We want to pick a sight closer to the caves, not further away. In case we have to run.

>>485359
We need Rokann to show as proof the the pilot if he or she is clean. Also- non-neumono are an even bigger risk. A neumono is either clean or they aren't. We can check that. We have no way to check if a non-neumono is a salikai agent or not.

Polo 2013/01/14(Mon)20:30 No. 485371 ID: c4e5c2
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>Implants exist, no?
To a small degree, yes, neumono have minor abilities to have implants. Actually integrating with musculator or other complex manners does not work very well, so our prosthetics are lacking. Which is fine, considering we regrow them. The only implants we tend to have are armor plates put underneath the skin, but even those are difficult to make without limiting mobility. Regardless, I cannot imagine any implants that are implanted on purpose that just so happen to be randomly scattered about, and bugworm sized.

"West of the valley entrance, there is a large, flat rock that prevents trees from growing. It should be adequate for a landing." It is also not terribly far from cave entry A.
>"Sure. I'll get one over."
"Keep the helicopter just off the ground please. One more thing. I would like two or three non-neumono to be there as well. I will explain when I see them, just believe me that it is important."
>"...... you got it." He either doesn't hear Rokann's muffled yells, or doesn't care or ask.

Rokann gets worse while I tell Viln and Vern to start running us to the clearing. She can't wiggle much, but her empathy now is almost fully artificial and broken rather than just a moderate amount of wrongness. Then like it all dropped off, it goes away. Her empathy feels alright just like that, or at least genuine. She is scared. Terrified, rather, far moreso than when she got triggered like before.

She starts wanting to flee to the cave, but we then enter a jamming field. I can see the helicopter's floodlight, but we're not quite there.

"Neumono." Viln says. "Several neumono smell."

Can we distract there view with some volkits rustling around in the bushes and then go around the side to watch them from cover?

>>485371
Should a jammer in the helicopter be able to reach you? If not, stop approaching, get out of the jammer field. If it's likely to be a jammer in the helicopter, just circle around so that you're not near the smell anymore.

Huh. Rokann suddenly snapped back to herself after the bugs flipped out, and she's terrified? I'd be interested to hear what she had to say, if we weren't on top of a patrol of potentially compromised hunters. Too dangerous to lose her gag, now. (Is it possible her bugs sent out some kind of message or communication to the others? And she knows what they said, as is afraid we're running into a trap, or we've given away our allies' location?)

Alright, the jammer and the smell means you've come across a ground based group. Can we see them at all? Night vision, x-ray, anything? How far away is the field, can we see the helicopter for a scan yet?

If we can make the patrol, we could wait for them to pass. If the clearing is far enough away, we could circle around them and continue our approach. If we can see the chopper, we could scan it from here. If we move far enough away from the ground based hunter group, I'd like to take a moment to hear if Rokann has something to say. Why is she terrified, and why do we need to get back to the cave?

I suspect though, that's a group of compromised hunters on the ground, come to intercept and prevent you from making contact with the chopper.

>>485372
No. We aren't using Viln and/or Vern and potentially suicide decoys.

If Rokann's bugs started flipping out at what we said during our conversation, then it seems likely the other neumono's bugs would have triggered as well. They may be trying to ambush us.

Jammer means there's a group of Hunters nearby. Stop and flip through your visor's overlays to look for them, checking up the trees, on the ground, and behind you, and pull back out of the jammer field if you're clear. Try to find another way around to the landing site, or at least a spot where you can get a clear view of it.

Check if Rokann picked up on something from the bug-bots in her. Once you're out of the jammer field, stop for a moment and get Rokann down so you can pull her gag away just enough she can whisper to you and ask if she has anything important to say.

It also looks like Rokann's bug-bots are responding even stronger each time they activate. She might not come back after too many of those episodes. You better blindfold her and plug her ears before proceeding, so she doesn't trigger again from anyone talking about the bug-bots. Tell her its for her protection; She should understand.

Hang on, I have an idea. We could have the helicopter take off and fly over the treeline in a certain direction, and we can climb up on a tree to grapple it.

Right now, I believe we're about to be ambushed because we basically told them where we were going to be. We need to somehow meet up with this probably-clean pilot without telling him exactly where to meet.

>>485378
If we're going to disable her to keep the bots from fucking her over, it might be better to knock her out. On the other hand I'm not sure how the bots would react.

We might also want to double-check her to make sure the bots didn't all just jump ship.

...Polo, shouldn't the hunter hive have heard of your deeds? Before we go any further we should probably ask Rix if he's heard of you at all.

If he hasn't, then we're talking to someone who has been taken over fully, and the pilot is infested too.

Come to think of it, if I were an infectious nanite-bot swarm, I would infect someone in a position of command then lure more people to get infected. There might not be anyone uninfected left in the hunter force.

However, there's still a way out if the pilot's infested. We could just shoot the pilot (nonlethally) and steal the helicopter. If we can do that and get away with Rokann to get out of radio-scrambler range, we could contact HQ and tell them what just happened; they would then be able to send down the real army. The only way this could work, though, is if the hunter hive doesn't have much in the way of anti-air.

>>485384
Knocking out is non-trivial for neumono, especially tough ones, remember? We'd have to bludgeon her a lot (have one of our voklit beat her halfway to a pulp) or shoot out a stomach (and a shot would give away our position!).

>>485386
I don't see how knowledge of Polo's exploits is any kind of indicator of compromised-ness. I mean heck, Polo hadn't heard of Rokann's whole damn ultrahive. I get the feeling neumono inter-hive communications aren't always all they could be. And besides, do you remember the names of everyone you hear about dying on the news?

...and stealing the chopper is just crazy. None of our group are pilots, we'd have to overpower the pilot and everyone else around (when we're down to one arm and two melee units, while the crew and searchers are well equipped), and then someone evade all the other choppers once we're in the air.

Polo 2013/01/14(Mon)23:19 No. 485402 ID: c4e5c2
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I look around through my visor modes. I do not see anyone. Which is good, I believe. If I can see them with IR, for instance, then they can see me with IR. I'm not dealing with naked eyed voklits anymore. And I don't know where they are, so I have little idea if heading left, right or forward will bring me toward or away from any neumono.

>"Viln, get in the trees. High up, and move backwards while you go about it."

As we move up, we are less and less visible to ground forces. Rokann starts squirming again, so I don't take her gag off. I don't know what caused it. Nevertheless, we don't seem to get out of jammer range, which means they got closer. Or a new jammer came in from behind me, for all I know. Near the edge of the treeline, I am able to look past the remaining trees before the clearing and view the helicopter, just a little lower than me at this point.

I look through the xray goggles. Several things are learned, and happen, at once. First of all, the helicopter pilot and passenger is implanted. Second of all, I do not see a single non-neumono inside of the helicopter. I have reason to suspect that Rix lied.

Even more distressingly, when I noticed them, they notice me. Their helicopter engine flares up as they start rising, and facing me. It is an assault helicopter.

Meanwhile, the jammer field drops, despite us not moving. I am able to sense the neumono around us.

Because I am high up, I can only sense perhaps 10 meters tops around me on ground level. A couple neumono are low in the trees, and one or two below that. I have no idea how many more must be around the rim of the clearing on a whole, but it is not a negligible number.

All of them are compromised. There is no question, as they have a quality of empathy I have not seen since the armory. Completely broken. Rokann is immediately broken into as well, as bad as before. She is broadcasting her location. I cannot tell much more than that, as everyone's thought patterns are foreign and incomprehensible.

But behind all of them, I do sense one clear thing. I sense four stripes, acting like a conductor to every neumono around me. And to further the music analogy, he is playing the song of killing me.

>>485402
Shoot the driver. It's your only hope. Then shoot Rokann to knock her out so she stops broadcasting. After that, start sniping neumono we sense as we descend the trees and make a break for the cave entrance.

Thankfully, they are not using ridiculously high caliber weapons like the Voklits were, so our armor should be far more effective.

We need the fourstripes relays disabled. Without him they most likely will be set to default (ignoring the bugs) Hunt it down if possible.

Go silent, first of all. Shoot the right rocket pod [the helicoptor's right pod.] with HE round of sniper. Get V&V to haul it like mad out of here.

Rokann .... put a pistol mag into her head. Dump her. Dead weight. Worse than dead weight. I'm sorry. She'll live but won't be any to help them in combat or even talking for a week. We can't leave her as an enemy combatant and we can't take her with us. We have to make her unfit for combat and then leave her.

>>485405
If we leave her behind she will tell the hunters where our cave base is. We can still attempt to cut the bots out to keep a piece for solid evidence that isn't the jammer, or maybe even try to communicate with the apparently-partly-independent AI in it to make a deal.

Though... I guess trying to get more evidence is pointless now since HQ would probably believe us if we told them that the hunter hive got infested.

...Well, fuck. You suspected this, but not this bad. And this is extra, extra bad.

Alright, if you think you can put enough trees between you and the 'copter to shield you from fire before it reaches your level, do so. Make sure that Viln and Vern know to put as much wood between them and the shooty flying machine. Once you're far enough away that Viln and Vern can take cover behind the trees from any fire from the 'copter, do something about Rokann giving your position away. A knife to the gut like you did to Rikek back in the spire will do. Have Vern do that, so that neither of you have to break cover.

However, if the 'copter is rising too fast, or you don't think you get enough timber between you and its guns before it shreds you, you're going to have to take a shot on it, and hope it works. To help with your aim, tell Viln to hold the back of his hand up to about level with your torso so you can rest your rifle on it. Switch to explosive rounds, and aim for the cockpit windscreen. Keep firing until you have an effect; Either they break off, or they crash. You'd use armor-piercing on the pilots, but right now your aim isn't up to snuff. If you manage to get the 'copter off of you, knock Rokann out with a knife to the gut and GTFO of there.

Move through the trees to evade the other Hunters, but note where the sense of Four Stripes is strongest at. That'll be the controlling relay for this lot. If there isn't a distinct point you're sensing him from, and he's diffuse over all these infected neumono, then the bugs are somehow acting as a relay, and that's a whole lot worse.

Right now you need to get back to the cave and the rest of your group ASAP. They need to move deeper into the caves to hide, but you also need to get up and out the way Katzati went to get word up to Command that the Hunters are infested.

If you don't take her with you or kill her then they will know where you are hiding in the caves. If you do take her with you you have to be ready to kill her trying to get the bugs out of her. Maybe have one of the big guys cart her off through the jungle to throw off there tracking.

>>485405
HE to the rocketpod is a great plan iff you can hit it.

>>485409
Actually, that thing that looks like a single bigass missile on the 'copter's left wing might be a better target. It'll be easier to hit it from its side then the rockets in their tubes from the front.

Take a shot at whatever looks the most highly explosive and exposed on the heli, but if you're missing by a lot, aim for the easier to hit cockpit. Even if it doesn't get through the windscreen, the explosion from your shot'll blind them temporarily.

>>485409
>>485414
IIRC, missiles aren't even armed until they're fired, so we wouldn't be able to blow them up by shooting them. What would that even accomplish, anyway? The chopper would still be able to fly with a missing wing, as it's rotor-driven, and it has other weapons.

Shooting the helicopter isn't a great plan. It's an assault helicopter, it's going to armoured against small arms fire. Getting a shot off with the sniper rifle against a moving helicopter from a treetop would be difficult enough without having to do it one-handed.

>>485417
Yeah, shooting isn't the first option here by a long shot; Running and taking cover behind tree trunks is. However, if there's no way Polo and company can put enough timber that it matters between themselves and the 'copter before it opens up with everything it has, then Polo may as well take the shot and hope she lucks out. And if she doesn't, then the lot of them can jump down the trees and take their chances with the ground forces.

>>485416
Considering this, and that modern high explosives are designed around being hard to set off, any shots taken should be at the cockpit and not the weapons.

1/2 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)02:32 No. 485430 ID: c4e5c2
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I only need a second. I don't know if I have a second, but I need it, so I take it. I bring out my sniper and flick the safety off while taking aim. "Viln, brace me!" Once I feel him hold me, I fire. It would take too long to make such a shot so fast on a smaller target like the missile while I only have one hand, but I manage to hit the cockpit. That, and I doubt the missile would explode. I don't know how much damage I do, but I only need a little. Even an assault helicopter will have to rebalance itself after an explosion hits the front, along with the recovery the pilot has to personally take. I only need to buy a moment so that we can slip away without getting a floodlight on us.

Their guns go off anyway, but they wildly miss.

"Run!" I don't have time to shoot Rokann. All of these neumono are sprinting for us, and they shoot machine guns through the trees where they sense Rokann. Although their aim is off, there is a massive amount of gunfire, and there must be a hundred chances per second for one of those shots to get lucky.

2/2 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)02:32 No. 485431 ID: c4e5c2
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We drop down where Viln and Vern can start sprinting through the trees. I don't believe I have seen the other two of them run before. I am thoroughly impressed by the speed. Except it unnerves me, because I may need to fight armed voklits at some point, and this is telling me that running is not even close to an option in terms of speed. I also feel silly worrying about whether or not vines or branches could hold my weight, considering that they seem to hold these two just fine.

We're able to outrun an initial batch of troops, but I hear engines closing in on the distance. Viln got shot once, but it is grazing and of a reasonable caliber. It will not impede him.

I move to Rokann.

"Sorry." I say, after having Viln set her her down. I stab her stomach from behind, so I don't have to get her legs out of the way.

Nothing. She feels the pain, she processes it, but she apparently does not even need to try to fight her consciousness. Even the strongest neumono have at least give a try, no matter how easy they may succeed. I stab her again. Still pain, but not a step closer to unconsciousness, as far as I can tell. It's like the bugs prevent unconsciousness from happening. I don't have longer than seconds once again before the enemy gunfire closes in on us again.

I do not think that knocking her out is an option. She will constantly be broadcasting my position so long as she's alive and with me. I don't want to drop her, however, because she'll be able to tell them where the camp is as soon as she's asked, so long as she can... speak.

Unload several shots from the pistol into her head. I'm pretty sure that will knock her out. If she's still broadcasting after that dump her. Hit eyes, jaw, and brain. Can't see, can't speak, hopefully can't keep putting out empathy.

>>485433
That won't work, lets get her to the camp where the jammer is up. Think of her as Rokoa on crack right now. We'd have to kill her to get her to stop.

>>485431
Be sure to apologize as you stab her in the mouth.

...Fuckin' hells. This just keeps getting worse and worse...

First choice right now, if possible, is to get Rokann back to the camp and inside the jammer field, but unless there's rough terrain nearby that vehicles can't pass, but Viln and Vern can via the trees or on the ground, that doesn't seem likely. Even if you have to run all the way to cave point B to lose your pursuers, that'd be preferable to what you'd have to do to Rokann to shut her up.

Second choice is to leave Rokann in a state where she's alive and can recover, but she won't be able to tell them anything for the amount of time it'll take to get back to the camp, get everything packed up, and move everyone to a new hiding spot. Do this by cutting out her vocal cords, stabbing her eyes out, and putting a pistol round through from one eardrum to the other so she can't speak, see or hear.

Meanwhile, have Viln or Vern bring out that big stone hammer they had, or a nearby heavy log or rock if they left the hammer behind, and smash her hands and break her arms so she can't write anything. All this will hamper her ability to communicate long enough for you to get back and bug out with the rest of the group.

I seriously doubt we'll be getting anywhere by hurting her further.

>I sense four stripes, acting like a conductor to every neumono around me. And to further the music analogy, he is playing the song of killing me.
...goddamn. He's integrated with the bug-tech. They turned him into some kinda cyborg and now he's the consciousness behind the bugs. We're gonna have to kill him.

>Everyone compromised
Well, that's it then. The spys / infiltrators spreading the infection theory has to be the right one. I don't see how else they could have done so complete a job in so little time.

Alright. We cannot knock Rokann out. Hurting her further will not knock her out- the bugs have hijacked her nervous system and are keeping her conscious. These leaves us with several options.

1) Run. If we move quickly enough, it doesn't matter. Vehicles just aren't made to travel those caves as well as voklit are. We get out of empathic range, to the cave camp. Once there, we have a jammer to hide under, and we and our allies retreat deeper.

2) Kill her. Dead neumono tell no tales. (Although, it's possible that won't stop her. If the bugs can keep her conscious, maybe they can keep a dead body moving under their control for a while too. Zombies, for reals this time).

3) Dump her. Then she can't give away our position but, can she can communicate with the other infected, and tell them where the cave camp is, and everything else she may know.

4) Dump her, but cut out her tongue first. Will prevent her from spilling immediately relevant intel.

5) Run and keep her- but damage her ability to broadcast emphatically. Cut off her fingers. Barbaric, but may be necessary.

Now, we have a few concerns to consider. In order:
(a) We need to escape, and to warn the camp, and retreat to a deeper hiding spot in the cave.
(b) We need to develop a countermeasure against these bugs. That'll be a lot easier if we have an experimental subject for Korli to try and cure.
(c) We can't needlessly abuse a comrade in arms, or sacrifice them lightly.

So dumping plans fail, because then we lose the chance for Korli to try and develop a cure or countermeasure while we're in hiding. And leaving or killing her would also be a terrible thing to do.

I think our only good option is (1). (5), if we absolutely have to. If we have no choice but to dump her because the enemy is too close... (4).

>>485447

Might I recommend a variation on plan 1? We have 2 voklits, who know the cave system better than we do. If we split up, have Viln carry us the most direct route to the hideout, while Vern carries Rokaan to a more distant cave entrance. You can collect the others and the jammer, meet Vern and Rokaan at some predetermined landmark (not near the hideout), then move back to the hideout under cover of the jammer.

This way, even if they manage to keep someone in range of Rokaan, she's less likely to give away the hideout's location.

Before killing her as a last resort, we may as well attempt field surgery to remove the shards of the bug.

>>485453
Eh... might work. Has problems though. Vern would be at a disadvantage evading pursuers since his cargo can be sensed, but he can't sense pursuers (Polo at least knows which direction is away). It also means we're exposing the entire group when we go to retrieve them instead of retreating deeper into the caves. And Lucera might well make the call to leave them instead of taking the risk to double back for them. The entire group and/or our only jammer is more valuable than one compromised soldier and a slave.

>>485455
...there's like 70 shards, all over. If surgery was a difficult prospect in camp before, it's impossible now, under fire and with the time available.

>>485431
Cut out her tongue and she'll regenerate it in a day's time. That is long enough, I guess... but even if we do that, she can lead them to us by just plain leading them there! Oh god. We'd have to put out her eyes too. Wait, there is another option!

Carry her with us and flee into the cave but not to the encampment. We just need to get some distance then start cutting out the bugs. Heck, we can do that right now.

Also, I thought neumono physiology caused them to get knocked out from stomach wounds because the body needs to go into hibernation, not because of the pain? If it was just pain, there'd be nothing special about the stomach.

I would strongly warn against traveling to the encampment as we are now.

If we do that we'll leave a blood trail. Viln got shot, and we just stabbed Rokann twice.

Hm. Could we be an empathy bubble by physical contact to calm her down? As Jessica was kept calm from Red in the Main line? I was just thinking.

Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)16:55 No. 485511 ID: c4e5c2
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>She can write as well
Then to prevent her from communicating, I would have to not just cut out her tongue, but have to break the rest of her and destroy her ears so she can't be asked for the location directly. Goddamnit, her eyes too. I don't know if I can sit well with mutilating what should be an ally and dumping her in the woods, even if I know she'd live. Not to mention she can still feel the pain.

>Cut out the bugs
I have about 2 seconds to scrape out several dozen parts of her body. I cannot.

>Also, I thought neumono physiology caused them to get knocked out from stomach wounds because the body needs to go into hibernation, not because of the pain?
This is correct. I only acknowledged the pain, as her body must realize her stomach has been cut, yet still does not appear to have an inclination to go into hibernation because of it.

>Could we be an empathy bubble by physical contact to calm her down?
This might normally be just enough help, but this is usually because it helps drown out outside empathy influences. Her issue is mostly internal, and so I would not expect this to do much.

I don't waste more time, so I get back onto Viln and have us run and try to get Rokann back... to the caves. I can decide whether or not to go directly to the camp later, but either way, the caves are sounding like the best option.

Unfortunately, despite a hijacked mind, they must still have the intelligence to use radio and other means of getting to us. Small ground squads on vehicles are trying to surround us. We move up to avoid easy IR sighting, but a helicopter comes by and floodlights us.

We aren't terribly far from cave entry A, but our luck runs out. Vern stumbles after taking a shot, and it doesn't look like he can shrug that one off.

If I am not mistaken, I should have just entered empathy range for the cave entrance. I do not sense anyone there, but I don't have a visual on it either.

>>485511
Expect someone to be there waiting. Have your gun ready to fire as we approach. Regardless, if we can get in the cave we won't have to worry about helicopters or vehicles, and we can outrun neumono.

We lose them in the cave, apply medical aid to Vern, then start operating on Rokann. It doesn't matter how inefficient or difficult it is. If we can just take SOME of the damn things out then we can save her and the encampment will remain secure.

If we have to, we can find a spot where we can cause a cavein with the explosive shotgun and use that to block pursuit.

Unload mag into head, dump, run.

...fuckshitdamn.

We're running out of options, here.

If we ditch or kill Rokann (both very ugly choices) you might be able to escape into the forest with your voklit, for a time. But ultimately, the forest is a worse hiding spot than the caves (especially if they have choppers with scanning equipment) and that leaves our allies ignorant of the coming threat. Sacrificing what few friends we have out here is not a good choice, long term.

We need to get to the caves. It's the best route of escape, we and our allies know the caves much better than our pursuers, and we need to warn our allies. But we have no way to know if a jammed group of hunters (or non-neumono troops) are hidden inside the entrance.

...best solution I can think of is to go in loud and hard. Shoot up the entrance up with explosive shotgun blasts as you run for it. Force anyone inside to take cover or die as you run for it. Really wish we had some C4 or something to cause a cave in behind us (if there's a weak point you noticed in earlier exploration where an explosive shot might do it...)

How badly hurt is Vern? If he can't keep up, he should move away and hide, while we draw the hunters away using Rokann as a beacon. If he can slip past the cordon, he can pretend to be a regular volkit (hopefully beneath their concern) until he has a chance to reunite with us.

>>485514
You're forgetting headshots don't work on neumono. At least not the way you want them to. One wouldn't kill (by itself), and if they're tough enough (Rokann probably is, even without the bugs' help) the pain and disorientation doesn't even result in unconsciousness. Shooting her does nothing.

Besides, killing her wouldn't help us evade pursuit anyways, at this point. The big concern is whether there are enemies ahead of us in the cave entrance or not, and her broadcasting or not does not change that.

>>485515
Remember that the salikai pulled everyone out of the forest and the voklit leaders supposedly told everyone to stay inside, so I doubt they'd just ignore a lone voklit, especially when they know we're travelling with some.

>>485518
It all depends on how bad he's hurt (hard to tell from the update).

I'll agree splitting up is not a great option. If he's okay enough to keep going long / fast enough for us to lose our pursuit, or drop a rock-slide between us and them, that would be best. We can apply first aid then, and he can heal up wherever we end up hiding.

If he can't keep up though, we don't have much choice though. We either have to split up and lead the enemy away from him, or kill Rokann and hide with him. And honestly, he has a better chance of being missed if we're leading them away.

Get to the camp, scan your people, and go deeper into the caves. Go deep enough you can afford to perform surgery on Rokann. It will not be much different from mutilation but your reinforcements are compromised unless Korli pulls a miracle out of her ears.

Have fun slowly becoming Rokoa.

Get Viln to prop Vern up so he isn't left behind for now.

Now, what you do next depends on one thing: How much open space is between the forest and the cave entrance? 'Cause if it's wide open, you're going to have to abandon heading to it. That helicopter will light you up for the pursuers, as well as opening up with every weapon it has. You wouldn't make it halfway to the cave. However, if the forest is close, then get close enough for visual confirmation there isn't an enemy group lying in ambush. If it's clear, then you can make a final push into the cave.

In the case you're going to have to abandon entering the cave, keep Rokann with you and Viln, and send Vern away to hide from the enemy and meet up later, near cave point B. You and Viln will lead the enemy way. Unfortunately, the only option here is to find a place under cover long enough that you can "mutilate" Rokann so she can't tell them anything and dump her. It's a hard choice, but you're out of options here.

Hopefully not actually being in empathy range is because the relay's flip got switched and turned it into a jammer.

Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)18:07 No. 485533 ID: c4e5c2
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Viln is already asking if Vern can still move. He says yes, although he is still clutching his stomach. It is bleeding, but it is hard to tell how serious it is at the moment.

We keep Rokann and move until I get a visual on the cave. Four - no, five neumono and two voklits. I can still sense four stripes, but not those, they are likely in a jammer that is set on a low range.

>Have fun becoming Rokoa
No.

Dammit. We can kill the Voklits without feeling bad about it, but the neumono... we can't even knock them out with vital shots. The only way through here is killing allies.

Wasn't there another cave entrance really close by? There's also the cliff entrance Katz found... but getting to it is an issue. We should try to get a visual on that and figure out how hard it would be for everyone to get up there, along with how likely it would be for the helicopters to spot us mid-climb.

...fuck. Alright, options:

1) Surrender. You will either be immediately killed, spend the rest of your (hopefully brief) life being experimented on, and/or become a mind-raped bug-ridden slave.

2) Run away into the woods, prioritize the safety and survival of yourself and your voklit. This would necessitate dumping or killing Rokann, and leaving your allies in the caves to the wolves. Although, really, I'm doubtfull of how long the three of you could evade pursuit in the woods, and you have minimal to no food and medical supplies on you.

3) Punch through. Open up on the guards with explosive shotgun blasts. The tech voklit will probably die, the infected neumono might survive their injuries. Rush through, and if possible, cave in part of the passage behind you.

None of these are good options. Choice 1 is death, though. Choice 2 is slow or delayed death. That really only leaves choice 3. Hopefully you can pull it off without losing anyone. Because I don't see another option.

>>485533
By the time we get to the other entrance, it'll be as well guarded, if not worse. We'd still have to punch through a blockade.

>>485537
Oh wait, I guess we could just deliver severe enough injuries that the neumono simply can't fight back. Cripple their arms and/or hands. Or just shoot the guns.

Do we have any grenades? We should basically throw everything we have at this roadblock to get past it. Give Viln the shotgun, since it won't require a lot of aim, but make sure he knows to shoot from cover. Also of concern is the possibility of them shooting down the barrel... He won't like using the gun but you can tell him if he doesn't use it, they won't get through. It is the only way.

Also prioritize killing the enemy Voklit before they shoot back, since their guns can kill basically any of you with just one half-decent shot.

We should get a glimpse of them with the X-ray goggles, to see if they are just more compromised neumono or some of the salikai's own brainwashed stock.

We might want to go for it, we should kill them and get in since we are being surrounded. [I know it's really late wondering this but how would she slowly become rokoa I'm sorry its not clicking.]

...Can't ever be easy, can it? Alright, you're punching through here. You either get into the caves now, or get stuck outside to be hunted down.

Get your rifle ready, and hand the explosive shotgun to Viln. Tell him and Vern that as soon as you've made two shots with your rifle, they're to start charging the cave entrance, and Viln will take your rifle and put the explosive shotgun into your hand. You're also going to need him to steady the guns for all of your shots. Also, once they're close enough to the enemy neumono, you want them to start pummeling them, breaking arms so they can't fight back.

Take two shots in rapid succession with explosive rounds on the two voklits, right then left. The explosion will hopefully disorient the neumono long enough for Viln to close to the point your explosive shotgun will be effective. Fire the two shots from the explosive shotgun to hit as wide a number of neumono as you can. If you're lucky that'll keep them down until Viln and Vern are within clobberin' distance, and they can smash 'em into the ground.

Before leaving, tell Vern to grab the big gun the voklit was using, and Viln to snatch as many of the neumono's guns and gear as he easily can. You're going to need it.

>>485547
Oh, good point. If they aren't infested, then we can more easily deal with them (knocking out would be possible), and killing them won't be a big deal.

>>485558
I'm not sure giving Viln a gun is such a great idea. Ignoring the fact that we'd be basically abusing our hold over him to force him to go against his beliefs, he's had no practice with one and his shots are liable to be completely wild. That, and his every finger is the size of half of Polo's hand. She's got custom gear scaled down to her size- he's not gonna be able to fit a finger inside the trigger guard!

>>485549
I didn't understand it either.

>>485547

You may want to give those tech voklits a once over with the x-ray goggles. If the salikai have mind control bots on the neumono there is no reason they would limit their experiments in mind control on single species.

>>485563
The neumono guns and gear would be swiped for the others, back at camp, and the big gun could be set up as an emplacement and used by neumono instead of toted around like the voklits are. So Viln or Vern won't end up forced to use tech.

>>485565
Oh, good point. Polo did mention the voklit's ability to heal was fairly close to neumono, they just didn't have the distributed neurology.

Oh. Somehow misread you as suggesting Viln to take a shot. Nevermind.

I'm not sure we'd actually have time for looting though, if we have pursuers close on our tail, and we're trying to move fast an light.

Voklit mind control bots seem unlikely- since the existing tech seems to use the empathic network rather than a direct neural or motor interface (so there's not a lot to port over to other species) and since their honor system already makes them relatively easy to control. Still possible, though.

>>485578
Alright, skip grabbing the guns, but do try and grab some grenades at least. Polo doesn't have any. In fact, to keep moving ahead of the enemy, Viln and Vern should just pick up one of the smaller neumono each, once they're subdued, and Polo can pluck the gear she needs from them while on the move, then dump them further up the tunnel.

And the unlikeliness of voklit mind control means that Polo can skip with the x-ray on this lot. There's really no time to waste for it right now.

>>485563
Oh, dang, you're right. I was thinking he could use it but probably not.

Personally I think Viln and Vern should stay out of the firefight entirely, because they don't have armor at all. Polo's armor is very effective against normal-caliber weapons, so she should be able to just tank their fire. If we were to try to use Viln as a mount, he'd die.

I wonder, though... what cover is near the cave entrance, and how close can we get without getting spotted? We might be able to get somewhere interesting and unexpected if Viln throws us.

We're also taking a look through IR right now. Shouldn't they be able to see us? Or are we taking a peek from behind cover?

Actually I'm starting to think that this particular entrance is an insurmountable obstacle, because there's just so many targets and so much incoming fire regardless of what approach we take. We'd need like, a rocket launcher or something. Or a good sniper perch where they would have no real chance of hitting us.

1/3 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)20:24 No. 485611 ID: c4e5c2
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>We're also taking a look through IR right now. Shouldn't they be able to see us? Or are we taking a peek from behind cover?
"Viln, Vern, get behind a tree!" I say, and peek out. I don't think they saw me. I did look as soon as I could, so they only had a moment. As usual, I have no time to spare, regardless.

>What does this have to do with Rokoa?
I don't even know. I expect that in the back of my mind, if there was ever a point that I wanted to be Rokoa, or wanted to have Rokoa with me, this would be the best time for it, given what I am about to do. I still do not want either of those things.

>X-Ray voklit
I do not see anything abnormal about the voklit's skeletons.

I can hear Vern breathing heavily behind me. I do not think he will be able to keep up a good speed all the way to cave entry B. The helicopter is still circling us trying to either get a good shot on us or to keep its light around us, and so Katzati's cliffside entry is as good as suicide. It may be the same helicopter as before, in fact, as I doubt my little sniper explosion would take out the first.

"Vern. This is a grenade. It explodes. Hold this, and as soon as I pull this pin here, immediately throw it at the cave entrance where you see those voklits and neumono. Can you do this for me?"
"Yes." While I would not trust him with an explosive shotgun, this is a matter of throwing a simple object extremely far. Risky still, but better than nothing. I cannot throw that far. So I move to his other shoulder and hope for the best.
"Once I shoot my rifle, we charge. Our priority is to get inside of the cave. You two, grab the voklit guns, then the neumono guns and anything else if they are on the way. Don't spend extra time looting."

Once ready, he lobs the grenade. Thankfully, cave entry A is not particularly large, and they are bunched together. It's a bad position on their part, and I wonder if their bugs do cause some intelligence issues.

2/3 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)20:26 No. 485613 ID: c4e5c2
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Viln is either exceptional at accurate throwing, or he got incredibly lucky. I will assume the former, given rock throwing is likely something he has done in the past.

The grenade hits, and I fire my shot. I could not ask for a better initial attack. Viln and Vern leap down from the trees and begin charging.

3/3 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)20:27 No. 485614 ID: c4e5c2
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We run out in the open, and some fire comes in from behind. Even the vehicles cannot keep up a high speed between dense jungle and often uneven terrain, and are too far to keep us from running forward. I swap out my sniper for the shotgun, and fire wildly, even at the cost of such important ammo. Viln keeps his hand bracing my back as I prevent them from shooting back. The shots either disable the remaining neumono or make them dive for cover. The voklits are dead, and we are in the jammer field. I think Viln and Vern will be able to get at least one of those big Voklit guns, and perhaps the jammer, on their way in without going out of our way.

That is, until that damn helicopter finds us again. This time, trees don't give us cover, and the helicopter's guns are hot. They fire. Viln's tail is in the way, and blocks some bullets from hitting himself. Vern's is not. Rokann takes one shot that likely passed through her into Vern, but Vern simply takes the brunt of a couple more shots anyway. Voklit heal exceptionally fast, but this does not prevent lethal wounds from being lethal. I do not think he will live.

>>485614
Then he should serve us as well as he can in death. He needs to pass Rokann to us then cover our retreat in any way possible. With a voklit gun he should be able to buy us a lot of time... Viln should toss him one once we get to them. If Vern can't move then Viln should drag him behind cover so he can fire the gun without immediately getting his entire body riddled with holes.

As for the chopper, an AP ammo shot from the sniper rifle might work if we hit something critical. I'm not sure if it's a higher priority or not than taking out the remaining neumono though.

>Vern
;_;

Damnit, godsdamnit all. Get under cover from that copter fire, ASAP (you're almost in the cave, right?). Drag Vern along with you if possible. If not, Viln needs to at least grab Rokann off his back. Fucking forget about looting the enemy. Get past the enemy troops (or bodies) and (if possible) blow the goddamn tunnel down behind you.

If we're actually lucky enough to get Vern inside with us and the tunnel blocked, that gives us a chance for last words and to be with him as he passes before we set off running for our lives.

If we're not that lucky, it's all we're going to be able to do to get away. We'll grieve along with Viln later. (...why do I suspect the voklit response in this situation is to swear to avenge him).

...this is the price we paid for not running as soon as we saw the infected camp, and not backing the hell away from the helicopter trap when Rokann's reaction and the smell should have made it obvious.

>>485611
We had grenades? ...wish we had a smoker. That would have given us some more cover.

>>485613
Wasn't Vern the thrower?

>>485614
Noooo ;-;

If at all possible, get him into the cave too.

God fuckin' dammit! Of course this would happen! There's no way this could go off without a hitch. Why the hell didn't we break off at the first sign of infected Hunters? Man, we're idiots.

Get Viln to haul Vern up so he can use what strength he has left to get into the cover of the cave, then get Rokann off of him. She'll tell them everything if she has any bodily way to do it, so she can't be left behind, even dying with a high-caliber hole in her. Then if Vern is lucid enough, stick a voklit gun in his hands, prop him up towards the cave entrance, and tell him to point it in the general direction of anything that enters and pull the trigger.

If Vern doesn't have the strength left to even be propped up to the cave, have Viln cut Rokann loose and throw her into the cave, since the helicopter is likely targeting on her empathic signal. Viln can pick her up once you're under cover in the cave.

Looting here doesn't seem to be a high priority, but if any of the Hunters look like they could be carrying C4 or other high explosives, Viln should grab that one and haul him with you deeper in to be stripped of gear. That C4 could be used to collapse the tunnel further in and block the enemy. In fact, he should grab one of the Hunters for you to strip of gear even if they don't look to have C4. You're going to need the equipment.

1/2 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)23:18 No. 485651 ID: c4e5c2
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>Didn't Vern throw the grenade?
No. I said Vern while talking to Viln, and neither of them seemed to notice. My pronunciation to them must sound awful, so they simply assumed I was talking to Viln since I was looking at him.

>Had grenades?
I had kept one for safe measure around on me. Unfortunately not a smoke grenade, but given the speed of which we have to move, it would have only given a moment of cover. Not to say that is not critical.

"Vern! Get up and run!" it's a cruel thing to say, but important enough. I don't know if the wounds were not as bad as they looke,d or if his ridiculous honor code makes him give it his all, but he gets up on his feet and runs. It surprises me, here I thought Viln would have needed to assist him. I continue firing where I saw the neumono went to cover, as the moment they get a clearance they can pop up and mow us down. We manage to get to the cave entry before the helicopter has another chance to get in position to fire at us again. Viln successfully gets a voklit gun, and the jammer was left just inside the cave entrance to the side. No fallen neumono were in our way, and we just narrowly miss the next helicopter firing round. It did not appear they were carrying much aside from basic supplies anyways. Although I could use them, chancing another death is not ideal.

2/2 Polo 2013/01/15(Tue)23:18 No. 485652 ID: c4e5c2
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We move deeper in. I do know of one tunnel that is decent to cave in, as it is relatively small, and leads to an area that does not have a quick alternate path. So we have some time. Vern slumps to the ground after tossing Rokann off, with a dismaying sounding wheeze from him. Viln starts talking with him while I blow up the tunnel to cause a little cave in. It uses what is left of my shotgun ammo. It took more than one shot to get enough of the cave ceiling to come down, but it does come down.

Rokann is... well, she is not being triggered by the bugs at the moment, but I would not say that she is doing well. Mentally, anyway. Physically, she is doing about as well as any neumono is with an inch wide hole near her shoulder. Mentally, she is blaming herself for Vern's current state, along with other issues that are brought on by the bugs.

Do you know enough about voklit anatomy to know if Vern can be stabilizd?

Immediate first aid to the best of your ability. Even if you fail, it'll be good for morale--the others will know you'll do everything you can for them when they're injured, too.

The bugs must have an adaptive intellegent AI, unique to every organism they're implanted with always privvy to what's going on and deciding when and where to turn on completely or manipulate the host subtly.

Otherwise, there's no way the bugs would have made that smart decision to have her freak the fuck out as soon as we figured out the ground hunters were compromise. The bugs were trying to make the best out of they're own fucked plan, changing it as they see fit. There's no way there's one big AI controlling all of them at the same time otherwise the freakout would have not happened, it wouldn't have realized we figured it out if it couldn't think intelligently on its own and guess from our vocal tones and logic. Or the global AI would have simply pinpointed our location the the ground hunters we were so close to. There's a single AI for every compromised neumono. It's thinking inside her, planning. It's smart, it thinks like a soldier too.

I wonder if we can talk to it?
Well, do you think we have to get the bullets out? Or will there regeneration spit it out themselves? Ask Viln for tips here.

>>485652
Ask how he's doing.

Also, since we're in the clear, ungag Rokann. Tell her she shouldn't feel bad about being taken over, as obviously it works on ANY neumono. All those other neumono out there were helpless too. Hmm. If the bots aren't overpowering her now, why isn't she passing out?

I don't suppose we could try communicating with the bot(s) in her? If they have an AI with any sense of self-preservation, we might be able to cut a deal. They come out on their own, and we won't destroy them.

Do your best to stop the bleeding, using Vern's clothing as bandages if you have to. Talk to Viln while doing this - ask if he thinks Vern has repaid his debt yet. Even if he didn't save your life directly, he helped save your friend, and that's good enough for you.

Speaking of that, it's time to release Viln from his compulsory service. He's definitely saved your ass this time. Ask him what he plans to do afterwards... although you should wait until after Vern's either dead or resting to cover all this. Taking care of Vern should be your #1 priority right now.

>>485672
He'll probably say we saved eachother's lives again. We shouldn't assume he's done his duty just yet; that's really for him to decide.

>>485666
So, here's a thought. The bugs might have some limited ability to communicate with the bugs in other Neumono while within a certain range. Couple that with a "Is x aware of bugs" toggle combined with "can x identify bugs" toggle could explain why she freaked out. It knew we knew it was infected, it knew we could identify other infected, and because it was in range of the others, it knew they were infected.

The bugs wont work on non Neumono. You could probably use them to hurt other species but nothing as impressive as the mind control they are designed for. They only are effective on neumono because they can be taken over via a external source naturally.

Pull the gag from Rokann for now and tell her not to blame herself. If there's anyone here that should take any blame, it's you. As soon as you saw the infection in those Hunters, you should have assumed that things were FUBAR and retreated. 'Cause you ought to know by now that when things go bad around you, they go really, really bad.

Ask Viln to pull Vern away from the wall, lay him flat on the floor, and press on the worst wounds to staunch the bleeding. Get any cloth you can, even strips cut from Vern's clothing or your own sling, and use it to plug the holes in his back. The pressure from Viln and gravity should keep them from bleeding. Pull out the x-ray scanner and check him for shrapnel and broken bones as well.

Could patches of bio-armor cut from yours be used to cover over the worst wounds to keep them from bleeding by it bonding to his skin?

Do what you can to stabilize Vern. If he doesn't die in the next few minutes, then you can start thinking of ways to get him back to camp. Otherwise... You'll have to ask Viln what's done in this situation.

1/3 Polo 2013/01/16(Wed)02:46 No. 485698 ID: c4e5c2
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>Do you know enough about voklit anatomy?
Only enough to assume the basics still apply. Pressure to wound, stop the bleeding, so forth.

> If the bots aren't overpowering her now, why isn't Rokann passing out?
Now she's fighting it, and I'm sure if I felt like punching her a lot, I could get her unconscious.

I take off her gag.

"Quit blaming yourself. If anyone is to be blamed, it's me. We were getting lucky, and I pushed it too far." I get to her some, but she doesn't audibly respond.

2/3 Polo 2013/01/16(Wed)02:46 No. 485699 ID: c4e5c2
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I move over to the actual emergency.

"Viln, get him to lie down. I need cloth, please give me some from either your clothes or his." Both the front and back do need to be plugged, as some bullets went through, so I will start with the front.

Vern looks at me, confused. I do not believe that he is bewildered at why I would ask for cloth, so perhaps he's given up on himself. Nevertheless, Viln tears off the part of clothes that is covering Vern's wound. I move up, and while doing so, I notice he is not bleeding as much as I expect. I check for a pulse. None. Nevertheless, I at least start to clean and plug his wound while talking in case a miracle happens. I do not believe one will come, especially as I am relatively sure his heart has been ruptured. I suppose he only has one.

"Viln, is there anything we can do I'm not doing already? Will he regenerate?"
>"No. Neumono tech. Too powerful. He is not well."

>Could patches of bio-armor cut from yours be used to cover over the worst wounds to keep them from bleeding by it bonding to his skin?
Interspecies crossing of bio armor is generally said to be a Bad Idea, especially from neumono to something else. While it would stop the bleeding, it would cause a great deal of physical stress that is very possibly worse than the blood loss.

>X-ray Vern
Some ribs are shattered, along with his arm bone. Three bullets are inside, he was shot in the back more than I thought.

"Viln, translate me please. Tell Vern that he saved my friend back there, and that is as good as saving me. He's released. And Viln, that goes for you too. You did save me."
He finishes translating for Vern before turning to me. "Could not have escaped without exploding steel from you."
"Cut that bullshit out. Rokann would also be dead if not for you. Not just that, but if it weren't for me, you'd have been safe with the other voklits. I put you in danger, and that isn't changed just because you came out alive. Do you understand me? I didn't save you. I just didn't get you killed, and just barely."
He thinks about it. "..... I understand. Debt is relieved." I believe he then repeats the phrase in his own language. He sounds disappointed.

3/3 Polo 2013/01/16(Wed)02:46 No. 485700 ID: c4e5c2
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Vern does not. He may have been hanging on for that, in fact, as he stops breathing a moment later.

Would you like to continue on with me Viln? As friends and comrades in arms? As long as the Salikai are here your people are in as much danger as I.

...Suppose it's the best thing you were able to do for Vern, given the situation. Sigh, get down from his remains, and go tend to Viln's wounds. He probably has at least a few bullets lodged in his tail that need digging out.

While you're doing that, ask him why he sounded disappointed when they were released from their debt; Does he not consider it paid? Ask what he's going to do now. Will he be sticking with you, heading back to his people, or something else. 'Cause you'd like if he would come with you and help, as a friend and an equal, but even if he decides to leave, you'd ask if he would give you one last favor and carry Rokann to the camp.

Before heading back to the camp, ask Rokann if she has anything thoughts to say before you gag her again. ...Actually, shouldn't she be lapsing into a hibernation state from the stabs to her stomach, now that the bots aren't in control? If she does, then hopefully they won't be able to activate until she comes back out.

Polo 2013/01/16(Wed)04:38 No. 485709 ID: c4e5c2
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I ask Rokann if there is anything she'd like to say before I gag her again. She shakes her head. I ask if the bugs inside her would like to speak. Rokann does not respond with anything but authentic confusion, so I apply it. Even so, she continues fighting against unconsciousness from the stab wounds. I was taught it is the best, most effective way to knock out a neumono. So far, the only time it has ever helped me was against Rikek. Otherwise, every other neumono I would ever have wanted to knock out has been too strong for this. Sometimes I feel I've been trained to fight against weaklings. I head over to Viln after wiping off the rest of Vern's blood.

"You're free to go." I say. "But you sound disappointed. First off, you have bullets in your tail. Let me get them out."
"No. Enemy is not dead. Bullets can wait. Get on shoulder. I will carry maybe insane neumono." His tone is different, now. It seemed more like him telling me what to do, which is new. Not a mystery why. "I am not disappointed. But what to do? I am free to go back to nothing. Voklit now under salikai. Neumono at least ignore us. Salikai do not. This is not good."
"You are welcome to join me, still. The salikai will place your people in danger as well, which you seem to be aware of."
"... thinking. Twice, now. Voklit are under feet. First neumono feet, now salikai feet. This techn... tech is not good. We voklit do not give in. It is noble. We do not give in, in order to continue voklit tradition. Yet if we do not give in, we continue dying, as Vrrn. But. Vrrn continues living as memory, through Vlln. If Vlln dies, where is Vrrn? Nowhere. Voklit tradition may disappear, yet can exist through all living Voklit. But if all voklit are dead, who will remember voklit tradition? No one. Voklit tradition will be truly dead without living voklit."

I listen, but he is talking to himself more than anyone. Voklit views of life and death, I guess. I do now know if I fully understand or agree.

"Vlln will continue living. He must. Even if it means only remembering voklit tradition, not living. I will help you. Will you teach me how to wield this weapon?" He asks, raising the voklit machine gun.

Yes

>>485712

Considering that the Hunter hive is infested, and they have ships or the ability to call for ships to pick them up, I don't think we have a few days to spend dicking around waiting for our arm to heal.

...if that is what you wish. I will help you remember him, and, if we can, free your people of this enemy. For what it is worth though, I am sorry you have had to make this choice. Your ways were not my own, but they still deserved respect.

You understand, by making this choice, we're comrades now. Warriors on the same same side. And that we're going to war. Assuming we survive at all, there's going to be a lot of saving each another. There should be no shame or debt in this- it is our responsibility to one another. Is this acceptable?

...thank you Viln. I'm glad you stayed.

>orders
Get the fuck back to base, and Rokann under our jammer. Then we need to move the whole camp deeper, somewhere harder to find. As soon as we're secure, we start cutting those things out of Rokann, even if we gotta do it slow and low tech.

(Then chapter break and time skip ahead a few days to the point where we have 2 arms again).

>shotgun empty
Dang. Worth spending to let Vern die free, though. I wonder if there's any more shells among the group's supplies. If not, we're down a gun until we steal more from enemies, or unless Korli can mod it to use other ammunition.

Yay new ally!!!!!!!! Let's teach our new buddy the ropes.

>>485709
I think for Voklits to survive while also keeping their tradition intact, they should keep a standing army that uses tech but non-military should keep to tradition. They need tech-using guards to defend themselves against those who use tech. Aside from the weaponry I expect they could continue being a low-tech society. They could hunt as low-tech and live as low-tech, only taking up high-tech arms when they are threatened.

As for what we do now, we have to get to the camp, warn them, possibly move deeper and then fix Rokann. After we do that, it's time to assassinate Four Stripes. He is the weak point in our enemy's setup. We kill him, the relays stop working and the bots stop being able to coordinate, making them much easier to deal with.

>>485731
That's getting well ahead of ourself, but yeah, we can certainly help the voklit be better set up when this all ends (assuming a good end). Heck, we could even give them some pointers with drawing up the new treaty (because there's gonna need to be one by the time this is all over). From the looks of the old one- the voklit were had. The neumono were setting them up to lose- and bound them to an agreement they couldn't keep. The cave system below, the mountains around, and the airspace above the voklit valley should be considered part of their territory. The inspections should be carried out (or at least run) by a neutral third party, not solely by the neumono themselves. And heck, if the neumono get to inspect voklit territory, the voklit should be allowed to inspect neumono territory to make sure they're holding their end of the bargain.

(Crazy plans for the future, not things Polo needs to discuss or worry about now).

Oh, and make sure our stolen jammer is on so they can't track us via Rokann. With that, we can retreat to base quickly without fear of being followed directly. (Although, they are hunters. They'll track you if at all possible, and still search otherwise. We're going to need to retreat deeper, I think).

"Yes. It will serve you as well as any other type of weapon you have used."

Yes, of course you'll teach him how to use the machine gun, though your instruction will be hampered by not having extra ammo so he can shoot it. That can be rectified by looting later. While you're en route to the camp, just show him the basics: How to properly hold it, trigger discipline, changing the magazine, and not pointing it at anything he doesn't intend to kill. Oh, and see if it has any other setting than "full auto" on that gun. Single shot or burst will be useful in conserving ammo right now.

Getting back to the camp, and moving deeper into the caves to a better hiding spot is a given, but there's also something else. You're going to have to consider sending someone up and out the way Katzati took to radio in what happened here, and warn command not to send any more neumono ground troops. They'll have to travel farther away than Katzati when she radioed in, so the salikai CAI can't listen. Whatever Command there is needs to know this, so they can lock down the airspace and road out of here, and gather non-neumono ground forces to deploy. They might also be able to do a supply drop for Polo and company. Anyway, it's something to consider once back at camp.

Polo Quest - Thread 1 END Polo 2013/01/16(Wed)16:33 No. 485786 ID: c4e5c2
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>Oh, and make sure our stolen jammer is on so they can't track us via Rokann.
It is. I merely turned it off for a moment to see if Rokann was alright without it. While traveling down, I will continue leaving the jammer on just in case.

>Any setting other than 'full auto' on the voklit gun
Yes. Single shot and burst. I am almost surprised, but bullets for this must be expensive, so I should not be. Nonetheless, I will keep to teaching him the basics, and only have him shoot a few times so that he knows what to expect from it.

"Yes. And if you fight with me, we're going to continue saving each other. There will not be any point in keeping debt about this."
"Yes. This is different. Not saved by stranger."
"Thank you for staying."

My arm should be useable, gently, tomorrow. At least enough to use it to aim a gun I shoot with my right hand. I will think of what to do after moving our camp deeper in. It probably involves killing Four Stripes.

I just want you to know that I saw your slip.
Ha-ha!

>It probably involves killing Four Stripes.
Yup. He's too big a threat now, apparently tied directly into the mark II hijacker bugs, and he killed Vern.

Of course, the challenge is going to be finding him first. He's going to be well protected in the new salikai base, and we got a whole hunter hive in the way.

...huh. Someone sets out with one friend on what should be an ordinary hunt, and ends up befriending someone he thought was an enemy with an entire hive and the salikai trying to kill them, underground. Viln's got just about the same origin story as you, now. Hell, you've even both got something about you that unsettles the people you're fighting for.

Good luck Polo. We'll see you when you need us.

>>485786
Damn shame we can't have a lionking-esqe climatic fight between Three Stripes and Four Stripes, or gasp, the miraculous return of Dead Stripes, cyber frankenpredator.

>>485797

They fight hand to hand like sissies though, thus the need for mind controlled slaves. It would be more of a girly slapfight.

>It would be more of a girly slapfight.
...I'd watch that.

>>485801
Lion King WAS a sissy slapfight though, if you take the claws and teeth away. Of which neither got used, so I suppose you could actually keep them in because it was a slapfight.