The 86ers
Encyclopedia
The 86ers is a 2000 AD
comic
story set in the Rogue Trooper
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
mining operation.
Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
scientist
s and personnel
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
of a Souther spy
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
consisting of Old One
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
:
The 86ers is a 2000 AD
comic
story set in the Rogue Trooper
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
mining operation.
Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
scientist
s and personnel
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
of a Souther spy
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
consisting of Old One
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
:
The 86ers is a 2000 AD
comic
story set in the Rogue Trooper
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
mining operation.
Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
scientist
s and personnel
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
of a Souther spy
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
consisting of Old One
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
:
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
comic
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
story set in the Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
G.I. (comics)
G.I. is the name given to the Generic Infantry in the Rogue Trooper universe. The name is a play on the original World War II G.I.They were developed by Souther scientists in a bid to create a genetically modified supersoldier. Because of the widespread use of powerful NBC weapons, Nu-Earth had...
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
Southers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
mining operation.
Characters
- Rafaelle Blue or Rafe is the main character. She is G.I. doll fighter pilot and is immune to over twelve thousand known toxins and poison gases. She has a memory implant based around Rogue, programmed to assist her in a mission she doesn't know about and which regularly talks to her. Recently she has caught an infection from Nort zombies, which has mutated her implant to the extent it has its own agenda. She has few friends and has assisted the Norts against the Grendel assassin out of a principle of outcasts sticking together.
- Gabe is Rafe's robot who assists her on her missions, with a personality matrix "designed by a bunch of bored frathouse boys". She is used to hack devices and may have weapons. She has apparently been fried by Japeth on the Nort asteroid.
- Commander Harrigan is the chain-smoking Squadron Commander of the base. She is the one who sent Rafe to the infected Nort base, for the reason that Rafe is immune to most chemicals, toxins and poisons. She's a deeply unpleasant and misanthropic figure, and has shown annoyance that the Acoma struggle is seen by Milli-Com as "one of the crappy wars nobody really cares about".
- Elson is a womanizing fighter pilot who introduced Rafe to the Citadel. He appears friendly and was the only one showing genuine concern when she was in danger in Prog 1483 (wanting to go in and retrieve her).
- Kristos is the base PSIPsionicsPsionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
. He is one of the only friends Rafe has got on the base but we have yet to discover more of him. Odds on him being the base's Nort spy at seven to one. - Becca Hunter is a Flight Leader. She is haunted by the deaths of her family at Nort hands, leading to heavy drug usage and an obsessive belief she's hearing the screams of the dead in her comms. She shows extreme viciousness and nearly faced the death penalty after firing on a Nort ship that had surrendered. She was instead sent to the 86ers, secretly on a mission for Colonel Kovert...
- Stalov and the Norts have switched sides after their Klan attempted (and failed) in a coup. Stalov actually betrayed his Klan-Marshal, believing klan rivalries and coups were damaging Nortland's war effort; it does not appear that his comrades know this. They are mistrusted and disliked by all at Acoma, and have deliberately baited Becca with stories of their kills on Nu-Karthage. Recently, they were targets of a Nort Grendel assassin and turned to Rafe for help.
- Doctor Friedkin is the most mysterious character who seems to be keeping progress of Rafe in the base. Originally a geneticist on the GI project, he turned to Xeno-Archaeology and an obsession with elder races after encountering a vast, biological alien ship in a jump gate accident. In Sub 17, at the lower tunnels he is trying to open the thing seen in the Nort base as an archaeological dig, although it may be the thing that caused the infection. An illness (ProgeriaProgeriaProgeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
) is causing him to age at an accelerated rate. - Japeth is a mysterious alien hybrid who saved Rafe from the Nort base, although he apparently killed Rafe's robot Gabe. His reason for saving her was "it isn't her time yet".
- Security Chief Montuez is working with Friedkin in the conspiracy. He views Rafe as a "gene-freak".
Plot
The Acoma System is a Souther-held warzone. It is centered around a gas giant (also called Acoma) with ore-rich moons, and thus is a valuable mining site for the Souther war effort. Protecting the supply routes is the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron - the 86ers. It is a dumping ground for failures and freaks and now G.I. Rafaella Blue has joined them. The 86ers are based out of the Citadel, a fortress built on an asteroid inhabited by the alien Termies ("Pretty harmless, as long as you don't go wandering about the lower levels on your own"). It is known a Nort spy is on the base, with the crew betting on who it might be. The alien Varr live nearby; little is known about them and they leave the 86ers alone for the most part.Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
Conspiracy
This secret group of SoutherSouthers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s and personnel
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a Souther spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
consisting of Old One
Old One
Old One may be a term used to refer to a god or other deity. Old Ones may also be a term used to refer to beings who co-existed with early humans according to many religions...
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
Collected editions
The stories are being collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- The 86ers (96 pages, May 2009, ISBN 1905437994)
The 86ers is a 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
comic
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
story set in the Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
G.I. (comics)
G.I. is the name given to the Generic Infantry in the Rogue Trooper universe. The name is a play on the original World War II G.I.They were developed by Souther scientists in a bid to create a genetically modified supersoldier. Because of the widespread use of powerful NBC weapons, Nu-Earth had...
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
Southers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
mining operation.
Characters
- Rafaelle Blue or Rafe is the main character. She is G.I. doll fighter pilot and is immune to over twelve thousand known toxins and poison gases. She has a memory implant based around Rogue, programmed to assist her in a mission she doesn't know about and which regularly talks to her. Recently she has caught an infection from Nort zombies, which has mutated her implant to the extent it has its own agenda. She has few friends and has assisted the Norts against the Grendel assassin out of a principle of outcasts sticking together.
- Gabe is Rafe's robot who assists her on her missions, with a personality matrix "designed by a bunch of bored frathouse boys". She is used to hack devices and may have weapons. She has apparently been fried by Japeth on the Nort asteroid.
- Commander Harrigan is the chain-smoking Squadron Commander of the base. She is the one who sent Rafe to the infected Nort base, for the reason that Rafe is immune to most chemicals, toxins and poisons. She's a deeply unpleasant and misanthropic figure, and has shown annoyance that the Acoma struggle is seen by Milli-Com as "one of the crappy wars nobody really cares about".
- Elson is a womanizing fighter pilot who introduced Rafe to the Citadel. He appears friendly and was the only one showing genuine concern when she was in danger in Prog 1483 (wanting to go in and retrieve her).
- Kristos is the base PSIPsionicsPsionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
. He is one of the only friends Rafe has got on the base but we have yet to discover more of him. Odds on him being the base's Nort spy at seven to one. - Becca Hunter is a Flight Leader. She is haunted by the deaths of her family at Nort hands, leading to heavy drug usage and an obsessive belief she's hearing the screams of the dead in her comms. She shows extreme viciousness and nearly faced the death penalty after firing on a Nort ship that had surrendered. She was instead sent to the 86ers, secretly on a mission for Colonel Kovert...
- Stalov and the Norts have switched sides after their Klan attempted (and failed) in a coup. Stalov actually betrayed his Klan-Marshal, believing klan rivalries and coups were damaging Nortland's war effort; it does not appear that his comrades know this. They are mistrusted and disliked by all at Acoma, and have deliberately baited Becca with stories of their kills on Nu-Karthage. Recently, they were targets of a Nort Grendel assassin and turned to Rafe for help.
- Doctor Friedkin is the most mysterious character who seems to be keeping progress of Rafe in the base. Originally a geneticist on the GI project, he turned to Xeno-Archaeology and an obsession with elder races after encountering a vast, biological alien ship in a jump gate accident. In Sub 17, at the lower tunnels he is trying to open the thing seen in the Nort base as an archaeological dig, although it may be the thing that caused the infection. An illness (ProgeriaProgeriaProgeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
) is causing him to age at an accelerated rate. - Japeth is a mysterious alien hybrid who saved Rafe from the Nort base, although he apparently killed Rafe's robot Gabe. His reason for saving her was "it isn't her time yet".
- Security Chief Montuez is working with Friedkin in the conspiracy. He views Rafe as a "gene-freak".
Plot
The Acoma System is a Souther-held warzone. It is centered around a gas giant (also called Acoma) with ore-rich moons, and thus is a valuable mining site for the Souther war effort. Protecting the supply routes is the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron - the 86ers. It is a dumping ground for failures and freaks and now G.I. Rafaella Blue has joined them. The 86ers are based out of the Citadel, a fortress built on an asteroid inhabited by the alien Termies ("Pretty harmless, as long as you don't go wandering about the lower levels on your own"). It is known a Nort spy is on the base, with the crew betting on who it might be. The alien Varr live nearby; little is known about them and they leave the 86ers alone for the most part.Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
Conspiracy
This secret group of SoutherSouthers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s and personnel
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a Souther spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
consisting of Old One
Old One
Old One may be a term used to refer to a god or other deity. Old Ones may also be a term used to refer to beings who co-existed with early humans according to many religions...
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
Collected editions
The stories are being collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- The 86ers (96 pages, May 2009, ISBN 1905437994)
The 86ers is a 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
comic
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
story set in the Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I.
G.I. (comics)
G.I. is the name given to the Generic Infantry in the Rogue Trooper universe. The name is a play on the original World War II G.I.They were developed by Souther scientists in a bid to create a genetically modified supersoldier. Because of the widespread use of powerful NBC weapons, Nu-Earth had...
pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. The title refers to the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a "dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
turncoats), who are stationed in the Acoma System ("A-Hole"), an important Souther
Southers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
mining operation.
Characters
- Rafaelle Blue or Rafe is the main character. She is G.I. doll fighter pilot and is immune to over twelve thousand known toxins and poison gases. She has a memory implant based around Rogue, programmed to assist her in a mission she doesn't know about and which regularly talks to her. Recently she has caught an infection from Nort zombies, which has mutated her implant to the extent it has its own agenda. She has few friends and has assisted the Norts against the Grendel assassin out of a principle of outcasts sticking together.
- Gabe is Rafe's robot who assists her on her missions, with a personality matrix "designed by a bunch of bored frathouse boys". She is used to hack devices and may have weapons. She has apparently been fried by Japeth on the Nort asteroid.
- Commander Harrigan is the chain-smoking Squadron Commander of the base. She is the one who sent Rafe to the infected Nort base, for the reason that Rafe is immune to most chemicals, toxins and poisons. She's a deeply unpleasant and misanthropic figure, and has shown annoyance that the Acoma struggle is seen by Milli-Com as "one of the crappy wars nobody really cares about".
- Elson is a womanizing fighter pilot who introduced Rafe to the Citadel. He appears friendly and was the only one showing genuine concern when she was in danger in Prog 1483 (wanting to go in and retrieve her).
- Kristos is the base PSIPsionicsPsionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
. He is one of the only friends Rafe has got on the base but we have yet to discover more of him. Odds on him being the base's Nort spy at seven to one. - Becca Hunter is a Flight Leader. She is haunted by the deaths of her family at Nort hands, leading to heavy drug usage and an obsessive belief she's hearing the screams of the dead in her comms. She shows extreme viciousness and nearly faced the death penalty after firing on a Nort ship that had surrendered. She was instead sent to the 86ers, secretly on a mission for Colonel Kovert...
- Stalov and the Norts have switched sides after their Klan attempted (and failed) in a coup. Stalov actually betrayed his Klan-Marshal, believing klan rivalries and coups were damaging Nortland's war effort; it does not appear that his comrades know this. They are mistrusted and disliked by all at Acoma, and have deliberately baited Becca with stories of their kills on Nu-Karthage. Recently, they were targets of a Nort Grendel assassin and turned to Rafe for help.
- Doctor Friedkin is the most mysterious character who seems to be keeping progress of Rafe in the base. Originally a geneticist on the GI project, he turned to Xeno-Archaeology and an obsession with elder races after encountering a vast, biological alien ship in a jump gate accident. In Sub 17, at the lower tunnels he is trying to open the thing seen in the Nort base as an archaeological dig, although it may be the thing that caused the infection. An illness (ProgeriaProgeriaProgeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
) is causing him to age at an accelerated rate. - Japeth is a mysterious alien hybrid who saved Rafe from the Nort base, although he apparently killed Rafe's robot Gabe. His reason for saving her was "it isn't her time yet".
- Security Chief Montuez is working with Friedkin in the conspiracy. He views Rafe as a "gene-freak".
Plot
The Acoma System is a Souther-held warzone. It is centered around a gas giant (also called Acoma) with ore-rich moons, and thus is a valuable mining site for the Souther war effort. Protecting the supply routes is the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron - the 86ers. It is a dumping ground for failures and freaks and now G.I. Rafaella Blue has joined them. The 86ers are based out of the Citadel, a fortress built on an asteroid inhabited by the alien Termies ("Pretty harmless, as long as you don't go wandering about the lower levels on your own"). It is known a Nort spy is on the base, with the crew betting on who it might be. The alien Varr live nearby; little is known about them and they leave the 86ers alone for the most part.Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by Nort zombies, discovering in the process that the base was a science station researching an alien sarcophagus. The base was destroyed by the Varr but Friedkin's conspiracy knows about the sarcophagus and has one of their own; Harrigan is unaware of this. Recovering from her infection, Rafe experienced visions related to an implanted memory program - with the face of Rogue Trooper - who's attempting to activate her memories and black-ops programming to help an unknown employer working within the base. An assassin tried to kill her with a Nort serum, only to be shot by Harrigan; this assassin is unrelated to the Conspiracy, meaning another network is active at Acoma.
Since this story, the Nort turncoats have been targeted by a Grendel - a genetically modified assassin - and Nort forces have begun massing for a major assault on Acoma.
The first page of the strip showed Rafe's ship damaging and crashing on Acoma. The rest of the plot occurred "seven months earlier" and it is not yet known what will cause Rafe to be in that situation.
Conspiracy
This secret group of SoutherSouthers
Southers are the "good guys" fighting the Norts in Rogue Trooper. Their country is called the Souther Confederacy. They receive orders from Milli-com, their military command complex...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s and personnel
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
(led by Doctor Friedkin and Montuez) are responsible for extravating a (presumbly crashed) Varr. They appear to be responsible for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a Souther spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, Cochran. They have also been made aware of the Norts
Norts
Norts are a fictional fascist enemy with Slavic and Germanic overtones from Rogue Trooper, a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, who are fighting the Southers. They were mainly responsible for the Quartz Massacre...
interest in Rafaella Blue. In Prog 2007, it is discovered that their true goal is to open a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
consisting of Old One
Old One
Old One may be a term used to refer to a god or other deity. Old Ones may also be a term used to refer to beings who co-existed with early humans according to many religions...
s on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality, and they are constantly sending teams to investigate it (which are slaughtered by unknown beings). They secretly have one of the Old Ones in stasis, gained from the sarcophagus.
Collected editions
The stories are being collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- The 86ers (96 pages, May 2009, ISBN 1905437994)