Six on Sunday - DERELICT, a Sci-Fi Romance

Six paragraphs from DERELICT,  a Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance

1. JeVit froze and stared out the main viewscreen. Despite her weariness, her body hummed with the last dregs of adrenalin as fear of the unknown kept her alert. She continued to scan what portion she could observe, waiting for whatever creature or person might try to rush at them from out of the blackness. It wasn’t until she heard DeTal’s loud sigh that she was able to tear herself away.

2. Without warning, the ship jerked, lifting and tilting itself as it shook like an animal trying to be rid of something that was irritating it. Zeke heard shouting over his headset as he threw his arms out and dove for the floor. His boots kept him adhered to the deck, but not the rest of his spacesuit. He found himself being swung around, scraping across the flooring as he scrambled to find purchase with his fingers.

3. He glanced back at her. For a long moment, they stared at each other. Zeke especially studied her face, wondering if this would be the last time they’d be together. Praying it wouldn’t be, even though he didn’t think of himself as a religious man. He’d noticed the deep claw marks running down her left cheek where the wounds were starting to scab over. She’d cleaned up some of the blood, but her neck and collar still bore traces.

4. The captain narrowed his eyes as he thought. “So far she’s done everything we’ve asked of her. I say we go ahead and board her, but we go in armored and prepared.” He turned to directly address Boren. “I want her taken alive, you got me? She’s a Pure. That’s like hitting a Hafu jackpot. I don’t want that taken away from us because somebody got trigger happy.”

5. He clicked the second report, and for the next couple of minutes he read the short, barely a page long Q&A. Absorbing her explanation of how she got to the “derelict ship,” encountered him, and their struggle to survive was all he needed for that mental dam to break, allowing those memories to flood his mind and body with images, sounds, smells, and repressed emotions. As more and more puzzle pieces snapped into place, Zeke was forced to sit back, gasping for breath, and tried to digest it all.

6. Zeke slid an arm around JeVit’s waist as they turned to follow the Orvalt out of the chamber. The crowd was yelling now, angrily addressing the Pure Council. But none of the outraged mob stepped up to stop the three guards from escorting Zeke out to wherever his execution would take place.

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