Tag Team in Space: Episode 28 - "Man Was She Hot" is Live

Tag Team in Space: Episode 28 - Man Was She Hot:

"You see doc, I told you she was up to something crazy."

"Derrick, I don't think it's like that. You don't know Katie like I do."

"Well doc, it wouldn't appear that you know her all too well either. Who is that guy she is talking with, and what the hell are they talking about? And did you see what happened to your best buddy Fogweet? I thought you two were attached at the hip? I'm surprised you didn't get the bump on your head from him being hit."

The doctor and I crouched behind one of the loaders at the entrance of the terminal. Across the floor, at the other end of the terminal we could see Fogweet unconscious on the ground by the lift and Katie sitting at a table with some guy who looked vaguely familiar. I couldn't quite place his face, but I felt like I knew him from somewhere. Regardless of who he was, I had work to do and this guy would not stand in my way.

"I admit, the man knocking out poor little Fogweet pisses me off a bit."

"'Pisses you off' huh? Wow, that's the most emotion I've heard out of you yet. Maybe you wanna' waltz on over there and do something about it? Maybe take that guy out back and show him a thing or two?" 

"Uh... Well, I mean... There's no need to resort to" I was running out of patience and quickly cut the Jerry off, "Yeah, doc, I get it. No need to resort to violence, but we are at a time and place where violence is probably the first, second and third option for dealing with these traders and getting the fusion device back. We've been standing pat for way too long hoping that these Rogarians would simply stumble their way out of the tunnels and into our hands, and time is not on our side."


(Read full episode and all episodes here at TTiS)

Mike Martin joins Tag Team in Space

We welcome author A.L. Jambor author of: Pello Island: Cassia to the TTiS team, and we continue the story.

Mike Martin  - New character by A.L. Jambor

I watched the Martian grab the girl.  I’d been watching them for several minutes, and I had a gut feeling this wouldn’t end well.  I looked around for something to bash him over the head with and found a large stone in the decorative fountain near the entrance of the Starbucks.  As the girl struggled, I bashed him over the head and he fell like a sack of potatoes.

“You okay,” I asked.  She looked stunned and her arms were covered in slime.

“I’m fine.  I had this under control.”

She looked pissed off so I offered to buy her a coffee.  She didn’t want to at first, but then she agreed.  I could see she was rattled, but she kept pretending everything was cool.  I picked up two coffees and brought them to the table.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.  “I was handling it.”

“Yeah, you looked like you were handling it.”

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Mike Martin.  And you?”

Ensign Katie Golden.”

“Ooo Ensign.  So, what’s with the Martian?  I saw you talking nice and then he grabbed you.”

“I was asking for his help.”

“Help with what?”

She hesitated for several seconds.  “I wanted him to talk to Marla.”

“Marla!  You don’t look like the type,” I said smiling from ear to ear.

“It wasn’t like that!” she said.  I liked seeing her face turn red.

“Then what was it like?”

“That’s classified.”

(Read the rest of episode 27 and the entire story here at TTiS) 

TTiS Episode - 24: Blame Game

Derrick:

I was mildly annoyed with the doctor completely ignoring me and the situation at hand, but when he introduced me this Katie chick, I found my own mind wandering. She was as pretty as any Spaceforce member I had ever seen, her face was like porcelain and her body was like... well let's put it this way, no three breasted martian Marla could compare with who was standing right in front of me. I looked up into her eyes and immediately knew I was gonna' make some time to spend with Katie over here, once this whole interplanetary crisis was over with. I quickly pushed my lust aside and stood to introduce myself.

"Sergeant Derrick Thomas. I work for AR... I work for an agency back on Earth" I began, but she quickly interrupted me; "Yes Sgt., I know who you are. Your reputation is well known at the Spaceforce academy. You seem to have a nose for trouble I hear, and judging from your wounds and the situation you are in the midst of, I can certainly attest to that rumor. Now what I want to know Sgt. Thomas is, what is the Advanced Research and Command Authority doing sending a hotshot like you on a mission where delicate diplomacy is certainly needed?"

"I know right, he is all fists and plasma blades, and I'm all like..." Jerry began to interject.

"Uh, Dr. Waldman?" she barely looked his way when addressing him.

"Yes Katie?"

"With all due respect doctor, please shut the hell up and let me finish speaking with Sgt. Thomas."

"Uh, uh... well, I mean, I was just trying to say..." Jerry's voice quickly trailed off as she gave him a quick glare. I have no idea who this woman is, but if she could get the doctor to shut up simply by looking at him, I was in-love already!

 

(Read the rest of Episode 24 and catch on previous episodes here) 

 

 

Tag Team in Space going more interactive...

For those followers who don't already know, I and author J. Naomi Ay have been intertwined in a collaborative blog saga named: Tag Team in Space (TTiS).

This is the story of Dr. Jerry Waldman (The Two Moon of Rehnor) and Sgt. Derrick Thomas (Dark Side of the Moon) and their epic struggle to protect Earth from aliens and diabolical devices.

To this point, the task of entertaining has been solely divided between J. Naomi and myself (be that a good thing or not).

For the first time ever, we are opening up our story to new writers. 

If you are out there, interested, and between WIPs, please contact us and we will see if there is a good fit there.

This can be a great way to work on your craft, gain new followers, and self-promote by leading readers to your other works.

We are looking to bring in a new author(s) every 3-4 weeks to add new characters and situations to the story.

If you are interested you can email me at: ahmad (at) ahmadtaylor.com or J. Naomi at: NaomiSweets (at) gmail.com.

Join in the fun and gain some new exposure.
Join TTiS!

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Authors! Do you want to join the Tag Team in Space? We are looking for new contributors and new characters to keep the story going.
Requirements: 300 - 500+ words in first person that tie into and expand the story line with any character of your choosing every 3 - 4 weeks.
Compensation: Features on this blog, facebook and other places.
Interested? Send Naomi an email at naomisweets at gmail.com.

TTiS Episode 22 - Noodlier Dive

"Marshall! Get your ass over here and help me with this Big Head! You know we need that chip!" Officer Marshall looked like hammered hell but his addictions were the least of my concerns.

Marshall leaned in and grabbed Fogweet by the neck. He was a a man a some size, and lifted the Big Head with ease. I climbed off of the doctor and got to my feet. "Hey, hold him up in front of me" I told Marshall and slugged Fogweet hard in the gut.

"Hey Derrick, what the hell man! You can't just go punching...", the doctor stopped short as I picked up the shiny gold chip off of the ground. 

"Doc, I'm pretty patient with you and your freak Martian buddy over here 'cause I know you're not really a military man, but you have no clue how important this chip is. It is no toy, nor candy, nor anything else to be played with. I've been through hell and high-water to acquire this from that agent, to keep it hidden from those wild Big Heads, and to keep its location secret from those monstrous traders. I've been beaten quite severely, chained like an animal with no hope of escape, and bitten by what you tell me is probably some rabid alien trader, all with the intent of reacquiring this chip and completing my mission, so if you think that your sensitivities or the sweet tooth of this little Martian is going to stand in my way, you are sorely and sadly mistaken. Are we clear?" 

I hadn't even noticed but I had my good arm across Jerry's chest and had him pinned against the far wall of the conduit. My anger subsided a bit and I took my arm off of the doctor. His eyes were glassy behind his glasses. A tear streamed down his face, but I could tell this was not a tear from fear, but more from adrenaline and his own anger. He collected himself and put his finger in my face; "You listen here you obnoxious brute. I may not be a cold-hearted, violent, murderous soldier like you, but I am a military man and I have made plenty of my own sacrifices just to find and help you on this bullshit quest of yours. So remember that next time you lay hands on me or my freak friend over there. Now, if you don't mind... Tell your massive minion over there to release Fogweet before he chokes him to death and explain what the hell is so important about this chip of yours, because your secrets are getting boring and old."

(Read the rest of Episode 22 and catchup on the hit Episodic Saga here)

Tag Team in Space is a collaborative blog by authors J. Naomi Ay (The Two Moons of Rehnor) and Ahmad Taylor (Darkside of the Moon)

TTiS Episode 20; Derrick's Escape

 

The trader and his minion continued shoving me forward down the conduit. I was getting fed up with being pushed around but I knew that this was not the time to try and protest. The head trader was at least eight feet tall and probably at least four hundred pounds. Combine his stature with the weapons around his belt and the sharpness of his fangs and I was certainly at a slight disadvantage. I knew in order to escape I'd have to find or create a moment but this was not it, not yet.

"Stalling is making me angered. Show me chip now or die to death."

As if their foul breathe and pushing wasn't bad enough, their blatant butchering of the English language was grating on my nerves. 

I scanned the area ahead of me, continuing to count the steps we took in my head. It was four hundred feet between emergency beacons and I was nearly at the next one. Through the darkness, dragging my feet, I came up on the next beacon. I pretending to trip again, and as I fell to the ground I initiated the next one. 

"What you do? What that light?" I heard over my shoulder as a mammoth foot came crashing down on my back. The weight of the blow knocked the air out of my lungs. I regained my senses and turned over; "It's a marker I placed to show me the way to the chip I hid." It was a blatant bluff, but it was all I could come up with at the minute. The head trader leaned down over me, his vile breathe making me nauseous. He seethed over me for several moments before he acquiesced. 

"You get up now and find chip, or you find your head under foot next time."

I got to my feet and continued to stumble forward. All I could do was pray that somewhere, someone was monitoring the feed from the emergency beacons and was alerted to the distress signal, because I was certainly in plenty of distress.

(Read the whole Episode and follow the series here)

Tag Team in Space Episode 18: Derrick's Plan to Escape

Episode 18 - Derrick

The trader released my shackles from the wall and I came crashing to the ground. Immediately there were hands under my arms dragging me across the floor. My head was still throbbing and I was in no shape to attempt to fight back against these creatures so I allowed myself to thrown around like a rag doll for the moment.

We exited the room we were in and found ourselves back in the conduit, “Now, you tell me where you hid the chip and this can all be over very soon Human.” The distaste for me and all humans was evident in the trader’s voice. I knew this was not going to end well, but I also knew the value of the chip and that I had to protect by any means possible, including losing my life.

I had no idea of whether Jerry was out there looking for me, or if anyone else was searching for my location, but I did have one idea of how I might bring some help my way. I directed the group down the conduit away from the link to the lift shaft, and thus away from where I had hidden the chip. The creatures crawled along the path I set forth and dragged me along behind them. Ahead of us was a faint light. As we approached the source of the light I could see the floor of the conduit was broken through providing another link to the lift shaft. I wanted desperately to keep them out of the shaft, but they were already descending and I was still shackled and being dragged along so I could not provide much resistance. There was a sudden tug and I slid through the opening and fell several feet to the bottom of the shaft floor.

 

(Read full Episode and catch up on previous episodes HERE)

Tag Team in Space: Episode 12: Derrick

Tag Team in Space: Episode 12: Derrick is now LIVE on the official TTiS Blog

Derrick:
 
I can't believe I'm being dragged up by this Martian freak with his weird extendable arms. This was exactly the last thing I imagined would be happening at this point in the day when I woke up this morning.

Fogwat finally hauled us up into the conduit and I asked doc to pull out his torch so we could gain our bearings. 

Suddenly I heard some voices; "Hey shut that damn thing off now! Turn it off!" I whispered intently, slapping Jerry's hand down to try and get the light out.

"Wait, what? What the hell..." he began, but I quickly threw my hand over his mouth.

"Shhhh. Shut the hell up Jerry. Just be quiet, please!" I looked over to the Big Head, "Hey, dim that dome of yours right now, and keep your trap shut!"

Fogwat looked confused, but Jerry gave him a nod to obey, and the glow from his huge head went out.

"You two stay right here, and don't make a sound" I commanded as I began crawling along the conduit toward the noises I heard...

(See the full Episode as well as all the previous and future Episode Here)

Tag Team in Space... Derrick's secret!

The episodic saga continues...

Tag Team in Space by J. Naomi Ay (The Two Moons of Rehnor) and Ahmad Taylor (Dark Side of the Moon) bring you the collaborative adventures of Dr. Jerry Waldman and Sgt. Derrick Thomas.

Check out Episode 9: Fogwat is Hurt! here...

Episode 10
Derrick's Secret

Derrick:

I ran passed the head Big Head and up the tube. I could barely see anything in front of me, but I needed to put some distance between Jerry, Fogwat and myself. I stumbled a few times over who knows what, but I was able to guide myself along the electro-magnetic guide rails the lift ran on. The dim glow from Fogwat’s head grew darker and then it was gone. I knew I only had a few moments to myself before they would catch up to me, and I knew that with three eyes, Big Heads had better than average sight, so I had to act fast if I was going to keep my actions a secret.

I dropped to my knees and began groping around in the dark. I felt across the ground, moving my way along the wall of the tube.

“Here we go… Got it” I said under my breath as my hands located what I was searching for. I found the release handle, turned it counter-clockwise and pushed in. The door to emergency access panel slid open and I quickly took a piece of restraining cloth from my bag and adhered it to the underside of the door. As I pulled the door closed and locked the handle I could see the dim illumination from Fogwat’s head growing brighter. I stood up and turned to face my pursuers.

“Hey Derrick, wait up man! Why would you just run off into the dark like that?” Jerry asked, as he approached me. He slumped over trying to catch his breathe.

“You should probably sit down a minute doc, your wounds look like they need some tending to.”

“Phew! You may be right. Thanks man, here you go” the doctor said, extending some sort of medical kit in my direction.

“Uh yeah, I’m good man. You get yourself stitched up there. I mean, you are the doctor aren’t you?” I replied, pushing the kit back at him and rolling my eyes.

What the hell did he expect me to do with that? I was in no mood to do triage, and I was certainly not in the mood for anymore of his sanctimonious speeches about killing those Big Head freaks. I just needed to be polite enough until I could lead them out of this tube and away from the chip I had hidden in the emergency access panel.

Jerry had no idea what the true value of the chip was or what it could really do, because if he did, he would not be trying to help these stupid Martians hand it over to that interstellar terrorist. If he knew what my contact had gone through to smuggle the chip out of that Martian research facility and into my hands so I could get it off this planet and to some place safe. It was supposed to be a simple hand-off in the lift, but then genius spilled that blue goo all over the ground and then everyone was slipping and sliding around. She barely had the chance to pass it on to me as we tumbling outside the lift. I don’t even know if she was even able to make it out of the terminal and to safety, but that was no longer my concern. I had to keep the chip safe until I could figure out a way to get it off this planet and into the hands of the scientists who could put its power to good use.

“Well, thanks for all your help there Derrick. Could you at least give me a hand standing up?” the doctor whined at me, putting his kit back in his bag, and extending his arm in my direction.

I had no idea how long it would take to get us out of this tube, but I hoped my temper would hold long enough. I reached my hand down and yanked Jerry to his feet.

“Fogwat arm feel funny, many tingles” the Big Head said, as we noticed his arm had almost grown all the way back in.

“Alright Fogwat, you got the light. Lead us out of here. But if I see one more of your Martian buddies, and they flash those teeth my way; I can promise that your arm won’t be what I cut off next time. And let’s see how long it takes for your entire head to grow back!”

“Let’s go people and things… We needed the get the heck out of dodge and we need to do it sooner than later” I said, ushering Jerry and Fogwat on.

I made a mental note of the location of the access panel door, and followed them onward.

Check back for next addition by J. Naomi Ay soon

Tag Team in Space... Episode 8

Tag Team in Space continues...

The episodic tale of Dr. Jerry Waldman (The Two Moons of Rehnor) and Sgt. Derrick Thomas (Dark Side of the Moon) continues:

Check out Episode 7 (Jerry) from J. Naomi Ay here

Episode 8

Derrick:

“Light doc… Turn on the damn light please!” I yelled over to Jerry as I tried to fend off the onslaught of slimy hands groping for me all at once.

The smell in the air was almost more overwhelming than the amount of force being thrown at us by this group of Martians. I did my best to keep my footing as I fought off the creatures that kept coming one after another.

I was shockingly surprised to learn that the consistency of a Martian Big Head body was not unlike Earth creatures. Their bodies were thin and bony, their heads were hard like a traditional skull, except they had a large layer of what I can only assume is fat at the top of their heads like a whale might have. They also had several rows of sharp teeth in their mouths, as I came to find out the hard way. I thought of all the shows I watched growing up about sharks and how they had rows of teeth that came in yearly to replace the last set of damaged or missing teeth in their mouths. I wondered if this was an applicable similarity with the Big Heads, meaning that like sharks, their teeth were fragile and while formidable, also easily removable. I tried to process all these thoughts in a moment’s time and decide my best course of attack, as one lunged toward me, head glowing I could see his mouth agape and I reacted.

I extended my right leg in an instant, bringing the sole of my boot straight out at its face. I connected with its jaw, if these things even have jaws, and I could feel a hard crack. The Big Head squealed a moment as it came crashing to the ground and I knew something had indeed broken. Several sets of teeth oozed out of its mouth and onto the floor, and I knew I had found a weak point.

I quickly spun to connect a kick with the face of another Big Head trying to bite me, and the result was nearly identical. I fought off at least ten, but realized that there were too many more coming my way. I wouldn’t be able to keep up this effort for very long, and once they swarmed me as a whole I would be finished.

I turned to retreat and tripped over something and came crashing to the ground. I hit my head against the tube wall and became very dizzy. I could hear the Big Heads organizing and with my misstep, the glow from several dozen heads grew brighter in my direction. I tried to shake off the haze in my brain and get to my feet to defend myself.

As I got to one knee I could see what I had tripped over in the first place. The glow continued to grow brighter, and the requests for help from Jerry grew more intense, and I knew I had to take care of this right now or else neither of us would make it get help.

I frantically pawed through my bag, throwing the contents everywhere. I needed one item, and I needed it now. The creatures began chanting in unison like a crowd at a cyberball match back at home when a penalty shot was taken for the win.

“Chip, chip, chip, chip…” they all began reciting as they approached. I had no idea what chip they were referring to, and if it was something the doctor had, I would have to hurry up and save him to find out.

Finally, I found what I was searching for, and not a moment too soon. I placed my thumb on the safety release and powered it on. The distinctive glow of my plasma blade stopped almost all the creatures right in their tracks. It was apparent that they had had some experience with this weapon and knew enough to fear it. They all began to back up slightly, even the ones on top of Jerry moved away slowly.

I held the blade out in front of me and turned side to side to try and ward off any Big Heads trying to sneak up on us. I cautiously walked over to the doctor who was gasping in pain on the ground. He had several opens wounds and the bruises to his face looked pretty rough, but he was conscious and functional from what I could tell. 

“My glasses Derrick, I need my glasses…” he muttered, and I was able to find them just off to the side. I placed them on his face while still trying to keep my eyes on the group surrounding us. Jerry suddenly seeing the large mass of creatures around us yelled; “Holy Cow!” and scurried backward across the ground. He only made it three feet, but with his injuries I was surprised he was able to move that fast at all.

“Listen buddy, you have to stay calm alright? These things are very dangerous and very intent on getting this chip from us, so stay calm, tell me where you have this thing, and I’ll negotiate our escape from this mess.”

“What chip Derrick, I don’t have any chip. I assumed government agent man would be the one hiding some chip or whatever.”

I looked at his bruised up face and wanted to bash it in after his smug response, but I remembered the large group of Martians bent on harming us and I chose to put the urge on pause for the time being.

“Well I don’t know of any chip doctor, so what is our next option? ‘Cause the way I see it, we are way outnumbered, and outmatched since you seem pretty useless in fighting circumstances, and I doubt that I can take them all out without a mild bit of assistance, so what do we do here doctor?” I asked, swiveling my eyes side to side so as not be snuck upon.

The doctor pulled me close to his face and placed his mouth against my ear. I was less than comfortable with the closeness our relationship had taken, but was very pleased with what had been whispered to me. I grabbed a piece of stone that was on the ground next to us and placed it in Jerry’s hand and gave him a nod. He nodded back his understanding and I leapt into action.

The squeals came one after another as I plowed my way through the group of Martians. The stench of seared flesh permeated the air in all directions. To some it would have been nauseating, but I knew what my blade could do, and to me the scent as intoxicating. One of ARCA’s finest inventions for agents in the field, a plasma blade glowed white hot and was truly an amazing source of controlled energy. It simultaneously opened and closed wounds as I cut a path straight through to the main Big Head. I tackled it, and held my blade out over its main eye on its enormous head.

While I was not truly a fan of the doctor, I was a fan of living, and his idea worked enough that we might actually get out of this mess alive.

“Now you call off your swarm, or gang, or school, or pod, or whatever the hell you call this group. You tell them to back off right now, or I and my blade will perform a real alien autopsy right here, right now! We don’t know anything about this chip you are looking for, so back off and let us be” I demanded, praying that this one Martian was important enough to the thirty or so others left, that they would indeed trade his safety for ours.

For the next minute as I held this creature down, I listened to a very elaborate tale of this chip and what its purpose is. I looked up in anger and disbelief across the tube at the doctor as the creature concluded; “…your human friend has many secrets from you Earth man!”

I sat back and with rage screamed; “Jerry?!?”

Check back for new episodes from J. Naomi Ay soon