Writing Mecha Science Fiction and Exocrisis Blue

I started out to write my mecha science fiction three or four years ago when I just decided I needed to start writing again.  I picked this particular science fiction setting because I felt that I could add to it in an original, more realistic manner, one that was inspired by Japanese anime, particularly Evangelion, Full Metal Panic! and Gundam.  I also have a Tokyo / Japanese pop culture blog too, so the focus was kind of natural.

So, how could I write a more realistic SF story with big combat robots inspired by anime roots?  I would have to avoid trying to do something only a Japanese writer would do well, do some creative thinking about the robots, integrate what I knew about modern military systems and tactics, and have a great story with great characters.

1) I didn't pretend to be a Japanese writer.

• I grew up on reading western SF and literature, so that is what I know and will write.  I'm not Japanese, but I have a few insights into their mindset, after years of exposure to history books, translated novels, travelogues, anime, movies, and manga.  This is enough to write about the Japanese, but not as a Japanese.  I do like their creative work and pop culture in general so whatever I write is a tribute to this.
• The stories so far are not set in Japan, but in Canada, America, or in Africa.
• They have primary characters that are not Japanese, but there are Japanese characters.
• My main alliance in the stories is about CAJUN, or the Canada Japan Union that arose after the Alien War.
• Anime fans will recognize certain tropes, but it is all written from a western science fiction perspective (think Bolo or Starship Troopers) for a western audience.  This means no shouting out attacks as you enter battle like in a Shonen anime or a Hong Kong Kung Fu movie.

2) The HARM robots had to be as realistic as you could get with big robots (I'm actually with the school of thought that big robots = big targets = big missile sponges = unfeasible and expensive).  So I pulled a bit of technobabble to solve the problem.

• Robots are built using reverse-engineered alien technology to leap us ahead. 
• They are powered by chemical fusion, a technology that allows massive power generation and blows up real good if ruptured.  The power is needed to power weapon systems and defences.
• Survivable, so I equipped them, and their alien counterparts with active molecular armour.  This was a lightweight armour plating that has incredible tensile strength and hardness, when it was powered up.  This expensive composite also has incredible heat dissipation protperties against lasers.
• Large, as in 2 or 3 stories high, to carry the chemical fusion plants and be giant robotish, but not too big as to be a big target.  Basically they mass like a modern main battle tank.
• Nimble, run quickly, to dodge incoming fire, react quickly, and allow the pilots to use their skills. 
• Deadly, by firing hypersonic projectiles from coilguns (similar to railguns).
• Advanced AI and neural syncing control technology to move a robots like a human.  The AI also acts like a weapons operator and copilot.
• I also added point defences, and complimentary weapons systems like missiles to the robots to make them more lethal.

 3) The robots fit into a near future miltary structure as the elite front line units that are the pointy tip of the spear.

• They are expensive and regular military units such as tanks, powered infantry, and artillery still comprise the bulk of the army.  
• A HARM mecha is the equivalent of a  tank platoon in firepower, but more deadly due to its mobility, agility, and firepower.

Finally, I guess I'd say that I started with a short story, HARM, to test out if I could write about combat mechs in action.  That story introduced one of my main characters, Joshua Scott, who appears in all the stories.  Dr. Janet Chan, the lead engineer on the HARM project, was also introduced in this story and she ends up playing a pivotal role I never anticipated when I was initially outlining the stories.  HARM succeeded and I then wrote another story, Raid on Kahamba, about a mission to retrieve an alien artifact.  Finally the current novel, follows up from Raid, centered on a new generation of teen mecha pilots (there is a reason they're teens) and the alien artifact.

If I've perked your interest, head over to my publications page for links to Amazon ebooks here.  Thanks for dropping by.

Future Battlefield, Tanks Versus Aliens, Excerpt From HARM

This is an excerpt from my short story HARM, which is about the first combat use of a HARM (Humanoid Assault Reconnaissance Machine) mech against the alien Blue Newts.  The story is about the final production prototype machine being sent in to support a company of conventional battle tanks and infantry to stop an enemy advance.  I have a short story, a novella, and a novel all set in this same Exocrisis Blue universe.  For more information, please visit my Publications Page.

In this scene I wanted to show how conventional forces could fight advanced alien war machines.  The conventional forces are composed of main battle tanks, quadrapedal combat walking robots, and powered infantry.  There is no air support as the anti-aircraft lasers used by the aliens have been very effective.  In fact, the pilot of the mech which shows up too late to affect the battle was a shot down close air support pilot.  I was aiming for realism with extrapolated tech on both sides of the battle.

Photo by kanegen.  Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

***

Bravo Company was well dug in along the most likely line of approach to Huntsville.  Captain William Ericson had his tanks dug in on a narrow front flanking both sides of a highway overpass.  His ready to eat meal pack was only half eaten, forgotten due to the rapid planning he had been doing with his platoon leaders.  His three platoons of main battle tanks (MBT), for nine tanks in total, were hull down, only showing their turrets behind tank-sized firing pits dug for them by the combat engineers earlier in the day.  Each one utilized the natural cover of shrubbery and active camouflage netting to conceal their location from visual and thermal detection.

His M3A3 tanks were not a match for a spider-mech in a one on one fight even though they had been upgraded to the new 130 mm smoothbore guns.  Even their bulky ablative armour add-ons would only take a single hit from the alien beam cannon.  The extreme engagement range for the 130 mm gun was about 2500 metres, but he knew the chance of getting a kill on a Black Widow spider-mech were non-existent at that range.  They had to get the range down to 1500 metres to get good kills.  On the other hand, the alien beam cannon could kill a tank at 2000 metres with a far longer extreme engagement range that could even engage aircraft.

Ericson wasn’t in the best defensive position, but it would do as the flanking copses of woods and gullies would work for him.  At the same time, it wasn’t a likely ambush position, and he was banking the aliens wouldn’t think so either.  The tanks were going to be the hammer for the attack, but he would need to guarantee the spider-mechs would enter the anvil. To bait the spider-mechs in he would use one of his two platoons of robot combat walkers.  When the tanks engaged the aliens they would be the opening hammer.  The other walker platoon, concealed in the northerly copse of woods, would to hit the Newts from the side.  From the southern side, a platoon of battlesuit infantry would strike at the same time to complete the ambush.  

The plan looked great, he just hoped it would survive contact with the enemy.  Originally, X-14’s long range coilgun was supposed to begin the engagement, but things hadn’t worked out.  Still, it was good news that X-14 had knocked out two spider-mechs as there were two less to worry about.  He knew X-14 was coming in, but he also knew it wouldn’t  make it for the opening of the battle in time.  Its primary weapons would have been a great asset.  As it was, the battle ahead was going to be bloody.

Specialist Sam Winston called up to Ericson at his commander’s position from his gunner’s seat.  “Think the plan’s gonna work?”  

Ericson looked down at Sam.  “I think we got a good chance,” but Sam could tell he was putting the best spin on it.  After all the LT couldn’t be a defeatist or it would be game over already.

“We’ll get ‘em.  I’m going to put a sabot round up their butt,” Sam replied with bravado. “They must have butts, right?”

Ericson, gave a slight laugh at the half-hearted humour.  He pulled out a rumpled picture of his wife and his two daughters from his pocket.  I’ll be back to see you, he promised himself.  He had not seen them in months, but at least he knew they were safe.

***

The Blue Newts had sent a trio of moth-like reconnaissance drones ahead of their advance to observe for enemy activity.  As the drones approached they managed to see a half dozen combat walkers on the highway scrambling to cover, but that was all they saw. Shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles from the advance pickets of battlesuit infantry shot them down before further observations could be made.  The infantry then bounded in powered hops to new concealed firing locations from their old positions.

The trap was set and a little luck would not hurt, Ericson thought.  He suddenly realized his throat was quite dry and took out his canteen for a quick swig.  Yes, he thought again, a little luck wouldn’t hurt at all.  “All units.  Prepare to engage according to the plan.  Let’s get these guys.”

Now that enemy units had been spotted, the spider-mechs slowed and spread out into a skirmish line that was almost a kilometre wide with seventy metres between each mech.  Their turrets  panned from side to side.  They had seen the robot combat walkers.  The walkers were normally no match for them, but there could be other enemy units nearby.

The command data net had gone passive so units wouldn’t give themselves away via radio emissions.  A few furtive reconnaissance RPVs flying low at extreme range provided partial data feeds that his whole command observed.   His own units with good positions could visually observe the advancing alien units to supplement the feeds but kept radio silence.  Looking through his tank’s periscope Ericson could see that the spider-mechs at the ends of the advancing line were very close to some of the concealed units.  He prayed that they would remain unspotted and that his men kept their cool.  Half of his unit was made up of green recruits, as casualty rates had been horrendously high, but the newbies had been spread out with the veterans to stiffen them up. 

A great deal of his plan depended on the combat walkers, a military innovation introduced in the 2030s.  The walkers were autonomous, quadrupedal robots with a weapons mount on the back of their thick stubby bodies.  They were approximately the shape and size of a horse with a sensor array where the horse’s neck would be, and stood on narrow legs that allowed them to traverse most rough terrain.  While a tank company had only 10 tanks, including the command tank, they had a swarm of 18 combat walkers to support them.  Two special transporter vehicles would both remotely control and transport the walkers. The walkers acted in the hybrid role of a light fighting vehicle and infantry support for the tanks.  Every walker was armed with a machinegun that could be supplemented by either anti-tank missiles or a chain gun.

Sweat was beginning to form on Ericson’s brow and he was sure everyone else was just as tense.  Watching the tactical display count down the distance between the Newts and the camouflaged tanks was nerve wracking.  While he couldn’t see Lieutenant Nguyen, who commanded the robo-jockeys, he had fought with him before and knew he’d do his job.  When the Newts had advanced within 2000 metres of the tanks the six combat walkers rose up on their legs from their prone positions and each fired an improved anti-tank missile on the same central walker.  They then ducked back down, popped smoke and fell back towards the overpass directly behind them.  The missiles were self-homing and contrails of smoke showed them closing the distance as supersonic speed.  

The air was suddenly full of laser flashes.  The Newts had data-linked fire control that multiplied the lethality of their machines by synchronizing their weapons to act as a whole.  Their beam weapons now worked together in an anti-air capacity.  Four of the missiles exploded in mid-air.  The last two missiles struck the targeted spider-mech dead on.  Great balls of flame erupted on its upper, frontal armour where the shaped charges detonated, trying to burn through the molecular armour.  Both warheads left great blast marks on the surface, but black smoke only boiled out of one of them, where one warhead had penetrated.  However, the mech looked like it was still quite functional as it and a number of the other walkers returned fire through the smoke.  Their shots hit the empty ground that the walkers had vacated.  The advance of the spider-mechs picked up as they tried to close the range on the walkers.  

Each combat walker had one missile remaining. They continued to run for the cover behind the overpass, their weapon mounts traversing to the rear.  Emerging from a depression in the ground they fired again at the same spider-mech.   Lasers flashed again at the missiles. Five more exploded in mid-air, the sixth staggered the damaged spider-mech, but it still didn’t go down.  The lasers then targeted the escaping walkers which were running flat out at 30 kph.  The combat walkers didn’t have much of a chance.  Four out of the six walkers disintegrated into metal flinging fireballs while the fifth and sixth walkers managed to dodge and clear the corner.  

1800 metres…  1700 metres…  Three more of the combat walkers popped up over the top of the overpass shoulder and fired another barrage of six missiles.  The damaged spider-mech had already fallen behind and took  two more hits. This time it stopped all movement, but continued shooting.  Return fire on the walkers was fierce.  One more walker exploded with a direct hit.  The last two walkers popped more smoke and ducked back down behind cover.   1600 metres… 1500 metres…  The spider-mechs relentlessly closed in. 

Ericson saw that the range was good.  “All units, engage your targets!” His own command tank surged forward to expose the turret over the top of the overpass embankment to add additional firepower.  He had also been using the overpass embankment for cover. “Gunner.  Fire at will,” he ordered.   

All nine MBTs open fire within a second of each other.  The open woodlands was filled with the roar of 130 mm cannon fire and the pulsing cracks of the enemy beam weapons.   Each of the  enemy mechs was hit by the initial barrage, brilliant explosive flashes from the impacts lighting up each mech, but they withstood the attacks.  Laser fire began stabbing back at the dug in tanks.  Flashes of light, the explosive vapourization of ablative armour blocks indicated direct hits on several of the tanks, but the ablative armour held.   

Before the autoloaders on the tanks could complete the loading of the second rounds into the gun breaches, dozens of anti-tank missiles streaked out from both the north and south woods.  The battlesuit infantry platoon and other combat walker platoon were engaging the spider-mechs from the flanks.  A second set of 130 mm discarding sabot penetrators fired off just 7 seconds after the first set.  They were at the maximum rate of fire for the guns.

The battle became frenetic, with the air filled with laser fire, missiles, and tank shells.   A flanking spider-mech suddenly exploded from either an armour piercing round or a missile hit – no one was sure.  A tank exploded, multiple heavy lasers burning through the ablative armour and the composite armour underneath.  Infantry fired grenades from their launchers and emptied magazines of ammunition into the spider-mechs. More anti-tank missiles fired off.  The combat walkers fired off their second wave of missiles then engaged with machineguns.  Machine guns had little affect on the spider-mechs, but they could damage sensors, and distract the enemy.  Spider-mechs had their primary beam cannon, but they also had a secondary laser for use against softer, non-armoured targets.  These rapid fire guns began firing back at the combat walkers and infantry, suppressing and killing them.  

Another spider-mech exploded, then two more tanks.  Smoke filled the air from burning wreckage, burning trees and brush, and all of the explosions.  Yet another tank exploded, it’s turret hurled up into the air.  God, that was Zawadski’s tank, Ericson thought to himself.  Zawadski’s wife was now a widow, but he didn’t even have time to think her or even his own wife as events were moving too quickly.  The alien spider-mechs kept coming, attacking, and were breaking out of the ambush.  The range was now down to 900 metres.  Two more  spider-mechs were damaged and limping, but they kept coming.  

Nothing breaks these guys, he thought.  We need more firepower.  He was strangely calm – beyond fear now that combat was underway.  This was a battle the tanks wouldn’t be able to disengage from too easily due to the speed of the alien mechs.  The battlesuited infantry might be able to escape as they could use the woods for concealment, but the tanks would win or die on this battlefield. 

“Gunner.  Target mech right,” he yelled, feeding coordinates at the same time.  A spider-mech was targeting them.  

His tank rocked from the recoil of  its main cannon.  “Sabot. Away,” the gunner called out. 

At the same time, his tank was rocked by a direct hit on the turret from the alien’s main beam.  Ablative armour erupted in a incandescent blast cloud, absorbing the high-energy pulse.  It suddenly got warm inside the tank.  Looking through his viewfinder, he could see smoke billowing out of the alien mech from their hit.  It fired at them again, but missed.  “Driver, back us up.  Secondary fire position,” he ordered.  

Suddenly, a half-dozen, laser-guided artillery rounds directly struck the spider-mechs.  The forward observer had called in the fire mission and infantry with laser designators guided them in.  Huge explosions from the 155 mm artillery shells knocked the spider-mechs off balance while blowing off legs and sensors. One more spider-mech went down, but it was trying to get back up. The artillery had bought them some time, breaking the enemies momentum, but it would be temporary.  After firing one salvo, the artillery would need to scoot to a new firing location as the aliens also had counter-battery fire.  Even now, specialized support spiders further in the rear would be firing off homing missiles to try and kill off the artillery units. 

The two sides were now just over half a kilometre apart – 600 metres – too close.  The lasers stabbed out again. Tank guns fired.  More vehicles exploded.  Two more tanks and three of the damaged spiders were destroyed.   That left only three tanks and five attacking spiders.  Only two of the spiders were still undamaged.  All the main weapons were very lethal at this range.  The tanks had launched smoke grenades and were firing as they backed up into new positions.  Ericson’s tank and a couple of re-armed combat walkers were back up on the overpass shoulder trying to provide fire support.  Fire from the woods had slackened considerably after being heavily suppressed by enemy fire.  Both the combat walkers and the infantry had expended their missiles and had taken considerable losses in the fight.  

Even as Ericson watched, a beam burned through the turret armour of another tank which exploded in a brilliant fireball.  His tank fired again.  This time one of the damaged spider-mechs blew apart, collapsing down on its now limp legs.  

His tank was suddenly hit by a hammer blow that knocked the breath out of him.  A laser blast had blown a hole in the front left of the tank’s body.  The interior filled with thick acrid smoke while the power went dead. A fire suppression system went off filling the lower interior with foam.  “Sam, Evan, you guys okay?”

Sam, the gunner, called back, “I’m okay.  Think Evan’s dead though.  The blast caught him, and there’s blood everywhere. Smoke’s getting thick.”

“We gotta get out,” Ericson replied, “tank’s history.” He turned around and opened the turret hatch.  He climbed out and helped to pull his foam soaked gunner out of the burning tank.  They would have to run for cover.  The battle would be over soon as it was one tank against four mechs.

***

I hoped you enjoyed the excerpt from the short story HARM.  Please check out my other work on my Publications Page.  I also have a post about writing mecha science fiction here.

Do I Use KDP Select or Not? And all About Ebook Production for my Mecha SF.

I just put the chapter 28 draft up on Wattpad this morning, and the combat inside the GAC labs comes to a conclusion.  You can have a look at the draft of Neo Ace over at Wattpad here for free.

Nice and frosty on my garage window. Canadian winter in Edmonton :)

I've managed to give the first eleven chapter of Neo Ace a second proof and am having my copy editor do the third reading.  Hopefully, I'll get through another ten chapters or so this weekend.  Now that the writing for the book is complete I have to think hard about how to promote it.

I like to tell stories but am not a big promoter or PR guy.  I understand business and sales though.  So here are the steps to producing a book for me.

1. You need a product to sell and promote, so the first step is to have a product or products preferably.  I've written a short story, a novella, and now a short novel set in my Exocrisis Blue universe.  Obviously if you're going to create some serious intellectual property, or a brand, you also need to think up a catchy names and background too.
    
2. So, now that you have a product, you need to have packaging / art.  I've already done the cover art for Neo Ace myself.  It is passable and looks fairly good, but a professional graphic artist could do better, especially if I had commissioned or licensed some mecha art of the right style.  However, this costs $$$ and you really have to think that you'll get your money back.  If I was writing romance, I would not hesitate to use a pro artist and pay the $250 to $500 for a pretty good cover.  In this genre, there is plenty of stock art and photos to use and the artists know how to use them.  For mecha scifi, if you want mecha art, this is HARD.  You'll be looking for mecha artists who are not book cover people and the licensing could be expensive.  Finding compatible art is also difficult as all mechs are different - not like having a couple kissing or something which is generic.  You will need a large cover image that can be shrunk down.  Make sure your cover looks good when it is postage stamp sized.
   
   BTW, for mecha SF / military SF in my case, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get my money back on the cover art.  I'd have to sell at least 200 copies at $3 a pop to break even with a little bit of beer money.  The artist makes the money here.  This genre sells, but unless you're established, have tons or reviews, or a great social network, I don't think you'll get your money back soon.
    
3. Converting your Word document to an ebook.  Some people hate Word, but I use it professionally for work and I love the tool despite its idiosyncracies - you won't find a better tool - and simpler is not better).  Follow the directions on Amazon to convert it and you won't have too many problems.  Keep your formatting simple in this case and check the conversion on multiple ereaders - also watch the font size.
    
4. Finally, your book is ready.  I'm assuming you have a KDP account to do direct publishing on Amazon.  I haven't tried other ebookstores, but I will eventually.  I'm going to have to get ISBN numbers, but this is free in Canada for Canadian authors.  Once you set up the account, publishing is pretty straight forward and there are many articles and even instructions on the KDP website.
    
5. This is the hard part for me.  I have my blogs (Tokyo Excess, Peter Lok), my Exocrisis Blue facebook page, my Amazon profile page, my twitter feeds, but I can tell you, it isn't moving my books at a terribly fast rate.  I'm pretty sure there are more people out there who would like my writing, but I can't reach them right now.  So, what do I do to make the best of my situation?
   
   You could pay for advertising like ads on Facebook or Google.  This might be a good idea, but it will cost money again.  You can try having review sites review your book.  Review sites might not look at your book unless you already have reviews and it might cost money or you are in a waiting queue.  You could promote it on forums like Reddit, Goodreads, etc., and other blogs.  I've read that having many Facebook or Twitter followers is a nice exponential force multiplier - they can get the word out quick, but you need followers in the thousands.  It is like 100 or a 1000 sales to one if you have this channel available.
   
   Since I'm in this for the long haul (that is to say years to a decade), I don't have to race on this.  Trickle sales will do.  Big sales would be great.  I'm selling to the long tail, so the long haul only helps me as I sell more books over time.  So what is my major tool for promotion?  It is my blogs, and enrolment in KDP Select.  KDP Select allows me to put my ebook for free for five days for every ninety day period.  The downside is that it is exclusive.  If you read the Amazon contract carefully, you are not allowed to put a sample chapter anywhere else electronically (you're supposed to link to Amazon instead).  So you are stuck on Amazon for three months before you can opt out.
    
6. For my Neo Ace book, I was really wondering if I should use KDP Select for it or my other books.  I finally decided that I should use KDP Select at least one more time.  My reasoning is as follows:
   
   • I'm only on Amazon, so the exclusive clause is not a big deal.
   • What is a big deal is the fact that I would have to remove my Wattpad chapters to comply with the contract terms.  I'd leave stubs up to keep the pages alive, but would have to remove the content for the 90 days.  Right now, it is just the draft content up there, so I'd put up final copies of the first six chapters after the KDP Select period.  If I had 30,000 views on Wattpad this would be a no go, but I don't, so it is okay.
   • Giving copies away for free has worked for me in the past to get reviews and downloads.  Since nothing is costing me money up front, and my major investment is personal effort, getting read is GOOD.  The free promo should sell more books.
   
   
7. Pricing Strategy.  My short story and novella will remain at 99 cents (can't go any lower on Amazon).  My ebook will sell at 99 cents for the first month, then go to $2.99 or $3 to infinity and beyond.  $3 is a reasonable price for an ebook novel.  I have problems myself paying more than $5.99 for an ebook as I keep thinking I'm being ripped off. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for listening to my ramble here - which was just blasted out as I typed.  And yes, please buy or pick up a copy of Neo Ace in December when it becomes available on Amazon!  And tell your friends.

Neo Ace Mecha Scifi - Chapter 24 Combat at the Labs

Chapter 24 of Neo Ace is now up at Wattpad

Resistance builds against the attacking raiders in this chapter.  I can tell you that I'm pretty pumped to be writing the last three or four chapters of Neo Ace.  I already have some great ideas for the next book which concludes the major story arc.  Major engagements with wave after wave of drones, naval engagements, and of course ground combat with mechs and regular armour.  Where the main characters end up is kind of predetermined, but it is going to an action filled next book - just have to finish and revise Neo Ace first though!

Sunrise in Edmonton

Kind of busy this weekend though as I had to do the fall yard cleanup yesterday.  Today it is grey and rainy / snowing so it was good everything was done yesterday.  I'm writing Chapter 30 today, which is a final showdown chapter for a few of the protagonists in their big mechs. 


Have a read for free on Wattpad and let me know if you like it!  You can hit the Wattpad link here.  If you like it please follow me on Wattpad, Facebook or Twitter.  Also check out my books on Amazon at my publications page here. If you enjoy the reading, please leave a like or a comment as it helps to get the word out!

Neo Ace Mecha Scifi - Chapter 23 Posted

Chapter 23 of Neo Ace is now up at Wattpad
I forgot to post last week about chapter 22 being up due to Canadian Thanksgiving, so I guess it is double feature this week.  Last week, the mercenaries were moving on the GAC headquarters and this week we have Janet Chan and the CEO of General Automata Corporation viewing some of the secret research going on in their labs.

Fall in Calgary.  Alberta doesn't have much for reds in the fall, mainly yellow.

Have a read for free on Wattpad and let me know if you like it!  You can hit the Wattpad link here.  If you like it please follow me on Wattpad, Facebook or Twitter.  Also check out my books on Amazon at my publications page here. If you enjoy the reading, please leave a like or a comment as it helps to get the word out!

It is now the near the end of fall in Alberta here and half the trees have already lost their leaves.   Still, here are a couple of photos from around Calgary and Edmonton to let you know what fall is like out here.

Whitemud Park in the middle of the city here in Edmonton.  Note the beaver dam in the foreground.

Whitemud park.  Saw a big woodpecker and a big black crane fly by.

Calgary City Centre.

Odin Class Mechs Used in Battle By Cadets

Chapter 18 of Neo-Ace is now up at Wattpad.  The cadets are finally training on the mechas that their PRECOG systems are designed to take full advantage of.  More of Mayumi's abilities become apparent and these new Odin class mechas are being utilized to their full potential.

Have a read for free on Wattpad and let me know if you like it!  You can hit the Wattpad link here.  If you like it please follow me on Wattpad, Facebook or Twitter.  Also check out my books on Amazon at my publications page here. 

Power Rangers Super Sentai Giant Robot Toy seen at the toy store.  All the way over here from Japan.

It's a beautiful fall afternoon and after a little yardwork I'm back to writing up Chapter 26.  I can see the end of the novel within 10 chapters!  I'm looking forward to finishing this work and beginning the detailed outline for the sequel novel where the action really heats up in a global high-stakes game.  This first novel has a solid ending though that completes the first arc.  The second arc basically builds on it, but I won't leave the reader hanging at the end of Neo-Ace.

Neo-Ace Academy Emblem For Exocrisis Blue

I'm still working away at this in real time and February has proven to be a very busy month due to work, some travel happening, and the fact I'm going to promote Exocrisis at Soba Bowl in March too.  Just writing a star chamberish scene right now and did some work on the emblem for the Neo-Ace academy.

Neo-Ace is the first of two or three short novels (longer than a novella but on the short end for a novel).  It basically continues the story from where HARM and Raid on Kahamba left off at a mecha academy and research facility.  Joshua Scott, the mecha pilot from these stories is now a Major and a quintuple ace.  At the special request of Janet Chan, the inventor of the HARM unit, he has agreed to transfer from regular service to train the next generation of super-mecha pilots.  The story just moves on from there.

Neo-Ace Mecha Academy From Exocrisis Blue

Here is a brief excerpt from Scene two with the trainees.

...

"Well, they're not breaking through here to Central City," Jake responded.  "If we take these guys out, we know they won't be back.  We have the initiative and should take it."

Jake looked at the tactical display again.  He projected the map for everyone to see and used his finger to point out a position.  "We won't move that far out of position if we can take them out before they exit the valley between these two hills. Geraldo, Mayumi, take the left flanking hill.  Bing and Toshi, take the right hill.  Mary and I will pursue and keep the pressure on.  You guys run for those hills and take them out from above."

"The plan sounds good to me,"  Geraldo spoke out in accented English, his mixed Hispanic heritage coming through.  "We should take advantage of the situation."

"I'm in," Mary added.  She preferred a standup fight over waiting any day.  "Eliminated Newts won't be back."

After bit of hesitation, Bing, assented too.

Mayumi finally agreed when it was obvious that everyone was in.  "Okay," she quietly added.

"I don't think we should be doing this," Toshi finally agreed, "but let us try it."

"Thanks, Toshi.  All units, move out," Jake ordered.  They were going to win this one in a big way.
...

Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace - Chapter 1 Draft Preview

This brief preview from the beginning of Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace introduces one of the key characters, mecha pilot cadet Mayumi Shimizu. I'm still aiming to complete Neo-Ace in the first half of 2013, so stay tuned for more.  Previous installments in Exocrisis Blue are HARM, followed by Raid on Kahamba (these are available on Amazon via this link).

Neo-Ace Scene 01 - Tokyo - Draft Preview
Shadows faded into twilight darkness.  It was the beginning of night in Tokyo.  The brilliant lights of the city and its famous holographic billboards and video displays repelled the darkness. Moving parades of giant fantastical beasts, anime heroes battling villains, and flashy advertisements were  suspended over the streets around its busy train stations and popular locations like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ginza.  Sounds of music and catchy advertising jingles filled the air with a cacophony of sound.  Up close, augmented reality glasses and mini holo-projectors could show specific ads to people who had enabled their personal location identifiers.

Overlooking the vibrant city was the recently constructed Tokyo World Tree that also had the nickname of Yggdrasil.  Yggdrasil was the tree that reached into the heavens and deep into the earth from Norse mythology.  It embodied the hopes of Tokyoites for the rebirth of their city onto the world scene after the destruction wrought by the Alien War and the subsequent Kanto earthquake that had capped it off.   World Tree was about half of the height of Mount Fuji, the tallest point in Japan.  At a height of 1600 metres it was built to be bigger and taller than any free standing tower built by man, including the previous record holder, the Tokyo Skytree.  Only the advanced materials technology developed during the Alien War allowed it to exist and withstand both massive earthquakes or typhoons.  It was so tall that it received both an earlier sunrise before the rest of the city and a delayed sunset at the top.  The only structures taller than it were the orbital elevators that reached into orbit from the mountains of Peru,  Mount Ararat in Turkey, and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

An external elevator car rapidly rose out of the tower’s massive base footings and began ascending to the observation decks that were just below the canopy that crowned the tower.  The elevator was a silvery speck that on the brightly lit surface of the tower whose built-in lighting subtly shifted in color over time.   Twelve main struts fanning out in all directions comprised the main canopy structure at the top.  Each strut in turn had extendable micro-struts which would become the branches and leaves of the great World Tree.  In the day, it was a glittering silver and gold canopy.  At night, the built-in holo-projectors  turned the canopy into a brilliant lightshow that had played animations for everyone to see. 

Mayumi Shimizu and Hiro, her godfather, rode the glass walled elevator up with two dozen other excited people.  The passengers were a diverse lot that ranged from grandmothers in kimonos, families with children, dating couples to obvious tourists from other countries.  The World Tree had just been open for a year and a half, but it still drew large crowds of every day.  Ceiling mounted displays on the inner walls of the elevator showed their rising position and facts about the tower as they climbed.  Mayumi ignored the displays and had her face pressed against the glass to get the most of the breathtaking view while the less bold were well back from the glass.  She could almost imagine she was flying in the dimly lit elevator.   Next to her, Hiro just observed her happiness and was content with that fact as he contemplated the view himself.  Most of the landscape below had lights in it except where there were parks, but he knew that some of the dark patches were still rubble that had not been cleared.  Tokyo had been rebuilt again, for the third time in 200 years, but it would still be a few years before it was fully redeveloped. 

The elevator eventually arrived at the first observation deck.  A number of the passengers disembarked, a few new ones boarded, and the elevator did a brief rise to the second observation deck.  All of the passengers excitedly walked off onto a wide gallery that circled the tower.  The gallery was fully enclosed with large floor to ceiling windows that offered spectacular panoramic views of the city.   At this altitude a full enclosure was necessary to protect people from the weather as the  winds could be high, the temperature was cooler, and you could even be in the weather as you were in or above the rainclouds.

Tokyo at night from the Skytree.   Flickr / edocko777

“We are not due for our dinner reservations until 7:30.” Hiro spoke out.  “We have about 25 minutes to enjoy the sights.   I believe the holographic representation of the old skyline is about to light up in 10 minutes.  I have never been up here myself so I would like to see it.”  He then worked his jaw to pop his ears due to the lower air pressure at their height.

“You like history too much, ojisan!” Mayumi called back.  She was very fond of her godfather and called him ojisan, for uncle, a term of endearment that she used from before the death of her parents.  Running to the huge windows she looked out over the city again.  “The city lights are beautiful, it is like a sea of lights in all directions.  Look you can even see the grounds of the Imperial Palace there.  The entire castle is all lit up!” 

Mayumi lived with her aunt’s family, who was her mother’s sister, but had always felt a little like an outsider.  For twelve years they had taken care of her since the death of her parents in a terrible car accident, but they cared for their own three children more than her.  It wasn’t like they didn’t love her or neglected her, but she felt they just didn’t have enough love to spread around to the extra child they had never expected.   On the other hand, Hiro, had always managed to pop in every month to visit her  despite his busy schedule.  He was a senior sales executive who traveled the globe for Galáxia Japão Pharmaceuticals (GJP),  a large Brazillian and Japanese company that kept him on the move.  She had known him since she was three and he had played an even more important role in her life after the deaths of her parents.  However, she never called him ojisan when her actual aunt and uncle were around as it would have caused problems.

Mayumi returned back to Hiro when she realized that he had not come up to the window and was just staring out.  She stood against him and gently held onto his arm.  Mayumi was not tall and she easily put her head onto his chest for comfort.  Hiro was about 5' 10" and her head only came up to his shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Hiro murmured out.  "I'm ruining the day for you.  This was supposed to be your happy, belated birthday from me."

Mayumi snapped her head up.  "That's ridiculous.  You just being here makes me happy!  You came back early from Rio just for me."

Hiro smiled.  "I just have many things on my mind.  I cannot believe you have turned fifteen and have turned into a beautiful young woman.  It seems like yesterday that were still piggybacking on my shoulders at the zoo."

"That was a long time ago, ojisan."

"I know, but humour an old man and his memories.  I am very proud about how you turned out.  You would have made your mother and father very proud too."

"You are going to make me sad if you keep this up."

"I know.  I know, but bear with me just a little longer, then we will talk about happy things.  I just want to talk about your future."

Mayumi gave the slighted of frowns then nodded in agreement. 

"You have done well in school and scored at the top for the national mecha synchronization tests.  That is a remarkable achievement that gives you automatic entry into the Japanese Defence Forces Mecha Academy.  I'm glad you chose to attend the CAJUN Neo-Ace Academy instead when they offered you a spot.  But... I was a little surprised as it is a big move for you."

"I surprised myself, ojisan." Mayumi replied.  "I wasn't sure at first, but then I talked about it with my friends and they thought it could be a big opportunity.  How many chances like this does a person get in their life?  It would be a grand adventure." 


"You have become strong," Hiro spoke affirmatively.  "I would have told you to go too."  He then paused for a moment.  "Your adopted parents were very concerned about you moving to Canada on your own, but I convinced them that it would be fine, as it was very prestigious.  After all, you would be going to school and training with the best student pilots from Japan, Canada, and Pacifica.  The Union would not want their best to come to harm."

"I knew I could count on you, ojisan."  Mayumi had guessed her uncle had something to do with the sudden change of mind from her uncle and aunt. "They really respect you, and I'm glad you changed their minds." Mayumi was positively radiant with the news of her uncle's support.  "You have always been the best for me!"

Hiro looked her in the eyes.  “It was not easy, “ he added in a serious tone.  “Your aunt was really worried about you.  Remember when you use to have the terrible dreams about the world ending.  I know you think they don’t love you as much as their own children, but I remember how desperate they were when their own doctors could not help you.  Their doctors said it was just the trauma from the loss of your parents.  I finally put them in contact with the right specialist who helped the dreams stop.  I hope you appreciate them.  I know I do.”

Mayumi’s exuberance calmed down.  “I know, ojisan.  I’m going to miss my family here, my friends, and Japan.  This is going to be serious training as I will be a soldier.”

“I’m glad you understand.  They have done a fine job of raising you.  And I think you will do just fine in Canada.  Your English is good and you will make new friends.”

She gave him a great big hug.  Hiro affectionately returned an equally big hug, but a part of his heart was heavy with doubt.  Only his real love for Mayumi showed on the surface though.  He had watched over the child for a long time and hoped he was doing the right thing.  The academy would be good for her talents, but it would put her on a path to danger.

Both of them enjoyed the long hug before Hiro finally spoke out.  "Let's get a good view for the illuminations.  It will probably be very crowded.  Remember, I still have a birthday present for you too! I think you will really like it!"

Mayumi was just all smiles.  It was something that Hiro wanted to remember forever.

*****

As usual, all of this work is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

Mecha Action Excerpt From HARM (Military SF)

Check out my publication page if you like this excerpt from HARM.
http://peterlok.blogspot.ca/p/my-publications.html

...

His mecha crouched behind the weathered and rust streaked wall of a raw materials silo. From his concealed location, he launched a small drone or RPV to hover within a grove of trees in the area to monitor the approach of the of the two spider-mechs. The spider machines were huge with flattened and segmented bodies that were twelve metres long. They stood nine metres high on six legs, three per side, a few short for an arachnid, but the name had stuck anyhow. They scuttled up to 70 kph, and could jump over low obstacles. They were almost black in color with dots of red light covering their armoured shells. A vertically elongated, weapons blister on their back contained their primary beam weapon. This particular spider type had been code-named Black Widow as they were a very lethal, heavy combat mech.

This was the second time Joshua had seen one up close, even if it was through his RPV's sensors. The first time had been as a close air support pilot who had run out of missiles. He had pulled a crazy, aerial maneuver to close in and kill an alien mech with a long, sustained burst of tank-killing cannon rounds, but had been shot down in the process. While recovering in the hospital, Dr. Chan had dragooned him into the HARM program as extra medical tests indicated he had a high synchronization rate with the experimental mental cybernetics she was developing. He had resisted at first, as he was a pilot, not some robot jockey, but potential of the HARM series mechas grew on him over time.

"Drone has been detected, beginning evasive manoeuvres." After issuing the notice, the HARM's AI immediately began retreating and jinking the RPV. Laser flashes from the spider-mech's secondary lasers indicated multiple shots against the RPV. Several seconds later, the feed from the drone went dead. "Drone destroyed," reported the AI.

That blew it. The Newts knew someone was around and he was blind now. He extended a tiny camera on his mecha’s head above the silo to see again. He could see the spider-mechs were advancing more slowly and had their primary guns pointed in the direction of the factory, but the wrong part of the factory. Readying his coilgun he aimed past the silo to where the first spider-mech would appear. Safety off. Coilgun in single mode, he thought. “Safety off. Single mode, acknowledged,” replied the AI. Single shot mode was the most powerful mode for the gun, but it would take 10 seconds before the capacitors would recharge for the next shot.

He was nervous, his hands felt a little damp, but he remained steady. The front of the first mech appeared and he waited until a third of it entered his line of sight. He sighted on the center of mass in front and below it’s primary gun, the targeting programs automatically adjusting for range and other parameters. A squeeze of the virtual trigger in his right hand caused the coilgun to kick back. One hypersonic, depleted uranium penetrator fired out of the coilgun with a loud bang. A moment later, the slug hit with devastating power. The full power shot punched clean through the side of the spider-mech in a small explosion, with most of the kinetic energy from the projectile focused on a tiny surface of armour that was blasted apart. Inside the mech, the penetrator and spalled pieces of armour ricocheted through machinery, interior walls, bodies, and the main power plant. All the stored energy inside the power plant instantaneously burst out and the resulting explosion tore the mech in two.

“Target destroyed,” the AI called out.

The coilgun was highly effective – a vast reversal from the early encounters where 120 mm sabot rounds from the M3A1 battle tanks had proven less than effective against the alien’s molecular armour. Better weapons like the coilgun had been developed since, but they required a great deal of power for their superconducting magnetic coils to propel their projectiles at 3 km/second. Because of this only heavy tanks and the new HARMs were equipped with them.

The second spider-mech’s sensors had noted the source of the shot and targeted the old silos. The powerful beam weapon on the mech flashed and beams punched four holes clean through the steel silos. However, Joshua wasn’t there anymore. He had already rolled and was shifting to a new position.
 
 ...

END EXCERPT