We were talking in the Discord about this the other day, figured I would share.

Magnus Burnsides was never supposed to be on the IPRE mission.

He’s not a scientist or a magic user.  He’s strong sure, but he’s also like 20 years old and not nearly tempered enough to be the Security Officer on a mission like this.  Compared to the rest of the crew he seems like the odd man out, the only fighter on a ship of magic users.  No major accomplishments to his name, no reason to take him on this historic mission.

Imagine Captain Davenport, testing and screening applicants for his mission.  It’s important that they be talented and multifaceted, able to handle a variety of tasks.  The crew will be small, and everyone will have to pull their weight. 

But they’re also tested for compatibility with each other.

The Starblaster’s revolutionary Bond Engine is powered by relationships.  Having a crew that gets along, that gels together perfectly and supports and, frankly, loves each other.  It’s no easy task, especially as the pool starts to narrow down.  The Twins alone are a hassle, and it’s difficult to find people that get along with them.  Merle is a bit of a wise-ass, and Barry can be a little overwhelming when he gets into one of his scientific rants.  Lucretia is pretty neutral, but that’s only because she chooses to observe most days.

They get along well enough, but they’re missing something.

Enter Magnus Burnsides.

He’s probably not even supposed to be there.  Maybe he’s making a delivery to the Institute from the farm he works at.  Davenport watches as this young man walks onto campus, completely out of his league, and immediately begins to make friends with everyone he comes across.  He banters with the janitorial staff, he jokes with the freshman coeds walking to class, he kindly offers to help an elderly professor carry their bags to class.  This kid is so friendly, so hospitable even when he’s in an unfamiliar place, that Davenport snatches him up and takes him to meet the mission team.

And they all click with him immediately.

“It’s not enough that we get along,” Davenport explains to the board later that day, “Simply getting along won’t be enough to reach the engine’s full potential.  We need to be like a family, and this kid immediately took to everyone like he had known them his whole life.”

“You want to send an untrained civilian on a dangerous and historic mission into Gods know where?” the board asks.

“He got along with Taako.  Within ten minutes of meeting him they were friends.”

Magnus Burnsides is admitted to the Institute that day, and taken under Davenport’s wing for special training to catch him up with the rest of the crew.  It’s not an easy task.  Magnus has no formal education, and no magical ability.  Davenport works with what the kid does know, which is fighting and friendship.  They train hard to make him into a suitable Security Officer, still a little green around the edges but ready to fight for the people he cares about.

Davenport knows that Magnus’ kind nature will be the most important asset he brings to this mission, and as the years pass he is proven right again and again. 

Magnus Burnsides’ heart is the only weapon they need.