Chem Dogs: Escape From Dust

[Aaron]

1309 Day One:

"Yous guys gonna walk? We can take a passenger, zip up to the port, see if anything is there and get them to wait."

Zenthia gives her sister a look that says, "are you fragged in the head?" But remains silent.

[Tyyr]

1309

Intias looked at the bikers skeptically. "No, we'll be sticking together I think."

[Aaron]

1309 Day One:

Stranga laughs, "keep your shirt on lady. No one is going to let a Chem Dog on a ship without someone like you or Judge Dredd over there, along."

[Lighthawk]

1309, day 1

Hilda siddles up to Intias, her voice low so only the other woman could hear. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to scout ahead. If we split the two of them up, kept one with us..."

[Tyyr]

1309

Intias pondered it. Her plan was utter bullshit, but at the moment no one could prove it. If they scouted ahead and found nothing she was screwed and would have a bunch of angry Chem-Dogs on her hands. Then again if there was something she'd have a real plan and less doubt. Of course that was assuming the arbite didn't screw them all and leave as soon as she found the shuttle. All of which was balanced by the fact that the arbite was right, the fleet wouldn't be sitting around in orbit for long. Chances had to be taken and this might be a good one. She nodded and pointed at the woman in the side car. "What are your names," she asks the bikers.

[Aaron]

1309

"Stranga", answers back the woman in the sidecar before jabbing a thumb at the driver, "Zenthia, my sister."

[Mikey]

1310, Day One

Crank listened skeptically to the commissar. "Maybe if someone knows you're here," he said. "Ain't no shuttle waiting for us," he said with a gesture at the gathered Chem Dogs. "Only reason they take us anywhere is for the chance to get us fragged and the hope that we take a bunch of bad guys before we buy it." He looked around, taking stock of the troopers, and added, "In fact, I'll give three to one that they've bugged and washed their hands of us. Any takers?"

[Lighthawk]

1310, Day One

"You should have more faith," Hak suddening speaks up, glaring at Crank. "The Emporer provides, and all is His doing. If we are meant to die, we will, if not, we will by His guidance find our way."

[Mikey]

1310, Day Three

"Are you laying your money down, your judge-ship-ness?" Crank asked with a crooked grin. His smile disappeared and he added, "I live on Savlar now. You don't send someone there unless you want them to die... slowly."

[Deepcrush]

1310, Day One

"You should have more faith," Hak suddening speaks up, glaring at Crank. "The Emporer provides, and all is His doing. If we are meant to die, we will, if not, we will by His guidance find our way."

Buck and Boar both threw a fist into their chests at the statement of the Emperor. "Em'per good!" "Yeah!"

[Lighthawk]

1310, Day Three

"Are you laying your money down, your judge-ship-ness?" Crank asked with a crooked grin. His smile disappeared and he added, "I live on Savlar now. You don't send someone there unless you want them to die... slowly."

"Well then, maybe you'd rather die right now, and save yourself the pain?" Hilda says threateningly, swinging her flamer up into both hands. "How do you wish to die dog? Quick and cowardly, or with some chance of redeeming your worthless life?"

Buck and Boar both threw a fist into their chests at the statement of the Emperor. "Em'per good!" "Yeah!"

Hak glanced over at the Ogryn, and nodded, a small smile on his lips from their enthusiasm.

[Mikey]

1310, Day Three

"How do you wish to die dog? Quick and cowardly, or with some chance of redeeming your worthless life?"

"Truth to tell, mistress Arbites," Crank ansered evenly, "I don't wish to die at all. But that's not an option, and your 'redemption' ain't either. I'm a Chem Dog, and than means one of three things: die slowly on Savlar; die quick in battle; or live through a fight and keep going to more until you do die. Fry me now, and that's one less person who's got the same goal as you - to get off this rock - and can maybe help you reach it. Find me a long-las, and maybe I can help you more."

[Coalition]

Litila stood up from where she had been performing scheduled plumbing maintenance. The young Tech-Priest still retained some of her humor to accept the comment, and she knew that the young trooper needed the stress relief. Somehow, through some malfuncion at the Administratum, the young idealist in front of her had been transferred to the Chem-Dogs penal regiment, rather than the Armageddon Steel Legions. Her calculus logii determined a 87% probability that the error in processing had occurred when he had showed up with rebreather gear, similar to the Chem-Dogs, and in the transport had simply been berthed with the wrong regiment.

But now the cycle was complete, and she looked over the spaceport.

Error

The transport that was designated to bring her to the ship in orbit had left, which meant that she and the guardsman were left on the planet. Running a brief query in her memories, she calculated that the planet had ended its usefulness to the Emperor, and the useful populace was being transferred to a new location. Her logii also calculated a 99.7% probability that the useless Imperial governor and her family had been among the first evacuees.

Raltus stood up beside her, the smile on his face vanishing as he took in the empty landing field. Briefly he wondered why he hadn't heard the transports leave, then remembered the past 'maintenance'. "Looks like we missed our transport."

"Correct. I estimate a 63.4% probability that the planetary population has found out the truth and rioted, meaning that other useful personnel have been cut off from their transportation as well. Their usefulness is an unknown at this time. We however need a transport off-planet before the fleet departs."

"So either way, we need to look around."

"Correct."

[Tyyr]

1310, Day One

Crank listened skeptically to the commissar. "Maybe if someone knows you're here," he said. "Ain't no shuttle waiting for us," he said with a gesture at the gathered Chem Dogs. "Only reason they take us anywhere is for the chance to get us fragged and the hope that we take a bunch of bad guys before we buy it." He looked around, taking stock of the troopers, and added, "In fact, I'll give three to one that they've bugged and washed their hands of us. Any takers?"

1310

Intias listened to the arbite and Chem-Dog argue for a moment. She fixed Crank with a glare. "Unless you intend to sprout anti-grav's and wings the only chance you have is to find a shuttle. Regardless of who it might be staying for or why. So unless you have something constructive to add then shut the frak up." Intias hesitated for a moment as the stress of the moment got to her. Falling back on her act she pushed the glasses back up her nose in an effort to reel her outburst in.

"The first order of business is a short recon. Stranga, out of the bike. The arbite... what's your name? Will ride with Zenthia to scout the spaceport."

[Aaron]

1310:

Zenthia snaps her head up in alarm at the Commissars order, "you can't be frakking serious...", she stops when her sister lays a hand on her arm and leans in. "You'll be fine, she may be a Judge but she needs us as much as we need her. Be patient, and remember father would be proud to see you do this." Zenthia nods as Stranga hauls herself out of the sidecar, shotgun in tow.