>>42371875
Was wondering where the Clarke got off to. I'll just repost some of the things we were discussing last thread in case we get around to them.

Build farms on Raligha

Light assault fighter
Hull: Fighter 50N 50M
Fixed (x2): 40M
Armor: Standard
Multi-layer shields 10N 30M
Cost: 60N 120M

Light Fleet Battlecarrier
Hull: Battlecruiser
Crew capacity: 400/40
Cost: 2000N 2500M
Spinal Mounts: Railgun (x3) 900M
Turrets: Blaster (x8) 200M
Fixed: LPB (x16) 320M
Auxiliary: Autocannon (explosive) (x10) 160M
Multi-layer shields 150N 450M
Rapid damage control 45N 60M
Spinal Hanger: 10800N 5400M
Microfactory: 100N 300M
Module: Drop Pod Launcher (x4) 200N 400M
Total Cost: 13295N 10690M

Stalker Corvette
Hull: Corvette 400N 800M
Capacity: 200/20
Size: 100 Meters
Module Limit: 2
Spinal Mount (x1): Ramming Keel 50N 200M
Turret (X2): Cyclotron 50M
Fixed (X2): Ion Cannon 40M
Auxiliary (X8): Plasma Lance 80M
Armor: Conductive 150N 500M
Armor: Reflex 500N
Utility: Cloaking Shields 50N 150M
Utility: Rapid Damage Control 15N 20M
Module: Harpoon 10N 200M
Module: Boarding pod launcher 50N 100M
Total Cost: 1075N 2140M

And I think there was a Siren drone design floating about as well there.

>>42371875
>maintained a questionable speed on its way to the Valen systems
Damn 4th wall breakage.

Right, namegen. The bane of quests everywhere.

We have to rename the ship something innocent like The Orphan or The Steel Child or something.

>>42371942
The Orphan works for me, we adopted it after all

>>42371942
The Revengencer Mk. III.V

>>42371942
Orphan is nice.

>>42371875
We can use Lyle's credit card for this, right?

>>42371936
Also accounting for structures on our other holdings, like Huron.

>>42371875
Your mind stretches over the forested planet beneath your fleet, and you turn your attention to your forces that need new orders as the Clarke continues its slow approach under the guidance of the local traffic controller. You can feel the location of your drones, although their injuries are severe. You are unsure if they will survive, but you at least know their location.

The forest is thick, and much of it is burning. Ships still fall from the skies occasionally, but the foliage seems resilient and fast growing. You should be able to scout most of the planet without much trouble now that the enemy forces have been removed.

>Send forces to recover the Hive ship salvage
>Send forces to search for the source of the mental signal first
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.
>Other

>>42372001
>>Send forces to search for the source of the mental signal first

>>42372001
>>Send forces to recover the Hive ship salvage
But pls let's let the Thinkers handle everything and turn our limited time to something else we've been neglecting.

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

Overwhelming firepower and drones here. Send lots to cover both jobs.

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.
Slow and steady

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.
Just do both. There's no reason to do either first when we can do it simultaneously.

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

>>42372001
>Send forces to recover the Hive ship salvage
This first. If we can project more forces then do all of it

>>42372001
>>Send forces to search for the source of the mental signal first
>>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

Can we do both

>>42372001
>>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

>>42372001
>Send forces to recover the Hive ship salvage.
>Send forces to search for the source of the mental signal first.
Both of these because we have the numbers for it and,
>Hunt for use full adaptations.

>>42372001
>>Send forces to recover the Hive ship salvage

>>42372001
>Scour the planet, and have your drones search for remaining salvage and signs of activity.

Your thinkers set up search patterns and your corvettes begin to scan the surface as shuttles patrol the region. Several craft begin to encercle the Hive ship crash site, as well as others you see across the planet.

As the arduous process of salvage and scouting commences, you turn your mind to other things. The traffic controller seems to be patient enough, but you feel it is best not to keep them waiting any longer. They did not specify that your identification had to be accurate, and from what you know of Valen, that means something.

>Identify the ship as the Orphan
>Other (write in)

>>42372001
>>Send forces to search for the source of the mental signal first

>>42372094
>>Identify the ship as the Orphan

>>42372094
>Identify the ship as the Orphan

>>42372094
>>Identify the ship as the Orphan
>Other (write in)
Ask Lyle what will they expect from us.

>>42372127
we already know intimately. You don't need to ask questions of somebody whose brain you already read.

>>42372094
>>Identify the ship as the Orphan

>>42372094
>>34376072
>>Identify the ship as the Orphan
"Man that ship looks like shit."
"The Orphan... had a hard-knock life."

new plan for recovering the crystal from the humans. step one is sending a bunch of cloaked pods, step two is hiring Theseus to go and attack the union and try to convince the commonwealth that the crystal is to dangerous for organics to research, use Dr Emmerich's personal notes as proof that the thing is too dangerous in human hands even in containment.
step three is to either send a "recovery fleet" to the location and try to claim the thing under threat of attack or have our speaker "receive" information from the ship that the commonwealth has an extremely dangerous item and that we will offer tech (something minor) for it to be given to us.

>42371875
>thinker
>reconnected to your mind.

You didn't say which star system this is. We have a pod here already then?

Not Librae though, since the whole point was to find the planet Deep Song, which wasn't there. Since that's a human system basically, not a valen bank.

>>42372094

The 'captain' of the ship leans forward in his seat. He has done nothing overly productive the entire trip, as everything has been managed by your thinkers and the local Theseus instance.

"This is the Orphan requesting docking clearance."

"Granted Orphan. Please stand by." The tower says, then after a short burst of ladar sensors scan your hull the voice adds, "Your ship's volume has been calculated and a berth will be configured shortly. Please disarm any warheads and ensure all hazardous or contraband materials remain secured and contained. Any outbreaks of contagions, natural, artificial, or weaponized will be dealt with severely and may result in confiscation of assets to cover damages incurred. Any exchange of materials banned under interstellar law must be made within your ship without utilizing our free or premium communication services: Addendum, we have a special offer on maintenance and repair services." It says. You're not sure if you should be insulted at that.

You watch as several docking clamps run along a set of tracks, moving together until they make for a perfect fit for your ship, down to the meter.
"Configuration complete. All docking fees will be charged to your account upon your departure."

The Theseus instance in your ship's computer core stirs for a moment.

"You're back, I see." He says. He sounds slightly different from when he was linked to the other versions aboard the satellite and Zero One. "You make better company then your children. If it's all the same, I'll take care of the docking procedures, if you'll pay for the dock."

>Provide Lyle's account details
>Claim you do not have an account with them
>Other

Also feel free to discuss a name for at least one of the clones.

>>42372175
IT'S A HARD-KNOCK LIFE
FOR US

>Identify ship as "Orphan Annie"

>>42372266
>Addendum, we have a special offer on maintenance and repair services." It says. You're not sure if you should be insulted at that.
lel

>>42372266
>>Provide Lyle's account details

>>42372266
>Provide Lyle's account details

Lyle knows as well as we do that all of his assets are our assets. Besides, when he finds out what we're doing out here, he'll be disappointed he wasn't in on it.

>>42372266
>>Claim you do not have an account with them

First time customer offers time.

Also you know we don't want a paper trail tying us to the most wanted mercenary in the galaxy

>>42372266
>Claim you do not have an account with them
Time to open an account

>>42372242
Tipping waaaaay too many of our hands there.
Relationship with Theseus, infiltration of the Union...

>>42372266
>>Claim you do not have an account with them

>>42372283
>>42372290
>wanting to put all your eggs in one basket
>wanting to let them know this ship is related to Lyle in anyway

We need independent banking accounts for the hive. You can wire Lyle's money to the hive accounts later if you really want it.

>>42372266
>>Claim you do not have an account with them

>>42372266
We really need to get our own credits before we use up all the money in Lyle's account, i suggest we manufacture black market weapons and devises.

>>42372266
>>Claim you do not have an account with them
Maybe we should come up with a cheeky name, Theseus based his name off of Greek Mythology so can our captains. Perseus maybe?

>>42372329
Circe?

>>42372329
Ulysses.

>>42372329
If you want maximum cheeky, you can name him after famous figures in ancient Earth mythology, like Steve McQueen.

>>42372329
Hugh Mann

>>42372266
>>Provide Lyle's account details

>>42372302
When our ships arrive Theseus will pretend he doesn't know us and continues to try and convince them AND us into giving him the crystal, it's basically a three way argument on who deserve it most, then we either go with scenario 1. Theseus will give up on it when we show proof that we have sufficient containment procedure or 2. we have a diplomatic research project with all three factions.
also Theseus will provide Dr Emmerich's personal notes, and everybody knows he already has successfully spied on the union before.

>>42372352
Felix Kaufmann.

TL Note: means 'happy merchant'

>>42372342
>>42372345
What about Jason? The Argonauts baby

>>42372352
We need an industrial figure's name.

>>42372266
>>Claim you do not have an account with them

>>42372415
>Rearden

>>42372415
Let's pick some businessmen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)
>James Fisk (finance) – New York

>>42372266
>>Provide Lyle's account details

File: HQQ known space.png (1.43 MB, 7723x4550)

1.43 MB PNG

>>42372266
As your ship moves in, you soak in the astrometric data of your ship's sensors.

You are in the Lanway system, according to human maps. According to the local news broadcasts, it is known locally as Mephin, although even that is not necessarily its true name, but simply the pronunciation of the human dialect of the Valen trade language. In the native language, it would sound something like a porpoise wrestling with a bagpipe. Needless to say, Mephin is the more common pronunciation.

The trade language itself is rather interesting. The exact opposite to the constructed hive language. It is an artificial code that utilizes a complex formula to translate every noise one species is capable of speaking into any noise any other species is able to speak. The result is a language that can facilitate much more articulate translations between aliens, and has since become even more widely used among the Valen then their own cultural languages.

Your clone clears his throat.
"Uh, I don't have an account, actually." There is a short, quick buzz.

"An account has been made. Welcome to Deep Song bank and trust docking center! Your first purchase is at fifty percent discount. Please provide a name to assign the account number. This name is used for legal payment, and we are required by Union law to request your legal name. We are not required to check." The voice says. "Please note that by opening an account, you accept our terms of services, including repossession of assets, credits, or property in the event of default of funds. Deep Song bank and trust is not liable for any crimes committed before, after, or during your stay by or against our customers unless they otherwise violate our terms and conditions."

>Name your clone captain (write in)
some good ones already in the pipes, looks like.

>>42372469
>Name your clone captain
Hugh Mann

>>42372469
Perseus

we want this mother fucker to make it out alive

>>42372469
John D. Spreckels

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)

he was in the sugar industry. Which we are very much in.

>>42372469
>Hugh Mann
Seconding just for the laughs

>>42372509
kek

File: unheardcries.jpg (177 KB, 625x400)

177 KB JPG

>>42372469
>requiring consensus on namegen to advance
You utter fool.

>>42372469
>>42372509
Seconding this one for cheeky smartassness.

>>42372509
This is too good, dunno if we know about this guy IC though.

>>42372469

>Hugh Mann
>John D. Spreckels
>Other

>>42372509
We need to save this name for later, we really need to save this name for later, its too good to use for this one time mission.

>>42372549
>John Diedrich Spreckels

>>42372549
>Hugh Mann

>>42372549
>John D. Spreckels

>>42372549
>Hugh Mann

>>42372549
>>John D. Spreckels

>>42372549
>Other
>Johan Dough

>>42372549
>John Diedrich Spreckels

>>42372549
>>John D. Spreckels

File: inigo1.jpg (34 KB, 658x569)

34 KB JPG

>>42372556
>one time
But we're going to be using this account a lot if we want to get anything done.


>>42372549
>>John D. Spreckels

>>42372549
>>John D. Spreckels

>>42372586
The account will have no money in it unless you want to go the shady black market weapons dealer route.

>>42372549
>John D. Spreckels

>>42372613
What about the shady sugar powered nuclear generator dealer route?

>>42372657
>DAT SWEET, SWEET SUGAR SMELL

>>42372549
>John Diedrich Spreckels

Your clone types in the name as the docking clams secure to the ship's hull and it pulls it in to the dock backwards, with the shield cap facing outwards. The dock itself slowly begins to move, catching up to the rotation of the station's habitation ring. An umbilical and a number of tubes quickly run to the hull, as well as several data cables. As they connect the entire system freezes for a moment, the screens flickering as if on the verge of failure.

"Sorry." Theseus says, and then a string of numbers are spat out on the screen.

"Your account has been created. If you wish to assign a biometric signature, pass word, or voice recognition you may do so until you undock from the station. Your ship will remain logged in for the duration of your stay." The voice says. "Your account balance is currently - Zero." It says flatly, then simply cuts off abruptly.

Cont.

>>42372683
>If you wish to assign a biometric signature, pass word, or voice recognition
We can make other clones with same biosig and voice to access it, right?

>>42372707
We might not want to make a biometric signature considering our good John is a Hybrid. Wouldn't want to raise any red flags.

>>42372707
>John Diedrich Spreckels
A whole fleet of John Diedrich Spreckels Captains

>>42372750
Oh right. Just a voice and a password then?

>>42372683
biometric signature

I can never see this as more than the shitty finger print bullshit themeparks do with yearly passes

>>42372707
We could also just make a password no human could possibly memorize.

>>42372780
Biometric doesn't mean DNA. It could mean a lot of other things. Fingerprints, retinal scans. Take your pick.

>>42372683
The password is "the black queen is a bitch hoe who needs sugar daddy void god to tell her she is prettier then all the other queens." or something lie that.

>>42372835
*like

File: disappointed owl.jpg (72 KB, 500x375)

72 KB JPG

>>42372835
>then

>>42372683
>docking clams
this is all the more hilarious considering its a valen station

File: Valen gate.jpg (176 KB, 1000x619)

176 KB JPG

Rolled 94, 50, 3 = 147 (3d100)

>>42372683
Your new ship, and your new alias is all well and good, and with it comes a number of advantages you will need to examine more closely, but for now, most of them seem to require credits. You open up the terminal at the computer, and it shows your account in all its meager grandeur. There are options for selling goods, unloading cargo, and free access to the local data net, although the access if extremely limited, offering only basic access to local shop information, and connections to a number of merchant exchange services.

You quickly turn your attention to the system itself. The station is only a single part of a larger trade hub, connecting to an orbital tether that runs to the surface of the planet's shallow ocean. The planet is rather calm looking, covered in shallow water and filled with life, although not much of it is native. The locals have adjusted what was once a barren and frozen world into a moderately lush location, much like the humans have with their own colonies. Floating habitats can be seen glowing in the darkness of the planet's night side bellow, the lights shimmering beneath the hazy layers of artificial greenhouse gas that keeps the planet so warm. The rest of the system consists of a ring of asteroids further out, long ago reduced to dust by merchant mining on an industrial scale. The shipyards and mining platforms can still be seen from here, offering cheap repairs and refueling services, as well as several tiny colonies dug into the rocks, each little more then a mostly abandoned village.

Even further out is the hypergate. A massive structure surrounded with ships of all sizes, from shuttles to interplanetary freighters, automated solar sailors, military craft, even a few surly looking ships covered in harsh weld marks and scrap plating that claim to be Taidaren vessels. The gate is covered in weapons, with even more weapons set up around it in a perimeter. It ocasionally flairs with radiation as a ship passes through.
Cont.

>>42372859
The typo is strategical, anybody overhearing it will instinctively fix it and will get locked out.

>>42372877
Um yes, yes that is exactly what i was going for, it was totally intentional.

File: worried-laughter.png (513 KB, 600x782)

513 KB PNG

>>42372871
>Rolled 94, 50, 3 = 147 (3d100)
>unexplained rolling

Is it, try and find blackmail material day already?

File: 1411283359394.png (1.02 MB, 1019x881)

1.02 MB PNG

>>42372871
..QD, what did you just roll for? What is that 94 and 3 going to do?

>>42372910
>>42372927
I REALLY hope it's Theseus hacking the station.

>>42372939
>he got in without problems
>it's full of Valen porn

>>42372984
how horrifying

>>42372984
>Research unlocked!

>>42372984
So long as it isn't all humanXvalen vore shit I'm sure we can salvage something worthwhile out of it.

File: 66491.jpg (60 KB, 500x459)

60 KB JPG

>>42372871
The star of the system itself is an old white dwarf, offering little radiance to anything much further out then Deep Song itself, and even here, the day side is hardly brighter then twilight.

You turn back to the screen. The Valen trade language is a peculiar looking thing. Characters spin in spirals and loops, interlocked by curving lines and segments. The text is based off the dominant language script developed by the Valen even before they had invented spaceflight, a sort of Latin, in human terms. It seems only fitting for it to be used for their trade language dialect, although like sounds, it can be easily reconfigured to use the standard human text.

There is a ping on the console.
"You're a winner!" It shouts. A projection of tropical trees and luxury cruise ships appear around the letter.

"Congratulations! [JOHN SPRECKELS] you've just won a ticket to floston paradise luxury resort! Your ticket includes a single plus-one, congratulations!"

The recorded voice breaks down into a robotic monotone as it lists out a long and lengthy list of details and restrictions. The planet itself, from the information provided, seems to be in the Tuluu system, with travel expenses covered from any system with a hypergate.

"I can't access any bank systems, but the slot machine they have spitting these out was nothing." Theseus says in an almost boastful tone. You wonder if these are worth anything.

>Use the tickets with two of your clones
>Sell the tickets to the local market
>Other

>>42373042
>>Sell the tickets to the local market
Are we doing this right now... also kek

>>42373042
Ahahaha it was him. He did roll high.

>>Sell the tickets to the local market

>>42373042
>>42373059
THESEUS AND QUEENIE

PARTNERS IN CRIME

>>42373042
Do we have anything else for sale? If not, sell them.
Also where the hell is Tuluu

>>42373073
never a greater love story

>>42373073
We need Theseus' computer head and the queen's head on an Ocean's 11 poster now

>>42373042
>>Use the tickets with two of your clones

>>42373042
>>Sell the tickets to the local market

>>42373042
Well.

It depends.

If the other customers and vacationers at the resort are rich, it might be worthwhile to send clones with a suitcase full of parasites to adopt the other guests and embezzle their money.

Or like. Adopt the staff, and have the staff adopt the other guests during their long, extra relaxing massage sessions.

>>42373042
Do we actually have any sellable cargo on this ship?

>>42373042
>>Sell the tickets to the local market.
list the offers we get and then well vote if we keep them or not.

>>42373042
>>Use the tickets with two of your clones

>>42373042
>Use the tickets with two of your clones

>>42373118
We kept talking about making some but for some reason QD never statted them out and put it to a vote, ever.

Despite going on this mission now.

File: TheHeistoftheCentury.jpg (404 KB, 1029x1466)

404 KB JPG

>>42373083
*Ding!

>>42373042
>>Sell the tickets to the local market

>>42373150
>names not changed
6/10

>>42373042
>>Sell the tickets to the local market

>>42373147
Really wish we could have a retroactive vote, there were weeks of doing nothing that could be filled in.

>>42373150
I really love this Quest sometimes.

>>42373147
>>42373189
Those orber-by-com couches of every customizable variety were a pretty good idea. So were custom pets and such, and the introduction of better reactors.
Although I'm hesitant to try things that would reveal such obvious presence of high biotechnology, gotta weigh risks and all that.

>>42373042
>Sell the tickets to the local market

You quickly bring up the console again and navigate to the rather extensive merchant options. The station's computer begins collating the system's local market data, and it brings back a surprising number of offers. Apparently it is a rather popular resort for Union citizens. You look up the highest priced option. With all the various perks included in the ticket, including front row seats to what is claimed to be a well celebrated opera performance, the offered cost totals a relatively staggering seventy thousand credits. That should be more than enough for the docking fee, to say the least.

>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡
>Keep them for now
>Other

>>42373237
We've already offered the human ambassador to grow him new eyes, designer pets wouldn't reveal much new info.

>>42373255
>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡

>>42373255
>Accept

>>42373255
>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡
You looked up the price that the military bought the tickets from the radio station for, didn't you?

>>42373255
>>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡

>>42373255
>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡

>>42373268
What?

>>42373255
>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡

"Well, that solves our immediate concerns. I feel as though I'd been goaded into some kind of chance encounter and scoffed at the underlying proposal, though."

>>42373256
Actually I'm almost certain that designer pets is several hundred levels of genetic fuckery above human eyes.

Of course there are also business considerations, such as not making the pets immortal and ensuring they cannot be bred or replicated through extensive sterilization, there's also the market demographics to consider as far as what each species of the galaxy we can sell to (and further delineations among planets, colonies, and population centers) consider as appropriate pets, and how exactly to ensure they can get the best most companionable product they deserve.

>>42373255
>>Accept and sell them for 70,000₡

Perhaps we should get Theseus to give us rough price estimates for hive manufactured goods while we're brainstorming here.

>>42373298
Picture perhaps engineering an animal designed to have the most delicious flesh, for example, tailor made to specific palates...

>>42373299
No.

We aren't gonna produce anything that is new, novel, and attention grabbing.

These are our nominally-human agents with nominally-human means. What they should sell is Tempest matter-energy-shielding knockoffs ("Pesttem" brand, maybe) and fusion reactors built to human specifications.

>>40757729
>>37790225
>>35935739
>Tempest matter-energy shielding: 250,000₡
>Premium Used fusion reactors: starting at 300,000₡

Those products alone are quite lucrative.

>>42373322
>>42373321
>>42373298
We can do slightly different angle on "designer pets": make something cute, cuddly and useful and present it as animals from the expanse. (Like we did Taidarens)

>>42373298
Rioght.

So we just compile lists of various creatures already considered as pets, acquire them for cloning purposes, and move on from there.

Propaganda videos on how they're raised and treated to make people think its not cruel are probably a must. Still not sure about selling premium pets but, y'know, money is money I guess.

>>42373321
Man I would be surprised if that market wasn't already filled with extreme competition. But I like the idea and I like the idea even more when I imagine how they'll react to finding out their meat is more alien-er than they could have thought possible.

>>42373322
>>42373350
>whynotboth.jpg
Diversify and conquer! It's what google is doing so so can we!

>>42373298
To alleviate your concerns, we could design a few sort of "lowest common denominator" creatures and market them as exotic pets we've come across on our homeworld/in our travels rather than designed ones.

>>42373360
>whynotboth
Because it draws unwanted attention instead of blending into an existing market.

File: endless fortune.png (91 KB, 1076x756)

91 KB PNG

We're rich!

>knockoff technology
>exotic pet acquisitions
GIT DOSH

>>42373322
Who said anything about new or novel? We are perfectly capable of building mechanical objects that require no nutritional upkeep, like the shielding and generators you mentioned. I'm saying we should get Theseus' input on what things we can successfully sell discreetly through the Valen merchants, and for how much.

>>42373376
>go to market
>search for people wanting some exotic pets
>find a sample of an in demand pet species
>clone and modify to specifications
>DOSH

>>42373373
Man, the economy really changed in the future.

>>42373370
Fine. Have it your way. No cute off-worldy catmoth spies for the commonwealth.

Also, captcha thinks Ships are Boats.

>>42373376
GRAB IT WHILE CAN LADS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op-LBp4sH7w

>>42373388
Because we already know how much they cost, the market pricing is right fucking there. You'd be asking him about something right in front of your eyes which makes you look kinda dumb.

>>42373255
>Accept.

You sell the tickets, and the credits are added to your account. As you close the market options, you suddenly are assaulted by a wall of advertisements, most of them for local ship dealers and ship repair services.

You still have much to do here, and after peeking back at your drones as they scout the forested world in the Refuge system and find a half dozen corvettes struggling to tow the hive ship wreckage out of the smoldering mud, and several sniffers being harassed by what looks like some kind of feathered six legged orangutan, you figure you have plenty of time before they have anything interesting to report.

You look through the stations options. Selling goods would be rather simple, relatively speaking. According to the bank's policies, all products are off loaded to their own storage facility and held under contract until they sell it to a buyer. According to their terms, neither the seller nor the buyer ever know each other, although sellers have the option of signing a "brand" contract for advertising and legal purposes, although beyond a separate corporate account connected to the brand itself, there isn't much involved, although it does require signing a deal with a local official.

>Negotiate a brand contract with the Valen bank with which to sell hive made goods
>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously
>Other (write in)

>>42373352
Isn't that the plot of the second Ratchet & Clank game?

>>42373390
I hope they don't consider cloning a legitimate market issue. Good thing our modification can make them just different enough..

>>42373390
Time for Mantis Shrimp! QD said that some of those, among other animals, where taken off-world before the battle for Earth for aquariums and rich people pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FEj9U-CJM

>>42373410
>>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously
Definitely.

>>42373402
But we can produce military grade shielding, much better than a tempest brand shield. Theseus can give us a rough idea of how much stuff like that would go for without us having to reveal our hand to any shifty jew whales. I mean, he's the most complex social calculator ever made, I'm sure he can do rough appraisals for us.

>>42373410
>Negotiate a brand contract with the Valen bank with which to sell hive made goods.
>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously.
both, sell knock-off versions and only allow trusted buyers to buy the good shit.

>>42373410
>>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously

>Other (write in)
Find out how illegal/difficult it is to buy a quantum scrambler warhead for reverse engineering.

We might want to buy it with Lyle's account though, unrelated to what we're doing here.

>>42373410
>>Negotiate a brand contract with the Valen bank with which to sell hive made goods

>>42373410
>>Negotiate a brand contract with the Valen bank with which to sell hive made goods

>>42373410
>>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously

>>42373410
>>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously
We can upgrade to a fancy account later. Coming I. With "only" 70,000 credits for a business account raises questions.

>>42373438
Now that's clever, we should do this.

>>42373410
I'll second this >>42373438

>>42373410
>>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously
I'm not ready for that level of commitment.

And the Valen notoriously flipflop on anonymity as soon as they're bribed or pressured hard enough. So an additional hurdle to someone looking into things is nice.

File: fullrichards.png (244 KB, 500x499)

244 KB PNG

>>42373438
>trusted buyers

>neither the seller nor the buyer ever know each other

>trusted

Are you trying to test how many anons in this quest are completely retarded?

>>42373503
Hey, it only got two! That's good, right?

Already voted, but if we go corporate can we call ourselves "mom-co" or "mother's good old-fashioned pet store". Would be pretty in keeping with our level of cheek.

>>42373503
There are such things as degrees of trust.

>>42373546
That sure is a bunch of words saying nothing.

You are literally never allowed to even know anything about them. It is an anonymized marketplace. That is the entire point. If you know anything about your buyers, the system broke.

And if you did, somehow, inexplicably, know your buyers, you don't even use the anonymizing market as a middleman, and your corporate account is completely pointless because you don't need to pay market fees to use it to sell to them.

>>42373503
Trusted=repeat buyers, people we can trust based on what they buy, how they use it and how desperate they are to get it, also.
>implying we wont have security measures consisting of FUTURE proxy, self destruct methods and assassinating anyone who even THINKS to sell us out.
well be the deep web INSIDE the deep web.

>>42373561
*we'll

>>42373546
>>42373561
Time to get recycled.

>>42373561
But we do not know the buyers from the regular market, that's IT'S WHOLE FUCKING POINT!

>>42373559
This. At that point you may as well sell on an open market to all the upstanding individuals and middleman retailers you can, because anonymity is the god damned point.

I need to hit the hay, just a quick reminder to vote on this >>42371936
before the thread is over.

Thanks for running QD, see you next time.

>>42373410
>Attempt to sell cheap knock-off versions of brand name goods anonymously

You wonder just how good your products are when looked at from a human perspective. The idea of making a ship component that can't tell you how it is functioning is rather strange to you, but then again, so is the concept of paid labor.

You check your cargo bay. There is a meager amount. Just enough to hopefully get your proverbial foot in the door. The prices you find in the market are all mostly established brands from large Union corporations, although you do see various off-brand and custom made materials, however their prices don't seem to be all that connected to their brand name versions all that much, other then the fact that they are cheaper.

>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>Sell several tonnes of nutrient paste as a sandwich spread
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding
>Other (write in)

>>42373590
Night anon, sleep well in knowledge you did many good things for mother.

>>42373592
>>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors

>>42373592
>>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding

What kind of unit is a matrix? What portion of a corvette does it correspond to?

>>42373592
>>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding
The value of the hive lies in it's capacity to churn out high tech items without production cost. Go for those ones.

>>42373592
>>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>Sell several tonnes of nutrient paste as a sandwich spread
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors

>>42373592
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding

>>42373602
A matrix is just all the projectors needed to totally cover a ship. It's essentially one complete system.

All of the options are roughly comparable in volume.

>>42373592
>>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>>Sell several tonnes of nutrient paste as a sandwich spread
>>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding

Sell all things for mother!
(Is there any real reason not to sell certain items?)

>>42373592
>>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding

>>42373631
Well I'm dubious about just selling standard hive nutrient paste.

That's our unique sugar smell like Mother used to make.

>>42373592
>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors
>Sell a matrix worth of "reconfigured" energy shielding

>>42373592
>>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors


About shields, I though we and scavengers were only ones with it, atleast while shielding ships, would it be unwise to sell this away?

>>42373631
>(Is there any real reason not to sell certain items?)
Well, businessvalens with a lot of pointed questions on where we get our goods and how come we aren't making a deal with them, for one. We could also be muscling in on some other Valen's business.

>>42373658
we're not selling those kinds of shields.

Just the kind we copied from humans.

>>42373663
Gent, we are selling them on anonymous ebay. They'd only possibly figure out whom to ask questions if they decide to spring a whole fucking lot of bribery and favours.

>>42373592
>Sell several crates of off-brand holo-projectors
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors

>>42373573
thread 44
>Predictive combat algorithms
>Your drones are always watching the enemy, either in person or through your network, and the hive grows more accustomed to certain quirks and common tactics employed by specific species or individuals. With the powerful calculations made possible by fractal based crystal brains, your drones, and clones with either psionic capabilities or hybrid or chimera types will be able to predict the vast number of variables in any single fight, allowing it to know what the enemy will do in the heat of the moment and act accordingly. Grants a bonus to combat rolls against known and researched enemies.
this will allow us to predict who is trustworthy and who is not based on certain quirks like frequent buyers, buying in bulk and how much money they spend. Combine that with a cloaked pod where they deliver the items, tracers in our merchandise and Theseus and my idea for better deals for trusted buyers seems pretty plausible.

Oh and if we are ever going to start selling more of nutrient paste we just must have brand for it, I bet humans would love to eat that stuff.

>Hive paste, tested on human prisoners of the war.

>>42373592
>Sell several "custom made" fusion reactors

The option of selling reactors is a tad risky, if only because people tend to be stingy about where they get a nuclear fusion core. Still, they tend to be costly. You've already seen several ships owned by taidaren crew, and they hardly look space worthy. At the very least, they may be interested. You punch in the order, and several cargo loaders move from the side of the docking clams through the loading bay to the ship's cargo pod. It quickly makes a vacuum seal on the container's airlock and begins taking out the crates. Each one should fetch a rather decent price, although you suspect you will need to undercut the current sellers. Your thinkers seem well suited to managing such things, and even then it looks like the station will take care of most of the logistics.

You receive another ping from the station's computer.

"Your current commodity is listed as potentially hazardous. If you are a licensed dealer in Union space, please provide your product credentials. If not, your goods must first be inspected by our local mechanics, or negotiations with our local engineering representative." It says. "Failure to reply with a request for an appointment with our representative or Union licences will result in your automatic acceptance of our inspectors' findings. Any product that does not pass our quality control must be reloaded within one business day, or be subject to ejection from the most conveniently located airlock."

Well, they certainly take cargo space seriously here. While you're sure the cores work fine, you're less sure if they look fine.

>Make an appointment with the locals
>Allow the inspection and hope for the best
>Other

>>42373631
Space, mostly. As your first run you only have a moderate amount in your hold. Now that you have things set up you can just start selling goods and let your thinkers manage the shipping details.

>>42373804
>>Make an appointment with the locals

>>42373804
>>Make an appointment with the locals
So either bribe them or somehow parasite them.

>>42373804
how do our reactors look?
and wasn't there something urgent we had to talk to Theseus about in the last thread which we seem to have forgotten?

>>42373804
>>Make an appointment with the locals

>>42373804
>Make an appointment with the locals

>>42373804
>>Make an appointment with the locals

If parasiting and cajoling don't work, we can always take some money from Lyle's account to bribe them.

>>42373804
>>Make an appointment with the locals
dae locals tho

And hey, I wonder if they'll come investigate the goods onboard the ship, in person, or off the ship, in a robot, and how bio-compatible with a drone on their spine they'd be.

Maybe next trip.

we should talk to Theseus about getting the dna of that species that the union are using to mine moons for some rare material i can't remember the name of but since it's rare it will be good to be able to get it + that fire resistance
and i just kinda want to check in on him it feels like it has been forever and i kinda miss him

>>42373942
not moons, suns

>>42373952
not suns, star
Calderon, wasn't it

>>42373942
They probably aren't DNA based life, but we may be able to obtain a biological sample.

>>42373942
I know that feel. It's like ever since we introduced him to Heretic we never hang out with him anymore.

Also if you want to find heat resistant life forms, I recommend we send a scouting team to the sunny side of Corbin.

>>42373942
and why do y'all faggots always ignore me when i bring this up, it's like you don't want to colonize stars and that's pretty fucken gay imo

>>42373975
They're made of protein chains, sayth QD.

>>42373969
>>42373952
>>42373942
Canderon.

File: Valen fleet.jpg (156 KB, 700x507)

156 KB JPG

>>42373804

>Make an appointment with the locals

Your clone lets out a sigh as he punches in the data. There is a light buzzing sound and several piles of data are spat out by the computer with directions to the office of their local official. The first appointment available is actually in just a few hours. He punches it in and exits his seat and heads to the umbilical. An elevator sits in the docking clamp leading into the station's ring.

The station's structure is rather odd. The "visitor" section is a collection of rings connected to docking clamps along the outside rim. Windows are spaced along the edges of the floor, allowing you to see out to the traffic bellow, and along the walls, where you can see the adjacent ring and the "native" section, which looks like a giant water tank with airlocks set along the rim. The valen ships are tremendous in size, larger then one would first think would be required. With so much extra space needed for each crew member, you end up needing a lot more space for thrusters as well, and then more space for propellant. Most of the ships you see are the size of capitals, with only the smallest being cruiser sized transports.
cont.

>>42373824
They look like one of those cheap mass produced t-shirts from brazil with a red batman on the front with a superman symbol and "Rob-cop" written across it. To put it quite frankly. It works just fine, and if you know what to look for it's actually a rather high quality rector, but at first glance it looks really off-putting.

If you've ever worked with metal products, it's similar to the difference between a raw weld job and one that's been bead-blasted.

Also, do you mean the Path smuggling route? It's still the same day, so he's still working that out.

>>42374001
While he's working on Path angles, can he slip >>42370825 into some anti-establishment groups propaganda and stuff? Gotta get that trolling on.

>>42374097
We reaaallly should mention this to Theseus.

>>42374097
I'd be down with this, although Theseus probably has better connections to actually get shit done than we have.

>>42374001
Your clone looks over the various station services and amenities. The station offers a large number of bars, restaurants, clubs, and small shops and vending machines line the halls with food and drinks of all kinds. There are a variety of weapon shops, and even a gun range advertising a "try before you buy" policy, which proudly marks itself as the only place on the station where you can fire a weapon without being finned. There is even a pool, although that's not all that surprising, given the owners of the station.

The halls are spacious, but still not large enough for the valen themselves. There are canals and small tram lines running along the interior of the rings marked on various public maps listed for native use, while the central hub of the station is listed as restricted to station administration only, with only small sections used for transit between rings available to the public.

The elevator is on the far side of the station from the native district, and it runs to a floating platform set along the shallow sea of Deep Song. You can see the rapidly flowing lights of the elevator running to and from the surface, mostly freight. Food and processed materials.

Your clone passes people of all sorts and species. Mechanical androids shuffle along the halls with their heads trailing cables into the ceiling, each with a name plate of some valen individual. Ceph are a common sight, either floating by in small groups of white skinned refugees or being carried on small trolleys where they sit like blobs of gelatin gurgling softly. Taidaren shuffle beneath your feet, and as you pass a noodle bar you can feel one of them pick your pocket. You can hear them grumble in the distance over your clone's lack of possessions.

Humans are a surprisingly large segment of the population. Gruff looking smugglers carry crates of cigars, holo-projectors, whisky, even more potent narcotics sit in open crates as captains and ship commanders negotiate prices.
cont.

>>42374150
>Taidaren shuffle beneath your feet, and as you pass a noodle bar you can feel one of them pick your pocket. You can hear them grumble in the distance over your clone's lack of possessions.
hah

desire to know more intensifies

>>42374150
Weapon racks, crates of ammunition, and suspiciously advanced looking computer systems all mark the loading bays of various ships docked to the ring where traders negotiate with valen puppets, corporate representatives, shady smugglers, and even the occasional recognized Commonwealth merchant, with one rather gaudy looking ship emblazoned with eagles and gold trim marking it as a part of some planetary royal family's personal merchant fleet. Several auto loaders navigate themselves to the loading bay with crates of what look like cigars and vodka.

Lining the bars and restaurants, mercenaries discuss war stories and show off various scars and wounds, while others arm wrestle or bet over potentially dangerous competitions as if strutting about for the attention of potential employers. Lyle has many memories of such locations. He fractured a jaw in one of these bars, and broke three ribs in another. None of them were his.

You still have a short amount of time before your arranged meeting with the local official.

>Examine the local businesses for something in particular (write in)
>Look over the mercenaries for hire
>Go directly to the valen official
>Attempt to find your own buyer for the reactors directly
>Other

You can tell why Lyle chose to do buisness with them

>>42374245
>Examine the local businesses for something in particular (exotic animals)

>>42374254
2nd

>>42374245
Supporting >>42374254

>>42374245
>Attempt to find your own buyer for the reactors directly

>>42374254
I like this idea

>>42374245
>>Attempt to find your own buyer for the reactors directly

>>42374245
>Examine the local businesses for something in particular (exotic animals)

Please roll 1d100, best of 3.
Equal parts searching for shops that aren't scams and for random chance of current inventories.

>>42374245
>>Attempt to find your own buyer for the reactors directly
Exotic pets are chump change compared to nuclear generators, no matter how easily you think we can make them.

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>42374300

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>42374300
This should be interesting.

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>42374300

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>42374300

>>42374254
Supporting this.


I rather make a deal with valen official, so we don't have to find buyers everytime we try to sell reactors.

>>42374316
Nicely done

>>42373995
We need to get a hold of it either way, would we be able to make hive creep that can grow on stars and convert the heat to electricity that we use to power an electromagnet to boost the growt rate of that one first crop, sorry for the shitty spelling btw

>>42374428
Solar powered hive creep that use the sun against itself until it is completely covered then starts growing outwards into a thick crust fiöled with countless tunnels

>>42374454
And that's how we dyson sphere.

>>42374454
The sun within could be used to power massive weapons and if we find a good enough isolator we could have the outside of the crust be earth temp and with the massive size we could terraform the outside of the crust

>>42374473
>>42374481
we are good thinkers for mother

> even more potent narcotics sit in open crates as captains and ship commanders negotiate prices.
Maybe we should buy variety sampler of those.

>The elevator is on the far side of the station from the native district, and it runs to a floating platform set along the shallow sea of Deep Song.

We really should slip some aquatic sniffers down onto the surface when we can. do visitors ever go down to the ocean?

>>42374300
Your clone quickly searches through the collection of goods and smuggled items, and runs a number of searches through the station's computer. You find a number of shops dealing in 'pets', which is a term you immediately take with a tremendous amount of salt. When you arrive, you are still surprised at the false advertising.

Razor trout are held in a number of shops, although you don't find many that offer them not on a plate, and their costs are quite exuberant. There is a single wickerfish for sale, and its price periodically flashes as merchants actively bid on it. The price has already reached seventeen thousand credits and it continues to increase. The various marine animals are set on a display in the room of the larger of the shops, offering a list of inventory. Bellow is a series of cages and pens where you hear various howls and roars. The tops are made of transparasteel set in the floor of the shop itself, allowing buyers to look down on the strange creatures.

You find a number of shade hounds that sit in a bundle of chewed blankets. It looks up sharply at your clone as you approach and lets out a sharp hiss, revealing a pile of bones and shells beneath its claws.

"Ah, you recognize it, I see." You hear someone say. The shop owner, a darkly tanned human with a long strip of cloth wrapped around his head and a poorly fitting jumpsuit stands next to your clone. You're note entirely sure when he got there.

"The shade hound makes a good pet." He says. "They need discipline, but are loyal. If you have them defanged they are a good choice if you want something more then a guard dog, but still want to have neighbors."

"And what if I don't want neighbors?" Your clone asks. The man smiles, his teeth flashing with specks of metal.
cont.

>>42374489
Well, you can, but it's like visiting Detroit. You're either on your way to somewhere else, or you have business or family there. It's essentially a logistical facility with freighter docks and warehouses.

>>42374481
We could literally devouver stars by building a planet around them and we wouödn't even have to spend resources outover the ones we use to develope the hive creep

i feel like people are underestimating--well, that's not the right word

I dunno what word I'm looking for

point is, the sun, or really any star, is really fucking big

like, unimaginably big, namely because people just have no frame of reference for that except going by concept. people understand that the sun is huge, many many many times bigger than the earth, and yet people have a hard time conceptualizing the universe beyond where they live, much less an area that spans farther than a couple miles in any direction

it would take longer than this quest will have turns or days for that dyson sphere to complete itself, or maybe even give noticeable returns

>suspiciously advanced looking computer systems
More deliriously illegal AI.

>>42374428
They're a form of life so alien they may as well be silicon-based. Odds are the hive's bioengineering doesn't even apply.

Though you can test that by sending a Pod with drones down into the ocean of Coral to try and see what the hive actually can do with entirely alien, silicon based life.

>>42374481
That would be most likely tge largest planet ever made.

And imagine what that would look like to an alien astronomer: an entire star slowly dimming until it went completely dark

>>42374481
I think it would be better to make the Dyson sphere in the habitable zone, and terraform the inside of the sphere.

File: detroit-actionpacked.png (1.65 MB, 1024x1249)

1.65 MB PNG

>>42374516
>action packed trip to Detroit
>in space!
Well I'm sold.

>>42374525
Well, artificial tech never stopped the Hive from adapting biological equivalents, so I doubt something being silicon-based instead of carbon-based will stop us much. Best case, we just translate the silicon biology into carbon biolology.

>>42374562

Or we just, y'know, learn How to into Silicon Biology.

For fuck's sake man, the Hive can use MEAT to create PHOTONIC MICROSTRUCTURES, being bound by a carbon / silicon divide is fucking nothing.

>>42374562
True that, especially considering we've already developed/have the ability to develop crystal tech.

>>42374523
This. Dyson sphere ain't happening in our lifetime, ageless or not. That's not to say we couldn't work on someyhing like heaving great solar creep farms or the like.

>>42374523
False, the star would super power the hive creep making it grow faster and faster the more area it covers, we just have to make them solar powered and even if we didn't cover it completely we would have an enourmous energy soource

>>42374516
>You find a number of shade hounds that sit in a bundle of chewed blankets.

Yesss.

Guys we have to at least get a sample of the venom , if not one of these guys' bodies.

We want to have devised an antidote and immunity to it before we take on Coco.

>>42374523
I strongly disagree. Using the right techniques, it wouldn't take very long at all to cover a star with a dyson sphere, and I think our hive is especially equipped to do it.

First, we would need to make an ungodly number of orbital solar arrays.
Like several million, or billion.
Like, a metric shit ton.

Then we would need to place them across the sun at the distance we want to make the dyson sphere, all equally spaced apart from each other.

Then we would need to tether all the orbital solar arrays together, Each one tethered to only it's nearest neighbors, creating a large web across the surface of the star.

Finally, fill in all the empty spaces in the web with creep, from the entire perimeter in. This way, it would only take as much time to cover the entire star in creep as it would take to fill in one of these holes, astronomically cutting down on the time the process takes.


If we could figure out a way to make the solar orbital arrays reproduce in space without us having to build them, outfit them all with resource teleporters, mine the mantle of a planet in the system we're taking over, we could make the entire process automated by having the solar arrays make their closest neighbors, quickly covering the entire star.

>>42374671
Energy from the sun alone would not be enough to allow the creep to exponentially grow to its full potential. The creep, no matter how much energy it takes in, will very likely not be able to turn nothing (energy alone) into something. In quest terms, the sun would provide plenty of nutrients, but the creep would need raw materials, like metal, to grow. Harvesting those raw materials is a constrained activity that cannot passively grow the way a hive creep can. I don't think a dyson sphere is possible in our lifetime unless we have some major technological changes (possibly something with teleportation could work).

>>42374736
>(possibly something with teleportation
Anon...

Also goddamn popcorn and peanuts captchas.

>>42374736
You're forgetting about our mantle excavation, son. And the fact that we actually do have teleportation of raw resources.

>>42374736
Anon we already teleport shit.

>>42374720
Can we ask the shop owner for corpses? I'm not comfortable buying an animal that falls under the category of 'pet' just to kill it for upgrades.

>>42374774
Are we eventually going to start teleporting planets from other dimensions to sustain our expansion?

>>42374767
So we could completely mine out all the planets in the system we're taking, giving us way more than enough metal to take a planet.

>>42374778
I'm sure we can throw it in a medtank examine it in completion and then give it to Lee as a present

>>42374789
There's always other galaxies anon.

>>42374767
Nah, I remember we have teleportation. But a star is so massive even if we mine a planet to the core and teleport resources out we probably wouldn't have enough resources to build a creep that size.

On the other hand, if we can somehow teleport the raw hydrogen from inside a star (or perhaps even heavy metals), or devise some other massively efficient way of harvesting molecular compounds, then it might be possible to cover the huge distances involved. I'm not saying its impossible; it's just a major undertaking that may not be the best use of our resources at this time.

>>42374767
>>42374774
The problem with teleportation as it currently exists is that at most it allows for the transport of small amounts of mechanically sophisticated material. What you're talking about is on the magnitude of several solar systems worth of raw materials just to cover a SMALL star.

>>42374726
The essential problem here is opportunity cost. For the cost of those solar collector arrays, what else could we build?

Guys, a solar collector array costs (5,000N 5,000M)

A battleship costs (4500N, 10000M)

For the cost of a BILLION solar collection arrays, we could build 500,000,000 battleships. Given our war and risk of destruction by either the Obsidian Queen or Void Shards, one of these makes much more sense to build than the other...

>>42374811
>>42374846
we could at least start the project up and see where our constantly advancing tech and biology takes us

>>42374811
This part of the argument (how much resources it would take) can only be settled by QD. I personally think mining out all the planets cores would give us more than enough metal for this project, but I could see how you could disagree. It all depends on exactly what ratio of metals to nutrients is required for the creep to spread.

File: 1427705592947.jpg (29 KB, 500x500)

29 KB JPG

>>42374877
Still too damn costly. We don't even have a means of landing on the surface of a star at present.

It's a wiser investment to set a thinker on a small planetoid and tell it to turn it into a hivestar. One thinker, combined with an egglayer can build enough nuclear powered electroponic farms and deep mantle excavation units to turn an entire stellar body into a fortress/ship. This is possible right now with our current technology.

You guys are forgetting that we have nutrient to metal conversion. Once we get this started, we could grow the metal to make the creep from the solar orbital arrays.

>>42374875
a solar collector array collects 400 nutrients a day. we can grow 1 metal from 2 nutrients. If we had a billion solar collection arrays, we could produce either 400 billion nutrients a day, or 200 billion metal a day.

>>42374919
I'd second this. Very low cost for possible benefits. Hell, I could go with sending out several thinkers and egglayers on a project like this, we're easily rich enough.

>>42374516
"I think I have some things you may like, then." He says. He leads you over to several of the pens near the back. He points to the first. "Now this one's a bit high maintenance, but good for home security!" He says. "The Copperback's not for most, but this one's a good find, I tell you!"

There is a large copper colored stone in the pen, roughly four feet high and twice the diameter. It sits motionless on the floor. The walls are covered in a thick mucus, and empty shells and bones surround it in thick piles.

"Many people think it's from Coral, but it's actually native to Arnim. People assume because the movies, and their shell." He continues, his teeth glittering with flecks of gold as he speaks. "They eat rocks to build it up, but their diet is strictly meat." He says, then takes out a control and hits several buttons. A moment later a small puffy ball rolls down a chute and bounces off the rock with a high pitched squeak. It begins shaking as it runs along the floor around the rock.

The large chunk of ore promptly sprouts several legs, and erupts from its sitting position. The small ball of fluff quickly darts in random directions as the spider-like creature shimmies from side to side, and then a long spear-like tendril erupts from its mouth, impaling the fluff ball and dragging it into its maw in one swift motion. It slowly settles itself back into its position and folds its legs beneath its body. The man is smiling expectantly as he tries to gauge your clone's reaction.

cont.

>>42375004
I like it!

>>42375004

Oooh, nice camo. I think we'll take it!

>>42375004
>A moment later a small puffy ball rolls down a chute and bounces off the rock with a high pitched squeak. It begins shaking as it runs along the floor around the rock.
I want this one too. I'm a sucker for small fluffy squeaky things, this could totally be used as a template for a handheld speaker.

>>42375004
Horrifying. I'm enthralled. How do you stop it from eating the homeowner?

What? That's not a thing you can do?

Oh.

>>42374919
>Still too damn costly.
No, see, the thing is, once we have the potential to land on the surface of a star and use it to produce resources, it'll probably be like a more powerful version of solar collector arrays.
And we could just go ahead and start using them to produce our stuff.

Of course, covering it whole is immensely huge and a project that is unlikely to complete in the quest's lifetime, but the upside is that it means we will be able to build resource collectors to our heart's content on a single star and not run into area limits.

>>42375004
Sold! I'll take two if you've got that many. Now what else ya got?

>>42375004
https://m.ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/130578858021
> On these mandibles is a set of fangs filled with a potent venom that causes paralysis.

I think we can be thrifty and just get the sample of the most important part, the venom, by inducing one of the shadehounds to bite us, or one of our spare crewmembers since this guy has a meeting to get to.

It's not fatal.

>>42374919
>>42374942
it's going to start paying for itself eventually and we could just keep the expansion automated when it gets to that

>>42375094
We're an interstellar empire with thousands of ships and extremely low production costs. We are soon to become one of the wealthiest factions in the setting, we're already one of the more powerful. We can be thrifty sure, but with a bite they may take us to the medical center on the station which we don't want. Just buy one (we can afford it), and if we can't "afford" it just ambush and parasite the pets guy. He probably doesn't have major security beyond his pets anyway.

>>42374942
>a solar collector array collects 400 nutrients a day. we can grow 1 metal from 2 nutrients. If we had a billion solar collection arrays, we could produce either 400 billion nutrients a day, or 200 billion metal a day.
I kinda count the collectors incredibly inefficient. With the conversion, it'd pay for itself after producing 15k nutrients, that's ~38 days.

Other nutrient generators are much faster.

I just realized. In the 24 hours that we "study and prepare" for Wise's surgery (cocooning warriors into bio-tanks), we can treat the medical lab down the hall like a buffet.

We can taste test all the various chemicals and drugs they keep there. Speaker can just drink em and the Thinkers analyze them.

>>42375004
"Now, if you're looking for something maybe a bit more active, I have something else for you maybe." He says as he quickly leads your clone over to the next pen over. Inside is a large green and blue creature with large, shimmering scales like that of a fish, and a long mane of thick, wiry hair. It has four legs, and another pair of small arms folded between its front legs, beneath the jaw, which end in a set of claws.

"This one is interesting. The Grek." The salesman says. "You know, there are some who think they were once intelligent, but lost their minds somehow. Never got past the stone age. They made a few spears and a couple of cave paintings and thought 'eh, it's not for me.' Now they are a deadly hunter. Swift of foot, clever, and very obedient, so long as you feed it on time." He pulls out his controller and clicks a button and shouts something in the trade language. It's head snaps to attention. He barks out several more orders and the Grek inflates its chin, its mouth briefly glowing, and then belches a large ball of flame into the air, scorching the wall across from it. The man clicks another button and a large raw slab of meat drops into the pen. It quickly flash-roasts it with a puff of fire and rips into it, its pincer forearms shredding the meat and shoveling it into its mouth.

"Eh?" The man asks. "When was the last time your pet shot fire?" Your clone looks over the pens blandly. His teeth flash a bit of gold as his smile fades for a moment and he lets out the slightest stammer.
"If these do not impress, there is one more, but..." he twists his hands slowly. "It's not exactly something most people can manage."

He points to the back, where there is a reinforced metal door. He motions for your clone to follow as he walks over to it and punches a number into the keypad beside it, and the door slides open.

Cont.

>>42375159
Nice, this should be good. Also
>>"When was the last time your pet shot fire?"
Oh, about 5 minutes ago when we were shooting plasma all over the inside of a hive ship.

>>42375138
..Actually they are 1000 nutrients a day now that I check the lists instead of trusting another poster, but still, 15 days is how many threads?

Meanwhile, two harvester docks match the output and cost FIFTY times less.

>>42375159
That's a fucking space dragon. Holy crap.

What if we started making hybrids of drones and various common pet types? That'd be fun.

>>42375138
>Pays for itself in 38 days.
>Inefficient.
I think every other species would be all over that. It's not instantaneous like a farm, but it's still in the short term.If we build a space station later, I say put some on it.

>>42375190
That is inefficient and slow as shit on the timescales of the Hive and other sources we have. See >>42375178

And in space we also have orbital electrophonic stations. They require a gas giant, but dish out 500N per day for 1000M cost, as opposed to 5kM+5kN of solar power.

>>42375224
Fine. We only build them if there's a timeskip or something like that.

>>42375241
we cans tart building them now and put a lot of more resources into it when we timeskip, cause i think that we will sooner or later and i hope QD isn't planning on killing off the quest anytime soon

>>42375260
I don't think we'll have a time skip anytime soon. We're still growing at an exponential rate and have not needed to do a significant time skip before now. Things are happening and it's not like there's nothing to do. For now let's stick with the cheap, efficient, option.

>>42375241
Nah. Still.
We can throw 10 million in combined resources into solar collectors to increase Leeland system's nutrient output by 10% (in flat numbers, +1 million nutrients/day). We do have that much spare, so we actually can, yes.
But we can throw that 5 million metal into building space stations around any given gas giants, and get 2.5 million nutrients/day instead.

somehow this merchant reminds me of Tosh.

>>42375159
>He points to the back, where there is a reinforced metal door. He motions for your clone to follow as he walks over to it and punches a number into the keypad beside it, and the door slides open.
Oh yes, they always keep the good shit behind the reinforced doors. Sell this one to us, pet seller!

>>42375306
Tosh from where?

Do you think we could develop tech to mine hydrogen, helium, and heavy metals from stars?

>>42375159
>>42375308
No need to even show what it is, just say the price we take it!

>>42375328
everything is possible with magic~

>>42375305
And honestly, with hive city research underway, we can still have some really cool tech around the gas giants. Maybe something like Bespin City (although it would be hive, and therefore much more efficient).

File: gabriel-tosh-1-thumb.jpg (19 KB, 438x200)

19 KB JPG

>>42375324
Star Craft 2

>>42375224
Absolutely. No matter what way you cut it, those electroponic stations are a far more efficient return for the resources required to construct them. The only limitation is finding a gas giant to support them, but we've barely touched the gas giants in our territory so far.

>>42375342
Bespin city is just a fairly large collection of electroponic stations in hive terms, and we've got 2,000 of them on the way. Once QD get's a chance to crunch the numbers, we'll have a Bespin City of our own.

>>42375377
Yep, that's exactly what I was saying.

>>42375377
>Bespin City
what's that?

>>42375429
Have you never watched Star Wars? It's the "cloud city" from the Empire Strikes Back.

>>42375442
ah, haven't watched it for many years and i'm a bit senile

File: Cloud_City.jpg (46 KB, 640x480)

46 KB JPG

>>42375429
Cloud city in star wars episode 5.

>>42375159
Most of the chamber is simply an office. crowded papers cover a desk, and small cages filled with the multi-colored fluff balls line the far side of the room. Near the back is a large balcony set over a reinforced cargo container. It is covered in warning labels and reinforcing steel bars. There are dents in the metal, and muffled thumps can be heard from within. There is a large creature being held by a freight loader from above the large container, and the roof of it is a thick mesh of transparasteel and titanium plates.

"It is already her feeding time." He says. A group of taidarens work a control panel nearby, and the roof slowly opens. The container shakes slightly, and a loud screech echoes from within. Your clone makes out deep gashes in the metal along the inside.

The crane slowly lowers the animal into the container, and just as it dips bellow sight, the container shakes again, and a geyser of animal chunks fly up, splattering over the walls inside the container. There are loud tearing and crunching sounds, and a bite-covered leg flies up and over the lip of the container before landing with a thud on the ground. The roof of the container quickly shuts.

"The Red Spotted Carnotar. Not quite bright, hard to train, and always hungry." He shrugs, "I'll be honest with you, I've been trying to get rid of the thing for months now. I mean look at it! I could fit a condo in here, I used to store the tribbles in here, I had to move them to my office because the thing smells them and gets riled up!" He says. "I will make you a deal. Fifty thousand credits, and it's yours."

>Agree
>Refuse
>Other

>>42375545
>>Agree
>And we'll I'll take the other two fine specimens you showed me as well.

>>42375545
>Agree
And we might come back for the other ones after we make some sales and get more cash, if it costs too much to get those as well right now.

>>42371136
>Slightly, yes. Capturing a living advanced relay requires an extraordinary amount of luck and effort.

We should lay a Large bio-tank drone then.

Since we've seen with Lyle, you can technically revive the recently dead into your prisoner, even if you killed them.

>>42375545
>>Other
I feel like we can negotiate...lower.

>>42375545
>Other
Try to haggle him down first. Only suckers take the first offer. Maybe mention that we have some exotic never before seen animals on our ship he can peruse for an exchange. Then when he's alone, parasite him.

>>42375545
>Agree
How much do the other 2 cost?

>>42375545
>>Other
So I'm doing you a favor taking it off your hands really.

20 thousand credits.

>>42375545
>other
buy ALL THREE YOU SHOWED ME

>small cages filled with the multi-colored fluff balls line the far side of the room
I seriously want these fluffy balls, goddamn
please?

>>42375545
>Agree
i think this is the start of a beautiful business relationship, i'll be Bach

>>42375613
we can come back and get some after we sell those reactors

>>42375591
This, offer to trade with him. We do have flys on our ship so we can knock him out, right?

>>42375613
one of those small things. For, umm, our kid.

>>42375545
>>Agree

>>42375545
>Agree
But haggle first, it's just good manners.

>>42375629
Yeah. If they cost too much, we just lace an order, go make some sales, and come back to pay up and pick up.

>>42375545
>>42375591
if we have parasites and a way to knock him out on our ship

>>42375660
This.

>>42375660
Did we seriously send a completely hive-controlled ship into human/valen space with no egg-layer, flies, or parasites?

>>42375545
>Agree

>>42375660
I honestly don't see any reason to parasite the guy, he has nothing to offer us that we can't pay for.

>>42375679

>Implying we go anywhere without an entourage of flies and parasites.

>>42375545
imagine if we start parasiting all business owners and staff, we could create a trading empire on the side