Well at least hes the right colour.

>>457931
Ask if this means you're going to grow ears larger than you are.

Any news on the Salikai, or the facility?

OHHH and don't forget about the Salikai, and the CAI. It's been weeks- did Rokoa's hive assault them? Or did they turtle up?

>>457931
On a scale of one to that QI we absolutely fucked up at the start of this nonsense, how are our bodies? (The one where we shot at her own gun with, horrifically maiming her in an explosion.) How is that QI now by the way? She's all right, right?

>"We did catch on fire, and it was some time before they snapped out of it and found us."
Suddenly I regret bringing all my gear instead of leaving it in that nice, safe locker. (Goodbye bio armor, green armor, custom built sniper rifle. We'll miss you).

>Everyone thinks Polo's dead
Hey, works to an infiltrator's advantage!

>skin graft
...so Polo's going to wake up a different color? Or at least temporarily have a calico thing going on.

You really got under his skin! *ba-doom-pst*!

What about the Salikai? I assume they slipped away?

"When we wake up you wanna stay and hunt salikai with me? How many science hive guys do you have as POW or otherwise?"

"Oh, and it's nice to see you alive. I can't believe I'm saying that."

>>skin graft
>...so Polo's going to wake up a different color? Or at least temporarily have a calico thing going on.
Wait, no, I got a better one.

"...suddenly I'm thankful I asked what shampoo he uses."

Also: ...so what the hell are we supposed to do in here?

1/2 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)16:11 No. 457952 ID: f09b71
File 134861470414.png - (16.45KB , 700x700 , 1002.png )

"Half of that guy's ears would be enough to cover me. Glad I asked what kind of shampoo he uses."
>"If that. It's me that'll keep him down for a bit. I wasn't wearing armor at all. Your everything is pretty much destroyed, if you didn't know."
"I assumed. Does this mean I'm going to have stupid big ears?"
>"... good joke."
"It was one."
>"Good.
"On a scale of 1 to that one QI I exploded the shotgun of, how do we look?"
>"QI and a half, at the start. We've moved down to half a QI."
"How is that one, by the way?"
>"Hell, she's already running around again. She's fine."
"It's been a week, but I assume the Salikai got away. I will still go after them."
>"I expect you to, because I won't be able to. Too much pressure for us to get off this place. Yeah, they got away, and caved in the tunnels behind them. Real thorough job, it's going to take a long time to find them again."
"Still good to..." see you alive. Can't finish that sentence out loud.

>What now?
I... don't know.

"So what are we supposed to do in here anyway?"
>"Never shared a dream before?"
"Not in age- what are you doing?"

2/2 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)16:11 No. 457953 ID: f09b71
File 134861471363.png - (17.37KB , 700x700 , 1003.png )

>"Dreaming."

The lucidity of this dream is giving me the power to fully acknowledge how grody the water is. I do not think there is much to do other than wait till I can get off this ship.

Nothing to do but enjoy this dream with Rokoa, play with her, fight her, kiss her. It is only a dream afterall.

>>457954
Yes, make out. You know that some part of you really really wants to.

I realize it isn't really something than can intentionally be done, but try to drag Pilon in here for that threesome you were wanting to have with him and Rokoa.

If it's a lucid dream, one can do anything they want here. Go nuts, enjoy coffee cake, make the skyline red and the ground blue

...Is this where we learn that Polo doesn't know how to have fun because she dedicated her life to becoming a surgical scalpel for the defense and offense of her Hive?

Hmm. Polo being presumed dead and coming back covered in Pilon-fuzz is a pretty good cover, actually. No one outside of those who would recognize her by link would know who she is (so it would be secret to just her hive). Gives us a chance to lull the Salikai into a false sense of security before going after them.

What's happening to the science hivers? Are we talking them down with us? They could be useful in figuring out what we might be up against, especially if they hate the Salikai as much as that last one.

>>457957
Yeah, coffee cake and roughhousing like idiots is pretty much all you got to do now. Have some fun. Remember, since this is a dream, your physical size doesn't actually matter. You have a chance of actually getting the best of her in this mud-wrestling match.

Have fun, try not to end up liking Rokoa too much. You're not gonna see her for a while.

"I'd really like to back you up going after the salikai. Are you sure there is no way you could stay till we kill them? I'm sure my hive would go with it. You've saved everyone twice, including me. And frankly I don't give a fuck what the other hives think of that."

Can you lucid-dream the water cleaner? Dis is gwoss.

>>457953
Wrestling is a loss. Be the shark in the water. If you get completely sick of her you could try going silent to kick her out.

Things to do when we wake up (and hopefully not timeskip past):

Check out your weird new coloration and poofy fuzziness (it'll last till your regeneration runs out of other things to fix and starts overriding it with your natural blue fuzz, I assume).

Say goodbyes to Pilon, thank the son of a bitch. You didn't know him very long, but we're gonna miss that guy.

Maybe awkardly bump into Kork and Tirrek, or any of the other QIs you beat up.

Recruit the science hivers into coming with you, to eventually save the rest of their hive. Maybe one of them worked on your armor or rifle, and knows how to build a new set?

Steal a new bioarmor on the way out. ...or maybe just ask for one. They might be happy to give you something to kill the Salikai with.

Well, she's naked. Be naked too.

1/2 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)18:10 No. 457989 ID: f09b71
File 134862180334.png - (15.07KB , 700x700 , 1004.png )

"Oh, what about the science hive?"
>"Taken away by an ultrahive collective. Same with the tribal hive we had up here."
"And I would have thought you'd have tried to stick around to fight the Salikai."
>"Of course. Too bad the hive mentality is sick of fighting. Lost a damn lot of guys in the last few month. From several thousand to maybe several hundred, if that."

I get the water clean. It is harder than it should be considering this is a joint dream and Rokoa is confident the water should be dirty for some terrible reason, but she relents.

>Try not to end up liking Rokoa too much
Of my concerns, a fate of liking Rokoa is up there with getting struck by a stray meteor. Terrible to happen, but so unlikely it is not worth worrying about.

>Be naked, kiss her
No. I do not even know why she is naked, but I have refrained from asking because I do not want to know.

I'm not so much in the mood to 'have fun', but it won't help anything to go sit and glare at Three Stripes or something. I might indulge in taking out some pent up aggression on Rokoa, if just to help pass the time.

2/2 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)18:10 No. 457990 ID: f09b71
File 134862181557.png - (14.99KB , 700x700 , 1005.png )

We eventually wake up around the same time, enough that we are able to get out of bed. They did not bother shaving Pilon's extra fluff off me, and I am embarrasingly uneven. I think they found it funny. I am weak and tired, but I am otherwise alright. They say I will get significantly better, and after, now that I can exercise some and eat normally.

Pilon helps me with physical therapy. I make sure to thank him for that, and everything else that he has done.

Kork, Tirrik, and some others including but not limited to the QI's I beat up visited a few times, and ultimately made a Get Well card that was a mix of well wishes, vivid threats and begrudging respect. Often all 3 from the same people.

I ask, and am given a 30% bioarmor as well.

>"We've been, well, 'encouraged' to purchase foreign repair crews to help expediate our bridge repairs and to get out of here. We'll most likely have liftoff in 4 days. You should be mostly fine, but either way, we'll have one of our guys give you a lift, and you can parachute down to your hive." he says at the end of a day.

>>457990
What about kissing HIM? You've got four days to hang out together. That's enough for a goodbye fling. Considering you won't ever see him again since he's going off-planet soon... Screw what the rest of his hive thinks. Or you could go on those dates outdoors, where nobody else is around to make things awkward.

Might want to do that after trimming yourself though.

Try to convince the hive to let Pilon and/or Rokoa come with you to hunt down the remaining salikai (ask if Pilon wants to, or any other volunteers for that matter). Explain it's the next thing you will be doing after you are combat able. And any help would be wonderful. Rokoa would be happier fighting than anything else.

Get in touch with whatever this "ultrahive collective" is. Ask them about who they got out, who is confirmed dead, etc.

Ask what was left of the bridge and if they could identify any of the dead. Even so little as what species they were.

Oh goodness. You have to keep that card. You'll get something to stick on the mantel back home, and I'm sure the contents will weird people out (I can just imagine Rikek or Rakae going through it).

How long have you been dead by this point anyways? (ie, how long since you boarded the warship).

Pilon should at the very least get a goodbye hug. Dunno about a kiss, honestly, I think we're crushing on him a lot harder than you ever did (dem eyes, and fuzzy ears!). You two are oddly almost natural friends though. Pity about the circumstances, and that you won't see him for a long while (maybe he'll tag along when Rokoa eventually shows up for that rematch?).

Are the sheep still around, or did they get away in the confusion of the hallucinogen? If they're still on board, you should say goodbye to Emere, and thank her for the help as well.

>Ultrahive
What's an ultrahive? And we should probably visit them to talk to the science peeps before you go after the Salikai again. They might know something useful, or be interested in helping liberate the rest of their hive.

>>457995
It's not their hive that needs convincing, mostly. It's the rest of the hives that are pushing them off the planet.

Ask Pilon what's Rokoa's favorite food. Then you can surprise her with it when you two have your rematch.

They probably didn't get much when they were down there, but ask Pilon if his hive could send copies of any records and data they got from the salikai's facility along to your hive and your hive's allies. Combing through it might reveal clues to where the salikai went, and if there's info in there about the research on those damn nanite neumono hijackers or the hallucinogenic gas, that'll be good for developing countermeasures.

You'll want to keep the fact that your alive as secret as you can, since it may be helpful, but you'll still have to let your hive know your alive. Is there a secure secret channel you can use to send a message back to your hive such that only a very few on their end will see it?

Oh right, and ask him if you were dating in the college-hallucination.

>>457999
It's also kind of cruel to ask any of them to stay, since they'd be exiling themselves from their hive with no good way to get back.

>Is there a secure secret channel you can use to send a message back to your hive such that only a very few on their end will see it?
Warn them? No way. We're dropping out of the sky, walking up to whatever stunned guard comes running up to investigate the incoming warhive paratrooper, and going "hey". Cue spontaneous hysterical reunion.

>>458004
Hey, did Polo's hive already come around and pick up Rikek and Rakae? Probably not with Rokoa's hive still hanging around. Maybe Polo could go back down to the spire and wait for evac with them. They're probably wondering what the hell is going on with Rokoa's hive still around after a week, and worrying a lot.

Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)19:26 No. 458015 ID: f09b71
File 134862640122.png - (9.16KB , 700x700 , 1006.png )

>Keep the card
I may as well have a souvenir. May as well get Pilon and Rokoa to sign it as well.

>What's an ultrahive?
A possibly misleading term for a collection of hives that have allied with each other for sake of peace in a safe nexus. They are still individual hives more than a single huge hive.

"What happened to the embassy, anyway?"
>"They escaped at some point, through one of our escape ships. We could locate it, but, it isn't worth the trouble by this point.
"What is Rokoa's favorite food?"
>"Raw meat, with epo spice."
"Never heard of the spice."
>"It's a snowland thing."
"I would still like Rokoa's, and you if you're willing, help in dealing with the Salikai. Did you guys send off any information, records, data and all that from the facility?"
>"Believe us, while you were out, the ultrahive came and pilfered through every nook and cranny. You'd have to convince the other hives to let us join in, but hey, this isn't a minor little thing, this was a global incident. There are whole armies after the salikai now. The salikai are as good as toast, but will be handled with care knowing the biological weapons they have. You won't need us."
"Anything of note in the bridge?"
>"A piece of claw there, some burnt fabric there, nothing much more than that."
"When is your birthday?"
>"67th of winter, like I said."
"Like you said. By the way, Rikek and Rakae, if you know of them, they were..."
>"Yes, they were picked up soon after we were raided properly after the nukes nearly went off. Thankfully our security camera database was not blown up, so we were able to prove that we were not, in fact, trying to nuke everything. It kept the exile as is rather than a brutal execution. Thank you for everything, by the way."
"Kneel down for a second."

I would not date him, but a kiss is not a solemn vow of partnership. That gets a rise out of others, but I hardly care.

Well, head home, get some rest, recover fully, then it's salikai hunting time.

>Kiss
D'aww.

Well, that's it. I can't think of anything to do aside from final goodbyes, and maybe Rokoa teasing you for what you just did. Time to head home.

>Ultra-hive, global incident
So you don't have to organize everything yourself. That's a good deal of pressure off. Although you probably want to be involved in the eventual assault. You're gonna be nearly the only person left on the surface with combat experience against the Salikai and their creatures.

Besides, you owe those bugs some payback by this point.

>>458015
I predict that Rokoa will try to get her rematch just before she has to leave, assuming both of you are recovered enough for neither party to be handicapped for the fight.

Be prepared for it.

Tell Pilon to drop you a letter from wherever his hive eventually settles, and you'll let him know how the salikai hunt turned out, and what's happening back here.

>The Ultrahive took copies of everything
Hope that means that whatever corporation, or corporations, that armed the war hive is publicly outed and gets on every neumono's shit-list forever. Any group that sells nukes, and the ballistic missiles to launch them, to someone like the Red Queen deserves to get smacked down.

Maybe you should take some of the time you have left recuperating to start writing down your record of what happened. You're going to need notes for what looks like it'll be a week long debriefing when you get back.

SUDDENLY YOU WAKE UP AND EVERYTHING IS EXPLODING BECAUSE IT WAS ALL A DREAM... AGAIN!

1/3 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)21:35 No. 458053 ID: f09b71
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A day or two passes again before I'm in good enough shape to head off. I get poked fun at occasionally, partially for my odd use of the word 'coffee cake'. Apparently a lot of effort was given trying to figure out what I meant, as though it were in code. Now, to this hive, they've started saying 'sent on a coffee cake run' instead of 'a wild goose chase'.

>SUDDENLY YOU WAKE UP AND
A fear that has plagued me every other time I wake up now, as it has felt like a very long time since I have slept in an honest bed.

>Keep notes
I make a summation of everything that I can remember, from start to finish. Rokoa looks them over when I sleep or do other things, apparently interested in my side of the story, namely what she wasn't around for.

2/3 Polo 2012/09/25(Tue)21:39 No. 458058 ID: f09b71
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A nexus pilot is brought aboard to bring me back. It has been accepted that in the interest of possibly infiltrating the new salikai home to soften their defenses or do other things, my survival will be kept as secret. It has been shown that the salikai already have some degree of satellite access of some sort, and so it is tempting to assume the possibility that they have miklik or other spies.

Rokoa and Pilon are around to see me off, the rest see me off in empathy range.

"I'll try to put in a good word and see about getting enough time for you guys to fight if you like."
>"Have you ever dealt with an ultrahive before?" Pilon asks.
"No."
>"They make up their minds first, and hold meetings to discuss second. They are good at holding peace, but are just not good listeners. They also think it may take weeks or longer to find them, and getting us an extension would be difficult like that. You can try, but I suspect we may not see each other again for a long time, unless you ever head off into space. I'll give you a galactic contact number, if you ever do get curious where we've gone."
"Thank you. Send me a letter letting me know how you guys are, sometime. Goodbye, you two."
>"Goodbye, Polo." Pilon replies.
>"Remember, I haven't forgotten our duel. You better not let yourself get careless in a few years. Till then, unless you work a diplomatic miracle, you'll have to give the salikai a reason to wish for hell for me." says Rokoa.
"Of course."
>"Now here's a present for your ride back. See ya, Coffee Cake."
"... Thank you. Goodbye, Rokoa."

I like it how in the end, we sort of befriended the whole damn hive by beating them up and saving them repeatedly.

>>458058
Oh my goodness. That airport departure picture. It looks like they're your parents sending you away from home for the first time. XD

>End
...goodbye, Polo. I wish it wasn't, but I have the sneaking suspicion this is the end of the intermission and we won't be seeing you for a while. Enjoy your time at home, you've earned it.

Till we see you again. Good luck against those Salikai.

>>458060
I can just imagine the disbelief of the other members of Polo's squad.

What started out as a simple mission to recover a moton egg resulted in her being stranded behind enemy lines, but because of that she protected her hive twice from annihilation, uncovered the location of a secret biology lab, defeated multiple elite warhive members on her own, and assassinated a hive queen. Through all that, she STILL completed her original objective and brought home a moton egg.

I just wish we had also managed to keep ahold of that fucking badass suit of armor and rifle. Those would've been fantastic to research and replicate, and fit Polo perfectly.

>>458068
Tag on to the list of accomplishments that we then saved said warhive from destruction at least twice, befriending them practically by force. Not to mention we also kept the weak offworlder they expected to be a write off if things went south alive, and we rescued our rescue pilot too.

And I'm hoping we can get some of the liberated science hivers to fabricate us new gear. Someone designed that armor and rifle, and if we're lucky, we nabbed 'em.

we need the fate of three stripes!

Bye, Polo! We'll miss you.

>>458058
Her smile is actually sane. I find that strangely touching.

>>458058
Wait, what was the present?! More coffee cake?

>>458089
Best ending.