Nanowrimo Update

[forsyth]

Huzzah! I'm caught up now, or close enough to make no real difference. I was having a hell of a time getting anywhere yesterday and this morning, I got maybe 1000, 1200 words between the two. So I went and did other stuff, and actually like two minutes after I shut the computer down to get ready to run some errands, I got an idea how to get out of the part I was stuck on, and now they're even just about to leave the planet, too. I think part of the problem was I was trying too hard to get the characters to do something, once I figured I'd just let things go how they would and have a new longer term goal for them to work toward, it started easier. And it's only 7:40, too, the things having the day off can do for you. I'll probably need to do more tonight, because I may be busy tomorrow and will have gaming Saturday, but hey, progress.


Chapter 9

"Nobody ever tells us anything."

The interior of the Galactic Force cutter was decorated in simple shining metal and black pseudo-leather, the very epitome of starship interior design for the past three centuries. If there's one thing the Galactic Force stood for besides law and order, it was traditional interior design. Centuries ago, the Galactic Force had signed a contract for cutter construction with The Builders, an extremely long-lived race. So the original designers were still churning out the new cutters. A few new apprentices had been trained and reached design positions and were experimenting with bold breaks from the old design, using white plastic instead of the shiny metal, or pleasing fruit colors instead of the pseudo-leather. The old guard objected, of course, and so did some of the Galactic Force, who felt they wouldn't be taken seriously in a smooth oviod fruit-colored vehicle.

And Galactic Force cutters were certainly worth taking seriously, they could outrun many combat aircraft in atmosphere, outmaneuver sports cars, and came standard with more defensive shielding and armament than most independent freighters. Along with two stasis tubes, two secure cells, and bunkspace for six, with two separate cabins, all combined into one sleek ship, they were one of the pinnacles of starship design. The Builders may be slow to change tastes on interior design, but they were more than happy to upgrade and incorporate new functional things to make their ships better, one of the reasons they were among the premier starship designers and builders in the galaxy.

Jayridge was vaguely aware of most of this, mostly from entertainment, the Galactic Force was a favorite hero (or villain, in the more paranoid realms) of action vids and other entertainment. A small band of elite investigators and agents, fighting the scumlords of the galaxy, keeping the peace, and probing into mysteries across the stars. They were like FBI cowboy space rangers on crack, with cooler guns and ships. Which just went to prove Jayridge had even more wrong ideas about them than about ninjas.

The Galactic Forcepersons had led the group to the Kanhiro Island Interplanetary Air and Space Port and Karaoke Club, where their cutter was docked. Once aboard, Agent Leland led them into a small mess/lounge area in the cutter. "Feel free to grab a seat. Anybody want coffee?"

"Real coffee?" Jayridge asked, shocked.

"Of course," Day said.

"But it's so expensive!" Jayridge said.

Day chuckled. "Not everywhere in the galaxy has such high tarrifs on coffee. And some of them can even grow it, too."

Ixnax had stayed behind at the door, securing the ship and engaging various anti-spying measures. When they were activated, the interior of the ship gradually faded to invisibility, at least to anybody who might be trying to spy on it. In theory, anyway. Who was ahead at the moment in the spying and anti spying arms race always varied. But who'd be watching on a planet like this? Besides the Space Pirates, anyway.

"No thanks, I don't like coffee," Jayridge said as Ixnax arrived and hung his trench coat on a low hook.

"This better be good," he said.

He sounded grumpy, but unless extensively familiar with them, it's practically impossible for a human to tell the attitude of a Klackon, because of their insectiod features and different vocal structure. Now that Jayridge had more time to look at him, she saw Ixnax's resemblance to an ant was really mostly superficial, he has six limbs and antennae and three body parts, but those were just insectoid characteristics. The first two were generally used as hands, the back as legs, with the middle two being used for either depending on need. And the bony exoskeleton was more an overlapping series of plates than a true exoskeleton, due to a whole bunch of evolutionary pressures and laws of physics and mechanical engineering that Jayridge didn't know about. And Ixnax's face was much more expressive than simple exoskeleton. Expressing what, she wasn't sure, but definitely expressive.

"Agent Leland's vouching for you two, so what's all this about Space Pirates?" he (well, presumably he, and for some reason English still had yet to evolve a single agreed upon pronoun for beings of indeterminate gender, but he certainly acted male. And cranky) asked.

Goob looked over at Cal, who shook his head no, then at Midas, who shrugged, then at Jayridge. "Well," Goob said, "There's space pirates around, you know that much."

"They were sighted in this area, but we've been unable to find them," Day said.

"What, just you two?" Jayridge asked

Ixnax pointed up with a forelimb. "There's a Navy Pirate Hunting Task Group checking through this sector, we can have them there in a few hours. Plus all the usual sensors, and the astro-trackers on Centerline Station. We haven't seen any sign of them."

"What? But they tried to kill us over at the Vocational and Technical School of Ninjitsu! And they'd already attacked there before! How could you miss it?"

"Why is this girl here anyway?" Ixnax asked.

"She's our lead," Goob said, "Twink, can you download the data that computer, whassername gave you, while I give them the quick version of the story?"

"Hey," Jayridge objected, "he's my personal assistant, you're not the one who should give him orders."

"My apologies. Of course," Goob said.

"What he said, Twink," Jayridge said, "Go to it."

Twink looked at Ixnax and Day. "May I?" he asked.

Ixnax exhaled strangely, probably the insectoid version of a grunt. "Computer, talk to the bot," he said.

While Twin and the computer negotiated protocols and transfered Twink's store of data from the Kanhiro Island Vocational and Technical School of Ninjitsu, Goob gave the two Galactic Forcepersons a very abridged version of what'd happened, with a few corrections and inserts from Jayridge and Midas. Day took the briefcase and stuck it in a handy slot that opened up nearby, to scan and evaluate it.

After they finished the basic tale, Day and Ixnax sat back, looking even more concerned. "This is bad," Day said.