Hi, everyone. I hope you’re all well. I’m staying busy with life, and yes, writing. I’m finally about halfway through the first draft of the first Alien Quest book. It’s looking to land close to, perhaps over, 100k words. It’s a real beast and intense.
Here’s a little scene to whet your appetites, a private encounter between Dramok Rorix and Laughter. Not a good encounter, unfortunately. These two are definitely at odds after a spat in front of the bridge crew.
Rorix was pleased Lorenz left the bridge alone, rather than in the company of Nobek Veko. Traditional Kalquorians were protective of women, no matter the species. The last thing Rorix wanted was to have such a man hovering over the pretty girl he obviously saw as an equal to himself.
Rorix also took pleasure in the way Lorenz paused to see him waiting for her in the doorway of his personal office. Concern flickered over her soft features an instant, then she adopted the stoic front he was used to. She tried to get away with a quick nod and hurried past him, as if she thought he waited for someone else.
“LDS Officer. A word.” He turned and went into the room, assured she’d follow. He was her commanding officer, after all.
Nonetheless, he heard her take a couple steps more down the corridor before pausing. She sighed, and her footfalls trailed him.
He stopped in the middle of the office. It was spacious, with casual seating to one side, along with a table. More formal hover chairs were spaced evenly in front of his desk, behind which awaited his own hover chair.
He stopped halfway to the desk and turned to confront Lorenz. She’d already stopped, a mere three feet beyond the door. Her expression was a careful blank.
He started to scowl and made himself stop. There was the subtle sense she was disrespecting him by lingering close to the door, as if to rush him into stating his business so she could leave. Which had been his plan, but to see her wanting the situation on her terms…
“You should have told me in advance you were training with SDC Veko,” he stated. Cool and calm. Good.
She allowed a beat of silence, then answered, “I wasn’t aware it would be a problem for you.”
For you. She was making it personal.
“My lack of knowledge of your plans made me look bad in front of the crew.” His anger slipped out this time.
“You made yourself look bad, Captain.” She practically sneered the word. “I’m a bridge officer. Therefore, I reported to the bridge for the expedition’s launch. I’m a communications specialist. Therefore, I’m expanding my training with the short-distance and onboard com duties and cross training another com officer to do my job in case I can’t. My reporting for duty was reasonable in all respects. It’s your dislike for Earthers that’s unreasonable.”
“Unreasonable?” He barked a harsh laugh. “Backward, fanatical, warmongering, thieving, violent Earthers have been a problem for Kalquorians since we discovered your existence!”
“Funny, I thought it was our planet that was destroyed, not yours. Kalquor looked like it was in pretty good shape while I was there. Have you seen the original Earth lately? You know, the big dead rock billions called home not so long ago?”
“That was your people’s fault, and you know it.” How had she gotten the upper hand so fast when Earth had been the aggressors in the war they’d fought?
“Can you really lay it just on us? After all, you’re the ones who flew all the way out to Earth in a few thousand destroyers. What were you planning to do, ask to borrow a cup of sugar?”
He’d definitely lost control of the discussion he’d planned. He fell back on his rank, his only defense. “You will treat me with respect in the presence of others.”
“And you’ll let me do the job I’m supposed to.” Her eyes were narrowed, her jaw clenched. “I’ll see to it you won’t have a thing to complain about where my work performance is concerned. If you do throw me off the bridge or the ship, I’ll see to it I have plenty of witnesses, Coydidak and otherwise, who’ll tell Emperor Clajak you had no reason to do so.”
“What do you think he’ll do about it?” It was Rorix’s turn to sneer. “I’m the elected head of the Coydidak. He needs the Coydidak to pull off this mission.”
“Your people might change their minds about you as leader if it costs them their new ships, funding, and support. You aren’t out of the empire’s reach yet.”
Rorix wanted to laugh in her face…but he couldn’t. His people, and more importantly, the Council of Elders, were delighted with him at the moment. They had their freedom to roam unencumbered by the Kalquorian Empire, thanks to Emperor Clajak’s largesse.
Clajak was an Earther sympathizer. Hell, his empress was an Earther. He might take Lorenz’s allegations seriously enough to strip the Coydidak of the convoy and all that went with it if the elders didn’t elect a new leader.
They had too much to lose. They might hate to cast him aside, but for all the advantages Clajak and the Kalquorian Empire had afforded them, they’d do so.
Pretending derision, not wanting her to know his uneasiness over the situation, he said, “Your relays had better deploy without any mistakes. One slip-up, and I’ll leave you at the first available planet or station. Dismissed.”
It’ll be interesting to see how these two can get past their differences. Don’t expect it to happen quickly. As I said, I’m about halfway through the first draft, and they’re just starting to talk civilly to each other. Maybe the fact Laughter and Rorix’s Imdiko have started getting along so well to the point Negal has spent a few nights in her quarters has something to do with it. Or maybe it's because Laughter helped save their butts after an attack by the Darks.
That’s it for now! Take care.
