The 86ers

The 86ers was a 2000 AD story by Gordon Rennie and (initially) Karl Richardson (though artist PJ Holden and writer Arthur Wyatt both later worked on it) set in the universe of Rogue Trooper. It centred around Rafella Blue (AKA Rafe), a "G.I Doll", who is a part of the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, "a dumping ground for every failure and freak" (including Nort defectors) stationed in the Acoma System (the "A-hole"), site of an important Souther mining operation. Other significant characters include Rafe's robot Gabe, the chain smoking and misanthropic Squadron Commander Harrigan, the womanizing Elson, the psychic Kristos, Flight Leader Becca Hunter (a drug user traumatized by the deaths she has seen), Stalov (leader of the Nort defectors) and the mysterious Dr. Friedkin (leader of a secret conspiracy to open the tomb of the Old Ones on Acoma and gain the secret of immortality).

The series began in "Touchdown" in 2000 AD progs 1480 to 1485 (2006) and returned in "Interference" in progs 1508 to 1510 (2006), "Walking to Eternity" in prog 2007 (the 2006 Christmas edition), "Grendel" in progs 1544 to 1549 (2007) and "Under Pressure" in progs 1625 to 1630 (2009, the only story not written by Rennie).