After the events at the small town of Desire, Pluto Company was disbanded and seperated. The Dragons continued on their mission, and the soldiers of Pluto went on their various ways - the main group of them remained together and set off on the second half of the original mission.

The original mission was to head to a town of Coalition sympathizers and deploy a magic weapon in it's center. As well as track down a group of Tolkeen desertors who were on their way to defect to The Coalition forces.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:36, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Tolkeen...

Nuitari had just finished his goodbyes with his last platoon the night before. Today was a new day, and a fresh start where he would find himself in command of a unit that has worked closely together for the last month and had quite the reputation for their officers (3 dead, 1 deserter, and some demotions/transfer-outs).

There was no way to tell if this was the "trouble" class that no officer could control, or perhaps it was the opposite. They hardly require the use of an officer, and they have just been dealt a slew of incompetents and psychopaths. This war has brought out the worst in alot of people...

The new platoon was once part of the now disbanded Pluto Company. The very same company who had captured who was believed to be Emperor Prosek (turned out to be a decoy) as well as defended Madtown to it's last moment saving hundreds of civilians. They had an impressive resume, despite their trouble with officers.

Apparently just an hour ago their Captain, one 'Portia Lynn' deserted the platoon, and left them to fight off an Ishpeming platoon and a potential Vampire threat.

They aren't even aware as of yet that they are receiving a new officer.

But for now Nuitari was free to restock/resupply, or just relax before he was scheduled to meet with the others.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:37, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

About 18 months ago...

   Nuitari was forever planning for the future.  It was a trait he picked up early in life and it had served him well as a student of ward and circle magic.  There was no luxury of reaction-speed with these mystic arts as there was with incantation-based magic.  Should one find themselves being charged by a deevil, a spellcaster would have plenty of time to cast an incantation to deal with the beast.  A ward or circle mage must already have foreseen the attack and laid a trap accordingly.  On this night Nuitari was not setting a trap but rather the opposite.  He was setting up an escape should it become necessary.

   It was February of 106 PA.  Nuitari was 2nd in command of an escort for a diplomatic convoy from Tolkeen to Dunscon's Federation of Magic.  Three weeks earlier, they met a squad from Nostrous and were escorted inside the city.  The Tolkeen Diplomats were given residences on the top floor of a hotel while the escort team were given rooms on the floor below.  The diplomats were holding nightly meetings with a personal advisor of Dunscon and Nuitari's escort team provided security.  But they were able to find some downtime and on one night Nuitari was able to spend a little extra time alone in one of the Tolkeen diplomat's rooms.  He flipped over a wooden coffee table, removed some paneling from the underside, and proceeded to draw a magic circle there.  It was a teleport circle and it was something he had wanted to do since he learned of the war between Tolkeen and the Coalition.

   Should the war ever find its way to the gates of Tolkeen and should those gates ever fall, Nuitari's wife and infant son would be helpless.  They were human and neither were magic users, so they may not be persecuted by the Coalition soldiers, but that wouldn't protect them from the chaos and random violence which would surely ensue.  So Nuitari planned to create a linked set of teleportation circles here and at his home in Tolkeen.  Should the need arise; he would be able to whisk his family away and take refuge here in the Federation of Magic.  Chances would be slim that he would ever be close to home if those final moments ever arrived, so he planned to teach his wife how to use the circles herself.  Nuitari included a credit stick with 5,000 credits inside the table, next to the circle, and placed a small silent alarm ward on the credstick.  He replaced the wooden paneling, covering his creation and placing the table where he found it.  Due to the nature of linked teleportation circles, the destination circle required no channelling of psychic energy.  Therefore it was unlikely to ever be detected unless someone purposely dismantled the table.

   If he found the opportunity, Nuitari would place a few other teleportation circles on his travels.  Not just in Nostrous, but wherever else he went as well.  But for now, he had stolen enough free time and had to return to duty.

Present Day...

   Nuitari had only one night between his departure from his old platoon and his first meeting with a member of his new platoon.  He spent that night at home with his family.  It had been about a month since he had seen his wife and it was a rather passionate reunion.  Shortly after, they had a heated argument about Nuitari's transfer.  Jenna was no fool and she recognized the risks involved with juggling the challenges of a new command with the chaos of war.  But she also understood that this was a war for survival and Nuitari was working to protect her and their child.  Nuitari was worried and tried not to show it, as Jenna did the same for him.  They quickly made up and slept through the night with their baby between them.

   In the morning, Nuitari had to leave and begin preparations for his next mission.  It was painful to say goodbye again, but Nuitari was happy knowing his family would be safer than most.  When war was declared, just before he enlisted, Nuitari turned his basement into a bomb shelter, complete with an array of circles and wards to keep his wife safe and utterly destroy any intruders.  For now, Nuitari had to focus on the task at hand.  Command still didn't fully understand his borderline-obsessive need for preparation.  He needed to know the details of his new platoon's next mission before he could prepare effectively.  Nuitari went to the base where he could find his commanding officer and hopefully get some more information.

   Aside from his own need to prepare, the last thing he wanted to do was to answer "I don't know" when his new soldiers asked him where they were headed next.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:14, Tue 30 Nov 2010.

"Lieutenant, I am Karno. I have been in command of these boys for a long time. My efforts are split now between several spec units - but this one is in need of some clean up. They have had plenty of trouble with demons, murderers, insubordination, in-fighthing... they were the ones who called Arven The Annihilator their ally before he snapped and shot up the Tolkeen market.

They are tasked with tracking down a group of violent Tolkeen traitors trying to defect to the Coalition. The renegade Tolkeen group has approximately 50 members. They are lead by Captain Theodore Kitt, and his second in command Lieutenant Dragana Kovacevic. They are both shifter-mages and none of them have any trouble killing Tolkeen soldiers. They firmly believe we are the enemy, and will stop at nothing to ensure the Coalition victory."

Their troops consist of :

7-8 other mages (line walkers, warlocks, necromancer etc)
3-4 full conversion cyborgs
Drake - a seasoned mind melter
2 Dragon Fly Juggernauts
6-7 Battle Mages
Renszath - A former politician - Raksasha Demon
10 various rifle men
5 master psychics (bursters, zappers etc)
6 summoned gargoyles
2 Mystic Knights
1 High Magus, and his Colossus Automaton from Dweomer (this giant war machine will help give us their position).

Boris was waiting out front of the command office when Nuitari arrived. He was smoking a cigar much like many Russian cyborgs like to still do. After a few moments he followed Nuitari inside the room full of officers - just after a Trailblazer ATV drives down the street, with a hovercyle,a glitter Boy and a german power armour in tow.

Inside,there were Lieutenants, and Captains, and Majors and even a Colonel, and a dozen aides running around trying to handle their respective officers.

Boris headed to the same Major, Zor Karno and waited for Nuitari and Karno to finish their conversation.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Tue 30 Nov 2010.

"Boris? Welcome, I am Major Karno, this is your new Lieutenant, Nuitari Solinari. Please take these personel files and locate the individuals - they need to be armed and ready to depart in exactly one hour. Get in touch with the Lieutenant when you are all ready and Tolkeen will teleport you wherever necessary."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:26, Tue 30 Nov 2010.

"That's fine" Boris says as he steps up next to Nuitari. He looks at the Lieutenant and nods, before taking the files from Karno. Like most of the mercenaries Tolkeen military etiquette has not been enforced.

He then turns around and leaves back out the entrance. Boris heads to the troop barracks area looking for the soldiers in the files.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:39, Tue 30 Nov 2010.

Bernandez is found in a gym area designed for augmented humans. There are Juicers and Crazies running all over the place lifting obscenely sized weights and performing amazing feats of athleticism.

When Boris enters and calls out his name, Bernandez hops down from an aerobics machine and grabs a towel to wipe down his face and hands before jogging to meet the Merc Sergeant wearing a pair of boxers, and his juicer harness.

"Evan The Blade Bernandez here sir. New assignment?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:20, Wed 01 Dec 2010.

   While inside Tolkeen Military Command, he followed protocol and saluted appropriately.  "Sir." He stated as the customary greeting to a senior officer.  Nuitari listened keenly to the Major's explanation of the mission.  When Boris appeared, he returned the nod and watched the unusually small borg leave before turning back to Major Karno.
   "We'll bring these defectors to justice, sir.  Can I obtain the files on those among them who were regular soldiers of Tolkeen?  As you may know, my magic is capable of targetting individuals over great distances.  All I require is the target's full and true name.  If we have this on file for any of the individuals, I can set up surveillance, tracking, and even capture much more easily."  Nuitari pauses and strokes his chin before continuing.  "It might also work if we have any part of them such as hair clippings, DNA samples, or even a blood donation.  A final option would be to sacrifice the friend or relative of one of them, although I would only consider this for the gargoyles or raksasha.  Of course, I will rely on more conventional means if none of this is possible."

"I admire your initiative Nuitari, but they are masters of magic just like us. They were prepared for this sort of surveillance before they left. They destroyed years of records, and made sure to leave no trace. They knew how to cover their escape."

In a cold, metallic voice, still tainted with a Russian accent "Bernandez, my name is Boris. Nice to welcome you." He reaches out to shake his hand, then continues "There should be one more... a Mystic Knight... I have heard about them..."

   "I see..." Nuitari's disappointment is apparent.  "Well, perhaps I can devise something based on the rarity of raksasha's.  I'll certainly keep you posted sir, thank you.  One more question, that borg, Boris? Do you have his radio channel?"

   When he get's Boris's channel, Nuitari will leave the building and head outside.  He'll return to his hovercraft and double-check his supplies.  Once he's sure he's ready, he'll try hailing Boris on the radio.

   "Boris, this is Nuitari, what's your 20?"


OOC - I'm assuming that with nothing further to do with Karno, Nuitari will meet up with Boris and help collect their soldiers.  Maybe get to know them a bit.

- radio response to Nuitari

"This is Boris. I am at Barracks L-5B, the mercenary barracks. I have found one of two so far."

radio transimssion to Nuitari -

"Lieutenant, we just received a report from the field. Sergeant Van Fanel has reported that Captain Portia has gone AWOL, with Lieutenant Dyvalis taking over command. He is a miserable excuse for an officer, and only a 2nd Lieutenant which puts you in command of your new unit. They also adivsed their vehcile has been captured, along with a Tolkeen military advisor. I am going to have you and whoever is ready teleport to the coordinates provided by the Sergeant. You leave ASAP Lieutenant. Report to the teleporting station as son as your team is ready."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:45, Wed 01 Dec 2010.

   "By the gods..." Nuitari muttered to himself while standing at the control console of his hover skiff, gliding down a Tolkeen main street.  He banked left around a corner and took another route towards the teleportation station.  "Understood sir, on my way to teleport now."

   Nuitari then sent a message to Boris.  "Boris, we have new orders to move now.  Do you know where the last member of the team is located?  We need to meet at the teleportation station as soon as possible.

 - "he is somewhere in this barracks sir. I am looking."

   "Do you need help looking?  We have new information from the field - time is of the essence!"
   Nuitari slowed his hovercraft and pulled to the side of the road, waiting to see if he should continue to the teleport station or head to the barracks.

 - Boris hesitates a moment before responding. "I should be fine Lieutenant. There are alot of mercs here, if he is here I will find him." A slight annoyance can be detected in his voice.

   "10-4 Boris.  I'll meet you at the teleport station." Nuitari isn't about to address the borg's annoyance and just responds casually. He doesn't comment on the suicide attack however.  These incidents shouldn't be happening and were a sign that Tolkeen wasn't entirely unified in their struggle against the Coalition.  Nuitari would nonetheless keep his wits about him.

   He waited for a gap in traffic and merged back onto the main street which would lead him to the teleportation station.  He had been there many times before and was making his way to one of the vehicle bays.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:15, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

A giant of a mystic knight has positioned himself into a secluded place within the barracks that houses the Mercenaries. He sits on the floor with his legs cross and his arms out showing that his body and mind are focused on mediation. Sitting in this state he reflects on all the events that have taken him to here and now part of his journey. He has completely toned out the rest of the world so he doesn’t have to prepare for battle again when the time comes.

Boris eventually spots the unmistakable Titan-Mystic Knight and approaches him quickly, with Bernandez in tow.

"You Draconia? I'm Boris, we have been assigned to same unit. We are to rendezvous with new Lieutenant at teleporting station, then teleport to front lines - where rest of platoon is waiting. Do you need to grab anything before going to war?"

   Nuitari pulls into one of the larger bay doors and hovers his craft sideways towards a wall where he sets it down out of the way.  Before going for a stroll through the complex looking aimlessly for some dragon he's never met, he decides to perform a few final preparations on the hovercraft.  He pulls a lever on the control panel and the center console on the deck which normally functions as a simple bench, unfolds like a tackle box revealing dozens of trays and small drawers.  Each container holds a supply of the mystic components he needs for his wards and circles.  He already has a few wards and circles prepared on the deck of his hovercraft, but he thinks of another which may be of use after receiving his briefing from Major Karno.
   Nuitari spends about five minutes incribing a series of wards within his demon-hide book.  When complete, he will walk through the corridors and mezzanines of the teleportation complex.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:58, Sun 05 Dec 2010.

"Nuitari, just teleport over, the others will catch up. Tell the porters you are headed to L9, mark 16... 66. You should arrive by a river and your new platoon should be near by."

A tall, menacing looking Minotaur, and obviously a Cyber Knight walks up to Nuitari, with two human Cyber Knights following, one male and one female.

"We have been assigned to your unit Lieutenant Solinari. What are your orders sir?"

Continuing to sit there meditating his concentration is broken when he hears the Russian accent borg speak to him.  Frustrated by this, his eyes slam open wide looking up at the borg. With a intelligent voice his words boom from his mouth.

”Yes I am Draconia!”

He snorts out the frustrating trying not to let it control him, so not to cause a fight as he has accepted the contact to work with them by their rules. Listening to the rest of what the borg has to say, he continues to look at him without moving an inch. His eyes show the borg that his question is a stupid one. Of course he will need to make sure to have his gear with him if he is going to be on the battlefield as to kill as many of the enemy as he can.

”I would think my equipment would be of use if a battle is to come from the front line.”

Niles unwraps his legs stands to his feet making sure not to hit his head or anything as he doesn’t much care for the confines of buildings. He looks at the borg once again.

”Any idea what kind of firepower I should bring besides my own natural abilities?”

He believes his question is a reasonable one so as not to bring waste any ammo or other resources that might be needed with future battles.

   Nuitari sees the cyberknights approach and realizes they are coming to speak with him.  He greets them with a salute out of respect and nods before turning away to answer his radio.  "Understood sir, I've just met a trio of cyberknights apparently assigned to our platoon.  The four of us will be through the 'porter in a few minutes.  I'll advise Boris to track down the dragon."
   Nuitari motions for the knights to follow him back to his hovercraft.  He walks quickly and broadcasts another transmission to Boris.
   "Boris, this is Nuitari.  I have orders to leave immediately.  When you get here, I need you to locate a dragon named Jack and then tell the porters you are headed to L9, mark 16... 66.  I'll see you in the field."

   While walking the rest of the way to his hovercraft, Nuitari speaks to the cyberknight companions.  "I am glad to see the cyberknights represented in our ranks.  You have my gratitude.  Have you been made aware of the situation?"  Nuitari considered not telling them, but decided they should be trusted.  "The former Pluto Company, the soldiers we will soon be joining, have had terrible luck with leadership.  They have lost lieutenants in the line of duty, and one has very recently gone AWOL.  They have also suffered mutinous demons and murder at the hands of a fellow soldier.  Despite these things, they have been among the most successful teams in Tolkeen.  I suspect they have found the leadership they need elsewhere, when they needed it.  But I just wanted to let you know that I may need to count on you three to provide some council to our men and women."

   When Nuitari and the cyberknights reach the hovercraft, Nuitari stops several feet away and turns to them.  "Additionally, I must request something else of you.  It is in regards to the nature of my magic.  I am trained in the arts of diabolism and circle magic.  My magic tends to affect a wide area but it can be controlled to exclude comrades from harm and ensure I can support you effectively.  In order to properly exclude you from the harmful effects of my magic, I must ask for your full names as they were given to you at birth.  I would warn you that an unscrupulous diabolist or circle mage could use the knowledge of your true names against you, so decide carefully whether or not you wish to give them to me.  If you prefer, I can also exclude you from my magic if you can provide me with a vial of your blood.  The blood cannot be re-used like the knowledge of your true names can be... Note that my hovercraft is already protected by magic which would cause you harm should you attempt to board it without me first adding you to a list of exclusions."
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:18, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

"Pleasure to make your acquantance Lieutenant. We have heard of this group's struggles with behaviour. It is the very reason we have been assigned to your unit."

He disusses the true names/blood vial with the others for a moment, breathing heavily through his nose.

"Here are our true and full names. We have more to worry about these days than some evil mage with a bad attitude. We will trust you at your words".

"All 3 of us have hovercycles and will not require use of your ATV, though I appreciate the warning. We are to leave immediately?"

"I have no idea of the current mission or objectives. I was told to prepare for combat, lots of it, and long periods between resupplying. We leave as soon as you're ready."

"Boris to Nuitari, I have located the Mystic Knight we are on our way to the station."

   "Thank you." Nuitari responds to the cyberknights, having memorized their true names.  He climbs aboard his hovercraft and over to the control console.  He inserts and turns the key in the ignition and small cloud of dust blows outward from under the craft as it lifts off the ground.  With the cyberknights lifting off as well, Nuitari leads the way towards the teleportation chamber.  He activates the radio in his helmet again to call Boris one more time.
   "Sounds good Boris.  We'll be in the teleportation chamber in a few minutes.  If the dragon isn't inside the teleportation chamber when you arrive, teleport without him.  Radio me once you have teleported to our location."

   Once in the chamber, Nuitari maneuvers the hovercraft onto the platform of the technowizard teleporter and gives the control crew a thumbs up indicating he is ready.  The hovercraft is still hovering just two feet off the ground.

OOC - I believe that should be Nuitari's final post in this thread as he is teleported into They were Expendable.  GM, please let me know when I can appear there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:19, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

After Niles grabs whatever needs to be grabbed (if anything) the three mercenary soldiers make their way to the teleporting pads and prepare to depart.

Boris, Bernandez and Draconia eventually arrive at the teleporting station and with the coordinates given to Boris by Lieutenant Nuitari, the three mercenaries teleport out of Tolkeen and into the front lines.

Jack the dragon was finally free. Sure he had been rescued from being buried alive two days ago, but he had spent the better part of the last 48 hours with Tolkeen officers going over exactly what happened to explain his sudden disappearance back at Madtown.

Pluto Company had just lost the lives of many soldiers, rescuing Jack (and Na-Wa) from those Coalition APCs exactly 2 weeks ago. Then, 2 days later, Jack disappears and is assumed dead.

~Jack had gone 'hunting' that morning, and was followed by Lord Osema, Reginald and the other brodkil. Osema knew that eventually his pack would be in full blown conflict with the rest of the company, and they needed to start to get rid of the heavy hitters, starting with the dragon. They followed Jack out there that morning, and surrounded him. They taunted Jack to stay and fight, rather then retreating, and they were able to subdue him (he ran out of MDC). They had used some sort of rail gun slugs that were preventing him from bio-regenerating, and decided to bury Jack alive while he was defeated, to hide his body from the others.

Lord Osema and friends returned to the group that afternoon, and were all killed the next day.

Jack remained down there, unable to regenerate, and unable to teleport, but also unable to die. Twelve days had passed before he was found by a Tolkeen unit with a psi-stalker, and rescued.

Now fourteen days later, he is free to enjoy the magic of Tolkeen, while he waits to rejoin his former platoon.

Jack breathed a large sigh of relief. Not as large as he wanted to, being stuck in human form while inside the building being interrogated...sorry, debriefed. But it was over finally. He stepped outside and moved away from the building. He thought about changing into his natural form again, but hesitated. Some people were afraid of him when he was larger. Some didn't care.

He decided to maintain for the moment. He could hold the form for an hour at least yet before he would have to change.

He had money and although he didn't need to eat, he liked to. He thought he would see if any of those he knew were around, maybe eat and get drunk a little. Just a little. It was hard to stay drunk as a dragon too. Good and bad mixed together.

But first...he found a place where he could spray water out and began cleaning his armor and helmet. Both had been pissed on and crapped in by the Coalition and the Brodkil.

He grimaced. Fucking Osema. He wished the little worm was still alive so he could kill him himself. But no such luck. He sighed softly.

Jack's radio springs to life just as the armor clean up is coming to an end. "Jack? This is Major Karno, I understand your meeting is finished? Good, the team can use you right away, head to the East teleporting station immediately and tell the porters you are headed to L9, mark 16... 66."

Armor cleaned and belly full, Jack was more than ready to go (so was his sword). He heard the call over the radio and perked up. "Roger that! On my way!"

He grabbed his gear and scrambled quickly to the teleporter.

Styrkur, the rune sword he carried, made a gleeful telepathic laugh. "Yes! Let us go into battle! Let us taste blood once more!"

Jack snorted in amusement and replied back via the same telepathy. "Easy, Styrkur. You'll get your share soon enough."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:01, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

The teleporting stations look like ancient roman architecture. They are beautiful circular structures, with a row of marble or granite pillars along the perimeter. There were eight teleporting circles in each station, and a crew to assist in dispatching troops all over the continent.

When Jack arrives to the East Station, he need only repeat the coordinates Major Karno mentioned, and the crew are preparing the spell, like a team of paramedics responding to a medical emergency. Within 2 minutes Jack is standing in the circle, and then appears in an open field with the sounds of gunfire behind him.

In the direction of the figthing (north east) Jack can see a small lake, with a Tolkeen hover skiff parked at it's south-west shore. There are a dozen large mounds of dirt scattered about, and a team covering a hole in the ground, in a V formation.

(You are of course given the necessary radio channels for the squad. And the officer's name to report to : Lieutenant Nuitari).

You can post in C11 : Squad Two anytime now as you appear and likely head to join the battle. They are about half way through a battle against Tolkeen traitors who are hiding in an underground structure of some sort.