For today’s blog post, I’ve asked Thad Cochran of The Guild Saga Series by John Joseph Doody to tell us about the day he met sweet little Maggie. He had a lot to say. Without further ado, take it away Thad…
I sat in civvies, wearing shorts, sandals and a flowered shirt, inside my favorite haunt—the officer’s club on Thandimone, a Guild outpost, and a lovely wilderness world, but an icy place where the temperature rarely rose above forty degrees Fahrenheit. Though I had given up the booze years before, I still liked the atmosphere, and the women, in a good club. It was early in the day and I sat at an oval-shaped cocktail bar watching the pretty, redheaded barmaid, Oasis make her rounds inside the oval booze dispenser, with a red carpet beneath her spiked heels and a mirrored ceiling above her lovely head. It has been my experience that sitting near the under-the-bar sink is a good place to be for the guy wanting to know a bit more about a particular barmaid. Occasionally, she would stop and chat while she washed a few glasses, and of course these were deep conversations.
“Don’t you freeze outside dressed like that, Commander Cochran?”
She hadn’t noticed I sat on my brown parka. “I walk fast,” I said. “Anyway, call me Thad.”
She flashed a set of perfect pearly whites. “How tall are you, Thad?”
“Six-four,” I said. “But only first thing in the morning. Did you know you’re the tallest when you first wake up?”
“I’m the tallest when I wear my five-inch stilettos.” She smiled again, smoothed her leather skirt, glancing up at the mirrored ceiling and primped her mushroomed hair-do. She scrubbed another glass and dried it. “I heard you’re a bigshot pilot.” She leaned on the bar. “Maybe you could take me for a ride sometime . . . in your starship?”
I shrugged and sipped my coffee. “I’m pretty sure the captain might notice if I take the ship out of the garage without permission. You trying to get me into trouble?”
“Maybe.”
A small woman with her dark hair in a bun stepped into the lounge through a set of swinging silver doors. She had beautiful dark eyes and wore a Guild uniform, tan with orange cuffs and orange lapels. The woman also walked with a springing gait like a gymnast and wore captain’s bars. Casually eyeing my choice of attire, she shot me a dirty look. I gave her the old, charming Thad Cochran smile, and she drew her mouth up. This intrigued me.
Ordering a drink from, Oasis, she pretended to study the furniture and settled down at a table with a book and turned her back to me. Oasis returned and batted her eyes. “So, tell me what it’s like to be a Guild pilot. Why do people call it the Thieves Guild?”
By now my miffed attention rested solely on the woman—and her back. “Do me a favor, Oasis. Send the lady another drink. Tell her it’s on me.”
“You want to buy her another milk?”
I shuddered. “Milk?”
“Sure.” She lowered her voice. “That’s Captain Maggie Thorn. They call her ship The Crimson Witch, though I don’t know why. Anyway, she comes in here every day at this time and orders a milk. I don’t think she likes to be . . . interrupted.”
At that moment, the silver doors swung open again, and four burly men in khakis loudly entered the lounge, pushing and shoving each other. They were Guild officers but not flight crew, and they appeared to be inebriated, and it was just past lunch, a violation of the Guild code of conduct if I was one who cared about such things, which I am not—hence the shorts. Oasis leaned in close enough I could smell her perfume. “They’re off a supply ship that got here yesterday from Daggon. I think they been drinking since they arrived. You still want to send her another milk?” She pouted.
One khaki made his way to the bar while the other three hovered around the reading woman’s table. The dufus at the bar had a paunch, and a undone button revealed a stained t-shirt beneath. He hadn’t shaved in a while, and his eyes were glassy. The other turds sat down at the table with Captain Thorn while Oasis handed the man a bottle and some glasses. Thorn set her book down and pointed at her captain’s bars. “You boys know what these are?” Her voice had a menacing edge to it, but these guys were too drunk to notice.
I figured we were all in trouble when Oasis ducked down behind the bar.
“Give us a kiss, Cinderella,” the skinny one opposite her at the table croaked.
She moved quickly, like an irritated cat, grabbed the man by the hair and slammed his face down on the table. He slid off his chair onto the floor and didn’t get up. She managed to take time to glance at me and give me another dirty look, as if that face-smash had been meant for me. Strangely, I found this exciting. Dufus sat the bottle and glasses down on the table and glared at her. “Say, he better not be dead, fly girl. He owes me money. Maybe you should get a gander at the bars on my lapel, missy. You’re not the only captain around here, and our ship doesn’t need a flight crew, it’s all automatic nowadays.” He sneered at her.
His two still-conscious comrades stood up and agreed with him. She flipped the table up, kicked one in the jaw with a side kick that sent him over another table, punched the guy next to Dufus with several rapid-fire shots to the sternum, then jumped in a ballerina-like swan move that ended in a roundhouse kick to Dufus’ temple. In the end, three of the men were unconscious and one lay on the floor groaning and holding his chest. She grabbed her book, gave me a final dirty look, raised her lovely chin and ambled out of the club.
It was love at first sight. Okay, maybe it was one sided, but I figured she’d warm up to me sooner or later—if she didn’t kill me first.
About the Author
Happily, I have a wife and four children and live in Florida.
Website Link: www.johndoody.com
Twitter Link: @johnjosephdoody
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/authorjohnjosephdoody/
Inside the Books
Title: THE GUILD
SAGA: THE WONK DECELERATOR (Book 1)
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 131
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 131
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
BOOK BLURB:
For Earthers dwelling in Guild space, it is a one-hundred year journey back
to Earth. An unimaginable voyage, until now.When Guild commander and crack pilot, Thad Cochran boards the shuttle destined for the casinos of Timmerus, finding a way back to Earth is not on his radar. He wants the five-percent finder’s fee the Guild is offering for a black box held by the lizard-like Yazz. Thad has a dream: With the loot he will get for stealing the Wonk Decelerator, he can buy a ranch on Beta Prime.
But things begin to fall apart for him in the dark caverns of Timmerus, and Thad must reconsider his priorities in life. Has he discovered a cause greater than his dream? Are there actually more important things to life than money and his dream? What about the woman who is waiting for him? What about freedom in the galaxy? And what about his discovery, fashioned by the gnarled hands of a brilliant, old Yazz, that could change everything?
Thad Cochran has a choice to make. He can fulfill his quest, escape with his life and be rich. Or he can fly with the Wonks … one more time.
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Book Excerpt:
Thad
opened his eyes, aware of a sense that the murky sun was dropping on the
horizon. He panicked momentarily until he realized he still had a half hour
before the prearranged confab with Maggie.
He headed for the bathroom to change into darker clothes for the journey. The bathroom had Thandimonean stone flooring, golden faucets and a huge commode one nearly needed a ladder to get up on.
Thad rubbed his face and ran his tongue over his teeth. He might as well clean up while he was in here. He stripped, broke out his toothbrush and was busy about his business when he heard a creaking hinge.
He stepped out of the bathroom in his skivvies, toothpaste frothing in his mouth.
"Commander Cochran."
He heard the voice, glanced at the open door, but saw no one.
"Yeph?!" he gurgled, toothpaste spraying everywhere as his voice took on a falsetto tone.
"I’m up here, silly boy."
Thad looked up, and his heart tried to jump out of his gullet. The woman, the one he had seen in the space port
and had suspected of being a droid, crawled across the ceiling like a spider chasing after a bug. How she managed to cling, upside down, her head twisted a hundred and eighty degrees and looking directly at him, was a repulsive mystery to him.
Oh, you’re a droid all right!
He had never seen a Mandroid capable of walking on ceilings. This droid’s techno was impressive and scary.
"You should go back to your people, Commander Cochran," she said, as she crawled down the wall, her head twisting again, cracking and popping back to its original position.
He knew there was no sense in trying to get away, or in trying to fight with this droid. She was too fast, too strong. He had no weapon to use against her, and worst of all, he was in his underwear.
Thad swallowed his toothpaste.
Once on the floor, she meandered over to him and, with a critical expression, eyed him from head to toe. She was beautiful, but she smelled of a peculiar blend of perfume and something like burnt rubber.
"There’s only death waiting for you here on Gar Mega. Go back, Commander, before it’s too late."
With that, she walked stiffly from the room, leaving the door open. Thad wasted no time, sprinted to the door, locked it and leaned against the wall, his legs trembling beneath him.
She’s probably got a key that pops out of her finger or something. I know I locked that.
He headed for the bathroom to change into darker clothes for the journey. The bathroom had Thandimonean stone flooring, golden faucets and a huge commode one nearly needed a ladder to get up on.
Thad rubbed his face and ran his tongue over his teeth. He might as well clean up while he was in here. He stripped, broke out his toothbrush and was busy about his business when he heard a creaking hinge.
He stepped out of the bathroom in his skivvies, toothpaste frothing in his mouth.
"Commander Cochran."
He heard the voice, glanced at the open door, but saw no one.
"Yeph?!" he gurgled, toothpaste spraying everywhere as his voice took on a falsetto tone.
"I’m up here, silly boy."
Thad looked up, and his heart tried to jump out of his gullet. The woman, the one he had seen in the space port
and had suspected of being a droid, crawled across the ceiling like a spider chasing after a bug. How she managed to cling, upside down, her head twisted a hundred and eighty degrees and looking directly at him, was a repulsive mystery to him.
Oh, you’re a droid all right!
He had never seen a Mandroid capable of walking on ceilings. This droid’s techno was impressive and scary.
"You should go back to your people, Commander Cochran," she said, as she crawled down the wall, her head twisting again, cracking and popping back to its original position.
He knew there was no sense in trying to get away, or in trying to fight with this droid. She was too fast, too strong. He had no weapon to use against her, and worst of all, he was in his underwear.
Thad swallowed his toothpaste.
Once on the floor, she meandered over to him and, with a critical expression, eyed him from head to toe. She was beautiful, but she smelled of a peculiar blend of perfume and something like burnt rubber.
"There’s only death waiting for you here on Gar Mega. Go back, Commander, before it’s too late."
With that, she walked stiffly from the room, leaving the door open. Thad wasted no time, sprinted to the door, locked it and leaned against the wall, his legs trembling beneath him.
She’s probably got a key that pops out of her finger or something. I know I locked that.
Title: THE GUILD
SAGA: THE LATE, GREAT BENJAMIN BALE (Book 2)
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 370
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 370
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
BOOK BLURB:
The destinies of
two men depend on Maggie Thorn. One is dying and the other is dead…or is he?
Captain Maggie
Thorn is on a formal Guild mission, supposedly to kidnap the yazz scientist,
Gravian Endrenicus, and return him to Thandimone. But she also has a personal
score to settle with the lizard-like inhabitants of Timmerus. She intends to
make the yazz pay for what they did to Thad Cochran—the one the yazz call the
Thieves Guild pilot. The man she loves.
Supreme Fleet
Commander, Admiral Geoff Grangore knows of only one man who could get Maggie to
Timmerus and back while traitorous eyes are watching. That man is an old drunk
who lives deep in the Thandimonean wilderness with his pet Eno, Snot. Benjamin
Bale is suicidal and cantankerous, and Maggie can’t stand him—at first.
Bale is a dead
man. At least, that’s what everyone was told. But this dead man has a final
mission to perform. The greatest star pilot in the galaxy has a chance to
redeem himself and make right a great wrong. A wrong which he can never forgive
or forget. A wrong that cost him everything.
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Title: THE GUILD SAGA: RETURN OF THE
CRIMSON WITCH (Book 3)
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 407
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Author: John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing LLC
Pages: 407
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
BOOK BLURB:
The Bashtier call
Wonk space, Eerindark—The Place of the Dead—and Thad Cochran, the only pilot to
go there and live, will soon find out why. The sacrifice of Benjamin Bale
brings Thad back from the dead. But is he truly free from the death grip of the
Wonks?
A body is
discovered behind an apartment wall in a small town on the planet Daggon. With
the mystery thrust upon him, Admiral Geoff Grangore must pursue a dangerous
quest for the truth—is it somehow connected to The Wonk Decelerator?
Dreams and visions
are dancing in the heads of the yazz. Something bad is coming to the frontier—a
hidden enemy only the Guild traitor, Alexander Hamilton Patho knows.
Patho sends an assassin to Daggon and his conniving gaze is on the M-3 Wonk vessel. It seems civil war is imminent and those who control the power of Wonk travel will rule the known galaxy. Therefore, it must not fall into Patho’s hands.
Patho sends an assassin to Daggon and his conniving gaze is on the M-3 Wonk vessel. It seems civil war is imminent and those who control the power of Wonk travel will rule the known galaxy. Therefore, it must not fall into Patho’s hands.
It is time for
war, and time for Maggie Thorn to learn the truth about who she really is. It
is also time for The Return of the Crimson Witch.
