Words are Chip

[Carmelita]

The cool air of the air conditioning quickly relieved Chip of the desert heat as she climbed into the car. The vehicle was one Carmelita had summoned for plainsclothes cases, and consequently the grey paintwork and hidden police lights meant it would also serve perfectly well as Chip’s civilian transport. The bulletproof glass and the reinforced bodywork didn’t hurt in the Endless Dunes.

She made her way out of the all too empty garage, driving up the ramp into the sunlight. She navigated through the base, adjusting to the hover vehicle’s quirks, and waved at Al3x as his holographic projector came out to see her off.

Soon she had driven along the main track through the field of traps and out onto the main route to the Town With No Name. The low hum of the engine and the dust cloud kicking up behind her were her only companions as she cruised through the shimmering air. Idly keeping one eye out for trouble, she saw a vulture circling off to one side. It dived down behind a rise, and soon she’d left it behind.

Another half hour went by. A collection of listing wooden beams marked the location of a former truck stop, and a more prominent road that led to town. A couple of men on horseback, possibly couriers judging by the monogramed sacks and the steady pace they were setting, passed her by in the opposite direction, giving her a short nod of thanks as she slowed to avoid spooking the black mares they rode.

A little later and Chip pulled up by the gates by the palisade. A town deputy, dismounting from her horse, walked slowly over, and she wound down the window.

“Afternoon. What bis-i-ness do you have in this hee-yeah town, miss?” The woman’s heavy accent sloughed its way across the desert air, and Chip smiled warmly up at her.

“I’m here to refuel and pick up supplies. I’m headed to Nippur next.”

“Ah right, part of the blee-din’ hearts club ain’t ya. Nowt wrong with that, but take care it don’t get ya killed out there. Have a nice day.” Without a backwards glance, the deputy wandered back to her horse, saddling up in a single slow arc.

Chip waited for the gates to open before driving slowly into the crooked streets of the Town With No Name. She quickly made her way to the scrapyard she’d purchased the original parts for the Fisti-Cuffs at, wondering if there was anything new that might serve as a good way to pass the time that evening.

Leaving the scrapyard with a woven bag filled with scrap electronics and parts, she opened the boot of the car and carefully balanced it in one corner. She closed the boot and locked the car before heading to get food and supplies.

The market was in full swing, a selection of cultures that shared a habitual siesta making the most of the remaining day’s light. Chip wandered amongst the stalls, picking long lasting foods and bottles of water from the town aquifer. An bipedal griffon hawked pharmaceuticals he’d brought here from Carrefore, and she relieved him of his supply of bandages and painkillers; a mage accompanied by some sand golems brought healing potions from one of the Camelot duchies, and she picked up the less expensive variants; a collection of discount clothes made their way onto her hastily purchased trolley.

As she went to pay for a hot potato, the meal finishing off her shopping list, she noticed a little waif of a girl, long drooping points marking her as non-human, staring wistfully up at the hot food. Chip gestured to the girl subtly, and when she forked over twice as much the stall owner gave her an amused look. Leaving the market behind, she returned to the car with the collection in tow.

Once she’d loaded the back seats and the trunk fully, Chip decided to call it a night. The sun had just begun to set, and in the shelter of the Town With No Name’s walls she felt safe enough to sleep in the passenger seat, lowered right down to form a bed. Making sure the door was locked, Chip’s three eyes drifted closed and she slept soundly.

[Carmelita]

The day was dawning as Chip drove slowly out of the Town With No Name and off into the desert. A light breeze brushed loose sand across the dunes, and soon Chip had lost any semblance of the road that lead to New Babylon. Trusting in her own sense of direction, she pressed on, the hover car kicking up plumes of dust behind it as it travelled over the dunes.

As Chip crested another dune, a flash of colour caught her eye. Off to one side a small number of figures were crouched around the smoking bonnet of a large lorry. The lorry’s trailer was covered in solar panels and was heavily armoured, though this was partly concealed by the white and beige paint job. The cab itself was a soft rose, though the smoke was quickly staining it grey.

Chip altered her route, keeping a wary eye out for an ambush. As she approached, the figures resolved themselves into five individuals, each warily keeping their limbs near their weapons.

The tri-eye slowed the car to a halt, keeping the engine running. She wound down the window, leaned out of the window and called out to the group.

“You look like you might be in a bit of trouble,” she stated.

The closest figure, a human wrapped in white robes and head covering, looked around at the others. The green hedgehog-like being shook its head, tapping its claws together worriedly, but the short figure whose piercing yellow eyes were the only visible features beneath its brown robes elbowed them and muttered something. The human turned the other way. An insect biped with its four arms draped in light translucent silk gave a demure nod, while the fifth and final figure, a crystalline being whose shiny surface was muted by white felt patches, displayed his wrist for the human to see.

The human sighed and pulled down their head scarf to reveal a young woman’s face, a long strand of liquid silver escaping its prison to blow in the breeze.

“I guess we are,” the woman said, gesturing to the bonnet.

“Need a mechanic?” Chip asked.

“Seems so,” the woman replied.

“Then you’re in luck.” Chip killed the engine, letting the car settle onto the sand. The five figures nodded greetings as she stepped out to assess the damage.

---

After setting up a canvas shelter to keep the sun off the engine, Chip gathered her tools from the car and opened up the bonnet of the cab.

The group had dispersed, for the most part, setting up a couple of parasols and settling down to keep an eye out for trouble. The green hedgehog-like being was the only one to stay by the lorry, becoming the first to introduce himself.

“The name’s Sandslash.” His voice was surprisingly soft for a being that had large spikes on his back and enormous claws on both hands.

“Chip,” she replied, proffering a hand and shaking one of Sandslash’s claws. “Pardon my curiosity, but what species are you? I’ve never been that good at memorising them all.”

Sandslash’s black eyes widened, before a grin stretched across his muzzle.

“I’m pokemon, though it’s nice to be asked for once. And you?”

“I’m tri-eye.” Chip gave a hiss as she opened the bonnet and smoke billowed out. She waved it away and leaned in closer. “Oh dear.”

“What’s wrong? How bad is it?” Sandslash asked.

“See this?” Chip asked, pointing to the engine block. A pipe had shaken loose and was now embedded in a gash in the metal, plain to see between puffs of smoke that rose from within. “You’ve got a few crossed wires thanks to the pipe, and they’ve been jammed into one of the cylinders. What were you people doing, driving along the verse’s bumpiest road?”

“I guess it might have been a delayed misfortune jinx. Our convoy was attacked by a tribal coven a few days ago, a lot of spells were being slung about and we were using the vehicles as cover.” Sandslash wrung his claws. “Can you fix it?”

“Hey, I build stuff for a living now. I’ve got this.” Chip grinned and set to work.

---

Sandslash had brought out a minifridge filled with cool bottled drinks, carrying the whole thing on one shoulder before running the power cord up to the solar panels. Chp sipped her passionfruit presse as she took a break from welding the pipes back together.

“Hyabadah!”

Chip looked around at the cheerful noise to see the short cloaked being waddle up, nodding approvingly at her welding tools. She waved politely with her bare arms, her jacket around her waist to avoid overheating.

“Hi there, my name’s Chip.”

“Hyabadoka. Hinamada sona Hiyo noku.” The short being waved their arms around before pointing at the welding torch. “Hokudu?”

“Um…?”

The short being took Chip’s confusion as permission and began welding the pipe she’d half done, stopping every so often to turn the torch and croon as it marvelled.

After five minutes the short being had finished the pipe and placed the welding torch reverentially in Chip’s hands, patting it twice before heading off with a cheerful ‘Hinodaya!’. She watched them go in confusion.

Sandslash’s laughter came from her right, and she frowned. The pokemon chuckled as he got his amusement under control before explaining.

“Hiyo’s a Jawa, very dedicated to efficiency. Even with the ability to speak Omniversal, they still prefer to speak their hyper efficient language,” he said.

“... right. Well, they just finished the pipework for me. Time to switch tools.” Chip carefully schooled her features to hide how bemused she still was.

---

Chip finished cleaning the wires she’d carefully extracted from deep within the pistons, ready to solder them together. It had been a couple of hours, and the sun was now at its zenith, the heat oppressive and overwhelming.

As she let the alcohol evaporate from the bare metal, the insectoid appeared and gestured for her to follow.

“I think you should cool off,” she said with lilting tones. “Cobalt can handle this heat, but the rest of us are taking a breather in the trailer. Come on.”

Chip followed and they made their way to the rear of the trailer, where steps had been extended and the doors unlocked. The two stepped inside into blissfully cool air.

Soft blue lighting shone down from sunlamps that illuminated beds of plants, growing in blue tinted water. Sandslash, Hiyo and the human were already sitting at the far end, clustered on chairs around the minifridge rather than at the bank of computer monitors that lined the wall. A large cupboard gave a soft noise and Hiyo collected drinks from a hatch at the bottom, restocking the minifridge.

“Hydroponics…” Chip breathed, gawping at the trailer’s contents. “What are you guys doing with hydroponics in the desert?”

“Making medicine,” the insect replied. “I am Doctor Ch‘xi-tul, though the convoy all call me Greeny. Come, join us.”

Chip followed, still taking in the shock absorbers and the complex seals needed to keep the trailer’s precious cargo from breaking. She sat down, taking a bottle wordlessly and simply thinking.

“So, Chip, what brings a mechanic out here in the Endless Dunes?” Sandslash asked, popping bottle caps with his claws and handing out the opened drinks.

“I’m headed to New Babylon,” she replied. “Took some time off work, loaded up with supplies and struck out. What about you guys? Where’s this convoy and where’s it going?”

“Hiyodunakabala!”

“What Hiyo said,” Greeny explained, “Was that we’re a nomadic merchant convoy. We’re a group of fifty or so people with a bunch of trucks and sand skiffs between us. Only way to be safe in the Dunes is to travel together, and every once in awhile we make enough profit we can afford to drop by New Babylon with free medicine and supplies.”

“Speaking of which,” the human said, “Why are you out on your own? You don’t look like a fighter.”

“I’m linked to a recall station at work.” At their surprised faces, Chip began to explain SupraPol in more detail.

[Carmelita]

The sun shone down on the canvas as Chip hammered at a small sheet of steel. The rhythmic beating of hammer blows rang out, alone except for the soft sound of shifting hot air.

Pausing her work, she held up the sheet to the engine and found that it was nearly the right shape. The freshly installed collar securing the cylinder’s integrity stood out amongst the darker steel as she examined the fittings for the reinforcing plate.

“How much longer would you suppose the repairs will take?”

Chip suppressed her shock at the sudden interjection of a cultured voice from behind her, instead setting down her tools and turning around calmly.

“An hour or less, if my fix holds up first time around,” she said. “I assume you must be Cobalt?”

The crystalline figure gave a polite bow, the white felt not quite disguising the shining surface hidden beneath. His shoulders were surprisingly thin for his stature, giving him a distinctly bottom heavy appearance.

“And your name is Chip. Please, don’t let my inquiries slow your progress. We have a meeting to be present for. The convey awaits!”

Chip pursed her lips as she began buffing out the worst of the dents.

“About that,” she asked. “You say you’re part of a convoy, so why aren’t you with them?”

“Poor luck and happenstance. After we got a couple of wheels stuck in a sand trap, we were forced to wait until Sandslash finished digging us out. Since I could guide us back with a copy of the convoy’s itinerary, we decided not to delay the rest of the convoy. Sadly, we proceeded to break down.” He smiled with a literal gleam in his eyes. The sun bounced off the jagged crystal shards that formed his teeth, near blinding. “It is most precipitous that you arrived when you did.”

---

It was time to test her repairs, and Chip closed the bonnet with an air of anticipation. The human, who hadn’t said a word since she’d appeared to send Cobalt back out to the dunes, grunted sourly before climbing into the cab.

Chip waved and the woman turned the keys. With a grumble, the engine came to life, the pur turning into a roar as the woman revved the engine. With a thumbs up, Chip took down the canvas and stowed it in the boot of her now boiling hot car. When she returned, the woman put the engine into idle and stepped out to clasp her hand.

“Thank you for your aid, Chip. I must say I was suspicious of your fortuitous arrival, but it appears my fears were unfounded. Is there anything you’d be interested in for repayment?” The woman tucked a strand of liquid silver that flowed from her scalp and tucked it back beneath her headscarf as she talked.

“Your name, for starters,” Chip replied. “ Other than that, a good word about the lead mechanic of SupraPol. Can’t hire people who don’t know I exist!”

The woman gave a smile that softened her eyes and cheeks.

“Very well. You said that you were headed to New Babylon?” Chip nodded at the woman’s words. “Then I, Driver Nazeem, would like to invite Mechanic Chip to accompany the Green Sands Convoy as far as New Babylon.”

“I accept,” Chip said.

With that, the two synced their communicators before readying their vehicles. The other four climbed aboard the truck and the group set off, Chip bringing up the rear.

---

“Chip to truck, Chip to truck, I’m seeing a dust cloud approaching from the right. Do you have visual?”

++Driver Nazeem to car, Spotter Cobalt has eyes on skags, repeat eyes on skags. Five armed bikes on approach. I suggest you split off while we deal with them.++

“Chip to truck, not happening. This car is rated bullet resistant and I’ve been involved with vehicular combat before. I’ll watch your tail.”

++Driver to car, confirmed. Places!++

Chip tightened her hands on the wheel, dropping back to hide in the dust cloud kicked up by the truck. The lower profile of the patrol car meant it was less likely to have been spotted, so her presence would be something of a surprise to attackers.

The next minute stretced into the next. Sand flew across the windscreen as she steadied the car’s course.

A crack of gunfire.

++Driver to car, skags have engaged.++

Chip’s face hardened as she flipped a switch on the dashboard and swerved out of the dust cloud.

---

The appearance of a hover car, hidden police lights deployed and flashing, was a surprise to the mutated madmen that made up the Crushed Glass Gang. A speaker crackled to life as the truck sprouted turrets and defenders.

++This is SupraPol Patrol Car 006. You have fired on a merchant truck, and any further violence will be met with lethal self defence. Withdraw and go on your way.++

The lead skag roared maniacally and directed two of his bikes to deal with the interloper. The rest he lead in an attack on the truck.

---

A burst of electricity from Hiyo’s rooftop turret joined with blaster fire from Cobalt’s fortification and Sandslash’s rifle rounds from the passenger window as the skags opened up with their submachine guns. Chip lost focus on the fight as two bikes became more immediate problems.

She tapped the brake as the passengers opened fire, swerving right and crumpling the back wheel of the red and blue bike. As the vehicle tumbled and sent its passengers flying she slammed the wheel over to the left and rammed the second bike, knocking it from its wheels. Both attackers out of the picture, she returned her attention to the fight in front just in time to have a loose bike wheel dent her fender.

In the few hair-raising moments she’d proven the value of vehicular weight, the truck had whittled down another two attackers. Hiyo and Cobalt had been forced to retreat, leaving only Sandslash to finish off the clip of his assault rifle.

The gun jammed, and the pokemon took it in one hand and hurled it at the lead skag. The brief intermission in the gunfire as the driver swerved to avoid the weapon was enough for Sandslash to push open the passenger door and scraping a sharpened toe through the sand.

A fissure opened up across the dune, widening to swallow the front wheel of the motorbike. The lead skag leapt to safety as the driver and bike went freewheeling across the sand with a couple of horrid crunches. As Chip passed the mutant, a crack rang out from the rifle he’d pulled from his shoulders. Sandslash cried out in pain, hauling himself bodily back into the cab. Leaving the skag in the dust, the two vehicles journeyed on into the setting sun.