My Process of Writing a Novel, Walkthrough

Grammarly

(I use Grammarly. You can check out "My take on Grammarly." I'll use External link below this chapter. )

(Added commas will bold whole word before it. Missing space (space added) An extra space, words under lined, underlined.)

(Not all of Grammarly's suggestions are used. Dialogue for certain people is not always going to be grammatically correct.)

Chapter 1

Jack in the Box

Oct 31st, 2101

On the bridge of the science vessel Euclidean, the helmsman looked back over his shoulder. "Captain Schreiber, there's a lifepod or something on an intersecting path."

Schreiber straightened in his command chair and raised his eyebrows a bit. "No one but us where assigned to this sector. Hail it. See if we get a response."

A few minutes later, the helmsman focused on his console. "No response, Sir."

"Maybe they can't respond... Hopefully, not dead."

"Autopilot AI would still respond Sir."

"Well, no way it just happens to be on course to cross our path. Alter our direction a bit."

After a few minutes, the helmsman looked back at Schreiber. "It did alter course. It will still intercept us, Sir."

"Understood. Maintain. Announce green alert, incoming."

The chief mate to Schreiber's right stood up. "Not much we can do about it anyway."

Schreiber glanced up at his chief mate. "No, there isn't. Though I'm curious."

"Curiosity'll get us killed." The chief mate stomped over to a thick metal door, it split in half on sliding open, and he barged off the bridge.

Stopping the Euclidean, the helmsman stared out the ships large front window.

Schreiber stood and strolled past the helmsman. In a blink the object sped right in front of them, stopping abruptly a few feet from the glass. They both stared at it.

"That ain't no human lifepod."

"What should we do?"

"Hopefully it'll stay put. Back off a little and turn around. We'll scoop it up in the docking bay."

"Yes, Sir." The helmsman took a deep breath and let it out. "Glad it wasn't a missile."

The chief mate hustled back onto the bridge carrying a gun. "That's not a life pod."

Schreiber tapped an icon on a screen wrapped around his forearm. "Linn, meet us at the docking bay. Be careful. Don't enter till we get there."

A reply came back. "Um, sure. What's up?"

The chief mate interrupted. "No way. We don't know if that's a bomb. I don't know what other crap the science crews are messing with out here, (space added) but that doesn't look man-made."

"Oh," said Linn through the com. "Sounds interesting."

Schreiber put his hand on the chief mate's shoulder. "Come on. There's no way I'm passing up the chance to be among the first humans to identify intelligent alien life. It's probably a probe sent out from some far off planet."

The chief mate hurried off the bridge. "We don't know that. Could be a lifepod like we thought. Just not our kind."

Schreiber followed. "That could be amazing."

Catching up to the chief mate waiting with Linn at the doors to the docking bay, Schreiber gasped in and out. "Ok. Let's see what we got."

The chief mate held up the gun. "K. Open it."

Looking at Schreiber, Linn hesitated.

Schreiber nodded. "Let's be careful, but don't make a mess of things. Try not to shoot first."

Linn pushed a button on the panel next to the extra wide docking bay entrance.

With a hiss, the door opened. The alien sphere sat unmoving on the floor of the wide docking bay. Five motorcycles lined up on one side of the bay, and two huge mechs stood on the other.

All three entered, eyeing the wavy, black and silver sphere with green light coming from its jagged lines.

Linn picked up a device and approached the sphere, scanning it. "No detectable radiations."

Clenching his gun, the chief mate raised it up (Raised it up is a tautology. Delete up.) a little then aimed it back down at the floor. "Shouldn't you have figured that out before we opened the door?"

Linn gave him a sideways look. "The ships alarms would have sounded if it detected harmful levels."

Contemplating what the alien machine might be, Schreiber leaned close inspecting it. Some of the glowing green lines transformed into a jagged ring. Schreiber stood up, staring at the change. It lashed out; (delete ; ) a section, morphing in one smooth motion and wrapping around Schreiber's head.

The chief mate fired at the alien machine.

Linn jolted back. "No! Stop shooting."

Desperate to break free, Schreiber pulled and twisted his body as he tried to remove the alien material wrapped around his head.

"It's hurting him, look at him," said the chief mate.

"Like you, reacting is what he's doing. We do not know what it is doing or what shooting it will do."

The alien machine released Schreiber and returned to the way it was. Gasping, he stumbled back and fell, sitting hard on the metal floor. The chief mate grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the docking bay with Linn hurrying along after them.

Striking the button to close the door, the chief mate let go of Schreiber.

Linn scanned Schreiber as he struggled to get up. "Can you walk to the med bay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Holding his head, Schreiber stumbled forward.

Clutching his arm, Linn helped him along.

"I'm ok now. I feel fine; (change comma, to semicolon;) catching my breath."