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A Rogue Trooper question for the Hivemind

Started by Bouwel, 22 April, 2009, 07:27:51 AM

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Bouwel

Now this is something I've been wondering since I first saw this image way, way back for the first time. It's from the Rogue Trooper story where bagman gets hit and goes a little la-la. The panel shows him un-packing the contents of his bag and while I can work out what the items are one has flummuxed me from the start.
It's labeled as 'Atmo-Keak' and I've marked it on the image below for reference.

What is it? What does it do? Help!



-Bouwel-
-A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion-

worldshown

Given Gerry Finley-Day's legendary typing skills, it could be a spelling mistake that nobody could interpret.

Wake


pauljholden

Keak is also a scottish/Ulster-scots/Northern Irish word for shit (may also be spelt keke?). So, ATMO-KEAK might be an inside joke.

-pj

Bouwel

Some good suggestions there which I had not thought of.

Thanks!

-Bouwel-
-A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion-

House of Usher

Definitely looks like a grenade.

(or a potion of invisibility)
STRIKE !!!

M.I.K.

Quote from: "pauljholden"Keak is also a scottish/Ulster-scots/Northern Irish word for shit (may also be spelt keke?). So, ATMO-KEAK might be an inside joke.

We pronounce it "keech" over here with the "ch" pronounced the way it is in "loch".

"Keek" on the other hand means much the same as "peek", which would suggest some kind of surveillance equipment. It does look more like some kind of grenade though, so I think Wake's suggestion is the most likely.

Bouwel

Still no closer to working out what it is *sigh*.
I've tried looking through the equipment lists that WW2 G.I.'s used to carry as it's fairly likely that some of the items are being 're-used', the most obvious being the 'Gamma/Gammon' grenade:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammon_bomb

Oh well, maybe one day I will find out. Or not.

-Bouwel-
-A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion-

Robin Low

Okay, here's my take.

Atmo is an abreviation for atmosphere.

It's obviously a grenade of some variety.

Keak is a mistake - it should be Leak

The atmosphere on Nu-Earth is lethal.

So, an Atmo Leak grenade is specifically designed to burst, puncture or crack defenses against the toxic atmosphere, whether they be walls, bubbles or tanks.


Regards

Robin

M.I.K.

Sounds plausible. Certainly seems to be a gas grenade of some description, but as Wake showed via the link he posted, (click on that blue writing), "keak" is an old word meaning "laugh", so if it's not a spelling mistake, it's laughing gas.

Dandontdare

If it is a typo, could possibly be atmo-seal, a hand-held tool for emergency patching of suits, domes or bubbles?

Bouwel

As I remember the words 'Atmo-Keak' are also on the handle of what-ever-it-is (just visible in the image above).
I'm now tending to go with it being an 'in-joke' as first option, a spelling mistake second.

Thanks for all the input!

-Bouwel-
-A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion-

Robin Low

Quote from: "Bouwel"As I remember the words 'Atmo-Keak' are also on the handle of what-ever-it-is (just visible in the image above).
I'm now tending to go with it being an 'in-joke' as first option, a spelling mistake second.

Bugger, I've just looked at the original and it does clearly say keak. However, Ewins could just have drawn on what was written for the text box... and if the writing on the original script was poor...

...but yeah, atmo keak/aughing gas sounds like a likely gag and the sort of thing we might have seen used in Rogue Trooper.


Regards

Robin

I, Cosh

I don't think it looks like a grenade so much as some sort of mouthpiece/inhaler.
We never really die.

TheEdge

I'd go with gas, its not an inhaler why would Rogue need a gas mask etc
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