[Wild Goose]

Originally Posted by FieryAeon

I was thinking along the lines of dual elemental. Sure elemental affinity is supposedly rare, but we've seen a couple to suggest it really is THAT rare. Its probably more uncommon than rare really, multiple elementals on the other hand has never been seen, and could probably be classed as rare.

That being said, what do you guys think of an OC being able to use say...Ice and lightning spells?

Interestingly, I plan for Naomi to be a duel elemental...

As for Ice and Lightning Spells, I posted something a couple of pages back on Franz attempting Eternal Coffin. He froze patch of ground with a diameter of 8 feet, depleted his mana, and ended up passed out face-first in the frost. XD

Originally Posted by FieryAeon

I can't say I'm dissatisfied with life here, but I'm not satisfied with it either. Its not bad, but not good either. Malaysia is relatively peaceful, and we don't have problems with natural disasters. We don't get insane hurricanes or typhoons, nor tsunamis and stuff (though the one that hit Indonesia a few years ago was felt even here in my area, I was freaked out to be honest).

However, many services offered here really suck, such as our Internet service providers. They don't sue us for downloading anime, but they make using the Internet a real pain every so often. Then there's the problem with the ever increasing cost of living here. Damn that has to be the worst.

Not to mention the political system here; we're practically living in a racist elected dictatorship that's intent on turning us slowly into Sauti Arabia.

Originally Posted by tshouryuu

LOL That is very funny. Better to be careful or Franz might become Tais Scien Ver 2.0

Lol, unlike Tais, he can't pwn himself too much, because his CO and the Sergeant Major want paperwork done.

Originally Posted by LoweGear

YUp, Hotblood increases COURAGE to do the IMPOSSIBLE!!! (even counteract Phobias)

DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
SEE THE INVISIBLE

RAW RAW
FIGHT THE POWER!!!!

Indeed. ^_^

Originally Posted by LoweGear

Kinda true there, although most are trained to be logical rather than brave

As my Marine friend (who is also a cop) told me, the Marines don't really teach brave, they teach you to be courageous: doing brave things without feeling brave.

Originally Posted by LoweGear

As I explained in a previous post, I'm under the assumption that a year and a half on Post-StrikerS, Teana would most likely outrank the LineBackers

I see. *nodding*

Also.... what would you say if at some point in the far future, Franz recruited the Linebackers to join the OFM?

Originally Posted by LoweGear

Unfortunately, Franz lacks true SPIRAL POWER

Indeed, he has only a pale imitation of it. Which is a good thing, because if he had any more, Ivanovich would beat it outta him.

Originally Posted by LoweGear

And we already have our first volunteer

Although IMHO for this plan to be effective, it'll have to be someone who's not known to hang out here

We won't know until we try. *shrugs*

Originally Posted by PhoenixFlare

Anyone here familiar with the military drill? I mean, once they are alerted of a situation, what do they do, actually? In Nanohaverse, it seems like most of them are alerted via some cool communication screens and then they skip off for the site. Don't the Captains/Superiors need to be briefed by their Commander on the mission, the logistics provided, timing, army size, etc.? And are the armies always ready for such emergency situations (in terms of being able to go off the cuff when the signal comes)?

It depends on the unit. For example, air forces and navy air wings would typically have 2 fighters on what they call "Alert 5": A pair of fighters ready to scramble in five minutes, 24/7, round the clock; the Alert 5 birds head up while the rest of the squadron scrambles. It really depends on the situation. The Alert 5 senario above applies to DEFCON (DEFense CONdition) 5, peactime, as following the US Standard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFCON

Under DEFCON 3 and 2, squadrons are ready to scramble 24/7 in full; the SSBN and strategic bomber fleets typically operated on DEFCON 3 and 2 during the Cold War, regardless on current DEFCON level.

For an aircraft carrier at sea, there are always two fighters on Alert 5 at all times and another 4 fighters in the air on a Combat Air Patrol, patrolling for threats; carriers operate on higher levels of threat and paranoia compared to ground forces.

The level of alert also depends on how close you are to the action. As we see in Transformers, which is highly accurate in its depiction of the military response, air support assets in hot combat zones are typically kept ready to go. As can be seen from the scenes of the Hogs taking off, both were already fully-equipped and fueled; all that was needed was for the ground crew to yank off the safety pins and they were ready to rock.

In this situation, which I think you're thinking of an intercept, what happens is that the pilots are launched, and as they're en route to the bogey, ground control will vector them in and brief them. Typically, on emergency or Alert 5 scrambles, there isn't enough time to figure out enemy dispositions, beyond the basics- "We have two Bears inbound on vector xxx". You get briefed while in flight to the objective...as for how I found this, it's from reading a book on the Air National Guard, back when they still had lotsa air defense squadrons and did Bear intercepts.

It's different though, if you have more time, at which you can plan your response properly and thus have what you mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Kagerou

Sounds like Emili and Franz could have a lot of fun in this operation. >.>

And don't forget this man too, because this is right up his alley:

Spoiler for A.J. Ivanovich, Sergeant Major of the Order of Freelance Mages:

Name: A. J. Ivanovich
Ace Name: Invincible Green Style
Callsign: Bravo 20
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Origin: Erusia
Affiliation: Time-Space Administration Bureau, Midchilda
Position: Sergeant Major of the Order, Assault Platoon 2IC
Rank: E-9

Mage Class: Sniper
Mage Rank: B (Official Rank)/AA++ (Actual Rank)
Magic System: Midchilda
Magic Color: Green
Magic Affinity: Real Man Badass
Magic Style: Steady and decisive, quick reactions
Magic Device: Rifle Device Harvest

Conventional Style: 2IC Assault Platoon, 2nd Squad (Bravo) leader
Conventional Weapons (Note: Due to his many years of experience as a Marine, Ivanovich is familliar and rated Expert with all weapons listed below. Although he has carried all of these weapons at once, with full combat loads during PT, a mission-specific loadout will be adopted for actual combat operations.):
- One MA5C Assault rifle, chambered for 7.62x51mm, with optional flashlight, underslung 40mm grenade launcher, or shotgun attachment
- One pistol, chambered for 12.7x40mm, loaded with Armor-Piercing High Explosive rounds.
- One BR55 battle rifle, chambered for 9.5x45mm Semi Armor Piercing and 2x ACOG scope.
- 8-gauge combat shotgun
- 14.5mm sniper rifle
- "Spanker" rocket launcher
- An underterminate number of combat knives

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 172
Build: Medium
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Hair Style: Short crewcut
Facial Features: Moustache. Looks that scream "Badass!"
Clothing: Wears Order Class A Forest Greens while at Base or aboard Order cruiser, Navy Class A Blues at official TSAB functions, combat fatigues for PT and other situations

Spoiler for Sergeant Major Ivanovich, wearing Order BDUs and body armor:

Seiyuu: Dave Scully

Spoiler for Character Theme:

DragonForce - Through the Fire and the Flames

TSAB Profile: A former Sergeant Major in the Erusian Marines, A. J. Ivanovich has been a loyal subordinate and helper to Erick von Long over the past two decades, ever since he was assigned to the former's mage squad during the War of Subjugation. While Erick leads the Order and handles the heavy stuff, Ivanovich looks directly to the welfare of his men, and despite his gruffness and position as the Right Hand of God, all of the Order's enlisted personnel know they can come to him with their problems. Ivanovich has a slightly different mindset from Erick; while Erick adheres to the greater good of the Bureau, Ivanovich prioritises the greater good of the Order...not that both aims are incompatible. Really. Honestly. Mostly.

Still, when the shit hits the fan, there are few sights more welcome than the Sergeant Major arriving on the battlefield, ready to kick ass and take names, with his Big Green Style that can neither be defeated nor denied. The Assault Platoon ground pounders will follow him to hell and back, Franz included; because with the Sergeant Major on their side, the poor bastards who dare to stand against them are outnumbered. His intimidating manner and outrageous pep talks are the stuff of legend, and warm his men's hearts... when he isn't yelling at them, that is.

Personality:
- Alignment: Lawful Good
"Look up 'Badass' in a dictionary, you'll see the Sergeant Major's picture there." This sentiment perfectly describes Ivanovich. He has an Aura of Badass like Erick, but unlike Erick's refined Gunslinger persona, Ivanovich is 100% Marine Badass Sergeant Major. He's a very direct man who likes a good drink and a good cigar, and beneath that directness and gruffness lies the finest spirit of Marine leadership and a can do attitude...though when you pack as much firepower as Ivanovich, you pretty can do anything. Although his true power and skills are at least that of a AA++ ranked mage, Ivanovich has refused to take the promotion exams as it would mean hie would be sent to TSAB OCS, and undergo another demotion to 2nd Lieutenant, and would no longer be able to serve the Order as effectively.

When off-duty, and with his friends and those he is close to, Ivanovich displays a sense of humor and isn't afraid to jokingly chide his superiors with sometimes outrageous admonishments. Erick and he are good friends, Glen respects him, Emili views him as an uncle figure, and Franz is throughly awed by Ivanovich's presence - though that may heve been because Ivanovich was his squad leader. He cares deeply for all the men under his command, and is deeply religious, often making reference to God in his pep talks and taunts, though he also believes that faith is best served by deeds, not words.

In combat, Ivanovich will tend to hang back and provide covering fire from afar, taking out threats and hunting enemy snipers. When there's a need to get up close though, he'll be right in the thick of fighting, often beside Erick and Franz and his squad: where the fire is the hottest, there you'll find the Sergeant Major, arriving on the battlefield with superior firepower. To the mages of the Assault Platoon, Ivanovich is the invicible Sergeant Major; countless tales have been passed down on how he always arrives in the nick of time and is always the last man standing, no matter what opposition (there is even a tale that Ivanovich once arrived to a battlefield bringing a stolen main battle tank). He is one of the few Order mages in the Assault Platoon who's been around from the very beginning.

Whatever the grizzly details of Sergeant Major Ivanovich's current reputation, he has certainly earned it. And if you have anything to say about that, you had better be damn well out of boot range when you do.

"When the Sergeant Major showed up, I knew we were gonna win." - Bravo 23, Assault Platoon Mage.

Among Ivanovich's quirks are his liking for cigars, and his addiction to metal music; fortunately for him, most members of the Assault Platoon share his tastes to music.

History:

Spoiler for Part 1:

Spoiler for Younger Ivanovich on patrol:

In times before, Ivanovich was a Marine. Not a magician of any sort or a mere soldier, but a Marine, one of the elite shock troops deployed from naval vessels to strike hard and fast. He was a Staff Sergeant, in charge of a section, keeping peace and protecting the seas as best he could (because despite the strong military presence on Erusia, there were always criminals who would get it into their heads to try and pillage oceangoing ships). He was born in St. Hewlett in Osea, but like many others considered himself a citizen of Erusia rather than his nation. As a child his parents divorced and he was raised by his aunt, wearing hand-me-downs lovingly stitched and patched to look brand new.

Before he could be drafted for his one-term compulsory service, Ivanovich enlisted in the Marine Corps, an act that he says changed his life forever. While taking part in a counterinsurgency exercise, his aunt died and he only discovered the body when he returned three days later; this event had a strong impact on him, causing him to sink into depression and go on a drinking binge, leading him to go temporarily AWOL, though he was later returned to the bosom of Mother Corps, something which he says saved his life.

Ivanovich rose quickly through the ranks of the Marines, and as a Corporal attended the elite Naval Special Warfare Sniper School; his graduation excercise was the assasination of a corrupt bureaucrat. He served aboard several ships in the course of his career, both waterborne and spaceborne warships, and after serving a stint in Recon he was planning on undergoing ODST selection, and becoming an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Marine for several years...

Until it was discovered that he had magical potential.

Ivanovich was immediately reassigned to the magic user division and while at first resenting the implied demotion, he was spurred on to excel in everything he did so as to be different from the civillians in his group... The real reason is because he saw 1st Lieutenant Erick von Long fire off a Stinger Sniper and be absolutely hammered, and he decided he'd better keep an eye on the Lieutenant, because that's what Gunnery Sergeants do. (And also because he would be damned if he let some Army 1LT outshine a Marine Gunnery Sergeant.)

During the War of Subjugation, Ivanovich was assigned to Erick's unit, and backed him up on countless skirmishes in North Point; it was during the heavy fighting in North Point that his reputation began to come into its own. Unlike the suicide bomber mages, Ivanovich and Erick used every last bit of their military training and knowledge to stymie the TSAB forces, leading to many victories and draws in their many skirmishes; Ivanovich in particular began to develop his Heroic Badass reputation, as well as a reputation as a hunter of TSAB mages, sniping them from afar with his 14.5mm sniper rifle, earning him the nickname of "Mage Hunter". Unlike the many arrogant and conceited magic users, Ivanovich always approached attacking TSAB mages with caution, skill, and careful planning, in agreement with Erick... and plenty of firepower (during one skirmish in North Point, Ivanovich used an entire crate of Erusian plasma grenades to keep a force of mages at bay, allowing his men to escape. While he suceeded in inflicting heavy casualties on the opposing force, he also earned a twelve-hundred rad cumulative dose of radiation and developed Boren's Syndrome from overexposure to high-yield plasma).

As the war drew on, Ivanovich began to grow pessimistic about the outcome of the war, and held a strong feeling of distaste for the TSAB forces (although he was able to see their POV from an intellectual angle). His paradigm was severely adjusted, however, by what Erick had told him of his encounter with several TSAB mages, and his own observations of how the TSAB mages fought with more honor than the Erusians; an important concept to a Marine, where the concepts of Marine Corps Honor and Personal Honor were drilled into each and every Marine. After many heart to heart talks with Erick, being sickened by Erusian tactics, and on witnessing the closing stages of Erick's duel with Aurion, Ivanovich was swayed to Erick's beliefs as he dragged his CO out of the alley back into safer territory. The next day, he and his teammates defected with Erick.

Spoiler for Part 2:

When Erick formed the Order of Freelance Mages, his first pick was Ivanovich, who he selected to be the unit SNCO. Promoted to Sergeant Major, and working closely with the XO, Ivanovich took to his new duties like a duck to water, equally adept at both the infiltration and explosive destruction aspects of the Order's missions. He had no problems with the Order being the hunters of the TSAB and acting to prevent another Sotoa; sometimes, if drunk enough - a rarity - Ivanovich can be heard saying that he believes the Order is his true purpose in life and that he was lucky to be there to be God's intsrument.

As Assault Platoon 2nd in Command, in addition to his duties as Command Sergeant Major, Ivanovich was responsible for much of the early mentoring that Franz Jaeger received while the latter served in his platoon; to this date, Franz has held Ivanovich in the deepest respect, and some have theorised that Franz's hot blood is really his answer to Invanovich's outrageous pep talks. It was Ivanovich who suggested Franz as a possible XO, and he's still trying, in his own way, to get him to grow up. He enjoys the support of his men and the Order, and plans on remaining as Sergeant Major for the foreseable future; though he's 50 years old, he moves like a man 20 years younger.

When Ivanovich finally retires, the Order will miss him. Until then, those sons of bitches who dare stand against his beloved Order had better watch out.

Device:
Ivanovich's Intelligent Device is Harvest, a Rifle Device formed by fusing the core of the Staff Device that he used in North Point with a BR55HB Heavy Barrel battle rifle. Referring to its owner as "Sarge," Harvest sports a cartridge system to allow for greater spellpower. Unlike comparable Rifle Devices such as Storm Raider, Harvest has the largest cartridge capacity ever, using 12-round magazines. Ivanovich carries plenty spare magazines with him, being a firm believer in never having too much firepower.

Originally set with a Limited during the Order's trial run, Ivanovich used Harvest to its fullest potential during that time, and ever since the limiter has been removed, has been pusing Harvest to its fullest potential. It can use most Midchilda system sniping spells; snipers are a minority in the TSAB, meaning that the pool of sniper spells is quite limited.

Barrier Jacket: Ivanovich uses the standard Barrier Jacket of the Order's ground forces, which strongly resembles that of the Erusian Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. This Barrier Jacket is essentially a set of black-and-gray mottlef camoflage fatigues, with black boots, shin guards, forarm guards, torso body armor, shoulder and upper arm armor. Ivanovich does not use a helmet.

Spoiler for Armor pics:

Unable to use their Devices due to high AMF density, two riflemen from Alpha Squad and a designated marksman open fire on Gadget Drones with Assault Rifles and a Battle Rifle.

An image of Assault Platoon Barrier Jacket, with addon communications/glare/vehicle helmet.