Sunday, November 13, 2016

Cindy Koepp Guest Blog

Flying a Mech

Ella Font (EF): (smiling) Good evening. Welcome to Interdimensional News Network. My name is Ella Font. With me this evening is Major Kirsten Abbott from the Coalition’s Third Fleet. How are you this evening, Major.

Kirsten Abbott (KA): Hello, Ms. Font. I’m fine, thanks.

EF: So, I understand you are a very accomplished pilot. How long have you been flying?

KA: I’ve flying since I graduated high school and entered the military. I started out as a Broadsword tail gunner then transferred to pilot a Pulsar.

EF: What about League Mechanized Armor? How familiar are you with those?

KA: Fighting them? I’ve sent more than a few mechs to the scrap heap.

EF: I meant as a pilot. How do you do flying them? Isn’t that part of Coalition pilot training?

KA: I’ve flown Dervishes and Samurai in sims, and Dervishes in real life. They were remarkably challenging at first, but once I got the hang of it, they weren’t so bad. Have you ever been up close to a League mech?

EF: (Smile turns a little tight) No, I prefer to keep them at the distance. They’re mentally controlled aren’t they?

KA: Yes. The Dervish uses what’s called a “brain wave helm.” That’s sort of like a hat that has sensors to read and interpret brainwaves so the computer can tell the mech what to do.

EF: Sounds complicated.

KA: It is, but not complicated enough. The Samurai are trickier. Much more involved hardware means more detailed software. The Dervish system isn’t robust enough. Samurai pilots have a data jack on their heads here. (Turns and points to spot on the back of her skull). That more direct connection provides the computer with a more accurate reading of the pilot’s thoughts.

EF: You don’t have that jack in your skull, so how did you fly a Samurai.

KA: I’ve only flown the sim of a Samurai. That’s much less complex than an actual Sam, so the brain wave helm can handle the task.

EF: So, simple thoughts control the mechs.

KA: I wouldn’t call it simple. Movements have to coordinate with actions. If I want to launch, I have to jump.

EF: Inside the cockpit?

KA: Yes, but it doesn’t have to go for an Olympic jump record. Just a bit of a hop coordinated with a thought will get the thing moving. Lots of commands combine some manner of physical action with a specific thought or word to make the command execute.

EF: Which do you prefer flying? Pulsars or mechs?

KA: I feel more competent in my Pulsar, but the mechs are powerful in their own right. Otherwise, the Coalition would have wiped out the League long ago.

EF: What are some of the things mechs can do better than fighter craft?

KA: I’m not at liberty to answer that aside from saying that each is good at things specific to their design.

EF: Well, thank you for joining us, Major.

KA: I appreciate the opportunity, Ms. Font.


EF: This is Ella Font with the Interdimensional News Network. Back to Bob Frapples in the newsroom. Bob?



About the author:  Originally from Michigan, Cindy Koepp has a degree in Wildlife Sciences and teaching certification in Elementary Education from rival universities. After teaching for fourteen years, she pursued a master’s degree in Adult Learning with a specialization in Training and Performance Improvement. Cindy has five published science fiction and fantasy novels, a serial published online, short stories in five anthologies, and a few self-published teacher resource books. When she isn’t reading or writing, Cindy spends time whistling with a crazy African Grey. Cindy is currently working as an optician in Iowa and as an editor with PDMI Publishing and Barking Rain Press.
Book Synopsis for Remnant in the Stars:   Two hundred years ago, the Aolanian home world exploded and a remnant of survivors escaped. As their convoy combed the galaxy looking for a new world to colonize, they discovered Earth and were given permission to establish a temporary base while they continued their search for a new home world. When an Aolanian exploration vessel goes missing after transmitting a garbled distress call, the uneasy alliance between the humans and the Aolanians is put to the test as two anti-Aolanian groups jockey to use this opportunity to press their own agendas by foiling the rescue mission.
Because his daughter was onboard the Kesha when it vanished, Calonti Sora reluctantly signs on as an astrogator with the Gyrfalcon, one of the ships in the search party. There he meets up with an old human friend, Kirsten Abbott. Together, they work to overcome prejudice and political plots as they race toward an enemy no one could expect.



Book Synopsis for The Loudest Actions:
First contact missions are hard enough, but they get even tougher when the negotiator has an ego the size of a gas giant.
Burke Zacharias, a first contact researcher, is chosen to spearhead humanity’s first official contact with Montans, an insect race that has already had a run-in with less friendly humans. Although his words and overtures toward the Montans are cordial enough, the Montans are put off by how he treats the crew of the scout ship that brought him to the world.

With other, less friendly forces trying to establish a foothold on the world, the negotiation must succeed in spite of Burke, or the Montans could be facing extinction.

Author Links:

Twitter:   @CCKoepp
Website:  http://ckoepp.com/


 Tour Schedule and Activities
11/7      Beauty in Ruins                         Guest Post
11/7      The Seventh Star                      Interview
11/8      MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape         Interview
11/9      Jordan Hirsch                            Review
11/10    Magic of Books                         Guest Post
11/10    3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!     Top Ten's List
11/11    Sheila's Guests and Reviews     Guest Post
11/11    Novel-ties                                 Review
11/12    KylieJude.com                          Top-Tens List (Blogger Picks Topic)
11/13    Darkling Delights                       Guest Post
11/14    Enchanted Alley                        Guest Post
11/15    Bee's Knees Reviews                Review
11/15    The Sinister Scribblings of Sarah E. Glenn          Guest Post
11/16    Jorie Loves a Story                     Review
11/16    The Word Nerds                          Guest Post
11/17    SpecMusicMuse                          Review
11/18    Jorie Loves a Story                      Q and A
11/18    Sapphyria's Book Reviews           Guest Post
11/19     Deal Sharing Aunt                       Interview
11/20    Jorie Loves a Story                      Review
11/20    D.L. Gardner Blog                        Guest Post
11/21    The Swill Blog                              Review
11/21    Willow Star Serenity                     Review

Amazon Link for Remnant in the Stars
Kindle Version

Amazon Links for The Loudest Actions
Kindle Version
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