Words from Days 22-24 of Writing - Lunar Wolves: The Unwanted

This part of the novel is always tricky and I struggled over the course of a week to hit the estimated word count I had set for the novel's completion...except it didn't happen...

Starting Words: 80,645

Finishing Words: 86,106   

Words Written: 5,461

Other Words: 0

Other Project/Project Aspects Advanced: 2

Excerpt: in which Lewis witnesses the lupari capture of the freighter known as the Daisy Dreamer

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The sound of docking clamps echoed through the Daisy’s hull, and the command crew jumped.

“Easy,” the captain ordered, adding, “It might be best if you left your consoles and joined me in the center of the deck.”

He ran his fingers over his console, leading by example.

Lewis wasn’t sure what the man was hoping to achieve. Somehow, he doubted the lupari would let the Daisy keep its crew, let alone its cargo. Still, the captain was doing the only thing he could do to ensure they survived.

As he moved to the center of the deck, he addressed the rest of his crew.

“All crew, this is Captain Stamov. We are being boarded. Stand down. Do not resist. Do exactly as the boarders order. If you cannot guarantee this, move to the nearest stasis pod. I will revive you when this is over.”

Lewis didn’t know whether to admire or curse the man. There was no way in the known stars the captain could guarantee what he was promising—yet it was the best course of action the crew could follow. He wondered how much control the captain really had…and what loyalty the crew gave.

A flaw in either could sentence them all. He leant closer to the screen as if that could change the outcome of an event that had already passed. Inside the system, he caught his breath and watched the drama unfold around him.

The Stalkers Black’s hangars opened and a squadron of drop ships made the short journey between the two ships, touching down in each of the two hangars opened in the Daisy’s bow. Lupari commandoes disgorged from the shuttles, waiting for the hangar doors to close and the hangars to cycle before charging into the ship.

It was a tense wait for the Daisy’s crew, and a multitude of cameras showed the fast-moving squads charge out of the airlocks and into the ship proper, the waiting crew raising their hands as the doors to their compartments cycled open.

One sharply barked order was enough to reveal any pockets of resistance.

“Kneel!”

Those who dropped directly to their knees were quickly and efficiently bound. Those who didn’t would wake with headaches and bound twice as tightly as their colleagues. Surprisingly, all survived.

It troubled Lewis to see each compartment cleared and sealed, the unconscious carried by their crewmates as the Daisy’s personnel were herded into corridors, their work spaces sealed closed behind them.

Lewis was dry-mouthed by the time the footage switched back to the command center.

When the lupari swarmed through the doors, the captain stepped in front of his crew, and all obeyed the order to kneel.

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Thanks must go to my cover artists, from left to right: Mihaela Voicu, Jake at JCaleb Design, and Moonchild Ljilja at Fantasy Book Design.

 If you wish to check out the Magic Below Paris series (on the left), you can find all the necessary links here: https://books2read.com/rl/zQAlXz/

If you wish to check out the Mack 'n' Me 'n' Odyssey series (on the right), you can find all the necessary links here: https://books2read.com/rl/zRAO7G