Well, here we are, the final chapter of this Novella I've been writing for about 2 and a half months. I could have gotten it done a lot quicker had I written one part a day, but sometimes it's good to give a little breathing room between sections.
I'm going to complete this, then bring all of the individual parts into Google Docs, and see how it all lines up. There may be a few bridges that need gaps, but hopefully not many.
After my first edit pass of this, I'll find an editor online who I can hire to give it a final pass and then I can publish it. If anyone's interested or knows anyone who's interested in editing it, let me know rates and stuff.
A tremor ran up Andron's body. It was powerful enough to make the others in the room pause. Crovin stared at the ceiling, as another shudder was felt. Dust fell, clouding the office slightly. Small particles and loose bits of debris tapped Andron's head as they fell.
"I don't like the sound of that," Shoni said as he eyeballed the tiles of the ceiling. "We should leave."
"Leave?" Crovin replied as he stared suspiciously. "Flee, because of what? Some passing transport ships?"
"They don't sound like some passing transport ships to me, sir," Shoni said, pushing the point of leaving. "If it's nothing, it's nothing. You can return when we know, but I do think the smart option is to leave, for now."
"Enough!" The Alid shouted, his voice distorted. "I'm not going anywhere." He shook his head, made slow and awkward by the suit. "Some High Flyers start worrying about a raid, and we're all supposed to heed their drug-fueled warning. Flee, fear-stricken?" He scoffed, as he made his way to his desk. Within a few moments the thumps carried him, and Crovin placed a finger on his console. "What's going on out there?"
The line remained empty for a moment. Soon, it sprung to life. "Nothing, sir. All quiet at the entrance." One of the security guards responded lazily.
"All quiet?" Crovin said, while taking a glance at Shoni, who continued to stare briefly at the ceiling. "There was a noise. It sounded like a ship overhead."
"Not seeing any ships here." The guard stated. "Give me a second, I'll head out and have a look."
Crovin stepped back from the console and turned to look out the large window at the dance floor below. The dancing light bounced off his suit.
"Sir, you're right, there..." The communications crackled and broke off.
The Alid's head turned quickly, as he lumbered back to the console. Pressing the button didn't seem to help matters. The airwaves were dead, and distorted. "You cut out, what did you say?"
Gunfire erupted from the distance, which echoed through the venue and over the music. Soon, the music cut out completely, and the sound of screaming took centre stage.
Shoni, and the guards in the room readied their weapons at the sudden surge of shooting. "Defensive position, cover the door." The Doshan shouted as they activated their camo. They turned into a shimmering liquid until they were almost unnoticeable. "Get the hostages out of the way!" Shoni's voice could be heard.
One of the guards grabbed Mari by the leg and dragged her to a corner of the room, and Andron could feel arms from behind him as he was pulled to his feet and tossed after her. He lost his footing and landed hard against the wood. His arms being restrained made breaking his fall gracefully, impossible.
"We are under attack. Everyone, prepare defensive positions." Crovin commanded through the console, but his voice didn't echo throughout the facility as it had during his last announcement. He punched the console in frustration, as he let out an inaudible complaint. "They're blocking our communications!"
Thuds from above distracted the guards who were focusing on the door. "They're above us!" One of them shouted as they aimed their rifle upwards. In a panicked state of being they shurked back and forth, trying to aim at the thuds.
Soon, they multiplied, and it was multiple coordinated steps, as opposed to just one.
"I'm done here! If we surrender maybe they'll spare us!" Another guard shouted, as they threw down their weapon and ran for the door.
"Get back in line!" Shoni could be heard, but not seen.
The guard ignored the commend and continued to fumble at the keypad, typing in a code.
"Get back in line, now!" The Doshan commanded once more, and once more they were ignored.
Another guard started to shake, and looked close to dropping their weapon as well. The one standing at the keypad continued to type, but the code was wrong, which forced them to start the process again. A single gunshot stopped them in their tracks, and they slid against the wall as they slumped to the floor.
"They might spare you, but I won't!" Shoni shouted. "Everyone, prepare yourselves, and don't dream of running!" The disjointed voice rang out, and the guards seemed to settle their nerves at the site of their dead college.
"Good," Crovin muttered, as he made his way to the others. Leaving the side of the room - overlooking the dance floor -empty.
