With the completion of Disturbances, Criminal Search and the mountain of paperwork, I turned my attention to the last story of the month, a Sci-Fi tale. Despite not having an original idea for this story, I eventually planted a withered seed in my mental landscape. Overnight, the wizened husk of an unknown story that I buried transformed into a vague concept. After penning the rough draft, I set it aside as the other tasks for the month stole my focus.
When I pulled up the initial draft, the words staring out from the screen were disappointing. Even though I was unhappy with the details, the rough shape was something that I wanted to explore. With a renewed vigor, I tweaked the narrative, tossing clunky lines and inserting more complementary ones. When I finished my second draft, I found myself thinking about the saying, battle plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy. This time, the enemy was me wearing my editor’s hat.
So, grab a chair and join me as we follow Lucille and Martin as they search a station for a component to revive their ship.
While Charles attempts to repair the Drifter II, Lucille and Martin depart their docked and dead ship in search of a vital engine component…
“Lucille, can’t we just head to another station since nobody has what we need?”
Lucille’s eyes fell as his words rebounded off the corridors. Her chest swelled as she pressed her fingertips to her temples. As her fingers began making slow circular motions, Lucille released a tense breath. “Martin, there’s a reason we’re searching for all the vendors who call this place home.”
A huff tore through the hall as Martin shoved his hands into his pockets. “I think we’d have better luck elsewhere.”
“You need to pay more attention to Charles.”
“What are you rambling on about?”
“The Drifter’s engines died the instant we completed the docking procedures.” As Lucille’s chest swelled, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her shoulder-length hair. Stepping forward, she clasped her hands, gently shaking them. “Until we locate the piece, we need to repair them. The ship isn’t leaving.”
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