{"id":11872,"date":"2018-06-19T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/?p=11872"},"modified":"2018-06-18T17:00:39","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T22:00:39","slug":"wip-excerpt-gunslinger-to-the-galaxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wip-excerpt-gunslinger-to-the-galaxy\/","title":{"rendered":"WIP excerpt: Gunslinger to the Galaxy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>Gunslinger to the Galaxy<\/div>
Phase:<\/span>1.0 Draft<\/div><\/div>
100%<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
MyBookProgress by Author Media<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n

I’m happily at work on Gunslinger to the Galaxy<\/strong> right now, just coming up on the halfway mark. With my new writing process, I make all the revisions as I go along, which means that the first chapter is more or less in a presentable state.<\/p>\n

(As a side note, someday, I should do a blog post on my new writing process, because it’s radically different from the way I used to do it. Still got to work out some kinks, which I’m doing right now with Gunslinger to the Galaxy,<\/strong> but once I’ve got it down I should be able to produce publishable books on the first draft, in only a few weeks, as opposed to taking multiple drafts over the course of several years. Exciting stuff.)<\/p>\n

In any case, here’s an excerpt from the first chapter. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\n

In Which My Dear Husband and I Return to Earth<\/h3>\n

My name is Jane Kletchka, and I\u2019m here to set the record straight.<\/p>\n

By now, you\u2019ve already heard my dear husband\u2019s account of the Gorinal incident: how we were stranded in the armpit of the galaxy when the Gorinal jumpgate went down, how we both got caught up in an outcast Immortal\u2019s million-year vendetta, and how together we thwarted it and stopped the galaxy from falling into a civilization-ending war. If only we\u2019d known what we\u2019d unleashed by doing so.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m getting ahead of myself. As I\u2019ve already said, my name is Jane Kletchka. I graduated summa cum laude from Earthfleet Academy with a double major in xenolinguistics and history. My parents urged me to pursue a graduate degree planetside, but I took the path less traveled and became a freelance xenologist. After gazing down on Earth from Luna for so long, it just didn\u2019t make sense to clip my wings for another four years. I figured I\u2019d spend a few years traveling the galaxy, do my part for intergalactic peace, then come back, find a nice Mormon boy, and settle down to raise a family.<\/p>\n

Instead, I found my dear husband on the far side of the galaxy. If you\u2019d told me only a year before that I\u2019d marry a gunslinging mercenary, I would have laughed in your face. But so it was. Needless to say, settling down wasn\u2019t in the cards anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Still, as an old-fashioned Earth girl, I insisted on introducing him to my parents. So once our work at Gorinal Prime was complete, we set the Star Runner<\/span><\/em> on a course for Sol.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

\u201cSixteen days,\u201d said Sam, shaking his head in disbelief. \u201cCan you believe it? Sixteen f\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh ah,\u201d I said, stopping him before he could swear. I love my dear husband, but he has a tongue as wild as the colony of New Texas where he was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, honey,\u201d he said, putting an arm around my waist. I tousled his dirty blond hair and glanced out the cockpit window at the starry warp-bubble that surrounded our ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did it take when you first left Earth space?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen freaking months,\u201d he said, catching himself. \u201cTook a third-class berth on a Hyadian star crawler headed straight for Aldebaran, and by the end I was so bored I half-considered shooting myself for the diversion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you didn\u2019t,\u201d I said, stroking his back with my fingertips.<\/p>\n

Down by my legs, a calico cat meowed. The Star Runner<\/span><\/em> is a cozy little ship, designed for a crew of two with room for only one passenger. That was why Imutab had taken her cat form. A shapeshifter empath from the Silver Diadem,<\/span> she\u2019d signed on with us shortly after the Gorinal incident. As newlyweds, we didn\u2019t mind her, so long as she was discreet.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, Jane,\u201d said Tarak from the copilot\u2019s chair. \u201cSam\u2019s thinking about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, but I\u2019ve got a pretty good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, \u201cdiscreet\u201d does not accurately describe Sam\u2019s copilot and first mate. Tarak is a Myadian, a race from the Scutum-Crux arm of the galaxy. They look a bit like hairless satyrs. Being telepaths, others tend to distrust them, so they mostly keep to their own kind. Tarak fell out with his clan, making him doubly the misfit. He\u2019s a good person, though. It took a while for Sam to come around to him, but even he had to admit that it can be useful to have a telepath as your first mate, no matter how awkward or annoying he can be.<\/p>\n

I leaned over and gave my dear husband a rather lengthy kiss. Imutab purred contentedly, while Tarak thankfully refrained from any more unwanted commentary. A cozy ship like the Star Runner<\/em> makes everyone feel close.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s come out of warp before we\u2019re inside Luna\u2019s orbit,\u201d I said. \u201cI want to let my parents know we\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, honey. We\u2019re in no rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, I\u2019m sure that Earthfleet will want to debrief us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDebrief?\u201d he said, frowning, \u201cHoney, we\u2019re private citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPrivate citizens with a warship and a letter of marque and reprisal that goes straight to the top of Earthfleet itself. Or have you already forgotten all the upgrades we got from the EFS Auriga?<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you never dreamed about marrying a pirate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually,\u201d Tarak interjected, \u201cJane never\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, Tarak,\u201d I said, leaning over to give my dear husband another kiss. Imutab\u2019s purring grew louder.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

Returning to Sol was the easy part. Getting to Earth was much harder.<\/p>\n

First, we had to get permission from Earthfleet to approach the planet itself. The Star Runner<\/span><\/em> was originally a Setarni ship, which meant that the authorities didn\u2019t recognize us as human at first. Even after we showed them the letter of marque and reprisal, they still insisted on an escort\u2014for our \u201cconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least the debriefing was relatively painless. Since we fell in a category somewhere between mercenaries and pirates, they moved us along as quickly as possible. The same can\u2019t be said of the authorities at Earth.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t bore you with all the catch-22s of the bureaucratic nightmare we had to endure just to set foot on our beloved homeworld. Since since Sam had lost his passport and Earthfleet didn\u2019t officially recognize us, we spent almost thirty-six hours waiting on a temproary ID from the colonial consulate. When the customs agents found out about Sam\u2019s numerous firearms, they tried to force him to register them all, which threw him into a fit. I can\u2019t remember how I managed to smooth that one out.<\/p>\n

Eventually, we worked out an arrangement that left the Star Runner<\/span><\/em> in high orbit, technically still in Earthfleet\u2019s jurisdiction, and agreed to teleport onto the main spaceport for a shuttle to the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why we need a shuttle when we\u2019ve got line of sight to the surface,\u201d Sam muttered as we made the final preparations for our departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the only place we can register is on the spaceport,\u201d I told him. \u201cIf the authorities pull us over when we\u2019re planetside, and we haven\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gave him a quick kiss, which seemed to help. Tarak keyed the teleporter, and the next we knew, we were surrounded in a conduit of shimmering blue light.<\/p>\n

Teleporting is never a pleasant experience, but I take to it better than Sam does. As the light dissipated to reveal the spaceport concourse\u2019s teleport pad, he made a face like he\u2019d swallowed his own vomit. Thankfully, that was the worst of it.<\/p>\n

The first thing about the spaceport that stood out to me was the sheer number of humans that filled the place. There were very few aliens in the crowd, and most of those were Hyadians. After spending so much time on the far side of the galaxy, it felt weird to be surrounded by people who look just like me. The second thing that stood out was just how crowded the spaceport was. Between the teleport receiving pads and the security checkpoint, people were packed almost shoulder to shoulder.<\/p>\n

A haggard security officer with a permanent frown and bags under her eyes ushered us off of the platform. \u201cThis way down, this way down,\u201d she said with practiced monotony. \u201cThe checkpoint is directly ahead, on the right.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never seen Sam so tense outside of a combat situation. I took his hand.<\/p>\n

We passed through the security scanners without incident. There was some confusion on the other side when the officer failed to locate his ID implants, but the documents from the consulate checked out and we proceeded to customs and registration.<\/p>\n

Here, we were not so lucky. The customs officer refused to recognize Sam\u2019s documents and called up his supervisor, who detained us for questioning. I rubbed my dear husband\u2019s back and ignored his muttered cursing as we waited in the windowless interrogation room.<\/p>\n

At length, the door swung open. \u201cGreetings,\u201d said a short man with brown skin and slanted eyes. His navy-blue uniform was wrinkled but clean.<\/p>\n

Sam said nothing, so I smiled and offered my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointedly ignored my gesture and took a seat across from us.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour documents show that you are Sam and Jane Kletchka, from New Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Earth,\u201d I corrected. \u201cSam is from New Texas, I\u2019m from Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d the officer muttered, checking his tablet. \u201cYour ID checks out, miss Jane Elizabeth Carter. However, we have no record of marriage to a Mister Sam Kletchka.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur marriage was performed at Gorinal Prime by Captain Isiatuk of the Silver Diadem,<\/span>\u201d Sam told him calmly.<\/p>\n

The officer frowned. \u201cGorinal Prime? That doesn\u2019t sound familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in the Scutum-Crux Arm,\u201d I explained. When that failed to register a response, I added: \u201cOf the galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d he said, raising an eyebrow. \u201cI take it that isn\u2019t in Earthspace?\u201d<\/p>\n

My dear husband frowned so deeply that his mouth disappeared into his beard. Things didn\u2019t get any better from there.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll spare you a blow-by-blow. Once again, the colonial consulate had to smooth things over, and we very nearly spent a night on those hard plastic seats in the interrogation room.<\/p>\n

Eventually, though, we boarded a planetside ferry shuttle. Exhausted from the ordeal, we did so without a word, joining the mass of other zombie-like travelers who crowded the aging shuttlecraft like so many human sardines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m happily at work on Gunslinger to the Galaxy right now, just coming up on the halfway mark. With my new writing process, I make all the revisions as I go along, which means that the first chapter is more or less in a presentable state. (As a side note, someday, I should do a… Continue reading WIP excerpt: Gunslinger to the Galaxy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1105,1080,1],"tags":[474,985],"class_list":["post-11872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gunslinger-to-the-galaxy","category-gunslinger-trilogy","category-uncategorized","tag-excerpts","tag-wips","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iXK-35u","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11872"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11873,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11872\/revisions\/11873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}