Curiosity (almost) killed the cat (MT/CLOSED Attn. Saurisia)

[Anagonia]

Plymouth State University - Monday, November 1st, 85 AGS - 9:20 PM AST

The youtube video ended and Dr. James Duncan shook his head. The skills of the people faking these videos was getting even better. They even managed to fool the Military. He wasn't fooled though, far from it. Even if popular opinion was against him and his small band of rogue researchers, he refused to believed that a species that has been extinct for over sixty five million years could still be living. Moreover the video he just watched portrayed an intelligent dinosaur, speaking to another and doing intelligent actions. This was beyond insanity for anyone to believe it.

Fooled everyone had been though. A renewed fascination had erupted several years back when the videos started to emerge. This wasn't the only one, unfortunately. There were several, including ones supposedly released by the government itself. All of them portrayed a brief find of the extinct species followed by either the cameraman running in fear or the camera cutting off suddenly. It was completely ridiculous for an entire nation to be jupped by such insanity. He needed to do something about it.

But what?

The only thing that came to mind was an expedition. It wasn't hard to organize one. Hell, the Confederate Navy would probably provide transportation due to the supposed "seriousness" of the expedition. Many of his staff had already been infected by the fascination with these fake videos, so he had a limited number of souls to choose from. He thought for a moment on how all this could play out, thinking of people he could trust and who couldn't be biased by all this. A slight smirk erupted on his face then, turning in his chair to stand and walk out of the room.

Two Days Later - Lexington State University

Dr. Duncan stood waiting outside of his colleagues office for him to finish with an interview. He had been standing for about thirty minutes now, thinking over what he could say to convince his comrade of the importance of this issue. His colleague wasn't known for spontaneous decisions nor an inspiration to debunk popular opinion. For all James knew, he had been taken in by the phenomenon sweeping the nation ten times over.

He sighed, sweeping his sweating brow. His eyes looked to the name tag on the door, they reading "Professor Mikus Nemus". Below that was, in large letters, "Chief Biophysicist". If anything Nemus would at least be able to explain his position on the issue and what he thought, if they existed in the manners being described in the videos. He looked up to see the door open and a well dressed woman walk out. She gave James a smiles, he returning.

"Ah, my old friend, James Duncan!"

James turned his head towards the greeting, immediately smiling and opening his arms to embrace his old comrade. The two patted each others backs quickly, standing back and looking the other over. They seemed impressed with how far the other had come in life, approving nods from both.

"I hear your looking for some volunteers for an expedition," said Mikus. James nodded as he followed Mikus into his office, "That'd be correct Mik. But before I go on what it's about, I need to ask you a question."

The Professor gestured for James to take a seat, himself having sat in his chair behind his desk. The two becoming comfortable, Mikus nodded. "Go on."

James cleared his throat, "What do you think about the recent Neo-Dino videos?"

He noticed how a smirk appeared on the face of the Professor. James shifted uneasily in his seat, not thinking this a good sign. He almost started thinking this was a bad idea. His expression lightened in surprise when Mikus said "Completely impossible according to what we know."

James nodded, listening. Mikus gave a chuckled, "Well not completely impossible, but it is highly doubtful any dinosaur survived the mass extinction event." He shrugged, "But I'm only a biophysicists, so while it can happen it is highly doubtful." His eyebrow rose, "Do you have proof that it's real?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Oh no nothing like that." He smiled, "I was just planning an expedition to end this crazy phenomenon once and for all."

Without another word Mikus stood, handbag in tow. James looked dumbfounded for a moment, then grinned widely. He stood and shook his old friends hand.

One Week Later - Imperium International Airport

At the airport the Professor and Doctor met up with Chief Paleontologist Richard Kobra. They had gathered him up from the Imperium State University not a few days back. Behind them a few volunteers from various points across the nation waited patiently for their flight to arrive, the three talking about what adventures would await them.

Per procedure when any citizen embarks to a foreign land, the Military assigned two Military Policemen to ensure their safety. If anything the MP's would know more about foreign customs and laws and be more capable in keeping the legal matters in check. They, however, did not wear any BDU's. Instead they wore proper civilian clothing, a badge the only distinction between the group and themselves. Furthermore they would provide the majority of carrying power for the backpacks and supplies.

The only weapons that the group carried for any defense in this expedition was a few knives and machete's and the two hanguns the MP's carried. Scientific equipment was the majority of the supplies, followed by nutritional rations and water to get the group through an easy two months. Professor Nemus looked over the group as the plane came to the terminal. Everyone seemed ready. With luck they would make the scheduled flight to the Anagonian Colony of Kromulus where they would board a civilian C-130 and head towards the supposed sightings of all these dinosaurs.

[Saurisia]

On the island of Tricera, settled by Saurisia 15 years earlier, it was business as usual. In the town of Hobston, the largest city on the island with a population of 15,000, school had started and all the kids in town were there. All, that is, except for five: Andrea Hayworth, Neil Thompson, Bob Holland, James Fredrickson, and Kathy Sullivan.

Andrea was a tall highly-attractive 16 year old Albertosaurus tomboy with a passion for exploring and adventure. Neil was another Albertosaurus just about Andrea's age (though actually three weeks younger) whom had a crush on the older female and who preferred the indoors to the outdoors. Bob was a 17 year old Triceratops who preferred food over the opposite sex and was known to be a big eater. James was a 15 1/2 Saurolophus with a nervous demeanor, while Kathy was 15 year old Saurolophus whom was James' girlfriend. Andrea had golden skin with green stripes and green eyes, Neil had Green skin with blue stripes and green eyes, James was part-light green, part dark green with blue eyes, Bob was dark blue with brown eyes, and Kathy was light green with light blue eyes.

Andrea had convinced the others into skipping school for the day to travel to a large airstrip in the center of the island, which had been abandoned after the war with the UDR in the 1940's. In addition to being not afraid to venture off into the wild, Andrea also had a great love for history and military stuff, something which Neil shared. As for the others, Bob was in since there was a ready supply of food for him to eat, and James and Kathy went along since they basically went where the others went.

So, the gang packed up their supplies: food, water, maps, compass, cellphones, and various other things, put them into heavy backpacks which they lugged over their backs, and headed off into the jungle, avoiding the suspicion of their parents, starting their journey towards the old airstrips in the middle of island.

[Anagonia]

Civilian Flight Tango-Alpha-Gulf - Over the Ocean, approximately 50 miles from the Island - Two Days Later

The Civilian C-130 angled right as it made its last course correction for the island. The Military had been extremely helpful in Doctor James Duncans historical expedition. News had made way all around the Confederacy of the significance of it all. People from all around held their breaths in anticipation of the findings, knowing all well if their fantasies of living, breathing prehistoric dinosaurs was to be proven true or false. James had a sense of the importance of the event himself. What he hadn't realized in the beginning was how much admiration from the everyday citizen he would receive. To have an actual scientific expedition look into these claims seemed out of this world! Dr. Duncan and the rest of the team had extremely high spirits for any finding and had already released all previous biased. Proven truth or not, they would tell the world their findings and be as supportive as possible.

Professor Mikus Nemus was reading up on the latest findings from his university concerning the videos. Things didn't look hopeful at all. A research team had done an investigation on the videos and determined that even if the dinosaurs existed, it was highly unlikely they had any sapience at all. They seemed to match proper fossil records and therefore would probably be about as smart as the average wolf or coyote. Furthermore a backup team from the prehistoric division determined that for a species to survive a KT event it would have to had to of been supported by a self-sustained ecosystem; unlikely sixty five millions years ago when whatever killed off 95% of all life occurred. He tried to maintain an open mind, however. Maintaining a healthy level of skepticism was indeed helpful, but going into something like this with almost impossible evidence that had yet to be debunked needed a keen observational eye.

Chief Paleontologist Richard Kobra was extremely excited to even be chosen for this expedition. Whether or not the dinosaurs existed didn't matter. His fascination was on finding new fossils to investigate. Any findings, whether supporting an intelligent population or not, would surely assist him in his career. Furthermore he would hopefully expand known knowledge of the fossil database by perhaps even finding a new species! He flipped the pages of his research book, looking over past records of digs and investigations he had hand written years ago.

The two MP's checked over the passengers after getting with the pilots. Apparently an abandoned airfield had been spotted by satellite photography years ago when the region was being mapped. There was no notice of any known settlements and at the time an investigation wasn't called for due to the lack of importance with the island. If the airfield was still around it would be the perfect base of operations for this expedition. They tried to prepare themselves for every possible scenario that could befall them, including the possibility of predatory animals. Checking over their weapons they sat with the team and discussed what lay ahead of them with much enthusiasm.

Forty Five minutes later

Without delay and with due satisfaction the Civilian C-130 landed on the abandoned runway. To the surprise of the pilots it seemed remarkably smooth. The area around the airfield was empty grassland, followed by forests on all sides. A few hills here and there littered the landscape and what seemed like remnants of abandoned buildings lay distant. This wouldn't have been surprising to the team as they already assumed that someone, somewhere, once used this island due the existence of the runway. If anything they could investigate who it was and see if they left anything useful behind.

The C-130's engines thrummed down, the large transport plane turning with ample room to spare. The cargo hatch lowered and a M1093 Standard Cargo Truck exited under its own power. In the back was all the supplies for the expedition, including reserves of fuel for the truck. It was colored in civilian gray and had significant modifications for scientific purposes. Following behind it was a Land Rover Defender used by many a university in the Confederacy. Once out of the way and relaying information for when to pick the team back up, the C-130 promptly powered up after everything in the cargo hold was retrieved and took off. They were alone now, but only one call away from help with their satellite phones.

The eight man team promptly secured the area and started building a base camp with all their equipment. Checking their vehicles over one last time they retired to the main tent to discuss the plans for exploration. A few satellites would be overhead in the next few hours and they planned to use the latest readings to properly plot a course through the wilderness.

[Saurisia]

It had now been several hours since the friends set out for the airfield, and now they were trekking through the jungle on the island. Suddenly, they heard a distant droning sound that seemed not too far away. Andrea commented "Ya hear that, guys?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Bob replied

"That kinda sounds like an airplane, propeller-driven, I believe." the Albertosaurus listened closely before commenting "I think that kinda sounds like a C-130, you know, like what the SAF has?"

"Oh yeah!" Neil commented

"From the looks of it, it doesn't seem we're very far from the airstrip, come on!" Andrea began moving across the jungle floor, with the others reluctantly following her, heading towards the airfield.

[Anagonia]

OOC:

After I post this I'll be asleep for a couple hours, just got home from work. Will post a response if any is given when I return.

IC:

Richard was off from the group looking at an odd formation of rocks. What was unusual about them was that they seemed to be artificial. He wasn't an archeologist, so he couldn't exactly tell what it was from, but he knew it couldn't be anything from nature. A pile of dirt lay to his side where he had painstakingly excavated half of rocks. Loosing sight of time he had been at work for nearly an hour before Sergeant Patton Nuth came to check up on him. Richard was rocked back to his surroundings as Nuth patted him on the shoulder asking, "Find anything?"

Richard took a moment to get his bearings, the sun in his eyes as he adjusted and saw Nuth towering over him. The MP was dark skinned and looked like a professional body builder. Compared to him Richard was a scrawny geek of a man with undersized glasses. He adjusted his akubra hat and gave a nod. His slight australian accent came through as he spoke. "Ya I foun' me somethin'." He motioned towards his findings, coming to his knees from his prone position. "Gat me a findin' tha has me puzzled, I do."

Nuth smirked, he had liked the paleontologist the moment he met him. He seemed like a typical devoted person, almost like an avid comic book nerd. He always seemed to wear that padded sleeveless jacket wherever he went and kept it filled to the brim with his needed equipment and supplies. If he just a bit more muscle to his frame Nuth would have suggested him for military work due to his organizational skills alone. "I see," the Sergeant responded as he gazed at the rocks. His deep voice bellowed when he spoke. "Looks to me like you found the makings of some bunker or sort."

"Eh?" Richard took a peak around, suddenly noting for the first time the square structure of the rocks. Taking a closer look they did look similar to some type of brick. "Ah ya, tha' might be I'd guess. Though ya gaut ta wonda' why sumun 'ould build a bunka outta bricks, yea?"

A few yards away Lieutenant Victor Stimki was busy assisting Doctor Duncan as they started to assemble the electronic equipment. A portable generator would provide the power source, thankfully they chose a small military grade model that was easy on the diesel. After a few more minutes Victor inserted the final hook up into a computers USB port, the entire station coming to life. He nodded with satisfaction, looking over to James as he finished his station as well. "Seems all is in order, Doctor."

James waved a hand, "Please call me James, Victor. I don't like feeling this is a military excursion somewhere."

"Apologizes Doc- James."

They both smirked as Victor caught himself, the two walking outside the tend as Victor pulled a cigarette pack from his shirt pocket and lit it. James seemed disgusted, "You know those things are notorious for cancer, right?" Victor laughed, "I'm fully aware." He took a puff, "Though at my age I don't think it even matters."

The Lieutenant was right it seemed. Victor, while maintaining a strict body condition, did seem a little too old to even be in the Military. When they talked earlier he revealed himself to be sixty two years old. The mans dark tan skin shown battle scars from some godforsaken battle. His darkish gray hair signaled he was past his prime and his constant grunting while doing heavy lifting seemed to indicate stress on his joints. Though he did figure that for work in civil duty that a prime military physique didn't much matter, considering that Victor would more than likely spend most of his time patrolling the streets.

They both turned their attention to Professor Nemus, who seemed to have already taken the three other assistants as students. He was showing them something from a book and seemed to be explaining in detail as he answered their questions. It was an interesting sight for James. He never would have figured Mikus to be a teacher a decade ago. It had been a long time since the two even considered meeting up. He was extremely surprised that Mikus even accepted the invitation to join this expedition. Though, he figured, growing older meant leaving the past behind and mending old bridges.

"What now?" asked Victor as he finished his cigarette. James looked back to the Lieutenant, "I guess we start exploring. Try to find any evidence of habitation beyond ruins-" motioning towards Richard and the Sergeant "-and something more along the lines of what we came here for."

Victor turned away, "Da. Good pla- wait what is that?"

James looked to where the Lieutenant pointed at. He concentrated on the end line of trees not far off, seeing something moving into view. He heard Victor call the Sergeant to attention towards the possible threat, the two reaching for their pistols. Then, suddenly, everyones head turned in the same direction. Watching in amazement and with wide eyes as a creature that was definitely not human came into plain sight. Everyone stood dumbfounded, all but the two Military Policemen having their jaws open wide.

"I think we found your dinosaurs," said Victor in a reserved whisper.

All James could do was nod as he looked on in disbelief.

[Saurisia]

Soon enough, the gang reached the edge of the forest and before them sprawled the old airfield, Andrea could even see the remains of an old bomber down the runway to the left. Near the buildings that once housed the personnel that ran this place, the young Dinosaurs could see little figures doing various things.

Kathy turned to Andrea and asked her "What are they?"

"Hmmm..." Andrea commented, as she tried to identify the figures with her binocular-like vision.

"They appear to be Humans, I think..."

"Humans?" Neil asked with extreme curiosity

The young Dinosaurs were familiar with Humans, as there was quite a population of them within Saurisia and, while they weren't treated as well as Reptiles, were still considered to be an important part of Saurisian society.

"Do you think they're an archeological team here to uncover the old buildings?" Bob queried

"I don't think so..." Andrea replied "If they were archeologists, we would see some Reptiles and Dinosaurs alongside the Humans."

"Hmm, yeah, I guess that is possible." Kathy commented

"So, who do you suppose these people are?" James asked

"I dunno" Andrea said "But I'm gonna find out!"

And with that, Andrea moved slowly out of the trees and out onto the open grass, much to her friends' horror. The others feared the Humans' possible reaction, and indeed, they noticed the little figures turn towards Andrea, whom stood out on the grass, frozen like a statue. The others quivered with terror, while Andrea shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

[Saurisia]

[OOC: Bump]

[Saurisia]

[OOC: Bump]

[Anagonia]

Victor Stimki watched the creature from where he stood for several minutes. All around no one did anything. It was like a face off in an old western town. He soon took the initiative and pushed the Doctor on the shoulder, shaking him from his gawking stupor. James blinked and for several moments stared at the Lieutenant. Victor snapped his fingers in front of James' eyes, he finally taking in a breath.

"You're gonna kill yourself that way," the Lieutenant said. "You gotta take a breath sometime."

Not saying a word James nodded. He looked over at everyone else, noticing how Sergeant Nuth and Mr. Kobra were assisting Professor Nemus and his trio. He took out a rag from his shirt pocket and proceeded to whip the sweat that had started at the top of his head. Taking note of this Victor helped the Doctor along, "Should we be recording this?"

"M-Yes, yes." James responded finally having a voice. He yelled towards Richard, "Mr. Kobra! Get the digital camcorder in order!"

Richard turned towards James, responding in the positive as he ran towards the tent. James followed suit as he went to go grab a few things. A few moments later both came from the interior. Richard had his camcorder pointed towards the dinosaur. James had a few other instruments in tow, one of which seemed to be a snap-shot camera. They both nodded to each other, James handing Professor Nemus a second digital recorder. "If anything happens to us," he said, "get it all on film for the folks back home."

Mikus nodded, "You bet."

Victor came alongside the duo, following them as they made their way towards the statue-like creature. As they came closer Richard looked up from the camcorder screen at the creature. "I don't believe this," he said in amazement, "It's an Albertosaurus." He seemed as giddy as a school girl to even say those words, Doctor Duncan looking over at the poor lad to smirk. "Didn't it live in the late cretaceous?" Richard nodded, "Aye an' it was a pack creature."

It took a moment but all three stopped in their tracks. They looked to one another, then the two looked at Richard. "Pack creature?" they asked in unison. He nodded, "Ya, dat's wat I said." Then he too looked wide eyed at the duo gazing at him. "Oh, that's what ya mean." Clearing his throat, James nodded at the other two. "Just keep recording Richard," he said. Looking at Victor, "If anything happens, get these guy's out of here and fast."

Victor nodded. The two watched James put his snap-shot camera away, slowly and carefully walking the remaining distance towards the Albertosaurus. He noticed how stiff its body was, almost like it was in fear. He looked back to Richard, "Is this how tall these guy's get?" Richard shook his head, "No dat's jaust a baby, Doctor. I'd be a watchin' for the others." James nodded, looking towards the forest and seeing nothing else, finally at the Albertosaurus.

"Hey there," he said in a calm tone. "What are you doing so far from your parents?" He somewhat cringed at the thought, thinking about a two-ton grown adult stomping through and killing them all. "Don't be afraid," he said. He quickly took a swab from his coat pocket, sliding it across the maw to get a saliva sample. It happened quick, almost practiced, and James continued to smile. He remembered that in the videos the dinosaurs could converse, so he wondered briefly if this one understood. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

All seven of the others watched. None more so than Victor, his hand on his pistol and ready to shoot the damn thing if it became hostile. Richard continued to record, a steady hand and shaky breath as he witnessed first hand a true fossil in the flesh.

[Saurisia]

Andrea opened her eyes just a little at hearing the Humans talk AND after feeling a little cotton swab going through her mouth. To her, it felt surprising that she didn't bite down on the guy's arm as he swabbed her mouth! However, she felt incensed that this Human was treating her like a child, like hell she was!

After the Human asked if she understood what he was saying, she simply nodded and then opened her eyes some more. Then, an annoyed look took over her face and she promptly snapped in plain American-accented English "Yes, I can understand you, now for God's sake, will you stop treating me like I'm a child or worse yet like I'm a dumb beast?! I'm 16 years old, I can talk, I can wear clothes, I can drive, and I can do other stuff you Humans do all the time!" pointing her right index finger, which had a sharp claw on the end, towards the Humans.

The others, meanwhile, hid in pure terror underneath the foliage, afraid for what the Humans would do to their friend.

[Anagonia]

They all stood there looking at the dinosaur. Their faces held blank expressions and a deep, concentrated stare. The first one to react was Richard Kobra, who said "Oy!" in a very surprised tone. Slowly everyone had a surprised, wide-eyed look. James stammered his words, going back a few paces and bumping into Victor. Victor remained wide-eyed, gently nudging James to the side as he continued going backwards a few more steps. Richard looked at Victor, "Oy!" he exclaimed again, "A talking dinosaur!"

Victor simply nodded in Richards direction, speaking in native Anagonian to Doctor Duncan. "Go get Patton and tell him to contact Central. Make sure he speaks directly with Oscar Vladinchi."

James, whose expression had turned from one of surprise to shock by the supposedly extinct creature, nodded slowly and stumbled a few times before he jogged to the Sergeant.

Victor looked at Richard, continuing in native Anagonian. "Keep that camcorder running, Mr. Kobra. Whatever we get here today will go down in history." A curt nod from the Chief Paleontologist as he tried to remain as still and concentrated as possible. Victor cleared his throat, calmly walking up to the dinosaur and nodding in greeting. He spoke in plain english, "Our sincere apologies." He smiled, "You must forgive us, we are from a part of the world that only knows your kind in fossils. How are why you still exist is a mystery we hope to solve, but we did not wish to come here offending you." He gestured to the rest, the Sergeant already having gone into the tent. "We are from a far away land, called Anagonia. We came to this island because of possible evidence that your kind still existed." He smirked, "Obviously as you can see we were not expecting a flesh and blood dinosaur-" he caught himself, adding "-and the word dinosaur is what we term your kind."

The old mans expression remained respective and calm, "My name is Victor Stemki. I was sent here to escort these scientists, as we call them, in their efforts." He talked to her as if he didn't expect her to understand human terminology, even if evidence pointed otherwise. "From our land I am a policeman, someone who protects the innocent. As such I can assure you-" he placed his hand over his heart as he said this "-that no one here will harm you or any of your people." Lowering his hand he continued, "As per the child remarks my comrade said to you, according to our understanding your size compared to your species and the evidence we uncovered of fossils dictates that you are, indeed, a youngling. However I assure you that as you have corrected us, we will not make the same mistake again."

Finally Victor knelt to one knee, his head level with the dinosaurs. "What is your name and, if I can ask, what are your people called?" He gestured towards the group again, "We are Anagonians, and you are?"

[Saurisia]

Andrea snapped again "Yeah, yeah, I know what I am: a Dinosaur, specifically an Albertosaurus, smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus, one of the most ferocious Therapods who ever lived. And I know all your Human terminology and such, so you don't have to treat me again like I'm a dumb beast."

She then glanced towards the foliage, where her friends were hiding in terror, then turned back towards the Humans and said "My name's Andrea Hayworth, and I live in a country called "The United Dinosaur States of Saurisia" which had colonized this island 15 years before. This airstrip was built by the Saurisian Air Force during the war with the United Dinosaur Reich, a Nazi nation populated also by talking Dinosaurs. In fact, you can still see some old wreckage of aircraft on this airfield..." pointing towards the bomber to her left.

[Anagonia]

Victor was once again surprised. He wasn't for the fact that the Andrea was actually extremely intelligent, but for the fact that their history seemed almost parallel to humanities. He rubbed a hand across his chin, feeling over the rough shave from this morning. He seemed to be in deep thought as he went from staring at Andrea to gazing back at his comrades. Whether he liked it or not he had been thrust in a very difficult situation. Not only were they finding a new species for the first time, but a new government. The diplomat happened to just be a young teenager whose impressions could easily spell victory or disaster for any relations. He sighed, finally nodding towards the the Albertosaurus.

"I assure you I meant to never treat you like a beast, Andrea." He gave a smile of assurance. "Listen, do you know any government officials from your country that I can talk to?"

As he finished that, Patton casually came up beside him and handed him a satellite phone. They exchanged a few words in native Anagonian, Victor smiling at Andrea. "Excuse me a few minutes," he said as he stood and walked off towards the tents. Patton seemed to take over, the imposing strongman figure turned docile by his smile. "So I heard your names Andrea," he nodded at her, "My names Patton Nuth, I am also a policeman from Anagonia. I overheard how you said there something about Nazi's." He tilted his head inquisitively, "Do you know who won in that war?"

[Saurisia]

"Yeah, them" referring to the UDR "And, um, the only government officials I know of live in my hometown, Hobston, also the largest city on the island. But first, I must introduce you to my friends..."

With that, she walked off into the foliage where she attempted to convince her friends, still hiding to come out. "It's okay" she said "they mean us no harm at all."

Kathy asked with curiosity "Who are they?"

"Eh, they're from some distant Human country called "Anagonia" or something..."

Neil commented "Well, if they mean us no harm, then let's meet em!"

"Okay!" Kathy cheered

"Alright" James said with a reluctant tone

Bob, whose beak was stuffed full of leaves, mumbled "Yuh, leth go meet them!"

And sure enough, the four Dinosaurs got up out of the foliage and joined their friend Andrea as she made her way onto the grass once more.

[Anagonia]

Richard was having a field day. He spoke in native Anagonian just softly enough to where the digital camcorders microphone could hear him. He panned the camcorders view to follow Andrea as she went to the bushes and came out with more of her kind. He was in complete disbelief. Though his expression remained completely professional by this point. He most definitely did not want to offend these teenagers with any more stupidity on their part. He panned the view to look at the two Saurolophus and the Triceratops. He detailed their information for the recording, then panned it to the second Albertosaurus. Looking at Patton he shook his head in disbelief, "These dinosaurs should never be in the same place at once, let alone getting along!"

Patton respond in the native tongue, "You got to count for the fact that these dinosaurs have evolved to sapience. They probably conquered most of their primal instincts long ago."

Richard nodded, taking this into account. He managed the camcorder view to include everyone as he continued to watch.

Patton smiled at the newcomers, "Well what do we have here!" He chuckled, "Looks like you had some friends, huh Andrea?" He looked at them individually. "Don't tell me you were scared of little ol' me," he said as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find Professor Mikus Nemus standing there.

"We don't want to be rude to our guests do we?" Said Mikus as he gestured towards Andrea and the group. "Are any of you hungry, by any chance? I'm sure we have something that fits your tastes." He thought for a moment, adding, "Just remember they're military rations, so they may taste a bit off."

Giving a questioning look towards Mikus, Richard seemed confused by the offer. Mikus gazed back at Richard speaking in the native tongue. Richard shrugged afterward, seemingly content with the explanation.

[Saurisia]

The others were annoyed by Patton's comment, though Andrea simply ignored it. She said to Mikus "No thank you, ma'am, we've packed snacks with us when we left, we're fine."

[Anagonia]

Mikus seemed surprised by their comment. He did have somewhat long hair and did look effeminate. However he could swear he was plainly a man to most people. He considered briefly that these creatures might not know too much about judging what another species looks like based on a deeper level, so he simply shrugged it off. "I appreciate the compliment," Mikus joked, "but I assure you I am a man." He nodded at their comment about bringing lunch, "Oh good then you are set. Wonderful." He nodded, "Is there any way you can take us to your city, maybe let us meet the elders there?"

Mikus looked down at Patton for reassurance. Patton shrugged, speaking in their native tongue. "Oscar's assembled a small diplomatic force. For good or ill all we have to do is call."

The Professor nodded, speaking back in native. "I assume they know that there doesn't seem to be any threat, right?" Patton nodded, "Yea, he knows. It'll be a day or so before they enter the waters anyway."

Mikus shrugged, looking back at the teenage dinosaurs. "We have a vehicle that can fit all of you and some of us," he said pointing towards the M1093 Cargo Truck. "It would be no problem at all to bring you guy's back home."

[Saurisia]

"Oh!" replied Andrea, not expecting the person to be a man, not a woman. Bob and Neil snickered at Andrea's mistake, though a quick glare from her forced them to cease. She then turned back towards the Humans and replied "Alright, that sounds good to me."

She then motioned for the others to get into the truck, which they dutifully did, and then Andrea followed close behind.

[Anagonia]

Victor came back and handed a hand-held CB radio to Patton, whom looked quizzically at the Lieutenant. After a few short words between the two, Patton nodded and started to follow Andrea and the gang. Richard made sure Mikus had a digital camcorder of his own, swiftly running to the tent to process every second of recording he had. This would literally be a revelation to everyone who viewed it. Mikus followed Patton, giving a curt wave to James and Victor as they stayed behind with the three other scientists to hold the fort. Patton assisted Andrea into the passenger seat of the Cargo Truck as Mikus assisted the rest into the back and sat with them.

After he turned on the diesel engine, the truck rumbling to life, Patton looked over to Andrea as he set the truck into gear and began to drive. "Which way?"

[Saurisia]

Andrea pointed towards the direction they came from "That way, of course."

[Anagonia]

Confederate Colony of Neptuna - Port Neptune

Chief Senator Theresa Europa was visiting Neptuna in support of a new congressional initiative to get the colony through the process of statehood. She wasn't expecting any adventures or any surprises. Simply plain and simple politics with the people. Her scheduled week-long visit was four days through, the two remaining was to be spent in the Neptuna Senate debating the final additions to the law that signify her legacy for ages to come. To think that she, of all people, would be responsible for bringing a new state into the Confederacy since its inception was beyond imagining. She was beyond excited for tomorrows events, retiring to the state rooms at the nearby government hall before she was interrupted by two Military Policemen.

Theresa quizzically looked at the duo, "May I help you?"

"You need to come with us Ma'am," the first one said. "It's a matter of national security."

Tricera Island - Expedition Base Camp

"You've got to be joking."

Doctor James Duncan scoffed at the recent news update. Victor simply shrugged. "It is what it is James," he said matter-of-factly, "Oscar is on his way and so is the Chief of Senate." He looked at the Doctor, "I think they believe this is worth trying for."

James shook his head, "I don't believe this." He sighed, resigning himself to a seat beside one of the computers in the main tent. "They'll be sending a fleet to escort the Vice President, you know. What will these people think of that?"

"These people," corrected Victor, "are not people at all, Mr. Duncan. They are a new species never before seen by Anagonian eyes." He pointed at the recent satellite map of the island on one of the flat screens. "For all we know, this island represents one holding of perhaps a massive nation of these sapient reptilians. The military benefits alone of having such an ally, let alone the scientific benefits, could be outstanding." He then tilted his head as he gave James a look, "Why exactly am I being the one to point out the obvious here?"

James started to speak but gave up. He waved a hand dismissively at the Lieutenant, turning in his seat to lay his head on his arms as he crossed them. "This is a total fuck up," he said with a heavy groan. "You don't initiate diplomacy with guns pointed at people."

A silence engulfed the tent, Victor gazing at the computer screen again. He tapped a finger on the table, looking at the Doctor. "You do when you don't know who or what the hell governs them."

Cargo Truck

"Of course!"

Patton smiled, feeling stupid as he looked to where Andrea pointed. He turned the wheel in that direction, finding the safest route through the foliage and whatever looked like a road. In the back of his mind he knew a sizable force would be coming to properly investigate the matter. What he didn't know was who was coming and for what purpose. He casually looked over to Andrea, looking past the dinosaur and seeing a very intelligent being. It was quite easy for him to do that, he realized, as it would for any Anagonian in this situation. Looking back at the road he watched trees and bushes past.

Behind them Mikus finished instructing the other dinosaurs on how to properly take hold of the side bars. While they were quite safe, he wanted to make sure they understood the concept of staying put and using anything they could to hold on. Afterwards he looked to each one individually. As with Patton he saw these creatures as individuals, intelligent in their own right. Though he couldn't help but see them as kids in some way, which was a personal fault.

"So any of you play any sports?" He asked casually.

[Saurisia]

Bob's Brown eyes lit up like Christmas lights and he commented "Hell yeah, I play Football, though I stink at it, I get my tail kicked every time!"

James said "I don't play sports much" his tail wagging slowly" but Kathy's a cheerleader!" to which the female Hadrosaur simply nodded.

Neil stated "I play Shortstop at Baseball, and Andrea's a member of the High School Girls' Volleyball Team. I attend every one of her games to support her!"

"Pervert" Bob muttered to James, causing both to snick with glee while poor Neil simply blushed.

In the front of the truck, Andrea simply whistled as the truck made its way through the jungle, unaware of the events taking place...

[Anagonia]

Mikus listened intently to each one as they replied. He smiled, chuckling as the Triceratops made the male Albertasaurus blush. He never realized lizards could blush until that day, giving a quizzical look as he enjoyed the chuckle. He shook his head gently in disbelief at how well cultured these teenagers were. Mikus took one more look over the group, noting how they looked not quite like their ancestors did. This was something that had puzzled him when he first found them, how anthropomorphic they looked. Though most of the team figured it was because of natural evolution and really didn't make any mention of it.

"Well, you know," Professor Nemus said looking at Neil, "I play baseball too. I'm actually a pitcher." He added smirking, "Though admittedly my days of chasing volley ball women are long behind me."

Patton watched as the foliage started to clear. A road, to his surprise, became visible. It was hidden by large trees and it was no wonder why the satellite hadn't picked it up. In the distance he noted a town or something, wondering then why the map hadn't shown that. He blinked a few times, surprised but keeping on moving. Making the ride as gentle as possible for the ones in back. Checking the fuel gauge he was rewarded by seeing it was still well over full. Content with this he looked over to Andrea and noticed she was whistling. He looked back on the road, determined to start some conversation.

"So Andrea," the Sergeant started to ask, "you mentioned earlier you drive. What type of vehicle do you have?"

[Saurisia]

Neil, after he stopped blushing, chuckled "And it looks like mine are still here!"

Bob snickered "So, ya admit it!" and began laughing until a quick glare from Kathy forced him to cease.

Meanwhile, in the truck cab, Andrea replied to the Sergeant "Oh, I drive White 1994 Toyota Camry, about as old as I am!"

While the truck was speeding along towards Hobston, Archie Baldwin, a tall 43 year old Gallimimus stood 10 feet away from the road, out for his annual late morning stroll in the outskirts of town. Suddenly, he noticed a large green truck drive by with several passengers, one of which he identified as a Triceratops and two others as some sort of Hadrosaur.

"What the f-" he commented as the vehicle zoomed by and then promptly continued back with his walk.

[Anagonia]

Patton stared at the Gallimimus and for a moment the word "Troodon" popped into mind. As every kid did when they were little he had been fascinated with dinosaurs. The problem with this was it looked nothing like that, the Sergeant watching the dinosaur pass them as they traveled further down the road. Afterwards he looked at Andrea, "A Toyota Camry huh? That old?" he smirked, "You must be pretty good at keeping that car going." He chuckled, "I drive a Chevrolet Tahoe. It's provided by the Military for my police work, so it's a pretty sweet deal I think."

Mikus looked over the canopy to notice they were only about ten miles from the city now. He laughed at Neil's comment and the subsequent response. "I'll admit, when I was your age, I'd chase down the nearest cheerleader myself." He smirked, "Though I'm too old for that now, so I just stick to my wife." He looked at each of them in turn, trying to keep them talking and being social. Everything that was happening now was being recorded for future evaluation. He looked down at his digital camcorder to make sure it was still set to "microphone only", placing it back into his jacket. "So do any of you have any jobs yet? Thinking about anything?"

Richards Air Force Base - Colony of Neptuna

With the small expeditionary fleet sailing out in a few hours, the Air Force wanted to go ahead and get some strategic assets in place on the island. The air field that the scientific expedition had found would be just long enough to get a Starlifter down on. If recent video was correct about the area everything should be clear enough for them to get there. Captain Samuel Bikins sat in the pilots seat of his C-141B Starlifter and readied the engines for take-off. They had already taxied and were clear, just waiting on the prep-time. His co-pilot, Lieutenant Francis Monroe, was busy checking with the Lt. Colonel of the Marine detachment that was to be the first troops on the ground. Samuel went over the instruments one more time before throttling up the engines.

"Alright ladies," he said, "Buckle up."

The Lt. Colonel made his way back, Samuel lookin over to Francis. "What was that about?"

"They just wanted to make sure all the special equipment had been loaded," his co-pilot responded. "I have it on my manifest and checked it myself, so I know we're good."

"Good," he throttled the engines to max as the Starlifter rolled forward. "Let's get this party started."