My NaNoWriMo novel

      With the loss of my flash drive, it seems unlikely I'll have time to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November. Not if I want to publish Murder by the Acre in January as planned.
      I regret this. NaNoWriMo is a special time and lots of (stressful) fun. I particularly wanted to participate in this one because I think I have a good plot. The book was going to be called Twilight Grace.
      Later this month, I will be running a role-playing game in which the players will end up on a huge, deserted star ship, the Twilight Grace. Except it's not deserted. Think Rendezvous with Rama with a good dose of Aliens and Ghost Story. As I planned the game, I became fascinated by the Twilight Grace and its crew. I will write their story eventually. What follows is one of the logs found by the Space Authority team that finds the Twilight Grace.

Personal log of Ensign Lars Darwick

3005-08-32-2
The captain has ordered Hold 5 sealed. He says that it has to be studied by the scientists on Earth. Drake says the captain's trying to keep it all for himself. I told him that the Authority wouldn't allow that. But it is odd. I don't mind it being sealed. That thing gives me the creeps. I swear those symbols move sometimes. But no one seems to notice. I've been in space too long. I'm imagining things.
3005-08-33-7
Drake is acting strange. He's meeting with other members of the crew. Evens, Simpton, Jasick. They go quiet when I walk up. I can feel their eyes on me. Something's going on. The whole ship needs to disembark. What I wouldn't give to kiss the ground again!
3005-08-33-9
Drake didn't turn up for duty. Neither did several others. The captain has ordered a security team to look for the missing people. Everyone is jumpy. Last night I keep hearing people talking outside my cabin, but there was no one there. Out of the corner of my eye, I keep seeing ... things.
3005-08-35-1
More people are gone. The captain ordered Commander Sven to broadcast a security alert. No one from Earth answered. Why don't we land? Why are we staying on this ship? I haven't slept in days.
3005-08-35-9
When I got off duty, my cabin door was marked with blood. All of the command deck has been violated like this. The doctor says the blood is human. The captain sealed off all decks below E. We have been issued sidearms.
3005-08-36-2
The captain has ordered the Grace to Earth. We are not going to wait for permission. Whatever is there has to be better than what is here. There is a murmur in the ship. I can hear it. I can almost make out the words. But I don't understand what the voices are saying. I don't understand.
3005-08-37-3
Last night my dead uncle was waiting in my cabin for me. He told me that he loved me and he was sorry. When I screamed, he wasn't there. I'm losing my mind.
3005-08-37-5
The ship is unable to move. Someone something in engineering has shut down the engines. We are adrift near Mars, but we cannot make orbit. Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter stations are all silent. We are alone.
3005-08-38-2
We found Jorqsen's hands today, arranged like a centerpiece on the captain's table in the dining. The captain has ordered us to go in pairs. It's not enough. We're going to die.
3005-08-39-4
They have broke the seals and took deck E. We saw them. Former mates, Lynda, Drake, they're all changed. Creatures. Alien. Not human. They captured Ademan and Kilin. They ate them alive. Slowly. The screaming went on for hours. The doctor slit his wrists and bled to death before anyone found him.
3005-08-40-1
They took D. We killed and killed and killed. They come back. They come back.
3005-08-40-3
C. They're on C.
3005-08-40-2
We are abandoning ship! Mom, Dad, Lisa, I love you!
3005-08-40-2
The pods won't launch. I can hear the voices. What they're saying. What they're saying. It comes. It comes for us all.
3005-08-40-3
God help us. God help
LOG ENDS.