My main intent of writing Part One – First Encounter of the Kavakian Empire is to introduce the primary characters. However, the story still has to have a plot, otherwise it is pointless to read. To define the plot, I need to determine the goals of influential characters. The plot arises when those goals clash. Let me review the goals here. The goals of each character are listed in the order of importance.
Jori’s Goals
- Make sure his brother Terk lives.
- Get back home to Tredon safely. (You may think to stay safe, Jori should not have told the Odyssey crew that he and Terk were the Kavakian princes. But you will find out later why he did tell them.)
- Appease his father (more on this in future chapters).
- Keep their real mission secret.
Captain Robert Arden’s Goals
- Avoid war with the Tredons.
- Get Jori and Terk home safe as promised.
- Make sure Jori and Terk are not a security risk.
- Verify the Grapnes’ intent and determine if there is any truth to their claims.
- Determine if the Tredons had a secret mission.
- Make a good impression on Jori and Terk in hopes of future dealings.
Commander J.T.’s Goals
- Make friends with Jori so that their time together is not unpleasant.
- Make friends with Jori in order to find out if Tredons had a secret mission.
- Keep Jori from being a security risk.
- Keep Jori’s identity a secret from other crew members.
Lieutenant-Commander Bracht’s Goals
- Keep Jori and Terk from being a security risk.
Lieutenant Calloway’s Goals
- Revenge and/or sabotage against Jori and Terk.
- Keep Jori and Terk from being a security risk.
Core Alliance’s Goals
- Take Jori and Terk into custody. (Intent not clear.)
With these goals in mind, where do they clash? The first one you might notice is that Jori wants to appease his father somehow. After all, their mission is nearly a complete disaster. He and his brother lost their crew, their ship, and their cargo. All they have left is information for their father, but that will hardy be enough to make up for their failure. So what will he do? Will his choices clash against the other characters’ goals of preventing him from being a security risk?
Jori also has a secret to keep. How far will other characters in this story go to find out this secret?
Another area where the goals clash is between Captain Arden and the Core Alliance. The captain has promised not to allow any harm to come to Jori and Terk, promised not to take them prisoners, and has promised to get them home safe. The Core Alliance, however, may have something else in mind for Jori and Terk.
Lt. Commander Bracht is obviously an antagonist of sorts, but the real antagonist in this story is Lt. Calloway. He will do his duty well enough to keep from getting into trouble. But if he can get away with doing something against Jori and Terk, he will do it in a heartbeat. His goals clash with Jori’s goals as well as with the captain’s goals.
The main plot of this story concerns the potential for war between two enemies. While it is obvious that Captain Arden wants to avoid war, we are not yet sure if Jori is interested in the same thing. So far, he is cooperating. But what will happen if his brother dies? Part One can end in two different ways. It could point towards a potential for peace between the Core Allliance and the Kavakian Empire. Or it could end in disaster with the Kavakian Empire being an even greater enemy threat to the Core Alliance. Keep reading the Kavakian Empire to find out more.