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>>1284708
For Mother

Yay


Daily reminder.
>Raid OQ
>Read the locked memories of that thinker.
>Board a scav vessel for their FTL.
>Send a diplomacy team to earth.
>Build that new FTL prediction building.
>Take Reprive (I think that is the system that our mother made her last stand and it only has mining corvetts, it would be a great test for our raiding fleet.)

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>>1284708
You feel the notice of a Distant Mind
>Psionic research has received a small boost
>Slip drives have a 10% chance to alert you to their usage

>Current resource reserves
Nutrients: 41,293,270N
Metals: 41,618,339M
Credits: ₡602,226
Credits in Lyle’s account: ₡1,175,000

Active trade routes
>Leeland – Lanway: HMS Orphan, Captain John Spreckels
[FormOther brand Fusion Reactors]

>Formed fleets and orders
Citadel Hive Ship – [Awaiting orders]
Small Heavy Defense Fleet [Patrolling Leeland space]
25 Heavy Battle Fleet [Supporting Commonwealth Liberation]
5 Missile Ambush Fleet [Awaiting orders]
30 Light Fleets [Supporting Commonwealth Liberation]
20 Light Fleets [Awaiting orders]
10 Fast Assault Fleets [Awaiting orders]
10 Ambush Fleet
6 Carrier Battle groups

Clone upkeep/special projects and expenses
25 Human captives of the USV Hope – 750
[Gemini]
3 Taidaren Hybrids (105)
4 Human flash clone upkeep – 120
18 Human hybrid clone upkeep – 540
Specializations:
>Tech
>Engineer
>Brawler
[Hive space]
100 Human Hybrids – 3,000
Lyle Rogers – 57
Jackob Eisner – 56
Dillon Reager – 30
Clone/project upkeep – 3,908N

>Income
Metals: 2,950,500
Nutrients: 7,636,000
Net:

Total upkeep
Nutrient costs: 6,675,390

(Nutrient stat + structures) * 1k * dev score + modifiers = Nutrient income total
(Metal stat + structures) * dev score + modifiers = Metal income total

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>>1284725
Hive Territory
[G-426]
*Leeland (capital)
N 60+40
M 45
Development 50

Income:
4.886MN
162.5KM

Defensive structures
>Surface to Orbit Missile System: Uses long range missiles to attack enemy ships in the system (1KN, Additional costs per launch)
>Anti-orbital batteries: Directly attacks enemy ships in orbit (8KN)
Military structures
>Hangar facilities: Deploys atmospheric and orbital drones to intercept attackers, uses aerodynamic and fighter drone designs (4KN)
>Psionic Shroud: Conceals hive activity from psionic senses (1KN)
Industrial structures
>Docking Pylon: (2000) (100KN)
[Empty docks: 8000/8000]
Economic Structures
>Capillary Tower [under construction]
>Smart Mines active: Calculates development stat twice for metal income
>Algae Farm: +25N
>Film harvester dock: +15N
Asteroid mining base: 50KM per day added to nearest planet.

[M-662]
Raligha
N 90+20
M 10
Development 25

Income:
2.75MN
0M

Defensive structures
>Surface to Orbit Missile System (1KN)
>Anti-orbital batteries: 35/35 (8KNN)
Economic structures
>Bloodroot collectors: Pipes running from Bloodroot trees extract nutrient rich sap +20N
>Greystalk farms: [under construction]
>Greenwall pit: Genetically engineered plant efficiently recycles waste material, Extra N income x2
>Temple alter: A place for the Ralighan locals to worship and bring offerings to your hive, built in the likeness of your local fake queen, +500N per day

[M-323]
>Orbital docking pylon: Space for docking and construction of 4 sub capitals or 1 capital ship, (50N)
[Empty docks: 0/4]
>Mining corvette salvage operations +2,688,000M per day (+8000M per corvette)

[Farcast]
Derelict Sensor array

Glassed Hive world
N 0
M 100
D 10

Income:
0N
100KM

>Smart mine mantle excavation: Calculates development stat 3 times for metal income

Deep space waystation
>100 docking pylons (10KN)
[Empty docks 400/400]

FUCK YES

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>>1284730
Finished Research

>Crystal neural jack implant
Your research into the small implants within the brains of the infected humans has revealed a number of interesting if minor discoveries regarding their construction and design, the most astounding of which is that it seems organic, or partially organic in nature. The structure of the implants themselves have appeared to fossilize upon death, likely in some manner of self destruct, and the internal components have entered a kind of rapid deterioration that has rendered your samples little more than shells filled with dust, however study during their deterioration revealed that they were composed of a rare carbon alloy latticed with a protein mesh and a phosphate material similar in composition to human bone. You suspect the implants were somehow grown within the hosts using the hosts' own biological functions, however the material itself has been greatly improved upon in its molecular architecture, giving it similar durability to your own lightweight armor composites. Study of the interior structure prior to full degradation revealed a complex fractal lattice of crystallized nerve cells formed into a kind of carbon based circuit board. While any data held on them were likely wiped the moment the hosts died, it promises some interesting application according to your quantum thinkers.

>Core Rejuvenation
By drilling powerful electromagnets deep within the planet's crust, a massive geoengineering project can be undertaken to rapidly rejuvenate the solid core of a barren world and force it to begin to spin. The spin of the now molten core creates a feedback loop that generates a planet wide magnetosphere, which in turn permits the formation of an atmosphere by blocking out the local solar wind, all while generating friction and heat to make the planet once more geologically active. The process must be maintained, and the drilling installations must remain active to monitor and maintain the effect as the world is still not stable, however most worlds can maintain the effect unaided for centuries.

>Psionic Telekinesis
By using a concentrated and highly adapted psionic signal emanating from a moderate or advanced relay and their equivalent cybernetics, it is now possible to alter the energy state of molecules at a distance, permitting the deliberate application of force remotely. The effect itself has an optimum range of 15 feet, however its efficiency seems to scale down exponentially as opposed to be entirely limited, and manipulating more distant objects is possible, but far more difficult. The effect can be used to target the user, offering a limited and rather inefficient method of movement in the form of levitation, although this requires tremendous concentration and prevents the use of other psionic abilities, but permits the user to adjust their momentum in zero gravity as well as effectively lift themselves into the air by the seat of their own pants, if slowly and with great effort.

>>1284708
QD YOU'RE ALIVEEEE

>>1284708
The end of all things has come, and so have I! Fuck year HQQ!

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IT'S HERE!!!!

>Finished research.
HERE IT COMES! THE ORGASMS!

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>>1284708
>Elizabeth turns back to the lab, this time with more care and an outstretched hand, and slowly the empty drink mug left on the table lifts into the air, and quickly floats into her waiting hand.
TELEKINESIS ACHIEVED
THINKER POWERED RAIL-GUNS WHEN!?

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>>1284744
>Complex organ splicing
While altering the genetic structure of life comes naturally to a Queen, merging it with the less efficient and often flawed genetic structure is often far more difficult than building your own from scratch. To remedy this, you have found yourself ironically having to develop new, less efficient, and somewhat intentionally flawed genetic traits in order to properly merge with the inherently imperfect genetic foundation of non-hive life. The end result, however, is a net gain in performance by improving the overall synergy of non-hive life and any implanted hive-made biological implants or mutations, allowing implants and mutations to be produced from the subject's own genetic foundation and in a way that permits the alterations to more seamlessly integrate into the host body.

>Isolation fields
A simple application of known technology, photonic armor projectors are installed in ships and hive facilities to permit the rapid deployment of fields to stop the progress of attackers and assist in damage control, isolating contagions, momentarily halting decompression, and stifling fires and other potential dangers just long enough for a more measured response to solve the issue. While only a momentary fix, these fields can mean the difference between sustaining heavy damage, and suffering a chain reaction that destroys an entire ship.

>Smith dissection
While you have only a head to study, the contents of the titanium reinforced carbon nano-lattice skull is still rather fascinating. The brain itself, obviously, dominates the contents of the skull, and has clearly undergone a number of highly illegal alterations to the logic and reasoning centers, especially in areas responsible for the human's self preservation instinct and sense of fear, as well as the pleasure center and a number of high end cognitive enhancements that go far beyond what is legally or commercially available. In effect, the subject holds no concept of fear or sense of danger beyond what is likely a very cold and practical sense of self damage, while holding no greater feeling of joy than accomplishing its task. Its occipital lobe is entirely artificial, composed of enhanced augments linked to equally impressive multi-spectrum sensors including a multi-zoom lens in each eye and a number of thermal scanners set in the bridge of the nose within the artificial skin, and a small two way radio is infused into the inner ear linked directly into the areas of the brain in charge of human speech. The areas of the brain in charge of higher reasoning are altered with various but relatively minor implants that seem designed to control certain neural signals, while the various neural pathways composing the brain's memory are held within a matrix of microscopic fiber optics which impede your efforts to accurately draw data from the brain, however the matrix itself seems to offer a more long term survivability for data within than an organic brain.

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>>1284760
New Hive Feature Unlocked
Native Organ Adaptation – Clones and non-hive agents, when in a situation that would permit triggering a metamorphosis, can now grow cybernetics in addition to or instead of altering their clone type. If the subject has lost a limb or other component that typically does not naturally regrow, it can be replaced with a new natural limb or prosthetic. The process is unpleasant, giving the feeling of severe illness as the cybernetic forms within the body and pushes outward to the surface, and its capabilities will slowly develop over several days.

New Hive Feature Unlocked
Hardlight Interiors – Hive architecture is now capable of utilizing hardlight as both aesthetic enhancements and furniture to interior facilities, and as militarized defense systems to halt the progress, or prevent the escape of intruders within the hive. The fields projected by the hardlight emitters are not powerful, and are only capable of temporarily staving off a concerted effort to pass through with any suitable weapon system, but can serve as a moderate obstacle to enhance and already overwhelming defense, or stall until such a defense can be mounted. The projectors can create holograms of any shape or form, however they lack any weight behind them and cannot outright harm intruders by themselves.

New FTL technology unlocked

Rip Drive – The full rip drive is a potent support technology, capable of allowing ships without their own method of travel to traverse interstellar distances. In effect a kind of compact and portable hypergate, the technologies accomplish a similar result through different means. By utilizing what could only be described as a psionic drill, the ship fires a focused and intense multi-spectrum radiation beam to a specific point in space, using a mixture of finely tuned subatomic interactions and tachyonic physics to tear a hole in spacetime leading to the target destination. Navigation is accomplished in a similar manner as a Blink drive, however the range itself is limited to fifteen light years per jump for a one-sided jump, with accuracy and danger increasing exponentially with greater ranges. If another Rip drive equipped ship is at the location, the safe travel range can be doubled. The tear opened holds an accuracy of roughly a light hour but can be shortened to a light minute if guided by ships already at the destination, and exists long enough for a fleet of ships to pass through, its size slowly shrinking from its initial radius over time. The maximum size of the rift created is dependent on the ship using it, and is large enough in its initial size to provide passage for an object of equal size or smaller.

>The drone chitters in a mad panic, its legs twitching in momentary confusion as it rapidly spins in circles to assess the situation,

Our children are to cute...

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>>1284763
New Ship Utility Unlocked

Containment fields – Using a network of hardlight projectors spread throughout the ship in strategic points, the ship is capable of isolating any given location nearly instantly in the event of damage or attack, quickly sealed depressurized hull sections, choking out fires, isolating explosions, and even impeding the movement of intruders. The ship gains the potential to survive otherwise catastrophic damage over a very short period, in some cases staving off the inevitable just long enough to return fire, or in less extreme cases reach a port for repairs. The ship temporarily ignores damage that would otherwise destroy it. The amount of time the ship can continue to function is based on the size of the ship, and the amount of damage sustained past its point of typical destruction. In addition, boarding actions performed against this ship (20N 40M per 100 meters)

New Research Available

Psionic Thermokinesis
slow/mildly dangerous
An even more finely tuned execution of known tachyonic physics, thermokinesis is the practice of altering the energy state of atoms, but instead of altering their velocity, it utilizes a less uniform alteration to increase or decrease atomic vibration, quickly increasing or decreasing the ambient temperature of the target. It may take some time for your thinkers to successfully accomplish this feat, however, without also igniting the laboratory.

Psionic Conduction
slow/mildly dangerous
While altering the physical nature of particles has become possible, using highly controlled tachyonic signals it may also be possible to use the projected psionic energy to subtly alter and transfer other forms of energy in a more direct process than kinetic force. Your thinkers believe it may be possible to use alternate sources of energy outside of the target and potentially use tachyonic signals in order to carry that energy to the target. The early experiments have already proven promising, however it may be some time before the thinkers are capable of producing results without causing spontaneous detonations within the laboratory.

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>>1284771
Cybernetic memory extraction
Fast
With the continued assistance of Theseus and his extensive mechanical research systems, you feel confident in your ability to extract at least partial memory fragments from the largely cybernetic brain of the killed Smith agent. It is too soon to determine if the data is of any use, but it could offer further clues regarding their origin and capabilities.

Memory Seed
Slow
By creating a miniaturized and less overtly useful memory crystal similar in overall function to the white crystals used to record thought by your elders, and modifying it into a neural implant, you believe it may be possible to create a kind of constantly updating backup memory for clones, agents, and even drones that would potentially hold its information after death. The memory seed would theoretically be capable of retaining the full memories of the host individual up to and including the very moment of death, and be able to preserve those memories long after the brain itself has physically deteriorated, a process that typically drastically limits the time frame in which memories can be gathered.

Current Research

>Psionic Spores
Slow
While normally the hive spores used to spread infrastructure are little more than genetically engineered nanomachines, replicating and performing their function alone until their built structure is complex enough to receive mental signals, your mixture of psionic research and advancements in spore related genetic programming has made the idea of a psionically sensitive spore seem not nearly as far fetched as it once did. With a mixture of distributed networking and complex cellular reconstruction methods, it could be possible to create a spore strain that would respond to mental signals.

>Advanced Psionic Imprinting
Slow
With the application of psionic imprinting you are able to influence and alter the state of matter using only focused and precise mental signals. Your thinkers believe this can be taken further, using more accurate signals and more precise manipulation methods to imprint more complex thoughts and ideas more quickly and easily, and at a greater range.

>>1284765
>She quickly moves closer to try to examine the worker as it begins to pluck the shattered accelerometer up off the floor and carries the pieces off with an annoyed hiss.
I need a pouting drone drawn in an anime artstyle NOW!

>>1284718
Why do we want to send a diplomacy team to earth?

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>>1284774
>Psionic Cloaking
Medium
A complex practice naturally accomplished by the Phantoms under the care of the Barren Queen, you have been instructed in the basics, and now all that is left is practice and application. In theory it is simple, using carefully woven mental signals to broadcast a sense of non-existence. While this process is most effective against being sensitive to tachyonic radiation, it can be used against virtually any organic being. A psionic race may find entire patches of planet voided from their minds like a mass-induced psychosis, while less attuned or mentally blind species find details of the cloaked unit impossible to remember or describe, or may simply not notice the unit unless it is alone and obvious in appearance. Simply turning around or standing among a small crowd is enough to become virtually invisible. Unfortunately, this invisibility comes at a cost, as it is omnidirectional, and any unit enveloped in such a shroud would be unable to mentally communicate with others, effectively cutting itself off from any hive network. This ability requires at least a moderate relay or implant to accomplish, although no drone would do so willingly and cut itself off from the Queen without a direct command to do so.

>Personal shielding
Slow
By further shrinking the emitters, your thinkers believe they may be able to eventually make them small enough to be equipped to the carapace of a drone, or to the surface of an armored suit. At this time it is mostly speculation and an eagerness to please mother beyond all reason, and you cannot be sure what the limitations may be, but the thinkers are sure they can do it.

>Shield dome
Slow
The opposite way of thinking as personal shielding, by scaling the shield emitters up further to a size that would be impossible to hold and power on a ship, your thinkers suspect they should be able to construct a defensive perimeter around a hive center protected by a powerful defensive shield. The thinkers that have proposed the idea seem to be certain in the failure of the other project, as they are of this one, and you have had to separate the quantum thinkers as they attempted to disprove each others’ theories more than develop their own.

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>>1284782
>Advanced Psionic Reading
Slow
With your new abilities growing, you continue to hone and develop more advanced methods of using your psionic network. Your thinkers believe that with more practice they should be able to delve deeper into the minds of non-hive life, digging past surface thoughts and emotions and into more detailed pieces of information without resorting to invasive neural interfaces.

>Atmospheric static generator
Medium (is done, but working on how it adjusts the Tower's cost in the new system)
By utilizing the natural friction of a sufficiently dense atmosphere against the surface of a capillary tower, the tower can be made to generate energy to feed itself and reduce its upkeep cost.

>Gravity thrusters
Slow
Similar in function to your Skid drive, the Gravity thrusters essentially surf along pre-existing gravity fields, increasing their performance when in close proximity to major sources of gravitational pull, be it a large celestial body, a star, a planet, an exceptionally large structure or group of structures, or the core of a gravity drive. While in deep space it becomes less effective, the law of universal gravitation means it never becomes totally useless, and when in close proximity to a powerful gravity source it should outperform most other thruster designs with ease.

Available research options

>Psionic Canon prototype
Very slow/Very dangerous
Detailed accounts of several experiments show the slow progress of Project Godsplitter. The canon itself is highly volatile, and even the smallest miscalculation often results in the destruction of the ship, as well as any nearby craft. It can only be equipped to a Hive ship's spinal mount, and requires a functional Void Shard as ammunition. At least a dozen testing sizes were atomized in testing the weapon, and in the end it appears The Gardener never quite perfected it.

>Add all new research
>Add [write in]
>Add Psionic Canon
>Other

>>1284744
>Finished Research

muh bonner

>Crystal neural jack implant
The complexity in such device only makes me even more afraid of the Void Gods...

>>1284781
To find out stuff about that robot chieftain and to snoop for void fuckery caused by the moon canon.
I want to make sure no earth human void cults are found by the Commonwealth/Union.

>>1284789
>>Add all new research

>>1284789
>Add all new research
There is no other choice

Also vote to add containment fields to all our combat ships?
>Y
>N

GAS THE SQUIDS
NUKE THE WHALES
STAB THE MONKEYS
TRUST NOTHING
THE VOID IS WATCHING

>>1284759
>>1284759
>Psionic Telekinesis

I'm torn on the applications. Working best at short range means that it might be good in melee combat, but requiring a moderate or advanced relay limits it. Are there any heavy bruiser units that have relays already?

Using it to shove projectiles is also a short-range application (the shove happens at short range), but I don't know if it'll beat our standard railguns. Maybe it could be used as a boost to standard railguns, rather than a replacement.

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TODAY'S THE DAY

>>1284816
Did you not read that it's great for zero-gravity too or pushing away enemies trying to swarm us? Thinking it's only good for melee show how small minded you are.

>>1284771
>It may take some time for your thinkers to successfully accomplish this feat, however, without also igniting the laboratory.
>however it may be some time before the thinkers are capable of producing results without causing spontaneous detonations within the laboratory.

>mildly dangerous
Goddammit.

>>1284789
>Add all new research

>>1284789
>Add all new research.

>>1284829
no risk no reward

>>1284789
>Add all new research
>Set up safety precautions for Psionic Thermokinesis and Psionic Conduction.
Like maybe having fire suppression armed and ready at all times, and having the Thinkers' temperature and energy level monitored at all times as a warning to spontaneous combustion/explosion.

Does our Psionic tech allow us to fuck with those smith augments?
Will the hive be the ones to teach smiths fear again?

>>1284789
>Add all new research

>>1284829
The current system would mean we'd have to deal with the consequences and there would be no bonuses to dealing with it outside of what equipment we have. I hope you are ready for a lot of fire and explosion.

>>1284828
It's also good for messing up someones movement and stance even at far distances.
We shall Telekinesis trip our enemies.

>>1284771
>In addition, boarding actions performed against this ship (20N 40M per 100 meters)

Nani?!

>>1284816
ZOANTHROPE NOW

>>1284838
We could even use those cooling lasers that we never realy used.
Also when can we expect the giant bug mechs with floating plasma cannons

>>1284760
>Isolation fields
>Containment fields
>Hardlight Interiors

So beautifull...

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>>1284857
IT slows down the time for a enemy take or damage a ship with it.

>>1284865
Anon we use those lasers all the time the problem is they are essentially lab equipment, they aren't actually useful for putting out a fire.

>Psionic Spores

I know a planet with caves filled with scav that would be the perfect test ground for this thing...

>>1284890
To bad it isn't unlocked yet.

>>1284883
I ment more for their ability to neutralize energy which would be useful against fire buy forceing it out of the plasma state.

TIME FOR ADOPTION

>>1284789
>Add: Psionic Thermokinesis, Psionic Conduction and Cybernetic memory extraction

>>1284892
In due time anon... in due time.Besides if we use the spores we might scare the living shit of our allies.

>>1284859
Works for me!

The question is how much force a unit devoted to psionic powers could wield. It'd probably require prototyping a new drone built around it.

There are various mind-altering psionic powers it could use too. Something that can cause panic in any non-Hive life nearby could be a great support to cracking ground defenses.

>>1284893
You have no idea what cooling lasers are do you? You'd be better off using fire extinguishers then using the cooling lasers.

>>1284892
I think we should coat the planet with spores anyway and park a cloaked pod in orbit. It costs us nothing and will slow whatever they're doing down there, also we haven't got to use the creep in combat much yet. It'll be fun.

>>1284904
The hive version of battle meditation we are basically making jedi with this should we tell the curious humans that we get our power from sacred algae in our blood

>>1284910
We don't even own that planet besides less is more, the less we now the more we have to impress them with later.

>>1284917
*the less we use now

>>1284904
Can we make a drone with multiple brains/relays? That might work and i remember our thinkers can be plugged into drones so they can be carried around/serve as commanders.

>>1284904
Too be honest I think the most practical use I can think of it is adding a nausea field and invisibility, and just using it to create chaos on the battlefield and disrupt troop formations or HQ stations.

>>1284933
>That might work and i remember our thinkers can be plugged into drones so they can be carried around/serve as commanders.
Why am I surrounded by such ignorance? Thinker plug into infrastructure and ships not drones.

>>1284933
I don't know if packing additional brains/relays into one drone will be the way to go, compared to having more of the drones with one well-developed psionic-focused brain/relay combo each.

It'd sure be amusing to have a big brain-bug mass that has to be ported around by other drones though.

>>1284949
Is being pointlessly conceited your meme, or something? It accomplishes nothing.

>>1284941
You might be right there. The mind-reading and mind-altering effects seem easier than brute force, at least so far. Weaponizing it is the next step.

>>1284949
Our infestructure and ship out drones and so what masters of biology we our we some how cant do something because were not supposed to?

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>>1284789
>Add all new research

The heavy warrior stomps its feet, digging its claws into a sturdy stance as its blades unsheath and its mandibles chitter. It lunges forward, crushing the ground beneath its blades as Lyle rolls to the side and quickly punches the leg joint along its side with a loud crack but no visible damage. The warrior's blades snap forward, slicing through the air with a wiping crack as Jackob sidesteps the blade by half an inch and sends his arms streatching outwards for the drone's head, pulling him up into the air as he brings his knee firmly between the drone's four eyes as he rolls over and onto its back, quickly leaping again as its tail swipes at the air, clawing at the drone's own back. Jackob catches himself on the ceiling of the small arena with his outstretched arm, reeling himself up as Lyle quickly jabs at its leg joints with his blades, the hot metal glancing off the heavy armor plating with a fountain of sparks and chipped off chitin.

"So this is your idea of a workout?" Jackob says from the ceiling, Lyle only shouts some incomprehensible curse as he leaps into the air to land a firm kick on the drone's side, and its tail quickly grips him and flips him over to the warrior's other side, pounding him into the ground before it tosses him to a wall, cracking the reinforced bone of the hive wall in the process. He quickly kicks at the air to flip himself back onto his feet as the warrior lunges towards him.

Jackob kicks off from the ceiling and wraps his arm arround the drone's tail as it attempts to whip him away, flipping over and onto its back as he grips its head and digs his fingers into the softer flexible neck of its carapace, yanking the head back and bring the drone off balance as it plants its tail in the ground and takes several steps back. Lyle rushes forward, his arms pulsing with their sledges as he punches the drone's front legs again with another pair of loud crunches, and the drone spins itself, its tail whipping into his side and sending him across the room.

The door flexes open as Dillon walks in in time for Lyle to slide into the wall, his arms in front as he breaks his speed while leaving two large cratered pockmarks in the hive wall and dives back at the drone.

"What in god's name are you two doing?" He shouts as he drops his data pad and instinctively pulls his weapon at the ready.

"No, wait!" Lyle says as he pushes against the drone's outstretched mandibles as it holds him in the air, shaking from side to side. "This is natural weapons only, no guns." He fires his sledge against the mandible and it snaps, sending him rolling to the floor as he evades the snap of a blade that shaves off a patch of his hair as the drone's tail wraps around Jackob and pins him to the ground, its blade fighting to reach its mark in Jackob's grip.

cont.

>>1284967
Oh god.

>>1284908
The process of using lasers to strip energy off molecules yes fire extinguishers are better at putting out fires but not so good at stopping explosions or the rapid changing of a matters state.

>>1284956
Well all we need is a drone that can carry an extra relay or two, that way one relay does the nausea field, the other uses telekinesis to assist combat and the drone itself does whatever.
Can we implant our parasites on our own drones? I recall QD said we can with OQ drones to hijack them.

>>1284967
>trying to plug thinker into combat drones without hampering the combat drones is possible
A thinker is a lot bigger than you think anon. As matter-of-fact thinkers are designed not for this because it's retarded to do this when you're psychic.

>>1285006
But we can give drones thinker brains.

>>1284890
You know they don't have a civilian population and they all have space suits or similar on. Can't trust them to breathe in any bio weapons.

>>1284996
I'm not sure what benefit parasiting our drones gives. They're already Hive biology, and anything we put in a parasite could be built right into the drone.

Is it something to do with relays? I might be out of date on the crunch of how they work.

>>1285013
No we can't, we can have a tinker attach itself to drone but replacing a warrior's normal brain with a thinker's is impossible.

>>1285018
The spores are for spreading our creep to hamper their operations physically, we're not trying to give them aids.

>>1285030
What. No. We can do that already, you don't need the spores to be psionic to grow hive infrastructure from them. So that would have nothing to do with psionic spores.

>>1285027
>I'm not sure what benefit parasiting our drones gives. They're already Hive biology, and anything we put in a parasite could be built right into the drone.
It's to give the drone the extra brains needed to make it a Zoanthrope but i guess we can just make organs that replicate that function if QD allows it.

>>1284993
>strips energy
Not quite. You actually shoot photon (energy) in such a precise manner at an object that the object absorbs the photon then radiates a second photon with the energy of the first photon and some of the energy of the energy of the object.
Do you see where it could go horribly wrong?

>>1285027
We could use them as food storage for long missions away from the hive? Or to carry extra ammo or medical supplies or even have small egglayers to make flys on the fly for scouting? Who knows

>>1285039
You mean you want to give the drone a "quantum brain" how new are you anon?

>>1284760
>a number of high end cognitive enhancements that go far beyond what is legally or commercially available.

So, you'd say, better than the augments that Nathan Decker has right now?

Of course we have no need of putting cyber implants in the human brain to make them smarter, the parasite wifi to the Thinker network is already way better than any of those could be, right.

>>1285045
Actually it could be good for independent agent like ones using psionic cloaking.

>>1284978
"Well cut it the fuck out, you just got a clean bill of health and the first thing you do is challenge a living tank to a fight?" Dillon shouts, still holding his weapon but pointing it to the floor. Lyle slices at the legs as he rolls beneath the drone's squat stance, quickly leaping from spot to spot as it brings its clawed feet stomping down on him as he swipes his blades in passing at the underside of the legs, the drone's blades snapping at him whenever it can while Jackob wrestles with the tail's snapping outstretched blade as it stabs at the ground on either side of him as he rolls and ducks out of its way, until the flat of the tail coils itself and slams on top of him, dragging him up and into the air as he arcs over the fight and into a wall. He cups the back of his head in mild discomfort.

"Yea, maybe we should pick this up later." Jackob says as he feels the bruise growing along his head. Lyle gances over to the two of them in time to miss the clawed foot of the warrior as it kicks him out from under the warrior's stance, and a swinging tail pins him to the wall. He curses silently as the drone halts at his mental signal.

"Fine, but I was winning until you started chatting like that dammit!" He says. The warrior grumbles as it moves away, a wall flexing open to permit its tremendous girth to pass unhindered into a vertical transport passage. Lyle simple gets back to his feet, stretching his arms with faint snapping noises. "We're out of beer, out of cigars, not sure what you expect me to do, pick up knitting?"

"I wish you'd give that a try a long time ago." Dillon says with a sigh.

"Liar." Jackob replies. "You know life would be too boring without him starting firefights every few weeks." Dillon only grumbles in reply, holstering his weapon and picking up his data pad.

"Can we just figure out what we're going to do? We can't just stay in this damn hive all our lives."

>Allow them to travel freely
>Send them on a new mission (write in)
>Other (write in)

>>1285044
No, i want to give the drone extra individual brains/relays which will all work together to make a drone capable of using psionic powers as it's major function. I once read QD comparing our ships to a kind of jellyfish that is made up of individual organisms that work together, i want to do the same for a psionic based drone that can multitask with it's powers.

>>1285053
>Other
How would you feel learning about the recent events that happened in Nowhere and the Union?

>>1285053
>>Allow them to travel freely

>>1285053
How about checking out the Valen planet where the Union's kill team is being held. The sooner we get our other spy back into the union with fewer strings attached the better. It should be less of them busting in there, and more of them making an opening for them to escape y themselves.

>>1285053
We can offer to induce the drugs effects they want or if there like thebtwins offer to make the drugs they want other than that
>Allow them to travel freely

>>1285053
>Send them on a new mission
Send them to help break the sieges on that commonwealth world

>>1285053
>>Send them on a new mission (write in)
Can you guys... go undercover on Space Florida, aka Talgo? This human church and reverend seems. Suspiciously successful.

>>1285070
This is also a good idea

>>1285053
>Other
Give them a brief rundown of what happened in Nowhere, that the Black Queen (cursed be her name) is attacking human space and tell them that the Hive has introduced itself to the Union.

I don't think they know yet.

Other than, that,
>Allow them to travel freely

>>1285075
Infiltration missions and disable defenses to allow our swarms to charge in and stuff

Or have them sneak on a scav ship if we get an opening to do so

>>1285053
Do we need heavy hitters for anything atm?

>>1285066
We can tell them, sure, but that going to make them more restless, not less.

>>1285077
>Lyle
>undercover
pick one.
we should take a look over there, but Lyle isn't exactly... subtle.

>>1285053
>Other (write in)
Speaker walks in and says
"Why don't you guys just use the hologram training instead of risking injury training with a live warrior?"
"Also big shit happened at nowhere."

>>1285070
>How about checking out the Valen planet where the Union's kill team is being held.
They literally just left Aral anon. It's their fault those agents are in Valen claws in the first place.

I mean I GUESS we could get them to 'rescue' Anderson and Decker for us, we did still want to copy Anderson's brain expertise.

But we already had Theseus infect the Valen's systems there, so we already have a potential breakout plan cooking.

>>1285075
Mate that has to be a drones-only mission, so the hive gets all credit in the Commonwealth's eyes.

>>1285053
>>1285070

Seconding, also we don't want to give the Valen any more time examining them than possible, the reason the parasites are so powerful is that nobody knows about them

>>1285053
>Allow them to travel freely

Also seconding showing them the latest in cosmic horror.

>>1285090
>>Lyle

Jackob and Dillon ARE subtle though.

And Lyle is only unsubtle once the bullets start flying. He can be kept indoors until then, or sent on an Aral mission instead.

>All these different votes.
"Choose your mission, agent Lyle."

>>1285078
>>1285070
Nope. Bad idea. You guys do realize there is no point to that since the Valen will be trying to hunt down Lyle and not to mention the the crew is currently more useful under the Valen than on our planet.

>>1285074
Actually I just remembered that thiers a frozen hive on path mabe we could offer them a job to go try and make contact with it see if its real or not

>>1285113
>path
Reread that thread anon. It's Djin from the Koenig system.

>>1285113
THIS! We have to find out what that hive on Djin is.

>>1285053
>>Send them on a new mission (write in)
Can you guys break into university labs on Mentan to get the Thinkers more topics to research and copy?

>>1285110
I take back my vote. I say we give them the rundown of current events. After that we can give them a list of mission.s If they want to take a break of world(which since they are now among the most wonted people in the union(though only the high ups know)) things will get eventful anyway.

>>1285053
> let them travel freely.
I wanna see how fast he can burn through his cash on hookers and blow.

>>1285105
This works, honestly. We don't have anything pressing, so we could just offer a bounty board of sorts, let them take what they want.

>>1285128
I agree with this but add a note saying investigating Djin is a priority.

>>1285113
>>1285119
Spelunking underwater and digging through ice is one of the least useful applications of Lyle's and Jackob's expertise. They aren't space archaeologists.

It'd also be hella boring for them, digging through a dead hive.

Come to think of it there will soon be the spore thing happening on Path. Wouldn't it be a good thing to inform them about that.

>>1285053
>Put them in contact with Unity

>>1285138
Djin is currently a military research base i believe, so yes Lyle and crew will be needed.
Their job would be escorting some drones and thinkers into the underground caves, or to go and attack the military for secrets, maybe both.

>>1285138
Considering the fact that the union found it and that were priority number one I think the extent of the operations there would be higher than you'd think

>>1285148
>Djin is currently a military research base i believe,
You believe wrongly. That's Darwin.

We are about to conquer both planets anyway, either by humans surrendering them or by force, so it's moot anyway.

>>1285053
We could also let them go to a different valen trade port to buy personal supplie (Booze, Cigars etc ) and find out what news is spreading in the underground

>>1285158
Yeah we got a bunch of jobs they could do we could just roll a dice and see what one they want

>>1285134
extending, Lyle seems like the type to be unhappy if he doesn't have something to work towards. We could assign values to "bounties" as hive credits or something, let them buy access to fancy toys or other stuff. Seems like it might let him feel like he's doing useful work.

>>1285053
>Allow them to travel freely
Plus backing
>>1285105
>>1285134

>>1285148
Actually when the Path incident happens we could just straight up demand they halt all of these excavation and archeological projects and have them turn them over all of the sites due to their incompentence.

>>1285155
Oh your right.

>>1285158
Better, we could send Coil/a clone thereof to find out how to smuggle himself back to the Ceph homeworld.

Some Valen know how to reach it. We really gotta find out how.

>>1285053
>Have them investigate potential ancient activity on Djin
>Have them assist in rescuing the Cortez crew over Aral
>Send them back to Union space (write in)
>Other (write in)

>>1285162
So just them choose then?

And are we paying them and including a bonus for a job well done? We are making money of our generator route right?

>>1285170
But the ceph homeworld is currently ruled by the void gods, that kind of infiltration mission is better done after we have made several plans in case of void fuckery.

>>1285163
We're making credits with our FormOther venture though. We don't need to give him monopoly money.

>>1285174
>Have them assist in rescuing the Cortez crew over Aral

>>1285174
>Have them investigate potential ancient activity on Djin

>>1285174
>Have them investigate potential ancient activity on Djin
>Other (write in)
Have them pick, djin is priority though.

Lyle and Friends are best used for missions on urban worlds. Diddling around with alien artifacts is for our drones and to be remotely monitored by Elizabeth.

>>1285174
>Other (write in)
Inform them of the potential options then let them choose.
They're free to leave too, if they want.

>>1285174
>other
Tell the news across space (including Nowhere, Hive diplomacy with the Union, Scavenger invasion of Commonwealth, and the soon to be Spore incident on path) and let them choose how they want to help the hive.

>>1285174
>>Send them back to Union space (write in)
Investigate the Unicyclist Church?

Or we can reward Lyle with a vacation to the anarchist waterworld, Arcadia.

>>1285184
Uh won't the Union be suspicious that they have a mole that we send Lyle to Djin right after they start dissecting a drone from Djin? They know he works for us by now.

>>1285189
Seconding the giving them space news idea.

>>1285174
>Have them investigate potential ancient activity on Djin
since these guys are kinda responsible for the cortez crew's problems it would probably be better for us to make some clones and have them go save their asses.

>>1285190
Ah shit that's true.
But i really want to investigate that Djin world.

>>1285190
Well they are trying to defrost an intact drone

So declare psychic bullshit

>>1285174
Actually could we have them go poaching lifeform for hive upgrades?

>>1285174
>Have them assist in rescuing the Cortez crew over Aral

>>1285190
They also dont understand how we communicate they'll probably think that some drones on Djin woke up and sent a distress signal and we can compound this misunderstanding if we want

>>1285189
Supporting this, add it to my vote.
>>1285199
We did say we found nowhere because "We heard screaming" so that might work.

>>1285198
THEY ARE ABOUT HAVE THEIR RESEARCH EATEN BY THE BQ SPORES. WE'RE GETTING NO MATTER WHAT.

>>1285179
It's not an infiltration mission. It's a knowledge gathering mission for a FUTURE infilitration.

We aren't gonna act on the knowledge until we have such contingencies obviously. But we really need to already have that knowledge, the instant other pieces are in place. We have no idea how fast the clock is ticking before the Ceph get enough Canderon to reproduce the Tartarus reactor.

>>1285200
>We meet Lyle because he was poaching our drones for the union.
>Now we're going to have him poach lifeforms for us.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

>>1285189
supporting

>>1285180
I figured it would be closer to "store credit", to give them some shiny toy to work towards that they couldn't buy otherwise. Plus, it would keep them taking a boatload of credits from someone else and buying hive-exclusive stuff for them, though that's more of a guard against anyone else we offer jobs to than our current group.

But, "hive credits" would be another set of numbers to crunch. I dunno.

TL;DR: it would be easier to control access to our fancy toys if we use our own currency.

>>1285200
There's whatever world the Carnotar came from. That sounds promising.

We still have YET to get any huronese razor trout even though we have a hidden underwater hive on Huron itself

>>1285214
Nether we will click in a mournful manner

>>1285212
>It's not an infiltration mission. It's a knowledge gathering mission for a FUTURE infilitration.
But what if the void gods somehow detect coil and his new allegiance and do void fuckery? Im just very worried about such actions.

>>1285189
Nay. We are not spoiling the surprise for the sporesplosion. And we aren't spreading the nigh Lovecraftian knowledge about Nowhere.

And I doubt what good that other stuff would do to know.

>>1285174
>>Have them assist in rescuing the Cortez crew over Aral
This is going to confuse the dickens out of the Union

>>1285189
Backing.

>>1285200
Could be a nice to make an option for them. Pay out a bounty for new specimens, the sort.

>>1285227
What are you on about. They can't do shit without a crystal nearby.

If they could act on Coil at a distance, they could do it right now, in our hive, regardless. He's in no more danger of 'corruption' among the Valen than he is here.

>>1285241
>What are you on about. They can't do shit without a crystal nearby.
The ceph homeworld has a void crystal forest/tower i believe, that's why i'm worried about coil being detected when he gets there.

>>1285174
Send them on a mission to Nowhere, we still need living lithovore samples.

>>1285231
>Nay. We are not spoiling the surprise for the sporesplosion. And we aren't spreading the nigh Lovecraftian knowledge about Nowhere.
There's nothing but advatages in telling them.

>>1285250
Which is only on one part of the planet. The sacred spire.

It's a big planet obviously. He has to stick to the dark underbelly of heretics and criminals.

>>1285180
But anon don't you want to start giveing our kids chucky cheese tokens so they can buy fabulous prizes from mothers toy box

Also reminder most of the reason the Union is expanding into the Expanse is to get alien tech.

>>1285255
They arnt psionicaly gifted(and we dont intend to make them),so as long as they dont get religious or mystically inclined, they wont get swayed by the crystals unless they are nose deep in them, in which case their brains should explode from incompatibility.

>>1285273
God dammit they're just like scavs.

>>1285278
Void found a workaround by using biotech it looks like

So humans around void shards will start developing those crystal neural jacks >>1284744

>>1285281
Wait didn't we also go grave robbing?
>We're the scavs.
>Everyone is scavs.

>>1285297
The difference here is the scavengers make the scavenge.

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>>1285297
So does that mean we can finally get that easily affordable and comfortable seating?

So it looks like we don't have a consensus.

Do we want to just tell them what's been going on and see if they have any hot ideas?

All i want is to see OQ's creep create havoc in the Tokyo planet.

>>1285273
I know Djinn the frozen Cavebug and I think Darwin was the world they kept finding the Skyll artifacts on that they shoved into Yune and Lee's skulls for the Psionic tech

>>1285340
Seems for the best
We just have nothing really needed for them to do right now

>>1285340
I just thing is a bad idea telling Dillon about the possible bio-harzard danger in New Tokyo on acount of OQ's spores. There was a thinker oozing some green blood but i don't thing it was one of her's thinker.

>>1285340
Im game. They probably know where they are best suited, even if its not the most important place.

>>1285353
It's not that we don't have anything, it's more that there's nothing super vital.

>>1285360
>There was a thinker oozing some green blood but i don't thing it was one of her's thinker.
It was, the cavebug is possibly the only non OQ drone there.

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>>1285174
"Well what did you have in mind?" Lyle says flatly. Dillon looks through various news articles skimmed from Union space.

"Well, I dunno. There's a lot of shit going down right now it looks like. The Hive has made official contact with the Union, and it looks like they're damn near occupying the place." Dillon says as he holds out his datapad, showing the images of the massive hive fleet hovering in the skies over New Prescott and a collage of a dozen news sites with zoomed in images of Lee standing beside your embassador drone on the landing pad.

"Well hot damn, he's going up in the world." Jackob says with amusement. "Nothing we can do about any of that though, even if you were still a spook, and you're not. You got fired, remember? For closing up that illegal black site that turned out to be a pet project of the secretary."

"Yea, I remember." Dillon replies. "It looks like there was a fight over Path between hives. I've got some basic intel reports one of those little chirpy ones gave me."

"You mean those speaker?" Lyle asks. Dillon nods.

"Yea, turns out they're getting more active all over the place and are starting to make demands to Parliament."

"What kind of demands?" Jackob asks. Dillon shrugs.

"Hard to say. The speaker I talked to about it just said something about regaining historic territory in the Expanse, so my guess is all those relics the Union's digging up out there belong to the bugs, and it's pissing them off."

"Makes sense," Jackob says. "I'd get pissed too if someone started digging up grandma, but again, you got fired, you don't work for the Union anymore."

"We're all technically traitors now." Lyle says as he polishes his arm blades. "Especially after we shot down a Union ship and you guys killed that tin-headed mother fucker."

>Offer additional information (write in)
>Other

>>1285360
I meant telling them:
*union and commonweath are at war
*commonweath being attacked by scavs
*union unsealing bad stuff at nowhere (don't need to give specifics here, but make them understand it was bad)
*hive now has an embassy in the union
*hive is demanding the expanse from the union

>>1285373
>Offer additional information
Clusterfuck at nowhere and operations in commonwealth space

>>1285340
Absolutely not, Telling the union anything will just give them material to use against us. Even if they decide not to go after us, it's only a matter of time before someone gets curious enough to tear a hole into subs pace to try an learn about THAT WHICH CANNOT BE NAMED.

>>1285373
>Other
Put them in contact with Unity, maybe he has something a bit more suitable for them

>>1285384
Seconding

>>1285383
This, just tell them nowhere had a catastrophic and now shit has escalated.

>>1285373
What happened at nowhere and our sleeper agent(s) getting captured by the Valen

>>1285373
>>Offer additional information (write in)
anything they want to know really, these guys are our friends and 2 out of 3 of them are literally incapable of betraying us.

>>1285383
this is at least a good start.

>>1285373
>Offer additional information (write in)
>"The Unions blundering gained the attention of a species that nearly wiped out the hive's race, twice. We are less than amused, and have a sudden need for additional resources."

>>1285387
I'm not talking about the union, I'm talking about these humans here.

At any rate, we should at least tell them that the black queen is attacking human space and that there isn't really anything for them to do that can't be handled by drones... Do they WANT work? Or we can just let them go freely.

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>>1285371
>it was the OQ's thinker

i know i shouldn't be happy about this...but i'm.

>>1285373
>>Other
Just.... do that 'travel freely' thing from earlier for a while.

>>1285411
>OQ's drones are the ones being dissected instead of ours.

>>1285384
Explain that what happened there caused us to go to red alert and how the void gods are now paying more attention to everyone in the sector now

So no, it isn't just cause we want the union to stop digging up stuff but that they messed with something that caused a lot of problems

>>1285384
This and that you can go where you like just be fucking careful.

>>1285373
>"We're all technically traitors now." Lyle says as he polishes his arm blades. "Especially after we shot down a Union ship and you guys killed that tin-headed mother fucker."
Could he be a traitor to the Union if he was never apart of it? Not sure if he ever expatriated to the Union from the Commonwealth after he escaped prison

>>1285383
also should we give them the basics on the black queen so if they see any of her ships or troops to wherever they decide to fuck off to they can let us know so we can act on it?

>>1285425
"The union basically started an enslavement/extinction event."

>>1285407
>We are less than amused, and have a sudden need for additional resources."
This should be emphasized. The expanse is pretty much the only safe space to get resources from so we can fight Black Queen depsite her 40,000 year head start

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>>1285424
Add the drone from another hive possibly going beserk in the facility. This cluster fuck will be amusing.

Think we will need sock puppets to explain this level of batshit insanity?

Cause they were used to living in a cyberpunk setting but now are entering cosmic horror

>>1285444
I was thinking about that, and it would be strange for a thinkerless drone to do anything but be comatose. Drones have no initiative, they go comatose without instructions from a thinker or a queen.

>>1285444
Its a good thing there prepared for the inevitable cluster fuck

>>1285444
Wait, it's alive? I thought the frozen Cavebug was damaged

>>1285444
Everything Hive in that lab is dead anon.

>>1285373
>Offer additional information (write in)

Basicaly this:
>>1285383
>>1285407

>>1285465
Oh yeah spore only work with a psy network...oh well next time.

>>1285460
It's was slowly unfreezing. I don't know if it's alive.

>>1285459
Like they were prepared last time?

>>1285482
Yeah the guy in charge of this operation was the guy in charge of the last one he said he'd torch the place if they started twitching or something along those lines

>>1285482
Anon the Black queen spores don't need a network to work, all they need is the host bug/ship dead and resources.

>>1285500
Let's hope it will be enough then.

>>1285500
He wasn't in charge of the last one, he survived and learn't a lesson there though and now will no longer tolerate any shit from the mad docs

>>1285508
Really? I though they needed some kind of activation switch...But i guess as soon as a strange bio-mass start to appear on the lab the guy in charge will torch it.

>>1285444
>Ring Ring.
>"Hello speaker speaking."
>"HOW DO WE KILL IT?"
>"Who is this speaker speaking to?"
>"IT'S GILLIAM NOW HELP US!"
>"Oh hello human thinker Gilliam, how nice of you to call this speaker. What is the emergency?"
>"THE CAVEBUG WOKE UP AND IS GOING ON A RAMPAGE! HOW DO WE STOP IT?"
>"Did you try to lock it in a room?"
>"YES, IT CHEWED THROUGH THE DOOR!"
>"Did you try shooting it in the head?"
>YES! SOME GUARDS TOOK DOWN 2 OF IT'S LEGS AND STILL DIED AND VANCE WENT IN WITH A PLASMA SHOTGUN AND MANAGED TO DESTROY HALF OF IT'S HEAD! BUT IT'S STILL ALIVE AND KILLING PEOPLE!
>"This speaker will have to call you back"
>"NO WAI"-click

>>1285535
kek

>>1285535
I should have shortened that 9nth sentence to
>"Did you try shooting it"

>>1285535
To be honest I kinda want them to try and talk to us about hive biology so we can get in to a philosophical art discussion about how the OQ's drones lungs are positioned in away that represents anger or depression

>>1285535
>"Hello this is Speaker"
*Random human voice in the background*
>"OMG IT'S ALL OVER THE WALLS!"
>"May this speaker ask. Who is this?"
>" It's Gilliam!! After it died a massive black mass started to cover all the walls!! We try burn it but it grow to fast..."
*Random human voice*
> "OMG IT'S GROWING ALL OVER JESSICA! IT'S EATING HER!!*
> This speaker need to get back to you later.
>" NO WAI-!"

>>1285582
that's gay

>>1285582
Funnily enough i can see the hive leaving this kind of signature on their genetic estruture. Like a artist signing his paintings.

>>1285582
>"You see, the traitor queen's drone's lungs are put there because every drone has been abused and yelled at since they were born and they wish for the abuse to end, which is why they're in such an inefficient spot, they wish to suffocate to death."

>>1285587
>>1285535
3/10
Apply yourself.

>>1285582
Pfft. That's perfect.
Then we can start critiquing her design choices.

>only one heart? Hive is ashamed to be the same species, this is terrible
>why would you put an acid sack there
>these spikes are so tacky
>she still uses chitin slugs, how quaint

>>1285610
Whats wrong with it? I would enjoy criticism from a master such as yourself.

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>>1285373
Your speaker skitters in carrying a number of freshly woven towels from the hive's manufacturing facilities and a number of chitinous containers of water as it chirps out with obvious glee.

"Not traitors, great help to the Hive!" Your drone shuffles across the room as Jackob and Lyle take the water bottles and towels as it continues its chirping. "Also, not just Union, hive agents as well."

"What do you mean?" Dillon says quickly. The speaker rubs its claws together with glee at being asked for elaboration.

"The Union ship held Hive agents, sleeper agents you would call them, yes! They do things for Mother without knowing they do!" All crew survived. They are now held by Valen gate builders."

"That's not good at all." Dillon says. "They have nasty ways to get people to talk." Lyle stretches his neck and scratches at some distantly remembered pain along the base of his skull.

"The Hive's tech is better." Lyle says simply. "After comparing the two, without a doubt." Dillon shoots him a quick glare.

"Right, well what happens when they find those little mind control parasites, then?" Your speaker chitters for a moment in confusion. "Yea, that's what I thought. Valen are paranoid sonsabitches, the lot of them. Though I bet they'd be willing to hand those poor bastards over to you if you play your cards right. It wouldn't surprise me if the Valen just tell the Union to fuck off away from their gates and claim they are extraditing the prisoners to the Hive. I doubt there's much they wouldn't do in order to keep their gate up and under their control."

Dillon continues to examine the various news articles. Images of a Commonwealth fleet over Mars cover the front page of most of the more recent news articles, as well as a large, stylistically looking blur covered in question marks with the title "Much ado about Nowhere, coverup or communications failure?"

cont.

>>1285535
For some reason I read the speaker's lines in the voice of Fwiffo the Spathi from Star Control 2. Not sure why.

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>>1285610

>>1285621
>"The Hive's tech is better." Lyle says simply. "After comparing the two, without a doubt." Dillon shoots him a quick glare.

Ooooh....our sweet children.

>>1285621
Well good thing we arranged a weakpoint for Theseus to enter then

>>1285640
i think the hacker we gave a symbiont managed to influence the Valen's machine. Also correct Dillon they aren't parasites, they are symbionts.

>>1285621
Of course we're kind of demanding Aral from the Union... and that gate in orbit is very tasty looking.

>>1285652
Yeah, the hacker managed to set up a weakpoint in there network

But we didnt managed to capitalize as that situation became secondary as other major events happened

>>1285657
Pretty sure the Valen wont let us have it. They arnt known as space-jews for nothing.

>>1285652
Yeah uh. Did we even unlock any new expertise from Decker's brain? He seemed more proficient than the criminal hacker we originally copied to create the Tech specialization. https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/130526788901

>>1285671
All we need is the Valen who makes the gates genius, as long as the is incomplete that Valen will be there.

>>1285671
How do you defeat space jew? You turn youself into a space jew.

>>1285691
Or the jew jews himself.

>>1285691
No, pure raw military power

So go full barbarian on their asses and raid and steal what ya want

>>1285691
No, you just need a space oven.

>>1285671
Isn't their gate tech becoming obsolete since there are few valen who know how it even works? They're probably getting desperate for a partner to help then in ther research so all we need is to make ourselves look like the kind of being that doesn't need the gate transportation and the kind of being can keep secrets, both of these thing we've done.

>>1285685
So we must hurry and wage SPACE WAR NOW.

Valen words for enemy and friend are basically the same thing, after all, so time for MAXIMUM BEFRIENDING.

>>1285698
We totally could just raid them to capture the tech by force. If we claim the world of Aral as our own we'd have a causus belli to attack them there.

>>1285702
Warp into the system using a rip drive. "Hey guys what's up nice gate."

>>1285698
That is just the fast and short sited way anon. But i bet the union would be extremely happy if we fought the Valen. Lets just make then see that we are way to costly to fight.

>>1285701
We have a space oven.
It's called Pegasean and it's in Desmond.

>>1285702
It may be able to safely cross dimensions without relying on void shards

Since the gate are somehow reaching the trapped ceph home-world

>>1285708
We are already in space war with the scavs, let's not spread our space and ground forces to thin.

>>1285725
Plus we are trading for intel and tech on the neutral valen space stations/ports

>>1285712
>Warp into the system using a rip drive. "Hey guys what's up nice gate."
Send in an invasion fleet, have some ships use the rip drive to get in while other use the blink drive, then broadcast a message.
"Hey guys nice FTL gate, want to buy some stuff for amazing prices? Just kidding you don't get a choice, buy my shit and have a joint research project with me."

>>1285735
We can become the business and trading partner and/or rivals they've dreamed about

>>1285735
Are you implying Valen don't trade with their enemies?

Or that there aren't innumerable Valen factions, each enemies and rivals of the others?

Valens respect a good enemy, anon.

File: 40de6e02e1cbb31681104441f(...).jpg (398 KB, 551x600)

398 KB JPG

>>1285747
So cheecky.

>>1285749
I like this idea a lot.

>>1285752
Yeah but the gate clan are special pillar in their society aren't they?

>>1285765
There's no official government. The richest Valen hold the most power.

But Valen lower on the ladder would be all too gleeful to tear down their betters if they can climb the power vacuum.

>>1285621
"And are these military reports accurate?" Dillon says to your speaker as it chitters in the affirmative. Dillon examines the autopsy reports from various Commonwealth labs showing holographic sketches and images of Scavenger body parts and cybernetic systems, as well as ship bisections and battle reports. A short clip of your warriors torching a scavenger fire team as human troops gun them down as they flee plays silently amid a dozen other battle reports and debriefings that have been shared with your hive. Lyle leans over behind Dillon at one of the reports.

"Well shit, is that Cunningham?" Lyle says. "I remember that bastard. Highest rank I've ever seen on the front line. He dropped with the rest of us back in the Kittyhawk Rebellion in the first wave. He wasn't the best in the fight itself, since his suit has to haul around a mini command post instead of a proper rocket rack, but still, good guy, far as I can tell." Dillon tries to adjust the datapad away from Lyle in frustration.

"Would you pay attention? All of known space is devolving into war! Commonwealth is at war with the Union, and some other alien race is attacking the Commonwealth, not to mention that foreign hive in the Expanse, and this one pulling shit all over."

"Again, nothing you can do about much of any of that." Jackob says, "but I'm sure we could help out somewhere else. Check it out, they found some ancient looking drone thing on Djin. Humans are on the way out there anyways but right now it's got a good sized PDF for its population and hefty local infrastructure in space. I bet we could make it there under cloak and poke around a bit."

"I bet we could pound a few of these scav things into the pavement too." Lyle says, Dillon looks back confused.

"Why? You've been a wanted man in the Commonwealth for years?"

"Yea, well they look like they can put up a fight." He says, then shrugs, "alright, or we could break out those bastards held by the Valen, I guess we owe them for blowing up their ship at least."

"The Hive also requires a captured specimen from Nowhere!" Your speaker chirps. "They are strange, and must be studied."

>Recommend a mission
>Have them split up with drone assistance
>Let them choose
>Other

>>1285765
I believe that those who know the Gate tech secrets were a religious sect

>>1285757
We can even give them amazing deals that are bordering on charities while robbing them on other deals.
Also aren't their wars basically short periods of terrorist strikes and assassinations? That makes it so easy for us to join.
"Hey there friends, since your such good customers want some high discount ships?"
"Oh my it looks like one of your worlds is having a famine, I'll trade you some food for that unique tech you have."
"Oh hello again? how your boss doing? He's dead? how tragic."

>>1285776
But they are at the bottom because they cant climb the ladder very well. It would be better to work with one towards the top but far enough down as to become partners on our terms.

>>1285788
>Let them choose

Ah no reaction about what happened at nowhere?

>>1285788
>>Recommend a mission
Lyle, go wrestle us a Nowhere silicon lifeform from that dark, sunless world.

Jackob...can you take a vacation to Coral and fish for some of the silicon life there on that bright, sunny beach world? For comparison.

>>1285788
>>Let them choose
You can split up if you want and get drone support or stick together it makes no difference to us.

>>1285788
>>Let them choose

>>1285788
>>Let them choose

>>1285806
I mean they should have been freaked by watching a unity capital ship torn to pieces like the union dudes were

>>1285796
Fucking forgot the most important part
"Oh hello again? how your boss doing? He's dead? how tragic. So what do you think about my deal Mr promotion?"

>>1285788
>Let them choose

if they want to do different things as it looks like

>Have them split up with assistance
BRING IN OUR SPEC OPS!!!

>>1285788
>Let them choose

>>1285788
>Let them choose.

>>1285811
>Let them choose
They don't have to do the same thing, we can send a fireteam with each of them.

>>1285788
Let them choose.

>>1285823
It would take an entire week to make them.

>>1285823
We can put those new stated clones to use

>>1285833
Make some fast clones to assist then while we are at it. Did the Myrmidon project got aproved? Or was Praetorian the name?

>>1285788
>Let them choose

>>1285794
That was just their cover when applying for colonys to the union.

>>1285839
We have 100 human clones in our upkeep. We can send some of then to help Lyle and his friends.

>>1285846
That still takes a full day and the clones will be shit.

>>1285846
Are you talking about the honor guard or black ops?

>>1285862
Black ops.

>>1285794
A religion whose only members are its employees. Religion is just the closest human analogue to a Valen business so well-paying that its employees won't ever betray them.

https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/40616667/#40622021
>>>/tg/40622021
>
To outsiders it seems like a church, (and especially to Union tax offices) but to the Valeen, like all things, it is a form of business, like a guild. Unlike most Valen organizations, however, it utilizes and almost cult-like methodology to ensure that members are far closer and more cooperative with each other then even normal Valen, sacrificing the ideals of fluid and dynamic social structures in exchange for the reliable and seemingly endless demand that the Hypergate produces. Those who hold the secrets of the gate technology are all well aware that it is virtually impossible for any other organization to offer anything worth more then the long term income hyper gate technology offers, in both credits and social influence.

>>1285856
That is actually true.

>>1285788
>Recommend a mission
Go to Djin.

>>1285823
Whatever we do, Dillon is NOT straying away from Jackob or Lyle. He refuses to be adopted! So we have to have one of the other two babysit him.

>>1285860
They'll be shit if we roll badly, which is why i don't want to do it.
>>1285866
>>1285856
Alright then we can send in the 100 clones we have.
Also apparently we're still paying upkeep for the Hope crew.

>>1285860
more like they have a chance to be shit.

The last batch of fast clones we made ranged from okay to missing a finger to albino to oh-god-what-the-fuck-kill-it

>>1285868
So the Valen's have their own Freemasonry. Cool.