I'm voting for Story #1. #2 feels like it rambles on for too long without enough excitement to keep me entertained.

I give my vote to Plot #1.

I enjoyed Plot #2, but it is not a finished story.

I guess that means I'm the deciding vote. THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!

Still, my vote goes to number 1, because it got more of a laugh out of me.

The voting is over already.

Well, that was quick. (I forbid anyone from making a "That's what she said" joke.)

Plot #1 was Norym, so wintremute is eliminated. He can still vote, though.


That leaves us with:

Charlesx (1 win)

St Dumas (1 tie)

Char-Vell

Space Jawa

EmperorNorton (1 tie)

Norym (1 win)


The players for the next round are:

Space Jawa

Char-Vell

Your title: Panic on Space Station Alpha

Your blurb: Once again, only the ghosts of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson can prevent the destruction of Earth!

I'll make the deadline for PMing me your plots Monday by Noon Eastern time. Either player can let me know if they need a deadline extension.

My inability to edit myself doomed me! Great job Norym. Congrats!

Space Jawa and Char-Vell have submitted their stories. Here they are in randomly-determined order.

PLOT #1

Colonel "Touch" Masterson assumes command of Space station Alpha just a few hours before the expected arrival of U.N Space Probe Omega, returning from the first manned mission to Pluto.

Some of the crew harbors resentment at Masterson's appointment, particularly Major Dutch Conrad, who points to references in Masterson's file to "delusions" and "instability".

U.N Space Probe Omega arrives, and the Station's crew is horrified as it disgorges a number of hideous, fungoid/arthropod beings from Pluto, who have eliminated the probe's crew and now plan to seize the station. using it as a staging ground for an invasion of Earth.

Colonel Masterson organizes resistance against the fungoids, aided, as in the past, by the spirit of the Colonel's ancestor Bat Masterson and Bat's former co-deputy of dodge city,Wyatt Earp.


Using their abilities as non-corporeal entities. Masterson and Earp infiltrate the Probe and discover the grim fate of the crew: their brains have been removed and combined with the Plutonian's devices, forming the hellish War-Mind. As Station personnel are captured by the aliens, they too, become part of the ghastly mechanism.

The crew fights valiantly, but their light weapons cannot overcome the aliens inhuman resiliency. Major Conrad is overwhelmed by the fungoids and carried away to the probe.

All hope is lost. and Colonel Masterson prepares to destroy the station rather than allow the aliens to reach Earth.

However, the ghosts of Masterson and Earp make contact with the mind of Conrad, now part of the Plutonian War-Mind. With their supernatural help Conrad is able to assert his will over the War-Mind and commands the fungoids, the War-Mind, and finally himself, to simply "Die."

The threat over, Colonel Masterson begins the work of repairing the station and writing a report for Earth command, confident that there will be no further disturbances.....


PLOT #2

From time to time, there come threats to mankind that the living are unprepared to handle. It is at this moments that the dead return, taking matters into their own hands to prevent the untimely destruction of humanity. Now is just one of those times, where on Space Station Alpha, the ghosts of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson must intervene to save Earth’s premiere Space Station from an infestation of Xarth Bugs – the scourge of the galaxy - a crisis that threatens the entire planet!

After accidentally getting sent to Space Station Alps thanks to an Undead Paranormal Typing Error, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson arrive on Space Station Alpha to discover the Xarth Bugs have already taken over the station and killed nearly everyone there, including the entirety of the security staff! The only three individuals still alive that Earp and Masterson can use to prevent catastrophe are Jeffery Freeman, the stations white-haired senior janitor who probably should have retired decades ago; Dr. Laurence Van Green, a brilliant young biologist who is less than suited for any combat situation; and Ms. Virginia Young, Dr. Green’s nubile assistant who’s also a tad nerdy. As it so happens, Dr. Van Green and Ms. Young also happen to have a secret crush on one another, they just don’t know the other one does too and neither has ever worked up the nerve to let the other one know about it.

Upon arriving at the station, Wyatt Earp finds himself having possessed the body of the elderly Mr. Freeman while Bat Masterson has possessed the body of Dr. Van Green.

Cue Wyatt Earp taking a moment to quip “When this mission is over, someone is getting fired for this.”

Fortunately, Wyatt Earp also quickly discovers that Jeffery Freeman used to be a Space Marine during the first Xarth Bug war and has far more fight left in him than his aging body would suggest, giving them more hope than Wyatt first feared.

The two quickly manage to establish a communication line between each other despite Wyatt Earp being located in the stations maintenance shafts and Bat Masterson being located in a hiding area near the stations science facilities. As Wyatt uses Freeman’s body to lock down the station so that the Xarth Bugs can’t escape and to warn people away. Masterson uses Dr. Van Green’s body and the help of Ms. Young to prepare a Bio-Bomb that will kill every Xarth Bug on the station.

However, it also will kill the three survivors as well, so they are forced to secure an escape shuttle in a way that prevents the Xarth Bugs from escaping their demise. In the process of doing so, Ms. Young is taken prisoner by the Bugs, causing Dr. Van Green to override Bat Masterson’s possession of him to save his beloved assistant. Bat Masterson relents and aids Dr. Van Green in his rescue attempt, which takes them to the Xarth Bug lair, where Ms. Young is being held as a captive damsel in distress by a dreaded Xarth Bug King eager to turn the woman into his new Queen!

With the help of some timely intervention on the part of Wyatt Earp/Jeffery Freemen in their escape shuttle, The Xarth Bug King is slain and the three survivors successfully escape Space Station Alpha before the Bio Bomb goes off, saving the day and planet Earth!

The story ends as Dr. Van Green and Ms. Young finally confess their love for one another and embrace with a passionate kiss as Jeffery Freeman flies the ship, while off in the distance the ghosts of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, having since left the survivors, get on the ghosts of their horses and ride off across space, satisfied that the day is once again saved.

Until next time, at least…

END

The other players have until Monday at Noon Eastern to vote for which story they like best.

Plot #2 gets my vote.

Tough choice. I need a little more time to consider the vote.

Number 2 had me at "Undead Paramormal Typing Error". It gets my vote.

Both are very good.

I choose #3.

No? How about #D

Ok, fine I will pick one.

I choose #1


I probably spent more time on deciding between the 2 than I took writing my plot. Good work guys.

OK, both are very worthy but Plot #1 has my vote this time around.

Holy crapnuggets. Both great stories!!
I go with #2. I've switched my choice twice already. Dammit, send them both to the next round!

Well, it's three votes for 2 and two votes for 1, so it's all up to wintremute. A tie would send them all on to the next round.

I'm not trying to be difficult, but I like Plot #1 better.

That's another tie, so both Char-Vell (Plot #1) and Space Jawa (Plot #2) advance.

That leaves six players in the game. Rather than do straight rematches, I'll go ahead and randomly pick players for the next set of rounds.

Remaining Players:

Charlesx (1 win)

St Dumas (1 tie)

Char-Vell (1 tie)

Space Jawa (1 tie)

EmperorNorton (1 tie)

Norym (1 win)

The randomly determined players for the next round are:

CharlesX

St. Dumas

The Title: Tentacles of Doom!

The Blurb: When Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show is threatened by a force that came from beyond reality itself, Robot Daniel Boone becomes their only hope for survival.

Deadline for submitting a story is Tuesday by Noon Eastern.