Strength 6d

Agility 5c

Intellect 5d

Willpower 8c

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Known Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Desert Survival Gear: regardless of his current uniform, Ronald always has his desert survival gear with him on missions, stuff he can use to keep going in the hottest of climates. This includes an outfit that protects him from the sun, goggles to keep sand and grit out of his eyes, and plenty of water canteens.

Grenades: while he didn't at first, Ronald eventually started carrying grenades with him on the job. He can use these fragmentary grenades to inflict intensity 10 damage to whatever he throws them at - and any other non-covered target within striking (near missile) distance.

the Joe-Com *: this is a new device given to all Joes upon the group's reactivation. This high-tech wristband functions as an audio/video transceiver with an intensity 6 - 250 mile - range, is equipped with a G.P.S. system, a heart monitor, and can store up to a terabyte of raw data - not bad, eh?

Of course, this device also stores a variety of nutrients it can use to supplement activity, which are absorbed directly into one's pores (think of this as intensity 1 life support, where food is concerned). So, not only is the thing a nice, high tech video phone, but it can also save one's life in a pinch!

Knife: in addition to his other gear and weapons, Ronald always has a knife on him - for you never know when you'll need a handy, hand-held sharp implement. Made from strength 12. metals, this knife can be used to cut through items of like m.s., and allows Ronald to inflict +2 damage in melee.

Night Rhino (v1): a short time after he returned to the G.I. Joe team upon its reactivation, Ronald was assigned a refurbished version of one of Sergeant Slaughter's old Warthogs. This matte black vehicle, the Night Rhino, is an amphibious troop-carrier, and is described in its own vehicle entry.

Rocket Propelled Grenade (v3, v4): a more recent addition to his arsenal, this weapon fires a grenade that inflicts damage as does Ronald's other grenades. The trick with this one-shot weapon, however, is that it has much greater range, able to hit anything within Ronald's line of sight.

Sand Razor (v2): when he was no longer in charge of ferrying Joes around in the Night Rhino, Ronald was given his very own, desert-fitted vehicle to use on missions in arid areas to fight Cobra. This all-terrain vehicle is a perfect match for Ronald's personality, and is described in its own entry.

Semi-Automatic Pistol: a back-up for his sub, should it run out of ammo or otherwise find itself indisposed, Ronald always has one of these while 'on the job'. He can fire this hand cannon to inflict damage per a +4 weapon with a single shot, or damage per a +5 weapon in a semi-auto spread.

Submachine Gun: Ronald usually carries one of these on all his missions. This universally useful firearm can be shot to inflict his Agility +4 damage with a single round, his Agility +5 damage in a three-round burst, or his Agility +6 damage in a fully automatic hail of lead.

* The Joe-Com is something that the Joes started using in their new (as of 2001) comic, but wasn't featured on any of the 2002 Dusty action figures.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Boxing: a part of his essential, basic Army training, Ronald has learned how to defend himself if he should find himself totally unarmed. In weaponless melee, Ronald may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.

Languages / Arabic, English, Hebrew, Kahlka, and Kazahk: since he works in the desert so much, Ronald has had to learn how to speak the various, major languages spoken in these regions. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, and conversant in Kahlka (Eastern Mongolian) and Kazahk.

Marksmanship: one talent he picked up in Army basic, this skill describes Ronald's mastery of most ordinary firearms. Whether he's using a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol (or even oddball guns like a shotgun), Ronald may do so at a reduced difficulty level.

Military / United States: the source for most of his talents - save for his repair skill - this 'background' skill has several handy functions. In addition to providing Ronald an inherent understanding of military protocols and procedures, it also allows him to lead fighting men and women into battle if necessary.

Repair: Ronald was a fully trained refrigerator repairman before he even enlisted in the Army, much less hooked up with the G.I. Joe team. As such, he can repair and modify them, as well as most any other mechanical or electrical device, at a reduced difficulty level.

Survival: having a true love for the desert, Ronald is a student of desert biology as well as high temperature survival techniques. Whenever he should find himself with no gear in desert climes, Ronald can scrounge up enough food, water, and shelter to get by until he frees himself of that predicament.

Calling:

Soldier: Ronald loves a challenge. He has always loved the desert for its unforgiving nature, and its inherent challenge. He joined the Army in order to become a desert survival specialist, and has met the challenge with eyes and arms wide open - and won. He truly loves his job when its at its harshest.

Costume:

Ronald's fifth uniform is another alteration of his third. When driving the Night Rhino, he wears a gray pair of trousers, a gray, long-sleeved shirt, black leather boots, a black leather belt, a black bandolier to hold grenades, gray holsters and sheathes for his weaponry, and a black beret.

His sixth uniform is a new design, based somewhat on his first. It includes khakis colored trousers, an overly long collared, long sleeved tan shirt, brown leather boots and gloves, a brown leather belt, a black bandolier to hold grenades and other hardware, and a tan helmet with a cooling shroud on the back.

Ronald's seventh uniform is like his sixth. It consists of tan trousers with a dark red camo pattern dyed on, an overly long collared, long sleeved tan shirt with yellow shoulder pockets, gray leather boots with black laces, black leather gloves, a gray leather belt, and a tan helmet with a cooling shroud on the back.

His eighth uniform is also like his sixth. It includes a pair of grass green trousers, an overly long, collared, long sleeved deep green shirt with gray shoulder pads, black leather boots with brown laces, black leather gloves, a brown leather belt, and a green helmet with a green cooling shroud on the back.

Personality:

Ronald loves the desert - he feels it's unforgiving, and full of challenges. He's quite an easy-going, cheerful fellow despite his inner toughness, and tries to see the best in any situation. This occasionally rankles his fellow Joes, but he's very good at what he does, and they respect him for that.

Real Name: Ronald R. Tadur, grade E-4 (later E-5)
Occupation: desert survival expert, refrigerator repair technician
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Ronald Rudat, Jeffrey Paquette *
Group Affiliation: G.I. Joe

* This is the name given to the Night Rhino driver, though this 'new' Dusty has the exact same background as the first. Unlike the 'new' 2002 Lifeline, I think this was just a gross error, and have no plans to produce a 'Dusty 2' entry, per se, as this character would be exactly the same - minus the Joe history, of course.

Height: 5' 11"
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 170 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Ronald was working as a refrigerator repair-man and studying desert ecologies when his pre-enlistment application for G.I. Joe membership was approved. As such, the man had to go to Army basic at Fort Bliss in Texas, and he loved every minute of the blistering heat - it's truly his element.

He grew up in Vegas, after all, and was accustomed to the desert as a child; it was his best friend by the time he was in high school. Breezing through the basic training pressure cooker, and passing the amazingly difficult Joe qualification exams, Ronald became a Joe operative very quickly.

Don't let that fool you, though; he's the Joe team's best desert operative, and demonstrates good leadership qualities on the missions he leads and/or participates in. In fact, most Joes wouldn't dare brave the dust storms, the sheet lighting, or the scorpions unless Ronald's in on a mission.

One of his first documented missions on the Joe team involved him infiltrating a Terror Drome in the Middle East with Mainframe, in order to get access to information about how the things worked. While it was a bumpy ride, the two Joes managed to succeed in their mission, and gained a potent ally.

This young freedom fighter, Rashid, grew up to be an incredibly effective computer hacker in Destro's employ, and the youth helps the Joes out whenever he can (he worked for Destro during his 'retirement' years). On another mission, to Trucial Abysmia, Ronald led three other Joes on a training exercise.

Their objective was to destroy a secret arms cache left by Americans when the previous regime was overthrown. They succeeded in their mission, but one of the Joe trainees, Mangler, had to sacrifice himself in order to help the others to get away. Naturally, this didn't sit well with any of these Joes.

Another mission-gone-bad, this time in Benzheen, saw most of the Joe team in battle to save the country from Cobra's massive invasion. In this fight, Ronald's good buddy, Sneak Peek, got killed in the fighting. Since he promised Sneak Peek's mother he would Ronald risked his own life to retrieve his friend's body.

When not on an active mission, Ronald tends to prowl around the Utah desert surrounding the G.I. Joe headquarters, the third Pit. He's claimed this stretch of desert as his own, and reacts negatively when anyone goes poking around in it. He thus combines leisure time and guard duty into a combined pastime.

Somewhere along the line, Ronald picked up a side kick of sorts, a desert coyote that he nicknamed Sandstorm. This savage animal doesn't like anybody but Ronald, but gets along with him just fine. This works out well when Ronald runs into random Cobra agents in the desert...

Anyway, this perfect job couldn't last forever, and Ronald found himself needing something else to do when the G.I. Joe team was deactivated in '94. He remained in the military, however, and was seen operating in Israel when called back onto the Joe team by General Hawk himself.

Ronald's been with the Joes team ever since, helping to fight a renewed Cobra organization.