Top of the Chain - Jurassic Park-Inspired Cinematic Character RP - Games

Osman nodded as Artyom grabbed the MRE. He looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes." He dropped down from the bed and started going through his own gear on the bunk below. "I just hope they don't give me some shitty pickup to drive."

> "What can I do for you?" "Hi there Mr. Morhauser. I'm Robert." Red took Morhauser's hand in his and give it a quick shake. "I was told you were the man to speak too about provisioning and the ship's armory? I'd like to bring along some flares with me when we hit the shore and I figured it wouldn't hurt to check if I should replace this old rifle with anything. You wouldn't happen to know what's available or where to find it would you?"

Morhauser shook Red's hand and then scratched his neck. "Well, Yggdrasil broght with them some kind of mobile armory. It's just a few zones over. Three containers welded together, they should have something for you," replied Morhauser. The "zones" he was referring to were nothing more but sections marked on the hangar floor with different colors of tape. Next to the DAGR staging point were a zone dedicated for fuel trucks, a zone for cargo containers and lastly there was the armory. "As for flares I think I have some extra ones. Less weight for me."

> "As for flares I think I have some extra ones. Less weight for me." Red thanked Morhauser for his generosity, relieving the man of two of his flares, one for emergencies and one for super emergencies. Checking the time, Red noticed the briefing was fast approaching. Rather than chance missing it, Red decided to visit the armory later and head back to the staging area. Hopefully there would be time afterwards to check out the armory. Arriving at the staging area, Red sets down his rucksack, strapping his new flares dutifully to the side of his pack and fishing inside for his pen and notebook. Red didn't want to miss a thing.

"You can make shitty pickup like fancy limo." Artyom responds with a chuckle as he picks up his book and starts to read again. "Armored car is preferable though."

The staging area was nothing more but a dozen or so rows of cheap foldable plastic chairs facing a large stage flanked by two armored cars. Some of the chairs were currently occupied by various military and civilian contractors. Most were sitting in small groups chatting with eachother while others were asleep or fiddling around with their gear. As Red sat down he would notice that the area was slowly filling up as the people around the hangar prepared for the briefing. --- Osman chuckled. "Only if you take point on the flatbed. Just like in Donbass."

Sun finished grabbing her MREs and set about finalizing her packs, making sure she has all the necessary medical supplies and portable lab equipment for taking samples and recording data. She ends up taking over two unoccupied tables as she checks and double checks her equipment, powering various gadgets on and recording background information as a control before shutting them back down.

Without hesitating, Ori hooked up his PDA to the computer. A few clicks and button presses later, and he was already on his way to rebooting the system.

"Hrm." Artyom responded, fidgeting in his bunk. He didn't like anyone mentioning or speaking to him of his country, especially the traitorous parts that ruined the east. Brought bad feelings, and worse memories. "I suppose."

One of the APS mercs scratched his neck. "What's that," he asks Sun while staring at her equipment. --- Osman held up his hands. "I meant no offense. I simply speak from my own experience. Iraq, Syria, Libya and Ukraine... After a while you start to see the similarities." ----- The rebooting didn't take long. After all, Ori once assisted with the design of some parts of the system. Eventually a prompt informed Ori that the antenna was activated and ready for broadcast. With job done he could stick around at the computer or choose to go look for loot. --- A prompt popped up on Koko's computer screen. The antenna was ready. Brandt looked at her. "Are we good?" --- The jungle had gone quiet. Karsten tightened his grip around his P90. He took a deep breath and listened closely. He could hear the wind. He could hear the trees moving. He could hear... steps? Karsten adjusted his aim to the left and opened fire. Five... Ten... Fifteen bullets rippled through the vegetation and lodged themselves into trees and rocks alike. The gunfire echoed far and wide. Hidden by the trees a creature studied the lone Park Security Officer and hissed, revealing an arsenal of razor-sharp teeth. --- Brandt gripped her rifle and started to sweep for targets. "Karsten. Report." The radio sparked. "They're here. One of 'em is watching me. Hurry the fuck up, will you?" Brandt nodded. "Understood."

Sun glances up at the merc and smiles warmly. "Which one? I've got dna/rna compilers, gene sequencers, biomonitors, a rudimentary biofoundry to replicate platelets..." she trails off after listing a few more items. "Y'know, covering the basics. Keeping you guys alive and recovering important biotechnical data."

As the others wandered about and talked, Frank finished loading his magazines before looking back to Kaspar. "I'm gonna head over to the armory. See if I can pick up a larger weapon." he stated, before stepping away. He made his way across the sections of the hangar, before finally arriving at the makeshift armory. There were dozens of weapons set up for use, alongside various attachments and secondary equipment. He didn't need any flashy scopes, rails, or foregrips. Just a nice shotgun would do. And a nice shotgun he did find. Standing in a rack was a pump-action shotgun. A Remington 870 Special Purpose Marine Magnum. Nickle-plated with an extended tube, a synthetic stock, and a flashlight mounted just in front of the pump. Not a Mossberg, but he wouldn't get picky. Remington made some great shotguns. ------------------- Koko nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Its working!" she responded, quickly closing the laptop and fetching her own weapon. A simple Five-Seven. It was all she had been able to scrounge up ammo for these past few weeks, considering a good chunk of the security teams had P90s mixed into their loadouts. It worked for the most part, but from months of use, it began to show some wear and tear. It had jammed a week ago. That's never good.

YCV Mjolnir The merc scratched his neck and took a bite from a juicy sandwhich in his hand. "Do you have anything cool? Like a lasergun?" Morhauser whistled. "It's time for the briefing. Let's go!" Kaspar grunted and started to make his way over while Osman alrted everyone at the bunks. --- Briefing Operation Samaritan Onboard the YCV Mjolnir Slowly the inhabitants of the hangar as well as members of Mjolnir's crew assembled inside the hangar. The hundreds of available seats were quickly taken which forced those that were late to remain standing or find alternative seats ontop of crates, vehicles and containers. On the stage a group of gruff-looking men and women wearing APS uniforms stood on one side while officers of the Mjolnir crew stood on the other. The Ares mercenaries were most likely group leaders, advsors and other key personnel while the Mjolnir group were clearly ship officers as their commander- Captain Jackson- stood at their center. A woman wearing dark combats, a green jacket, a white t-shirt and with a brown baseball cap on her head slowly walked up on the stage. The hangar became quiet as chatter turned into whispers and whispers into silence The woman walked up to the center of the stage and cleared her throat. She didn't have a microphone, instead an earpiece had been connected to various speakers inside the hangar. "Good evening. I am Field Commander Rebecca Davis, appointed to be in charge of this operation." She gestured with her hands outwards, as if to point out the massive hangar walls. Rebecca continued. "Welcome abord the YCV Mjolnir. For many of you this vessel will be your home for roughly another nine hours." She smiled. "But we all know why you are really here." Suddenly a map was projected on the wall behind her. "Welcome to Operation Samaritan." "Before we get into details, let's begin with some background information. You're looking at the map of Isla Paraíso. It is one of the most beautiful islands in the entire Pacific, untouched by Man and his greed. That is, untill three years ago when the Yggdrasil Corporation bought it- alongside zoning rights for a resort- for five billion dollars. Two years ago they opened up Apex Park on the island. As many of you know Apex Park was a scientific wonder not because of its location but rather because the animals housed within. Having perfected DNA-replicating technology Yggdrasil had managed to create the first viable dinosaur clones. Apex Park became a massive success as the wealthiest people on the planet were invited in to witness these amazing creatures. But of course, nothing lasts forever. Five months ago the tropical storm Jaguar swept across the island. After its initial contact communications were lost and because of the violent nature of the storm there was no possibility of mounting a rescue." Rebecca folded her hands into one another. "This is where we come in. Under the contract of Yggdrasil's vice-CEO Franklin Barnes we, Ares Private Security, have been tasked with establishing a beachhead on the island. We have also been tasked with recovering the VIPs that were on the island when the storm hit. Now, I know what you're thinking. Yes, it's been five months. Yes, the storm probably did alot of damage to the park. Yes, there's man-eating dinosaurs on the island. But all of that is irrelevant because none of us are in the business of risk management. We're in the business of threat neutralization." The map changed, zooming in on what would appear to be an insertion point. "This is where we go in. East Beach. Nothing out there except jungle and dinosaur enclosures. Still, it's the safest place to drop if we are to reach the security centre which is one of our main objectives." Rebecca held up five fingers. "First objective: Establish a beachhead. We will travel in three convoys. Second objective: Mobilize on the security centre. Once we are there we can reactivate the island tracking systems to locate the VIPs. All VIPs were injected with a security chip in the right wrist. Third objective: Locate any and all VIPs. Once we've secured all the VIPs we will mobilize to one of the evacuation points. There the Mjolnir will begin evacuation of our forces from the island." The map projection changed again, this it zoomed in on all of the different icons. "All teamleaders will be equipped with a PDA and sat-phone. Sat-phones will be used for long-range communication outside of radio range untill we can reboot and repair all communications masts. Each PDA will include a detailed map of the island and a list of all known dinosaur specimens currently on the island. Be advised that Yggdrasil were keeping several of their projects under wraps so if you encounter any unknown and hostile specimen you are free to engage. Dinosaurs on the island are a mix of herbivores- vegetarians- and carnivores- meat-eaters- which are housed in separate enclosures. We have no way of telling if the enclosures are intact however most of the more predatory species are highly territorial and will most likely be easily avoidable as long as we stay outside of their enclosure. If any of the dinosaurs charge or otherwise threaten your safety lethal force has been authorized to prevent personal injury. If you can, use bright lights and loud noises to scare them off as each dinosaur is worth quite the fortune." "All operation vehicles will be equipped with teargas launchers, mounted heavy machineguns, high-caliber rifles and advanced communications gear. Alongside that Yggdrasil have borrowed us some of their own gear for controlling dinosaurs. First up we have the netgun. It's exactly as it sounds, a gun which fires a large net for incapacitating smaller dinosuars. Secondly we have a taser-rifle and lastly a two-handed stunstick." "I don't expect you to go wrestle with a T-Rex but if you can safely subdue and secure a live species and bring it back home Yggdrasil have promised extra rewards for the team that does it." Rebecca paused and studied the assembled people. "Finally I'd like to wish you all good luck. This operation may not go as smoothly as the brass wants it to but we'll do our damn best either way. At the end of the day however their goal- my goal- is to bring us all back home safely. Stick together out there. Don't make any stupid decisions. Make sure to watch your backs. Dismissed." ----- Isla Paraíso With Koko having successfully activated the broadcast the antenna sent out a signal far and wide. Thanks to some extra power from the bunker the broadcast was boosted all the way out into the Pacific. Several miles away a tired technician onboard the Mjolnir took a sip from his fourth cup of coffee when a flashing broadcast prompt nearly knocked him out of the chair. At the same time an airplane circling far above the storm also received the signal. It began its approach. Back on the island a curious pair of eyes observed Brandt and Koko at the car. A pair of leaves rustled and a twig snapped. Brandt tapped Koko on the shoulder. "Get in the car. Keys are in the ignition. The broadcast must be out by now." She disconnected the cable from the communications device and pulled down a tarp over it to shield it. There was no time to go get the cable from the antenna. "I'm reading multiple proximity alarms. They are all around you." Said Deveraux. Brandt frowned. "Copy that. En route to Karsten and Frenkel now. Out." She hopped into the passanger seat and placed her rifle on the dashboard. A small hole had been drilled in the windshield and replaced with a hatch small enough to fit a rifle barrel. "Let's go." --- Karsten saw something move. At least he thought he did. Behind him the lights inside the bunker started to flicker. "Frenkel! Get the fuck back here! Brandt! Koko! Where are you?" The radio sparked. "We're two minutes out." Responded Brandt. "Fuck!" Muttered Karsten to himself, still aiming down his sights. "Roger that. Get over here ASAP. There's more of them here."

"SHIT!" Ori bolted off the seat and sprinted as fast as he could down the halls, almost slamming into a wall as he ran. "Karsten, where are you!?" he screamed.

Frank listened in on the briefing, standing in the back cradling his newly acquired shotgun in his arms. They wanted them to try and catch some of them? He grunted. Too much of a hastle, honestly. He headed back to the ammunition table, and began to load the shotgun with shells. One in the chamber, and six in the tube. Then, he slipped several into a shell bandolier he had also nabbed from the armory. At least he wouldn't run low on shells any time soon. Once he finished, it was back to his bunk where his tools and other bags awaited. ------------------ Koko quickly moved around to the driver's seat of the vehicle, slipping in and popping the keys into the ignition. After rolling over twice, the engine finally came to life. She shifted out of park, and soon enough the vehicle's tires slung dirt and rocks before scooting away.

As soon as the map hit the projector screen, Red immediately began studying it. Flipping to a print out of the island's map he had retrieved from a tourist brochure, he began updating it with the more detailed map before him. Mountains, rivers, anything that would form natural boundaries on the island for its people and its dinosaurs. The map was quite outdated, newer maps showcase exclusively the visitor areas and weren't to scale, so he had to add in several of the newer enclosures. He disagreed with Commander Davis's assessment. Carnivores only stick to their territory if its fruitful, and since non of the tourist brochures and testimonials he had researched spoke about ample natural game for the animals, he assumed the carnivores would either be starved if they hadn't managed to break out, or long shifted their territories if they had. Either case, the fences and moats would still be important barriers to keep track of, but Red would have to remain on his toes no matter his position on the island. Simultaneously processing Commander Davis's brief while studying the map was proving to be a bit much. Red managed to note and mark a handful of locations of importance to him, The security station, the research lab, the ominous sounding test site that was off limits. He had noted down just some of the evac zones when the map suddenly shifted to the insertion point. Red almost let out a grunt of exasperation. He paused his note taking to listen to Davis with renewed concentration. Maybe it was due to this, Red became increasingly nervous about the tone of the briefing. Hostile and unknown specimens and off limit test areas? He certainly wasn't enthused about going into this venture without all his ducks in a row, especially when he had billed himself as an advisor on the island's engineered inhabitants. In preparation for the job, he'd painstakingly researched and consulted over the behaviors and biology of the dinosaurs LGG had published, both from the fossil record and from Yggdrasil's own research at the island. Rebecca's final words on the matter didn't leave him with much faith. Upon being dismissed, Red was at a slight loss. His map incomplete as well as his understanding of the island's residents, he hoped that someone would be handing out maps like they would at a normal zoo.

"I thought they were all cool..." Sun pouts playfully at the merc as she finishes testing her equipment and begins re-packing it. She manages to get it packed before the briefing, and after the briefing was over, decided to go to the armory to try and get a rifle. When she reaches the armory, she knocks politely on the door frame and calls out a greeting.

Crius gave a nod to the commander and climbed aboard one of the Strykers behind him after he rested his rifle against one of the wheels. Not like I'll need it right now, he thought. Build by General Dynamics, the vehicle was in top shape. He climbed into the driver's seat and looked behind him, counting eight seats, with an extra one for the gunner. Looking up at the turrets, he saw all the operational controls for the .50 cals and was impressed. They're going to come in handy if they're assaulted, being protected by strong ceramic armor. The powerful 350 HP engine is going to supply all the power they need for the remote control systems, and getting out of a sticky situation in a hurry. He knew these beasts could reach speeds of 60 mph and he was excited to be behind the wheel of one. Suddenly, he heard a whistle and poked his head up through the driver's port above his seat in time to see Commander Davis assembling everyone for the briefing. He hit the controls to unlock his side door and climbed out closing it behind him, grabbed his rifle and took a seat in the front row as the commander began her briefing. It didn't take long for Crius to understand the gravity of the situation. This was no simple OP, this was serious, dangerous, and a lot of money at steak, to say the least. All of those combined, made him uncomfortable. Were they well enough equipped? Did they have the right people? He looked over at one of the biologists who called himself Red and realized how nervous the kid has been all day. Gonna need bigger muscle than that. He let out a long sigh as the commander finished her briefing. He's been in the shit before, but nothing this bad. Back in the ME, you know who you were fighting. ROEs were pretty clear. The environment was clear. Mission objectives, etc. Here...the plan was in place but it clearly wasn't worth it's weight in gold. As the commander finished the briefing, he jumped up from his chair and rushed over to her. "Sorry, commander you got a minute? Vehicle Specialist Crius Thomson reporting for duty. I just had a couple quick questions". He added with a quick salute.

> "She knocks politely on the door frame and calls out a greeting." "Oh yes, sorry, sorry!" Red had come to the armory after the briefing like he'd planned to. Whipping around to face the door, the weight of his pack causes him to pivot just a bit too far and forces him to readjust clumsily. Pushing the door back open, he was met by Sun, waiting there expectantly. "Yes, I must have accidentally closed this massive container door as I came in. Sorry about that. I'm Robert, paleontologist. I'm not in charge of these guns or anything, uhm, obviously. Just saw some others drop in and grab some gear, sort of a free for all affair really. Doesn't seem like.. anyone.. watching over all this... weaponry..." Red sort of awkwardly trailed off there as the situation soaked into his brain. Snapping back to the present moment, he shakes his head. "Uhm, you wouldn't happen to be open to giving some advice would you?" Red shifted his body to give Sun a clear path to the armory's wares.

YCV Mjolnir An armorer by the name of Steve approached Sun and Red inside the armory. He wore a dirty overall and an APS cap. Judging by his annoyed facial expression he either didn't like the idea of civilians carrying guns or he was secretly racist. "How can I help you?" --- Davis, speaking with Colfac and Captain Jackson, turned around. Her face lightened up a bit. "I know who you are Mr. Thomson, it's a pleasure to meet you. I personally oversaw the recruitment of our drivers, pilots and other mission specialist." She looked at Colfac and Jackson. "Excuse me." The two men nodded. Davis walked towards the first row of chairs which was now empty as all the contractors were clearing out. "What did you have on your mind?" ----- Isla Paraíso The vehicle plowed through the hundreds of branches and smaller trees covering the dirtroad. It hadn't been used since the storm, the same applied to most of the roads on the island. As Koko maneuvred through the terrain skillfully Brandt took several deep breaths. It was an exercise she used to calm her nerves. She glanced out the window and spotted something move. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "They're following us." --- Karsten could hear Ori's voice echo behind him. He moentarily glanced away from the jungle and over his shoulder. "I'm at the door!" As he turned back his head a storm of claws and teeth knocked him over and sent the security officer tumbling down into the bunker. Gunfire and screaming was heard throughout the bunker and across the radio channel. "That was Karsten! You need to get over there right NOW!" Yelled Deveraux over the radio. --- The Toyota came thundering out lf the jungle and into the clearing. "There," said Brandt while pointing at the bunker entrance. As soon as Koko pulled over Brandt jumped out with her weapon raised. "Clear!" She glanced back at Koko. "MP-7's in the backseat. Find Frenkel and Karsten."

Sun glances uneasily at Red as he rambles on about closed doors and unattended armories, despite the fact that the door was open and she had only knocked on the door frame prior to entering to announce herself. "Uh. Sure, I guess? What's up?" she replies, before moving farther into the container to approach Steve. Side-eyeing Red as she speaks, she smiles at Steve. "Hi! I'm Sun Liuxian, one of the biologists for this expedition. I was hoping to get something a little more appropriate to protect myself on the island. I fear my .45 Ruger isn't going to be quite enough against dinosaurs... which is not a sentence I was ever expecting to utter."

Steve grunted. "Mhm." He eyed both Sun and Red suspiciously as he walked up behind a counter in the centre of the armory. He pulled up a small military-styled weapons case ontop of the desk, opened it and placed two H&K MP-5 submachineguns next to it alongside three spare magazines each. "You'll be fine with these. German SMGs. Top quality. Fires in semi-auto- burst and full-modes. If you have previous training and experience with bigger weapons I got some Steyr AUGs and spare AK-12s that I need to get rid of."

"I have experience with 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 rifles from my service in the PLA, I wouldn't mind the AK-12. Unless you have something in 7.62x51?"

Steve grunted. "I have a Type 95 though it'd cost you." He leaned in across the desk and grinned. "I'd need a favor from you."

((You know that's a 5.8x42 bullpup assault rifle right? Haha)) "How did you get a QBZ95? The PLA keeps a tight wrap on their service rifles and ammunition." Sun asks, grinning. She's curious, not offended. If she cares whether or not the PLA's "secrets" get out she doesn't show it. "Not that the QBZ is that good compared to an AK-12, what's the favor?"

((I don't know my PLA gear. No bullying please.)) "Normally a beauty like this would cost alot more seeing as it was procured through... Alternate means. However, I'm willing to give it you if you send me some biological samples." Optional Mission Unlocked - Dino Ballistics "So I have this pet project of mine... I need scans from three different species focusing on gunshot wounds. Dead or alive doesn't matter as long as you get me a good scan of the entry wound and possibly the exit wound. That way I can start developing some anti-dinosaur ammunition. We're talking about bullets designed with the purpose of smashing muscles and bones with ease. Saves you from guessing the size of a bullet needed for a T-Rex. If you do this I'll owe you in return purely because of the potential for this project. Davis is bringing along this massive command vehicle. Not only does it have a onboard armory and workshop but there's also a lab and a communications uplink. Easy job, right?"

"Oh, that's it? Absolutely! I was going to be cataloging that information anyway, I see no reason I can't share the results. Although, I could give you some basic info now if you want. Do you have an email I can send some data to on the subject? It's nothing specific, it mostly focuses on economies of scale and theorized tensile and sheer strength comparisons of dinosaur skin and tissue to conventional large mammal and reptilian species, like Elephants, Rhinoceroses, Crocodiles, Alligators, etc." Sun pulls a tablet from an easily accessible side pocket on her pack and taps it a few times, bringing up a display and turning it to show Steve. At a glance, it's obvious she was already looking into it on a smaller scale, more of a side project or whim. The display shows several graphs and information panels comparing the relative skin and subcutaneous layer thickness and density of various known extant and extinct mammalian and reptilian species most closely related to dinosaurs. "There's some fascinating data in here. Unfortunately, the Yggdrasil Corporation is very tight lipped about their projects so I was never able to obtain data on their subjects and experiments. But I'd be glad to take extra samples for you."

> "If you do this I'll owe you in return purely because of the potential for this project. Davis is bringing along this massive command vehicle. Not only does it have a onboard armory and workshop but there's also a lab and a communications uplink. Easy job, right?" "I mean, I was just needed some help fashioning a way to lash this rifle strap to my gun." Red, held up a strap he had found and his Remington 780, the stock's bracket it had come with clearly busted open by some unknown force. "But this sounds like a side hussle worth getting in on. Anything else you can pay in?"

Steve nodded at Sun's final remark. "They haven't shared their data because there is none. Board members didn't like the idea of their million dollar projects getting shot up. Although I did hear rumors that Barnes- Yggdrasil's vice-CEO- looked into the subject months ahead of the storm. Guy must be a psychic or something." Steve then looked at Red and shrugged. "I mean, the more the merrier. If you bring me three samples each I'll toss in a bonus of fifty-K for each sample." He gestured at the weapons. "Unless you want anymore weapons?"

Red considered the offer of better weapons, but 50k was sums of money he hadn't worked with until now. Surely .270 should be good enough to dissuade most animals with a hit. Swamp people killed off gators all the time with just .22lr. By shooting them straight into the brain dome. While they were tied up... Red began to reconsider. No he needed the money bad, and if he could get some on the side that wouldn't be split 200 ways, he would take it. "No sir." Red responded. "So long as you'll lone me this rifle strap and the use of a workbench to fix it on, I'll get you your scans.