National Novel Writing Month: Nov 9

Chet’s eyes shot open and he inhaled, pulling in his stomach and pushing out his ribs. He blinked and tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. Running his tongue over his gums as he flexed and relaxed his face, he was get his salivary glands to give up enough for a small swallow. He inhaled again and stretched before sitting up. Everyone else was still asleep. As quietly as he was able, he untangled himself from his blanket and stood up. He gingerly tested his injured foot, and found he was able to stand; though it still ached.

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 7

Lucilia moved cautiously through the wreckage near her until she located a flashlight. Then she went looking for survivors, using the light to search for any dangers on the floor that might be hidden by the dark. Her unsteady walk through the crash left her with many sights she wished she could forget. Several crewmen had been crushed by flying crates. Others lost limbs or heads to the shrapnel. Finally, there was one who’d had an open case of mono-needles smash into him. He lay unmoving. Lucilia shuddered at the thought of all those injections suddenly coursing through her body.

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 6

"There any animals there?”

“That’s an unknown as far as I know.”

“How good’s your information, Cliff?

“Not great, Captain. I haven’t heard much about it since they finished setting up all the equipment.”

“Okay, so we don’t know anything about it other than it’s got frozen water?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And why was this base established?”

“Assuming the water is drinkable and the rest of the environment is manageable, the intention is to use Shekelton as a way to water up before manned space voyages. There are a number of planets of considerable scientific interest nearby, on a cosmic scale.”

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 5

“What do you think it’s supposed to mean?”

“No idea,” Chet flipped through the book, reading haphazardly. “Seems like they worship some sleeping god in another dimension. I’ll take some photos of the text. Maybe someone on Salvation can make sense of it.”

Chet photographed the cover and the first several pages. He returned the book to the shelf and tagged the photos with the book’s location on the station map. They were trained not to shine their lamps in each other’s faces so he missed the concerned that had covered her face as he turned to leave the room.

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 4

Lucilia opened the document and was surprised to find it was a text rather than audio file. She began to read.

Jake has been acting so weird lately. We were supposed to meet up to look at the stars and listen to music. I asked Tatiana about it and she said that I shouldn’t trust boys to do anything but break their promises. I was sure he had a good reason for not showing up and I went to ask him. When I found him, he was in the observation room staring at that weird nebula. He wouldn’t even speak 

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 3

Like the ship, the doors on Waypoint weren’t automated. Lucilia tried the handle and it opened on noiseless hinges. She moved her foot back so she could turn and see Chet. He was holding a scanner. At the prompting of his nod, she entered the room.

Giving the room a quick sweep with her headlamp, Lucilia determined it was the common area of an open floor apartment. There were a few couches positioned ninety degrees to the door, facing a screen that took up most of the wall. Behind all that was a dining table with six chairs and an

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 2

Steve and Dex sipped coffee in their dormitory lounge. They were the only people at the long, metal table that was currently positioned in the middle of the room. Behind them a few people gathered around a pinball machine, a curiosity of the 20th and 21st century that had recently made a comeback among long haul space crews. The noises of the machine were occasionally punctuated by celebratory shouts or groans of defeat, depending on how things were going.

“Did you get the details on what happened to Waypoint station?”

“I heard everyone abandoned it because they discovered an alien

National Novel Writing Month: Nov 1

“Well Captain. It appears to some sort of energy projection. It’s a phenomenon we’re familiar with, in theory. I don’t know of anyone who has seen it before though.”

“And what does that mean exactly? What is it?”

“Near as I can tell, based on the readings it’s giving off, it’s from somewhere deep in the universe, near the old center, if you will. Some sort of primordial gas cloud.”

“Do we think this has something to do with the distress signal suddenly cutting out?”

Dodie rubbed his chin, screwed up his mouth moved his head from side to side