Chapter 3 is finished. And so is chapter 4... Uh.... And 5 too.

Long time no see, readers, compatriots, friends, family, whoever the heck you are. Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you as well, random reader. I don't know how you found this, but I will find you and thank you for reading this.

Regardless, after such a long hiatus, I think you'll be satisfied to know that I've been writing my book everyday without fail. Well, actually, I missed one day. But, I've been writing a page a day. And in September, I'm going to up the ante. I'm going to start writing two pages a day. Then, in October, three pages a day. Then in November, four pages a day. And then finally, in December, 5 pages a day. The plan is to have the entire first draft completely finished by December 31st. At that point, I'll be taking a break from this story and starting another project that's been in my head for years.

So, give me a few days and then Chapter 3 will be posted in its entirety. Also, bear in mind that I've found a few flaws in regards to FTL travel, so I'm currently fixing that to get it in line for the rest of the book, so you might notice some inconsistencies in regard to space travel. I'm fixing problems day by day as I write, so don't worry. Things are going swell.

Expect me to post a lot more of my chapters in the next couple of weeks here. Also, expect a notice of me finishing my book, because I'm a quarter of the way through. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Thanks for reading, my dudes. Keep living on.

Summer begins, I'm back with a new goal, AND I have a request.

Aaaaaaaaand, we're back!

So, it's been a good week. School is over, FINALLY, and I'm free to write my book for hours on end now. Since yesterday I've written about seven pages. This chapter is looking to be wrapped up pretty soon. In fact, I should be done with it in about two or three days, maybe less. That is, however, including all of the editing that I'm going to have to do.

Regardless, things are really looking up with my story right about now. I'm planning on writing about three pages a day in my book. If I do that, I should be able to finish the whole book this summer, and then I'll be able to start another story. I love this story. It's my real first story, and I'm loving just being able to write it. It really means a lot to me.

So, with my story right now, I'm working on dialogue. Specifically, I'm trying to make my characters sound unique from each other. As you read, let me know if they sound very different from each other.

I appreciate the reading all you people. Keep it real.

-Jake

Hiatus

Recently I've found myself in a little bit of a funk when it comes to writing this Suit Story. I'm 55 pages in, which is the longest book I"ve ever written. But right now, I think I need to take a short break. It won't take longer than a week. Honestly, I'd like to take a look at another project I have. So for the next week I'll do that, get it out of my system, and then start writing the suit story again.

For all that have supported me, I'm super grateful. It's been a great ride so far. Gosh, this sounds like a goodbye or something. I'm going to be writing my Suit Story again this next week. So don't fret. It will be good fun.

Thanks again for reading!
-Jacob "Stormtrooper" Jensen

Remember when I gave you guys a release date for chapter 3?

Hey guys, well, title asks you the good question. So this week I had two midterms for school. As you can tell, I didn't get my writing done for the week, so my story's not ready. It was really a situation that I couldn't control, as there was just so much studying to do. However, I'm back, again, and making sure I get those 400+ words in every single day.

This chapter's a really good one, and I will absolutely have it done before Saturday this week. Sorry about that, but life calls sometimes. Usually I ignore it. However, there are things to do and responsibilities to fulfill. Life is good.

Anyway, this is a short post. Sorry about the delay. Anywho, as always, thanks so much for reading. I really appreciate it. Let me know if I can do anything for you, too. And happy Easter!

-Jake the Jensenator

Chapter 3 release date

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I've been working hard on my story for the past couple weeks and am writing an average of 400 words per day. At this rate, I should be finished with chapter 3 by next week.

Now, this week is spring break, so I have plenty of time to write and reads books, so I plan on using that. Expect a lot more from me this week. However, I'm also moving out of my parents house (finally) and moving into an apartment with my friend in Salt Lake City. So I'll be a little busy with that, but not much of a hinderance.

Also, this last week I've fallen in love even more with writing. Now, that may have to do with the fact that I don't have a girlfriend (forever alone), but I'll take it. Writing is love, writing is life, as the internet would so eagerly say. I guess this scene is rather exciting for me to write and we're getting into the juicier plot of the story, so it's come alive even more for me. So, basically, I'll be done with it next saturday, March 19th. So stay tuned for the next episode of the Suit story (I still have no idea what to call it).

As always, let me know what you think. I'd really like to know what you think of the characters. Specifically, do you like them? Why? Who do you dislike, and why? Are the characters believable, in your opinion? I could use some help with this as I've been trying to develop them even more.

And lastly, thanks for keeping up with me and my story. It's hard work, and it's always good to know that you appreciate it. If you do like it, share it with your friends. I'm shamelessly promoting here, but I could use more followers and could do with expanding my book's fanbase.

Much love, people. Peace out and remember, stay frosty. By which I mean, eat lots of Wendy's frosties.

-Jake

A Messy Two Weeks. Now back to business.

Well, these last two weeks have been a disaster. I recently got an xbox one, so a lot of my time has gone to that. Not to mention school, work, dating, hanging out, etc. It's been pretty crazy. But I'm working on making writing my priority again. Honestly, it's been hard--correction: it is hard--to get myself to write every day. It's a struggle to just write stuff that is interesting, and to believe in yourself enough to write every day. Not to mention, it's hard to achieve any goal you have. But I believe that if it's hard, it's worth it.

So right now, as we speak (side note: isn't it ironic that we say "as we speak" but we're not speaking at all, we're writing), I'm writing my story. I have big plans for this chapter. It's going to be big. It's going to be a story changer. It's going to change EVERYTHING. I'm loving how it's going. But it's time to really up my passion for writing. It's an uphill battle, but it's worth it. Writing is worth it for me.

What do you want to do? What do you really want? I want to write so bad, it's killing me. If you have something you want to do, and you think it's worth it, go for it. You'll never know whether it's worth it unless you try it. We can do this, together. As Mario said: LETSA GOOOOOO!

Chapter 2 "It's Complicated"

It never took too long for the needle to enter the neural jack in the back of Frederik’s neck, but there was always a dull pinch; it left him feeling like he needed to scratch his neck for an hour or two. There was a freezing sensation as Tallius entered his consciousness. From the trainings Frederik had received he knew the device connected to his brain through the jack in the back of his neck and a metallic half-headband that touched his temples. Incredible to think that man had achieved such a technological feat.

After a moment, the suit had completed its activation cycle. Save for the whir of servos within the suit it was silent. But he wasn’t alone; he could sense something sitting in the back of his consciousness. Frederik reached out and attempted to contact Tallius.

You there? he asked.

The other presence tiptoed about his memories, moving with the precision of a professional burglar. Frederik frowned. This was certainly unlike Tallius.

Tallius? he said. Pressure creeped into his chest.

The presence, paused. Lieutenant, I am here. But your cortex is unfamiliar to me; I remember only your name, and have… a strange craving for my mother’s brownies. Peculiar, considering I do not have a mother, nor can I eat. My primary programming seems to be intact; I am still able to hack into a computer network when needed, and can operate the Hephaistos with ninety-seven point three percent efficiency.

Frederik smiled… But that quickly faded. He quickly recalled his training; he could mentally close his mind to outsiders—psychics, AIs. etc.—which included Tallius. Did he lose his memory? Can that happen to AIs? I mean, Merrus said there could be complications, but that can’t be right, he thought. He addressed Tallius.

You don’t remember anything besides the brownies?

Affirmative. My coding tells me there is an error in my memory core, but I am unable to fix it. It would seem it is an issue of hardware. Curious.

Frederik’s throat constricted. We’ll get you fixed up, Tallius. Don’t you worry. He closed his eyes and sighed.

Very well, Lieutenant.

Shaking his head, Frederik almost laughed. You’ve always called me Frederik, or Fred. That wasn’t entirely true; Tallius had always called him Frederik, but never Fred. It had just never been his thing. But this new Tallius didn’t know that; maybe it was unfair to lie to him like that. Frederik didn’t really know how he was supposed to be treating his damaged friend.

Very well, Frederik. I will remember that. What are we doing now?

Frederik shared his memory of speaking to the Director and Johan. I let you do this all the time when… well, you know. Anyway, we’re gonna go to the ship.

We’re shipping out?

Frederik chuckled.  Nice one. He’d never heard Tallius tell a joke before; it was very refreshing.

What? Ah, that was a very appropriate play on words, indeed.

“Merrus, thanks for the help,” he said. “Tallius and I really appreciate it.”

Merrus, who had busied himself with other tasks, turned and nodded.

“Anytime. Tell your head-buddy to get better, alright? Oh, and let him know that we tried to fix you too.” He grinned.

Frederik’s external comm unit clicked on. “Duly noted, Merrus,” Tallius said.

Turning around, Frederik grabbed his deposited clothes from the floor and stuffed them in his pack. He extended a hand towards Merrus, which was mirrored by his friend. they firmly shook hands, after which they exchanged goodbyes. It was a solemn moment for Merrus, one that Frederik also had experienced. Many friends had come and gone in the five years since he’d joined the Herakles program. In that time, he’d gained a few friends, and lost even more. Now his chest reflected the numbness in his hand.

With a nod, Frederik left for the hangar bay silently. Have I lost another? Frederik wondered. His chest tightened. Quickly, he forced his mind to change the subject; though Tallius hadn’t seemed to notice—or at least, he hadn’t said anything. As he walked, he encountered numerous military personnel, who gave him a crisp salute, which he always thoughtlessly returned.

His mind wandered, and he considered the mission ahead; What coulda happened? He didn’t know much, but he knew that he wanted to figure out whatever was going on, because he had friends out there. They deserved that much from him.

What do you presume occurred on Mars, Fred? Tallius asked.

That’s the thing. I don’t know, Frederik admitted. What do you think the odds are of James and Nellus deserting? 

The Herakles database says there has never been a deserter in its history, correct?

That’s right. But it could still happen.

Indeed. However, there are a number of other factors to consider: the most important of which would be morale, Tallius said, then added: I think.

Frederik arched an eyebrow. Tallius didn’t usually say ‘I think.’ You think?

Statistically speaking, morale is the greatest cause of desertion. Whether or not it is the greatest factor in one’s desertion, I cannot tell with one hundred percent certainty.

Maybe it had been more than Tallius’ memory core that had been damaged. Maybe his personality core had been damaged as well. Either way, Frederik intended on asking Tia when he got to the hangar. He turned left at a sign indicating the hangar bay was to his left.

So, what are the odds? Frederik pressed.

Rather low. Perhaps it is more than simple logic that dictates my thoughts in this particular situation.

Frederik stopped at the hangar bay door and scrunched up his face in bewilderment. You mean intuition?

I suppose so, Tallius said. Is that unusual?

For you? Yeah, it is. He didn’t add: Older Tallius would have never talked like that.

There was no response from Tallius, so Frederik was left in silence to ponder Tallius’ sudden change in character. He tapped the controls for the hangar bay doors and stepped into the cavernous hangar. Enormous ships cluttered the hangar; destroyers, carriers, frigates. You name it, it was there.

Tallius, any idea where the Relativity is?

The database says it is located in the southwest quadrant. It is currently undergoing preparations for our departure.

Wonderful. Let’s go see her, Frederik said.

For the next five minutes Frederik meandered towards the Relativity, until finally he could see a small frigate tucked behind a destroyer-class battleship. It was a small thing, about four thousand five hundred feet in length, and one fifteen hundred feet in width. Gargantuan engines rested atop back of the ship like giant cannons. The body of the frigate itself was cylindrical sleek; giant cannons extended off the front of the ship like giant tusks. Frederik soaked it all in and smiled. Most ‘Klesians were not fans of flying, but Frederik enjoyed the thrill of being able to pass through a stable wormhole; it was exciting, unlike anything he had ever known.

He walked to a ramp on the side of the frigate where a petty officer holding a datapad stood lazily. 

Spotting Frederik his eyes widened slightly and he scrambled to give a salute.

“Lieutenant, sir, welcome to the Relativity. I had heard you were coming along. It’s an honor,” he said.

“Thanks. Am I good to board?”

“You should be fine, sir. I think your friend is waiting in there as well. She told me to let you know.” 

He shrugged.

Frederik rolled his eyes. What does she want? he wondered. “Did she tell you where?”

“Deck B, in the lab.”

“Thank you, soldier.” Frederik nodded and stepped aboard the frigate.

The interior was pure white, and the halls were long and smooth as if an insect with obsessive compulsive disorder had made it; it was perfect. Frederik walked down the hall towards the elevator, admiring the frigate. From the looks of it the Relativity was fairly new.

At the end of the hall he boarded the elevator. It hummed and started its ascension to deck B. Frederik crossed his arms and waited. His thoughts turned to Tia. She was an interesting woman, and she looked young too, leaving him to consider how she could be considered to be so proficient in her field at her age. Gotta be some sort of genius or something. May not have much gun training, but she’s good for something.

It is as one of your race said: “there is more to her than meets the eye.” Tallius suggested.

Rolling his eyes, Frederik grinned. Still, she rubs me the wrong way.

Indeed. Though, if I may Frederik, there was a spike in your dopamine levels when you encountered her for the first time. Perhaps she is a worthy mate.

Frederik shook his head, then laughed at the notion. Don’t think so Tallius. That was definitely like the old Tallius, always goading him.

Is she not worthy of an attempt, Fred?

Slowing to a halt, the elevator doors parted. After a few moments he had passed by the medical bay and arrived outside the lab. He moved his hand to press the button to the lab, but hesitated. He knew the way Tallius like to let things slip with 

No comments like that around her, alright?

Does it make you uncomfortable? Tallius asked.

It makes everyone uncomfortable. This was a lot like when Frederik had first met Tallius; at that time he had been just as clueless about human nature. It felt like they were almost starting over, which he almost dreaded the thought of.

Frederik palmed the control for the door and stepped inside the lab. Tia was sitting in front of a disassembler, a machine designed to remove the armor from a ‘Klesian among other things. She held a datapad in her hand. Turning around, she gave him a curt-but-fake smile and motioned to the machine.

“If you would be so kind,” she said mockingly, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear and grinning.

Your dopamine levels have increased again, Fred, Tallius stated.

Frederik narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms,  staring at her defiantly. He didn’t take orders from a civilian.

“Come on now, don’t be shy. I need to take a look at your AI. Is that all right?” she asked.

“If it is necessary, Doctor Tia Paulsen.” 

Again Tia motioned to the disassembler. Frederik groaned but relented, walking over to the machine and looking down. Five claws armed with various tools shook to life and snaked towards Frederik’s Hephaistos armor.

Sighing, Frederik spoke to Tallius: Don’t worry buddy, she’ll fix you up; she’s an expert, even if she’s arrogant.

Let us hope her records have portrayed her accurately, Tallius stated.

The disassembler gently grabbed, tugged, and twisted at his armor as it began to methodically take his suit apart. His bracers and leg guards were first to go, followed by his upper arm pieces. Next to go was his heavily armored chest and back pieces; the disassembler grabbed at the seams in-between the two pieces and inserted a metal tip inside. It twisted and the chest and back pieces came apart. Eventually the machine had taken his suit apart and placed it onto a mannequin next to Tia, leaving Frederik in a grey, skin-tight bodysuit.

“Computer, face the Hephaistos’ AI matrix towards me please,” Tia said sternly.

Spinning one hundred and eighty degrees, the mannequin edged towards Tia and halted within a comfortable arms length. She grabbed her tools and a monitor next to her and began her work. Frederik crossed his arms. She doesn’t need me here. I should go get settled in. Nodding, he turned about and started for the door.

“Aren’t you curious about what’s wrong with your AI?” Tia asked, refusing to turn her head towards him.

“Of course I am. Someone already explained it to me, though.”

“Well, sit down,” Tia said. “What happened to it?”

“Tallius? He’s got a name you know,” Frederik stated.

Tia snorted. “Of course, of course.”

Frederik sighed internally as his patience began to grow thin. “We were hitting a gas collecting station on Jupiter. It was an easy target… or, it was supposed to be. Tallius and I got in no problem. They had a few guards, but we mopped them up pretty easily. We thought it was gonna be easy.” He shook his head slowly, looking at her with a long practiced neutral glare. “We were wrong. The PR set a trap for us. Me and Tallius got pinned down, my shields got hit, and we were flanked. One of them hit Tallius’ matrix from behind and Tallius went dark.”

Tia nodded again. Frederik looked at her, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. What’s she thinking? The right corner of her mouth was turned up slightly. He couldn’t tell if she was bored or tired, but ran with the explanation that she was bored. After all, she was a scientist; what interest would she have in stories of war? She probably just wanted to know what the cause of the damage was.

“Right,” she said, pausing to fiddle with the matrix again, then turning to him. “Do know what it was, exactly?”

Frederik leaned back against a table. “Plasma?”

Truth was, he wasn’t entirely sure what had hit him. The PR’s soldiers had a variety of weapons, from projectile weaponry to plasma based weaponry, and he hadn't had time to check the soldier’s weapon. It was looking like that decision had turned out to be a mistake.

“Hm. Maybe so,” Tia said. She scratched her scalp roughly. “It appears to be a plasma burn. There’s some scorching around the edges. It must have been a very lucky hit. Your shields were still partially up, weren’t they?”

Frederik nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“It’s simple, really,” Tia said, giving him a smug smile. “Had you been hit without your shields, Tallius’ matrix would be gone.”

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Frederick shifted his weight and grunted. “Makes sense.”

Tia looked back and forth from the Hephaistos to the diagnostics screen. Her nose scrunched up as she tilted her head to the side silently. Frederick shifted his weight uncomfortably, then scanned her over and realized he wasn't getting much from her. She seemed like a complex person; certainly she was arrogant and impatient, but there was something more to her. He couldn’t quite place it.

She move with quite dignity. Her posture was perfect, her shoulders square and her back straight as if someone had placed a rod in her back. When faced with the Tallius’ damaged matrix, she seemed unshakeable. Her hands were steady, moving with careful precision and purpose. When she hit a specific button, it was always intentional.

Suddenly, she looked at him. “I think I’ve narrowed the problem down to two possibilities,” she said, nodding to herself. Frederik raised an eyebrow at her. “Firstly, the whole memory core could be fried altogether. The plasma bolt seems to have done enough damage to the circuitry, but that seems unlikely. Tell me, does Tallius remember who you are?”

Frederik nodded.

“I thought so. I assume you were told as much by the other technicians.” She paused, but not long enough for Frederik to respond. “That leaves us with option two. Do you know what artificial intelligences are made from?”

Furrowing his brow, Frederik blinked quickly in thought. “Isn’t that classified?” He frowned.

Tia turned towards him and laughed, her arms falling to her rib cage as she grabbed her sides. “Of course it is. But you need to know anyway. An AI is more than just coding, we extract everything we can from a freshly deceased human brain, and put it into a tiny matrix at the back of your neck.” Frederik’s eyebrows shot up. Tia continued. “The AI matrix was designed in such a way, that if it sustained critical amounts of damage, it shuts down, and induces amnesia on the AI. That’s what happened to Tallius.”

Frederik chewed on his cheek briefly, his heart rising into his throat. He gulped. Crap, Tallius. This is my fault, man, he thought. “Are you sure? Can’t you reverse it or something?”

Letting out a snort, Tia rolled her eyes. “Of course I can; no one is stupid enough to make that sort of programming without something that reverses it.”

Frederik sighed inside, noting her defensive tone. This was going to be a long operation if she acted like this around him all the time. He made a note to himself, making sure not to get on this woman’s bad side; he wasn’t sure that his sanity would be able to stand the who-knows-how-long trip they were going on, especially if he had to walk on glass in order to ensure she didn’t get angry at him all the time. A tinge of irritation lit up in his stomach. Frederik had purposefully stayed away from women like this for years just to make sure he didn’t have the displeasure of insuring their wrath. It was a small thing, but he didn’t like to be around those kind of people. They dragged him down.

“Okay, so he’s in some sort of induced amnesia? How does that work?”

“He’ll regain his memories, eventually. I’m going to have to do some repairs on him periodically. With time, he’ll be fine.”

Frederik wiped a hand over his mouth. “So it’s gonna take some time. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“That’s precisely what I’m telling you,” Tia said forcefully. She raised a cocky golden eyebrow, daring him to make a retort.

“Why’s it take take so long?” he said, forcing down some other nasty words he was dying to say. Instinctively, he attempted to hide his irritation, relaxing his fists and taking a deep breath.

“It hasn’t been perfected yet. Furthermore, it’s a countermeasure against hostiles. In the case that one of our AIs is captured and repaired, the amnesia-like state is triggered, and lasts long enough that we can track the AI. If it’s in the wrong hands we terminate it.”

“But what about in our case? Can’t you speed it up or something?”

Tia huffed and gave him an annoyed look. “To an extent, I can. But an unfortunate side effect of the amnesia programming is that it takes a long time for it to be fully repaired. We’ve been working on repairing it, but—” for a split second, Tia’s face was sullen, but after that it was gone, replaced by her confident half smile, “—there hasn’t been much progress.”

Frederik suppressed a smile. Something inside of him found immense pleasure from the fact that Tia, this supposed prodigy scientist, couldn’t figure something about.

“Hm. To keep them out of the PR’s hands then?”

“What? Yes, the Allies knew it would be the most sought after tech around,” Tia said. “Can you even imagine what the People’s Republic would do with that tech?”

Frederik thought. The People’s Republic had been fighting this war for a century. No one really remembered why they were fighting, at least not originally. It was said that Mars, after years of Earth dominating Mars’ trade, and its people, Mars had finally had enough. Under the leadership of Sir Wallace, they severed all ties with Earth. Any cargo ships near Mars were commandeered, and the crew slaughtered. Animosity towards earth had grown immensely.

Earth’s response was as prompt as could be for traveling at sublight. Within six months, they had amassed the largest navy ever assembled, numbering just over one hundred warships. Within two hundred days, they had arrived at Mars. The general feeling at that time was that Earth would arrive at Mars, the Martians would give up after a brief battle, and peace would be restored without many casualties. They were wrong. That day, on the beginning of the First War, Earth lost thirty warships, five of which had been surrendered and its crew subsequently tortured. The recording of the torture had been broadcasted to Earth’s government itself. 

No parent had allowed their child to forget such brutality, and hate for Mars grew over the on-and-off conflict spanning over the next hundred years. With the incredibly intelligent AIs that Earth had created, Mars would be unstoppable.

“That can’t happen. Not after the First War,” Frederik muttered.

“Then you see how important Tallius is. And you no doubt understand how big of a problem it was to lose Nellus and James’ AIs.”

Frederik glanced at the floor, narrowed his eyelids in response. “And my friends,” he muttered. If they’re still alive. Tia wasn’t doing herself any favors talking about his friends like that.

“Them as well,” Tia spoke haltingly, choosing her words carefully. “If we don’t get them back, all of my work goes to waste. One way or another, we have to get those AIs back, or dispose of them if worst comes to worst.”

Frederik flinched. Knowing Tallius, he wouldn’t like that either. He had created some sort of relationship with Helvian and Morinaton (James and Nellus’ AIs), and had communicated with them frequently. Hearing that they might have to terminate Helvian and Morianton might cause Tallius grief. Who hasn’t had something to grieve over since the war? Tallius’ll be fine. Maybe he can just override his emotions. You’d think I’d know this. I’ll have to ask him about that.

“That’s true, but—” Frederik was cut off by the sound of the intercom above them.

“Doctor Paulsen, will you send Lieutenant Tarsus to the bridge?” a coarse voice said. Probably the captain.

Tia glanced at the intercom, then back to her work. “If I must, captain. I was just starting to like him,” she said, looking at him and winking. “He’ll be there in a moment.”

What kind of games is this lady playing? he thought, clenching his jaw undecidedly. 

“Thank you, Doctor.” Upon the intercom clicking off, Tia grabbed at the the AI matrix, and said a few words under her breath. “I really hate that man. On your way, Frederik. We can finish our conversation later.” With a slight pop the matrix came loose. “I’ll work on this while you’re gone.”

With a nod Frederik turned to the disassembler and pressed a button at the center of the machine. It twitched to life slowly and rapidly picked at the Hephaistos, then turned to Frederik and methodically placed the armor on him. After a minute he was fully encased in his shell. He breathed a sigh of relief, then left for the bridge.

*****

The doors swept open, giving Frederik a view of the bridge. Unlike many science fiction authors of the past had supposed, the bridge was not at the front of the ship but in the heart of the ship itself. A number of large monitors accessed the countless cameras being used to give them vision to port side, starboard side, aft, and the bow, along with a number of other slightly different angles. Starlight twinkled on the largest monitor directly in front of him, creating the figures of heroes and beast he had imagine from his back lawn so many years ago.

In front of the monitor stood a slim man in a green uniform with the insignia of an eagle pinned to his breast pocket. As soon as his eyes rested upon the captain Frederik had instinctively snapped a salute. Years of training and interaction with his superiors had taught him to be extremely careful about how he treated them. He didn’t know the captain, which made him very wary, and in these days betrayals were all too frequent—especially from people you were close too. People you could trust were in short supply.

The Captain turned and returned the salute, slightly relaxing and giving a wide toothy smile. 

“Lieutenant Tarsus, good to have a ‘Klesian aboard the Relativity.” He reached out a hand, which Frederik tentatively clasped and shook. “I’m Captain Johanason. The navy Brass has been telling me all about you; glad to have you aboard.”

“Thanks you Captain,” Frederik said flatly. He clasped his hands behind his back. Meanwhile, his eyes darted from side to side, checking the bridge for any sign of danger.

Johanason rubbed his upper lip with the back of his hand and grinned. “Now, why don’t you take off that helmet so we can talk face to face.”

An alarm went off in Frederik’s head. His hand twitched, but he willed it to press the button at the back of his helmet. He placed the helmet under his right arm like a running back would grasp a football. With a penetrating gaze, Johanason studied his pale white face. Frederik gazed back at him; this treatment was all too normal for him, as he rarely removed his helmet. And when he did reactions varied.

Johanason motioned for Frederik to follow him, which he did. They walked past the monitors and into a smaller room. At the center of a room was a table Frederik had seen hundreds—if not thousands—of times. Atop the table was a holographic projector and some buttons on the side of it. At the tap of a button, a green hologram of Mars and its surrounding moons jumped into view.

“Alright,” Johanason said, placing both of his hands on the table. “We’re leaving for Mars in two hours. When we get there, you and Tia will be dropped in a refitted PR dropship so you can slip in unnoticed. We’ll drop you on the dark side of the Deimos so you’ll look like a supplier for the colony there. If that fails, you have codes uploaded to your dropship’s database that you can send if anyone contacts you. They’ve been uploaded to your database if you need them. You’ll be able to get through the blockade that way.”

Frederik nodded as he watched the hologram. A dropship appeared from behind the moon and moved towards Mars, which was surrounded by some of the largest ships Frederik had seen. Huge cannons hung off of the front of several of their biggest ships, making them appear to be giant whales with cannons attached to their bellies.

Frederik whistled. “Sir, that seems like one heck of a blockade. Gotta be some pretty tight security.”

“There’s never been anything like it,” Johanason agreed. “But we’ll get you in there, Tarsus. No backwards dust-licking spacers are going to stop a ‘Klesian. Hope you’re ready son, because once you pass the blockade, we’re going to do an atmospheric drop. You’ll be dropped right onto the area under investigation. You can expect friendlies in the area; they’re masquerading as construction workers. Keep your eyes out and stay hidden. Remember the objective here: find the MIA ‘klesians here. Find any clues you can.”

Coughing, Johanason scratched his chin again. “Any questions?”

“Sir, the extraction plan?”

“You’ll be given a homing beacon, which can be activated through your Heads-Up-Display. When you activate it, the dropship will pick you up.”

“Understood sir,” Frederik stated, wondering how the dropship would have such free reign in Martian space.

“Good. You’re going to need all the help you can get. Don’t do anything stupid, understand me? We need those assets—alive if possible.”

“Yes sir. I’ll get it.”

Johanason stared at him, then nodded. “This is cliche as hell, but everyone’s depending on you to get this done. You don’t have room to fail, Tarsus.” After a pause, “dismissed.”

Frederik saluted then turned towards the doors. As he walked he looked towards the floor and furrowed his eyebrows. The whole operation seemed like a suicide mission, even if the captain wasn’t willing to admit it. It would take a lot of luck breaking the Martian blockade, then make an in-atmosphere drop, and then avoid Martian soldiers on the ground while trying to find the missing ‘klesians on the ground. All without being detected, if he could avoid it. Mission parameters for ‘Klesian were always very loose depending on the ‘Klesian. Still, he would need a little bit of luck on Mars.

But luck had always been his strong suit.

Last Post before Chapter 2 is out. GET HYPED

YO THE HYPE TRAIN IS HERE.

Guess what's coming the Saturday or Sunday? A NEW CHAPTER BABY. As you can tell, I'm not very excited at all about it. In fact, I'm extremely angry about it. But hey, it's coming out this weekend after weeks and weeks of me saying "gais its c0m1ng out dis w33k!!!11!!" But really, this week is the week.

It's official. Don't miss it. Read it, love it. And if you haven't read the other chapters, read them and love them. It's taken days of work. It's about time it comes out. So I'll be putting up the finishing touches on the editing side of things this weekend. It's about time. I've been dying to get it out.

On another note, work and school has been kind of crazy lately, so I've been procrastinating. Plus, I've been playing a lot of Starcraft, but I'm done with that for a while, so there's nothing to stop me from writing my story.

The funny thing is, I've been working really hard to write my novel, and a lot of the times I just don't feel like it, but I've been listening/watching these motivational speeches by a guy named Mateusz M on youtube. He's pretty incredible. I've never been so motivated. And I listen to them so much that my thoughts have been changing a lot. If you want to be motivated, go watch his videos on youtube or on soundcloud.

NEVER STOP PURSUING YOUR DREAMS!

PSA? I meant the next update before I actually get something out.

Hey ya'll. Quick update. I'm a good 10 pages into chapter two. You can expect chapter two to be coming out this weekend,  especially since I've recently dropped my math class (side not, don't take online math classes, man. It sucks bad) and have a bit more time to get myself focused on my story.  Don't worry people, that's number two on my priorities list this week.

What's number one, you ask? Waking up early and going to bed early. Currently I'm not completely failing at that. I've been waking up around 6 ish, and going to bed anywhere from 10:00-12:00. Either way, I'm doing my best. I feel like that will be super helpful to my writing habits though, especially since I'm trying to just get 300-400 words down per day.

So, anyway, get yourself ready for a good chapter this week. It's got some good character interactions going chapter, and you'll be able to see a lot of who Tia, Tallius, and Frederik really are. I like to think this really sets up the story itself. So, enjoy yourself until them. And tell your friends about my page, especially if they like Sci Fi, or just reading in general.

YOU OWE IT TO THE READING GODS, DANG IT.

Sorry about that. I just get riled up sometimes. Keep it real people, and remember, stay classy.

PSA #5 or something like that

Good morning/evening/afternoon everyone!

So, you're probably all wondering, what in the world is going on with the "Dat Suit Story" blog? Where is Jake? Why isn't he writing? Or, for the majority, you've completely forgotten my story and are thinking "what should I eat for dinner?" or "how come the world is round?" or some other mumbo-jumbo like that. Well, have no fear, because I'm back... Again!

So, what's been going on is, I've been having a battle with self control. But it's cool now. I've got it under control because, you know, I'm awesome. But really, things are going great with the story. I'm still writing chapter three, which is looking to be of a decent size. Lot's of world-building and character development going on right now.

Plus, I recently decided that I was going to finish writing the first draft of my story by July 1st. So that requires me to write about 600-800 words per day. Certainly not the fastest pace ever, but I'm beginning, so I'll go with it. I should be getting stuff out pretty soon. I'm not entirely sure when I'll be done with this chapter. Could be this week, could be next week. I'm flexible. Literally.

Anyway... Er, anyways... Have you guys heard about the debates people have about the word anyway/anyways? That's another topic for another day. Thanks for reading, and don't die out there.

Jake