Durandal Member


I think either of the ones you said would work. Which ever one fits your planned/semi-planned storyline better

Is there a tentative start date?

That would sound about correct to me. Not sure whether Reid would have actual command superiority over Ward though. In terms of his fire team yes, but overall they would be the same in chain of command.

0600 Hours The HMS Eagle, off the coast of Egypt Jeremy looked once again into the mirror, running his razor along his cheeks, removing any traces of stubble that remained there. His hair had already been trimmed, a short go-over with his small pair of scissors to make sure it was kept at regulation length. He wasn't one to let himself slip, looking like a homeless man conscripted into the Royal Marines. If one didn't look at his uniform that was. Standard khaki fatigues, they were rumpled, covered in stains, patches misplaced in some places. Quite a disgrace really but uniforms weren't an item he cared much for. At least it provided camouflage for where they were going. He thought back to how he had ended up here. He could have chosen a much safer job in the military. A mechanic, radio operator, crew man on a naval ship. Hell, he would have taken being a damned cook over this! Other members of the 40 Commando were scrambling around the ship, preparing to head off into Egypt all because of some imperialistic ambitions. Jeremy was patriotic enough but there were some things he disapproved of, opinions of others be damned. Glancing down at his watch, he realized it was 0555. "Shit, I'm going to be late!" Jeremy yelled. Rushing over to his bed, he threw the uniform on haphazardly, hurriedly securing it before grabbing his kit which had been packed the day before. Rushing through the ship, he saluted officers hastily before barging past them, heading for the cargo bay. Slamming into a bulkhead in his haste, he recovered quickly and opened the portal into the bay. Stepping through hurriedly he spotted Captain Mackenzie and another boy about Jeremy's age, Daniel Parson he thought. Dropping the kit next to a a few ammo crates, Jeremy walked quickly to where Andrew stood. "Captain, Private Jeremy Mills reporting for duty, sir!"

**Bridge of the Molotter, Outpost 12** Guthan laughed as the message came back to them from the alien battle-group. "Quite trusting of them to let us on their ship, isn't it Aradna?" Shifting his weight, he began to stride towards the teleporter room, followed closely by his wife and two C'ran infantry. The infantry, both clad in full power armor and carrying Sonic shotguns, were coming along with him to ensure that any hostilities that occurred would not be one-sided. Fairly modular, the armor was nevertheless heavy looking, providing good physical protection in addition to the shields which came installed. Hopefully that measure would not be needed. Violence upon first contact always resulted in a delayed, expensive, and unsuccessful cataloging. "I am not so sure that you should go, Guthan. While they may appear friendly they have just recently fought against an enemy and may betray us out of safety," Aradna cautioned, ever worried about the safety of her husband and the fleet that he commanded. That was one of the reasons he married her: she counterbalanced his bravado and recklessness. An admirable woman. One he loved. As they reached the teleportation room, one of the ships resident Synod priests, a High Chaplain named Heinrell Achterpin, one of the highest ranking clergy positions achieved in the military, approached him vigorously. "I am coming with you, Rear Admiral Erebus. As High Chaplain of this vessel and this fleet, it is my duty as a representative of the Synod to examine those we are about to meet with," said the Sakari. Old by Sakari standards at 234 years, his hair was beginning to gray and wrinkles forming on his skin. Despite this his experience was invaluable at times, providing insight that the Great Record could not. "If you wish, High Chaplain Achterpin," Guthan responded, bowing his head to the man. Stepping into the teleportation module itself, they were beamed to the forward most Cantarin-class battle cruiser. Better at knife-fighting than a Dasius or Altar it was also less expensive to replace than the other ships. Making their way via in-ship quantum portals to the airlock which would dock with the alien ship, they stood waiting. Excitement filled Guthan as the two ships touched, airlocks adjusting to fit together without seam. As the doors hissed open Guthan and his retinue stepped through to meet a new species face to face. --- **Finnegan's Trade House, Hperspace** Alik Rai woke with a pounding sensation in his head, no recent memories coming to his mind that would explain it immediately. Sitting up, the Sakari brushed dirt and leaves off of his green robe, gold-thread running through the clothing. A small design lay on his shoulder, a snake-biting it's own tail circled around a star, the symbol of a Dominion magus. Examining his surroundings, Alik saw a wood-chip road lined with small mossy stones leading off into the distance. Following the path down one direction he spotted a building in the distance. Or rather, a collection of buildings. There was a small pub of brick and mortar standing two stories. Stretching up behind it was a structure with flashing lights, shrouded in smoke; a thirteen-story concrete hotel jutting out the back of the brick building; an oaken longhouse with a roaring fire pit, meat roasting over fires with singers performing all around; a massive five-story stone Gothic ballroom; and some building made of bronze and marble. A rather perplexing sight. Standing up, he shaded his eyes against the light that seemed to come from nowhere yet everywhere. He had no idea where he was or why he was there. As a magus presumably something had gone terribly wrong during a spell. He simply wished he knew what had gone wrong and where it had sent him. Deciding there was nothing better to do than to approach the complex, he began limping, legs mysteriously sore. His light blue skin stood out starkly against the green robe, marking him out for any who would be watching, although he saw no one at the moment. Nothing resembled this in the Great Record. Everything known was written into that tome of universal knowledge. He must have discovered something new. Tapping into his mana pool, he drew some of the True Source into this 'world', crafting a small disc of light upon which he could rest as it traveled autonomously. Though not terribly strong in magic neither was he weak, though at this moment he did not think that he could conjure up much. Reaching the complex he saw it was a bustling place, hundreds of people milling about, going to and fro from building to building, talking, eating, fighting, writing. Lively. There seemed an air of anxiousness despite this however. The galaxy was changing, that much Alik knew, but how much? That was a question no one would know the answer to until everything was over. While there was a plethora of species the most common was a magical creature of some sort. They all looked widely different in appearance but each gave off a magical resonance, indicating that their features were most likely the works of illusion. Stepping through the door into the small brick building, Alik took a seat at the counter, watching as a man- the proprietor possibly?- grabbed several people, spoke to them, and sent them off running to do some mysterious task. For now, Alik would just wait there. He had no idea what he was doing. Suddenly explosions sounded from outside, startling Alik. Jumping up from his magical disk in haste, the others around him began to mutter worriedly. Pounding emanated through the floor and shouts in an unknown language came from some unknown assailant. What was happening? Stepping through the door, Alik saw various mechanized walkers, a few tanks, and some unknown species seemingly holding up the entire complex. Smoke rose in the distance, a group of flyers coming from that direction. Had they somehow ended up here as he had? Most likely. Enacting a small spell that would hopefully help with translation, Alik stepped forward, his hands up. "Now, let's settle this carefully. I'm just as lost as you are and I don't think these people know how you got here either. --- **Sokalus Station, Deep Space** Sourvar Mettanii watched through the blast screen as the [abomination](http://th07.deviantart.net/fs44/PRE/i/2009/108/7/b/The_Thing___style_Creature_by_sketchbencky5.jpg) walked through the doorway into the massive testing room. A one kilometer by one kilometer space, it was designed for testing a large variety of objects of varying sizes. It was large enough to host a battle even. He was fidgeting under the gaze of Jagar Hais, Prime Magus of the Dominion and one of Morval's personal advisers. A dangerous man, a powerful man. And now he was on this station. Al'za Kail had been easy enough to deal with. Despite her rank as High Seer she was unsure of herself, easily flustered by the unknown. Not to mention she wouldn't stab him without a though as Marek would. Damn, this man was dangerous. Clearing his throat slowly, he turned towards the Prime Magus, holding his hands still momentarily as he gather his thoughts. The seven foot tall Sakari was imposing to say the least. "Lord Jagar, it is an honor to have you here. I assure you that everything is- gach!" His voice was cut off as Jagar grabbed Sourvar by the throat, hoisting him into the air. "I could have you killed Sourvar and none would question my actions, even Morval. He may have assigned you but I am his arm, his will. If that is all you have to show me I will destroy this station. Gideon can always be completed somewhere else," he whispered. Throwing Sourvar into the blast screen Jagar brooded. A Fell creature was in that room, a being not from this dimension, chaos unimagined and Sourvar had one. More than one. Dozens were kept in this facility, direct opposition to the commands of the Patriarch himself. The Fell Plane was never to be accessed without authorization from one of Morval's own advisers. Sourvar stood shakily, trembling in fear. *Why did I have to go and summon those creatures here? Damn me! Those magi should never have followed my orders! They knew the rules as well as I. Oh stars, he is going to kill me,* Sourvar thought, standing there. Relief flooded his body as Jagar waved his hand contemptuously, signalling to continue. "My apologies, Lord Jagar. What I came to show you is something different entirely. It utilizes Fell energy in combination with magefire, fused together through holon crystals. We have not tested it yet but our predictions show something outstanding, something we have never seen before. It will revolutionize everything. We call it the Bale energy." Jagar simply waved his hand again. Establishing a psych-network link with the other hundreds of scientists, he lowered a large contraption from the ceiling. Runes glowed along the triangular structure, split into two pieces along the entire length until the base where the two joints connected. Light pooled in the opening of the mouth yet the complex appeared darker than before. Letting go of the 'trigger', a beam flashed out, struck the abomination, and reality screamed. *One hour later* Sourvar woke groggily, staring at the ceiling. What had happened? Standing slowly and straightening his clothing, he looked out through the blast screen. Or where it had been. All that remained of the massive testing area was...nothing. A piece of metal snapped at the bottom, opening into the void of space. Objects began spiraling towards the opening until a shimmering barrier formed over the opening. A hand grabbed the back of his head and he accepted his death. "I am sorry, Sourvar. But Chaos must not be allowed to reign." Clenching his hand, Sourvar's head crumbled into dust in Jagar's grip. Dropping the body to the floor, Jagar strode out of the room. A failed visit.

I'm still here.

Thanks.

Does my app work?

Magic. What would a high fantasy world be without it? Not much other than standard realistic fiction. On the other hand we have science-fiction, a world where technological wonders are prime. Then there is science fantasy. It's very difficult to combine the two genres successfully as each retains inherent values that may conflict with that of the other. The most important aspect of blending the two is describing some sort of magic or other supernatural force in such a way that it fits in with the story well. That's the problem we have: how do we integrate magic? One way this conundrum could be resolved is by simply saying magic can do whatever the user desires. While the simplest solution it presents problems. If magic can simply be bent to the user's will, what is to stop a particularly strong person from utilizing the character in such a way that others could not counter. For this reason we must have limitations of some sort. But what kind of limitations? Should magic be restricted to such an extent that it can only be employed for paltry uses and illusions, accessed by a few weak users that hold almost no control over the source? Such heavy-handedness would make magic almost non-existant in the RP and therefore remove the 'fantasy' status. There must be some sort of middle ground and to that I think it should lean more towards a free-form magic in which the user can determine what happens to an extent. Magic in and of itself should be an infinite supply of some sort, similar to the Force in Star Wars or True Source in the Wheel of Time series, or based upon self-filling magical reserves. If the former is chosen then there would need to be some way to limit the amount of magic one should be able to use, most likely via physical taxation as more of the magical energy is used. It is my personal preference that magic should be based off of a central source and users limited by inherent magical strength, having a predetermined magical endurance to which they can grow, most people having little to no such reserve with a minority being able to utilize magic. With source out of the way we come to how magic should actually be utilized. As stated earlier I believe it should take a more free-form approach. This does not mean however that there aren't limitations. Magical 'spells' should, in my opinion, be complex or semi-complex weaves of different types of magical energy, specific combinations required for a desired result. Such learning would limit magic to whatever the user could form. One must also address strength. Too powerful and magic supplants technology, too weak and it is no longer important. It is of my opinion that the very highest end magical users, nigh-immortal creatures and similar beings, should have magical abilities that can affect situations on a planetary scale. This does not mean that magic cannot be used to affect a distant part of the galaxy rather that the maximum area of effect should be no larger than a planet a few times larger than Earth. In this way magic can still be used powerfully but in a localized area, making its use more specific in nature. In short, magic should be drawn from a universal pool, each person having some sort of natural magical 'storage' of varying size, most undetectable. Magic should take a more free-form structure, users being able to utilize said magic to 'weave' spells that they have learned. Strength of said spells should never exceed a planetary effect.