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I think I have my NaNoWriMo opener.
Sep. 11th, 2019 06:59 pmTell me what you think.
--
Chell was in the nursery when they finally came for her. It was a relief, as she was far too old for the children's games and instructor sets. She sat silently, as always, watching as the cartoon animals in the holographic walls cavorted and tried to entice her to interact.
“Chell! Do you want to play a counting game?” asked an out-of-focus blue elephant in a deep voice. The fact was she was mastering calculus in her tutoring sessions, but the nursery didn’t know that, nor did it understand that Chell was only here because it was a convenient space to hide an unfortunate family matter.
She was the Captain’s eldest daughter. The Captain had two older sons, so she was not likely to inherit her father’s position. Once there had been three sons. Everyone was careful to call Piter’s death a “tragic accident” or a “terrible thing.” No one ever used the word assassination, not even to describe a young man found in a closet with his throat cut. Too many siblings meant potential struggles for the Captaincy.
Her father was nothing if not efficient. He would take steps to end that threat to a clean succession.
The blue elephant was stuttering now, stuck on the word “you” and increasingly out of focus. Another system failing, Chell thought. How many more until the Ship dies? The deep chant began to sound like it was mocking her.
There was a discreet cough. She turned her head and saw two of her father's personal Internal Security troops stood over her. “Are you here to see that I have a tragic mishap?” she asked brightly.
Both of the guards were unreadable behind their mirrored visors. “No, my lady Chell. We are to take you to the bridge to meet with the Capt . . . your father.”
Rolling to her feet with the grace and skill gained in endless hours of combat practice, Chell smiled at the guards, enjoying how the visors reflected her pale face and cropped dark hair. “Well, then. Please take me to the presence of our Exalted Captain!” One guard leading, the other falling in behind, they left the nursery.
One of the nursery attendants who had overheard the exchange sagged in relief as Security left with their charge. “Thank God, she’s gone! I hope she never comes back, girl gives me a creepy feeling.”
The other looked shocked. “Are you insane? Talking like that in a room filled with officers’ children? Do you want IntSec to take you to Level 87? Shut up and go see if Technical Services can fix that panel. It’s getting on my nerves.”
The blue elephant continued its monotonous repetition of “you . . . you . . . you . . .” for several hours until the wall panel finally failed and went dark. No one came to repair it.
--
Chell was in the nursery when they finally came for her. It was a relief, as she was far too old for the children's games and instructor sets. She sat silently, as always, watching as the cartoon animals in the holographic walls cavorted and tried to entice her to interact.
“Chell! Do you want to play a counting game?” asked an out-of-focus blue elephant in a deep voice. The fact was she was mastering calculus in her tutoring sessions, but the nursery didn’t know that, nor did it understand that Chell was only here because it was a convenient space to hide an unfortunate family matter.
She was the Captain’s eldest daughter. The Captain had two older sons, so she was not likely to inherit her father’s position. Once there had been three sons. Everyone was careful to call Piter’s death a “tragic accident” or a “terrible thing.” No one ever used the word assassination, not even to describe a young man found in a closet with his throat cut. Too many siblings meant potential struggles for the Captaincy.
Her father was nothing if not efficient. He would take steps to end that threat to a clean succession.
The blue elephant was stuttering now, stuck on the word “you” and increasingly out of focus. Another system failing, Chell thought. How many more until the Ship dies? The deep chant began to sound like it was mocking her.
There was a discreet cough. She turned her head and saw two of her father's personal Internal Security troops stood over her. “Are you here to see that I have a tragic mishap?” she asked brightly.
Both of the guards were unreadable behind their mirrored visors. “No, my lady Chell. We are to take you to the bridge to meet with the Capt . . . your father.”
Rolling to her feet with the grace and skill gained in endless hours of combat practice, Chell smiled at the guards, enjoying how the visors reflected her pale face and cropped dark hair. “Well, then. Please take me to the presence of our Exalted Captain!” One guard leading, the other falling in behind, they left the nursery.
One of the nursery attendants who had overheard the exchange sagged in relief as Security left with their charge. “Thank God, she’s gone! I hope she never comes back, girl gives me a creepy feeling.”
The other looked shocked. “Are you insane? Talking like that in a room filled with officers’ children? Do you want IntSec to take you to Level 87? Shut up and go see if Technical Services can fix that panel. It’s getting on my nerves.”
The blue elephant continued its monotonous repetition of “you . . . you . . . you . . .” for several hours until the wall panel finally failed and went dark. No one came to repair it.
