed down from generation to generation.”

“The Rihal system is still under Kohl-trin control.”

“Which is why I’m taking Skyler, Bran and the Sunstar to Agon while you take the Valkyrie to the base station for repairs.”

“What makes you think the Kohl-trin would leave something as important as the Hall of Records intact?”

“Much of the Hall lies underground. There’s a chance that what I seek is still there. But we might have to dig for it.”

“I still don’t like it, it’s too risky.”

“I believe it is worth the risk, and I will hear no more about it!”

Aleron moved his last piece on the board. “There! Your empire has fallen madam. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have duties to attend to.” He rose and stalked from the room.

If you'd like to read more, check out another excerpt on my other blog.

NaNo Excerpt - Week One

As promised, during the month of NaNo I'll be posting an excerpt from my NaNo novel each Friday. This week we have the opening scene to my novel.

Jaxson Hunter nursed his drink slowly, he was starting to feel a distinct buzz from the whiskey and he wanted to prolong the feeling. Idly he glanced around the hotel bar, trying to see where the blonde had gotten to. Ah, there she was, sitting alone at a corner table. He contemplated going over to see if she wanted some company, then dismissed it as a bad idea. She didn’t look like a one night stand kind of woman, and that’s all he was willing to offer.

He’d noticed her the moment she’d entered the hotel bar. He wasn’t the only one, several heads had turned. She was average height, but there was nothing average about her looks. Underneath a cascade of wavy blonde hair was a heart shaped face and pouty lips just made for kissing. The body-skimming blue dress she wore showed off her curves in a modest way without flaunting them. Add to that breasts large enough to have just a hint of bounce and an ass firm enough to sink your teeth into and it was a wonder there wasn’t a stampede to get to her. Good thing this was a respectable hotel.

“She’s probably a hooker,” Jace, bass player for the White Knights, said as he sank into the chair opposite Jaxson.

“Who?”

“I’m not blind, man. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off her since she sauntered in here.”

“She didn’t saunter, she walked. And there’s no way that woman is a hooker, she’s got way too much class. And she’s not exactly inviting attention. In fact, she reminds me of . . .” His voice trailed off. Suddenly he tossed off his drink and signaled for another. “I just can’t help wondering what a woman like her is doing all alone in a bar.”

“Well, she won’t be leaving alone, if the guy I heard talking in the can has anything to say about it.”

Jaxson refocused his attention on his friend. “What are you talking about?”

Jace shrugged. “Happens all the time. Pretty woman gets tanked, sleezeball guy hangs around waiting for her to leave and ends up with a one night stand. The way she’s been drinking, it won’t be long now.”

Taking a closer look at the woman in question, Jaxson realized she’d been drinking pretty steadily. He didn’t think she was meeting anyone here and it didn’t seem as though she was looking for company. She’d been approached several times when she’d been sitting at the bar sent them all on there way with a polite smile. That’s probably why she moved to the table, so they’d leave her alone. It was working so far, but he had to wonder for how long.

She reached for her purse and swayed slightly as she got to her feet. A man in a rumpled business suit sitting at a table nearby stumbled to his feet. He almost tripped over himself as he weaved his way towards her. Jaxson came to a decision. Standing up, he caught the other man’s eye, glared a message at him, and shook his head slightly. The man hesitated, took in Jaxson’s size, then shrugged and went back to his own table.

Jaxson tossed a couple of bills on the table. “I’ll catch you tomorrow before I leave.”

“Aw, man!” Jace said in disgust. “There he goes, ladies and gentlemen, the embodiment of the White Knights.”