SETTING: At the scene of the very first official battle for the rebels.Â
CHARACTERS: Araceli and one of her father's generals.
"Bend the knee or die...human."
The way I spoke was foreign even to me. I sounded so angry. So cold. Was this even me speaking anymore?
"What?"Â
The man standing before me sounded genuinely shocked. I don't even remember his name. But the expression on his face and his lack of compliance was wearing on my very small reserve of mercy and patience.
"You heard me. My men have broken through your troops. More of them die by the minute. If you're truly a good general. Or even someone who cares for his life. You will bend the knee. If you don't. Well, I'll kill you like I've been doing to those who are stupid enough to get in my way."
I sighed heavily while running my free hand through my hair. The other one firmly held onto the sword that pressed against the general's neck.
"I'm offering you and your men mercy. And I really am starting to regret doing as such. So I suggest you make your decision so that I may continue on with my misera-"
"LADY ARACELI! I have an important message!"
My eyebrows twitched at the sudden interruption of one of the many messengers assigned to give me news of the battlefield.
Yet I still turned around to face him. Leaving the cornered general to the men I had come with me.
"Yes? What is it? Has something happened?
I tried my best to sound as kind and warm as possible. But I knew that failed when the messenger flinched and backed away from me a bit. Then again, I imagine I was a terrifying sight anyways. I could still feel the fresh blood resting on my skin.
"Um, you seeâŚ"
"Get on with it!"
"Sir Marid has been injured! He was hit by an enemy arrow. However, it doesn't seem to be very serious. The healers are tending to him now."
"What�"
I could tell everyone knew I was both shocked and worried. The way my face contorted showed it. I didn't know how to respond. This wasn't exactly something that had happened before. Time almost seemed to slow. But then, I swear I saw red. My body moved on autopilot as I turned on the enemy general. Quickly gathering the front of his shirt in my hands and pulling him close. Only to deeply embed my sword in his gut. I dropped him almost immediately afterwards. Leaving him there on the ground as I pulled my sword out and began to walk away.
"Make the announcement. The general is dead. Those who don't wish to join them will lay down their arms and surrender."
After giving that order I turned and walked over to the messenger. "Take me to him. Now."
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Date written:Â 11 September 2020.
Date edited:Â 12 September 2020.
Word count:Â 946.
Warnings:Â None.
A/N:Â Halp! I wrote this excerpt at work yesterday after looking through my favorite dialogue prompts. Only problem? When I wrote down the prompt in my journal, I forgot to include where I found it. So if anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can give the appropriate blog credit! I know itâs from a Tumblr blog, Iâve just been unable to figure out which one.Â
Dialogue prompt:Â â[A] put salt in my coffee because I annoyed them, but Iâm going to drink it because Iâm petty and I wonât let them win.â
Novel 2, Excerpt 2
As soon as the channel was closed, Anna slumped down into the pilots seat. She allowed her guard to drop as she massaged her temples. After two weeks of chasing contacts, sheâd finally secured a high-paying job â not only would it fill the ships fuel tanks, which were uncomfortably low, itâd cover the remainder they owed for the recent work to repair the dual engines. She had hated returning to Axion, but Liam had been right: the repairs were far too complex for him and Emryn alone. In the end, itâd taken eight Ax a dozen days to remove both engines, replace the pistons, and secure the machinery back into place. And despite the language barrier, theyâd allowed Liam and Emryn to help. Their newfound knowledge of the enginesâ inner-workings was well worth Annaâs time playing translator, but she was far happier when theyâd finally left the red planet behind them. Every day theyâd sat there, the risk of discovery by the Queen had increased. Anna intended to keep her ship â and more importantly, her crew â far from Iyreeâs reach.
She started at the sound of the cockpit door sliding open, but the heavy footfalls could only belong to Liam. She made no effort to compose herself as he took the copilotâs seat beside her.
âNo luck?â He asked, taking in the tension in her shoulders and shadows under her eyes. Such a demeanor was uncharacteristic of her, but Liam had noticed it settle the moment heâd told her of the need for Ax aid. Sheâd quietly questioned him, only agreeing after heâd thoroughly explained the necessary repairs twice. But her discomfort had lingered â even Jax and Emryn had passed him questioning glances throughout their time on Axion. Liam discreetly brushed them aside though, aware of the life Anna had left behind on the planet as well as her desire for privacy.
Anna sighed, staring at the console before her. With the door still open, she could just make out the quiet back and forth between the others. They were still sat at the table where sheâd left them nearly an hour ago.
âActually, we got the job.â She said.
âThe Lydian cargo run?â
Anna nodded and closed her eyes. Beside her, Liam turned to the ships navigation and began plotting possible routes. He quietly sipped at a mug of coffee, grimacing each time but too focused on the screens before him to realize it. Low fuel meant only direct routes were of option â that he had expected â but he hesitated when he noticed there was no avoiding the Attis System.
âWhat is it?â Anna asked. Her eyes were still closed, but sheâd heard the pause between his tapping fingers.
âWe may need tâhave the papers ready.â
At that, Anna leaned forward to better watch as he input various sets of coordinates into the ships system. He wore a frown as he worked, the hand holding his coffee half-risen and steady; Anna waited until he finished to question him.
âThese are Guardian transit lanes,â Liam said, finally bringing the mug to his lips and grimacing again. He missed the twitch of Annaâs brow as he continued. âWe wonât fly through âem, but itâll be close. May get flagged fâr paper verification.â
Anna hummed. âYouâre sure theyâre in order?â
âChecked âem twice,â he said. âEven had Jax and the kid look at âem, but I can give âem another pass if you want?â
âNot much of a point now, is there? We already paid for them.â
Liam shrugged, thinking to where the ships registration papers were safely tucked away. Heâd been surprised by the small price of them, but had gone through the very thorough process heâd done a thousand times as a Guardian. Were he still in uniform, he wouldnât have doubted their authenticity. The thought made him wonder how many crews like this had slipped by him.
âHow long will it take us to get there?â
âTen days, if we fly casual,â he turned to face Anna again. âBut weâll need târefuel soon as weâre planetside.â
âThat shouldnât be a problem-â Anna stopped short, her brow arching as she watched him. He had taken another sip of his coffee, but looking at her now she knew his grimace wasnât from the mention of the Guardians.
âJax put salt in my coffee because I annoyed her,â Liam answered the unspoken question.
From the living area, they could hear Emryn snicker and a smile tugged at Annaâs lips.
âI wonât let her win.â Liam said, taking another sip and relishing the small laugh heâd earned from her. The coffee was certainly a waste, the taste stale in his mouth, but he noticed the effect his small act of pettiness had on Anna. She shook her head as she moved to rejoin the others and Liam could see some of the tension already falling loose from her shoulders.
He followed her into the living area, taking a seat at the table across from Jax. As Anna began to tell them the details of the upcoming job, Liam caught the small pilotâs gaze and promptly finished the rest of his coffee. He made sure to steel himself as they stared at one another, giving no indication of discomfort as he gently set the mug aside.
Jax gestured rudely at him before asking Anna to continue, having paused her brief to witness the exchange. Beside her, Emryn erupted into a fit of giggles.
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Date written: 21-22 March 2020.
Edited: 22 March 2020.
Word count: 716.
Warnings: Implied injury, implied alcoholism.
A/N: So this one needs some work. Really, I wrote this around a few lines of dialogue that I wanted to hear between my characters - specifically the lines: âWhat makes you put on this horrid uniform every day?â and âEver considered piracy?...Very freeing.â This one also lacks much world-building even though it introduces two planets. Oh, and it also lacks literally any physical description of my OCs. Iâm terrible with setting and description, in case this excerpt doesnât make that clear. Lol I always have to remind myself to describe stuff. Iâm much more of a dialogue writer. Anywho...
Additional A/N: As mentioned in a previous postâs tags - #that scifi wip is set approximately 400 years in the future. Long story short, humans had to leave Earth and find a new planet in a new galaxy. In this new galaxy when the trilogy starts, the year is 1284. This galaxy consists of 13 planets, 10 moons, 1 asteroid, 9 known primary species (of which Humans are the only non-native species), and 7 languages - and is currently divided into three factions at a time of a second intragalactic war.
Novel 1, Excerpt 2
âSo why are you here?â Anna turned in her chair, focusing her gaze on the manâs reflection. He stood still before the tall window and continued to watch the horizon.
âOrders.â
Anna scoffed. âYou know thatâs not what I meant.â
Liam was silent. His body ached and the ringing in his synthetic ear was increasing, but it was the anxiety that was really taking a toll. Four days had passed since Arlen found him passed out on the kitchen floor - four days since Arlen cleaned out the entire apartment of every bottle he could find. The younger man had been thorough, leaving Liam cursing. But his hands no longer shook and the headaches were beginning to dim -
âI donât know what you mean.â
He heard the bounty hunters sigh, the thud of her boots hitting the floor. Her reflection began to take shape beside his.
âWhat gets you up in the morning?â Anna stopped beside him and rest her chin against his shoulder. Even on her toes, she could only just reach him. âWhat makes you put on this horrid uniform every day?â
Liam cast her a sideways glance as she tugged at the collar of his jacket. She wore a smirk but the look in here eyes was of vague concern. From the moment theyâd met, Anna recognized the faraway look - it was one sheâd worn only years ago. It seemed natural on Liamâs face, as though itâd been there all his life. Anna found the thought unsettling.
Time passed slowly between them; aircraft zipped by the window, the artificial sunlight faded to black. Anna remained by his side, studying him as he failed to think of an either honest or even sarcastic answer.
Finally, Liam shrugged. âDunno.â
Anna hummed. âEver considered piracy? My father and I pulled a few jobs - very freeing.â
Their conversation was cut short by the ambassadorâs return. He paid the two no attention as he continued to speak; his guest walked hunched beside him, straining to hear as the ambassador spoke just above a whipser. It was a tongue neither Liam nor Anna knew but they easily recognized the other being as a native of Baera. The mid-Cloud planet was home to beings of extraordinary height, their spindly arms falling only to the average humanâs head. It was, however, not a planet on friendly terms with the humansâ Attis. Liam and Anna exchanged a glance as the Baerin bowed in farewell.
The ambassador made for his inner office.
âI didnât know you spoke Baerin.â Anna called after him.
âWhy should you?â
Anna muttered in yet another tongue foreign to the Guardian. That made three, he noted.
The ambassador spoke again, calling Anna into the office. She left Liam by the window, grabbing a piece of fruit off the buffet as she passed, and the door slid shut behind her.
Left with only his thoughts, Liam returned to the question of her presence. The ambassador claimed threats on his life following last weekâs break-in, and sighted such as the reason for around-the-clock Guardian protection. âBut Guardians arenât bodyguards,â Liam had argued. His superior officers hadnât blinked - in fact, they had prioritized the ambassadorâs safety. Liam couldnât help but wonder then why Command had agreed to this bounty hunterâs presence. As far as he could tell, she was simply an additional body: one to help protect the ambassador and, apparently, to provide council.
Liam suspected there was more to her roll, though. Anna had not been allowed to retain her firearms upon arrival at the compound; his hand brushed his own holstered pistol as he turned back toward the horizon. She claimed no need for firearms though, that she was capable enough on her own, and Liam doubted she truly had Commandâs approval to be there. She was extrajudicial. âBut does she have a roll behind the scenes, known only by her and the ambassador?â Liam found himself increasingly untrusting of the man he was ordered to protect. The woman, however - whom he recognized as not entirely human and though clouded as she was - he found to be straightforward and authentic. He found himself at ease with her in a way he knew he shouldnât.
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 Wide awake. A dreamless sleep. The clock says 11, two hours and I'm wide awake. Snowing, just barely but more than before. Yawning wide I get up, search the fridge: empty. My stomach growls. I keep my clothes on from the night before and head out on my daily routine, first stop: a sandwich at the deli. I ready myself for small talk as I head out the door, like going over lines in a play. âHello.â âI'm fine, and you?â As I turn to lock the door, I catch a quick view of Samuel out the corner of my eye, picking up his daily newspaper. Even if he co-owns a shop with his brother David, I hardly consider him a businessman. I know he sees me; he emits a little cough whenever someone he knows is within ear shot. Involuntarily, as usual, I turn and look. What control he has, or what control I lack. I already know how I'm going to answer, what I'm going to say; it's pretense. Finally he's next to me, talking, smacking his annoyingly small lips on his too large a face. âOh, morning Samuel...â. He seems a bit too eager this morning, already guessing my routine, I let him continue on about the sunrise. âMust have, I'm sure it was nice...â, it's not worth correcting, it'd just make him stay longer. He puts a few false beliefs together and forms a fact, or so it seems to him, about my morning: I slept in late and missed the sunrise, no wonder why he's talking down. He saw something I âdidn't. I don't care what he thinks I did, he begins about the weather, I don't care about the weather. âI was thinking this winter is going to be warmer than last year...â, disagreeing just to get him to leave, most people dislike arguing in the morning, it works. I suppose he was going to talk about his store, cut short by my comment it seems. Not wanting to discuss the change in climate in depth he stares awkwardly at his newspaper, opening and closing, flipping pages, not knowing what he's looking for. He begins muttering to himself a bit, something about â...early snowfall with the clouds above...â, loud enough so I feel like I'm still in the conversation. It's only too obvious that he's uncomfortable with my response and wants to leave. I help him out, âWell I'm off, good luck with your business...â, a playful jest, if only to get a reaction. I notice his brow furrows as he thanks me and says goodbye. I flash a reassuring smile and he takes it reasonably well even if he's confused. I depart knowing full well that he continues to watch me up until I turn the corner down the street. Surely there will be more of these nuances to come as my day becomes more and more drawn out.
