Second Moon
The opening chapter of my sci-fi–fantasy novel-in-progress — a doomed ship, a quiet sacrifice, and the night a second moon rose.
Second Moon is a novel I'm still writing, the first book of a planned arc set in my wider universe. The opening chapter is below. I'm sharing it mostly to show how I stage a scene — what I choose to show, and how long I let a moment breathe before moving on. Whatever's written so far is linked at the bottom.
Book One of a planned arc · a work in progress
Chapter 1 — Out of Gas
The stars wheeled slowly across the viewport, their steady drift broken only by the faint shimmer of static crawling over the glass. The Dilaw na Buwan drifted in silence, its golden insignia dulled by scorch marks from the last jump. Inside, the hum of the auxiliary generators was thin and irregular, like a dying breath.
In the dim light of the lower corridors, two engineers crept along the scorched bulkheads, tablets in hand. Diagnostic data streamed in jagged pulses.
“Hindi normal ‘to,” Jimenez muttered, squinting at the numbers. “’Yung pressure sa oxidizer tank… bumababa, pero hindi pantay.”
“Bababa ba? Bababa” Kabanig snickered. Jimenez stared at her.
“Pasensya sir— er, akala ko sensor glitch,” Kabanig answered, tapping his screen. “Pero may amoy. Asim naman. Nagsisimmer ‘yung tanke.”
Then it came—a soft metallic pop, more felt than heard. The overhead lights buzzed. A fresh alert lit up both of their screens.
WARNING: Structural breach in Tank B. Pressure drop critical. Fuel compartment compromised.
Jimenez loudly groaned. “Galing!”
“Kap’,” First Officer Borda leaned over the console. “May tagas sa oxidizer tanks. Nag-spike ang fumes—pwedeng mag-react sa hydrazine kung hindi natin i-vent.”
Captain Aranas rubbed the bridge of his nose. “May fire risk na rin?
“Malaki. Hindi na natin magagamit ‘yung natira. Delikado nang itago. Kaya—”
“—kailangan nating itapon.”
From the engineering console, another crewman barked, “Kap! Sira na rin ‘yung thruster lines. Orbit na lang talaga tayo. Walang malapit na istasyon. Di na rin tayo makakatawag.”
“Hindi naman tayo didikit sa planeta,” Captain Aranas said. “Sa orbit na lang muna tayo. Tatagal pa tayo ng mga dalawang buwan kung swerte.”
“Pero ‘yung chemical, Kap…”
Alarms chimed again. Toxic levels rising. Containment failure imminent.
“I-vent mo na,” Aranas ordered. “Bago maubos ‘yung hangin natin.”
Borda nodded, hesitating only briefly. Then: “Venting initiated.”
Outside, the ship’s underbelly opened.
Venting ports cracked loose with a deep metallic groan, and then the vapor burst free—pale, misty, and nearly invisible in the vacuum. Nitrogen tetroxide, hydrazine, and half-reacted byproducts spiraled outward like threads of glass.
Near the engineering hatch, a man sat with his hands resting calmly on his knees.
He wore no uniform. Just a tunic of rough cloth, stitched in patterns none of the crew recognized. His dark hair was tied back. His boots were leather, old but well-cared for.
They called him the local. Never by name.
One of the engineers passed by and stopped. “Any friends who’ll miss you down there? Family?”
The man’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “I left a letter,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
The engineer nodded, unsure what else to say, and walked on. He remained seated, gaze fixed on the curve of the world below.
A thin gold halo had begun to bloom around the ship.
Beautiful, he thought.
Far below, a shepherd paused mid-step, his flock restless under a sky that was no longer their own.
Beside the familiar, pitted moon, a smaller one shone faintly gold, wrapped in a shifting haze.
In the capital, priests gathered on the temple steps, pointing to the strange light and murmuring about omens.
Farmers lifted their eyes from withered stalks, muttering curses.
Women and children laughed and clapped, calling it a gift from the gods.
The Second Moon had risen.
This is Chapter 1 of an ongoing draft. Continue reading the latest chapters →