Sneak Peek; initial draft, scene 1, of Seven Planets (forthcoming novel)

I don’t normally post such early drafts, this was an off the top of my head idea for the first scene of my upcoming novel. But I thought readers and writers might find it interesting to see the very first words that are created as I begin a project. The writing process has always fascinated me.
It may be that this scene does not end up being the first scene in the final draft. It may not even appear in the book at all. But you can’t improve on a blank page!

The alarm startled him awake. He flung off the thin blanket and stood, arms raised. Glancing at the wall display, he saw it was 0217 ship time. The lights flickered on, dimming from the usual harsh white to a red glow.

The room jolted violently, and he fell to the floor, catching himself with his hands. He moved back against the bunk and grasped the bar as another significant movement occurred—the room tilted sideways and then back.

His mind raced. Was it a malfunction in the artificial gravity? Perhaps the tilting, but the violent movement was something else entirely. Evasive maneuvers? An explosion somewhere on board the ship?

A click echoed through the door as it opened slightly. He raised an eyebrow. That door hadn’t been opened in eight days—since he had been loaded onto the ship and confined to this cell.

Before being sent out for exile, he had had a chance to review the ship he would be heading out on. Of course, he shouldn’t have had that information, but he did have a few friends in influential positions. The ship was a 700-meter transport vessel, used for troops, construction, or other groups, and occasionally for political prisoners—a category he found himself in.

He knew the ship was 24 years old, with a UN crew of 12, excluding the guards. He wasn’t sure how many there were.

The wall screen flickered, and he looked up to see:

> Critical event. Life systems are holding. Make your way to the nearest escape pod.

The ship’s communication system echoed the words.

A diagram appeared on the screen, with flashing arrows indicating the route from his room to a series of escape pods along the starboard side of the ship.

Abandoning ship? That meant a major event.

He jumped up and slid the door open the rest of the way, gazing up and down the corridor. Red flashing lights illuminated the way. The ship jolted again, not as violently as the first two, but this time he heard a loud bang followed by other ominous noises. These noises didn’t bode well for the ship.

He sprinted down the corridor towards the line of escape pods. As the cord jerked to the side and then straightened, he noticed people running in the same direction ahead of him.

Suddenly, a voice echoed behind him, and he turned to see a UN guard approximately 20 feet away. “Halt, prisoner!” the guard shouted.

Yohan considered ignoring the order, considering the dire situation. However, the guard clearly had a stun gun or other weapons. He stopped and allowed the guard to catch up.

“Hello, officer,” Yohan replied, trying to remain calm. “Do you sense any issues?”

The guard’s expression was stern, and he appeared visibly anxious. “Ships have been hit, and we must evacuate immediately. Follow me—“ he glanced down at the badge on his jumpsuit “—Yohan. We are headed to the ELPs.”

Yohan held his tongue, allowing the guard to take his arm and guide him down the corridor. Soon, they caught up with a group of others just in front of the bulkhead that led to the next corridor. There, they found a long row of pods—formally designated Emergency Life Pods—located.

As they followed the group ahead of them through the bulkhead, Yohan noticed that the first few pods had already been ejected. There would be enough for everyone on board, as per regulations. However, if people didn’t spread out to the appropriate areas, there might be shortages.

The guard spotted an empty pod and pushed ahead, pulling Yohan behind him. He then slapped the large plate beside the door, causing it to iris open, revealing a small pod with room for two.

“Get in,” the guard ordered, pulling Yohan through the bulkhead.

As soon as the guard released Yohan’s arm, Yohan spun swiftly, grabbing both sides of the bulkhead. He jumped off his feet and kicked the man in the chest with both feet. The man flew across the corridor and collided with the opposite wall. At the same time, Yohan stepped back into the room and pressed the door button on the other side. The door slid shut with a satisfyingly heavy clank.

Bending down to examine the plate beside the door, Yohan noticed a smaller button labeled “Emergency Lock and Launch.”

Johan flipped the cover away from the button and punched it.

“Secure Yourself,” the pod AI said. “Launch in five seconds.”

The pod had two large seats at the front. As Yohan took his seat and strapped himself in, the voice intoned, “Launch,” and he felt the acceleration as the pod left the ship.