The PSS Lucille hit its cruising velocity and whined as its engines powered down. Captain Jake Thomson III watched the display for anomalies and found none. He placed his hands behind his neck and stretched his head back. He had grown accustomed to the constant acceleration over the last three days, and now that it stopped, he found himself leaning forward to counteract forces that were no longer there. Jake returned to the display and read the route’s report: the solar winds were calm and there were no reports of pirate activity in the sector.

“Slingshot complete, Captain,” First Officer Cini Manama said. “Lucille is free of Jupiter’s orbit. She will commence trajectory correction in one point four parsecs.”

Jake twisted his neck to the right until it cracked. He twisted his neck to the left and lingered on Cini. She was a beautiful girl. No, he corrected himself, a beautiful naval officer. Cini was lanky with more bones than limbs. She pulled her legs up on the chair until her knees dug into the flat of her chest. Her neck leaned forward and her arms looked like they sprouted from her knees as she pushed controls. Jake could not see the projected controls, and Cini’s fingers appeared to massage ghostly shoulders.

“Cini, I have to ask, why are you in this business?”

“Are you asking me this because I’m a girl, Captain?” Cini’s army green eyes did not leave the controls, and there was no scorn in her voice. Her words sounded empty as if she had been asked it so often that her answer lost meaning.

“I’ve been with the navy for a long time.” Jake pointed his finger at Cini. “And I’m an old man. I ask more because I wanted to give you my unsolicited advice than because I wanted to judge you.” Jake noticed his hand shook and jerked it away. Jake didn’t remember when his hands first started shaking, just as he didn’t remember growing old. Jake corrected himself, as he usually did, it wasn’t that he forgot growing old; it was that he forgot ever being young.

Cini looked away from the controls to Jake with an amused expression. When she smiled, the skin on her skinny, apish face stretched so tight that her features appeared sunken. Jake regretted for not the first time that he wasn’t thirty years younger. “Please, Captain. I’m always interested in advice from my elders.”

“The navy used to be an honorable profession, Cini. Men,” Jake corrected himself, “and women could make a good living. I don’t know what happened or when it happened, but it’s not that way now. I would never recommend this career to any young person. After thirty years in, I’m barely scratching by.”

“How very cynical of you, Captain. And here I thought you were concerned because I was a defenseless woman.”

***

That’s not it. I promise (as if you haven’t heard that before). I’m taking a more relaxed but continuous approach. I’ve noticed my output dropping appreciatively, and the quality with it. I’ve decided to take a slower approach. I’m going to continue working on this story, writing a page or so every day and seeing where it takes me. I spent a couple of hours on the above. Much of it was planning, as I discovered where the characters are going to take me. It’s heading in an interesting direction, although it’s probably hard to see it where you’re sitting.

Today was a good quiet day, part of a good quiet weekend. I love spending time with Doolies, but I like days like this as well. I wandered around a bit this morning and took a drive to my local bucks of stars. There I sat with a tall mocha and planned and wrote the above fragment. I’ve been trying to write a story in one day, and (thanks to some pushing in the right direction) I’ve realized that most stories don’t want to be told in a day. Hopefully, this slow and steady approach to writing will bear some results.

Random notes that will make little sense: Slow writing—time to think, plan; but don’t leave out the writing; angst-choice-why is it about choice? Everything is about growth and change. I don’t want to read something w/o growth. Who chooses? Poor guy—he’s getting taken advantage of. Jake? I want to love the characters. It can’t be b/c the money comes out. Yes it is. But who then? Reckless, rebellious? He’s had enough. They beat him down, threatened his pension; the pirates attack; he decides to take matters into his own hands. What else? It’s not a cruise ship but a low-end cargo ship—he’s a trucker and Cini is in training—college grad, making her way up the co.’s ladder. No—she’s a pilot, working her way up to larger vessels.

Jake & Cini: Jake’s beliefs: worked for the navy for many years; old now and approaching mandatory retirement where they’ll take his stick away. Bitter about retirement and how little money and pension he has coming. He likes Cini, but he is too old—he feels he is too old to woo her. Cini does like him—he’s a powerful man who knows how to make decisions. Jake—angst about his age, loneliness; he gave his life to flying PSS—financial situation and Cini, which more of a regret than anything else. Connection: Dr. Dolin—not a worthwhile profession anymore. Dime a dozen. He is Dr. Dolin—hands shake and he has a deep smoker’s cough.

Cini? She wants to be a pilot (Eran’s love of flying). This isn’t worthwhile anymore. Older men vs. older women. Voyeur of older man at bucks: Jake’s tall, his head well-formed; his hair graying but thick, except for the front of his forehead, which is thinning gracefully (professionally, eloquently?). He’s fit and his uniform fits well. His nose is rounded in front and his ears prominent but not large, especially for a man whose ears have been growing for 60 years. He has a mole on the side of his nose. His eyebrows are two shades of gray: dark gray and bushy, with a shock of white in the middle. They draw attention to his reflective brown eyes. He speaks with a slight accent, perhaps Russian.

Advice not to join the navy; Jake’s hands are shaky; there used to be something for us; retiring next month. Changes in the navy more conservative; cutting costs and pay; more danger and less protection from pirates. Foreshadow the attack; don’t worry about the choice; the characters are the interesting part until the attack.