FourtyTwo

Raven Squad : (An Eccentric Military / Spy-Fi RP)

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Raven Squad (An Eccentric Military / Spy - Fi RP)

Skye Rosalind Lyons- "Queen"

Name: Skye Rosalind Lyons (frmr Major)

Age: 30

Nationality: Scottish

Apperance:




A tall, naturally red-haired former special forces operator, Skye has the the look she has reflecting her position as a team leader of a slightly mad team. With gentle pale skin that has been cut and bruised many a time with cutting blue eyes, Skye has an aura about her that harkens her look back to almost a Celtic warrior-like state- her dark auburn red hair reflecting her ethnic influence even further. Look at her shoulder and back, and you notice a Royal Marine tattoo, and a tatoo of a lion across the top back of her shouldes. At 6"2, she seems to have a presence about her, far taller than most women of her size.

Skye is a pretty girl to say the least- full of charm and easy to take in, though look long enough and you can tell there's a very warm fire in her eyes, more than the auburn red hair she has. If you replaced the exoskeleton she used for tartan, you'd swear she was a Highland swordswoman, and she seems to have the aggression and violence of one too- the pattern of which that sticks around from her father's ancestral clan, and is often seen on her off-duty clothing.

Skye is well muscled as you'd expect for an operator of her kind, but prefers to have a focus on cardio over pure strength. Skye's unbreakable nature reflects this- whatever batteries she seems to run on, she seems constantly engaged, never showing any signs of wear- her workrate being something phenominal to watch and remarkably, having little impact on her mental state when in command of the team. It's quite something to see her swim, run and cycle for miles on end- seemingly barely without being broken. Whilst she may seem easy as a target, Skye is someone hard to take in a fight- given the cuts and scratches across her body, she seems like she's gotten into a fair few. Most men would even feel probably a little uneasy around her due to her height and speed in a one on one.

On operation, she can normally be seen using her usual exoskeleton-contained assault-grade armour, usually wearing a tactical helmet over her red hair, alongside a pair of lightly red tinted tactical glasses that incorperate the HUD and tactical link to her own gear and the rest of her team's perspectives, as well as that of any drones. In combination with the navy-green tartan camoflaged exoskeleton (yes), she is often wearing a navy t-shirt and black-coloured combat trousers, with a pair of sturdy boots to finish the look. Off duty, she often wears the same, with jeans and a pair of trainers instead- keeping a refreshingly casual look for a CO of a mystical task force.

Her Highland Scottish accented tones are almost sultry, and underlines her sometimes harsh, yet often more than not warm embrace. There isn't a strong Scots dialact in her speech- but the accent remains.

Callsign: Queen

Skills:

Born Leader: Safe to say, Skye knows how to lead a fireteam of very disfunctional, multiskilled individuals. While she might be more a jack of all trades, she knows how to control the people she works with, kick them up the arse, but more than anything, be like a mum to them. She cares deeply about her team, even when they piss her off- and remains above the poltics, drama and issues that may exist.

Versatile: A typical Assault-styled operator, Skye's use of an exoskeleton and a jump pack allows her to be fast, nimble and more than anything, a master of none but an effective presence in most regards. While some operators of the team might be far more lethal than her, Skye is able to be lethal in a vast variety of ways- and so long as she's in the fight, she can find a way to take down whoever's on the other end of her MG3, AA-12 or MAAWS.

Inteligent: Skye is a woman of many talents- but her genius is one that stands out beyond most. An unconventional one to say the least- one that seems to often place her in a polarising place, given she'd almost be better off not being on the frontlines, but as a higher ranked officer. While unlike a previous leader of Scimitar she doesn't possess a doctoral level of education, yet she speaks seven languages fluently (English, Scots Gaelic, French, Spanish, Pashto, Russian, Arabic) and has a handy practical knowledge of a huge range of topics through various means- ranging from history, explosives composition, field medicine to climbing that she could probably pursue to degree level if she had enough time in the day. It plays out in the field- she seems to have an almost instantanious ability to make plans, and be one step ahead of the enemy through ambitious yet highly calculated means- and usually have an answer for most problems, in an almost uncanny knack. A renaissance lady of sorts- it's hard to quantify but she has a very scary intellect. She seems almost like a sponge, able to absorb, process and develop new ideas and information. It's kept her alive so far.

Unbreakable and Boundless: Skye's partnership of this trait to her intellect means that she has learned to overcome pain that many would find unbearable in physical, mental and psychological bounds. This doesn't make her per se more immune to pain- but as someone who ran through "The Devil's Cooker" making it look very easy, she seems to have a resolve about her that is hard to exactly pin down. A work rate that allows her to find her second, third, even fourth wind, and it shows in her willingness to support and look after her team, an almost boundless energy that seems crazy. It's hard to quantify how she even makes it work- a natural talent, or perhaps a decade and a half of chiseling herself to be that way, your call.

Personality:

A mum of the team- but more often than not, someone willing to see red and go absolutely wild, Skye balances leadership with her charismatic and boundless energy that always finds a target. While sometimes coming across as removed from a situation, given the fact she has to be very selective about who joins the team and she has an unrelenting drive to push herself, she always seeks to push those around her with her too- so she'll take the time to listen and help out wherever she can. A stoic attitude almost- but she has learned how to enjoy life and switch off, rather than push relentlessly, all the time. She seems fun and open to how the team operates, but knows when to keep them in line- neither being too egotistical nor too selfless in her mannerisms.

A seemingly spotless team leader isn't all there is to Skye, mind. There's definitely a lot of frustration under the surface, a lot of apathy for the way the world works and a lot of pragmatism that has boiled down into cyncism. There's no doubt she's seen a lot and it's made her wearier for it.

She's the one playing it straight when everyone else is a bit mad, but she has her own wacky side too.

Tactical Suit:



Similar to the leader of Scimitar before her, Skye uses an exoskeleton as a support tool to run, move and get across the warzoen. While able to stop 5.56 rounds thanks to armour plating throughout the suit's chassis, covering the torso, legs and upper arms, she wouldn't want to remain under constant fire with this thing- it gives her a little more survivability, but predominantly allows for her to operate as a much more versatile, quick operator. The real advantage is that it gives her a more disproportionate strength in lifting, moving and protection that already augments her tireless fitness regime. Carrying a MG3 is like holding an MP5 to her now, as well as being able to run 100m in 12 seconds fully equipped, even being able to run on walls with a jump pack and leap almost up a storey and a half and come down with relative ease, avoiding fall damage. That means all of a sudden, it's very hard to keep up when she's mobile and running. Without power, the suit isn't so useful then- but isn't an enormous burden to carry around, and being easily detatchable.

Weapons:

MG3 LMG with shoulder-mounted ammunition pack (belt fed)
OR
SIG MCX 7.62mm Battle Rifle
AA-12 Automatic Shotgun
Carl Gustav M4 MAAWS
FN FNX.45 Pistol (Silenced)

Equipment:
Tactical Knife
3x Cluster Grenades
3x Flashbangs
Various Smoke Grenades
Various Flares
Quad-Optic NVGs
Jump-Pack
Arm-Mounted PDA

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History:

Born in Portree on the Isle of Skye itself, the redhead was named after the beautiful island of her birth by her fisherman father, a Scot with roots to Clan Lyons, with her mother being a former professional football player- an odd combination that Skye sometimes wonders ever gets easier to introduce when talking about family. She grew up in a stable environment, but was seen as gifted from a young age- quickly being encouraged by her mother to get involved in the wilderness and become fit, and find herself benefiting from being put classes ahead at school. Skye was a talent, rebellious and yet studious, athletic and always out in the wild, appreciating nature and the quieter side of life. Capable of going to university and the world was her oyster, she was told- even if Skye didn't know exactly what she wanted to do. To help people? To go make money to help her parents, or just settle for what her dad had- a hard, but peaceful life?

That was all on her mind until the death of her father at sea. The event changed her entirely, turning it upside down overnight, and completely destroying the last years of her childhood. With her mother distraught and turning to alcholism, Skye found herself in a home environment as a young adult that was about to turn to total shit. She didn't seem to stop however- in some odd way, it changed her to become stronger, more protective and fiercer in her ambitions in life, and instead of wallowing away for expectation, chose her own path.

It was with that Skye left home aged 18 and joined the Royal Marines as one of its' very few female applicants, her previous physical capabilities powering her through. She overcame many adversities to get to where she did- and a few tours in Afghanistan and on peacekeeping missions proved she was more than just the token "girl" of the team, but a leader and naturally talented at anything she put her hand to. Her intelligence, aptitude and talents didn't go unnoticed, and within a couple of years, she volunteered for the SBS- the Naval equivalent of the British SAS. She flew through pretty much the entire selection, a thing that was unheard of. It was as if she was destined for bigger things- and leading a fireteam, before going up the ranks and training as an Officer- flying through that too. It was almost odd to see- as if she shoudldn't have been in the forces, but doing something greater for society. Skye didn't agree. She had embraced the life in the service, leaving behind her past as much as she could, but never forgetting her father's influence on her younger years- and despite being so young, she showed a maturity and promise far above her station. A servitiude to herself, and the people around her- a deeply stoic belief she holds true.

A few years has passed, and Skye had become rather a favourite of the British intelligence community- a dependable, reliable operative who you could send to the dirtiest, darkest parts of the world and would get the job done, alone or with a small team. From HVT assasinations in Syria to deniable operations in Pakistan, Skye became a master of fighting the wars nobody wanted to talk about- and more often than not using experimental technology to do so, often using her wit and cunning to engineer situations that could turn the tide in her favour. In cities such as London, Berlin and Moscow she was equally at home as she was in the rough deserts of Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan, often finding herself carted to another part of the world in some other mad manner to do the UK's dirty work.

It paid well- but Skye always enjoyed it more than the money, a direction that gave her meaning in the absence of her youth. Perhaps almost a solace, or a mask for something beneath her past that had happened. After all, she felt at home with tinkering with technology, finding a way to outdo and outgun her foes even if they were trying to keep up. It was in this instance that she was handpicked by Oracle, seen as a perfect fit to lead the new task force they were assembling, that of Raven Squad. Skye's inventiveness allowed her to tailor the team to her liking, and she finds herself being the charismatic commander of the team, leading by example and showing why she gets the job done.

Hobbies:

Triathlon, Ultramarathons, Climbing, The Great Outdoors, Reading, Skydiving, Fiddle Playing

Likes:
-Whisky (no "e", because she likes the real deal)
-Honesty
-Rock and Indie Music
-Warm, genuine people
-Opportunities to reflect
-A roaring campfire with friends
-Her squad, when they're sorting out her paperwork

Dislikes:
-Any "wee bastard" that calls her "English" (a rare trigger point)
-Any alcholic beverage that has less than 15% alcohol content, including anything resembling a cocktail
-Indirect conversation
-The entire country of Uzbekistan
-Being rushed
-Her squad, when there's paperwork involved that involves them

Raven Squad : (An Eccentric Military / Spy-Fi RP)

Alright, tell you what- for those of you interested an OOC is up!

@Hokagae@Jamesyco

roleplayerguild.com/topics/187468-rav…

Raven Squad (An Eccentric Military / Spy - Fi RP)

And we are live, with an OOC! We're still accepting applications- if you haven't seen the Interest Check then the setup for a near-future, slightly wacky military RP is below.

The Setup:

Raven Squad (RS) is a mysterious task force, working against the forces of global terrorist groups in the near future (roughly 20 or 30 years from now) who often who are armed with quite advanced technology- or nefarious political aims. Al-Qaeda it isn't, so in come our operatives to deal with the anarchy. In a world where mechs are prototypes, exoskeletons, jump-packs, optical cloaking and various other technologies are around the corner, the tide of warfare is changing...and Raven is there to stop the worst happening.

Raven Squad have access to that technology, and six of the most elite operatives that made it through a gruelling process to counter the threat. With different specialists allowing the team to have everything from a scalpel-like precision to brute force with heavy firepower, they act as a counterbalance.

Where an SF team cannot penetrate a facility, Raven Squad come in. When a politician needs to go, they come in. When you have ten foot mechs trying to breach a high-security Gulag and you need those fuckers removed, they come in. Raven Squad are the people that stop the world ending as we know it. Problem is, they're a little dysfunctional- and well, they're not all the most....professional of soldiers, or spies, or agents, or well, anyone who is capable of getting the job done.

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Character Sheet:

Sometime in the near future, your character was Special Forces, Mercenary, a Spy, a Gangster even, or ex-whatever. But they were picked, selected even for a very good reason. The world is left vague intentionally so you're welcome to dabble with your character's journey and lore up to the RP's start.

Anyway, your person. They were more than just a regular operator, soldier, asset, mercenary. They were far beyond that.

It means that your character more likely than not is a bit of an oddball as well.

Your character passed a test known as "The Devil's Cooker", a fiendish double-triathlon level test coupled to psychometric and advanced weapons testing, truly seperating the wheat from the chaff in seeing who is truly unbreakable and more importantly, capable under pressure. 90% fail, but your character made it through. Failure would have led to a cocktail of drugs being used to wipe part of their memory, and that's reason enough.

Consider that a high bar for your character's entry. If they made it that far, they joined the very insignificantly small number of individuals capable of having the most advanced technology and equipment known to the world's intelligence agencies at their disposal, and the responsibility of saving the world....rather too frequently.

In terms of tech, there's nothing outlandish but it definitely allows for some more innovative, more interesting tech to be on the table. As a spy-fi / near future setting, everything from exoskeleton support to jump packs, nanotechnology among others are on the cards- but it's not going to be completely down the road of Cyberpunk (not to begin with, at least...). Modern contemporary weaponry is mostly still used but with experimental weaponry, if it can be made to work and you can make it work with all its advantages and flaws, then go right ahead. The playbook isn't compeletely open, but there's a hell of a lot to make your operative their unique slice of the pie. Feel free to come up with original, or genuine ideas if you think it might work- nothing too fantastical, but if it fits the theme of the RP.

Blank CS Sheet

Name:

Age:

Apperance: (Written Description, but you can alter it for your own needs and do whatever here- pictures are fine too to help augment the description! )

Nationality:

Callsign: (Optional)

Skills:

History: (What'd they do before they became badasses in Raven Squad.)

Personality (Optional- I mean, are some of your operators are gonna be souless or something?)

Tactical Suit: (Applicable for Heavies mainly but also for the others- what does their armour or combat equipment look like? Description and Pictures prefered where possible!)

Weapons: (As set out in the prior selection- though this can be changed if you like. This isn't strict for what class can carry what- but a light shouldn't carry more than two long weapons, a medium more than three, while a heavy alone has access to heavy weapons and a wider range of secondaries. Weaponry is contemporary, though if you have something experimental to boot then feel free to suggest/query it if you're unsure if it's a bit much!)

Equipment (Yours to pick- be mindful of their specialisation and class.)

Hobbies: (Be it modelling, climbing or sunbathing, or whatever floats your character's boat when they aren't busy being badass.)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Character Slots Availible:

Light (M) - BigPapaBelilal
Light (F)- VeyrinDay
Medium (M) - BigPapaBelilal
Medium (F)- FourtyTwo
Heavy (M) - Jamesyco
Heavy (F) - Laser Kiwi

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Background:

Not much is known about Raven Squad as an organisation- only that it has shadowy links to the previous "Team Scimitar", a prior semi-independent mercenary group that similarly fought against a range of terrorist threats and organisations.

Though since those days, plenty has evolved in terms of technology and equipment used- and the organisation appears to silently select those who it wants through a contact named "Oracle", who recruits operators on a selective basis. RS after all, is the boogeyman that spies, special forces and various government agencies can't even confirm exists. The operatives have a comfy life on base, but holidays don't come often when the world needs saving.

Based out of a formerly abandoned naval patrol base on an island off Corsica, RS has access to a short runway, as well as a bunker complex built into the side of a cliffside base- housing a firing range, armoury, R&R facilities (including a pool, of all things!), training rooms and brefing facilities that allow it to be a home away from home- out of sight and visuals from prying eyes.

Our characters, outside of being involved in taking out the baddies, will get a chance to chill, relax and do whatever takes their fancy back at base, and it's a nice little quirk to show off your characters a bit more too!

The Rules

While this RP doesn't take itself seriously, we're gonna need a little here to make sure we're all on the same page. We do this, we all get to have wacky, fun characters and go for a thrill ride. If not, it sucks for everyone. Courtesy of SilverwindBlade's common rule set, please follow the following:

Post length is expected to be Casual to Advanced- no one or two line posts, please. This means at minimum two paragraphs in a post- three being optimum to really flesh out your character's response and furthering of the plot. I don't prescribe a top end limit, but use your imagination on how much you can write in a single segment- if it's longer, feel free to write longer!

Follow Wheaton's Law at all times. Don't be a dick- GM is God, and while this RP is very fast and loose, if you're asked to bring something into line, expect there might be good reason for it.

This RP will have adult themes, and romance is a part of that if you want it to be- however, nothing that the Gods of RPG wouldn't want on the public side when smut is concerned. If you want to go beyond, that shit goes off this RP into 1x1 if it is 18+ in any manner. Before that though, be my guest.

Equally, I have no bloody problem with a bit of fucking swearing, you bunch of cunts, but don't take it to excess, all right, fuckers?

A sense of humour is not optional. Please be good-natured and good-humoured to one another in the OOC.

Minimum post of one per week, per person. If you can't post, please mention in the OOC or drop me a PM. If it's unexpected - i.e. family emergency, your internet goes out, etc - then just let me know when you come back, and I'll catch you up. These things happen. It is not my job to chase you to post! If you're interested enough to be here in the first place, then it's up to you to post. If you're 'too lazy' to keep up, then I'm too lazy to chase your arse to get you to do it. It's a matter of manners and etiquette.

All characters are part of the military unit mentioned in the blurb above. No bad guys, no mercs, no foreign characters. This is to make things easier and more straightforward, and to keep internal consistency.

Don't talk down to people. I don't care how much knowledge of real-world weapons and systems you might have, or how much of an encyclopedia on legs you are about such things. This is my world, and it works how I want it to. If you're trying to be a smartarse because you've found a 'loophole', then you're not playing in the spirit of things, and you should probably leave. That's even with an admittedly loose playbook.

If I don't know about it, then it doesn't exist. You may have this amazing secret plot worked out for your character - but if you don't tell me about it, then it ain't happening. Because I've already got a storyline worked out, and if it doesn't fit, then it's not going in. Same with technology and whatever you 'think' it should be like- I am open to ideas, but tell me if you think it's something that makes you say "That might be too far out there".

This is a near-future setting, and as such, isn't madly fantastical. Sure, mechs, exoskeletons and cloaking may be a thing, but there isn't interdimensional travel, let alone even interplanetary travel. No aliens, no anime, no high-school dramas either. There is no magic or supernatural content. Please respect the setting and keep it in mind- there's plenty of ridiculous and cool shit on offer, so play with that here- keep the other material to other RPs.

GM's word is final. I appreciate people wanting to help, but final approval for plot, lore, and characters comes from me. Though, by all means, please feel free to make suggestions and help others with ideas and information where possible, and point out if something isn't there or working when it should be, because that helps us all.

Have Fun everyone!

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More Setup - Character Classes

Here's how it works. The RP functions around approximately six characters (can be more or less!)- and focusses upon the team having different skills and specialities, as well as entirely different approaches to combat. While there's three main classes, within those their playstyle may be completely different- and may bring a very unique ability that is class-defying. Each character can also have a path to upgrades- after each operation, they are able to use new technologies, experimentally given out to help them get a further edge.

While I'm not someone to put into place strict rules, I'd prefer two of each in each class and a male and female in each class to really help the flavour of the RP gel (we can't have all infiltrators!), as well as a bit more variety in origins- but will happily accept anyone who has an interesting idea and can make it work, irrespective. This isn't all prescriptive- they're put in as ideas and to start of the process of what the team might look like.

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"Light" or "Infiltrator" Characters

Stealthy types, sharpshooter types, all-round silent assassins, here ye be.

These characters are all relatively unarmored, unable to stand up to much in a firefight- often only coming to that as a necessity. But they have ludicrous amounts of mobility and are able to provide support and some assault help in different ways from different perspectives- they're snipers, infiltrators, hackers and parkour specialists- with these characters often being the masters of stealth thanks to their talent and optical cloaking. They're agile, often more than not to almost cat-like levels of speed, freedom of movement using various tech such as grappling hooks to wall-adhesive gloves- and capable in CQC thanks to Krav Maga or other fighting styles. They're potent at working on their own, but as a part of a wider team, add an enhanced intelligence and support function.

Think Sam Fisher, or Black Widow, or something down that line.

They often work as good sabotage experts too, working in the shadows of the main team's work- and have the widest range of infiltration and exfiltration equipment, ranging from wingsuits to SCUBA gear. They're the lone wolves of the team, but they can make the enemy look twice before they get hit.

Five Common Talents:
-Excellent at sneaking and stealth- with or without cloaking, they're ghosts, and incredibly efficient sneaky people
-High levels of agility (Parkour)
-Sabotage (Explosives, Mines)
-Hacking
-Sniping

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"Medium" or "Assault" Characters

The Swiss Army Knives of the team look here. For those who want a slice of everything.

Characters who are well armored, able to take a few rounds, but not like the "Heavy" characters- they are a comfortable in between. They form the assault element of fire- and they offer a lot of versatility through carrying a lightweight exoskeleton- using jump-packs to double jump, wall run and basically throw themselves up into positions that often none of the team could, allowing them to hammer fire from pretty much any angle using slightly heavier weapons than a typical SOF operator would use- be that LMGs, automatic shotguns, MGLs and high-capacity SMGs. They're real jack of trades, and often bring a bit more to the fight, with significant room to specialise and deliver a unique talent that no class can really pin down. Put short, an Assault character isn't a bland choice- they literally will do everything, from the quieter work to the all-guns blazing firefights, but they're not the best at either spectrum. But add speed and firepower together and you get a package that can usually make any situation work.

The closest comparison one can think of are the "Pilots" from the Titanfall universe- a perfect blend of fast and hard-hitting in a hot firefight. They're nowhere near as agile as the lights, but offer a lot more momentum- allowing them to flank and provide fire from any angle. They also have special abilities of their own that neither class has- be that the deployment of a personal protective bubble, a personal drone, or anything else that pertains to the fact that they carry a bit more into the fight than a typical operator would.

Five Common Talents:
-Balanced Operative (Jack of all Trades)
-Jump-Pack based mobility
-Versatility
-Unique Abilities
-Fast in Firefights

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"Heavy" or "Juggernaut" Characters

Lots of firepower, brute force, big explosions. No less sophisticated than the rest of the team but just a lot louder, Heavies are for those who just want to blow shit up and get blown up.

These characters are giants. Literally, they're over seven foot and immensely tall, strong, and able to basically punch through anything they want. People, walls, armour, anything. And that's without their heavy armour! In their super-heavy armor clad in head to toe with Trophy Systems to boot, are nigh on impossible to take out with most munitions- which means that more often than not, they're the centre of attention, the guy or girl turning up fire to the next level, and Raven Squad has TWO OF THEM. They're a Boss Battle for real, and you bet they enjoy that ego trip. Even up close, they're often absolute beasts in CQC without weaponry- often carrying melee weapons like an axe or a mace to club people they can't get with any of the plethora of weapons they carry. While a light might make that work through silently picking people off, a heavy will make those people shit themselves- one-on-ten, you probably can't win that fight unless you're very specially skilled. After all, a heavy isn't often stupid if they've made it into Raven Squad- they're often far smarter than you think. The Mountain from Game of Thrones? Nah, this giant can do much, much more, they're Knights of the warzone.

Think almost the Juggernauts from MW2, or well, the Heavy from TF2, with a lot more armour and a lot more versatility.

They use heavy weaponry and carry even more support weaponry that puts them almost on the level with a mini-mech- from miniguns to automatic grenade launchers, flamethrowers to prototype electric or laser-based weaponry, or SMGs, heavy pistols, and all sorts of exotic secondary weapons that allows them to take on a wide variety of foes- specialising in AT on top of their usual anti-personel usage. For them, might is right- and bar much, they are incredibly difficult to counter. They're killable all right, but it takes a lot. They do suffer from the least versatility in infiltrations and their sheer size and operations weight means that they often need special methods of insertion. But do you think that they don't make a big deal about it? Not when they're the boss battles of the warzone.

Five Talents:
-An actual bullet sponge
-Close Quarter Beasts
-Versatility in Combat
-Heavy Weaponry
-Terrifying, centre of attention, frontline operatives

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Post your CSs below, and I'll review them before accepting- then once we get those all in we'll get started! I'm thin on details at the moment at just how things will kick off, but it'll give a nice idea of the world and a good chance to showcase your characters!

Burning Rubber Three (Bee and kingkonrad)

Hugo kept his cool as he put floor to throttle, and did as Kasumi may have well thought. His starts were good, and while in qualifying his pace was above average when things got to it, it was in races he found it best to get elbows out. Melbourne's start straight passed faster than a glimpse, and taking the chance to pass the Alfa of Kimi right ahead of him, and Latifi too, the heavily braking Williams giving Hugo a perfect route through on the outside as they went three-wide through the messy straights. Hugo was totally in that moment, and no doubt, it was a bit of a signature of things to come. A lucky break, or a ? Kasumi had the room to follow, but right now, Hugo was focussed on holding position, and through the next few corners, he could keep his calm, the grip not exceedingly convincing but the powerplant behind him giving enough power to build on and keep going.

"Nicely done, that's P16, P16." Hugo gave no response, not excited, just focussed in. He was here to race, and not to concede. Turn 9 and 10 came fast and quick, the aero of an F1 car keeping it virtually glued, the G-forces swinging through his neck as he could see Kasumi being able to follow through the hole he'd made through the other backmarkers, though they were getting moment to moment changes in the delta. It mattered nought, because now he had to keep it on.

The end of lap one felt like an exhale, but F1 was non-stop. It was going to continue, and while Russell ahead was still in a Williams, he was going to leave Hugo for dust with the rest of the train that was ahead. Simply put, the Valkyrie wasn't going to close that gap, and for now, Hugo knew he just had to get his head down. Lap after lap, time after time.
"Okay, good work, Hugo. Remember, we're on a one stop strategy, no changes to that. How is the car, copy?"

"Car is good, let me get on with it." Hugo replied sternly but he didn't want his focus ruined. He was here to bed himself into the race, and that was his strategy.

And so it went. From something climactic and epic, now it felt like the first lap had gone, Hugo Olivera was here alright. Lap after lap passed, and on the now scrubby mediums he knew he had to do the other part of holding the gap. He could see the delta time of Raikkonen behind him, flickering and up and down with DRS, but with the ability to equalise that thanks to Russell's slipstream, he could bed himself in here. Hugo didn't think about his teammate, but deep down, hoped she'd be able to make advantage of the train he was going to soon be leading.

Raven Squad : (An Eccentric Military / Spy-Fi RP)

RAVEN SQUAD

MAIN THREAD:

roleplayerguild.com/topics/187468-rav…

Raven Squad is a variant on an RP idea I've had for years, focussing on a military / spy-fi RP that takes influence from a range of sources. It's bombastic, over the top, ridiculous...and definitely an RP that lends itself to not being too serious while having a teeny bit of grounding. Trying to save the world isn't ever going to look totally realistic, right?

Taking influence from everything from an awful lot of video games and films- Titanfall to MGS, Rainbow Six to Arma and Bad Company among many others- with a sprinkle of a little insanity on top and a teeny bit of grounding to set up a near-future foe, this RP isn't exactly focussed on absolute tactical precision nor complete fantastical elements. It's hard to describe but if you're somewhere between The Expendables, MGS, Overwatch and Rainbow Six, it's roughly that with around the right amount of silly and serious and a dynamic team of elite misfits.

Interested? Read on and the setup and all the details are below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Setup:

Raven Squad (RS) is a mysterious task force, working against the forces of global terrorist groups in the near future (roughly 20 or 30 years from now) who often who are armed with quite advanced technology- or nefarious political aims. Al-Qaeda it isn't, so in come our operatives. In a world where mechs are prototypes, exoskeletons, jump-packs, optical cloaking and various other technologies are around the corner, the tide of warfare is changing...and Raven is there to stop the worst happening.

Raven Squad have access to that technology, and six of the most elite operatives that made it through a gruelling process to counter the threat. With different specialists allowing the team to have everything from a scalpel-like precision to brute force with heavy firepower, they act as a counterbalance.

Where an SF team cannot penetrate, Raven Squad come in. When a politician needs to go, they come in. When you have ten foot mechs trying to breach a high-security Gulag and you need those fuckers removed, they come in. Raven Squad are the people that stop the world ending as we know it. Problem is, they're a little dysfunctional- and well, they're not all the most....professional of soldiers, or spies, or agents, or well, anyone who is capable of getting the job done.

----

Background:

Not much is known about Raven Squad as an organisation- only that it has shadowy links to the previous "Team Scimitar", a prior semi-independent mercenary group that similarly fought against a range of terrorist threats and organisations.

Though since those days, plenty has evolved in terms of technology and equipment used- and the organisation appears to silently select those who it wants through a contact named "Oracle", who recruits operators on a selective basis. RS after all, is the boogeyman that spies, special forces and various government agencies can't even confirm exists. The operatives have a comfy life on base, but holidays don't come often when the world needs saving.

Based out of a formerly abandoned mining facility in Corsica, RS has access to a short runway, as well as a bunker complex built into the side of a cliffside base- housing a firing range, armoury, R&R facilities (including a pool, of all things!), training rooms and brefing facilities that allow it to be a home away from home- out of sight and visuals from prying eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------

More Setup - Character Classes

So Now What?

Interested then? Well, here's how it works. The RP functions around approximately six characters (can be more or less!)- and focusses upon the team having different skills and specialities, as well as entirely different approaches to combat. While there's three main classes, within those their playstyle may be completely different- and may bring a very unique ability that is class-defying. Each character can also have a path to upgrades- after each operation, they are able to use new technologies, experimentally given out to help them get a further edge.

While I'm not someone to put into place strict rules, I'd prefer two of each in each class and a male and female in each class to really help the flavour of the RP gel (we can't have all infiltrators!), as well as a bit more variety in origins- but will happily accept anyone who has an interesting idea and can make it work, irrespective. This isn't all prescriptive- they're put in as ideas and to start of the process of what the team might look like.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Light" or "Infiltrator" Characters

Stealthy types, sharpshooter types, all-round silent assassins, here ye be.

These characters are all relatively unarmored, unable to stand up to much in a firefight- often only coming to that as a necessity. But they have ludicrous amounts of mobility and are able to provide support and some assault help in different ways from different perspectives- they're snipers or infiltrators, hackers and parkour specialists- with these characters often being the masters of stealth thanks to their talent and optical cloaking. They're agile, often more than not to almost cat-like levels of speed, freedom of movement using various tech such as grappling hooks to wall-adhesive gloves- and capable in CQC thanks to Krav Maga or other fighting styles. They're potent at working on their own, but as a part of a wider team, add an enhanced intelligence and support function.

They often work as good hackers and sabotage experts given this, working in the shadows of the main team's work- and have the widest range of infiltration and exfiltration equipment, ranging from wingsuits to SCUBA gear.

Five Common Talents:
-Excellent at sneaking and stealth- with or without cloaking, they're ghosts, and incredibly efficient sneaky people
-High levels of agility (Parkour)
-Sabotage (Explosives, Mines)
-Hacking
-Sniping

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Medium" or "Assault" Characters

The Swiss Army Knives of the team look here. For those who want a slice of everything.

Characters who are well armored, able to take a few rounds, but not like the "Heavy" characters- they are a comfortable in between. They form the assault element of fire- and they offer a lot of versatility through carrying a lightweight exoskeleton- using jump-packs to double jump, wall run and basically throw themselves up into positions that often none of the team could, allowing them to hammer fire from pretty much any angle using slightly heavier weapons than a typical SOF operator would use- be that LMGs, automatic shotguns, MGLs and high-capacity SMGs. They're real jack of trades, and often bring a bit more to the fight, with significant room to specialise and deliver a unique talent that no class can really pin down. Put short, an Assault character isn't a bland choice- they literally will do everything, from the quieter work to the all-guns blazing firefights, but they're not the best at either spectrum. But add speed and firepower together and you get a package that can usually make any situation work.

The closest comparison one can think of are the "Pilots" from the Titanfall universe- a perfect blend of fast and hard-hitting in a hot firefight. They're nowhere near as agile as the lights, but offer a lot more momentum- allowing them to flank and provide fire from any angle. They also have special abilities of their own that neither class has- be that the deployment of a personal protective bubble, a personal drone, or anything else that pertains to the fact that they carry a bit more into the fight than a typical operator would.

Five Common Talents:
-Balanced Operative (Jack of all Trades)
-Jump-Pack based mobility
-Versatility
-Unique Abilities
-Fast in Firefights

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Heavy" or "Juggernaut" Characters

Lots of firepower, brute force, big explosions. No less sophisticated than the rest of the team but just a lot louder, Heavies are for those who just want to blow shit up and get blown up.

These characters are giants. Literally, they're over seven foot and immensely tall, strong, and able to basically punch through anything they want. People, walls, armour, anything. And that's without their heavy armour! In their super-heavy armor clad in head to toe with Trophy Systems to boot, are nigh on impossible to take out with most munitions- which means that more often than not, they're the centre of attention, the guy or girl turning up fire to the next level, and Raven Squad has TWO OF THEM. They're a Boss Battle for real, and you bet they enjoy that ego trip. Even up close, they're often absolute beasts in CQC without weaponry- often carrying melee weapons like an axe or a mace to club people they can't get with any of the plethora of weapons they carry. While a light might make that work through silently picking people off, a heavy will make those people shit themselves- one-on-ten, you probably can't win that fight unless you're very specially skilled. After all, a heavy isn't often stupid if they've made it into Raven Squad- they're often far smarter than you think. The Mountain from Game of Thrones? Nah, this giant can do much, much more.

They use heavy weaponry and carry even more support weaponry that puts them almost on the level with a mini-mech- from miniguns to automatic grenade launchers, flamethrowers to prototype electric or laser-based weaponry, or SMGs, heavy pistols, and all sorts of exotic secondary weapons that allows them to take on a wide variety of foes- specialising in AT on top of their usual anti-personel usage. For them, might is right- and bar much, they are incredibly difficult to counter. They're killable all right, but it takes a lot. They do suffer from the least versatility in infiltrations and their sheer size and operations weight means that they often need special methods of insertion. But do you think that they don't make a big deal about it? Not when they're the boss battles of the warzone.

Five Talents:
-An actual bullet sponge
-Close Quarter Beasts
-Versatility in Combat
-Heavy Weaponry
-Terrifying, centre of attention, frontline operatives

------------

Post your interest below if you're up for this- I'm looking for around six but can be flexible up or down!

Character Slots Availible:

Light (M)-
Light (F)-
Medium (M) -
Medium (F)-
Heavy (M) -
Heavy (F) -

Raven Squad : (An Eccentric Military / Spy-Fi RP)

RAVEN SQUAD

Raven Squad is a variant on an RP idea I've had for years, focussing on a military / spy-fi RP that takes influence from a range of sources. It's bombastic, over the top, ridiculous...and definitely an RP that lends itself to not being too serious while having a teeny bit of grounding. Trying to save the world isn't ever going to look totally realistic, right?

Taking influence from everything from an awful lot of video games and films- Titanfall to MGS, Rainbow Six to Arma and Bad Company among many others- with a sprinkle of a little insanity on top and a teeny bit of grounding to set up a near-future foe, this RP isn't exactly focussed on absolute tactical precision nor complete fantastical elements. It's hard to describe but if you're somewhere between The Expendables, MGS, Overwatch and Rainbow Six, it's roughly that with around the right amount of silly and serious and a dynamic team of elite misfits.

Interested? Read on and the setup and all the details are below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Setup:

Raven Squad (RS) is a mysterious task force, working against the forces of global terrorist groups in the near future (roughly 20 or 30 years from now) who often who are armed with quite advanced technology- or nefarious political aims. Al-Qaeda it isn't, so in come our operatives. In a world where mechs are prototypes, exoskeletons, jump-packs, optical cloaking and various other technologies are around the corner, the tide of warfare is changing...and Raven is there to stop the worst happening.

Raven Squad have access to that technology, and six of the most elite operatives that made it through a gruelling process to counter the threat. With different specialists allowing the team to have everything from a scalpel-like precision to brute force with heavy firepower, they act as a counterbalance.

Where an SF team cannot penetrate, Raven Squad come in. When a politician needs to go, they come in. When you have ten foot mechs trying to breach a high-security Gulag and you need those fuckers removed, they come in. Raven Squad are the people that stop the world ending as we know it. Problem is, they're a little dysfunctional- and well, they're not all the most....professional of soldiers, or spies, or agents, or well, anyone who is capable of getting the job done.

----

Background:

Not much is known about Raven Squad as an organisation- only that it has shadowy links to the previous "Team Scimitar", a prior semi-independent mercenary group that similarly fought against a range of terrorist threats and organisations.

Though since those days, plenty has evolved in terms of technology and equipment used- and the organisation appears to silently select those who it wants through a contact named "Oracle", who recruits operators on a selective basis. RS after all, is the boogeyman that spies, special forces and various government agencies can't even confirm exists. The operatives have a comfy life on base, but holidays don't come often when the world needs saving.

Based out of a formerly abandoned mining facility in Corsica, RS has access to a short runway, as well as a bunker complex built into the side of a cliffside base- housing a firing range, armoury, R&R facilities (including a pool, of all things!), training rooms and brefing facilities that allow it to be a home away from home- out of sight and visuals from prying eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------

More Setup - Character Classes

So Now What?

Interested then? Well, here's how it works. The RP functions around approximately six characters (can be more or less!)- and focusses upon the team having different skills and specialities, as well as entirely different approaches to combat. While there's three main classes, within those their playstyle may be completely different- and may bring a very unique ability that is class-defying. Each character can also have a path to upgrades- after each operation, they are able to use new technologies, experimentally given out to help them get a further edge.

While I'm not someone to put into place strict rules, I'd prefer two of each in each class and a male and female in each class to really help the flavour of the RP gel (we can't have all infiltrators!), as well as a bit more variety in origins- but will happily accept anyone who has an interesting idea and can make it work, irrespective. This isn't all prescriptive- they're put in as ideas and to start of the process of what the team might look like.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Light" or "Infiltrator" Characters

Stealthy types, sharpshooter types, all-round silent assassins, here ye be.

These characters are all relatively unarmored, unable to stand up to much in a firefight- often only coming to that as a necessity. But they have ludicrous amounts of mobility and are able to provide support and some assault help in different ways from different perspectives- they're snipers or infiltrators, hackers and parkour specialists- with these characters often being the masters of stealth thanks to their talent and optical cloaking. They're agile, often more than not to almost cat-like levels of speed, freedom of movement using various tech such as grappling hooks to wall-adhesive gloves- and capable in CQC thanks to Krav Maga or other fighting styles. They're potent at working on their own, but as a part of a wider team, add an enhanced intelligence and support function.

They often work as good hackers and sabotage experts given this, working in the shadows of the main team's work- and have the widest range of infiltration and exfiltration equipment, ranging from wingsuits to SCUBA gear.

Five Common Talents:
-Excellent at sneaking and stealth- with or without cloaking, they're ghosts, and incredibly efficient sneaky people
-High levels of agility (Parkour)
-Sabotage (Explosives, Mines)
-Hacking
-Sniping

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Medium" or "Assault" Characters

The Swiss Army Knives of the team look here. For those who want a slice of everything.

Characters who are well armored, able to take a few rounds, but not like the "Heavy" characters- they are a comfortable in between. They form the assault element of fire- and they offer a lot of versatility through carrying a lightweight exoskeleton- using jump-packs to double jump, wall run and basically throw themselves up into positions that often none of the team could, allowing them to hammer fire from pretty much any angle using slightly heavier weapons than a typical SOF operator would use- be that LMGs, automatic shotguns, MGLs and high-capacity SMGs. They're real jack of trades, and often bring a bit more to the fight, with significant room to specialise and deliver a unique talent that no class can really pin down. Put short, an Assault character isn't a bland choice- they literally will do everything, from the quieter work to the all-guns blazing firefights, but they're not the best at either spectrum. But add speed and firepower together and you get a package that can usually make any situation work.

The closest comparison one can think of are the "Pilots" from the Titanfall universe- a perfect blend of fast and hard-hitting in a hot firefight. They're nowhere near as agile as the lights, but offer a lot more momentum- allowing them to flank and provide fire from any angle. They also have special abilities of their own that neither class has- be that the deployment of a personal protective bubble, a personal drone, or anything else that pertains to the fact that they carry a bit more into the fight than a typical operator would.

Five Common Talents:
-Balanced Operative (Jack of all Trades)
-Jump-Pack based mobility
-Versatility
-Unique Abilities
-Fast in Firefights

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Heavy" or "Juggernaut" Characters

Lots of firepower, brute force, big explosions. No less sophisticated than the rest of the team but just a lot louder, Heavies are for those who just want to blow shit up and get blown up.

These characters are giants. Literally, they're over seven foot and immensely tall, strong, and able to basically punch through anything they want. People, walls, armour, anything. And that's without their heavy armour! In their super-heavy armor clad in head to toe with Trophy Systems to boot, are nigh on impossible to take out with most munitions- which means that more often than not, they're the centre of attention, the guy or girl turning up fire to the next level, and Raven Squad has TWO OF THEM. They're a Boss Battle for real, and you bet they enjoy that ego trip. Even up close, they're often absolute beasts in CQC without weaponry- often carrying melee weapons like an axe or a mace to club people they can't get with any of the plethora of weapons they carry. While a light might make that work through silently picking people off, a heavy will make those people shit themselves- one-on-ten, you probably can't win that fight unless you're very specially skilled. After all, a heavy isn't often stupid if they've made it into Raven Squad- they're often far smarter than you think. The Mountain from Game of Thrones? Nah, this giant can do much, much more.

They use heavy weaponry and carry even more support weaponry that puts them almost on the level with a mini-mech- from miniguns to automatic grenade launchers, flamethrowers to prototype electric or laser-based weaponry, or SMGs, heavy pistols, and all sorts of exotic secondary weapons that allows them to take on a wide variety of foes- specialising in AT on top of their usual anti-personel usage. For them, might is right- and bar much, they are incredibly difficult to counter. They're killable all right, but it takes a lot. They do suffer from the least versatility in infiltrations and their sheer size and operations weight means that they often need special methods of insertion. But do you think that they don't make a big deal about it? Not when they're the boss battles of the warzone.

Five Talents:
-An actual bullet sponge
-Close Quarter Beasts
-Versatility in Combat
-Heavy Weaponry
-Terrifying, centre of attention, frontline operatives

------------

Post your interest below if you're up for this- I'm looking for around six but can be flexible up or down!

Character Slots Availible:

(Can be flexible once all are filled!)

Light (M)-
Light (F)- VeyrinDay (temporary reservation)
Medium (M) - BigPapaBelilal
Medium (F)- FourtyTwo
Heavy (M) - Jamesyco (temporary reservation)
Heavy (F) -

The Conflict

Bethan chuckled as Yekatarina came over, and then proceeded to load her GSH-18, the modern Russian pistol a tool even the Welsh girl was impressed by. Much nicer than a Makarov, far more functional somewhat. The dirt and dust had begun to make her lightly blonde hair look almost a darker tone altogether, perhaps a reflection of all the shit that they'd gone through with the truck and the running through the slum, Sean nodded as he dragged a cut-open oil barrel over to the fountain, to where the other two were sitting.
"That's true. But if we scavenge, I'm sure we'll find everything we need out there. Seems to be the way it works. Places to stay too, hopefully. I don't care what it is, so long as it has four walls and isn't going to be ringing with gunfire all night long. Not much takes this much out of me, but I'm feeling fucked. In between carjacking and killing people, you know?" Sean replied, sighing as Yekatarina asked about the map, a comment that the Irishman behind on the rolled over barrel could comment upon.

"You think I would have left it?" Sean drew it from his back pocket, throwing it Bethan's way.
"Not much, but I thought it was worth a steal." Bethan sighed to Sean's comment, but felt almost impressed by him in that moment, knowing while he was a cunt, he was a resourceful one at times. She reached over to take it, and flicking through, whistled, passing it to Yekatarina.

"Not bad. So that's most of the city. And the basics of the region, main roads, main towns. Looks like a holiday map mostly." Bethan mused, the look of it something a tourist would have, not a military unit. On that note, she got to work on loading her own Glock up with nine-mils, taking magazines she had kept and filling them in with a few more 9mm rounds, aware she hadn't actually expended much ammunition herself. A brief moment, but a chance to say the least. The few rounds into the mag were easy to place, with a slight push on the spring and they simply slid into place.

She slid her Glock out after holstering it and reholstering it again, and offering it to Yekatarina, reaching out after knowing the Russian would be nearly finished.
"Mind if I take a look at yours? That's an interesting looking piece." Bethan asked, the Welsh girl aware it was a little strange to ask, but it was a curiosity to her. Sean in the meantime finished up loading his FAL, a nice cock of the rifle and another check giving him a rare moment to appreciate that as little as this was, it was a proper bush-level FAL.

That brief exchange was followed by Hayden coming over, Sean looking at the thing and almost in a moment not even wanting to stay put with his FAL. Now that tool Hayden had, that was a thing of beauty. A relic. And only one part of his brain came on at that moment. A reference to be sure.

https://youtu.be/4yQeyi2Fc40?t=79

"Don't you think you could have brought something a bit more practical? Fucking hell, he's brought an anti-aircraft gun..." Sean remarked, a glowing smile from him as he stood and took a look at it, looking back at Bethan. She got it, but on a drunk film night in getting something from a movie delivery service, and sighed, as he looked back at Hayden.
"Ehh, you won't get it. Fuck, I used one of these a while back. That looks to me like a Bren Mk4,.303 cartridge, hits like a fucking fridge but handles like one. Jesus, that is a fucking tool. And you got the pan mags. Fucking hellfire...a man of fine taste." Sean seemed impressed, the automatic rifleman taking it in, nodding in approval to Hayden. That moment too was broken by Victor turning up, the two enormous guards flanking him, towering over even Sean. The comment about "asking a few questions" felt a little unnerving, but then again, they hadn't gotten tooled up with no good reason. There had to be something afoot here, and no doubt, they had to be on their shit.

On that note, Sean looked directly at Bethan and nodded, a pact almost without words, keep your trap shut about the objective and remain on cover. Of some vague kind, at least. Details might get a bullet in the back of their brains, the right ones to keep them alive, the wrong ones would be their end. Following the group over, Sean and Bethan got back into the limo, knowing that they had another contact in the chain to go meet.

The Conflict

@BigPapaBelial

Cheers thanks!

Had that post sitting on my pad for a while and thought I'd get it out of the way before going off till tomorrow evening. Will check for typos as soon as

The Conflict

The surreal feeling of the limo was a shock to both of them, as they stepped inside. It was fucking surreal, and made zero sense at all. This was too nice, too good. As if they stepped out of the poverty out there and back into the west. It was a culture shock, and a total confusion at first, well, until they found the champagne and mini bar.

Taking the bubbly, Sean could only chuckle, looking across toe the group.
"Fuckinn get in, lads!" Sean added, pouring a glass of it as Bethan grabbed a few sandwiches, some for now and some for the long run into her pockets, starving and completely in need.
"Yeah, why not...this is mad..." Bethan simply commented, sighing as she leaned back in the seat, looking across to the team as they drove across the capital's rugged and rough streets, heading away from the compound and to the market. And that market was a deep jungle of itself, and going through it after leaving the limo left nothing to the imagination. The limo dropping them off and the introductions made to the market felt even more surreal, Bethan and Sean following the team through and over to Victor. Even in a world gone to shit, free market capitalism still reigned true. After all that had happened, Bethan had pushed down that part of her that felt what she did about what had happened merely 20 minutes ago, understanding now it was follow or die with this madness.

Standing by Bethan's side, Sean saw the case get opened as Victor slid the case over to Hayden, walking over to him and looking him up. With barely a flinch, he took his machete and seperates 20, 20, 20, and another 20, looking to the three others as he flicked a few aside going through them. It showed that he knew product, and while he might have been a thick, sometimes plain Marine, he knew how to make these things work.
"As per earlier. It's safer and fairer, if anyone decides to go and get greedy, they won't have any ideas either. Keep a few in change, food, water, accomodation and all that." Sean simply stated, letting the others take their share as he took his, the best part of 20 stones each and enough to go do some light shopping with. Looking up to the two Amazonians and Victor, Sean nodded, diamonds in hand, as he eyed one of them up to take a look at it's glimmering sheen.
"Not a bad shout, Victor. They could fit an engagement ring pretty well. We'll go and get tooled and regroup."

----------------------

Sean went his own way at first, finding a trader towards the end of the market, after walking through and getting a general gist of what was going on here. With the Mosin Nagant in hand, he approached the last trader of the road, knowing it was quieter here, and a little less filled with hustle and bustle.

"Hey, big man, you got any FALs in stock, any R1s? Got this thing to offer you up in exchange, and I'm paying in stones." Sean asked with the confident swagger of someone who normally sold cocaine to rich people, the Irishman half clued up on what was the local variant of the right hand of the free world, made into the third world's favourite people thinning device that wasn't an AKM.

And with the trader coming back in, Sean chuckled, as the trader pulled out a relatively decent looking version, from where he did not know but that backroom seemed almost infinitely filled when he had peeked through the mesh door. It had Rhodesian markings on it no less...and a fucking weird looking flash suppressor. But then again, the Mosin Nagant he put on the table was fair barter, worth something.

"Rhodesian FN FAL rifle, Halbeck flash on the end, selector switch. Taken from their reserve storage, it is as if brand new, sir. 12 diamonds. Your rifle and ammo is worth two to me." The trader said, selling it up beyond what Sean could very much see. The rifle's flash suppressor was odd, but the solid stock and the dusted paint on it said it wasn't brand, brand new.

"7 diamonds for the FAL. That thing is at least 40 years old. And the markings show it's been used, but maintained. Not in storage. I want a good tool. So seven." Sean replied, the man angered but aware that Sean was not a regular tourist given he looked very shifty and willing to walk away as he trued the rifle in his arm, no mag inside, checking it over. It was definitely well looked after, this thing not looking like it would explode, but then again, it was old- and it needed to be cleaned and checked over in the mud and dirt of this place more than a rifle usually would.

"9. No funny business, mister. I promise, it's good." The trader's reply got a wry smirk out of Sean, as he nodded.
"Deal." Sean added, as he chuckled, looking at mags. 7 spent total, trade in completed.

"Gimmie six magazines, and 120 rounds, standard NATO 7.62, all FNJ. No Chinese crap."
"That's another eight diamonds, sir. I've got South African, that good?"
"Nope, five. Whatever it is, it better shoot straight."
"Seven."
"Six. Last one." Sean's last offer was right there, on the money.
"Fine." The trader replied, as last but not least, taking a look at his other selection. 13 spent.

"Need 30 more rounds of 9x19 too."
"That's two."
"One."
"Just for you, one. You drive a hard bargain, mister. I have a family to feed." The trader jested, knowing he could at least guilt him on the next purchase. 14 spent.

"I feel like you're going to get a lot more business from stupid westerners soon. I know how it feels to have a family to feed too. It's the market rate, I've already checked." Sean chuckled, as Sean took the two boxes of rounds, and the FN FAL, eyeing up the iron sight, and smirking. There was a reason he went for this. It was a classic British service weapon, the L1A1 had been much loved before the SA-80's jamming and shit operation had replaced it. In the old days back in Bosnia, Sean would take it any day over the L85A1 if he wasn't lugging around an FN MAG as a tool for use. While old and dated, it did the trick and felt tried and tested, even for the third world.

"One more then...have you got a tactical pack lying around? That and light webbing. Got anything?" The trader took a moment to think, and after going to the back, brought something out, noting the DPM that Sean was wearing. A 28L assault pack, MOLLE-set with zips and straps on the back, similar to the kind he dropped in with, in fact. The webbing was similar, a tactical vest that would be a better replacement for the coat he was using, lighter and able to carry mags. The coat would be handy in a pinch, put inside the bag, but he'd been boiling in the heat. The trader eyed up Sean, knowing customers weren't often as specific as he was.

"You are English, I think? That weird accent. Where are you from, sir?"
"Northern Ireland, pal. Place here looks like it's got more trouble than home. That I appreciate, good tools. Two." Sean ignored the fact he was just called English, that was a no-no, but then again, fuck it. Worth letting those things go when you were being a hard cunt.
"Three diamonds. Just for you, this is special."
"Two."
"Fine. You are a hard bastard, Irishman."
"They all tell me that. Pleasure doing business." 16 spent, it left enough to get food, drink and keep a couple of diamonds spare if shit hit the fan, Sean leaving the market on that note.

------------

Meanwhile, Bethan had gone to another trader, and finding her AK worth a little bit more. She didn't like the platform - and while aware Yekatarina might have been more familiar, it looked like absolute shit, rust everywhere and like it would explode probably if cycled through two more mags. It felt very, very wonky- as if the weapon had been totally neglected and was more a mantlepiece item. The hustle and bustle made her feel exposed, like she wasn't belonging in this place, like a fucking white saviour with blonde hair here to shoot a charity ad rather than buy a gun.
"Afternoon, mate. I've got a list of stuff to look for. This AK, how much? Diamonds, yes?"
"Three diamonds for that, it looks like shit. Merde, I should give you two, but just for you being pretty three." The French-accented trader made Bethan chuckle, as she left the Kalash there, looking up her.

"Well, you'll make me blush now. Okay, so I need a few bits. What's the going rate on rifles at the moment?"
"Pfft, you ask, you get anything you want. A good AK, 10 diamonds. I even have M16s in there, twenty. Though just for you...I've got a special shipment of FNC rifles. Straight from in from the DRC."
"I mean, I don't believe that, but fuck it, whatever. How much for one of those?"
"13 diamonds. I promise, all good. Special price. Battle used, but still capable. Skeleton para stock, selector, standard length." The trader turned and took the FNC out from the storeroom behind, placing it on the table, Bethan truing it up. The rifle looked pretty much as good as it would be, and she'd known this rifle to be something decent- better than the equivalent in an AK or AR family. It beat the AKs that were out there- those would be near enough unusable in her western paws, while an FNC might stand a chance. More unreliable, but then again, more accurate, more modern, and more tactile to use when travelling. It still looked maintained, but even in spite of being newer than Sean's FAL, it looked like it'd gone through the same sort of life in that span of time. Full auto 5.56 always worked, and she knew her Swedish pals always raved about their AK5s. So it was 10 diamonds spent in total.

"Fine. I need five mags, 150 rounds of 5.56, 20 rounds of nine mil, a tactical pack and some pouches."
"That's another eight diamonds." With that, Bethan nodded, the trader bringing out the goods and Bethan simply paying out the 18 total that was spent in this little transaction. Wrapping it up, she handed the stones over, and after a brief inspection, was off on her way, carrying a slung tactical pack over her shoulder and a basic mag carrier vest, with enough room to fit the 5.56 mags she'd also gotten.

She'd gotten what she needed, and checking the black FN over, knew she had something a bit more proper to go to work with. Bethan, like the awkward tourist she was, didn't haggle. It felt more transactional, like she wanted her shit and wanted gone out of this place. Emerging out of the market, she found Sean at an old abandoned fountain, loading rounds into the mags, FAL between his legs, looking up to see Bethan turn up with her FNC.
"Not bad, not bad...can't go wrong with a trusty Fabrique Herstal tool, ain't that so?" Sean noted, nodding to the rifle in her hands, the black and tanned rifle a paratrooper's dream given it was a neat little carbine.
"Well, they work. Mine is definitely better than yours. 5.56 is lighter, nicer to handle too." She smirked with a reply, the seperation somewhat good to give them both distance from each others' malice.
"You definitely overpaid. Newer, but harder used. And you're forgetting that this thing in full auto with a compensator is a Rhodesian's wet dream. Fuck, my CO told me about these. Full auto 7.62, no problemo." Sean chuckled, Bethan disaproving but almost bantering along now.
"What, and you went from one genocide tool from that Mosin to a Rhodesian FAL? Fuck, you kill any more people today and we'll be off to the Hague next..." Bethan said, to almost a cathartic laugh from the two of them. They could be knocked back on their asses again. But this morning, they'd done something more important. Gotten tooled, and while they had gone to hell and back, wanted to shoot each other, and hijacked a truck in a slum and ended up in a dirt-poor market, at least they now had something to show for it. Sean realised that this world could take, but so could they. The laugh almost felt like a "fuck it" moment, the two of them so broken and worn through all that had happened, that they couldn't just remain constantly at each others throats right now.

"What next then? What do you think Victor has for us?" Bethan asked, Sean shrugging as he finished his second from last mag, and started feeding bullets from the last of the plastic bag into the last tan-looking 20-round NATO magazine.
"No idea. But I have a feeling the diamonds were an investment. Not payment, you know? And look at that gun market. Everyone's merchandise is top-notch, not just AKs, SKSs and Zastavas like I thought it would be. The Hyena has resourced every single one of them. I bet our C8s are back in for sale there. Makes you wonder, why aren't we asking them?" Sean asked, musing on the question for a moment.

"You think they know the network? Chances are, no way. The fish above them probably don't know. I've got to guess that they get their instructions and go point to point, drop to drop. The buyers are the people that matter- they're the people who likely interact with The Hyena directly. And those are Victor's bosses, or maybe, their bosses." Bethan replied, shrugging as she got to work with her mags, loading 5.56 rounds into the old, dusty looking STANAG spec steel mags.
"True that. Well, either way, we need to keep going. Whatever we're doing gets us respect from Victor. Gets us diamonds and we can buy what we need from that. Finding transport is gonna help us long run too." Sean sighed, finishing the mag, loading it up and cocking the rifle up, chuckling as he checked the bolt, and then the overall profile of the tool he'd spent his hard earned stones on.

Bethan- 2 diamonds
Sean- 4 diamonds