THE WISHING STAR OUTLINE

CUMULATIVE
DESCRIPTION WORD COUNT DAY PLACE
WORD COUNT
Estella is preparing for her qualification exam to become a long-haul pilot.
As part of her apprenticeship, she's working on a post ship. That morning, 1,000 1 Post Ship 1,000
the Captain is acting a bit strange.
The ship is about to take off when they're held up and inspection crew
board. The Chief Inspector is in love with E. He takes E aside secretly and 1,000 1 Post Ship 2,000
asks about smuggling. E doesn't know anything about it.
Inspectors are searching the ship when rebels attack and force them to
surrender. The rebels assume command of the ship and manage to 2,000 1 Post Ship 4,000
escape Confederacy space.
E and crew are kept in brig and made to sort mail. 1,000 2-5 Post Ship 5,000
E overhears rebels talking. They don't know what they're looking for, but
2,000 5 Post Ship 7,000
they have intel that whatever it is is on the ship.
The Inspector tries to convince E that they can take the ship back, but she
1,000 5 Post Ship 8,000
doesn’t think he’s capable. She attempts it herself but is caught.
Quinn finds a letter in Thirrhonian addressed to E. Not among post, but in
her room. E doesn't know about it. It can only be read by light of the 2,000 5 Post Ship 10,000
wishing star.
Rebels are angry with Quinn because they expected to find a weapon on
board. He was acting on info from Thirrhonian elders. They weren't 2,000 5 Post Ship 12,000
counting on officials being on board.
Quinn convinces Estella that she needs to go to Thirrhon to find out who
2,000 5 Post Ship 14,000
sent the letter and what it says.
They land at the rebel base. Estella meets the other rebels and learns
about the rebellion. Gets to know Quinn and his pupil, Arvilla, better. Not
2,000 6-8 Rebel Planet 16,000
all the rebels are Thirrhonian. The Confederacy has invaded other
strategic planets too.
Rebels want E to use her influence over the Inspector to infiltrate the
Confed admin building and copy the security codes for the blockade ships.
In return, they'll give her a ship and a licence. Now that she's been with 2,000 8-9 Rebel Planet 18,000
rebels and involved in smuggling, she has no hope of qualifying as a
Confed pilot.
The rebels manage to smuggle E into Confed. Inspector convinces them Confederacy
to let him go with her as a guard. She doesn't trust Inspector and ends up 3,000 10-12 Admin Building - 21,000
getting captured. Earth
Quinn convinces rebels they need to save her. The Inspector helps them Confederacy
break her out but she won't leave without the codes and the Inspector is 3,000 12-17 Admin Building - 24,000
captured (possibly injured or killed) trying to save her. Earth
They can't get back to rebel base, so have to hide on another planet. Can't
transmit codes to the other rebels. Quinn begins training E to fly a 2,000 17 Hideout Planet 26,000
Thirrhonian ship, which is telepathically controlled.
E struggles with empyting her mind to drive the ship. She and Arvilla bond
2,000 17-27 Hideout Planet 28,000
over their shared experience of being Quinn's pupil.
Meanwhile back at base, the rebels discover what the Captain had been
trying to smuggle (for money, within the Confed): a special new weapon.
2,000 17-27 Rebel Planet 30,000
They use weapon to destroy one of the blockade ships, but have their ship
destroyed in return.
E and Quinn bond. He tells her why Thirrhon is important to the
2,000 27 Hideout Planet 32,000
Confederacy - the wishing star is only visible from there.
E has an argument with Quinn. She thinks Thirrhon should share the star,
2,000 27 Hideout Planet 34,000
but he says that to learn to control wishes takes a lifetime of training.
She still wants to pass the exam. She steals the Thirrhonian ship and
surrenders it to the Confeds as a peace offering. The ship needs two
pilots, but she manages to hack it. En route, she sends message to the 2,000 28 Space 36,000
rebels to tell them that Quinn and Arvilla and other rebels of the escape
party are marooned on a planet.
Confeds accept the ship, but question her about the rebels. The Inspector
is alive, but she still suspects him of being a spy for the Confeds. Actually, 2,000 28-32 Earth 38,000
her parents have asked him for info about her.
E asks to visit her parents, but she's offered the opportunity to visit
1,000 32 Earth 39,000
Thirrhon instead, and takes it.
The Confederacy take E to a blockade ship. She agrees to help them with
attack. When ship comes in view of star, the windows are covered to avoid 2,000 32-34 Blockade Ship 41,000
its light.
The Confeds have E pilot the Thirrhonian ship she stole to land
undetected on Thirrhon and capture the elders. They're careful to remain 2,000 35 Thirrhonian Ship 43,000
out of starlight.
E gives her letter to one of the elders to read. She learns that her parents
were Thirrhonian but were killed in the last attack and she was fostered by 3,000 35 Thirrhon (Planet) 46,000
her Earth parents. She can't read secret without starlight.
E is horrified by the Confed's treatment of peaceful Thirrhonians. When
star comes into view, she escapes compound and wishes ill on the 3,000 35 Thirrhon 49,000
attackers.
The Confeds who run after her to catch her die horribly. E is wracked by
3,000 35 Thirrhon 52,000
guilt. She avoids detection and returns to her room.
Estella realises Quinn was right about the dangers of the star. She
explores the city by herself and talks to some Thirrhonians. Learns about 2,000 36 Thirrhon 54,000
the world.
Memorial service for the dead. Fights break out. E wants to reveal she
1,000 37 Thirrhon 55,000
made the wish, but an elder stops her.
She reveals to the Confeds that she's Thirrhonian and convinces them to
2,000 37 Thirrhon 57,000
let her parley with the elders.
The elders help her read the letter and find that it contains part of a star-
map. And that her parents wished for her to come back to Thirrhon. She
2,000 37 Thirrhon 59,000
realises that's why she wanted to become a pilot, and that she doesn't
need to qualify after all.
She needs to take the map to the star-room where it can be placed into
the larger map. She attempts to enter, but the room can't be accessed
2,000 38 Thirrhon 61,000
without all of the elders present, and some of them are off-planet with the
rebels.
E tells the Confeds that if they allow the remaining elders onto the planet,
2,000 39-40 Thirrhon 63,000
she can make peace. The Confeds pretend to agree.
Quinn pilots a ship with the elders, but they're attacked as soon as they
land. Arvilla and Captain are killed and Quinn and E imprisoned. E loses 2,000 40 Thirrhon 65,000
all faith in the Confederacy.
E is kept in isolation. The letter is taken away. She spends her time
meditating. She's interrogated by the Confeds to reveal the meaning of the
Prison cell -
letter and where it came from. Meanwhile, the Confeds impose a curfew 2,000 40-50 67,000
Thirrhon
on all Thirrhonians and start interrogating elders about how to make
wishes.
The Inspector tries to rescue E and she sees him briefly before he's Prison cell -
1,000 50 68,000
overpowered. Thirrhon
The rebels attack, using the security codes to disable the weapons of the
blockade ships. They threaten Confeds with exposing them to starlight
(lowering blinds in ships and on the planet) unless they agree to peace 2,000 55 Thirrhon 70,000
talks. E and Q are released. She tells him about her parents and the letter.
They head to star room.
The Confed Commander is in the star room.The elders have given him
access. They place the map from the letter in its position & realise it
shows exactly what's keeping the light of the star from reaching other
2,000 55 Thirrhon 72,000
planets. Planets/asteroids in its path? The Commander takes the letter
and burns it. He's realised the consequences the star would have on
Earth, just as the last Commander did in the last war.
The Commander has given orders to destroy the star, so the Thirrhonians
1,000 55 Thirrhon 73,000
can't use it against the Confed.
E and Q take the Thirrhonian ship and hijack the Confed ship in the same
2,000 55-58 Space 75,000
way the rebels took E's ship at the beginning.
They return to Thirrhon. E asks the Inspector to use his (or her parents'?)
1,000 58 Thirrhon 76,000
influence on Earth to form an alliance with the Thirrhonians.
The blockade is lifted. A new treaty is signed. Both sides celebrate. E
2,000 62 Thirrhon 78,000
learns more about her real parents. Visits her foster parents on Earth.
Quinn takes on E as his new apprentice. They leave on a joint
Thirrhon/Earth mission to bring the starlight to Earth, or to a third, 2,000 64 Space 80,000
uninhabited planet.

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