Welcome to weekend writing warriors. Many fine authors, and me, contribute short snippets for your delectation.
I was getting a bit stuck with Regency fiction, and decided to try hard SF. Swords and spaceships, no rayguns (yet), but plenty of action and as long as I’m logically consistent I don’t have to worry about historical accuracy
It seems to be working, the words are (so far) flying off my fingers (I crossed 61k last night) and into the book.
In any case, here’s the start – a new midshipman is having her first session of weapons training on her first ship. Her instructor is not exactly impressed. Last week’s snippet skips ahead a few paragraphs from the one before. It’s after she’s finished her training for the day. The discussion of Scotland from before is replaced by the ceremonies for the first jump of the mission. The initiation ceremony continues this week.
“Bring them forward and present them, that they might be recognized,” The man rubbed his hands with glee, while his queen nestled next to him and licked her lips.
M being in the middle of the alphabet, it didn’t take long for the captain to get to ‘Mullins, Teresa’; Terry stood up, to the laughter of the rest of the crew, and stumbled toward the stage; she joined ‘McYu, James,’ on it.
“My Lord,” Mr Campbell bowed to Pluto, “they are assembled.”
“Hmmph,” Pluto removed himself from his queen’s embrace and slowly walked around the lot of them, clicking his tongue, “A very mediocre lot; are you sure these can survive a jump and are worthy of your crew?”
“I was,” Terry started to say, then bit her tongue.
Pluto commanded, “Out with it, Lass!”
“I was best in my class.”
The man laughed, “A ground pounder, best in her class? As I said, a mediocre lot,” The crew joined him in laughter; he walked, sauntered around them, and finally looked at the captain, “Is the force strong in these?”
Terry inwardly groaned, “Please not that old chestnut.”
It would be nice to think that influence from Star Wars would survive that long. I wouldn’t bet on it, but you never know. After all “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
Taking off my sci-fi author’s suit and pulling my historical author’s stocking over my face, it is amazing how many phrases of Shakespeare’s are current. Jane Austin remarks on it in Mansfield Park, and she is still worthy of parody, “It is a truth generally to be acknowledged that a Zombie is in search of brains” (or something like that). “To the manor born”, “more in sorrow than in anger” and “O that I were writ an ass”, stick in my mind as do “once more into the breach”, “my kingdom for a horse”, and “lend me thine ears.”
Sometimes the phrases are changed in the telling, “Lead on MacDuff,” should be “Lay on MacDuff.” But no more of the Scottish play, lest “Double, double, toil and trouble,” find us.
“My kingdom for a Hearse” might make a good title for a horror story.
Exit pursued by a bear. (oops that’s another one from a Winter’s tale.)
I’ve put up a couple of things on instafreebie.
The first is a short story, To Court a Dragon.
The second is the start of a science fiction story in the same universe as Cynthia the Invincible, but set in 1893 Dartmoor, The Curious Case of Miss James. It’s available on Amazon.
The Art of Deception, first in a series of late Georgian/early Regency spy novels is now up.. You can get the first part here.
I don’t think this is a situation where I’d be eager to offer information. Love the tone, Amelia!
Intriguing scene. The reference to Star Wars made me chuckle.
Great snippet, I enjoyed the Star Wars reference too!
It seems that in switching to sci fi you are to thine own self being true, and it must follow, as night the day, that this book will make you famous.