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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:14:23 GMT -5
Turner neophite (3/23/04 10:03 pm) 64.244.161.59 Turner Park; Mistaken Identity (this RP now rated PG-13) "After a hundred years of collecting specimens, we have but a small record of the vast dinosauria. How many thousands of other forms might have exsisted, we will never know"- K. Carmen Sontag, Nature's Lost Species
Diego Ramos used the cuff of his unbottoned flannel shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. From his perch atop the ancient Mayan pyramid, he watched as the sun grew smaller on the horizen. He took a final puff from his cigar, crumpled its lit end into the stone and then tossed it over the side, into the encrouching darkness. As he stood, he withdrew a small piece of fossilized bone from his trousers. He had many more larger, more impressive pieces stored away in his luggage back at base camp. He thumbed it and noted it's smoothness. He was no paleontologist, or even an archaeologist, but he knew that these bones shouldnt have been buried under a Mesoamerican temple. The intact pieces seemed too large to come from any animal he knew of. There were no elephants in this hemisphere, which is what their size reminded him instantly of. He was a treasure hunter and to be perfectly honest, not much more than a dignified smuggler. He thought little of the bones, but he knew a man who might find them very interesting. A man to whom he owed a tremendous favor.
Turner neophite (3/24/04 9:53 pm) 64.244.161.62 Training The newest batch of recruits filed quietly into the lecture hall followed by Captain Jack Quigley. The 25 men and women filled up the bottom two rows, sitting in every other desk just as they had been instructed. Jack waited until all had been seated. He walked back to the door and used the toe of his boot to bring the doorstoop up. The weight of the door caused it to close quickly and Jack used his key to lock it themselves in the room. He placed his keys back within his trousers and walked towards the podium in the middle part of the room. Upon reaching it, he took a few moments to look at his students.
"Well Mates" He spoke with his thick Australian accent "You've done it. From a group of 150 individuals, you twenty-five have set yourselves apart. You've proven that you each have the character, integrity and physical abilities that Turner Park requires of it's employees. Some of you will go quite far here, some of you may not, but you're each one step closer to getting your chance to prove your worth. But to you blokes, the best of the best, congratulations are certainly in order." he finished, his stern look fading into a smile. The class still sat silent and rigid, their militaristic first eight weeks of training still showing.
Quigley blew out his breath and smirked "Crickey, you buggers are on the home-stretch now! Show a little personality. We dont need anymore robots in this park! He kidded.
Slowly and cautiously, postures were relaxed and whispers of conversation begin to arise. There was even laughter, something Quigley had yet to hear from this group. He let them enjoy themselves for a few minutes as he made sure his paper work for the day was in the right order. Jack Quigley was Turner's second in command, serving as Captain of Ground Forces and Assistant Warden. He held a bachelors in Biology and a Master's in Paleontology. Only Mr. Turner and the professional scientists knew more, and sometimes that had proven to be only on a case by case basis. He was good and he truly enjoyed his job. He was an ideal Turner Park employee. He was the ideal Turner Park employee.
"Alright, Alright, Quite down now, we're not done just yet." He said. The students quickly fell silent. "Today, we reach the most stop in our journey. Today begins your zoological training. Now, if you'll open the red note books you have before you, you'll see that it contains photographs and information on every creature found within our wall. From Anomolocaris to Zephyrasaurus, they're all there. The book begins with a chapter on the Super Raptors; Deinonychus majesticus intellectuis and then the Skybax" He watched as they thumbed through the manual. His stern voice returned as spoke again. "Read it. Learn it. Memorize it." He waved his in the air to show it's importance. "I'm going to step out until after lunch. That gives you two hours to study. I suggest strongely that you do so. I'll return this evening with Mr. Turner and Dr. Bakker. Your zoologic lesson will begin then." He moved towards the door and unlocked it. He help it open as he looked back at his students. "Enjoy" He said before stepping out, again locking the door behind him. Turner neophite (3/25/04 6:03 pm) 64.244.161.57 Intro to Archaeopteryx Anatomy Maryellen pecked at the seeds strewn across the desk. She warbled on occasion, her "dumb-bird" routine totally fooling the recruits whom Prof. Turner was lecturing
"The flock within the park numbers at nearly fifty animals. They're currently housed in two locations." Josh said, pausing as he watched the students jot down their notes. "Cretacious Gardens near the administrations office is home to the larger group while the others may be found in the lower reaches of the Pterasaur house. Unlike other birds, and I use that term on her species very loosely, externally there is no difference between males and females. Both are of the same size and both genders sport the blue feathers over the main body mass with red ones running down the length of the wings. Same is true for the green feathers of the tail and the small wattle hanging from the throat."
A hand went up.
"Yes David?" Josh asked
"If both sexes look the same, how can we tell them apart?"
"Good Question. The sounds they make, their vocalizations are actually quite different. Males have a deep, low squawk, kinda like a bullfrog, it's a really unique sound. Females sound like a modern songbird."
The class looked perplexed. "Dont worry, once you've been in the park for a while, you'll get it." Turner neophite (3/25/04 8:37 pm) 64.244.161.60 Little More Josh finished his lecture as Maryellen fluttered her favorite perch; atop his right shoulder. She turned her beak towards him and warbled some only he could understand. He whistled his reply back to her and she gave him a toothy smile before opening her wings and gliding back to the table. It was time to see how these new recruits handled the unexpected.
"Mr. Davidson, you're first. Please come down to the table. Class, we're about to begin learning how to properly interact with the inhabitants. Since we've just finished our lesson on Archaeopteryx, we'll now learn how to handle them" Josh finished as Matt Davidson stood next to the table. "Hold your arm out" Josh instructed. The youngman complied.
"Now whistle softly" Josh added. Again Matt complied. Maryellen outstretched her wings and lept onto the young man's arm.
"Okay, hold her their as long as you'd like. When you're ready, poke her gently in the chest and she'll leave your arm."
He waited a few moments and then poked her gently. Nothing happened. The bird remained on his arm. He poked again with the same result. Then a third time, and a fourth and fifth. The sixth time he applied a bit more force.
"I swear to Ogathar, if you poke me once more I'll bite your finger off!!!!" Maryellen screeched angerily. The startled human threw his arms into the air and backpeddled rapidly, tripping over an extension cord and landing hard on his back with a loud thunk. Maryellen glided back onto the table.
Laughing, Josh helped the young man up and returned him to his seat. He was visably shaken.
Smirking, Turner issued an apology. "I'm sorry Matt, but I needed to do that. Class, what you're going to learn very quickly is that our animals are not the dumb, simple creatures you may consider them be. Maryellen is a prime example of this. When our species were being recreated, we discovered that several types like the dinosaurs, archaeopteryx and many more proved to be remarkably intelligent. Human level intelligence." Many students began whispering excitedly, some making their disbelief very obvious
"Now I know what you're thinking, but we didnt engineer them this way. Nature, God, whatever force you believe in, created them this way.We merely followed the genetic blueprints left behind and recreated these magnificent creatures."
He went on to tell them how the park kept this intelligence under wraps and on the occasions when reports of strange behavior had leaked out, they were never taken seriously by mainstream science. They were simply regarded as quirky behavior. Though the intelligence was explained to park employees, it was hidden from the public. The smart creatures did just what Maryellen had done, they play stupid.
Only Prof. Turner, Captain Halloway, Captain Quigley and the Drs Marcus, Marsh and Cope knew the true reason for the extraordinary intellence. The DNA used came from Dinotopian Dinosaurs. And the Secret of Dinotopia was only slightly known and never, under any circumstances revealed.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:15:07 GMT -5
Eskara1862 doyenne Posts: 945 (3/25/04 11:44 pm) 198.81.26.73 Lunchtime Madness Azonthus knew there were a lot more employees being hired, and was quite curious about t hem. She'd seen some of the others, but Josh had asked her to be a guest speaker on dromeasaurs for these. However, her curiosity got the best of her and she just had to check them out before her little lecture.
The little red velociraptor looked at the clock, 12:15. Perfect time for a little apperance. She walked into the caffateria and calmly went through the line, walking on the rail people used to slide their trays. She was too short to reach the food otherwise. Happily, she picked out some chocolate cake and hopped down. Making her way over to one of the tables, she took a seat next to a beginner and started eating her cake.
The table full of people just stopped and looked at her, unused to the sight of a velociraptor acting in such a human manner. Besides, the purple cape and arm band she was wearing were a little strange.
Noticing the stares, Az stopped eating and looked right back at the newbie across from her. "Do I have something on my face?"
The young man with longish hair opened his mouth a couple times before getting "Um, no...." out.
"Oh, good. Then I'd suggest not staring. It's not very nice, and some take it as a challenge." She took another bite of her cake.
A too-cute blond girl sitting next to Azonthus kind of sneered at her. "I didn't think animals were allowed to be near the food. It can't be sanitary."
Az smiled, showing off quite a few teeth. "Well, it was my understanding that humans weren't allowed near the food because they eat too much. Besides, it's not always the best idea to insult someone with more teeth than you." She put the last piece in her mouth, and walked out. "Hasta luego, idiota!"
Turner neophite (3/26/04 7:19 am) 64.244.161.59 Prelude to a scene "Good afternoon Ms. Turner, would you like your regular table on the patio?" The young hostess asked.
Rebecca shook her head. "No, Judy, not today. Perhaps a booth inside, if one's available." She asked.
"Sure, right this way" she said
She led Rebecca to a booth near the fountain in the center of the restaurant. Judy waited for Rebecca to be seated before placing a menu in front of her. "Will the Professor be joining you?" She asked.
"Yes" Rebecca said smiling up at the girl, who could'nt have been more than 20 yrs old. "He's at a class. He should be here in a few minutes. I could probably order for him, if you're ready" She asked
"Sure, what would he like?" Judy said, wipping out a small notebook. Rebecca studied the menu for a moment. "Hmm, how about.... Oh, I know, He enjoys the hamburgers. Lets get one of those, and a Coke." She said. Even after all his years on Dinotopia, with humans being largely vegetarian, Josh had fallen quickly back into his carnivorous former ways. Although the idea of consuming a fellow mammal was rather grusome to her, She learned quickly that it was a very common practice here in the non-Dinotopia world
"Okay, one burger And for you?" She asked, jotting the order down.
" I think i'd like an Orange soda, and maybe a few more minutes to look at the menu, if you dont mind." Rebecca finished.
"Thats fine, I'll go fill these drink orders and then come back. Let me know if theres anything I can get yall"
The two parted and Rebecca studied the menu for several minutes. She finally settled on a shrimp dish and small salad. The restuarant, one of several within the park, was rather quiet today during the lunch hour. Only a few other people were dining; a young couple three booths ahead, two older couples seated togather at a table together were chatting and a family with four little children had just come in. Rebecca watched as these guests were led to their table. The littlest girl, carried high atop her daddy's shoulder waved at her as the group passed her booth. "Hi Lady!" The girl said with a big smile. Rebecca grinned, waved her fingers and said hi back Tamith neophyte Posts: 1 (3/30/04 12:28 am) 65.38.215.47 scene Rebecca sipped on her orange soda and watched the young family seated by the fountain. Her thoughts turned to her childhood in Sauropolis. The years before the horrific attack in the Basin had been among the happiest time in her life. She eased out of her memories as she saw her husband speaking with the hostess.
“Hey,” she said smiling as he came to the table and sat down. “I ordered for you. How did it go with the new recruits?”
Josh laughed as he removed his jacket and loosened his tie "Oh well, as well as can be expected I suppose. Maryellen and I did our regular trick, which never ceases to be funny," he finished. "But how’s my girl this afternoon?"
“Wonderfully,” Rebecca replied brightly. “I haven’t had a chance to sit since this morning. It’s amazing how many questions people out here can have about dinosaurs. I especially get lots of gasps when I walk in with raptors.” She paused a moment to thank Judy who had returned with their order and was placing it before them. “It’s strange for them to see carnivores as kind and friendly,” she said toying with her salad as the hostess walked away. She looked up to see Josh deep into his burger. “Though with you mammals as an example, I wouldn’t be surprised,” she tossed in with a smirk.
Josh rolled his eyes as he finished chewing his mouthful. He took a drink from his soda. "Yeah well, some of us anyways. I still think mainland humanity could learn a lot from our reptilian friends. Pity the rest of the world isn’t more like your homeland. Say, I don’t suppose any packages were delivered to the office today by any chance. I got a really interesting telegraph from an old friend last week that said to expect one"
“Yes, as a matter of fact there was one,” Rebecca answered. “I left it on your desk just before I went on the last tour.”<br> "Thanks" Josh said. "He didn’t say what it would be, only that we'd probably find it interesting." Josh finished, looking at her wife and noting her beauty. "Say, what do you think about after lunch, just blowing off work for the rest of the day, I need a change of scenery" Josh asked her.
“Don’t you have a class to look after?” Rebecca said raising a quizzical eyebrow. The slight curling of her lips, however, countered her apparent responsibility.
"No, Captain Quigley has a class to look after" He teased back, trying to use his boyish charm to avoid a lecture on responsibility. "I've already done my lecture, had my meetings with the Trilobite Specialists and the Megatherium keeper, not to mention a mountain of paper work," he said, trying to earn her sympathy. "I just want to get out" he added. "And we can do anything you want, go for a drive, go to a regular zoo, maybe even the mall" he insisted, trying to appeal her. "Whatever you want to do."
Rebecca considered the offer thoughtfully then smiled. “As long as we stop at the ice cream parlor first, you’ve got yourself a deal.”<br>"You do drive a hard bargain Mrs. Turner, " Josh told with a wink, knowing that he'd won her over. "But I think we can do that" he said, before finishing his burger and beginning to work on his French fries "So, since we're cutting class, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?"
“I dunno,” she said off handedly then grinned mischievously. “But you did offer to go for a drive… and the zoo… and lets not forget the mall.”<br> "All of which sound fine, but if we do the mall, I don’t want any more off-color comments about the style of mainland females" Josh said in a mock lecture voice, wagging his finger at her. Rebecca still remained true to her Dinotopian upbringing and as a result, dressed relatively modest, though she had quickly embraced makeup and was getting used to skirts and even short shirts as opposed to the long dresses she had often worn back home.
“Oh…fine,” she said crossing her hands over her chest and pouting. “I’ll behave.”<br> Always a sucker for her pout act, Josh reached across the hand and took it within his " I didn’t say you had to behave, I just said you have to be nice." He said. "Well, at least, kinda nice" He finished, squeezing her hand.
Rebecca rewarded him with a bright smile. “In that case, what are we waiting for?” she responded drinking down the remaining of her soda. “Lets go before somebody figures out we’re being irresponsible and leaving for the rest of the day.”<br> "Best idea I've heard all day" He said, shifting his weight and scooting to the edge of his side of the booth. He stood and offered his hand to the young lady who is still seated "Shall we then?"
“Lets,” she said playing along to his hospitality and taking his hand. “To ice cream and beyond!”<br> The pair left the restaurant and snagged a golf-cart left near the Amphibian House. Much to Rebecca's dismay, they flew across the park and arrived at the employee parking lot in less than ten minutes. They walked towards Turner's second most prized possession, a fully restored 1955 cherry red Belair convertible. Josh and Rebecca walked to the passenger’s side, where he unlocked the door and helped her in. She unlocked his door from the inside and within moments the classic car is heading towards the large mall with its ice cream parlor, some ten miles from the Park. Josh reached down and turned on the radio, looking for a station they might both enjoy. Not able to find what he was looking for he, reached into the glove compartment and withdrew a CD.
He posed a question to his wife. "Know what Elvis and a Tyrannosaurus rex have in common?"
Not missing a beat, his wife answered. "They're both the king."
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:15:38 GMT -5
Tamith neophyte Posts: 2 (3/31/04 11:37 pm) 65.38.219.73 Mall browsing “I know you told me to be nice, but why do people on the outside insists on calling undergarments clothing?” Rebecca covered her mouth as she giggled in an attempt not to draw attention onto herself from the people whose fashion she was criticizing. She loved the different sites she could see at a mall, so different from the markets back home, but she still could not get quite used to modern designs.
Josh too noticed the fashions but seemed a little distracted, he followed the shapes of the two young women as they passed. "I'm sorry Rebecca, did you say something?"
“Yeah,” she said smacking the back of his head, “that you’re spending the next week sleeping with Maryellen and her family in their nest.”
Josh rubbed the back of his head and muttered something under his breath. "I guess it really doesn’t leave much to the imagination," he said.
“Is that not its purpose?” she told him. “Otherwise it shows a serious lack of creativity and,” she stopped on a sale display rack outside one of the stores that sold such fashions, “Whoa! Unreasonably high prizes for the square inch of fabric!”<br> Josh fingered the smooth cloth while his wife continued her rant. "Well, they have to be high, the barter-system doesn’t exactly work here," he stated. "But, I don’t recall high prices stopping you the last time we were in New York. A thousand dollars for a dress you've worn twice, come on..." he teased, rolling his eyes
“Well, at least it used more fabric than that…” Rebecca retorted.
"True" he said, noting that she was subtlety pointing her finger at another young woman in relatively slinky attire working the register. "But you did look awfully pretty in that gown, so I guess it was worth it. " He finished, knowing flattery could do him wonders.
“Reason why you bought it for me in the first place,” she retorted with a smirk. “By Ogthar look at that woman! She’s three times the size of the other girls and has the same outfit!”
Now it was the Professor's turn to stifle his laughter. “Looks like a Sauropod in spandex," he chuckled. The large woman turned her head and it almost seemed like she knew she was being discussed. Josh pulled Rebecca from the rack and out of the store "Let's go down to Bloomingdales, that's really more along your tastes," he said as they retreated.
“Did she have a problem with us, honey?” she said looking over she shoulder then smiling. “Outsiders are interesting. Moving on, what’s this I hear about Bloomingdales?”<br> "Just a little one...." He says, checking to make sure the behemoth isn’t following them. "Yeah, you'll like it, nice stuff, no hipsters to make fun of."
Rebecca giggled. “That’s a shame. I do love to give out free constructive criticism. Perhaps I can pick up a few skirts?” She smiled brightly and looked innocent.
"Well, seeing as how you do have legs like an ornithomimid" He teased, making reference to her nice legs. "I don’t see why not. But what's in it for me?"
“A really big ‘Thank you” and a grateful wife,” she replied cheerfully.
"Then consider it done," he said, holding the door to the big store open. He silently prayed that this wouldn’t turn into another of the long shopping expeditions Rebecca had become famous for.”<br> “Thank you!” she replied dancing into the store. “Good thing we took all afternoon off, huh?”<br> "Right..." Josh said, knowing full well were this was headed. This was what he got for slipping out early. But if it made her happy, he could certainly fain interest.’<br> Rebecca grinned. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind. What about that trip to the zoo you mentioned?”<br> Josh was slightly taken back by her sudden change of plans "What about it?" he asked.
“Well,” she said taking his hand. “Can we go now instead?”<br>
Josh squeezed her hand and smiled, "I think that would be a fine idea. It'll be nice to see some other animals for a change." With that, the pair linked arms and left the mall. Turner neophite (4/1/04 7:50 am) 64.244.161.54 A Friendly Jab The drive from MesaView Mall to the Rio Grande Zoo took nearly two hours. Josh and Rebecca would chat for several minutes and then sit in relative silence if a good song came over the radio. Having known each other for nearly ten years as either friends or lovers, Rebecca had developed the ability to read him like a book. From a minut facial expression or gesture, or change in voice tone, she could tell almost exactly which emotion was about to emerge. He had not been nearly as sucessful when it came to deciphering hers, but he simple chalked it up to something he refered to as the "feminine mystique." He'd never fully understand her gender, and he was content with that.Though the things that could manifest themselves from her mind never ceased to amaze him.
As the last lines of the Johny Cash song poured through the speakers, the young woman broke the silence
"It's really bothering you isnt it?" She asked pleasantly
"What? Nothing's bothering me." Josh said, looking over his shoulder before he changed lanes.
She blew out her breath "Please, I learned to read you a long time ago... Your eyes have that far-off contenplative look you get and you've been mouthing something that clearly isnt the words in the song" She said in that matter-of-fact-tone that Josh often either found cute or irrating. "And I've gotten pretty good at reading lips, you keep saying package or something"
He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off "Why dont you just call Charlene and have her open it for you. Then you'll know what you got, and maybe you'll come of Lala-land" She said, poking fun at him
Josh liked that idea, he pretended to think about it for a few moment, but they both knew it was a poor bluff. He pulled out his cell-phone and clawed in the office number
"Charlene? Hey, this is Josh....fine, fine, Rebecca and I just had a few things we needed to catch up on back home today" He fibbed. "That package on my desk, could you open it and tell me what's in it?......No, I'm sure it's alright.....Okay, then send it home with Azonthus.....Crate? Hmmmm, Yeah, I guess just get Charles to load that up too when he brings her home.....Okay, thanks Charlene, see you tomarrow. Bye, you too" Josh finished, turning his phone off
"Crate?" Rebecca asked
"Yeah, she said it was sent from the same sender. She couldnt make out the name, but the stamps said Mexico and Belize...what the hell could I be getting from central america?" He wondered out loud. "Guess, we'll find out tonight?"
"Not if it's that rain-forest chocolate" Rebecca said "You sent it home with Azzy....If it's chocolate, she'll eat that whole crate before Charlie can get the car through the fron gates" She finished, refering her friend's insatiable appatite for the sweets. Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 143 (4/6/04 7:33 pm) 152.163.252.230 Introduction to the Skybax - Part 1 After a brief intermission, the new trainees took their seats again where Quigley quickly called for order. When everyone was silent, he began to speak again.
"Okay, mates," he said, "hope you enjoyed your little recess because I would like to introduce a very important man when it comes to the day-to-day operations of the park. He will go over one of the species covered in the first chapter...the Skybax. Now I'm gonna turn it over to Captain Croco Hallaway, head of the Skybax Patrol...Captain..." Croco nodded and came out on Quigley's command, but before he started his presentation, he leaned in to speak in private to the young flier.
"Did you bring Speedwing?" he whispered. A wide grin came over Croco's face as they both snickered before Croco stepped up in front of the recruits.
"Good afternoon," he said in a stern voice. The recruits repeated the greeting in more of a mumbled tone as Croco paced around the stage. "I am Captain Croco Hallaway, head of the Skybax Patrol. Today, I will be teaching you about the majestic pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus skybax, and the pilots that ride them to maintain order in the park, myself included. Now..." One of the female recruits, a smallish redheaded young woman, raised her hand to offer a question.
"Are the Skybaxes that much different from Quetzalcoatlus northropi, and if so, in what way?" Croco smiled and eyed the young lady warmly.
"Well I'm glad you asked that, because I will be covering that later. But the first item on the agenda will be to introduce you to the animal itself." With that, Croco turned to the back of the stage and made a high-pitched trilling sound as the students whispered and chattered quietly about how he could make that kind of sound. After about fifteen seconds, a beak poked out in front of the rear curtain as Speedwing emerged, finger-walking out to his rider's side. The new recruits gasped upon the first sight of the great pterosaur as he lightly jabbed Croco's chest with his beak, squabbling softly. The young man couldn't help but to laugh a little as he turned to the audience. "This is Speedwing, my personal partner and good friend. He is a Skybax and..." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Speedy looking over the new recruits, then reared his head back. Croco slowly stepped back, then quickly backpedaled as he thrusted forward.
"SKKKEEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWKKKKKKK!!!" The recruits jumped back at the loud screech as Croco rushed to comfort the Skybax, cooing softly and rubbing his belly as he fluttered his wings softly.
"Sorry abou that," said Croco, "he gets spooked by large crowds and enclosed spaces. Also, he cannot be approached unless his pilot is close by. And if you wanna try mounting him, forget it...only the designated pilot will even be allowed to try and mount him, let alone fly."
(OOC: This is only the first part of the post...I should have part two up later tonight if I can.)
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:16:47 GMT -5
Turner neophite (4/6/04 10:16 pm) 64.244.161.61 Turner Park Blues In a distant sector of Turner Park, A tour-guide stumbles haggardly away from his golf-cart and collapses under a nearby Magnolia tree. He leans back, his back resting against the tree-trunk. His head is slumped down, face hidden in his hands. He is dripping with sweet, his uniform is torn and his hair is messed up. There are several parts of his uniform that are covered with a sticky goo.
Another young guide, just relieved of her shift passes by. She sees her friend recovering under the tree. She stops and looks for a moment. She turns and walks in the other direction, towards a drink stand. She returns in a few moments and sits down next to him. She offers him bottle of Gatoraide. He accepts it, opens it hurridly and drinks greedily. "Thanks, I needed that" He says, wiping his chin
"No Problem... Rough Day?" The young lady asks, opening her bottle and taking a much slower drink.
"Yeah... *chocolate* park, *chocolate* kids, *chocolate* dinosaurs" The man muses, wiping his face on his sleeve.
She laughs "Surely it wasnt that bad?"
"Let me tell you about it..." He says as an earthy, southern beat fills the air around them. He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a harmonica, which he places to his lips
DA-DUH-DA-DUH comes the music from the instrument
"Triceratops stepped on my compass..." he sings
DA-DUH-DA-DUH
"Brachiosaur sneezed on me..." he sings, pointing to the snot on his uniform
DA-DUH-DA-DUH
"Pterodactly stole my hat, and as you can see, I got the blues....."
DA-DUh
"Yeah.. the blues..... I got those... stuck at the damndest-zoo-I-ever-seen-blues" Da-da-da-da-da-da.
Fade to black Toki Troodon and Science Nerd Posts: 254 (4/9/04 10:32 am) 172.162.10.153 Re: Turner Park Blues "AZZY!!!!", Dr. Reid yelled from the lab. Azonthus quietly poked her head through the door. "Yes?" she asked with a semi-innocent toothy grin. "What have I told you about using the equitment to mass produce chocolate?", replied Dr. Reid, his voice sounding stressed. "What chocolate?", she replied giving what could only be described as somthing like puppy dog eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about", Dr. Reid replied. "Anyway, please, try not to do it again", Dr. Reid said with a sigh, he knew he couldn't stop Azzy from having her fun, she had senoirity and somehow she managed to get through any encryption he put on the machines. With that a victorious Azonthus scampered off somewhere. Going back to his computer Dr. Reid checked the latest DNA sequences.
Turner neophite (4/9/04 11:51 am) 64.244.161.59 Reply | Edit | Del The price of celebrity Josh brought the classic car to a stop within the parking space. He checked his mirrors and stuck his out his window to check his spacing. He shrugged and threw the car into reverse once more, backing out. Three tries later, he was parked in the direct center of the space, leaving an equal amount of room on each side. He killed the engine.
"It's about time" Rebecca kidded, making light of her husband's occasional perfectionist tendencies
"Yeah well....." He droned, not really trying to defend himself.
He opened his door and exited the vehicle. Rebecca followed suit. Noting the warmness of the day, Josh tossed his brown sports coat into the back seat and removed his tie, unbottoning the top button on his blue shirt. Looking over the side of the car, he saw that Rebecca too had shed a layer of clothing. Her blue jacket gone to reveal a pink blouse. She watched him through her dark sunglasses, which reminded him to wear his own. "Good call. Hopefully we wont get a repeat of what happened the last time we were here."
Being the owners of the world's first sucessful Paleo-zoo had made the young couple fairly famous,something they had mixed feelings about. Sure, it guranteed them the best tables at restaurants and friendships with the rich and even more famous. But with the Park's intensified sucess, it was getting harder and harder to go out undetected in public. Niether of them minded the children who recognized them from tv shows or news reports and would run up asking about dinosaurs, or even the enthusiastic adults who remarked about the wonder of the park. No, it was the left-wingers, religious fundamentalists and paparazzi that really bugged them. The last time they had visited this zoo, Josh had been confronted by a man who recognized him from a 20/20 interview. Before Turner could even speak, the man launched into a tangent about Josh had tampered with nature and modified it, and was playing God, resurrecting creatures he felt were better left extinct. Then he launched into the evils of evolution and how Turner Park would have a special place in hell because of it's evil ways. Fortunately Zoo Security arrived at that point and escourted the man off the property. Park officials apologized to Josh and even offered him special perks. Josh and Rebecca declined politely. It was a nice gesture but their day had already been ruined Eskara1862 doyenne Posts: 951 (4/12/04 10:42 pm) 64.12.116.203 Reply | Edit | Del Re: The price of celebrity The small velociraptor licked chocolate off her claws as she headed down the hallway towards the lecture hall where the new recruits were being trained. She couldn't resist the temptation of bothering Dr. Reid again, even if it did make her a little late to her lecture. She was the scheduled speaker and, after the lunchroom incident, she was quite eager to play with their minds a little bit.
A former warrior, Az had planned to show off just how fierce raptors could be. She'd dressed up in her finest paint and wore her bow slung across her back. A giganotosaur tooth hung from a tether around her neck. It was just a replica from the gift shop, but the effect was nice. She was prepared to run in, howling her loudest war cry when she looked in the window before entering.
SOMEONE had taken her lecture time. SOMEONE was strutting about on the stage, showing off how cool he was. Well, Mr. High Flyer could prance about like an Ornithomimid wearing high heals all he wanted, flashing his colors for all to admire, but not for long!
An idea quickly formed in the dromiosaurids brain, and she ran off to the gift shop once more. Being a talking dinosaur and Turner Park employee, even though she really did nothing at all, Az could get just about anything she wanted for free. And get free stuff she did! With a little improvisation, she was ready for her debut in the auditorium.
Croco was explaining the finer points of Pterosaur wings when a strange noise in the rafters made him look up. A shrieking blur of feathers and colors dropped from the catwalk and landed right in front of him. Some strange pterosaur began an odd fingerwalk around the stage. It was about six feet long, but had a very long tail with neon pink feathers running down the spine and flaring out at the tip. The feet were more like a raptors, with the second toe carying a large, retractible claw. The wings were very shimmery and wildly hued with all the tackiness of a Mardi Gras Mamma let loose in a thrift shop full of feather boas and flapper costumes. And the beak! That strange beak was like nothing Croco had ever seen. It was long and bright green, with a tapajara like crest on the nose, but a pteranodon crest on the back of the head. The violet eyes smiled at him from under more neon pink feathered eyebrows. Squaking, the odd creature kept bobbing its head up and down, as if begging for a treat.
"What kind of dinosaur is that?" one of the recruits called from the back. "I don't see it on any of the lecture notes."
"Uh... It's..." Croco stalled for time like a car out of gas on the freeway. "It's some form of..."
It squaked again in a poor imitation of a skybax, and Speedwing reared back on his hind legs, flaring out his wings in alarm. Then, the creature sounded more like an archaeoptryx and began to preen its tail. Several pink feathers fell to the floor, revealing red and yellow scales underneath.
Giving up, Croco admitted defeat. "This must be something the scientists cooked up and haven't released into the aviary yet."
Suddenly, the creature stood up and spoke in clear, if somewhat raptorian accented, English. "Croco Halloway, I thought you'd know better than to lie to your class! Why, I am an Azonthus Magnificus! Really, you should know your dinosaurs better than that."
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:17:35 GMT -5
Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 144 (4/13/04 12:04 am) 64.12.116.203 Showoff... "Azonthus?!?" gasped Croco in surprise, "What the hell?!?
"Hee hee...gotcha, Croco!" Azonthus laughed and took back to the shadows. The new recruits audibly conversed among themselves as Speedwing screeched a warning up at the rafters, daring the raptorian trickster to return. Croco quickly silenced the audience so he could resume his lecture.
"Sorry about that...you'll have to excuse Azonthus," he said, "She can be a bit of a prankster sometimes and I've fallen victim to one of her practical jokes and..." A hand went up in the far back, belonging to a young African-American man named Darius Hawkins. "Yes, Darius?"
"Is she...from the island you've been talkin' about?" Croco nodded and told him that she was. "Okay...now my next question has to deal with all that...paint on her...and the bow..." Putting his hands up to stop him, the captain strolled over in his direction as Speedy kept his eyes glued to the rafters.
"I'm glad you asked that, Darius...Azonthus was a warrior in a raptor clan that resided in a region of Dinotopia known as the Rainy Basin." He went on to explain how the Basin was the realm of the carnivores, wild and untamed by civilization. The carnivores that resided there had formed clans and he mentioned the fact that Azonthus' Sharpclaw was one of the most well-known and well-respected clans in the Basin. Then he resumed his lecture on the great pterosaurs.
Unknowing to the human, Azonthus had snuck down from the rafters and was in the hallway just outside the auditorium. A toothy grin came over her face as she entered again through the door that only speakers could use. "Everything's going to plan...", she thought to herself as she watched Croco continue going on about Quetzalcoatlus and the differences between Q. northropi and Q. skybax. Growling softly, she waited...and waited...knowing that Speedy was on high alert, ready to defend his pilot to the death. As soon as the 'bax turned to look in the opposite direction, she knew that her time had come. Letting out a loud war screech, she sprinted full speed toward Croco. He barely had time to turn around before he was pounced to the ground, caught completely off guard.
"Azonthus, dammit! I'm trying to give a presentation here!" he growled. The raptor wouldn't buy into it.
"Well, for your information, Mr. Skybax Captain," she said simply, "this was supposed to be my time to lecture the new recruits. So you'd better get off the stage before I demonstrate to the new recruits the effectiveness of my sickled toe-claws." Croco put his hand up over his face, waving it frantically.
"But...but...didn'tcha get the memo Mr. Turner sent?" he asked.
"What memo?"
"I was supposed to go on after Dr. Marsh, then you, but then something came up and she (is Dr. Marsh a she??? That's what I think...) had to postpone her lecture until later this afternoon. Turner should have sent it to you...I know I got my copy of it...
(To be continued by Azzy...hope I didn't eff things up too bad...)
Eskara1862 doyenne Posts: 952 (4/14/04 10:05 pm) 198.81.26.10 Re: Showoff... On hold for the night! More tomorrow.
Tehe, I'm back for more!Sorry I couldn't finish, but Dad was demanding I get off the computer right that second or I was in major trouble.
Az just sighed and shook her head. "Croco, Croco, Croco... When are you going to learn not to mess with raptors?" She stepped off him and let him get up. "This is my lecture time, and Prof. Turner doesn't send Memos. I guess you fell for another of Maryellen's tricks!"
Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 145 (4/15/04 11:34 am) 152.163.253.1 Reply | Edit | Del Re: Showoff... (obviously OOC) Okay Azzy, I'll wait...but don't turn it over to yourself yet. Just keep on bugging me and telling me how bad you are until then, 'kay? )
Turner neophite (4/29/04 12:56 pm) 64.244.161.60 Discussion Even with the combined efforts of Dr. Marcus and Dr. Marsh, it had taken them two hours to empty the contents of a second crate which had arrived in the lab this morning. The four long tables of the conference room were now covered with bones of all sizes. A set of large femurs and pelvic bones rested near the wall.
Dr. Marcus wore an odd look on her face. "Never mind the fact that these remains dont match the skeletal structures of any of the animals in the park. Well, not entirely anyways..." She said, standing up and walking over to examine the skull fragments once more. "This predetary looks an awful lot like the ones from the Camptosaurids. In fact, the all of these bones suggest they came from Ornithopods"
"But they're barely fossilized." Dr. Valerie Marsh interjected. "Theres only the slightest amount mineralization present, which is a heckuva trick for something that should be at least a 150 million years old."
The other woman nodded in agreement. "You sure the box wasnt marked DINOTOPIA istead of BELIZE" Marsh kidded.
They talked a bit longer as they tried to articulate the bones as best they could. They faced the same problems which had plagued paleontologists for centuries. The bones didnt seem to match up, they seemed to come from many individuals and not just one. Several were broken and there were no vertebre of any sort, only what appeared to be the very last bone of a tail-tip. They did have an option that was unavailable to other scientists....
"You know, we do have that vacant paddock on the north end..." Marsh suggested
"And it would be big enough for any ornithopod!" Marcus pipped up, reading the vets mind.
"I say once Prof. Turner comes back, we talk to the council and see if we cant clone this puppy to figure out exactly what it is we have" Dr. Marsh finished, visions of this new creature already floating around in her mind Turner neophite (4/29/04 10:09 pm) 64.244.161.56 Neighborhood Gossip "And what did you say he does exactly?" The two soccer-moms said as they looped around the neighborhood on their daily walk.
"He's a paleontologist. His wife, Rebecca is in Advertising. She's a sweet girl, very interesting accent, almost British" Her companion replied. They stopped when they reached the Turner's property. They looked up at the life-sized marble Apatosaurs which marked entrance into the estate, flanked on both sides by the dense tree line which covered the rest of fence.
"Must do alright for somebody who pokes around in the dirt all day." Ellen Dern said, as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"He's no digger. You know that dinosaur park over in Westmeadow?" He companion nodded.
"Turner Park?"
"They own it, and the rights to a whole bunch of machines and genetic techniques"
She whistled. "Yeah, they're doing alright then. They have any kids?"
"No,they've only been married a year or so. "
Ellen walked over and peered through the iron bars on the gate. The house was visable further back, sitting atop the hill. "Its a beautiful house. Have you ever been up there?"
Nicole Deangelo joined her friend at the gate. "Yeah, John and I were up there for a party a couple weeks before yall moved in. Its gorgeous. Wooden floors, big nice kitchen. She even has a green house and swimming pool in the back. Not to mention a butler..."
"A butler?"Ellen asked.
"Yeah, a british one just like in the movies. But thats just the tip of it. He actually has a pet dinosaur!"
"Right...." Ellen said
"I swear. It's one of those raptor things. She's about this big" Nicole replied, stooping and holding her hand about three feet above the road.
Ellen was agast. "They let it run around inside their home? How tacky..."
"Its really not that bad, it seemed like a big dog crossed with a parrot. And I think she's pretty smart, just from the way she was looking at us and acting."
The pair enjoyed their rest and continued walking down the road. "Is that the only dinosaur they have in there" Ellen said.
"Yeah, but they've got two other pets."
"Normal stuff like a cat and dog?"
"Not quite. They've got bird that looks like cross between an iguana and a crow and a dog thats the size of a horse."
"Sounds like an interesting place, I'll have to meet them sometime"
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:18:17 GMT -5
Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 148 (4/30/04 9:28 pm) 66.167.25.133 Wrapping Up...And Preparing... Croco was on the verge of going ballistic...he knew that Maryellen liked to play pranks on the various staff and he was quite aware of them. But the memo trick came out of nowhere and he didn't know how to react.
"This was her idea?!?" he growled at Azonthus, poised to strike, "I know that she's up to no good more often than not but this time...she had to be clever to get it by me. Now will you let me up?" The raptor grinned the best she could; she had him right where she wanted him.
"Only if you give me my time..."
"Okay...besides, I've got the first slot in the morning tomorrow. I'll be telling them about the smaller pterosaur species then...now can you get off?!?" Azonthus bobbed her head once, then rolled off, allowing the young man to get up to address the trainees. "I'm sorry, but there was a slight mixup in the scheduling of the lectures today. This was supposed to be Azonthus' slot, which is why she was, needless to say, a little agitated. So without further ado...Azonthus..." He let her take the stage as he led Speedwing out, trilling and cooing softly to calm his nerves until they were back outside. Once at the mounting platform, however, a crackle over the radio sent the Skybax into a panic. Croco had to calm him down before he could answer the call.
"Captain Hallaway here," he said as accustomed to. The voice on the other side was serious. It was that of Quigley.
"Captain...we need to step up our security..." Croco was stroking his mount's beak nonchalantly as the plea came over his radio while putting on his headset to fly back to the Pterosaur House.
"10-4, Quigley...uh...why? Is there a situation that I need to know about?" The captain's voice was shaky, questioning the urge for more patrols as he came back on.
"I just got off the phone with a contact in San Diego...and...and..."
"...And what? Is the President coming? Anyone from Congress? Any foreign diplomats?" There was a long pause before Quigley keyed his radio, but Croco beat him to it. "What the hell is going on that we need to step up our patrols?" He made it frank, straight to the point.
"She's...coming..." This confused Croco even more as he finished preparations for takeoff.
"Waitasec...who's she? And why is she so important?" The other captain didn't know how to answer so he gave him an idea.
"Tell ya what, mate...head back to your office and I'll three-way him into your line. That sound good?"
"10-4, I'm on my way..." And with that, Croco signed out and mounted Speedy. With a flip of his mighty wings, they were airborne; on their way back to the Pilot's Quarters to see what the big uproar was about.
Turner neophite (5/3/04 4:38 pm) 64.244.161.62 The ride home "You didnt have to punch him" Rebecca said very nonchalantly as she gazed out the car window, watching the sun sank lower into the prairie. They had been on the road for 45 minutes and her husband had not said a thing. He hadnt even turned the radio on.
Josh mumbled something incoherent and turned the radio on. The Oldies Station began playing "Going to the Chapel", a song that he truley hated. He mumbled again and then turned the radio off.
"You didnt have to punch him" Rebecca said again.
Turner bit his into his lower lip and shook his head.
"What the hell was I supposed to do?" He said, glancing over at her, a look of sarcasm on his face. "Just let him sit there and belittle us in front of all those people? If he has a problem with what we do, fine, thats his business. Write us an ugly letter. It's not like we dont get enough of those already! Ooh, Or better yet, put us in your sermon and talk about how evil Turner Park is! Heaven forbid I rejuvenate species that are practically extinct." He finished, the car falling back into silence.
"Dinosaurs werent evil. They're animals, just like me and you. Sure, some look scary, but they're not evil, and God didnt wipe them all out because of their evilness. He loves them the same way he does me and you. I mean he made Dinotopia the equivilant of Noah's Ark and let creatures live there that couldnt survive anywhere else" He continued in his tirade, his wife nodding her head and waiting for him to run out of gas.
"But he shouldnt have grabbed you and called you that ugly word. I hate that word." Josh said, reaching over and placing his hand atop hers."Nobody talks to my wife like that." He squeezed her hand gently and looked over at her and smiled. He gazed at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the vacant road. He half-snorted before speaking again. Besides, he swung first, I just wanted to show him how to do it right. Man, he went down. Thud!" Josh said, his mood becoming lighter as he struck his right hand against the seat beside him, mimicing the action taken by their assalient earlier in the day.
Rebecca rolled her eyes and undid her seat belt. She scooted close to him and placed her head on his shoulder. "Well, at least you didnt throw him into a tree" Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 149 (5/5/04 10:20 am) 64.12.116.17 A Secret No More??? When Croco and Speedwing got back to the Pilot's Quarters, he immediately told the rookery staff the situation and gave them a couple orders, namely not to talk about the park to anyone, even their immediate family. He saw his Skybax to roost before retreating to his office to call Quigley, whom he knew was in his office. Quigley was looking over the weekly report for the park's hadrosaur population when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Captain Hallaway here..." A smile came on Quigley's face.
"Good...I want you to talk to this contact of mine in San Diego. Could you hold so I can dial him?" Croco nodded and told him to do so. Quigley clicked him off and dialed him, then waited for him to answer. Luckily it wasn't long and after they exchanged greetings and an update on how the ambassadors were doing, he clicked back over so that Croco could hear them. "Still there, Captain?" The young man acknowledged him, then his contact spoke up, to which Quigley quieted them down. "All right, Darrin...it's all yours."
"Thanks Jack...I've heard a lot about you and your team, Captain Hallaway," he said, "Name's Darrin Warner and it's an honor to be talking to such an extraordinary man like yourself." Darrin was a former Navy officer who had to give up the service after a car accident claimed his mobility. He is forced to get around in a wheelchair, but still works for the military as a recruiter. But he soon got down to business after Croco introduced himself. "Captains...the ambassadors from the Island are here with me in San Diego. We are trying to figure out a way to get them to the park with the minimal exposure to the public..." At once, Croco jumped in and interrupted them.
"Whoa, whoa...how did they get off, Darrin?" he asked him. Darrin was expecting someone to ask him that and smiled.
"From what I heard, they constructed vessels that could withstand the reef...their target destination was supposed to be Hong Kong, but apparently they were able to hitch a ride aboard the USS Shiloh on its way back home from a tour in the Persian Gulf," he told them. "Captain Harris and his crew treated them like royalty on board."
"When did they leave?" Quigley asked.
"About four months ago...just after the attack on the park."
"Great...I'll send Dr. Marsh over with the Lone Star and they could be here by sundown. I..." Just then, the three of them were interrupted by a high-pitched squawking in the background. While Darrin and Quigley were baffled and taken by surprise, Croco clutched his heart. He knew that familiar squawk from a mile away...he didn't want to say her name but at the same time, he wanted to tell her that he was okay.
"Can I...?" he asks but Darrin cut him off.
"By direct executive orders, I cannot allow any of the ambassadors to speak to anyone before they arrive on park grounds," he told him, "However, I can assure you that, being a native to the Island, you as well as Mr. and Mrs. Turner, will be able to speak freely to them once they arrive." That seemed to lift the flier's spirits a little bit, knowing that he would be able to speak to the one that literally put him in the position he was in. They conversed for about fifteen minutes about the pickup of the ambassadors and the security details for when they were in the park. They agreed to pick them up the following morning and bring the ambassadors in for a tour of the park and to discuss the future of both the park and Dinotopia. Shortly after that, Croco had to leave to check on his pilots. But a wide smile was permanently etched to the young man's face for the rest of the day as he continued his duties as captain of the Skybax Patrol.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:18:54 GMT -5
Turner neophite (5/5/04 9:06 pm) 64.244.161.59 Honors "Dear Mr. Turner- On behalf of your generous contributions and donations to the departments of Geology and Paleontology, The University of Leaden Alumni Association wishes to present you with the extreme honour of an honorary docterette in Vertebrate Paleontology.
The honour will be presented during the annual Scholarship Dinner on the evening of July 1st, 2004 in The Waldorf Ballroom of the Sid Richardson Building here at the University of Leaden. Please RSVP at your next convenience."
Josh refolded the note and placed it back in the envelope. He wore a smile for the rest of the evening Turner neophite (5/25/04 11:27 am) 64.244.161.62 Name that Dinosaur.... Goliath the Andrewsarchus had just settled down for the night in his favorite spot next to the fireplace when the kitchen phone rang. He let out a deep snarl and a series of barks that sounded like cannon blasts.
No longer a runt by any means, He had grown into an impressive representation of his species. He stood six foot three inches tall and was nearly 18ft long. Andrewsarchus may have been the largest, most fierce terrestrial mammalian carnivore ever, but this particular specimen had all the ferocity of an old,laid-back dog.
On the sixth ring, Rebecca hurried into the room, shushing him as she passed. Goliath rose and trotted behind her, nudging her back with his snout. She picked up the reciever as she brushed an auburn lock from her face.
"Hello?" She said. Goliath nudged her once more. She turned and shooed him away with her hand. He plopped down on the kitchen floor and stared up at her with big puppy-dog eyes.
"This is General Davids of the USMC. I need to speak with Professor Turner please."
"He's not available at the moment General." She said, tieing the sash to her blue cotton robe.
There was silence for a moment and Rebecca heard the rustling of papers on the other end of the line. "Is this Rebecca Lawson Turner?"
"yes" She said, sitting down on a kitchen stool.
"Mrs. Turner, is this line secure?
She looked a bit perplaxed but spoke. "Yes, I believe it is."
"Very well. Mrs. Turner, this evening a naval carrier docked in San Diego. Aboard were several ambassadors from the island of Dinotopia. I trust you're familiar with this island?"
Rebecca's eyes lit up and she couldnt help but smile. "Yes, I'm familiar with the island" She said, teasing the military official. "What can I do to help General? Is everyone okay?"
"Yes ma'am,they're all fine. There are six humans and six animals. The people speak a very broken english and portuagese. We know the other beings are intelligent but they're playing dumb and not speaking at all. We needed them all to be vaccinated on base, which they were. But we also need to record their exact species for our paper work. The humans hardly speak and we're not exactly paleontologists."
"So you'd like for me to help you identify the species then General?"
"Yes ma'am, it would be a tremendous help."
Rebecca switched to a cordless phone and them moved to her rocking chair in the living room. She sat and curled one leg underneath her. "Sure, Mr. Davids, I think I can help. Tell me what they look like." She said. She heard more papers rustling and the general finally spoke again.
"Okay Mrs. Turner, one looks like a big cat with two long fangs. Its about six feet long. There are small brown spots running down it's back."
Rebecca thought for a moment. "Is the rest of the fur a blondish brown?"
"Yes ma'am"
"Okay, thats a Smilodon. A sabertooth tiger."
"Makes sense, thats kind of what I figured too" The general said. He thumbed to the next page and whistled shrillishly. "This next one looks like a plucked Ostrich. Six and half feet tall, blue body, green stripes, light purple underbelly. Long arms and legs."
"Sounds like a Struthiomimus to me." She said. She took a few minutes to spell the name for him.
"Okay, wow, this one looks like one of those raptors from the movie. Nearly seven-feet tall, tan body,slight red stripes. It looks like theres feather or spins running from back of the head to the base of the neck. Lots of sharp teeth and claws.
"That's a Utahraptor. They're harmless enough unless you make them angry." She giggled.
"I'll make it a point not too. I'd hate to meet one of them in a dark ally."
"So would I" Rebecca added. "They have perfect night-vision.
They chatted for a few more moments about the Utahraptor." Okay Mrs. Turner, we're half-way done."
He rustled the paper yet again. "Okay, this next one looks like a big lizard with a sail on it's back. The legs are splayed out to the sides. He has claws but they're not very sharp."
"Okay, I think I know what it is. On the top of the sail, is the coloration blue or red?" Rebecca asked.
"It's red. The rest of the animal is green"
"Thats an Edaphosaurus. E-D-A-P-H-O-S-A-U-R-U-S. I'm glad you had a color photo, theres a lot of very similiar beings.
"Number four looks like a really small horse with light brown bands around the legs. He's about the size of a housecat according to these notes."
"Ooh" Rebecca cood. "A Hyracotherium" She again spelled it out for the general. "They're very personable once they warm up to you."
"Alright, last one. It's the size of a small pig...four legs... beak like a parrot...frill or collar around the head...I think it's either a light red or pink. My eyes arent what they used to be.
"Are there any horns?"
"No ma'am, none that I can make out."
"I think thats a Protoceratops. No, I'm positive that one is a Protoceratops. General, the other creatures may not be talking, but I've yet to see a Proto that could stay quite for longer than a few minutes. Once they start talking, you'll think they'll never shut up."
The general asked a few more follow-up questions about their guest and then thanked Rebecca for her help. Rebecca hung up the phone and returned to the bed-room. She turned off the light and snuggled up to her husband who was sleeping quite soundly Turner neophite (6/9/04 7:59 pm) 64.244.161.54 This story just got weirder Meanwhile way way way north of the park...
Acbar's feet felt like lead as he began his long climb up the spiral staircase leading to the office of his boss. 365 agonizing steps later he found himself facing an old wooden door with a blurry glass panel making up the top half. He didnt need to look up and check the name written in black letters across the glass. During his three-hundred years of employment, he'd made this trek several times. He wrapped his small four fingered fist against the door and and waited to be acknowledged. He waited several moments before a flow of voices and occasional laughter compelled him to open the door.
He opened it to find a crowd of his own kind circled around their boss, a plump elderly man with a white beard. They laughed at his joke and then turned to welcome the newcomer.
"Ho, ho, Glad you could make it my boy." The large man said warmly, turning and staring down at Acbar. "How are things down at the stable?" He asked
Acbar looked around, noting that all eyes were suddenly upon him, the room becoming very quite.
"Act-actually sir," he stammered. "that's what I need to speak with you about. In private if we could..."
The old human nodded and began ushering his smaller companions from the room. "I'll finish my story at dinner" He said as he watched the little beings scurry from the room and down the stairs.
He watched until the last elf had disappeared down the stairs before the old man closed the door. He turned back to Ackbar, his expression growing more serious. He presented the little man with chair before setting behind his own desk, a huge thing made of centuries-old gingerbread.
"Its the Rolunda Flu again isnt it?" He asked
Ackbar nodded.
"I'm afraid so Mr. Clause. The entire herd is infected. All eight of them, even Rudolph. The symptoms range from blisters between the hooves, mange, antler-rot and even loss of flight in Cupid and Blitzen" He said solemnly
Santa could only stare at the elf and shake his head. "It's like the 1300's all over again" He said, making reference to the last time his animals had been afflicted by this highly selective disease. That time he lost his entire herd. He'd only been able to make his annual rounds during that century by bestowing different forms of animals with flight capabilities and giving rise to the notion that Santa employees different animals in different regions of the world. It had taken the Clauses nearly a hundred years to train the most recent and famous batch of reindeer.
"There is actually some good news" Acbar said, thumbing through his clipboard."
"And that is?"
"Well, Dr. Jingles and I believe that since we've detected the illness early on, theres a very good chance that we could treat it and develop a vaccination to prevent future out breaks."
With this, Santa perked up for a moment. "Then by all means, get back to the stable and cook me up a vaccine." He said, smiling at the little creature.
"I will and it will be sucessful, but sir, there is slight catch" He said
Clause blew his breath out and smirked "Theres always a catch isnt there" Santa said
"I'll need to put the deer in quarantine, and given their, uh, unique abilities, they wont be able to make their annual run..." He trailed off, not knowing how Santa would act.
"Which means I'm going to have to find replacements, and with only six months until December, I'm going to be hard pressed to find something."He said, trying not to get upset. "You got any bright ideas?"
Acbar sat back and placed his tiny face in his hands. He thought for a few minutes. "Actually, I think might have one".....
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:19:38 GMT -5
Tamith neophyte Posts: 3 (6/10/04 10:27 pm) 128.138.177.7 Re: first meeting The shrill beeping of the alarm clock rousted Josh from a deep slumber. He reached over and swatted it off the nightstand. Before it fell to the ground, he caught a glimpse of it's time 5:45. Josh rubbed his eyes and reached over to wake his wife. Rebecca wasn’t there. He looked around slightly confused at the fact that she wasn’t there and wondered where she could be at such an ungodly hour. A few seconds later, he got his answered. Rebecca danced into the room and grinned.
“You’re finally up, sleepy head,” she said fondly. “Get up. We have a very exciting day today.”
Josh couldn’t help but smile as he shifted his weight, nearly tumbling out of bed. He couldn’t blame her for being excited. Today was going to be a very big day indeed.
"What I wouldn’t do for a few more hours sleep," he said, standing up and stretching his arms over his head.
“You can get all the sleep you want later,” his wife said pulling him out of bed. “Now you must get ready. We’re going to meet some of my Dinotopian brothers and I’m dying to hear news from the island. Hurry and get ready, you wouldn’t want to keep us waiting.”
Josh muttered something under his breath, only to get a dirty look from his wife. Once again he'd forgotten about her exceptional hearing. He stumbled into the bathroom and quickly shaved and showered. He emerged later, still in his pajamas but his damp hair denoting his cleanliness. He was holding two suits "Honey, what exactly does one wear to meet ambassadors?" he said, holding them to her.
The couple was ready within the hour. Fifteen minutes after that they were boarding their private plane and on their way to California. Rebecca was so eager to arrive she could barely sit still.
“I wonder what has happened since we left,” she thought out loud. “It feels like only yesterday in a dream when I last walked on those shores…”
"If I recall, the last time you were on the beach, you weren’t walking. That son of a trilobite Jonathon Blushell was carrying you down the beach" Josh grumbled, he was still groggy. "Boy, I'd like to pop that jerk..."
“The past is behind us,” Rebecca said grinning. “It is still fond to remember. My home, that is,” she added quickly upon seeing her husband’s face.
"Right...good save though sweetheart" Josh smirked, Rebecca's perkiness gradually winning him over. "Any idea who these people are exactly? Or what they are?" He asked as they made their approach into California airspace.
“I’m not sure,” she answered. “I just know what they are. The man who called was very hush-hush about it. He did say that he wanted us to talk to them first and that they were being held under high security.”
Josh nodded. "That makes sense. Hopefully it's nobody too large. The ship would be a tight fit for something like a Seismosaur. Oh, did I tell you about those bones that Diego sent us from Belize?"
“Bones from Belize? No you didn’t. Is that what was in that package you were making such a big fuzz about before you knocked a man out?”
Josh laughed "Yeah and its pretty cool. They seem to come from some sort of medium sized ornithopod, maybe even a new species. But the weird thing is that hardly any mineralization has occurred. The bones look and feel fresh.”
“Not mineralized? Almost sounds Dinotopian to me,” Rebecca said. She took a second to look out the window and jumped. “We’re here!”
The LoneStar touched down in the middle of the Marine Base. While the pilot, Dr. Marsh, stayed with the plane, the Turners disembarked, only to be met by a group of soldier and an older officer who introduced himself as General Davids. Once introduction had been made the pair was led to a large hanger. Rebecca looked around half expecting to find the Dinotopians there and being slightly disappointed when she did not find them. “Where are they?” she asked.
“This way,” General Davids said leading them towards one corner of the hangar. He punched a number code onto the lock there then placed his hand on a now visible glowing white pad. A door whooshed open and the group stepped inside. They descended several minutes before finding another door also looked. The general opened it and motioned for the couple to enter. Their escort, however, remained outside.
Rebecca smiled widely. “Breath deep, seek peace,” she said as she entered.
The group in the room turned towards the newcomers. It consisted of six humans, three men and three women, a Smilodon, a Hyracotherium and 4 saurians: an Edaphosaurus, a Struthiomimus, a Utharaptor, and last a Protoceratops. All of them were dressed or decorated in a typical Dinotopian fashion. Two of the humans and the Protoceratops lead the others towards the new comers.
“Breath deep, seek peace.” An Asian looking woman in a flowing turquoise robe was the first to address them. “My name is Kha’ling Zestra; I am a Speaker at Sauropolis. This is André Simons,” she said with a very pronounced accent, “historian from Waterfall City and this is Castra, our chief ambassador on this voyage.”<br> “Breath deep, seek peace,” Josh Turner said stepping forwards and stretching his hand in Dinotopian greeting. “I’m Josh Turner and this is my wife, Rebecca.”<br> “Dr. Turner, Mrs. Turner! It is most fortunate you have come so quickly,” Castra squawked after the greeting. “We have big news to give to you. It has recently been discovered in the exploration of a vast underground cave system on the edges of the Rainy Basin, a totally new habit blossoming with life that we only believe possible in myth.”<br> “Myth?”<br> “Yes,” the Protoceratops continued. “And it is our belief that these creatures have also made their existence here, outside the island.”<br>Turner neophite (6/11/04 11:00 pm) 64.244.161.58 more "I hate to interrupt you" Davids interjected. "But we have a conference room down the hall which is more secure. We also have foods and refreshments." He said, turning to face the Turners "You must be hungry after your flight"
"I could eat" Josh said "Lead the way"
The officer led them into a spacious room with several tables and chairs. A spacious buffet type structure with all mannors of food was set up against the far wall. Once introductions had been made, the officer left them to visit. The beings sat around a long tabe and begin an informal conversation.
"So please, tell us more about this new ecosystem you've discovered." Josh asked, popping the cap off his bottled soda
"And it's part of The World Beneath?" Rebecca added
Turner neophite (6/12/04 10:30 am) 64.244.161.63 filler Hours later, the Lone Star lifted into the California sky and began it's long trip back to Texas. The Dinotopian ambassadors were awed by this show of technology and wondered around the airship like excited children. The large plane was flanked by two F-16's who would ensure it's safe arrival back at Turner Park.
It had taken hours for the security patrol to be certain that the park was at last devoid of visitors. Teams of raptors scoured every inch of the ground while the Skybax soared through the skies. All low-ranking employees, including the latest batch of recruits were sent home and given a long weekend. stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 28 (6/13/04 3:55 am) 203.173.3.208 in darkness I come I hope you don't mind me sneaking in at this point, I've been waiting to make an appearance if you don't want me in at the moment just gimme a yell and I'll wait
as Lone Star approached the park all was quiet. the skybax had long returned to their roosts and only a few small patrols of raptors remained in the grounds. one such group was making its way quietly through the undergrowth of a small wooded area when they paused, their powerful ears picking up a minute crackle on the ground. looking towards the noise, they saw nothing though and detected only a faint wiff of treesap. reasoning that it must have just been a falling branch they moved on.
from the darkness, a figure unfurled slowly from under a wide cloak, patterned with branches and leaves. gathering up the bag which had slipped under it as it had hidden, it slipped quietly deeper into the park as the lights of the planes soared overhead with a deafening roar. the figure smiled and a soft phrase formed on it's lips as the noise receded 'fools' Turner neophite (6/16/04 12:37 pm) 64.244.161.61 Lets see what you are As was standard opperating procedure for the Raptors, a second group followed close behind the first group, scouring the environment for anything the first group might have missed.
The six raptors strode into the forested area. The powerful olfactory glands of the leader detected something faint, something that was out of place in this enclosure. This glade and it's surrounding paddock was home to a family of the man-sized Diatryma, a flightless predatory bird of the Eocene. Like most birds, these huge beasts lack night-vision and were likely huddled together, asleep in their shelter.
The lead raptor, a large female named Anna breathed deeply to inhale the scent once more. It was oddly familiar but still something she couldnt quite place
"No." She thought "that's not Diatryma. It doesnt belong here" Anna turned to her five comrades and signalled for them to remain observant but stay still and quite. She called out into the darkness. "Show yourself. We know you're here. Come to us and we'll escort you from this area. No harm will come to you." She first called this in Compsognathus, then Hyracotherium and then in Australopithicene, all dialects of the creatures whose enclosures neighbored this one.
She then spoke her command in English.
She waited for a responce. Her teeth and claws bared. Just in case
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:20:15 GMT -5
Turner neophite (6/16/04 3:14 pm) 64.244.161.61 More "With all due respect Mr. Clause, I think that's a horrible idea." Acbar the Elf stated, his nimble fingers tapping his clipboard.
Clause stroke his beard thoughtfully. He knew exactly what the smaller creature was going to say. Elfs were highly practical and coversative creatures. They could follow any blue print and create anything but they often lacked imagination and the ability to think outside the box.
Santa laughed and looked down at his friend. "You said the same thing about introducing a certain red-nosed reindeer onto the team. Look how that idea turned out." He chuckled again."Not only did he save Christmas, but Gene Autrey even wrote a song about it!" stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 29 (6/16/04 10:40 pm) 203.62.10.22 in darkness I go... Anna waited... nothing moved in the forest. At a curt command the raptors fanned out, widening the pattern of their patrol and searching the area. within minutes of the increased activity a raptor snarled, bringing the rest of the pack to the spot. a broken branch lay on a small pile of leaves, sap oozing pungently from the wound. it looked like a recent break, but more mysteriously there were traces of a scent she could not quite identify mingled with the branch's own. "something has been this way. whatever it was, it's gone now though. Dias and Caleph, run for HQ and alert the wardens. top security measures. NOW! she said this with a sinking feeling. If whoever it was had gotten through despite the extraordinary senses of the guards, there would be nothing on earth that could detect them"
deeper into the park, Gareth lay face down. from his hiding spot he saw the two raptors sprint for the main buildings. they didn't notice him, even though they should have smelt him half a mile off. his plan had worked like a charm. He knew that he would be removed the moment he was detected and he had taken pains to make sure that did not happen. his mission was too important to be sabotaged by a few patrols of guards. He rose and snuck forward, more than a century of honed instinct and skill meaning he made not the slightest of sounds and left only the most imperceptable of trails, which his sliding cloak soon erased. Kcarua slid silently on his back, her weight reasuring him as he crept closer to the airfield, making sure nothing could detect him. Turner neophite (6/17/04 10:18 am) 64.244.161.63 Lets see what you're all about "Stop right there!" Snippy hissed, her massive three clawed hand pinning the intruder's cape to the ground.
Snippy was an adult female Therizinosaur. Light Green with black spots, she was 23 feet long and over ten feet tall at the hip. A mane of black feathers ran down her long neck.
While her right hand pinned the intruder's garment to the floor, the left was posed and ready to run the smaller creature through with it's massize spike
She warbled and within seconds her mate and eldest hatchling appeared in front of them, followed by three squads of super-raptors. The eighteen raptors fanned around and formed a circle around the Therizino's and their captive.
"Look what mama caught!" Snippy's daughter said, a human-sized version of her mother. Chelsea moved in for a closer look, only find the claws of her father blocking her way.
"Not so fast..." Briar said, gently pushing her back. "We dont know what this thing is or where it came from. It's probably crawling with germs"
About this time, the Park's alarm system came to life with flashing red lights and irriratating beeps and buzzes.The sensitive hearing of the dinosaurs could already detect the rumbling of security vehicles entering the park. One such vehicle, Snippy informed them, was coming this way
Briar and Snippy smiled as they each grabbed an arm of the intruder and lifted him into the air. Chelsea led the group to a waiting vehicle, similar to a large tank. The three huge dinosaurs stepped aboard, the vehicle shuddering lightly beneath them, followed by Anna and the other squad leaders. "Take us to the Holding Center" Anna instructed the human pilot. "And inform the Professor that we have a guest" stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 30 (6/17/04 8:43 pm) 203.62.10.22 okay, maybe you just don't get it, but gareth tends to win gareth hung limply from the claws of the two thereiznosaurs. "you do realise that this will get you absolutely nowhere right?" he muttered from under the hood of his cloak, twisting around to look up at the large dinosaurs "ooooh it speaks. Human, I fail to see how we have gotten absolutely nowhere as you are the one hanging from our claws." "D'you know who I am perchance?" "no, and to tell the truth, I don't care" "well, for your information my name is gareth. Gareth dragonsbane. do you know how I got that name?" "I've already told you I don't care. you can tell security" "my point is, I got the name for besting an entire raptor clan in the Rainy Basin of Dinotopia. do you think a couple of patrols of ratpors and a few spiky termite eaters can stop me?" "I thought we just did" Gareth sighed and shook his head "I think you fail to understand me", turning the shake into a swing which caused his foot to come squarely into contact with the arm of one of his captors who promptly dropped him. suddenly Kcarua appeared in his hand and her hilt smashed into the sensetive skin that linked the thereiznosaurus's claws to it's body. Briar gave a slight yelp and slashed with his other hand. Gareth ducked and rolled between the legs of Snippy, dodged the raptor and lightly depressed a button with the tip of the katana. the back ramp of the tank did not open. "fine, have it your way" A kick bent the pneumatic supports of the door which fell backwards with a groan, causing a shower of sparks to fly up from the road. Chelsea lunged but gareth simply deflected and pushed her out of the way so that she ran against the wall of the vehicle. "sorry friends, but I'll make an appearance when I choose too. and I doubt any less than the entire populace of this park will be sufficient to hold me. If that. Don't worry, I'm a dinotopian too, but there are bigger things to worry about than me carrying germs at the moment." a swipe from snippy caused the man to duck, catching his hood and revealing a middle aged face with pure white hair and a regal stare. "For the moment, farewell!" Chelsea got to her feat just as the man dove from the back of the slowing patrol vehicle. he rolled among the sparks for a second before he was on his feet, dodging the vehicle that came behind his one and rolling under the lunge of a guard raptor loping alongside the convoy. The raptor recoved quickly and persued. but the man was prodigiously fast and the creature stopped as he vanished into the darkness of a pen. "hmph, I don't think he'll last long in there. that's the giganotosaurs." Gareth grinned again as he sped past the sign. Hopefully the guards wouldn't follow him in here and he could always give them the slip again if they tried. meanwhile, there were a couple of old friends to contact and arrangements to be made. vaulting into a tree and scaling swiftly he found himself even closer to the airport and watched the ambassadors move accross the landing strip with a guard tight around them looking cautiously outwards, fully aware of the alarms sounding. "good" he thought and dropped lightly from the branches, disappearing into the night as he sped off once again. the alarm was out and staying in one spot could set the entire park after him. kind of inconvienient and annoying, so he decided to clear the park alltogether and find a decent linkup. half an hour later and gareth was lying under his cloak on a hill overlooking turner park, watching the patrols scurrying about. Quetzocolatus soared through the air searching but could see nothing but their friends on the ground and trees. Dragging a small headset from his bag gareth tapped in a few letters and clipped the small 'phone to his head. after a few moments he heard a voice "this is Simon, I read you. What's the sit?" "well, the park was quite busy tonight so I've retreated a bit. Sit is stable, but keep an eye on our scans, if that Satelite comes in range, get on to me immediately. I'm going to wait and see what traps they can come up with before I go in again." he looked down the hill and watched a group of raptors run to the perimiter and place a tiny black box on the ground. "pheh, infrared cameras. Simon, these guys are amateurs. you have the frequency? thereisnosaurus out" "gotcha. just tell me when" "roger that, got a group sneaking up on my position, so i'll link back in an hour or so. End." Gareth flipped his bag back on and crawled down the hill a little, sneaking into a tree . A group of raptors on foot ran over the crest and fanned out, surprised at finding nothing. at a command from the Alpha, they headed back down towards the park. Gareth dropped silently and made his way towards the wilderness around Turner park.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:20:55 GMT -5
Turner neophite (6/22/04 10:38 am) 64.244.161.62 Okay OOC; Welcome aboard Stefan. It's always nice to new player. Az and Tam have told me a little about your characters but I'm afraid I'm still a tad confused. Would you mind posting a bio or something? You seem to have a good grasp on Turner Park, although officially we dont have Gigantosaurs. Here's the link to our faunal page
pub227.ezboard.com/fpreda...ID=1.topic
As well as the other Turner Park story so you can see what's happened before
pub227.ezboard.com/fpreda...t48006frm9
This should be an interesting story and again it's always nice to have new folks around. Dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions-----Turner
Back to the story
Josh took one last look at the lights of the Lone Star as it disappeared into the night sky. He cursed the Park's intruder under his breath as he took the driver's seat of the golf cart. His wife fumbled with her purse for a moment before taking the passenger seat. Rebecca was about to speak when Josh reached down for his radio. He looked at it for a moment before shaking his head. "No, if they can get past twenty freggin-raptors, four humans, Three Therizinosaurs and an armoured truck, they can probably tap into our radio channels." Josh said
"Hey, let me see your cell phone for a second" He asked Rebecca. The young woman reached into her purse and dug for a moment before exuming a silver phone. "Here" She said handing it to him
Josh quickly typed in a series of numbers and waited until he was answered.
"Quigley? This is Turner. Listen, I need all Captains for an immediate meeting in the hangar...the underground one. Get Croco, Alex, Azonthus, Snippy's family and those two raptor squads. We need to know what were up against. Yeah, ASAP...We'll be there soon." Josh ended the call and reved up the cart. He sped away from the landing strip towards the underground hanger where the Lone Star was usually docked. He finally slowed when he was half way there, he still wore the frown though.
"Hey.." Rebecca said, taking his hand in hers and looking over at him."It's going to be alright. The ambassadors are safe and once we figure this out, they'll return and we can get back to business." She paused for a moment. "Theres something else about this, some little voice in the back of my mind telling me that this may not be a totally negative experience for us." She trailed off. Josh looked over at her like she was crazy.
"I still say you should be on that plane with them. Just be careful until we get this figured out."
They talked until they reached the secret elevator which took them several feet below the surface of the park to a cavernous docking bay were everyone else was waiting.
The Turners were briefed about the disturbance and listened as all those involved told the story from their perspective. A lump formed in their throats when they learned that the intruder claimed to be Dinotopian stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 31 (6/22/04 8:21 pm) 192.168.100.40 thanks Turner I'm sorry if my character seems a little forceful at the moment, but I'd prefer to make my entrance when it suits me, not in a detention cell. I am not exaggerating any of Gareth's potential in anything he does though. he is quite capable of what he did back there
Gareth started out as a 16yr old in the CityOM RP. he was a former convict who led, along with a friend and mentor, an escape attempt from botany bay, australia. the plan succeeded and the convicts escaped, but they were attacked by pirates in the mid indian ocean and the ship was captured. Gareth was thrown overboard with a cannonball tied to his feet. thankfully the chain snapped and he swum, helped by the dolphins, to the shore of dinotopia. all the others perished.
over the subsequent years he became a wanderer, accepting the codes, but refusing the 'weapons are enemies' part. martial arts, taught by his mentor, were the only reason he had survived and he wasn't going to give them up. he persuaded Tok to forge him another sword (k'carua), the smith saw that the art was a part of the boy's soul and separating them would kill him, gareth continued to roam around the island, helping new arrivals and protecting the citizens of dinotopia . he never used his weapons in actual combat for over a century, but as he was travelling through the basin he accidentaly tresspased through the territory of a raptor clan, who attacked. Gareth at that point had been training for over a century and even the primal instinct of the carnivores was no match for him. he bested the entire clan in almost twenty hours of straight combat, without ever cutting a single one. The raptors, awed by this creature of unlimited strength, apologised and expressed the wish for him to join their clan, which he accepted, gaining the title 'dragonsbane'. during the next eighty years, gareth became increasingly concerned with news of technology on the outside. he knew that dinotopia must remain a secret, for all the barganing in the world would not save it should it be discovered. during the late 1950s he managed to get off the island and find his way to ameria where he befriended an outcast named simon. Simon was a hacker and a technological mastermind who earnt a living by transferring money. Gareth saved his life as he fled from police and the two became total friends. gareth told Simon of dinotopia and its mysteries. in return for a supply of arctium that would extend his life, Simon agreed to devote his life to preserving this utopia, understanding that such a place must be preserved at any cost. Simon created a material that insulated electronic systems from the sunstone-radiation that caused most technology to go haywire on the island and gareth returned to dinotopia, staying in constant contact with his friend though a phone that Simon had linked up to one of the first communication satelites. Simon toiled day and night to keep tabs on Satelites, especialy spy satelites, breaking into their databanks and editing it so dinotopia appeared merely as a patch of subteranean land under the water. however, recently he was almost caught on one and events have developed that saw gareth take ship again for the world outside
Gareth is about 186 years old now, with long white hair a deep green eyes. he is still possibly one of the strongest human beings on the planet, a century and a half of dedication to his art making him easily the equal of any opponent and age has not dulled his senses. he has piercing blue eyes and a light sense of humor but is passionate about protecting the utopia that sheltered him when he was a boy. he normaly goes about in a dark cloak with deep green robes underneath. he carries an assortment of items, both technological and not so technological and always has his sword with him
hope that helps. oh, and don't worry about me destroying the plot line, I'll keep to it, but I'm going to add, as you may have gathered from the above, a little spice....
therisnosaurus, stefan de velociraptor
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:21:38 GMT -5
stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 32 (6/23/04 10:37 pm) 192.168.100.31 continuing the story gareth crouched under his cloak, overlooking Turner park. he had extraced small notebook computer from his pack and was crouching over the screen, watching an overview of the park. network messages and cell calls into or around the park flashed up regularly, but most were unimportant. however, one flashed from the vehicle in which the Turner's were mounted. Gareth tapped a button and the contents of the message rolled out across the screen, converted to text by Simon's programming. looking at the contents, a smile spread once more across Gareth's face as he settled down and closed his eyes to meditate.
Down in Turner Park, A group of alernately sleepy or apprehensive humans and saurians were clustered around a large armoured truck, talking softly. inside the transport's large passenger compartment, Josh and Rebecca Turner, Croco Hallaway, Briar and Azonthus stood looking at the buckled door supports. Croco was running his fingers over the dented metal 'nothing, nothing could do that. that's four and half inches of solid titanium alloy. it would take a rex stepping on it to so much as scratch it. and you say this guy just kicked it?' Briar nodded, holding one of his clawed hands with the other 'are you sure you don't want to get that looked at, Briar' said Turner with concern 'If that man could do that' he gestured at the support 'then he probably broke a few bones in your hand as well' Briar shook his slender head 'No, I don't think he actually wanted to hurt us. the blow felt like a really strong impact but it didn't break anything and it didn't hurt if you get my meaning. it was like running up against a brick wall. just a really powerful impact.' Josh sighed. ' well, if you're sure. Man that guy is good. breaking out of a top security holding vehicle, heavily guarded, without so much as a scratch on either him, or you.' 'yes' replied the theriznosaurus 'he tapped the release button, but he obviously didn't know about the double release system we have on our trucks. when it didn't work he just said something like 'well, have it your way' and kicked it. it bent like wire' 'and you say he said he was dinotopian?' 'yes. and if he knows about the island I'm inclined to believe he's telling the truth. what worries me is he said that he wasn't what we should be worrying about, that there are bigger problems. if there is something more problematic than a single human managing to sneak through the most heavy guard and surveilance in this half of america without a care, we'd best watch out backs' 'yes' said Croco, looking up from the bent metal 'did you manage to get anything else out of him before he vanished' 'No, I don't think so. Oh, yes. He said his name was Gareth' 'What?' Azonthus, who untill this point had been silent, tensed and said. 'yes' said briar, looking at her quizzicaly 'Gareth Dragonsbane. does that ring a bell' 'd'you know the man, Azzy?' put in Turner 'Az?, what's the matter?' Azonthus' lock had become strangely distant 'yes. I know him. And I know that if he is involved things may be even worse than we could imagine...' Turner neophite (6/25/04 1:51 pm) 64.244.161.55 Come in for a chat? Rebecca listened as Azonthus told her story. She nodded solemly as the velociraptor finished speaking. "I've heard of Gareth Dragonsbane too" She said. "My father told us stories about him when my brothers and I were little. I knew he was a real person but I thought all the rest was just myth... things added to make the stories more entertaining" She paused for a moment. "But if he can can bend titanium and get the best of our friends here..." She gestured towards the raptors and the Therizinos. "Then clearly his abilities are more fact than fiction."
Captain Halloway and Captain Quigley were growing more agitated as they listen to the others. "Geeze, what is it about Turner Park that makes it a mecca for wierdos" Quigley remarked sarcastically. The group shared a nervous laugh.
"What's the plan then boss?" Croco asked, his concern evident in his voice.
Josh thought for a moment, rubbing his chin with his fingers. "The plan" He said slowly. "Is to go about business as usual. Like it or not, we're going to have to play this game his way. We've thrown our best at him and accomplished nothing. I could turn every predator loose in the park and ask them to hunt him, but he'd probably he-man is way out of that too. We're just going to have to wait and see what he wants." He looked at his friends, most of whom were shaking thier heads in agreeance. "Croco, just keep your arial patrols going as usual, maybe get a couple of un-manned skybax in the sky, just to give the impression we've heighted our security. Quigley, the same goes for your men and the raptors. I'll activate the domes so that our inhabitants wont be disturbed." After he spoke, Turner reached into his vest and removed a small panel of metal with a bright orange button in the middle. Josh punched the button and within moments, huge metallic domes and spheres rose up around the entire park, enveloping and isolating each cage, enclosure, paddock, animal house, restaurant, souvenier shop and office building in the entire park. Within five minutes, all that was left vulnerable were the paths and decorative trees of the park. Everything else was covered by a starange new alloy developed by the federal government that made titanium look like tin-foil.
When the group had been dismissed, the Captains and raptors returned to their patrols of the now-bubbled park. Snippy's family joined Azonthus and the Turners in Josh's office. While the beings were making themselves comfortable, Josh programed his personal radio for the only channel not used by park staff. He sat down at his desk and knew that their guest was listening and perhaps even watching out in the shadows. He thought about what he was going to say for a few moments before lifting the radio to his lips
"Okay Gareth.." He began "We know you're out there and that you're capable of causing a lot of trouble. I'm not even going to bother trying to catch you or even look for you. I'm sure you were aware that we were expecting some very important guests this evening, guests who were under the protection of the United States Military. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but the government only wants the best for these beings and have every intention of keeping their home a secret. The island, the cultures, the dinosaurs, everything will be safe. Gareth, you've caused me a lot of trouble tonight. You've damaged property and hurt a close friend of mine, not to mentioned trepassed in a place where you have no business being. If you have concerns you wish to voice, why dont you act like a man and come to talk to us, instead of hiding in the shadows and using your technology like a coward" Josh smiled as he added that last part. Who knows, it might this character's pride and entice him to show up. "I'll be in my office. All night. And tomarrow. And until you decide to show up. Please, come talk. I'm sure we can be a great deal of help to each other. "You know where to find me, and probably how to get here"
Josh stopped and sat the radio atop his desk. All they could do now was wait Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 151 (6/25/04 4:29 pm) 68.42.204.112 ((OOC matter)) Nevermind...I'll put the post up when I get back home...
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:22:22 GMT -5
stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 33 (6/26/04 9:05 am) 203.173.3.208 Re: Nice one Gareth rose from his trance and flipped open his notebook again, scrolling through the text-ed versions of the conversations on the radio net. One, more than the others, caught his attention. Smiling wearily he replaced the tiny headset and connected a few fine leads to the computer. Josh was reclining in his office, sipping a much deserved cup of coffee when his radio gave a furtive bleep. He sat up quickly, rather too quickly, and sent a small amazonian river's worth of the liquid down the side of his trousers. the next fifteen seconds were dedicated to much annoyed grumbling and walking gingerly over to the mobile. 'hello, this is Josh Turner" The radio was silent for a few seconds and Josh was about to replace it as a phantasm of his overworked mind when he heard a voice reply: 'Good evening, master dinotopian' Turner had never heard that voice before, yet he knew at once to whom it belonged. 'This is Gareth, am I correct' 'your perception is not lacking there, Professor Turner' 'So, are you contacting me to accept my offer of talk?' 'yes, but only via this radio for the meantime. I must stay outside the park for a while as the powerscreens you have set up in the park interfeer with my equipment and I am currently expecting news vital to the success, or failure, of my mission.' 'and that mission is?' 'as you may have noticed, Turner, your radio channels are far from secure, so I will not go into detail untill such time as I can arrange that meeting you have been wanting. for now, all I can say is it concerns the saftey of your park, and of dinotopia itself. do not underestimate who you are up against. I know turner park is almost un-breacheable. I know you have the full weight of our fantastic american military behind you, yet that will do nothing to phase these people. You are outskilled and outnumbered. hopefully I can slow the advance long enough to establish a bulkhead.' 'What do you mean, sir? Are you saying that someone is going to try and attack Turner park? someone powerful enough to overcome the defences?' 'possibly. but they will only try an assault in the most desperate situation. A frontal assault is the best we can hope for. Oh, and Turner, as for the charges lain on me for damages, I can only argue this: I am dinotopian, as you. My life is dedicated to preserving that island and the people on and associated with it. A dent can be reshaped, a bruise will heal, a trespass will be eventually forgiven. But the loss of the one place so dear to us all is permanent and irreversible and I would kill every person in the world outside rather than see that happen. Humankind is falling faster and faster but so long as dinotopia exists there will be a place where the true humanity can survive. even if the outside world should be wiped clean of our lives, if dinotopia lives, we will survive. If dinotopia falls, then humankind will fall with it. Do you not think the preservation of this place, then, is worth my small annoyances? Josh shook his head 'But, why did you have to sneak in in the first place, why did you not just come and ask?' 'Because, professor, for over a century I have walked in the shadows where no man can see me, doing my task without praise or profit. my methods are stealth and perfect suppression, holding my enemies without damaging them. I speak of enemies, see? Not very dinotopian... yet my training has led me down the path of the warrior and I must view those who wish to harm what I love as enemies so that I do not fear stopping them. I have never killed a man, or saurian, Turner, and never will do so in my concious state.' 'that is reassuring. However, I must ask you one last thing. you know why there was so much activity tonight?' 'of course I do professor, that is the very reason I am here. However, I would like to point out that if one wishes to bring representatives to a top secret meeting, one does not do so in a large jetliner with a fighter escort. I would have thought you more intelligent than that! you could really have painted 'top secret- please spy on me' signs all over your plane before takeoff without much of a difference. please, for the sake of the island, try to be a bit less conspicuous.' Turner's eyes widened at the truth of the statement 'That's true. thankyou, I'll be more cautious next time' 'best pray that there is a next time instead, Turner. I will hopefuly meet you in person very soon, I look forward to it. for my final statements, I have two requests. one, please keep your radio with you twenty four hours a day from now on. two. please have the park on standby to be completely and totaly evacuated and cleansed of all information regarding your work and dinotopia in a six hour timeslot. I hope it doesn't come to that, and it most likely won't, but if it does you must be prepared! farewell, professor. Untill we meet in person, then' 'But...' the radio went blank. Josh simply looked at it with a stunned expression on his face Turner neophite (6/27/04 12:40 am) 64.244.161.55 Stefan- Read Please OOC; Stefan- Listen, you're a tremendous writer and we're happy to have you playing along with us. However, Croco, Tamith and myself cant help but be a tad concerned with the direction you're taking my story and my park. It would be different if you'd clue us in on what exactly your plans are and perhaps even play along a little better. I understand you're fond of near unbeatable characters but that is really not fair to the rest of us. Please remember this is my story and it takes place in an enviroment which I created. We play by my rules. Also please read up on what has been written about the park and all of it's various componants. If you had done so, you would have discovered that the Lone Star is much more than a mere airplane and it does not land on a surface runway. We've also said that the true secret of Dinotopia is known to very few park officials, all of which do their damndest to preserve it. While the true intelligence of many of the prehistoric creatures is known to park employees, we never said why they are this way. As far as the lower ranking officials know, the extraordinary intelligence was a natural characteristic discovered during recreation. Do you really think I'd tell the janitorial staff that the dinosaur DNA comes from a Untopian paradise in the Indian ocean? There are also no records regarding anything Dinotopian in the park or anywhere else. If anybody asks Rebecca where she is from, she just replies Europe.As for the American Government, nobody but the highest ranking brass and commanders in chief will admit it exist. My government is very good at cover ups, only improving their abilities since the Roswell Saucer crash of 1941. Okay, I've gotten off on a bit of tangent, but you get my point I hope. This story will not be about an attack on Turner Park. That was done quite nicely in the first story. I will not accept any such action which leads to that either. This story is about the discovery of a group of creatures thought to be mythical and the park's offer of assistance to another mythical being. This is going to be a fun adventure story that may even involve a trip back to island. I REALLY dont want this to be a dark story. And should this appear to be going in a direction that I dont want, I will discontinue this story or edit your parts out if need be. I really dont want to do that. I hope we have an understanding and I look forward to your further posts---Turner Turner neophite (6/27/04 12:45 am) 64.244.161.55 Oops My Bad. The Saucer Crash was in 1947, not 1941.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:22:38 GMT -5
stefan de velociraptor everpresent omniannoying guy Posts: 34 (6/27/04 5:39 am) 203.173.3.208 okies I read you...
I know this is your RP and you are the GM. However, there is one thing that I must point out I'm a longtime D&D, warhammer and PC gamer. The joy of all three of these mechanisms is NOT being invulnerable. whether it's your character or your force as a whole, you have definite strengths and weaknesses. Gareth is by no means invincible. If he was, why the hell would I bother talking to you? I'd just go and take over the world or something as dramatic . Gareth has, as with all my characters, definitive strengths and weaknesses- he is possibly the greatest martial artist on the earth, though maybe not. the only reason he managed to defeat everything you threw at him with such consumate grace is you did just that- threw everything you had at him. Gareth, as a loner and a stealthy individual has based all of his tactics around being outnumbered, outfought and surrounded by potential threats. so, after a century of getting ready for such a situation it stands to reason he will make it look like childsplay. Like all characters, he has his weaknesses, though, as a rational being, he attempts to minimise them- hence linking with Simon so as to not be outdated technologicaly. they are there, and they are big. you just have to think outside the 'flatten with superraptor' box second, the plot. I know the storyline, and I have given my word that it will not change- go ahead with everything planned. however, if you have Gareth involved, the story will be dark. period. Gareth's job is to get involved in only the dark and the problematic. however, it will not destroy your storyline- the beauty of RP is allowing many plots to unravel. forcing players to make decisions on the fly and opening up new situations. A single plot is no fun. add a few subplots and it gets interesting. add a tangent plot and it gets your brain working. my external plot is just that- a tangent. you can still follow your plan and gareth will play his part, but you will have to consider other variables. turner park will not be attacked. why did I say it might be? because I am playing as Gareth. I know no-one will attack the park. Gareth does not. Nor, still, does Turner. we are our characters, not ourselves. Turner park undoubtably has enemies and nothing will stop them showing themselves. even the american government, as it has shown lamentably in the past months, is unprepared for anyone who doesn't run around with big signs saying 'look at me, I'm your enemy!' painted on them. no form of military can combat that threat, none, it don't work. try and hit a wasp with a sledgehammer if you don't believe me- chances are it'll just get pissed off and sting you . And even american generals are not so pure and holy as you might think- any man can be corrupted, can let slip, can get drunk. However, it is not that I'm worried about. To give you as a GM warning of what is coming. this is it. If you look carefully over the ;ast posts, you will notice many references to linkups and satellites. america does not control everything in space, and it's only a matter of time before one slips through simon's net. since simon was recently buffed from hacking a certain satellite to cover the traces of dinotopia and the park, the secret might get into hands beyond our control. Gareth's job is to stop that. This just gives any character who wants to a chance to get involved. It will affect the matter only slightly should you choose a different path, but it will affect you. Such is the fun of roleplaying. similarly, if I choose to involve myself in this funfilled RP, it will affect my mission as well.
I apologise if my actions have caused undue concern about the success or failure of this RP and If you should wish to strike gareth from the play that is your decision as a GM, and I will understand. but if gareth stays in the story, his background will come with him. there's nothing I can do to stop that without breaking the RPing spirit. I can easily enough make another character if you don't want him, though. I just prefer him as he has a lot of character to his name already so I can draw on him a lot more richly than a quickly fabricated compsognathus by the name of 'Jim'.
tis up to you- stay or not. I have given my word as a player that I won't break the storyline. I will only add elements. I can't be more honest than that. thanks for listening, and I appreciate your staying friendly, more than I can say for many.
Stefan/Thereisnosaurus
PS. one last point. From Tamith, Az, Croco and any other sources you may have you've probably gathered that I- as player or real self- am rather the rebel. I stand by the observation that every person in this world who made a real difference was someone who broke the rules. often, big time breakage. I will not let myself be caged by rules if they constrict on my open view of the world- eg I will not be hindered by prejudice, society, propaganda and all the other brilliant mechanisms the west has created to brainwash anyone who lives here. I know that as a single person I can't make much of a difference, but at least I might spot something that no one else does- something that might cause society to accidentaly shoot itself in the vulnerables and make the world go 'splat' . living with me can be trying at times, I know and understand this, but I believe I am humble enough to back off when needed and stand firm, even to the point of making someone very angry, when needed I have occasionaly done so with your friends, and most of them have come off the better for it. If I'm a tiny bit proud, it's cause I have a reason . even better than the above, compromise and win-win. That's what I've offered above. Turner neophite (6/27/04 12:03 pm) 64.244.161.54 A joint post from Turner and Tamith..... Josh reholstered his radio and blew his breath out. He flopped down in the leather chair behind his desk and propped his feet up. He was already tired and the added stress of what should have been an easy night was quickly taking its toll.
The Therizinosaurs, creatures of the daytime had each curled up against the walls and were fast asleep by the time Gareth had made contact with Turner. Even the ever-vigilant Azonthus was not in room, she'd caught the scent of Ms. Gwangi's chocolate cake in the breakroom and her stomach pains enticed her to investigate. Rebecca lay on her back on the nearby couch, hands behind her head. She'd listened closely to the exchange between the two men. It wasnt like her to stay this quite and Josh knew that she was probably deep in thought. "Well," she said suddenly sitting up. "That went well." The rare sarcasm in her voice has obvious. "You think?" Josh replied raising and eyebrow. "So what are we going to do about Mr.Secret-Agent over there? Can we <i>really</i> have the park ready to evacuate in just a few hours? I think we should tell the ambassadors, they might help me come up with some diplomatic Dinotopian suggestion. I for one, wish I knew what's going on." "You and me both kiddo" He replied. He thought for a moment. " "No, we cant have the park evacuated in a few hours. We'd be doing good to have it evacuated in a few days I think. And even then, where would we send the refugees? We'll just have leave the domes up and hope for the best." He paused "But what kind of diplomacy did you have in mind?" "He claims to be Dinotopian," Rebacca told him. "If this is trully for the sake of Dinotopia then we, its citizens, deserve to know what's going on, don't you think?" Josh laughed. Yet again, his wife had touched on something he would have missed. This girl was sharp. "I like that idea. I like it a lot." "So I propose we go brief them on what's been happening for the last few hours and see what they think of the whole thing. Chances are that together we can figure this out. If Dinotopia is really in danger, no one but its inhabitants can really defend it. What better representatives for this task than ambassadors and myself?" "Then I guess we're going back to California then.." He said sarcastically, standing and straightening the wrinkles out of his slacks. "Alright," Rebecca said with a smirk. "To California, then."
The pair rousted the sleeping giants and extracted Azonthus from the remains of the chocolate. After informing Croco and Quigley of their plans, Josh left Turner Park under their control and promised to call them when he knew more about the situation.
The six made their way back to the underground hangar and after considering several different types of aircraft, finally decided that the Caribean Pearl, a sleeker, faster version of the Lone Star was the best ship for the job. They quickly took their seats aboard and within minutes the ship lifted through the hangar doors and rocketed west towards California.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:23:08 GMT -5
Turner neophite (6/28/04 12:14 am) 64.244.161.59 To replace the post SOMEBODY erased... Josh fastened his seat-belt and checked the various gages. Rebecca was seated in the co-pilots chair and watched in wonder. Although she had recieved the Caribbean Pearl as an anniversery gift, the young dinotopian had no idea how to control it. The professor reached above his head and flipped on the airship's intercom. "Strap yourselves in amigos, this might get bumpy." He said as he took hold of the ship's throttle
"All set boss!" Came a raspy Therizinosaur voice
He pushed the stick towards the floorboard and the sleek little ship's velocity increased signifigantly. From their vantage point inside the cockpit, the clouds seemed to be whizzing by in the moonlight. "I didnt know you could fly." Rebecca said tightening her seatbelt. "Fly, yes. Land, no." Josh said, never taking his eyes away from the front window. He continued to force the throttle down, causing the ship to race across the stars even faster."Valerie was teaching me to fly...we just hadd'nt got to the landing part yet
Rebecca shook her head and double checked her straps. She then tightened her grip on the chair's arm-rests. "Just get us there in one piece please."
The Caribbean Pearl suddenly hit a pocket of turbulance and shuddered violently. Over the intercom, Josh could hear squawks of fear coming from the back. "Damnit Turner..." One of the dinosaurs screamed
The turbulance disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived and the ship returned to calm. Josh looked over at his wife and grinned as large Texas. "That was fun" He stated happily. Rebecca shot him the dirtiest look he'd ever seen her give and began muttering a host of ceratopsian profanity.
Less than an hour later, they entered California airspace and soon approached the military installation where the ambassadors were being held. Dispite the concerned screams of his passengers and grumbled curses, now in multiple languages coming from his wife, Josh managed to land the ship nearly intact. However, it did strike the ground with enough force to snap a piece of the landing gear off. The ship buckled for a moment and then leaned slightly to the left. "Everybody okay back there?" Josh asked into the intercom. He was answered by a deep velociraptorian snarl and chorus of Therizinosaur squawk-barks. The saurians were not happy. The ship groaned and leaned even further to the left, wobbling for a moment before becoming stable. "Well..., it's almost.. still in one piece..." Josh said trailing off into a nervous chuckle. He looked at his wife and and waited for a smile or a giggle. None came. Her face turned beet-red and the little vein on her forehead began to throb. She gave him yet another go-to-hell-look. He decided it was probably in his best interest not to say anything else. He unfasted his belts and rose slowly.
With a fluid movement, Rebecca lunged and grabbed him by his collar, jerking him off his feet and down to where they were they were at eye-level, their noses nearly touching. "Joshua Thomas T-rex Turner, the NEXT time you want to practice your non-existant flying skills, you make sure theres not another quirling live creature onboard with you AND you'd better find something else to practice with instead of wrecking MY plane..." Josh raised a hand in protest but was quickly silenced "If you EVER do a stunt like that again, I'll make you wish you'd never met me. Quirl! I'll make you wish you'd never been born" He tried to rise from his knees but she jerked him down again and snarled "Do you understand me?"
"Ye..yes, uh, yes ma'am, I do" He replied, her grip still keeping him in place
"Good.." She said with a faked sweetness. "Now, lets get to the back and make sure you've not killed anyone." Turner neophite (6/28/04 1:04 pm) 64.244.161.55 Goodbye guys OOC; Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come for me embark on yet another expedition. I'll be spending four weeks in Belize studying the ancient Maya. It'll be a great adventure and I'm looking forward to it. The story is in your claws now and I trust you'll look after the story, the park and it's ideals. Take care of yourselves and I'll see yall again in August.
Breath Deep, Seek Peace, Remember the Alamo
-The Professor Toki Troodon and Science Nerd Posts: 286 (7/2/04 11:55 am) 172.174.107.200 Discoveries Dr. Reid was on the phone with one of the other scientists, his voice containing a mixture of apphrehension and excitement. "I know what it looks like, but the lack of mineralization and the fact that the DNA doesn't match any Ornithopod species, or any known dinosaur DNA I've compared it to for that matter." "Well, what do you think it is then?", asked the other scientist. "I don't know, like I said, the Genome matches nothing I've seen before, for all we know it might not even be in the SuperOrder Dinosauria." "You've got to be kidding", the other man replied. "Like I said, the DNA is so different I'm not about the rule it out, we'll find out when we clone it." "Are you sure they'll let you?", he replied surprised. "The DNA is like no specimen we've ever seen, I don't think they can refuse to find out what it is." "Well, you tell me how it goes, I have more work to do, we've got that Secret Agent Ninja guy wandering around", the man said with a sigh. "Nice description, well, I'll keep you updated, talk to you then." And with that Dr. Reid put the phone back on the hook, going back to his work with the DNA sequencing. Breath Deep, Seek Knowledge Toki Troodon and Science Nerd Posts: 287 (7/3/04 1:29 pm) 172.174.107.200 Re: Discoveries As Toki the Troodon was stalking the forest looking for food, his light sensitive eyes suddenly noticed somthing up in the tree. He slowly walked closer, making sure his steps avoided the fallen branches on the ground, as he got nearer he could make out a man sitting in the tree. 'So, this must be that Gareth I've heard about', Toki thought to himself. Toki knew that he couldn't leave to tell the others because by that time the stranger would probably be gone, and making any noise would alert him to his presence, so Toki just sat and waited, watching silently from behind the bushes. Suddenly the man turned his head and looked straight at Toki. "I know you're there, do not worry, despite what you've heard I will not hurt you", Gareth said with a friendly grin. Toki didn't move, he had never been spotted before, he realized that this person must be somthing more than human to be able to sense him in the dark like this, but somehow he also knew that this man was telling the truth and meant him no harm, and so slowly stepped out into the clearing. "Who are you, and what are you doing here", Toki asked. "I am Gareth, and my purpose here doesn't matter to you", Gareth replied, silently jumping from the branch he had been perched upon. Toki took a step back, cautiously looking Gareth over. "I promise, I will not harm you", Gareth said in response. "Than why are you here?", asked Toki again. "I can see that you really want to know, I am here to help protect this place, but that is all I will tell you", Gareth replied. Toki thought this over, he didn't know what could possibly be a danger to the park, with the strength of it's inhabitants, very little could pose a threat, but then a thought entered his mind. "The ambassadors, they're in danger aren't they?", he asked in shock. "You're quick, yes, someone is after them, but I have a meeting, so I must be leaving", and with that Gareth turned to leave, but then paused for a moment and looked back. "I can tell by the look in your eyes you will follow me, I usually do not allow it but you seem trustworthy, so come along if you wish", Gareth said, and started to leave. Toki quickly follow him into the forest towards Turner's office.
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Post by Azonthus on Mar 8, 2005 22:23:40 GMT -5
Croco512 Aerial Protector of Dinotopia and Protector of All Saurians Posts: 152 (7/4/04 6:49 pm) 64.105.103.143 First Contact ((OOC: Hey Tamith, looks like we're gonna have to collaborate in order to add to the story now that Turner's gone...any ideas as to what should happen when the Ambassadors get to the park? Lemme know either through here or my AIM, 'kay?)) After Rebecca scolded Josh and all had calmed down, they went back to check on their passengers, who were still shaken by the rough landing. "Please don't do that again!" barked Snippy( ) as they stepped out of the Caribbean Pearl, where Darrin Warner and an associate of his from the U.S. Navy were waiting. From the looks of him, Darrin appeared to be of average height, though one couldn't tell as he sat in his wheelchair and smiled, offering Josh a hand to shake while exchanging greetings. "Well, it's an incredible honor to finally meet you in person, Mr. Turner," Darrin said, the pride evident in his smile and in the tone of his voice, "From what Captain Quigley told me, you truly are an extraordinary individual." Josh thanked him, then asked him where the ambassadors were being held. Darrin told them where they were and led them toward a large building, wheeling himself along while the entourage of humans and saurians followed closely behind. During this time, a cell phone rang and everybody stopped for a moment to see who's it was...it turned out to be Rebecca's. She picked it up and answered...and to her surprise, the person on the other line was Croco back at the park. "Shouldn't you guys be in California by now?" he quipped. Rebecca told him that they had just landed and also mentioned the rough landing and broken landing gear, to which he shook his head. "Why, Rebecca...why, why, why?" "Why what?" "Why would you...or anyone else in their right mind...let Josh fly a one-of-a-kind plane on an assignment that is of the highest possible importance? Not only for the park...but for the whole of Dinotopia?" Rebecca sighed and didn't know what to say...in a way, Croco was right and she knew by his agitated voice. She knew that he was a pilot back in New York and that he was brought ashore after a plane crash...she knew that he was perfectly capable of flying the Caribbean Pearl...but she also knew that her husband was the man in charge of everything and that there was no way in hell that he would be told not to fly the plane. So she closed her eyes and thought of something to say to calm him down. "I understand your concern for our home and our park," she told him, "but I don't know if I could have convinced Josh to hand over the controls. Besides, he's been taking to flight well according to Valerie." It was Croco's turn to let out a thoughtful sigh. "Yes, I am well aware of that...he tells me every day after his lessons. But I have been flying aircraft since I was thirteen and even though it has been seven years since I've been in the cockpit, I could take to it like a 'bax on the wing." He groaned at the awful comparison, smacking himself in the head. "Sorry...couldn't think of anything else to say...I need to be asleep, but my concern for you, Josh and the ambassadors has made me uneasy." Just then, Darrin announced that they had arrived at the building where the ambassadors were waiting, so Rebecca hurriedly got rid of Croco, telling him that everything would be okay before hanging up. The building itself was a small hangar, far from the somewhat luxurious holding quarters they had been staying in over the recent days. But this was the final stop before boarding the plane that would take them to Turner Park as mechanics rushed to fix the broken landing gear at the request of the base commander. Darrin rolled himself in, where General Marks and the ambassadors were waiting, then excused the man that came out with him to greet the Turners and their party. As soon she could see them, Castra let out an excited bellow and did a half-turn on her hind legs in excitement of seeing a familar face. "Professor Turner!" she squealed, "I never thought you would make it! How was the flight?" A soft chuckle came from Josh's lips as he crouched to press his hand to the forepaw of the elated Protoceratops in the traditional Dinotopian custom. "Breathe deep..." "...Seek peace. It's nice to see you again, Cassie." Castra told him about the time spent at sea and the rendezvous with the USS Shiloh as well as the past few days at the base. Then she gave him a saurian hug and dropped to his side to introduce the ambassadors. "Josh, I would like you to meet our saurian ambassadors as well as a couple representatives from the mountain region...on the far left is Rajah, representative of the Forbidden Mountains and the Smilodon packs that inhabit those areas." Rajah approached and offered a paw, purring softly as Josh shook it. Castra then nodded to the Struthiomimus. "Next to him is Swiftwind, who represents the grasslands and savannas in both the north and south of Dinotopia." Swiftwind bobbed his head and offered a clawed hand to the young man as well. "Next, we have Tanna..." She nodded to the Hyracotherium and Tanna squeaked a greeting, bowing before him as the ceratopsian mentioned that she was the representative of the foothills of the Forbidden Mountains. Then her eyes turned up to gaze at the large raptor. "The Utahraptor is Atilla...she is representing the carnivore clans of the Rainy Basin..." Atilla stepped forward and dipped her head, growling a soft greeting to Josh as she grinned, having met him before, though Josh didn't mention it as Castra motioned toward the edaphosaur. "And finally, we have Koruhn, who is representing the forests and wetlands. I, as you may have already concurred, am representing all of the cites and towns and settlements...but all of us are representing Dinotopia as a whole." Koruhn rumbled a greeting, slowly swishing his tail as he raised his forepaw as he was accustomed to as Josh smiled back and folded his arms. "Well, it is an honor for y'all to come here," he said as the human ambassadors came out and greeted him, "I myself am curious to see how you react to seeing the park and what it has become. So, shall we get a move on?" Rebecca nudged him in the shoulder. "What about the damaged plane?" Josh looked back and smiled. "Nothing to worry about, it should be just..." As he was about to finish, a mechanic came into the hangar and told Josh that the landing gear had been fixed and that the Caribbean Pearl was ready to go after refueling. He then finished the sentence with a laugh. "...fine. So, are you guys ready?" The ambassadors voiced their readiness in their native tongues as they slowly filed out of the hangar toward the aircraft that would take them to their destination. Tamith Dinotopian Posts: 4 (7/26/04 9:44 pm) 128.138.177.16 Prelude The flight back to Turner Park was surprisingly smooth and uneventful perhaps because Josh Turner had been bumped out of the pilot’s chair and exchanged for a more qualified pilot. Using the privacy of being airborne to their advantaged, the Ambassadors were briefed on the circumstances of their sudden extraction from the Park and the reasons as to why they were once again being brought back. Everyone listened in silence as the saurians that had been present in the park breach related the events they had participated in. After they were done, Turner then told them about his short conversation with the character Gareth and his impressions on what was going on. There was a long silence while the Ambassadors allowed what had just been told to them to sink in. “So he believes Dinotopia to be in some sort of danger…” a male human ambassador that had been introduced to the Turners and their companions earlier as Dylan O’Connor mused. “Strange. There have been no such indications of a danger as he describes in our homeland.”<br> “Perhaps he is acting on perception alone,” Castra offered. “After all, how would he get off the island if in fact he was ever in it?”<br> “That is part of what troubles us,” Rebecca told them. “He claims to be Dinotopian. Why then, would he be hiding a truth from us? He can’t expect us to be blindly guided into some far fetched plan with so little information.”<br> “Maybe he can be persuaded to talk to us,” Dylan said after considering what Rebecca had said for a few moments. “Though our original purpose for leaving the island was scientific, this news is rather unnerving.”<br> “Don’t forget, Wave Keeper, that the original reasons for us coming here cannot be readily cast aside,” Kha’ling Zestra reminded him. “Because that might was well end up truly affecting the way of life on our Island.”<br> Dylan O’Connor nodded. “Can he be contacted?” he asked returning his attention to Rebecca. “He was avoiding all sorts of contact until that conversation we had,” Turner said. “It is possible that in the time we left the park, he contacted the people we left in charge there. I would think, however, that if that were the case we would have been informed by now.”<br> “Maybe he wants something and is bluffing,” Atilla suggested suddenly. “Maybe,” Turner replied. “But either way, we should look into it and find out why.”<br> Their conversation was cut short as the entered Texan airspace and prepared for landing within the Park. Once on the ground, the party began to disembark and was immediately met by both Croco and Quigley. “So,” Josh told them after brief introductions were given, “What has happened since we left?”<br>
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