Mecha Academy Update

If you look over to the side, under Pages, you'll now find a link to the collection of links for posted chapters for Mecha Academy.  I should have had them up ar sooner.

I also ran across a film clip the testing of Ford's M1918 tank, from when the US Army was trying to field its own armour in World War I.  While the M1918 never saw action - field tests in Europe found the tank lacking - it gave me a clearer idea of what the armoured infantry does in /Mecha Academy/.  In the film footage, it looked like the M1918 was meant to accompany infantry during a charge, travelling with the larger landships of the war while carrying a heavy machinegun instead of anti-armour/anti-emplacement weapons.

In Mecha Academy, I have three types of infantry.  Mechanized infantry is more-or-less like today, the boots on the ground.  Powered infantry wear powered armour, along the lines of Traveller's Battle Dress, but not quite as sturdy.  Powered armour started as heavily armoured space suits for hostile environment then were improved to add extras to let the soldier inside carry heavier weapons for longer times.  Armoured infantry essentially drives walking suits of powered armour that gives infantry units more offenseive power to take on heavier targets while still keeping the advantages of infantry, like going where heavier units like tanks can't.

The M1918 tank in the film clip showed me what the armoured infantry is - a level of force that can keep up with regular infantry while still capable of bloodying the heavier units on the field.  Like tanks, armoured infantry shouldn't act alone, but sometimes, the situation calls for something outside the guide book.  And that's how I get inspiration at times, by finding random tidbits.

Leverage By the Numbers

I've worked on a character from By the Numbers, writing up Numbers for Shadowrun.  The main problem with the story is that I'm playing in someone else's intellectual property.  The characters, though, are mine.  If I can translate them into a new setting, I have a more or less original work.  Heists occur in all genres; Ocean's 11 is a good example.  Move the heist to a different time and setting, like a fantasy world or the far future.  Liberating heirlooms from a dragon's horde is still a heist, as is stealing data from a privately owned space station.  The trappings are different, but the key is how the characters overcome their challenges.

To this end, I'm going to try to create Numbers using the Leverage RPG.  I've delved into the game before, getting ready to write Unruly.  Having learned my lesson the first time, I'll just create Numbers, though the rest of the cast will chime in.

Before starting, though, I do need a setting.  I want to move away from the mash up of cyberpunk and epic fantasy that is Shadowrun while still staying in the realm of science fiction.  The Mecha Academy setting is there ready for expansion.  What that means is no magic (sorry Oz), no elves (sorry Treehugger), and no trolls (sorry Charles).  Cybernetics aren't a thing in the Mecha Academy setting, more for prosthetics than willing replacement.  The setting's gone through that phase.  WIth all that out in the open, let's go steal, er, make us a Numbers!

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Commentary

The end of the second arc came fast.  There wasn't a way to prolong it.  That happens.  Better that it ends sooner than later, especially in a serial format.  "By Your Leave" was about the cast away from the Academy.  Returning to the school meant that the end was coming.

There's an adage in tabletop RPGs meant for the GM - Don't Split the Party.  When the party splits up, that means there are two or more groups getting into trouble.  One group takes the spotlight while the others wait.  In writing, that's not a problem, at least for the writer.  For the reader, though, that may mean waiting for a preferred character's spotlight to return.  The parallel plot lines need to balance out.  However, four characters, six including Susanna and Abby, leads to a lot of interaction and dislogue.  A lone character has to get introspective or very busy to keep up.  I could have separated the groups into their own episodes, but that wasn't the goal.  I wanted to show the difference between Dusty and her roommates.

The last chapter of the episode sets up the next arc.  The conflict between Dusty and Rhiannon can't go on much longer without breaking the suspension of disbelief.  At some point, Rhiannon will have enough of the traitor and lash out.  Or Rhiannon will get to know Dusty.  Or Rhiannon will get Dusty expelled for her piece of mind.  They have a working agreement, but from necessity.  The end of the episode starts getting the potential for an external conflict set up.  At this point, there should be questions in readers' heads on why Rhiannon and Dusty are in the same squad.

Which leads to the next issue.  Episode 3 isn't ready yet.  Unlike The Soul Blade and The Devil You Know, the next episode of Mecha Academy isn't far enough along to start posting and hope I can catch up before I run out of buffer.  I only have three chapters done.  Until recently, I didn't know where the chapter was going beyond changing the nature of the conflict.  Commander Haag has been waiting for his queue to enter a scene since last November.  Now that I've figured out where I'm going, I can continue.

What does that mean for the Friday fiction slot?  I'm going to switch over to gaming content for a bit.  The commentary may disappear, or it may get replaced by NaNoWriMo thoughts and concepts.  I hope the change isn't for long.  Writing is relaxing, which surprises me.

Thanks for reading!

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Chapter 5 Commentary

A conversation about team work, in "By Your Leave" Chapter 5.

What can the squad do about Dusty?  Three requests to have her move out have failed.  Rhiannon has good reasons to loathe the woman, and Miyami is sympathetic to the loathing.  Ric has a good point, though.  The instructors are marking on ability, including the ability to work as a squad.  Everyone else got shaken up.  Not this squad.  Ric is right; they should have an advantage.  Thus the beginning of turning the conflict from intra-squad to inter-squad.

Since the cast are supposed to be at an academy, I had to figure out what they'd major in.  Once again, I turned to the Royal Military College in Kingston to see what they had.  The usual degrees were there - Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering - but there was one extra, a Bachelor of Military Arts and Science.  Armed with this knowledge, it was time to work out which character was studying what.  There's a core set of courses, but each character has a different interest.

Rhiannon major is Mathematics with a minor in Political Science.  Her major was chosen after looking at the different offerings and selecting something she might enjoy.  The minor is related to her future position, when she inherits her parents' titles.  She wants to be on top of her duties when she has to take over the roles.  Dusty is going for the Bachelor of Military Arts and Science with no minor; she's wants to focus on her goal.  Miyami is aiming for a B.Eng in civil engineering, so may not have time for a minor.  Engineering really doesn't leave much time for anything else to be studied, unless the student wants to graduate much later than expected.  Lars is majoring in History; he's hoping to make the Guard a career but isn't aiming for higher ranks yet like Dusty is.  Ric, well, he hasn't decided.  So many options.

The squads get renamed.  It's a change from before the key test, a more permanent arrangement, at least for the school year.  With new squads come new squad leaders.  Prior to the obstacle course, the Academy left it up to the squads to work out who was the leader.  Now, the school decides, based on what has been seen.  Except, maybe not.  Ric has demonstrated the ability to take the lead when needed.  Rhiannon got the nod.  The position will rotate, but right now, Rhiannon suspects that something more than her skill is the reason why she got to be leader.  Dusty isn't going to let her forget, either.

Dusty gets two more insults in.  Her last line, "By your command, Imperious Leader[,]" comes from the original Battlestar Galactica.  I gave myself a challenge when writing up interactions between Dusty and Rhiannon - Dusty was not going to reuse an insult when addressing Rhiannon.  The list so far:

•  Your Highness
•  Your Queenship
•  Your Exaltedness
•  Your Majesticness
•  Her Imperialness
•  Princess
•  Your Ladyship
•  O Mighty Mistress
•  Imperious Leader

Nine digs.  Considering that the pair didn't spend much time together is his arc and actively avoided each other throughout, that's not bad.  I have five more coming in the next arc, whenever that comes.

This arc was short.  I realized that I had covered everything I needed to for this arc, setting up a few plot lines for the future and giving the characters a chance to breathe without being under constant tension.  The internal conflict needs to end somewhere, so the move to bring the squad into a more coherent form has to start somewhere.  The next arc will go into the idea more, which is where it stalled out back in November 2017.

Friday, the future of Mecha Academy.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, The Mummy (2017).
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Miami Vice.

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - Chapter 5

Episode 2 - By Your Leave

Chapter 5 - Internal Conflicts

Previously:

"I hate to cut your time off short, but the Commandant will be issuing a recall order later this morning."
"As such, all leave has been cancelled for the duration of the alert."
"If the lasers came from the Grand Republic, who would your first suspect be?"
"Are you doing this to get inside my pants?"

Morning, once again, arrived early.  Lars roused his squad mates to get them out in time for physical training.  Sergeant Chang worked the assembled students hard.  She started with mere calisthenics, increasing the pace over the work out.  After that, she graduated them to a five kilometre jog around the campus.  Sergeant Chang kept pace with the cadets, shouting various forms of encouragement, positive and negative, to any who fell behind.  In the last five hundred metres, Sergeant Chang picked up the pace, turning the job into a run.  She kept the cadets in formation until all of them arrived, then dismissed them for breakfast.

As the squads broke up, Ric waved to his roommates.  "Hey, guys, hold up."

Miyami stopped mid-trudge.  "Can this wait?  I want to shower and get something to eat before the next thing they spring on us today."

"Not really.  Guys, I've been thinking."

Lars shook his head in dismay.  "That never ends well."

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Chapter 4 Commentary

Everyone returns to campus, in "By Your Leave" Chapter 4.

Dusty got a bit of recognition.  Not the big news story on TV, but a mention in police blotters.  Her name doesn't come up, but Commander Haag can connect the dots.  It's not like the muggers are going to be believed when they say what happened to them; one young woman managed to not just beat them up but inflicted painful injuries all by herself.  Dusty wasn't wearing her uniform at the time.  She's not going to be tied to the fight officially.

Entertainment in science fiction can be fun to think about.  What form would it take?  What would audiences want?  What does science fiction look like in a science fiction setting?  Are adaptations popular?  Sure, people can go out and blow off steam in a drinking establishment, but what about the people who just want to relax at home?  And the big question, can I figure this out without throwing myself off stride to reach 50 000 words?  I extrapolated from today by looking back a few decades to see what hadn't changed.  Since the advent of radio, people could stay at home and listen to music or a play in the comfort of their living room.  Television added video to the audio and the Internet brought in a wide choice.  The question is just format.  The answer, I left for the reader, though I have hinted at holographic technology in the past.  What is Singularity Web?  A series of action movies, about what I have no idea.

Space television isn't the only option.  Karl went for it because he put in a full day in the fields.  Heidi, though, has spare energy now that her children are growing up and don't need constant supervision.  She's learned (or maybe re-learned) how to sculpt, something to fill her time once Lisbet and Bjorn leave the nest.  Speaking of Lars' siblings, homework is still around in the future.  It's a constant, no matter how it's done.

Ric's homeworld, Venitarii Four, is a small mining colony.  He exaggerates how far off the beaten path it is, but the world doesn't see heavy space traffic, just the bulk haulers to pick up ore and the freighters to deliver needed supplies.  Not revealed in the story yet, there is a difference between a member of the Empire and a colony of the Empire.  For a world to have a seat in Parliament and to have representation in the House of Lords, its population must reach one million.  Tamar should have both after the next census.  Venitarii Four won't; instead, it has to rely on whoever colonized it.

The Grand Republic should get a mention here.  The Republic is the Empire's opposition; the two nations are in a cold war at the moment.  The Republic has world rights as one of its major platforms; each world is an equal, no matter how many people live on it.  Each world maintains its own military, though the Republic as a whole has its own space navy.  Tensions are high along the border because Republican worlds are eyeing Imperial settlements, including Tamar, but the Republic's government is doing nothing to shut down the worlds' desires because of world rights.  The various militaries in the Republic use lasers weapons instead of gauss-based technology, but they also have armoured infantry and grav tanks.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "By Your Leave" Chapter 5, "Internal Conflicts".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, hiatus due to CanGames.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, The Mummy (2017).

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - Chapter 4

Episode 2 - By Your Leave

Chapter 4 - Back to School

Previously:

"The power of caffeine."
"You kept your top on all night, if that's what you're worried about."
"I won."
"You should call for an ambulance."

A buzz intruded on Dusty's sleep.  She rolled over on her side, eyes still shut, and reached out to find the cause of the intrusion.  Her hand found her tablet, vibrating with an incoming call.  "Hello?"  When the buzz continued, she tapped at her tablet a few times before the call connected.  "Hello?"

"Good morning, Dusty.  It's Commander Haag.  I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, sir."  Dusty pushed herself up in her bed.  "I should be awake anyway."

The Commander laughed.  "I hope you're enjoying your leave."

"I am, sir."

"I hate to cut your time off short, but the Commandant will be issuing a recall order later this morning.  Have you seen the news from Vaughan's Landing?"

"Yes, sir.  Cadets stopped a robbery.  And, yes, sir, I know they are my squad mates.  Sir, may I ask why we're being recalled?"

"This is completely unofficial and you haven't heard it from me, but the pistols used in the robbery are from the Grand Republic."

Dusty opened her eyes.  "Sir?  Are you sure?  I know the news mentioned laser pistols, but I didn't think they were Republican."

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Chapter 3 Commentary

Fighting crime in different ways, in "By Your Leave" Chapter 3.

A bit of action for the story.  It's taking longer than I expected to have the mecha going.  There hasn't been any training to drive the suits yet, so how do I get some action in?  Random crime.  Or not so random.  If I can't show the mecha in action, I can show the cast.

The group in Vaughan's Landing got the bank robbery.  The idea was to show them working together as a team.  Ric stepped up as leader and got everyone in place.  But Miyami noticed the robbery building up.  She might not come from a great neighbourhood, and I'm only realizing that now.  It did make sense at the time that Miyami was the one to notice.  Rhiannon is in a social class that can either send others to to run errands or arrange for regular deliveries of what's needed.  Ric is from a small mining colony, which will be detailed later but the population numbers in the tens of thousands at most.  Lars is a farm boy and while he is in his home town, bank robberies aren't a regular event.  That leave Miyami, a city girl.  She was the one best suited to spot the robbers.

Miyami's opening move was inspired by the TV series, Leverage  The hitter of the group, Elliot Spencer, played by Christian Kane, didn't go for flashy moves.  His role was to keep the others safe, and he was efficient at it.  Against a group of mooks, his go-to move was to drop to his knees while punching down.  It's super effective.  And after building up Miyami in the last episode, it was time to show her in action.  Miyami fights to win.

Ric doesn't have it as easy.  His training is all from the Academy.  He gets surprise but he isn't Miyami.  The pistols were there to be neutralized; the robbers had them, the cadets needed to get rid of them.  So, while Miyami was brutal and swift, Ric had to work for his victory.

In Shelter Cove, Dusty has her own fight.  Again, there's a difference between her and the rest of the squad.  The squad in Vaughan's Landing had time to prepare and actively trying to stop a crime.  Dusty got mugged; she didn't want the fight but it came to her.  She also didn't leave her technique at the Academy.  Welcome to more of Dusty's mysterious past.  Like Miyami, she fights to win and she's a little more savage about it.  Back in the first episode, Dusty defended herself from Rhiannon during sparring without throwing a punch.  Rhiannon will never know what happened in Shelter Cove if Dusty has any say about it.

The name of Dusty's hotel is inspired by an ad for a travel agency that showed the difference between Ocean Side, as in beside the ocean, and Ocean View, as in can see the ocean if the trees bend in the wind the right way.  Ocean Reach is close to the ocean so that the people staying in the hotel can reach it with a twenty minute walk.  She's not interested in seeing the ocean, though.  Dusty just wants time by herself to be herself.

The final scene caps off the differences between the two groups.  Dusty just left her would-be muggers lying on the ground.  She didn't want any police inquiries.  Ric, though, had Abby call the police.  They all had their reasons.  Ric was being civic minded.  Dusty just doesn't want anyone prying into her background.  At some point, I do need to reveal more of what happened with Dusty in the past two years.  It's on the list to be done.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "By Your Leave" Chapter 4, "Back to School".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, The Mummy (1999).
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, hiatus as I will be at CanGames.

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - Chapter 3

Episode 2 - By Your Leave

Chapter 3 - Crime Stoppers

Previously:

"Let's not hit them too fast, fly boy."
"Sergeant Chang is going to work us hard if she hears about this."
"You are so oblivious."
"What have I done?"

The next morning, even Lars slept late.  The Thorensen family let them be, knowing when they got back in.  Lars wound up having to carry both Susanna and Miyami inside before he collapsed on to his own bed.  Rhiannon was the first downstairs mid-morning.  Lars' younger siblings, Lisbet and Bjorn, were in the living room using the entertainment unit.  There wasn't any sign of Karl or Heidi, though she did find a note in the kitchen on where to find the leftovers.  Rhiannon settled for a cup of coffee before trying to make a decision.

Lars joined Rhiannon a few minutes later.  He yawned as he poured his own coffee.  "Morning."

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah.  You?"

"I don't remember the last time I fell asleep that fast."  Rhiannon stretched her arms.  "Lars, about Susanna..."

Lars sat down at the kitchen table.  "What about her?"

"Is it me or is she coming on a little strong?"

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Chapter 2 Commentary

A relaxing day out, in "By Your Leave" Chapter 2.

I should never have split the party.  I've been a games master.  I know the risks.  But Dusty didn't want to intrude on Rhiannon or the others, so she stayed behind and was ordered to go have fun.  So, off went the rest.  Dusty was happy just staying behind reading.  But reading isn't very exciting to read about.  I could just have the audience read what she was reading.  Dusty gets a quiet day, something that lets her relax and indulge herself, something she hasn't done in a few years.  Why get upset over the haircut?  Because she wasn't ready for the huge change in appearance.  Dusty has baggage that she needs to get past.

Over in Vaughan's Landing, it's a busy morning.  Lars' family have a working farm and while mechanization allows for farmers to reduce the amount of labour, there's still work to be done.  Lars is used to getting up early.  Ric, Rhiannon, and Miyami are getting there, but are enjoying a day off.  Being guests, they're not expected to help out.  They'd be in the way, anyway.  The large breakfast is traditional; it helps with energy throughout the day.

Susanna is going to be a pain in this arc.  She tagged along.  It made sense that she'd tag along.  She's determined to be with Lars.  What do I do with her?  Thanks to Susanna, I was able to work in some of Lars' backstory.  Lars doesn't have much excitement, not compared to Rhiannon and Dusty.  What Lars has is a background that isn't much different from today's young adults, especially those from a farming community.  Even in the far future, some things are consistant.  The Landers were mentioned before; now it's time to meet one of them.  Vesta went to school with Lars.  Vesta went to the prom with Lars.  Somehow, Lars picked up a bit of what I had planned for Ric, a ladies man.  Except, Lars isn't doing anything.  Susanna and Vesta just went to him.

There's a bit of Miyami revealed, too.  She's from a city on a more populated world, one that may have to import foodstuffs to supplement what can be grown locally.  Miyami also prefers technology, so the great outdoors isn't that great for her.  But, she's trying.  Rhiannon's giving it a shot, so Miyami should, too.

Splitting the group up lets the different pairs do what they want.  Most of that was left off-screen for the audience to fill in, with just hints of what happened.  Ric and Abby went on rides and won prizes.  Rhiannon and Miyami did the same, though in a different manner.  Lars and Susanna went to see baby animals and found a cozy place alone.  The idea was that they were off together but separate having a fun time, a contrast to Dusty's solo outing.

I am treading the line on a problematic trope in science fiction, the excessive use of a modifier.  MST3K showed the problem during their riffing of Manhunt in Space; the short version is, adding a modifier in front of normal words and phrases is annoying and doesn't add to the setting or the story.  Sure, space ships and space stations are acceptable, but space diners and space fairs just make no sense.  I'm coming close to that line with the grav Ferris wheel.  It's colour, but it doesn't really hold up under scrutiny.  How does a grav Ferris wheel work?  Well, quite well when properly maintained, but that's not the point.  It's a throwaway line, or was meant to be one.  It could still get involved in a scene.  Fortunately, I don't push the anti-grav technology too much.  A maglev passenger train?  That's a possibility today.  Maglev Ferris wheels?  Maybe a maglev roller coaster, which I wish I thought of when I was writing the chapter.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "By Your Leave" Chapter 3, "Crime Stoppers".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, The Almighty Thor.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, /The Mummy/ (1999).

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - Chapter 2

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - By Your Leave

Chapter 2 - Out and About

Previously:

"A whirlwind adventure!"
"I wasn't going to surprise my folks with a small army."
"You haven't had the luxury of being a tourist since your parents' defection."
"Ma might have gone overboard."

When Ric woke up, he was the only one in Lars' room.  He got dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before shambling downstairs.  Halfway down, he caught whiff of the smell bacon wafting up.  He followed the smell to the kitchen, where Lars' mother was bustling around.  Seeing Ric, Heidi pointed over at the coffee urn.  "Still hot."

"You are a saint," Ric said.  He grabbed a mug from the counter and filled it with coffee.  "Is anyone else up?"

"My boys are already out in the field."  Heidi grabbed a plate from a cupboard.  "They'll be done in an hour.  Sit.  I'll get you breakfast."

Ric did as he was told.  As he added a cream and two sugars into his coffee, Heidi slid a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of him.  He stared at the size of the helping.  "Oh, Mrs. Thorensen, this is too much."

"Nonsense.  You'll have a busy day today.  It's good to have a hearty breakfast.  What do they feed you at school?"

"We have a mess hall."  Ric tasted his breakfast.  "Too bad they don't have you there.  I'd eat breakfast more often."

"Flatterer."  Heidi grinned.  "Eat up.  There's plenty."

Miyami shuffled into the kitchen, stifling a yawn.  "Morning, Ric.  Mrs. Thorensen."  She parked herself opposite Ric at the table.  "I don't think I've slept that well in a while."

"I tell you, morning comes too early," Ric said.  "We should petition it to come later."

Mecha Academy Episode 2 Chapter 1 Commentary

After intense training and the obstacle course, the cast get a break, in "By Your Leave" Chapter 1.

I had a few goals for this new arc.  The first, give the characters a chance to be themselves.  To do that, I separated Rhiannon and Dusty.  The second, expand the setting just a little more.  To do that, I need to show more locations than just the Academy.  Planets are big.  Maybe not as incredibly big as space, but there is a lot of surface even to a Mercury (74.8 million square kilometres) or a Pluto (17,646,012 square kilometers).

Separating Rhiannon and Dusty was easy.  They both wanted the distance.  Dusty wanted a quiet weekend so that she could lounge and read.  Rhiannon was willing to join Ric on his madcap escapade to Lars' hometown.  Since I started with Ric's group in the chapter, I'll start with them here.

Abby reappears!  She was last seen in "Roommates" Chapter 1; she was the barista Ric chatted up as he missed the bus to the Academy.  He kept in touch with her off-screen.  Susanna also came along because Lars, which he wasn't expecting.  Miyami and Rhiannon are still unattached, though, so they don't have guests with them.  Or Miyami is Rhiannon's guest.  That's something that may have to be worked out in the future.

Tamar is an agricultural world, with plenty of arable land for crops and livestock.  Shelter Cove, home of the starport, is the main city of the planet.  Most of the remaining towns exist more to support the farms around them than anything else.  I'm basing how the towns and other settlements work on Saskatchewan and the grain industry, though loosely.  There are a few other cities, but they act as administrative centres and collection points to funnel agricultural products to Shelter Cove.  Lars' hometown, Vaughan's Landing, is a farming town, providing the farms around the day-to-day necessities.  I didn't map the town out; I didn't see a need for it just yet.  I just kept in mind what sort of thing is seen in small towns I've been to - diner, a couple of bars, maybe a hotel for visitors, definitely a few bed-and-breakfast places, a couple of grocery stores, and the train station.

The trip to Lars' hometown also lets me fill in details about him.  Lars and Miyamo both fell into the background as Rhiannon, Ric, and Dusty took centre stage.  There's name dropping, there's an old flame, there's parents and siblings.  Most of the names for locals came from Mongoose's The Sword Worlds, keeping to the naming theme of the world.  The Landers were mentioned before, the same time Ric got the idea of going to the Vaughan's Landing Fall Festival.

There's a line that gave me pause just after I wrote it.  Ric and Lars are talking about Susanna and Ric knows that there would be others jealous of the attention Lars is getting from her.  "There's Vance and Tricia just off the top of my head."  That line came out naturally, as in I didn't even stop to try to figure out the names.  The real world then reared its ugly head - NaNo and American electioneering in the same month is weird - and I started to wonder if there would be any stigma for LGBT in the Empire.  That's when I realized, this is the far future; if we're /still/ having problems over personal sexuality then, humanity should just end now.  So, line stays in.

With Dusty, once she's encouraged to go to Shelter Cover, working out what she's doing was easu enough.  The problem with her trip was that she had no one to react to or with.  I tend to need an ensemble cast when I write.  Even if I start with a solo main character, a large supporting cast just happens.  Look at both The Soul Blade and The Devil You Know.  With both of the stories, I had a solo main character - Brenna in the former, Ione in the latter - but the cast grew to include friends, family, and unexpected recurring characters.  All because the leads needed someone to share reactions with.  Same thing happened with Dusty, but to a lesser extent.  She met people that anyone would meet on vacation.

Dusty's scenes are a counterpoint to her roomies'.  They're off being social; she's trying to take it easy and be by herself as herself.  Last episode, Dusty kept herself controlled, showing little emotion around others, especially her roommates.  Alone, she should be able to relax and read her book.  I also got to expand a bit on the relationship between Dusty and Commander Haag.  There's more to it than just her being in his command.

Speaking of Dusty's reading material, didn't the book sound familiar?.  It's a bit of cross-promotion on my part.  I wasn't sure what she'd be reading and really didn't want to spend time coming up with a fictional book, complete with author and title, when a reference to the book was all that's needed.  So, I tossed in Unruly.  It's a minor pet peeve that characters in science fiction seem to just read the classics.  Surely someone else will write something major between now and the future.  Not to mention, not everyone likes reading the classics.  Some so-called classics of the English canon have not aged well.  And people don't appreciate being preached at by their entertainment.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "By Your Leave" Chapter 2, "Out and About".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In , Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, The Almighty Thor.

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - Chapter 1

Mecha Academy - Episode 2 - By Your Leave

Chapter 1 - Going Off Campus

Previously:

Five students, strangers to each other, were tossed together.  Rhiannon and Dusty, though, share a common history involving the death of the former's older brother.  All five, including Miyami, Ric, and Lars, have passed the first major test, the obstacle course, and are now full-fledged cadets at the Colonel KL Terin Military Academy on Tamar, Lars' homeworld.

"I can't believe you talked me into this."  Abby looked around at the platform at the train station.  "I barely know you, Ric."

"This will be fun!"  Ric spread his arms wide.  "Imagine it.  A weekend out of town to a harvest fair with a bunch of off-worlders."

Lars coughed into his sleeve.  "Off-worlders?"

"With a local guide!"  Ric wrapped an arm around Abby's shoulders.  "A whirlwind adventure!"

"By train."  Abby remained dubious.

"Lars, how long does it take to get to your home from here again?"

"Five hours if you stay at the speed limit."

"And the maglev train takes two hours."

Miyami rolled her eyes.  "It'd take less if we flew."

Lars sighed.  "If there were regular flights.  Vaughan's Landing isn't that big.  The train at least passes through."

"It'll be fun, Miyami," Rhiannon said.  "And we need this break away from school and all the problems there."

"That's the spirit!"  Ric took Abby's hand into his.  "We'll find a place to sleep have fun at the fair."

"Lars!"  A tall blonde woman ran up on the platform.  "There you are!"  Susanna launched herself at Lars.  He staggered a few steps before regaining his footing.

Mecha Academy Episode 1 Chapter 9 Commentary

The final test, in Chapter 9.

The end, already?  Sort of.  The plan I had when I started was to have shorter arcs, much like I had with Unruly.  The idea here is that readers get the story in smaller chunks that can be digested while still building towards what I have planned.  The first arc threatened to just keep going, but the goals I had for it were to introduce the characters and get them in the Academy as cadets.  Conflicts are set up.  But they're not quite cadets, despite Rhiannon's extensive explanation of how titles work in the military last chapter.  The obstacle course was mentioned in Chapter 5, so it was time to bring it in.

The obstacle course is the final test before being fully accepted at the Academy.  The students may have the academic marks to get in, but do they have what it takes to be officers?  Thus, daily physical training, constant testing, working the potential cadets to their limit.  All this comes from my take on what the Royal Military College in Kingston does.  Any errors are mine, not theirs.  What I saw was that RMC had an obstacle course that seemed to be important, so I built Chapter 9 around that idea.  Cadets who fail are discharged, honourably, and can still enlist or go to their alternate choice of university.  Some, but not all, universities in the Empire will save openings for students who can't hack being in the military; the Academy does try to get the best students, so qualifying for one will satisfy most universities.  The ones that aren't satisfied are even more stringent on academics.

The change in order came from me realizing that theta (Θ) comes far earlier in the Greek alphabet than I thought.  I needed the core cast to fret a bit, though.  The solution is to acknowledge the error and make it look deliberate.  Iota thus becomes a deliberate skipping of Theta, not a mistake.  It fit in with a plot thread that will wind through the next few arcs, one that has already started in "Roommates".  Sometimes, what looks like an error will lead to plot bunnies; this is what pantsing is all about, even when there is a plan of sorts in play.

Ric really is turning into the heart of the team.  This was not his original role when Mecha Academy was just a concept.  The role fits him, at least this version of him.  He's been the one to work to turn the squad into a team.  Ric is figuring that their score on the obstacle course isn't just how well they do on the course, but how well they act before, during, and after.  The Academy graduates officers, leaders, and anything he can do to show that he is both is going to be done.

The actual course is all from my imagination.  RMC's site showed a climbing wall, and with some inspiration from the first Phule's Company novel, by Robert Aspirin.  The course tested both individuals and squads; the idea is that officers are expected to lead by example and soldiers of all ranks are expected to work together towards a goal.  The course is faster if teammates help each other instead of working solely for themselves, but a slower teammate could hurt the squad overall.

The conflict between Dusty and Rhiannon still has a role to play.  Dusty doesn't want to be alone with Rhiannon.  It's not that Dusty's afraid of what Rhiannon might do; it's more that she doesn't want to be the reason Rhiannon fails.  If Rhiannon hurts herself, Dusty doesn't want to be near enough to be accused of foul play.  Despite the animosity, Dusty gets to pull Rhiannon up the climbing wall.  This scene came to mind back when I was writing Chapter 7, so I had a direction I wanted to go.  It's a definitive moment for Dusty.  Rhiannon isn't about to give her a break just yet.

The jogging across the finish line came about because I needed to end the chapter.  It is pure Ric to have the squad cross as a group.  Even Rhiannon couldn't dampen him here.  The end's in sight!  Time to show the brass what they can do as a team.  It made an impact, and it meant that Dusty couldn't be failed out for trailing them team.

Miyami's mystery just didn't work, not this early.  Dusty was the one to send her the notes.  Miyami's tablet didn't register Dusty's because Dusty hacked her own device.  Miyami's tablet worked properly, there was just no identifying data provided.  Welcome to the new mystery - why is Dusty's tablet that scrubbed?

That's not the only mystery.  Theta Squad becomes Fifth, but they're the only squad that remains together.  All the other squads were broken up.  Not everyone passed, so squads need to be consolidated, so why not add someone to Fifth?  Susanna would be happy to transfer in.  So why keep the team together, especially when two members are getting on each others' nerves.  Something is afoot.

The height of the climbing wall resulted in a change.  Originally, the mecha were meant to be the tall weapons of war as seen in many anime, like the Gundam franchise, or even in BattleTech.  But I had changed my mind on the size of the mecha, reducing it so that they were more like overgrown powered armour.  So, the height of the climbing wall wasn't the height of the Centurion any more.  I wound up having to change the description of the wall to three times the height of a Centurion on the fly.  Centurions don't have size control circuitry.

The first arc, "Roommates", did what I wanted.  I wanted the conflict between Dusty and Rhiannon out there.  I wanted Miyami's secret known to the audience, though it hasn't really become an issue yet.  I wanted Ric and Lars to have to deal with being in the middle.  Ric really stepped up to be the peacekeeper, which I didn't expect.  Lars is going with the flow, which got him a girlfriend that he's not sure he wants.  Not that Susanna gave him time to decide.  The setting is forming; the idea here is to get the Academy concrete enough that I can build out from there.  There is a universe beyond it that still is coming together, thanks to the nature of the Academy.  Some of it will appear in the coming arc.

What I never expected to figure out is how the cast drinks their coffee.  It's such a minor detail, but it's one that kept coming up.  Ric was the first, being fueled entirely by caffeine.  He takes his with a cream and two sugar.  Because Ric is the one to make the coffee for the squad, the rest of the team's preferences came up.  Dusty doesn't drink coffee, she prefers her tea black.  Lars takes his coffee the same way.  Rhiannon prefers a double-double.  Miyami isn't quite used to the taste of coffee, so goes for a triple-triple.  For a later arc, I needed to stop and work out what sort of clubs and teams the main cast would go for; fortunately, by then, I knew the cast better.  That's the thing about pantsing; a missing details is easier to work out on the spot.  Details like how someone takes their coffee is minor, but it's a way to distinguish characters.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "By Your Leave" Chapter 1, "Going Off Campus".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In , comic book adaptations and costumes.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama.

Mecha Academy - Episode 1 - Chapter 9

Mecha Academy - Episode 1 - Roommates

Chapter 9 - Obstacle Course

Previously:

"Oh, no, dude, I am not digging into this without backup."
"If I wanted that sort of thing, I'd be at a cutthroat business school."
"Then it's not dumb on your part."
"So maybe me disappearing is the best thing that I can do for her."

The next two weeks passed by in a blur of physical training and intense study, leaving each student exhausted, both mentally and physically.  The exhaustion left Theta squad too tired to do much with or to each other.  Rumours about the major test, the obstacle course, ran the gamut, though.  Everything from marching twenty kilometres through some of Tamar's roughest geography to dodging live fire to going through a course on the planet's third moon before running out of air got passed around.

The day of the obstacle course, physical training was cancelled.  After breakfast, all the first year squads were ordered to remain in their dorm rooms until summoned.  One by one, starting with Alpha, the squads were called.  Miyami sat at the window, watching the squads trek across the courtyard and out of sight.  By mid-morning, she hadn't see any return, just squads summoned.

"What's going on?" she asked.  "Why isn't anyone returning?"

"They could still be on the course," Lars said.  "We don't know how long it is."

"Alpha was first.  We should have seen someone from there.  What if they were injured?  Or worse?"

Dusty set down her tablet.  "We would have heard sirens and you would have seen emergency vehicles."

Miyami shot Dusty a dirty look.  "How can you be so calm?"

Mecha Academy Episode 1 Chapter 8 Commentary

All over cereal, in Chapter 8.

Well, it wasn't over just cereal.  There were emotions tied to the cereal.  Rhiannon uses the cereal as a link to her brother.  If any of her other roomies had bought the cereal, she'd be okay.  Maybe not entirely happy, but she would't have tossed them against the wall.  Dusty, though, is tied to Gavin's death.  Communications might have prevented the violence, but neither young woman will speak to the other.  Rhiannon jumped to the worst possible scenario and Dusty, who already is feeling guilty, had no idea why beyond what was obvious to her.

Ric's role has changed since the original concept.  When I first came up with the idea of Mecha Academy, Rick was meant to be the hotshot pilot.  Right now, he's the social adept, the face, the voice of sanity.  Ric is the peacekeeper of the group, thrust into the role after there was no one else willing to step between Dusty and Rhiannon.  Well, Lars was, but only when the first meeting between Rhiannon and Dusty came to blows.  The new Ric is taking to the role well.  He's social, friendly, and a needed contrast to his roommates.

Dusty, for her part, isn't trying to hurt Rhiannon.  She can provoke, but she has her reasons there.  But to hurt Rhiannon on purpose?  That's too far.  Dusty is on an atonement arc.  Causing Rhiannon more anguish doesn't help there.  But, well, no one told her about the importance of the cereal.  She's just being helpful without wanting to call attention to herself.  If Dusty asked people what they needed, the entire cereal situation could be avoided, or at least delayed.

The last scene is more for world building and laying down the foundation of the culture.  The structure of nobility is inspired by the Traveller RPG.  But that's just the base.  I then added by doing a bit of research on British titles, with some extra work to find how to properly address not just the title holder but the rest of the family.  For extra fun, one of the local challenges for NaNoWriMo was to include a ten-word title.  The title wasn't specifically to be for the story or a chapter, so adding in Rhiannon's title, Cadet the Most Honourable Rhiannon Tudor, the Countess of Filton, the Baroness Curren, not only met the challenge, I also got to add thirteen words to my word count.  The scene could have been dropped, but there wasn't any good place to put it.  At some point, the future officers will need to know how to deal with nobles, especially those who are above them in the chain of command.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "Roommates" Chapter 9, "Obstacle Course".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Supergirl Season 1.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, comic book adaptations versus reality.

Mecha Academy - Episode 1 - Chapter 8

Mecha Academy Episode 1 - Roommates

Chapter 8 - By Your Leave

Previously:

"Why is it oh-loud-thirty?"
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Do you know what today is?  It's my brother's birthday."
"I miss Gavin so much."

Ric turned over in his top bunk as the alarm blared.  He heard Lars grunt below, then the alarm died.  Ric gave his head a shake, trying to clear out the cobwebs.  As his eyes focused, he glanced down at the cot.  The blankets were perfectly made, the pillow fluffed.  "Lars, are you up?"

"Yeah.  Morning, Ric."

"Where's Dusty?"

The bottom bunk creaked.  "Not here."

"Thanks, dude."  Ric swung his bare feet over the edge of his bunk, then dropped down.  He padded over to the empty cot and felt the blankets.  "Dude, did she even come back last night?"

"I was asleep when you got back.  Remember?"  Lars got out of bed.  "Probably for the best after last night."

Ric felt his stomach drop.  He braved asking the question anyway.  "What happened?"

"I'm not sure.  No one gets that upset over cereal."

"I don't have enough coffee in me to figure this out right now, dude."

"There's not enough coffee on the planet."  Lars shrugged.  "Good luck."

"Oh, no, dude, I am not digging into this without backup."

"Whoa, you want me to be at ground zero?  With out any armour?"

Mecha Academy Episode 1 Chapter 7 Commentary

A raw nerve pushes Rhiannon to violence, in Chapter 7.

This chapter really ramped up the conflict between Rhiannon and Dusty.  If people were willing to talk, there wouldn't have been a problem, but Rhiannon isn't willing to listen and Dusty doesn't want to talk.  Not helping is that Rhiannon is still grieving for her brother.  What was a touching gesture became a point of contention, one that Dusty had no way to know.  Also not helping is Dusty shutting down around Rhiannon.  From her point of view, she deserves the abuse she's getting from Rhiannon.  There doesn't seem to be a way out from here between them.

The conflict between the two young women can't continue, from both an in-story and a writing standpoint.  In-story, Dusty and Rhiannon have to either kill each other or find a way to get along.  From the writing side, the conflict isn't sustainable in a series.  They might snipe at each other, they might call each other names - something Dusty has already started - but they have to work together at some point.  I get Rhiannon and Dusty in at least a truce, Miyami will be on-board, eventually.  But, that truce isn't now.  It's due to come in Episode 3, which is still being written.  Episode 3 is somewhat stalled out right now; I have too much happening and reached a point where I have too many characters yelling at each other.  It'll get sorted out, but that's where the conflict turns from

Miyami, Ric, and Lars are slowly falling to the background.  It was an issue with the original work done, too.  The Rhiannon/Dusty conflict took centre stage in the snippets I wrote.  I am trying to get more scenes with the other three in.  They deserve screentime.  So, they get their own scenes in the new work.  Lars picked up a romance of sorts.  Miyami had a scene involving her hacking, though more should be done.  Ric, well, he just goes when he gets a scene.  He doesn't have his own storyline yet, but he's the people person of the group and will get involved in a plot even if I don't want him there.  But, yeah, there are areas that I need to work on here.

And to contradict what I wrote last week, there is a faster-than-light means of communications.  The singularity web isn't instantaneous, but it works well enough for calling people on other planets.  The web uses the same singularity technology that allows for ships to travel between systems.  My bad last week.  Rhiannon did have to wait for her call to connect.  It all works on handwavium, but I need to keep the handwavium consistant.

Rhiannon gets to be the second character to have a parent appear.  Lars had his drop him off at the Academy back in Chapter 1.  Rhiannon's mother is a little more formal.  The scene let me show the reasons Rhiannon has in dealing with Dusty on her own.  She could just tell her parents, but Rhiannon is trying to become an adult who isn't dependent on her family's largesse.  Might be a mistake on her part.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "Roommates" Chapter 8, "By Your Leave".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Arrow Season 1.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Supergirl Season 1.

Mecha Academy - Episode 1 - Chapter 7

Mecha Academy - Episode 1 - Roommates

Chapter 7 - Happy Birthday

Previously:

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to go, Lars."
"She's nice.  Very nice."
"What happened to putting up a united front?"
"I'm not the best person to ask."

Dusty already stood at attention when Commander Haag opened the door to his billet.  "Sir, you wanted to see me?" she asked.

"At east, Cadet."  The Commander stepped aside.  "Please, come in."

"Thank you, sir."  Dusty entered the apartment, then came to a stop in the sparse living room.

Commander Haag closed the door.  "Dusty, relax."

"Sir, am I in trouble?"

"No."  The Commander sat down in an easy chair.  "Dusty, please, have a seat and relax."

"Yes, sir."  Dusty perched on the edge of the couch, leaning forward.

"Do you want something to drink?  I have some herbal tea still, and I might have something a little stronger."

"No, thank you, sir."

Mecha Academy Episode 1 Chapter 6 Commentary

Dusty's façade broke and Miyami's started to fail, in Chapter 5.

Now that the characters are established, it's time to expand the setting beyond the Academy.  Everyone has a backstory, even if it's not as mysterious as Dusty's.  Lars is from Tamar, the world the Academy is on, so he gets to be the tour guide.  Some of what he mentions will return, but for now, it's local colour.  I got to show that the planet is more than just the Academy and the starport.  There's a farming town a few hours away.  The world is out there, beyond the Academy's compound.

Dusty finally shows a bit of emotion.  She keeps her feelings bottled up.  On first seeing Rhiannon, she didn't let anything slip, not even after being hit back in Chapter 2.  Her history, as shown so far, does give her reason for not wanting to be the tall poppy,  But at some point, she needs to let her emotions out.  Dusty isn't an automaton, as much as she might wish she was one.  At the same time, she doesn't feel safe letting herself express herself openly.  This isn't a good situation for her.

Back in Chapter 1, I established Miyami as being underaged and getting in after hacking her personal information to change her birthdate.  I returned to that idea in part because Miyami needed more screen time and in part because hacking isn't that simple.  Even today, she would have to go after several databases to make the one change.  With a global computer network, getting all the sources is difficult but doable.  Across several worlds where faster-than-light communications isn't instantaneous?  That's going to require constant maintenance.  Not every network is going to be vulnerable.  Not every system is going to crack under a hack.

That leads to another issue I had to work out.  Lag exists on today's Internet, either because of old equipment, poor wiring, or sheer congestion.  The Mecha Academy setting does not have near-instantaneous faster-than-light communications.  Colonies and backwater worlds receive data packets on inbound starships.  Core worlds maintain shunt gates that allow for communications between worlds; transmission times are still measured in hours.  The Empire does maintain a fleet of communications ships to ensure that colonies and backwaters don't go months without data service.

Of course, with shunt gates, it may be time to discuss how faster-than-light works in the setting.  In short, it doesn't.  Ships cannot exceed the speed of light.  What they do instead is open a singularity to let them bypass the normal universe.  Not quite warping space; closer it artificial wormholes.  Major worlds maintain shunt gates, allowing ships to other worlds without needing a shunt drive.  Tamar, though, isn't a major world.  Shunts are one-way, no way back, so ships wanting to leave Tamar need a shunt drive to open a gate to another planet.  The safest way to travel is for two shunt gates to align and connect, giving ships stable endpoints.  Using a shunt drive at the beginning and end is the most dangerous; navigators need to keep an eye on the ship's relative position.

The scene with Dusty and Lars harkens back to the original concepts I had for the story.  In them, Lars had a crush on Dusty; she didn't return his affections mostly because she didn't feel worthy and didn't want him to get tainted with her history.  Right now, that idea is long gone.  Dusty is keeping to herself because she's been identified.  Lars, though, might still have the crush.  Why isn't he acting?  Well, Susanna.  And, as Lars reveals, Vesta.  Which had me wondering if maybe, culturally, high school girls on Tamar are the ones expected to take the initiative to ask someone out.  Ideally, gender shouldn't matter in the far future; everyone should feel able to ask someone else out with the only risk being told no.  Somehow, though, high school on Tamar seems to expect the girls to be the aggressor.  Go fig.

Friday, Mecha Academy, "Roommates" Chapter 7, "Happy Birthday".
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Arrow.