Sunday January 9, 2005
Book 6: Resident Mad Scientist — Part III: Life's a Beach
Hats

Transcript

Narrator: Dustoff is a well-practiced procedure in any military organization.
Der Trihs: We've got everybody, Captain!
Narrator: Humans "invented" it in the 20th century, but militaries across the galaxy have used it for millenia.
Kevyn: Ennesby, get us out of here!
Ennesby: Lifting now.
Narrator: In large scale conflicts, dustoff is the evacuation of wounded from the field of battle, typically under fire.
Ennesby: Captain, I make three police Cruisers on an intercept course. Jink or swat, sir?
Narrator: That isn't always the case though. Dustoff can also by the "run" part of a "hit-and-run" mission, depending on how far away you need to run.
Kevyn: Jink. We haven't actually hurt anybody yet, and I'd like to keep it that way.
Narrator: In a perfect dustoff, nobody gets left behind, all materiel is loaded, and nobody at all gets shot down.
Ennesby: Our dance card is clear, sir. No shots fired.
Narrator: (Okay, you can shoot down the enemy, but it's a better dustoff if you don't have to.)
Narrator: Captain Andreyasn has done the improbable: The first dustoff under his command has been perfect.
General Tagon: I'm impressed, Boy. That was a lot more interesting than the funeral would have been.
Kevyn: Oh! Funeral!!
Narrator: Well, almost perfect. But the coffin is empty, after all.