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The sun sets, the hazy off-yellow dot slipping bellow the horizon, casting the distant city of New Tokyo in silhouette. The terraces of farmland hum with automated machinery as the lights of farmhouses and small villages dot the frigid landscape as a chilly winter wind whips through the valley as the light of Virgo fades in silence, jagged shadows spreading over the terraced paddy fields as smoke begins to rise from the chimneys of small villas and conjoined community compounds.

A point of light flickers in the sky, a single, glowing dot growing in size shooting across the sky. It grows closer, until its passing offers a distant thundering roar. The space pod arcs over the valley, illuminating it only briefly with a faint glow of atmospheric friction before bouncing off the top of a terrace and landing in the distant pine covered forests beyond with the sound of rolling thunder. It has scarcely cooled from its landing before the inhabiting drones consume it, fleeing into the wilderness in the direction of the distant skyline.

Welcome back to Hive Queen Quest!

>Archives http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Hive%20Queen%20Quest
>Twitter https://twitter.com/HiveQueenQuest
>Various pasta http://pastebin.com/u/QuestDrone
>FAQ ask.fm/QuestDrone
>Discussion page http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest_talk:Hive_Queen_Quest
>>
>>48096387
>Current resource reserves
Nutrients: 22,272,307N
Metals: 20,857,179M
Credits: ₡2,226
Credits in Lyle’s account: ₡1,175,000

Active trade routes
Leeland – Lanway: HMS Orphan, Captain John Spreckels

>Construction underway
[Citadel Hive ship] – 80%
[Fast Assault Fleet] x5

>Formed fleets and orders
Small Heavy Defense Fleet [Patrolling Leeland space]
10 Heavy Battle Fleet [Awaiting orders]
5 Missile Ambush Fleet [Awaiting orders]
25 Light Fleets [Awaiting orders]
20 Light Fleets [Under construction]

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: 6,294,510

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


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

Income:
4.886MN
162.5KM
>>
Reporting.
>>
FOR MOTHER
>>
>>48096430
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
>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]

New Construction Options [Coming soon: Something that isn't the text equivalent of a Crunch Bar]
>>
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>>48096482
Finished Research

>High-altitude spore dispersal
By spraying modified hive spores from a capillary tower at high altitude, the tower gains the ability to spread hive creep several magnitudes faster than any other method you have, contaminating the surface of an entire hemisphere in a mere day, although the creep itself grows at normal speed. The spores are visible as a greenish fog that permeates the atmosphere, especially around the tower itself, and is toxic to non-hive life, forcing any enemies of the hive to make use of rebreathers or air filters. The spores can be made to carry other chemicals or biological agents.

>Complex matter reconstruction
While the teleportation of life still stands locked behind a mixture of technical and philosophical dilemmas, your hives are now capable of transmitting complex molecular structures across vast spacial distances instantaneously, allowing the transport of materials that would normally require extensive industrial effort to refine and produce, further improving the efficiency of your hives and allowing hidden hives to further reduce their needed local manufacturing efforts, lowering their emissions and in turn making them that much more difficult to detect without hampering their abilities to equip its agents.

>Space city construction (construction options to come)
A truly massive construction endeavor, a space city offers an excellent way to claim influence over a region of space, exploit otherwise remote resources, and even offer residence to biological life or perform dangerous research in the safety of remote space. While not capable of altering its velocity with any ease, a space city is capable of being equipped with a wide range of weapons and ship components that make it a cornerstone of any critical star system or deep space location.
>>
NUKE THE WHALES
GAS THE SQUIDS
STAB THE MONKEYS
TRUST NOTHING
THE VOID IS WATCHING
>>
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>>48096510
New Research Available 1/2

>Hive-dusting
Fast
Alternative methods of hive creep spore dispersal is investigated, using a mixture of the semi-automated hive expansion methods already in use and altering the genetic composition to be more autonomous in nature, allowing spores to be deployed from non-stationary sources such as aerial dispersal from drones or spacecraft, as well as air-burst spore bombs launched from orbit, allowing for hive creep to be deployed in a more aggressive manner, effectively weaponizing the self-replicating infrastructure. The process is slower and more localized than the work of a Capillary Tower, however with no need for a tower to be present, the process can be undertaken more readily in the presence of hostile forces.

>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.
>>
>>48096531
that pic

YOU COCK TEASING BASTARD
>>
>>48096531
New Research Available 2/2

>Complex organ splicing
Medium
While it is easy to pull a string of genetic data from most carbon based life and infuse it into the hive, making the inefficient genetic structure of other life accept the more efficient and deliberately programmed hive genetic data is far more challenging. In an ironic way, much of the solution seems to involve the utilization of controlled flaws, rendering the mutations deliberately inefficient in order to be more compatible with the host life so as to avoid dominating the host's genetic structure in the same way as the Hive hybrids and chimeras. Such subtle alterations could offer better, more difficult methods of infiltrating or manipulating non-hive life.

>Add (write in) to research
>Add all
>Leave research as is for now
>Other

In other news, I am currently churning through the rather long list of systems to be charted, and they should be finished in the next day or so and I will put them up in the pastebin for your viewing pleasure.
>>
>>48096591
>>Add all


BUILD HIVE DEEP SPACE CITY NOW
>>
>>48096591
>Add all
>>
>>48096591
>
>Add all

Was there any other chance of saying no?
>>
>>48096591
Current Research

>Psionic sensors
Slow
This is a strange project indeed, and a concept that should not work at first assumption. It utilizes a basic concept of quantum mechanics, that being that the future of a particle effects it present state, and applies it to a mass scale. The hypothesis is a sensor that does not sense a target, but predicts it. The project is still in its infancy, however, and there is hardly any work finished beyond some basic mathematics and theories. As your thinkers attempt to put these theories into practice, however, the first prototypes seems to indicate that said prototypes never existed, causing a bout of confusion among the hive with how to proceed. The project has since gotten back on track, and shows great promise.

>Tachyonic insulators
Medium
You did not find any thinker alive that was working on this strange project, with all of them nearby fossilized long ago. You did, however, find a small sample of prototype material which seems to absorb tachyonic particles and then disperse them in random directions, scrambling psionic signals and making them appear as universal background noise. The efficiency with which this material does this has proven to make researching it rather difficult, as your drones nearly lost the sample for several days until an enterprising Quantum Thinker had a worker team scour the hive for the elusive substance. The testing has resumed, and is running ahead of schedule after the short delay.

>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.
>>
>>48096591
>Add all
>>
>>48096591
>Add psionic Spores, Complex organ splicing.

If possible I'd like to prioritize organ splicing.
>>
>>48096591
>Add all
>>
so how many threads does it take for Fast/Medium/Slow research to unlock?
>>
>>48096591
>Add all

>>48096626
>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 omni-directional, 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.

>Psionic Telekinesis
Very Slow
With the development of psionic imprinting it is now clear to the hive that tachyons can effect real matter in a very real way. While normally so minuscule in nature the forces of tachyonic radiation offers no force whatsoever, a focused, maintained wave of psionics could, in theory, impart a real and measurable physical force. The success of Psionic Imprinting seems to offer prove of the concept in theory, and the only limiting factor now is how efficiently the imparted force from tachyonic particles scales up from the molecular level.

>>48096623
Not likely, but I like to ask.
>>
>>48096531
>Psionic Spores
OH BOY!
TIME TO HIGH JACK OQ DRONES!
Quick question QD, one of our bioweapons (probably the ocean spores) was made from scratch, can we repeat this process to make bioweapons that cause the same symptoms but require the development of individual cures.
>>
>>48096661
Thought progress was made by dice till it pass threshold
>>
>>48096626
>>Psionic sensors
>Slow
>This is a strange project indeed, and a concept that should not work at first assumption. It utilizes a basic concept of quantum mechanics, that being that the future of a particle effects it present state, and applies it to a mass scale. The hypothesis is a sensor that does not sense a target, but predicts it. The project is still in its infancy, however, and there is hardly any work finished beyond some basic mathematics and theories. As your thinkers attempt to put these theories into practice, however, the first prototypes seems to indicate that said prototypes never existed, causing a bout of confusion among the hive with how to proceed. The project has since gotten back on track, and shows great promise.
>
>>Tachyonic insulators
>Medium
>You did not find any thinker alive that was working on this strange project, with all of them nearby fossilized long ago. You did, however, find a small sample of prototype material which seems to absorb tachyonic particles and then disperse them in random directions, scrambling psionic signals and making them appear as universal background noise. The efficiency with which this material does this has proven to make researching it rather difficult, as your drones nearly lost the sample for several days until an enterprising Quantum Thinker had a worker team scour the hive for the elusive substance. The testing has resumed, and is running ahead of schedule after the short delay.
you are a wonderful wonderful Man Drone
>>
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>>48096672
>Photonic armor
Medium
While it is not nearly as robust as what your thinkers promise from the miniaturization of shield technology, these small plates of massive photons are solid enough to deflect weapons fire and absorb energy for a brief period of time. Less a portable defensive shield and more of a temporary deployable cover, this technology, in theory, would offer drones or agents a way to quickly protect themselves during a momentary lack of cover before the photons dissipate.

>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.

>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.
>>
>>48096591
How can spore research unlock organ splicing?

Also Jackob better preserve our trophy by giving it to Coil to stick it in a regen tank before he investigates that shuttle wreck.
>>
>>48096713
Probably some quantum thinker thought of this recently.
>>
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>>48096698
>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.

>Rip Drive
Medium
A powerful, and accurate drive system, it does not move the equipped ship, but allows the ship to rip open a hole in spacetime, creating something akin to an artificial wormhole that bridges the ship's current location with a location of its choosing within its range. This allows not only the ship to move through the rupture, but also allows it to open ruptures for other craft, allowing for the deployment of sub-light craft over vast interstellar distances.

>Deep Core Mining
Slow
Taking planetary mining to the logical extreme, your thinkers believe that your hive infrastructure, if spread across the surface of a world and given enough time, would be able to consume the ferrous metal core of a planet itself.

>>48096713
It's more that the spore research was essentially ticking off the last in a number of prerequisite techs, or caused a quantum thinker to make a mental leap to a new tech tree/tech that was previously locked or missed.
>>
>>48096713
We need it so we can extract it's memories.
>>
>>48096591
>>Add all
>>
Who is best waifu and why is it Lyle?
>>
>>48096748
>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 Cannon prototype
Very slow/Very dangerous
Detailed accounts of several experiments show the slow progress of Project Godsplitter. The cannon 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.
>>
>>48096748
I wonder how much longer it will take to finish the rip drive research. I'm assuming QD must have rolled a couple of nat1s for that by now.
>>
>>48096591
Guess those new pets still aren't here. Are the human agents still busy negotiating or something?
>>
>>48096830
It takes a few threads for them to arrive.
>>
>>48096847
That makes no sense. Orphan travels 2 lightyears per hour.
>>
On today's schedule we have dealing the Aral situation and Commonwealth negotiations.
On a sidenote why did people only start caring about the Skyl ruin now when I was warning about them for a long time.
>>
>>48096387
ForMother!
>>
>>48097100
FormOther!
>>
>>48097062
Cause they forgot

They also forgot that the valen and union been studying skyl ruins for tech and research for a while now
>>
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>>48096781
An intricately decorated wall of unknown age stretches across the massive chamber, detailing ancient battles and long sagas of great Skyl warriors in carefully carved splendor that likely required thousands of hours of labor, the telltale signs of chisel marks indicating it was made by the steady and loving hand of a master Skyl artist. It is eviscerated by a hail of high-ex sting caster slugs in roughly two and a half seconds. Mauser charges through the dust filled debris as Lyle's sledge takes out a column covered in ornate, spiraling renditions of skyl figures, his fist traveling through the stone and making contact with the dented and sand blasted faceplate of mauser's suit, sending him hurtling back through an arching, circular doorway.

Lyle steps forth through the crater left in the frame and the targeting sub brain of his suit scans the area for the target. Mauser reaches through the dust, gripping Lyle by the arm and hooking his shoulder beneath Lyle's, pitching his body up and over. Lyle leaves his feet, and is sent airborne, bouncing down a sloped collection of odd coil shaped structures made of a padded plastic-like material, and he lands on a hardened surface of something akin to concrete. He rolls over and leaps to his feet in time for Mauser to fill the space with plasma before diving down into the fresh crater.

You examine the surroundings through the sensors within the suit, it is a large, circular chamber with a flat surface at the bottom of a sloping set of stairs covered in coiling padded structures wrapped around like springs. Above, a massive brick of dust covered metal hangs from the ceiling with five smooth, glossy sides angled slightly downwards to face the coiling sections of padded loops, and several decent sized structures are embedded into the walls covered in shattered windows and odd looking electrical equipment.
cont.
>>
>>48097123
They also forgot that the skyl ruined homeworld has been claimed by that mysterious valen gate clan for "religious reasons"

They know what it was
>>
>>48097162
Fuck, so much to salvage

Welp at least the valen will be rightly pissed off
>>
>>48097123
No they haven't. The union studied artifacts on Darwin.

But they've only been on this planet for what a month? 3? They barely got a lake going. Building the hypergate took priority not archaeology.
>>
>>48097173
That's this planet...
>>
>>48097173
Wait what?
Which thread was that in?
>>
>>48097123
>Cause they forgot
Actually they said there were no ruins. Hell some people last thread said we have all their tech which is wrong we only have the tech they finished in that system. Why are some people such out spoken idiots.
>>
>>48097162
Sorry sportsball stadium.
>>
>>48097260
He's confusing planets up
>>
>>48097173
>>48097256
>>48097260
Anon has once again made something up. Ignore him.
>>
>>48097173
Tannhauser isn't the Skyl homeworld, that planet was completely annihilated by vengeful crystals. The planet occupied by the Valen was another planet in the system, and judging by the environment, was never heavily settled by the Skyl in the first place.
>>
>>48097260
>>48097299
>>48097304
>>48097307

Hive Queen Quest 8
Blackbox
>FG-883
unexplored binary star system. A white dwarf orbiting a main sequence star. Exploration delegated to Valen cruiser Sings Blissfully under authority of Commander Fredrick Juric. Commander Swims in Deep Waters has waved all rights to colonial authority in exchange for religious charter.

Tannhauser (Space pod cloaked here)
Alternate names: Kerik Ashka – Binary star system of two main sequence stars, one slightly smaller than the other. Recently given an official name by Union officials due to recent Valen settlement projects. Was once the Skyl home system, named for two characters of ancient Skyl mythology, it has no proper translation.
• Aral: precariously perched in the habitable zone, this planet is dry, hot and heavily eradiated. Despite its hostile nature, life has found a way to flourish on the surface. Most of the planet is covered in a shifting dune sea, with a number of mountain ranges isolating a series of relatively small barren landscapes. A number of large valleys exist, carved out by harsh winds and a select few rivers that flow from exposed underground sources. The air is thin, but breathable, however the extreme surface temperature would severely hamper the speed of any above ground activity, and the scarcity of water is cause for concern for any potential colonization effort. The planet is the site of a Valen colonization attempt under Union supervision.
• Debris field: The remains of the Skyl homeworld mixed with naturally occurring debris. The field holds a mixture of minerals and ice, and causes frequent impacts and meteor showers.
>>
>>48097162
AAAAHHH SO MANY RUINS GETTING LEVELED GET OUT OF THE LYLE
>>
>>48097372
The Void punished the skyl for their rebellion dearly and burnt there world to ash
>>
>>48097372
You are grossly misinterpreting the significance of the charter.

That's just how Valen work in human society. The hypergate owners are basically a religion. Of money making.
>>
>>48097414
And secretive, managed to ensure no others found out how the gates work

And we know one of the ftl projects the skyl were testing was a gate
>>
I just want you to know I'm very happy Hive Queen Quest is back Questdrone.
>>
>>48097162
The circular, walled in section in which Lyle and Mauser stand is largely flat and featureless, although a small number of largely useless looking structures stand idle. In one corner, a stone pillar covered in rusted blades largely reduced to dust, in another, the floor has given way to a pit covered in spikes. A large, mostly eroded saw blade peeks out of the floor near the center, and various blocks of stone and metal, built as if for no other purpose but to be obstacles, sit squad in various places around the walled in space, with large spikes covering the edges of the walls where the padded plastic spirals end and the walled in sections begins.

There are mountings covering the spiked walls, as well as many of the obstacles, mostly empty, but some hold odd, archaic looking weapons, obvious as weapons only by their simplicity and brutality, stone age in appearance, although they are all made of gaudy looking materials that clearly required a high degree of technical skill and industrial infrastructure to produce. Few seem practical, even from the biological perspective of a skyl. Large, gaudy looking glaves meant to be worn over the talons, or hooked to the ends of wings, large, curving spears with flexible, spring loaded hilts that have long ago become rigid and brittle. A few, even more simple weapons still seem to hold their edge. Several long spears made of what looks like obsidian blades, several swords carved from what looks like a crystalline diamond alloy lattice, and a number of simple but ornate shields made from something that looks similar to human plasteel covered in the bones of some animal.

cont.
>>
>>48096698
>Photonic armor
Sounds like a great final layor to our ship hulls for the more expensive varients. Combined with the multi layored shielding. Hell, wire the plates into the shielding capacitors and we could absorb energy from attacks to repower the shields, making the ships even more a pain in the ass for energy based foes.
>>
>>48097471
Now you're just grasping at straws. QD specifically stated on the ask page the Valen gates were the product of the same research that led humanity to develop the quantum power tap. It's an indigenous invention on their part and they created it well, well before they made it to Aral.
>>
>>48097471
>>48097513

So if the only valen clan that has a monopoly on gate tech and is considered to act like a religion

Deciding to claim a planet for religious purposes that we know is the former skyl homeworld should raise red flags

And its is possible they take used samples of skyl tech to jump start their projects

They actually figured out how to make it work
>>
>>48097555
It's not the skyl homeworld.
>>
>>48097555
Home system not homeworld.
>>
>>48097574
>>48097590

Are you guys just being difficult and dismissing the possibility that the valen know about the skyl and also know the importance of this system to the skyl?
>>
>>48097500
You recognize some of the technology, but due to its similarity to some of your own and from the details of the skyl data cube you had long ago studied. While most of the weapons are primitive, a few are more advanced. Void Spears, technologically equivalent to a thermal enhanced vibroblade in nearly every respect, a Thunder lance, essentially a kind of shorter ranged sonic sledge that functions largely on contact only, with very little ranged damage potential at all, a number of shock gauntlets more or less stun sticks, very likely long drained of charge, and several deadly sharp mono-filament razor shields, a rather odd choice of defensive equipment with a rather glaring flaw regarding its propensity to easily slice open its wielder more than its attacker.

Oddly enough, while the weapons themselves are hardly anything new to you, their designs are clearly the product of skyl engineering, using a rather painfully over-engineered suite of materials to produce them. You have a hard time finding any real point in making melee weapons out of materials you would typically reserve for starship components, but given the advanced nature of skyl material sciences and their desiger to built things to last, some of them still may yet function.

>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts
>Have Lyle use the weapons and obstacles to his advantage, regardless of damage to the ruins
>Other (write in)
>>
>>48097640
>>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts
>>
>>48097640
>Have Lyle use the weapons and obstacles to his advantage, regardless of damage to the ruins

Less stuff for the valen and union then
>>
>>48097640
Explains why they were willing to leave the smith here

He was going to do some ruin digging after the fight and try to steal as much goodies as possible before the valen got them
>>
>>48097629
No, we just have no reason to think it's at all an issue. Remember that the Valen literally just got here, and it's not like they can go for a pleasant stroll over the planets surface. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they were almost completely ignorant of the Skyl, and even if they weren't it would take some serious assumptions to suggest they were on the planet specifically because of the historical significance to an extinct species.

>>48097640
>>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts
>>
>>48097640
>>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts
>>
>>48097629
The valen have just recently settled this planet, at best they know there was a civilization there before from buildings but they probably haven't found much research yet.
>>48097640
>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts.
Then send drones to search the ruins and surface for anything else.
>>
>>48097660
>>48097700
Why would the Union or Valen have any interest in these artifacts aside from xenoarchaeology? This is all technology they currently possess and is common knowledge throughout their space.
>>
>>48097471
It's not a hypergate! QD already said how the rip drive is totally alien.

One connects two points of space. The other teleports anything in its event horizon to somewhere else.
>>
>>48097640
>Take the fight out of the ruins to preserve the cultural artifacts


Please roll 1d100, best of 3.
>>
>>48097706
>historical significance to an extinct species
Former extinct species.
>>
Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>48097706
>>48097739

Given that we know the union been tracking down and researching skyl ruins and tech it isn't hard to think that the commonwealth and valen factions are doing the same

Hell, mom manipulated the commonwealth to build the psi cannon using a stash on the moon

And the valen have smuggling routes to the ceph world so they may have a inking of what happened in the past

So it is more reasonable to expect that the factions at least know something about the skyl and have an interest in locations where the tech could be...

Such as there home system

>>48097767
The skyl were testing multiple projects not just the rip drive

>>48097779
HWG
>>
Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>48097779
For Mother!
>>
Rolled 31 (1d100)

>>48097779
FOR MOTHER
>>
Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>48097779
we never needed those artifacts anyway
>>
>>48097786
Yeah, but none but us and our AI buddies know that.
>>
>>48097779
>>48097802
Does this mean we lost the cultural artifacts or the fight?
>>
>>48097878
Hopefully it just means they still fighting indoors

Rather not have mauser get a punch in given the suit we gave lyle is not as tough as a union suit,

Our suit is faster and has and can regenerate right?
>>
>>48097878
Considering the way our rolls have been counted in this fight so far, I would expect this to mean some limited damage to the structure and a few bruises for Lyle, but otherwise not affecting things much.
>>
>>48097799
Yes it is hard. The Darwin discoveries were secret. The Valen are on the opposite side of human space.

Humans did not find Skyl artifacts in their own space, only in the Expanse. The Skyl never travelled further than Darwin. And Valen only first traveled past their space when humans gave them the warp drive.

Never the two could meet.

Now the Confederates, MAYBE.
>>
>>48097921
>the suit we gave lyle is not as tough as a union suit
Really? I thought our chitin was equivalent or stronger.
>>
>>48097921
>the suit we gave lyle is not as tough as a union suit
It is.
>>
When will we tell lee and Elizabeth the good news?
>>
>>48097998
Hopefully they were sitting with some popcorn watching these sick fights
>>
>>48098032
I'm talking about ancient aliens man being right.
>>
>>48097966
Forgot that the skyl ruled an empire while they worked for the Void?

And that the void drives allowed them to settle all over the sector?

And they lost contact with other colonies as the void withdrew their support and collapsed their tech base forcing the skyl to start developing it themselves

So yeah it is possible that the valen had skyl ruins in the space

>>48097975
>>48097984
is it? that's good then
>>
>>48097779
Lyle charges, his wings beating up dust and sand as he accelerates through the air, impacting Mauser at well over a hundred kilometers per hour. He wrenches his arm under Mausers and wings, sending him over his head and into a spiked wall. Lyle reaches out to grapple the drop suit, but an armored boot hits him square in the chest and sends him back. Mauser is quick to his feet and tackles Lyle, his damaged spiked sledgehammer firing with a solid punch that catches Lyle in the arm and sends the spike driving clean through the carapace, snapping off inside his arm as he drives Lyle to the ground. The blade of his other arm unsheaths, and he drives it down, missing Lyle's head by several inches as it drives a burning, white hot hole in the ground.

Lyle hoists his fist up and fires his own sonic sledge, sending a shockwave of vibrations hitting Mauser like a truck.He falls back, and Lyle swings his blade as Mauser parries with his own, and takes another punch of a sonic sledgehammer to the sternum that sends him reeling back. Lyle watches Mauser's boots bolt themselves into the ground as Lyle grips the shattered spike and with a wince more appropriate for removing a splinter, rips the massive chunk of metal clean from his arm, leaving a baseball sized hole clean through. He rolls his shoulder, testing to see what works in his arm and what doesn't, and his wings begin to beat as Mauser's weapons spin up and Lyle watches the counter drop steadily to zero as he returns fire, sending his suit flying into a spiral as he closes in and knocks Mauser off his feet, ripping a six centimeter thick chunk of cement up from the ground with him as he stumbles, and then spins, swinging his blade in a near miss that shaves several small sensor clusters from the top of Lyle's helmet, and then brings his broken sledge into Lyle's face, firing the broken piledriver in a muted but still substantial impact that sends him stumbling back a moment and shattering his faceplate.
>>
>>48098080
>And that the void drives allowed them to settle all over the sector?
Their void driven ships were the size of fighters, they colonized other worlds when they defeated the crystal god and had to develop another FTL drive.
>>
>>48098187
Why is Lyle getting his shit kicked in now, when we rolled nat100 after 91 when we rolled against Mauser? Is this guy fucking invincible or something?
>>
>>48098147
>>48098207

Hive Queen Quest 25

There is war. Endless war on endless worlds. Demons and heretics, horrid beings that would defy the gods with their mere existence. The priests listen to the hum of the forest and decree what worlds must burn and what worlds must forish. You watch as year after year, century after century the Skyl that swarm among the city and around the crystal forest become more and more strange. Their motions more rote and predictable.
As the wars go on, fleets go missing, assumed destroyed in the line of duty. Before long, some return. Panic and dissent spreads through the planet as more and more of the fleets return as heretics. The war is far bloodier than any faught previously, and for a short moment the rebels take the planet and bombard the spire. The planet is in ruins, but at the end the spire is gone, missing from its crater for the first time in millennia. The fleet moves to resettle their home.

The skyl fought for a long time for the crystals

Any of those fleets could have settled worlds just to maintain the front line for the war they were fighting
>>
>>48098245
Because we're directing him to do things that are not beneficial to him and not rolling high enough to compensate.
>>
>>48098308
and there was again the colony expansion after the rebellion

So thinking that the skyl never left a presence in the rest of the sector is a bad bet
>>
>>48098308
There's not one mention of those fleets making colonies. You make that up.

Their expansion was at sunlight! They couldn't travel farther than Darwin. If they HAD they would have colonized Earth or something near it. They did not.
>>
Man these guys must cost a fortune to make, but damn if they aren't worth it
>>
>>48098337
The colony expansion after the rebellion was their only colonization attempts, before they only had void driven fighter fleets to move around and they needed the crystal god cooperation to do so, and if they are similar to the ceph they avoided colonizing other planets to stay close to the spire where they get the crystals and orders in the first place.
>>
>>48098416
fleets go missing, assumed destroyed in the line of duty. Before long, some return

Some came back as rebels, some were destroyed but some just go missing?

Leaves the possibility that they could have settled some worlds after they took damage and unable to return

>>48098416
>>48098507

And we know thatboth the humans and valen expanded to a lot of worlds using generations ships before they got decent ftl drives

still leaves the possibility that that the skyl reached far and wide before the void purged them
>>
>>48098552
Just give it a rest dude. You really aren't convincing anyone with your crazy shadowruns and baseless assertions.
>>
>>48098187
Lyle hops to recover, spinning on his foot and turning the momentum of the punch into a sudden lunge. His blade stabs out, Mauser evading only barely as the sword sized blade slices cleanly through several power regulator systems along Mauser's arm, and he brings his sonic sledge up to grab Mauser's helmet with an open palm, firing the sledge and sending him flying back in a hail of metal shards and shattered glass. He lands at an angle, firing his twin rotary as it sputters and dies, the last of its ammo expended and it spins with a faint grinding noise like a blender. A grimace of annoyance runs across Mauser's bloodied face, and the rotary erupts from his arm and bounces across the ground as he leaps up, spinning up his suncaster. It fires several times, exploding a nearby wall and grazing Lyle's arm, blasting own plasma cannon in the process, and then explodes as the thermal regulator flairs with overloaded heat. He jettisons it in kind and lunges forward.

Lyle pulls the trigger of his own sting caster, and it responds with a sputter, the sub brain of his suit shouting alarms of weapon failure and depleted ammo stores, and he extends his blade and plants the claws of his boots deep in the ground as Mauser closes in, a grin growing on his face as deep gashes along his scalp pour blood and medical paste.

They impact, and the sound of thunder sends crowds of small desert animals fleeing from their dens across the dunes of the surface above as Coil maintains vigil, his mind calling for your guidance as ships close in from above.
cont.
>>
>>48098552
No it doesnt. We know they didn't because humans found No Ruins Whatsoever until they went to Darwin. They never got that far.


And Jesus Christ you retard. Going missing is being destroyed or turning rebellious. There is no third option there, you made shit up AGAIN.
>>
>>48098601
>grazing Lyle's arm, blasting own plasma cannon in the process, and then explodes as the thermal regulator flairs with overloaded heat.
Lolwut.

This clause is... Amiss. What explodes?
>>
>>48098680
Mauser's suncaster
>>
>>48098601
>his mind calling for your guidance as ships close in from above.
Shit, valen coming, we need to send a fleet to tannhauser to initiate first contact and claim the planet as holy ground, then buy it from them for cheap
>>
>>48098680
I think mauser damaged lyles plasma blaster and lyle was forced to dump it cause the regulator for it was ruined
>>
>>48098722
Not yet let's have Lyle tell them he came here on behalf of his employer to do business before he was interrupted by the Union's Mercs. It makes things look worse for the Union.
>>
>>48098722
Bitch we got cloaking for a reason. We don't need to kill Mauser.

We can vamoose and make him the Galen's problem. A Union trooper illegally trespassing.

Lylr can rematch later.
>>
>>48098722
Lyle and his crew did there job

Get the union into a diplomatic mess with the valen

We may need to leave the "smith" remains to show the union connection though since it is possible for dropsuits to be bought on the black market but "smiths" are union black ops

We just need to extract the crew from the sector and no one will think we plotted this
>>
>>48098830
Mauser is distinctively and obviously part of a famous group of elites. He's not at all deniable.
>>
>>48098830
>We just need to extract the crew from the sector and no one will think we plotted this
Actually I just gave a suggestion for plausible deniability over here >>48098783
>>
>>48098601
We have a pod near the Cortex.

Can it see if Anderson escaped in a shuttle yet?
>>
>>48098830
Yep, but if the valen do reach lyle or jackob we can have them take pictures of the smith's head and mauser.
Then make the situation worse by sending a fleet for first contact with the union and valen, buy the system, and have a mission success party back home.
>>
>>48098861
Yeah, maybe we could have Lyle knock him out, and then we wipe his memory of the fight.
>>
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114 KB
114 KB JPG
>>48098601
An eye sees several dots appear on the sensors, and Coil examines the surrounding region. Jackob and Dillon are already near the crash site of the shuttle, but the others are not far, at least, not at their current speed. A limb searches for answers, adjusting the sensors as the ship engages its cloak, and finds the silhouette of three high speed interceptors, likely either automated or piloted by human mercenaries judging by their size, and the bulky frame of a slow moving valen shuttle much further behind.

A trace of his aggression still lingers, and twitches through his mind as his grinding maw retracts back within its fleshy sheath.

"Fight. Hide. Flee!" His minds begin to argue, the urge to fight quickly receding as his limbs quiver with fright at the hypersonic fighters closing fast on the crash site. Further above, a ping of sensor static stabs through the atmosphere as the telltale signs of ship to ship combat comes through on the long range scanners. A formation of valen cruisers, armored fortresses fitted for construction, but still more than capable of combat, close in on the comparatively miniscule Cortez, grazing its hull with warning shots as it singes its remaining armor with particle beams.

>Have Coil pick up the ground team now
>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
>Have Coil intercept the fighters and buy time for Lyle and the others
>Other (write in)

>>48098680
That is my bad with the wording. Lyle cut through Mauser's heat regulator, causing his sun caster to explode after several shots, one of which damaged Lyle's weapon.
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
>>
>>48098830
The only problem with us being caught here, is that Lyle kinda shot that nuke into sky.
I doubt that Valen would believe him/us, if we told them it was selfdefense.
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
then
>Have the ground team disengage and meet up in a more secluded location for extraction
>>
>>48098903
>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
Those intercepters aren't going to start shooting an already downed shuttle, we can take our time.

I wonder where Anderson went though.
>>
>>48098861
They gave the ship and its crew all cover stories remember?

The union knows know the basics on how to do black ops

We know he's an elite through our spy but on paper, mauser just a retired drop trooper doing security work

The "smith" though is obviously a custom and expensive piece of work that no groups of freelancers can make

>>48098903
>Have Coil pick up the ground team now

>>48098886
Lyle has a rep of never outing an employer

>>48098932
Are you replying to this guy?>>48098783
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil pick up the ground team now
Calhoun is unimportant comparatively as a target for parasiting or kidnapping.

Let Valem catch him.
>>
>>48098903
>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
Say cheese.
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him

Please roll 1d100, best of 3 for Jackob and Dillon to search as quickly as possible.
>>
Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>48099025
HWG
>>
>>48098903
>>Have Coil wait for Jackob and Dillon to confirm Calhoun's death, or otherwise capture him
>Other
Inform Lyle of the approaching Valen, and get him to either incapacitate Mauser or lure him out into the open desert where he can't hide from the local forces.
>>
Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>48099025
FOR MOTHER
>>
Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>48099025
for Mother
>>
Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>48099025
>>48099060
>>48099082
did you forget !?
For Mother!
>>
>>48098972
He ain't retired fool. He's an iron striker. And a marine.

It says he's an iron striker right on his suit geez.
>>
>>48099114
They gave the crew a cover story remember?

That ships is supposed to be a trader and union CIA probably gave stories about the personal on it that would make sense to anyone looking through the paperwork when they docked

So mauser would be a retired drop trooper since that would explain his implants

It not like they expected anyone to actually see his suit
>>
>>48098972
>Are you replying to this guy?<48098783

Just adding my point of view to the discussion, so to both.


Btw, the Citadel Hive ship is at 80% we probally could use it as our trump card when opening diplomatic channels with union and valen.
We don't have even have to finish it, just blink it in system behind other ships.

>Mysterious 6000m long capital ship, looming at the middle of fleet and vanishes before anyone gets a good view of it.
Should give them a good scare.
>>
>>48099167
Great idea but that depends if the hive ship is FTL capable and won't get damaged from the trip.
>>
>>48099207
What? Of course it's FTL capable.
>>
>>48099167
It would have been done by now if we had capillary towers.
>>
>>48099236
>80% complete
Might not have the drive installed yet.
>>48099255
That reminds me, build maximum capillary towers and nature reserves.
>>
>>48099255
What? i thought it was using dice rolls like research since its a special construction project
>>
>>48099288
>and nature reserves.

Nah senpai, leeland is fine how it is.
>>
>>48099167
We must remember to buy enough Canderon to power enough singularity projectors on the citadel at some point.
>>
>>48099255
We have one already, the capillary towers have a maximum of four over the entire equator.
>>
>>48099025
The debris of the shuttle is scattered over several kilometers of burning wreckage. Fuel tanks explode in the distance as thrusters fire blindly, puttering their fuel reserves away as they bake the nearby sand into glass. Jackob and Dillon are quick to reach the cockpit through a mixture of guesswork and chance, following the bits of the shuttle's cargo and passenger bay buried and burning in the sand.

"No way anyone survived a crash like this." Dillon says. Jackob looks over the smoldering hunk of twisted metal with mild disappointment, and he directs his thoughts elsewhere, as if speaking to someone who is not present.

"I get the feeling that ceph was supposed to bring it down, not, eviscerate it like a cut of meat. Jesus in'a hula hoop, look at this mess! So are we looking for survivors or... bits?"

"Both, I'd say. If your new best friends are as good with biology as they claim, I doubt they need the guy alive. Neural interfaces aren't all that difficult, they're just usually invasive." They slow their inhuman sprint to a light jog as they close in on the wreck, the dust kicked up behind them passing them like a sand storm. A moment later a bolt of lightning hits Dillon in the arm, sending him sprawling back on the dune as his forearm splits like a kernel of roasted popcorn inside his suit, leaving the carapace swollen and charred, the brunt of the beam absorbed through his electrostatic muscle grafts, leaving the arm damaged, but easily repairable where it would likely have been reduced to an electrically charged soup otherwise.

"Holy goddamn shit!" He shouts as he rolls over and grabs his arm. His suit quickly numbs the pain and begins squeezing the damaged tissue, stuffing the wound with medical paste and injecting corrosive acid in the cauterized packets of flesh to eat it away for new flesh to be grown, a process that would be agonizing were it not for the large amount of drugs pouring into his system and the suit dulling the remaining nerves.
>>
>>48099343
CIP pistols are fucking scary when they hit.
>>
>>48099374
Too bad we're scarier.
>>
>>48099343
Fuck it,

Its not worth continuing this fight when the valen are coming

The smith is alive and is now the valen problem
>>
>>48099374
We really need those personal shields.
>>
>>48099157
They can't explain an enlisted marine, not retired, dropping on thrbplanet. They are a fake freighter they shouldn't have one.

What a still enlisted soldier does, his masters must have ordered.
>>
>>48099405
...Pretty sure Calhoun shot that buddy.
>>
>>48099405
>The smith is alive
I thought we already killed it and took it's head?
>>
>>48099343
Damn Calhoun you tough little dwarf.

Better get ready to be stingered.
>>
>>48099385
Yeah we are but fucking some one up through medium armor is a bit surprising. Might be me underestimating them since they were one of the 1st weapons we saw.
>>
>>48099412
Cover story

They gave him a fake id and history

He isn't supposed to actually talk and tell anyone about himself

He was only supposed to come out when they had lyle trapped and kill lyle
>>
>>48099415
>>48099419
The smith is alive and still kicking so the only question is can we afford to keep the fight going?

And if not then Dil and Jac should run like frack
>>
>>48099419
We did
>>
>>48099483
We took the smiths head, anon.
>>
>>48099483
That's not the smith you sperg. Jackob is literally carrying it's severed head right now.
>>
>>48099483
>It drops to its knees, slowly, as if its legs were deflating and loosing strength, and Jackob brings his photon blade into a swift backswing, slicing through the cyborg's neck as he whirls the blade behind him and sheaths it with a loud buzz, his free arm gripping the smoldering skull by a strip of burnt, leathery flesh that now has the consistency of the rubbery alloy it was made of, and pulls it free from its shoulders as the body collapses in the sand.
LITERALLY JUST LAST FUCKING THREAD
>>
>>48099483
The smith was decapitated.
>The smith's blade snaps in half, and it drops the hilt as its arm sprays synthetic blood across the sand. It drops to its knees, slowly, as if its legs were deflating and loosing strength, and Jackob brings his photon blade into a swift backswing, slicing through the cyborg's neck as he whirls the blade behind him and sheaths it with a loud buzz, his free arm gripping the smoldering skull by a strip of burnt, leathery flesh that now has the consistency of the rubbery alloy it was made of, and pulls it free from its shoulders as the body collapses in the sand.
>>
>>48099458
They are a freighter! That is the cover story.

You cannot pretend the enlisted marine is anything else when his regiment is on his drop suit! He was never meant to be caught.
>>
>>48099343
"You get back and stay back, you lawless bunch of lanky-boned shits!" The voice of Calhoun is immediately apparent, his cheery disposition entirely absent. Jackob sprints forward, spotting his figure lodged inside the twisted wreck of a cockpit. Another bolt of lightning arcs out as Jackob jinks to the side faster than the human eye can see, sending the lighting arcing into a dune. His arm whips out to its full length, gripping the pistol from his hands and crushing it in his grip. Calhoun tries to stumble back, his arms scraping against the sand around him that pours in through the broken pilot window, his body covered in bleeding wounds and his legs harshly sheared off from the way the cockpit folded around him like a pair of scissors.

"Take a nap, squat, you don't want to be awake for this." Jackob says, and he sends his whip wrapping around Calhoun's neck, injecting a fast acting sedative before reaching in and pulling him out of the twisted frame of the shuttle, pulling his legs free just below the hip in the process.

"Figured out how he survived the crash." Jackob says. "Guy's a squat. Heavy world adapted. Guy probably felt worse falls down a flight of stairs." Dillon grips his forearm as he moves over to Jackob.

"God damn it. My arm, I can't feel it under the suit!" Dillon says, clearly not amused. Jackob shrugs as he lugs Calhoun's body over his shoulder.

"We'll get you a new one. A better one! Same for his legs while we're at it." He says. In the distance the scream of jet engines becomes closer, and the two quickly leap into the wreckage, hiding beneath the smoldering metal as a formation of fighters circles overhead.

"Shit." Jackob says, and he passes a mental signal to Coil for backup. Coil examines the situation, but finds no intervention is needed. A new contact arrives on the scanners, emerging from high orbit with the silhouette of another of another Union gunship. Nearly instantly the formation breaks off to intercept it.
>>
>>48099343
>I doubt they need the guy alive. Neural interfaces aren't all that difficult,

This is a bit worrying, I didin't realize that the humans even considered that possible.
Oh well, we can soon read their mind from afar too, I doubt they will expect that.
>>
>>48099581
>"We'll get you a new one. A better one! Same for his legs while we're at it."
Ahh, what a beautiful thing. He's already adopting the hive's philosophy.
>>
>>48099581
A new contact arrives on the scanners, emerging from high orbit with the silhouette of another of another Union gunship. Nearly instantly the formation breaks off to intercept it.
IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER
>>
>>48099581
Um how many gunships were the cortez carrying?
>>
>>48099581
Wew

The Union's got themselves into one hell of a clusterfuck now.
>>
Do you guys think this was the same valen clan that gave funding to them some threads ago?

Back when devon and killinger were discussing it?

If it is there will be hell to pay
>>
>>48096619
I want this to happen when we get to see the choices.

Hopefully with this, we don't even need to worry about planets or limited resources because the space cities could harvest nutrients independently in space and then convert them to metals. Then we wouldn't be limited in our territory and could literally build outposts and territory everywhere.

Giant space shipyards, giant nutrient harvesting bases, just being able to keep watch everywhere and anywhere would be such an advantage. We could easily outproduce OQ and have many behind enemy/friend lines staging areas etc.
>>
>>48099581
>"We'll get you a new one. A better one! Same for his legs while we're at it."
A true child of the hive. Now let's see Anderson talk his way out of this clusterfuck.
>>
>>48099747
I bet he'll manage to do it just because you implied he couldn't.
>>
>>48099747
Didn't anderson go awol and leaving this clusterfuck?

I mean he probably snitch that this was a union op to save himself won't he?
>>
>>48099737
That really depends anon, Building a space city from scratch probably takes an assload of resources.
>>
>>48099786
He stole a shuttle and vamped out.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's making a deal over comms with the Valen right now to snitch everything he knows about this in exchange for a whole mess of credits.
>>
>>48099818
A worthy investment. As long as said space city has it's own fuckhuge battlegroup to defend it as well, along with it's own orbital defense weapons.
>>
>>48099818
>>48099838
We need a resource dump anyway, most of our resources aren't really used overall.
>>
>>48099838
I'm not saying it isn't, but at the moment just colonizing a planet is probably more cost to nutrient and metal efficient.
>>
>>48099838
>>48099865
We could make the asteroid into a space city once it's all mined out. Have it towed to the proper location and cover it in ports.
>>
>>48099865
Like I've been saying for three threads, as soon as we get the chance we need to build more Capillary towers on leeland, completely industrialize farcast and refurbish Wonder.
>>
>>48099888
Trips command it.
>>
>>48099865
We can terraform the farcast planet, build a pace trade city in Tannhauser and capillary in leeland >>48099888
>>
>>48099888
QD, is it possible by the end.of the thread to have a lot of votes on stuff we want to start building so that by next thread we can see it all carried through? It really doesn't need that much fluff to occupy threadspace away from the story, and would allow for our hive to continue growing at the same time.
>>
>>48099888
>>48099925
I like these ideas, let's make a to do list.
1. Completely industrialize Farcast
2. Refurbish Wonder, or build a new, better one. With blackjack and hookers (seriously, would make it a hit tourist/trade station)
3. Build one or several capillary towers on Leeland.
>>
>>48099949
We had them last thread but we didn't vote.
>>
>>48099970
>3. Build one or several capillary towers on Leeland.

That should finish Leeland off nicely. We don't need to overharvest it at all, and personally I find it a bit distasteful.
>>
>>48099970
And nature preserves on leeland.
>>
>>48100005
So close to 00000
>>
>>48099970
>>48100005
I can get behind this.
>>
>>48099581
The Cortez lurches again, something distant exploding from the hull as the lights in the spinal hall flicker on and off. Your drones buzz in the room, the rest of the crew preoccupied or indisposed as your parasites work to integrate their minds into your hive. The flies swarm over Michael as they try to stabilize him in the tumbling ship, desperately working to get him to a harness when a sudden jolt sends them all flying into a wall, and the ship is still. Your flies flee back into the bag with the small egg layer as your agent wakes up, every part of his body in agony. He struggles to not move, his skin covered in the sensation of fire and tearing, his head bleeding from various wounds, with multiple broken bones. Each labored breath sends waves of pain through his entire body as his head spins and his eyes struggle to focus.

Several meters away, something begins to cut through the hull. His hazy mind fails to think of anything that could be on the other side but hard vacuum, but he fails to muster the will to care, staying firmly in his spot, floating in the center of the hall. Your flies manage to find a window, the airlock once leading to the hab ring, now showing open space, is covered in shadow, the hull of a valen boarding shuttle meters away, its spider-like clamps held firmly around the Cortez's spine.

>Self destruct all hive assets and agents (will kill all implanted individuals, you have not had time to gain skillsets)
>Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez
>Self destruct all drones not implanted, and have your implanted parasites remain concealed
>Self destruct your egg layer, and have your remaining flies and parasites hide (write in)
>Other (write in)

If you'd like, we can vote on beginning construction of a space city frame this thread, and have the design specifics be retroactive as I add them in.
>>
>>48100037
>>Self destruct all drones not implanted, and have your implanted parasites remain concealed
>>
>>48100005
>>48100036
We do not need them. Completely industrializing Leeland is superfluous because we're not hurting for resources at all.
>>
>>48100037
>>Self destruct your egg layer, and have your remaining flies and parasites hide (write in)
The flies can still hide and provide surveillance, I just hope the Valen aren't anal about contamination cleansing
>>
>>48100037
>>Self destruct your egg layer, and have your remaining flies and parasites hide (write in)
Have them hide INSIDE the shadehound.
>>
>>48100037
>Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez
>>
>>48100037
>>Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez
Our flies are just too sneaky and useful to warrant destroying them, I'm sure they can find a hole in the wall somewhere to hide the egglayer.
>>
>>48100037
>>Self destruct all drones not implanted, and have your implanted parasites remain concealed

>If you'd like, we can vote on beginning construction of a space city frame this thread, and have the design specifics be retroactive as I add them in.

What about Wonder?
>>
>>48100037
>>Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez
>>
>>48100037
>>48100079
>>48100088
This.
>>
>>48100037
>>Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez
>>
>>48100037
Have your implanted parasites remain concealed, and your other drones flee and hide in the Cortez

Once Michael wakes up we need to have him start loudly complaining about how Killinger's going to fuck them up for daring to interfere in the operation and/or start telling the Valen everything we know about what Killinger's doing that might piss the Valen off.
>>
>>48100068
Wait, we don't need capillary towers or we don't need nature preserves? You're replies cover a couple topics and the post is kinda ambiguous.
>>
>>48100037
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>Hide them inside the Shadehound
>Hide them inside Michael
>Hide them inside your new agents and split them among them (write in distribution)
>Other

>Have your egg layer attempt to hide
>Have your egg layer self destruct
>>
>>48100146
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>Have your egg layer attempt to hide
>>
>>48100037
>If you'd like, we can vote on beginning construction of a space city frame this thread, and have the design specifics be retroactive as I add them in.
A trade focused city with ship construction and enough farms to remain self sufficient.
>>48100138
But we might lose Killinger's trust in Michal, we still need him to spy, how about decker?
>>
>>48100145
Preserves, my bad anon. Preserves at this juncture are dumb as we're not completely covering the planet in creep.

Which imo is unnecessary
>>
>>48100146
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>Have your egg layer self destruct
>>
>>48100146
>>Have your egg layer self destruct

>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>>
>>48100138
Good thinking. If you want to be technical, the Cortez wasn't actually doing anything that would impinge on the Valen, who are de jure under Union oversight in the construction of their new colony. We can totally have Michael stir the pot even more before this fiasco winds down.
>>
>>48100146
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>Have your egg layer attempt to hide
>>
>>48100169
>we still need Killinger's trust in Michael

We do?

You think Killy's not gonna just cut everyone involved loose after this shitshow?
>>
>>48100146
>>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
They are actually as capable of blending into their environment as the flies, what with their memetic skin.

>Have your egg layer attempt to hide
>>
>>48100180
Fair enough, I just kinda like the idea of having a series of tourist hotspots on planets with diverse or unique features/ecosystems.

"Intergalactic Hive Tours" proud partner of "FormOther Industries"
>>
>>48100146
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez.
Don't know about the egglayer.
>>48100193
I will agree if it's Decker, we still need Michal.
>>
>>48100146
>>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez
>Have your egg layer attempt to hide
>>
>>48100218
I like your enthusiasm anon, but we could do that without those preserves really. More than 50% of the planet is still wild after all.
>>
>>48100223
Not that it matters Michal was kinglers aid so the correlation is there no need to talk
>>
>>48100201
There is still a chance killinger will at least get Michal back, which is good since we can spy on his plans so i'd rather not ruin that by having Michal leak intelligence when we have other people who can do that for us.
>>48100218
i want the nature preserves to keep the animals for their genes.
>>
>>48100037
I would like the hive city to focus on military production so we can speed up or fleet and capital ship build up
>>
>>48100037
We can hide them in the air vents.
>>
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>>48100263
>Micha(e)l was kingler's aid

...?
>>
>>48100288
Anon, they always check the air vents. That's like, rule one.
>>
>>48100285
We just need to be able to clone them and recreate the animals from a database if anything to preserve species
>>
>>48100251
True and fair enough anon. Besides, if we over industrialize, we can always rebuild the ecosystem in the preserve area as long as we have the genes.
>>
>>48100292
Holy shit that's old
>>
>>48100287
We just need to see costs and we could do many things. As long as our income is greater than our costs, we can do anything. (Supreme commander economy style)
>>
>>48100285
>i want the nature preserves to keep the animals for their genes.
They're still there anon.... They aren't dead yet.

>>48100303
Like I said, there's no reason to. All of those animals are still alive...
>>
>>48100146
Self destruct egglayer. It is too bulky.

Hide flies and parasites in vents, leave 1 with the Frenchman.
>>
>>48100308
>if we over industrialize

This is the snag, we don't NEED to do that now. We aren't hurting for anything and we have a planet to over-industrialize in Farcast.

Leeland has been fine for 56 threads, it's still fine now.
>>
>>48100146
>Hide them inside the Shadehound

>Have your egg layer self destruct
>>
>>48100297
Inside water filter system.

Parasites latch onto flies, which have oxygen recycler to breathe.
>>
>>48100334
Alright, but don't we need to terraform the farcast planet to grow food?
>>
>>48100345
Down the pisshole we go!
>>
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>>48100334
That's why I'm agreeing. Sorry if I didn't post clearly as such. We don't need preserves and if we ever do need them we can make them retroactively so long as we have genetic data.

I still want buggy tour guides though.
>>
>>48100363
No? We can use fusion reactors to grow our fungus underground in our artificial atmosphere.

Not that I'm against terraforming it either.
>>
>>48100146
>Hide the non-implanted parasites in the Cortez

Please roll 1d100, best of 3 for your flies and parasites to hide.

The egg layers seems to be a bit more hotly contested.

>Have the egg layer hide inside one of your agents (Devon, Decker, LeBlanc, Coco)
>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship
>Have your egg layer remain in its bag and pass it off as a contraband alien from the expanse
>Have your egg layer self destruct
>Other
>>
>>48100363
If we are ever hurting on one or the other, we can just convert our resources. But the nature of our empire is we probably won't ever be in a deficit.
>>
>>48100146
Can they hide in an airlock? Cling to the side still exposed to vacuum.

Or the water pipes I guess.
>>
Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>48100391
>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship
HWG
>>
>>48100383
Right, I don't mean to sound snappish or anything.

Speaker tour guides is too cute.
>>
Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>48100391
FOR THE VOID
>Have the egg layer hide inside one of your agents (Devon, Decker, LeBlanc, Coco)
>>
>>48100391
>>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship
>>
Rolled 31 (1d100)

>>48100391
>>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship
>>
Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>48100391
for mother
>>
>>48100391
Hide the egg layer inside coco
>>
Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>48100391
>>
>>48100391
Self destruct. We can make a fly one later.
>>
>>48100386
>We can use fusion reactors to grow our fungus underground in our artificial atmosphere.
That would actually be more expensive in the long term.
>>
>>48100391
>>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship
>>
>>48100407
This is much more civil than my last 4chan debate. back to the quest then. Thanks for the inbetween post entertainment.
>>
>>48100391
>>Have your egg layer self destruct
>>
>>48100391
Why do we want the egglayer alive? It gave us what we needed. It is a liability now, and replaceable.
>>
>>48100432
The reactors don't really cost anything iirc so I'm not sure where you're getting that.

Like I said I'm not against terraforming.
>>
>>48100443
No problem bruv
>>
>>48100391
>>Have your egg layer self destruct
>>
>>48100391
>Have your egg layer hide somewhere on the ship

Please roll 1d100, best of three for the egg layer's attempt to hide.
>>
Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>48100467
>>
Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>48100467
FOR MOTHER!
>>
Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>48100467
FOR THE BLACK QUEEN
>>
Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>48100467
for Mother
>>
>>48100483
FOR FUCK SAKE!
>>
Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>48100467
HWG
>>
Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>48100475
>>48100477
>>48100483
Guys pls

>>48100467
For Mother
>>
>>48100490
imagine what he'd have rolled if he'd praised mother.
>>
>>48100483
YOU DOUBLE NIGGER
>>
Damnit, it was not worth it trying to hide egglayer. We already had flies and parasites.
>>
Hey, a 57's still a minimal pass, right?
>>
Rolled 57 (1d100)

For mother, what could have been.
>>
>>48100519
To be honest if it does run the risk of getting detected it'll self-destruct anyway.
>>
>>48100552
Someone will probably catch a glimpse of the beast.
>>
>>48100565
kek are you shitting me.
>>
>>48100596
Once they find the shadowhound they'll prolly just think it's another pet.
>>
>>48100700
Which they have to catch.
>>
>>48100506
>>48100565
Apparently we don't have to.
>>
>>48100467
Your drones scatter, the wingless drones carried away to various hiding spots by the flies before they flee in their own directions, scrambling into cabinets and workstations and shimmying themselves through wall paneling and nesting themselves amid the conduits. As they leave the hall the Commander and Mordey emerge from the hatch to the bridge. Grey looks at Devon in horror before glancing to the sparks of the arc welder on the hull, and she shouts at Mordey as she grabs at Michael to pull him to a secure location. Incomprehensible agony fills every fibre of his being, the pain too great for him to do anything but lock his gaze at the bulkhead opposite him as his eyes lose focus.

"Agent Devon, can you hear me? Stay awake and listen to my voice, do you hear me?" Grey shouts as Mordey scrambles over his body in professional silence, slicing open his tattered suit with a practiced motion as he attaches various devices from an emergency medical kil over his torso. The voices fade as the hull cracks open, and the circular welded segment is pulled away. A sphere, roughly the size of a beachball emerges, its form covered in tiny air jets and sensor clusters. Its arms unfold by the dozens, each a small, slender manipulator that magnetically or physically attaches to a part of the hull. A cluster of eyes focus in on the crew, and the thing scurries forward to close the distance.

A loud, static roar of the valen trade language at a far too high begins barking out orders as its spindly arms wrench their sidearms from their holsters with a flash of unnatural speed. A moment later, more mechanical drones emerge, each trailing their own long cable into the Cortez as three humanoid looking androids with stubby plasma shotguns emerge and spread out. Two more, unarmed but built like monkeys, with four sets of hands, clamber from the hull breach and tackle Grey and Mordey both before being reeled in by their control cables like fish on a hook.
cont.
>>
>>48100854
The mechanical puppets spread out as the large spider-like orb sends itself skipping into the bridge with a loud and constant clacking noise as it s dozens of manipulators scrape at the wall paneling. Three small emergency care pods, essentially advanced gurneys with built-in trauma systems, float down through the breach in the grips of more of the odd ape-like robots, their heads fastened into small, rotating ball joints in the center of their bodies, connected to both of the identical hips by a set of spinning gyroscopic rings that seem to allow it to fold and unfold in nearly any direction, while its eye spins freely within. They pull your infested humans into the small pods and carry them away, and another of the robots grabs the shadehound as they leave and the other puppets begin clearing the ship room by room.

>Have your flies attempt to infiltrate the valen shuttle
>Have your flies remain on the Cortez
>Split them (you have 5)
>Other
>>
>>48100962
>>Split them (you have 5)
send 2 to the valen shuttle
>>
>>48100962
>>Have your flies attempt to infiltrate the valen shuttle
>>
>>48100962
4 to valen, 1 on cortez
>>
>>48100962
>>Split them (you have 5)
Send 3 to the valen.
>>
>>48100962
>Have your flies attempt to infiltrate the valen shuttle
>>
>>48100962
>Have your flies attempt to infiltrate the valen shuttle
>>
>>48100962
>>>Split them (you have 5)Send 3 to the valen.
>>
>>48100962
>Split them, send 3 to the valen.

Please roll 1d100, best of 3 to sneak through the small hull breach.
>>
Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>48101139
For Mother
>>
Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>48101139
FOR MOTHER
>>
Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>48101139
For the Void Gods
>>
Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>48101139
MOTHER HELP US
>>
Man, ever since this traitor >>48101160
showed up our rolls have all been bad.
>>
Mother is upset, it seems. Must all this void faggotry.
>>
Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>48101139
HWG
>>
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>>48101160
>>
Mother is weak, BQ and the void have been the highest rolls
>>
Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>48101228
>Mother is weak, BQ and the void have been the highest rolls

BULLSHIT

HERE WE GO
>>
Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>48101228
>>48101258
And the BQ's roll
>>
>>48101228
No! You are wrong!

FOR THE MOTHER!
>>
Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>48101228
>>48101267

FOR MOTHER!
>>
Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>48101228
no
>>
Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>48101274
FOR THE VOID!
>>
Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>48101271
umm you forgot the dice

here ya go
>>
Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>48101267
Ha
>>
Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>48101291
For Mother!
>>
>>48101291
>Still can't beat our rolls.
>>48101258
>>48101274
>>48101275
>>48101292
>>48101293
>>48101307
>>
>>48101228
You might be funny if weren't completely wrong and actively fucking up our rolls.
>>
>>48101148
>>48101154
>>48101160

So I guess we pop the Flies? We have been damn lucky when it has come to infiltration previously so accepting that this is out loss is probably smart.
>>
Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>48101347
>>48101351
>Both times void is invoked, it's the highest roll in the set
>Fucking up
K
>>
Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>48101363
BETRAYER

FOR MOTHER
>>
>>48101363
>Implying you aren't sabotaging our rolls.
>>
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>>48101351
>actively fucking up our rolls
>>
Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>48101371
>>48101390
>implying the Black Queen isn't the true protagonist
>>
Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>48101406
We will have our vengeance betrayer
>>
Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>48101451
Not with rolls like that, red queen scum
>>
Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>48101463
Is that roll supposed to be scary?
>>
Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>48101472
Is that one?
>>
Rolled 79 (1d100)

Queen and mother will always save us. She looks after all of her children, adopted or otherwise.
>>
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>>48101139
The boarding craft is massive, but slender, a long set of docking clamps and drone bays built to launch from the outer hull of the much more massive cruisers nearby. Three of your flies swiftly fly through the hatch and into a dark, cold, and humid structure of the shuttle's boarding hall, where the small pods holding your infested humans being floated up and into an outstretched set of cargo processors. A robotic puppet has sealed the shadehound within a large thermal canister wrapped in blankets and medical sensors, and sent it up into the processor along with them. Your flies shoot up through the small cracks in the massive rotating device as it pulls the pods in, and flips them over to the inside of a spinning cylinder, moving enough for a small fraction of gravity.

Above, empty cargo bays and shelves full of harnesses holding dozens, possibly hundreds of various mechanical puppets run all the way to the ceiling, while a number of armed androids march along the halls. One of them flashes a light along its face, and a mechanical voice blurts out a distorted pre-recorded statement in the trade language as they both raise their weapons, a pair of twin barreled shredder rifles by the looks of it.

"Uncontained contaminant detected."
"Halt your movement and surrender."
"Remove uncontained contaminant."

>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle
>Have two flies attack and self-destruct on the puppets while the third escapes
>Self destruct all three flies
>Other (write in)
>>
>>48101494
>>Have two flies attack and self-destruct on the puppets while the third escapes
>>
>>48101494
>Self destruct all three flies
>>
>>48101494
>>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle

Sure, I'm feeling risky.
>>
>>48101494
>>Self destruct all three flies
>>
>>48101494
>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle
>>
>>48101494
>>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle
>>
>>48101494
>Self destruct all three flies
you guys have been acting pretty dumb these past couple of threads for some reason, which is unusual for hqq
>>
>>48101494
>>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle
>>
>>48101494
>>Self destruct all three flies
>>
>>48101494
>>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle
If there's one thing our flies excel at, it's evasion and stealth.
>>
>>48101494
>Have your flies flee and attempt to hide themselves somewhere in the massive boarding shuttle


Please give me another roll, 1d100, best of 3.
>>
Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>48101625
>this time!
FOR MOTHER!
>>
Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>48101625
FOR LYLE
>>
Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>48101625
Por Madre
>>
>>48101625
FOR MOTHER!
>>
Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>48101625
>>
Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>48101625
>>
Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>48101625
HWG
>>
>>48101654
Best son.
>>
>>48101494
>Self destruct all three flies
>>
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>>48101907
little late there pal
>>
>>48101625
Your flies dart away, scattering in the air as the mechanical drones open fire, sending sparks flying over the walls and ceiling as your drones evade and flee, diving through crevices and air ducts. A moment later lights begin flashing across the hall, and an alarm sounds, echoing through the shuttle which is itself nearly the size of a corvette itself. It lurches forward, dragging the Cortez with it as it begins its return to its parent ship, and synthetic, pre-recorded voices begin making announcements over loudspeakers in the walls, filling the shuttle interior with a symphony of pipe organs.

"Uncontained contaminate detected. Unidentified. Secure, locate, eliminate."

The puppets begin repeating the chime, while others are lowered from their harnesses, their sensors lighting up as they drop to the floor and begin marching down the hall, while other, ape like robots begin scaling the walls after your drones.

"Initiate contaminate purge protocol. Ventilation override. Compartmentalize, isolate, purify."

Further down the hall you see a set of large red lights flair up with a loud buzz, and heavy doors quickly slam shut with the hissing of venting air. Even closer another set of doors slams shut, and another. Your flies scamper away, diving through vents as they rapidly shut behind them, the hissing of escaping air becoming deafening.

Your drones dive down, one just barely too slow, and the shunt of an air vent seals it off from the rest. The sound quickly muting as the air becomes thinner, your drone struggling already, its small body still capable of vacuum exposure, but not nearly to the extent of its larger brethren, its thin carapace warping slightly from the rapid drop in pressure. It can feel the vibrations of the mechanical puppets continue their search, the alarms silently shaking the walls as the subtle light of scanning lasers begin filling the hall section, passing back and forth methodically.

cont.
>>
>>48101922
Yeah, I forgot to refresh haha.
>>
>>48101998
Your fly searches for an alternate way out, feeling the vibrations of the hallway segment for an opening but finding nothing. It begins to move, searching for some alternate route, something to chew through or claw open, and a dark, mechanical eye cluster emerges silently over the ventilation grate as the grate slides open. A slender mechanical arm whips out, chasing after your fly as it dives back through the air vent, its abdomen caught by the clawed manipulators of the puppet's arm, and it drags it out into the hall as your drone scrapes at the smooth metal surface before bursting its acid glands, spraying caustic molecular acid over the mechanical puppet as it vanishes from your mind in a flash.

Further along the shuttle's hallway, your remaining two flies continue just ahead of the spreading lockdown. They detect noise, voices ahead, both of them familiar. As they sprint through another hull section, diving through the hall as the air vent ends and narrowly avoiding being crushed by the slamming security doors, they find a pair of the ape-like puppets dragging the Cortez's two remaining crew members into several small, almost coffin-like cells, securing them with restraints into two of the small compartments built into a shelf of at least several dozen identical holding stations, which begin to retract into a small, airtight compartment as the ape-like puppets begin to leave, waddling down the hall, apparently unaware of your flies panicked flight behind them.

>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew
>Have them continue to flee and seek another hiding spot
>Other (write in)
>>
test
>>
>>48102271
>>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew
>>
>>48102271
>>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew
>>
>>48102271
>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew.
>>
>>48102271
We've reached bump limit, new thread QD?
>>
>>48102271
>>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew
>>
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>>48102271
>Have your remaining flies hide in the prison cell with the Cortez crew

Your flies dive into the cramped shelf as the pressure door closes, bathing the small prisoner pods in darkness as your drones flop to the floor, tapping quietly to gather their surroundings.

"Commander?" Mordey says quietly. "Commander?"

"Quiet! They're likely listening in on us."

"Did you see that thing, just before the doors closed?" Mordey asks, audibly shaken.

"No." Grey says back with an impatient tone. "No, I don't really see much of anything at the moment." There is a long silence.

"I-I think it's still in here with us."

"Damnit, would you be quiet!"

"No, really! I mean it. I have just enough night vision to see movement in here. How long are they going to keep us in here?"

"Until they can bring us back to the colony, I suspect, which, given our orbital path, is likely at least seven hours, if not more. I would advise you spend that time getting some sleep."

Your flies shimmy their way up through the shelves of prisoner pods, clicking their mandibles to sense their way along as their eyes examine the dim, but not entirely dark interior illuminated by the faint glow of several small consoles and indicator lights. Mordey begins to struggle against the restraints in a growing panic.

"God damnit Mordey I have hardly slept an hour in the past two days, if you manage to keep me awake the entire trip down, I will rip out those damn saucer eyes with my own two hands!"

"They've got to let us out, there's something in here with us! Is there a microphone in here or something? I'm not going to spend this entire trip locked in here with some alien bug. God, what if it's a gill louse? Jesus! They can survive in open air for days you know. Like... piranhas with claws and legs, do you know how much they can eat?"

You watch as Grey closes her eyes tightly and bites her lip in frustration as Mordey jerks violently side to side, managing less than an inch of movement.
Cont.
>>
>>48102662
Have one of our flies wave excitedly to Mordey.
>>
>>48102687
Time to deprive them of sleep, make the interrogation easier.
>>
>>48102662
Oh man, this is great. Even our little itty bitty flies can cause a panic.
>>
>>48102662
A cloaked pod trails the shuttle as it reconnects with its cruiser and begins to shift its orbit, leisurely drifting back around the planet towards the colony in an elliptical path. You trace your flies as the sealed prison transport shelf is moved lower in the shuttle to a fat, bulky interplanetary shuttle to await further transport.

Your flies continue to examine the interior, as one crawls over the small open roll cage in front of Mordey's pod, rubbing its claws happily, now safe from the ship's containment procedures. Mordey screams, startling the drone and sending it fumbling to the floor.

"What the hell was that?"

"God damnit, this is going to be the entire trip with you, isn't it? You pic now of all times to lose your head? I've seen you get shot at with more grace than this."

>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>Have your flies continue to hide and observe within the shelf
>Other (write in)
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>>
>>48102807
>Other (write in)
Find a way to sow chaos. Preferably by finding the 'open' setting to all of the prisoner pods. ALL.
>>
>>48102862
We're trapped in the pod.
>>
>>48102862
We don't want chaos for the Valen. We want these prisoners taken.
>>
>>48102807
>>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>>
>>48102880
>>48102890
Ah, hmmm. Still though, if we can find how these pods work, we could sow chaos later if needed. Maybe even way way later.
Changing my vote to
>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies continue to hide and observe within the shelf
>>
Well we have useless excess parasites on the Cortex now.
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies continue to hide and observe within the shelf
I'd rather not have all of the crew infected incase the bugs get found out by the Valen
>>
Do we have enough time to cocoon? Grey said 7 hours, we need a full day.
>>
>>48102807
>all this buggin about and all i want is to mess with the confeds

Feels batman
>>
>>48102807
>Have your flies cocoon themselves into within the crew members (will take a full day)

Your flies sharpen their hypodermic blades, rubbing them against one another vigorously as they scurry up along the walls to the pods, crawling in through the open faceplate and quickly crawling over the crew humans as they both begin to scream and fight against the restraints. Your flies quickly inject a mild sedative, and begin cleanly cutting their way in, slowly cocooning themselves within the safety and warmth of the human rib cage.

You have two remaining flies within the cortez, as well as an egg layer lodged firmly within the drain of a toilet, and five remaining parasites hidden throughout the ship, as well as parasites within LeBlanc, Decker, and his shadehound Coco that are quickly finishing their work establishing their connection with their hosts.
Michael remains unconscious for now, and your parasite detects medicine entering his body from an outside source.
If you guys want, I can start working on setting up the next thread.

Also, happy 4th of July!
>>
>>48103031
Happy birthday America!
>>
>>48103031
If you still ahve time to run then we're go for it QD
>>
Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>48103031
I'd be hype for another thread
>>
>>48103031
How fucking horrifying.

HAPPY FREEDOM DAY.
>>
>>48103031
I'd like another thread!
>>
Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>48103031
New thread hype!
>>
>>48103052
>>48103050
>>48103069
Great, let's celebrate our independance by attaching more mind control bugs to people's' spines!

I'll get the next thread set up in just a bit.
>>
>>48103031
New thread sounds good. Want to start construction of capillaries/ships/space cities?
>>
>>48103031
Mild. Hopefully they don't wake for 20+ hours.
>>
Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>48103031
>>
>>48103031
happy 4th of July, LORD bless America!
>>
>>48103031
So...

What happens to the entry wounds?
>>
>>48103089
can we also detonate more century old antimatter warheads?
>>
>>48103115
Why don't humans use them anymore is the question.

Are they inferior to fusion?
>>
>>48103089
>Great, let's celebrate our independance by attaching more mind control bugs to people's' spines!

The best way to celebrate Independence Day.
>>
>>48103159
Antimatter is very volatile and expensive to make in the first place. You can't mine them like Canderon, but you have to make them in places with particle colliders
>>
>>48103115
If our own antimatter warheads (i.e. the immolator warheads) are any indication, they are simply prohibitively expensive to produce, with little strategic benefits over large thermonuclear bombs. I'm sure the Union and Commonwealth have a limited number of them in storage somewhere, but nukes do the mostly the same job for much cheaper.
>>
Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>48103031
>>48103089
>>
I love organ splicing.

I suspect we can make the brain nonhuman like a hybrid, while keeping the rest of the body human.

Like a real world chimera.

So only a brain ectomy would reveal something amiss.
>>
>>48103159
Antimatter is an incredibly efficient fuel for going really fast really quickly, as far as conventional thrusters are concerned, but the fuel is expensive, and unstable to use and produce.

Antimatter rockets also hold the rather odd position of being too good, creating such high G forces in a ship as to cause injury or death to the crew, as well as damage to the ship itself.

In addition, once you get an antimatter rocket going, it is incredibly difficult to get it to stop until the tank is empty.

The use of antimatter rockets was largely a process of the desperation of the Colony Wars. Missile guidance wasn't quite as good as it is today, and as such the Confederacy stuffed a crappy, rudimentary guidance system into a dense radiation shielded missile, loaded in a nuke, and attached it to an AM rocket, hoping its speed and the added potency of its remaining fuel on top of its warhead would help overcome its weaknesses in tracking targets. Improvements in rocketry since then has made this advantage much less rewarding, and the disadvantages much more noticeable, on top of the chance of blowing yourself up when using one.

It's seen by most people in a similar way as us looking back on really cool but largely inconvenient inter-war period weapon designs, and even among the overly expensive warheads available, gravitic missiles outperform them in that regard outright, although hardly anyone uses them for the same reason, they are painfully expensive to produce.
>>
Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>
>>48103293
Still. If not for warheads. Feels like there is more tech tree stuff to unlock with refining and experimenting with antimatter.

Are humans better at refining it than the hive?
>>
You know, things may have not worked out the best for us in this thread. I actually kind of like it when we don't have perfect rolls all the time, though. It makes us have to work for success and makes the times we do win all the more fulfilling.
>>
>>48103355
Besides, we got to freak people out. That's always good. Can't stay hidden forever!
>>
>>48103355
Imagine if we had managed to capture the OQs relay a dozen threads back.
>>
Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>
>>48103372
I'm almost glad we didn't, that would have ended our war with here within the first engagement. The moment we succeed in capturing a relay and attaching a jammer to it, the OQ will be permanently paralyzed with absolutely no effective means of escape.
>>
man if we get psionic spores.

Maybe we can shrink drones below 4cm.
>>
>>48103367
True that. It's probably only a matter of days, and perhaps even hours, until we introduce ourself to the Union humans and the Valen. We certainly don't want the OQ to dominate all first impressions, and we should capitalize on the break-down of diplomatic relations the Cortez incident will cause as much as possible.
>>
>>48103435
Thinkers. Mate.

Won't kill her like the Gardener. Relays will be destroyed like the Builder.

It'll force use of messenger pods between hives.
>>
>>48103450
Doesn't work that way i think.
>>
>>48103476
You fail to realize that once we begin jamming her network she will be completely unable to connect with those thinkers. She will be completely and totally cut off from all her children, and the advance relays her thinkers use to communicate outside of the limited range of their psionic senses will be less than useless. There won't be anyway for any drone to influence other drones beyond their immediate radius, so her hive will cease to be a single functioning civilization and collapse.
>>
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>>48103435
She likely would have some limited contingency in place, since she did use that tactic on others in the past, but it would certainly turn her well organized hive into pockets of isolated resistance at best, seas of comatose drones at worst, likely a mix of both.

She does seem to use thinkers to command her ships far more commonly than you do, an in retrospect, it may be because she is paranoid about you using a jammer on her, just as she once used it on the others.

>>48103589
New thread's up.
>>
>>48103604
I thought we had thinkers on all of our ships by design.
>>
>>48103568
Thinkers ferry messages from other Thinkers running the hives. Duhhh.
>>
>>48103706
Yeah cause we are also paranoid

Great minds think alike
>>
>>48103706
No, QD, means delegating control of the ships to thinkers rather than controlling them directly like we do.
>>
>>48103706
Thinker are default, but we're sticking relays everywhere for direct control, while OQ has one central relay per fleet, and smaller operations (like ambush on Cortez) are entirely thinker-run.
>>
>>48103798
Oh and don't' forget that her relays are mounted on large combat capable drones rather than being sessile.
>>
>>48103769
Extra weird comm in there, should be:
No, QD means delegating control of the ships to thinkers rather than controlling them directly like we do.

We do have thinkers on all our ships, but we control them directly, whereas OQ is at a disadvantage since her fleets are thinker controlled.
>>
>>48103798
>>48103811

Yeah, all this makes me think we may not be being cautions enough with "only" having a nuclear self-destruct option for our relays. If capture of a relay disables us, having all our ships carrying the ability to destroy much or all of our command and control if the self-destruct fails could be very bad.



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