Mag Force 7

Mag Force 7 is a fictional team of mercenaries invented by author Margaret Weis for use in her Star of the Guardians novels. Based originally on The Magnificent Seven, the team developed a much more varied membership just in time to star in their own novels: The Knights of the Black Earth, Robot Blues and Hung Out.

Later, when Weis and Don Perrin began to develop collectible card games, they used the phrase "Mag Force 7" as the title of their company. The company seems to have folded, since, as of 17 May 2005, their website, www.mag7.com, is being developed as a fansite for the 1996 Olympics gold-medal-winning American Gymnastics team.

Notable members

Xris Cyborg - formerly a Federal agent, Xris (pronounced 'Chris') was brutally wounded when an investigation into a criminal organization, the Hung, turned out to be an ambush. He left the hospital 65% cyborg, walked out on his wife, and formed a mercenary team, "Xris's Commandos," during which time he came to the attention of a number of the galaxy's more prominent military officers—Warlord Derek Sagan, General (and later Lord of Admiralty) John Dixter, and the Lady Maigrey Morianna, who hired him for an invasion of Corasian space (a feat never before attempted due to its suicidal nature). Xris was one of the few survivors of that raid, and (due to its almost total reorganization) his group was eventually renamed Mag Force 7.

Harry Luck - Mag Force 7's premiere pilot, Harry is well-intentioned but oafish and rather slow on the uptake. He is the only member of Mag Force 7 to have also been in Xris's Commandos and is intensely loyal to its leader. Very little is known about his history and personal life, which in some ways suits the character quite well. He is often regarded as dumber than a post, as there are several jibes in the series referring to injuries sustained to his rear end as possibly damaging his intelligence. Actually his intelligence was damaged from one too many stun blasts to the head.

Raoul de Beausoleil - Hailing from the planet of Adonis, where beauty is prized above all else, Raoul is known primarily for the size of his wardrobe, his well-maintained hair, nails and physique, and constant use of make-up. Formerly an employee of weapons magnate and fellow Adonian Snaga Ohme, he found himself drifting after his employer's demise and signed on to the Lady Maigrey's rescue mission. He has been with Xris ever since. Raoul is a Loti, a recreational drug user who maintains a constant euphoria, although no one from Mag Force 7 has ever seen Raoul use any type of drugs. Xris harbors an idea that Raoul is perfectly drug free and is silently laughing at everyone being fooled by his clever act. He is also one of the most clever and deadly poisoners in the galaxy; his favorite trick is to hide poison in his lip gloss, creating a kiss that is truly to die for. He is also a notoriously bad shot with any form of projectile weaponry.

The Little One - a diminutive and enigmatic figure, approximately the height of a small child, constantly swaddled in an oversize raincoat and battered fedora, from under which peer two bright eyes. The Little One (no known gender) is a formidable telepath, and hangs out with Raoul because his drug-induced bliss is soothing. Raoul also acts as its mouthpiece, as The Little One cannot (or at least does not) talk. The Little One's only known armament is a blowgun with poisoned darts; its main talent is to keep Raoul focused and provide the team with telepathic reconnaissance. The Little One is eventually revealed to be a Tongan, a member of an extremely reclusive race, and becomes the first recorded example of that species in medical history. Xris made that discovery after finding him in a pool of blood in a hotel bathroom, thinking him almost dead. Dr. Quong revealed that the injuries were mild and he looked that way normally.

Darlene Mohini - formerly Dalin Rowan, Xris's fellow Fed. After the botched investigation on TISor 13, in which Xris became a cyborg, Rowan realized that he was under the eyes of the Hung. He faked his own death and changed his gender, becoming Major Darlene Mohini of the Royal Navy, a signal-intelligence and electronic countermeasures officer on a distant star base. Xris though she had set him up and hunted her down, only to get the shock of his life; the two eventually reconciled their differences, especially after Mohini was instrumental in foiling a plot to assassinate His Royal Majesty Dion Starfire. It is unknown whether Mohini was officially invited to join Mag Force 7, nor if she accepted, but she remained active in the group's endeavors for some time to come. In the second book of the series, Robot Blues Xris refers to her as a member of Mag Force 7, in the beginning as well as the end.

Minor Members

Dr. Bill Quong - Dr. Quong is the team's medical expert. Although reason dictates he could gain more golden eagles (Currency) by opening a private practice, all his attempts to do this have thus failed. The main reason being he tends to refer to people as machines, due to his degree in engineering, and logic in the simple fact that humans are but biological machines. As such, he proves to be a great asset to Xris, keeping both his cyborg and human components in shape. He as also adept at the use of firearms. He also has an odd fascination with The Little One, often poking and prodding him in order to write more on his paper about the Tongans.

Tycho - Tycho is the team's sniper and money manager. He is from a humanoid race often referred to as "Chameleons" due to their ability to change color to suit their backgrounds. As such they are completely nude most of the time, a fact many people take a moment to get used to. They are also quite slender, to the point it makes hitting one from range difficult. They are much like reptiles in the fact that they are taller than humans and have elongated limbs. They are also unable to learn human speech, and no human is ever seen in the series as being able to understand their language. As such, Tycho requires the use of a translator, which unfortunately, either is highly defective, or his race has some highly imaginative sayings, such as "All for one, and damn the torpedoes!". As a matter of fact, there are two Tychos in the series. The first, a sniper and vegetarian, is killed by a grenade in the second book of the series. Earlier in the book, Tycho remarks that he doesn't much mind dying, as his life insurance payout would be massive and tax free to his family. The second Tycho, his younger brother (one of 11 capable of taking his place), joins the team after his brother's death, and as part of a tradition, assumes Tycho's name, and all of his unfinished contracts. The second Tycho is a Demolitions expert, as well as another expert in money management ("It runs in the family"). He prefers chocolate to all other foodstuff. As a note, Xris thought that Tycho was indistinguishable from his brothers and sister, mother and father, and every single one of his race.

Jamil The team's military expert, and the obligatory wise cracking individual of military background. Jamil is a black male of a moderate build. He is apparently very handsome as he is quite the womanizer, having 2 wives, somewhat legally, as well as many one time flings throughout the galaxy. Whereas Harry is slow to catch on, Jamil is quick like a whip, although many times what he says is heavily ladled with sarcasm. As it is, anything that was or is used by the military, Jamil can give specifications as well as use, minus heavily passworded computers. Jamil often takes his shots were he can get them. When impersonating a superior officer to Xris (Jamil was a Colonel, Xris was a Captain) he used this time to take pot shots at Xris by ordering him around, making him do such things as moving baggage.