Progress Report: Book Two

Progress this week is slow because I've focused on the opening. I want a strong, clear opening. I want someone who, somehow, doesn't read Reavers to start reading and know instantly who the villain is, who the hero is, what's at stake, and why things are about to go down. I decided to attempt more efficiency in my writing by setting that opening scene and its follow-ups to be the evening of April 1st, at sunset, when Qis sets his plans to deal with Gabriela into motion.

The next step will be to layer in two subplots. One regards Red Eyes and Hell's Heart, which will not appear in this story, but instead rotate off-stage and be the menacing threat that comes back for Book Three. The other regards Azazel, who's already figured out how to fast-track the manpower problem. I mention them in the opening; it's now just a matter of planning where to put the other occurrences and make them serve the plot.

The outline looks like this now. It is not final and you can expect significant revisions:

• Part One
  • Qis figures out that Gabriela's family is actively conspiring against him and decides to act before she exposes him. Red Eyes rotates off stage. Jack and Gori come to the Terran system to play a part in Qis' plan.
  • Roland decides to push his plan to flush out Qis by forcing him to act. Gabriela will testify in a closed session of the Court of Stars regarding New Edinburgh; no remote attendance is allowed for closed sessions, so Qis has to be there.
  • Gabriela makes the announcement via her father, who is the head of House Robin, and gives a date.
  • Jack and Gori begin harassing traffic within the system, forcing the Solar Guard to mobilize to to chase them down. This ruse creates the chaos required for Jack and his marines to take a trader vessel they hijacked and use it to smuggle themselves to Earth.
  • Qis, in disguise, uses Jack's attack on the Court of Stars to prevent the hearing and assassinate the Speaker of the Court. He seizes the position in the chaos, using its power to control the Court's agenda to shut down Gabriela's announcement under color of security concerns. With the unanimous consent of the Court, Gabriela is remanded back to her secure location until she goes home.
• Part Two
  • Roland talks to Gabriela and her father, wanting them to sign on to an idea to bait out her attackers yet again. They fake a leak of her location, and that she's visiting a Hospitaler hospital before heading home.
  • Qis and Jack go for it because, again, they need Gabriela and she's dangerous while she's loose. They attack the hospital, finding her secure in a sleeping tank, which they wheel out. A chase ensues, but they escape with their prize and get off planet to rendezvous with Gori and Revenge at Mars.
  • They meet their contact at the Barsoom War College, where Roland springs the trap; he's in the tank bed, and comes out to confront Jack- Qis having stayed on Earth to use his position to impede Guard responses. Roland and Jack fight, leading to a duel in freefall over Mars, before Revenge arrives to get Jack and run for it.
• Part Three
  • Jack and Gori run for the asteroid belt in order to shake off the Guard's pursuit. Oklahoma arrives to assist Roland; they give chase. Roland leads Oklahoma's mecha squadron against Jack's as the battleships go one-on-one, not-Yamato versus not-Arcadia.
  • Qis, in disguise, tracks down Gabriela's actual location and assaults it. Creton holds him off just long enough for Gabriela to arm herself and shoot at Qis, which then holds him off until they can flee for the spaceport where her yacht awaits.
  • Qis tips off Jack, who pulls a fast one to attempt a risky intercept as Gabriela leaves Earth for Second Salisbury.
  • Gabriela runs for her life, but her yacht is neither a nimble dogfighter nor a speedy racer and runs into trouble fast. Roland arrives to save the day, forcing Jack to retreat and Gabriela escapes to her homeworld.
• Denoument: Qis gets good news and bad news. Good news? Hell's Heart is operational again. Bad News? The manpower is sorted, so Red Eyes intends to lay siege on Gabriela's homeworld to finish the job.