Colonylord, not knowing the importance of what just happened, continues about its business and updates us on the three new worlds it has begun seeding. At this rate, it believes we will soon be a force to be reckoned with again. Accountantbrate dimly acknowledges that we are growing faster than anticipated, but it seems more focused on Bernie.

Welcome the good Berniebrate back to the swarm. Task him with finding an unoccupied system and establishing hives on all the planets and asteroids with minerals in the said system.

Not only does this get us a fortress system, it'll keep Berniebrate from going on a rapefest until we have our forces built back up.

How goes the infestation of Icarus IV?

Citybrate, realizing that we have been silent since Bernie's reincarnation, quietly but firmly reminds us that our operations on Icarus are important, and that the queens must retreat to safe territory to recharge their cloaking harnesses.

Well, we should do that then. I take it that none of them have been noticed?

>>12670922
Thus far, no. They have fully infested several farms, and have begun to infest a small village.

We order them to a wooded area. There, they will recharge before continuing out again.

>>12670869
Send Bernie out on its own, without supervision?

>ploviond appears.
Captcha wants a new character?

Holy crap, zerg quest is early!

Okay....

>>12670962

Although I'll regret this later, commune with Bernie. Get a feel for what he's good at (aside from the obvious raep and reap thingy he did while he was a zerglin').

Also, ask Labbrate why he's so dismissive/hostile towards Internbrate.

What we need are some Leviathans, maybe even fuse one with Berniebrate to make some sort of unspeakable horror.

Failing that, perhaps use some wraiths to see what the protoss not on Aiur are up too? I am sure the 'toss on aiur are still cleaning it up.

>>12671001
Bernie's mind is awash with violence, lust, and little else.

We confront Labbrate about its treatment of Internbrate. It denies that it has been hostile. Obviously knowing this is untrue, we ask again. I replies that between us acquiring Nargil and suddenly this new Cerebrate to learn its trade, it feels as if we are trying to replace it.

>>12670945

About the infestation, is it entirely obvious that they're infested? Or the type of infestation where we pretty much have control over their neural functions without the messy organs/chitinous limbs sprouting up all over them in hives?

>>12671054
This is a stealth operation. We had planned to use this as a staging area for some kind of subversive action against Kingston's regime.

>5:287 warriere
Captcha continues to describe its character. A 5-foot-nothing female warrior that weighs almost 300 pounds. Tiny sumo woman?

>>12671053
Assure Labbrate that we could never replace it, and we can never forget its heroism on Aiur with the big crystal thingy. We just feel that his tasks sometimes leave him overwhelmed and we want to help him out.

We should begin setting aside a resource stockpile for the sole purpose moving a decent sized moon. The day humanity finds out we are still around is the day we throw it into Tarsonis.

They may be able to break apart asteroids with battle cruisers and orbital defense platforms, but we'll see how they deal with Zerg Moon!

>>12671095
We assure Labbrate that it is indispensable. Nargil deals only with DNA, not with technology. Internbrate is here to assist it, not to replace it. We remind it of the amazing advances it has made, including its help in dominating the minds of Protoss warriors, something the Overmind Itself could not do.

>>12671053

Ask Labbrate to list his accomplishments since his inception, so very long ago on Besilus (or was that Xenta?). After he does so, point out that no other Cerebrate alive has ever dreamed of doing what he did with all the sciencey integration of technology with Zerg tech. Hell, he sort of discovered how the cloaking (or was that the warping?) systems on an Arbiter work, and I'm guessing that it takes protoss technicians like 100 years of specialized training to even comprehend that shit! And power-armor Ultralisks and Siegetankalisks and Cloaked Nukes (terrans haven't thought of that either!), Gausslisks, and varieties of new Zerg infestation spores! And he used Tsinoseng and used it well, something that protoss are probably raised and groomed from birth to like 500 years of age to do! He did all of this in what is probably less than FIVE years!

Goddamn it Labbrate, you're the fucking smartest, most McGuyverest, most sciencey, most some sort of adjective we can't even think of-est Cerebrate ever! He's Labbrate, and NOBODY can take that away from him. Well, we could technically subsume him, but we'd have to be over nine-thousand different sorts of retarded to do that.

Labbrate, without your expertise, NONE of the Swarm would remain today. Nargil's here to discover new species from the Swarm and to lend his new perspectives to help us AND help YOU. Internbrate is here to learn the biostuff that Nargil's years of experience in service of the Swarm lent him, and to try to learn from Labbrate's own MASSIVE intellect! Maybe some Labbrate's smartness will rub off on him and some of his diligence and meticulousness as well.

This new Swarm is a team effort. Without Labbrate, or any of our Brobrates, we're little more than brainless beasts that just infest stuff and poop creep on the ground.

>>12671135
(Welcome back, vengeful friend. Still raging over the Disruptor?)

>>12671166
I fully agree with that.

Hell, even the Overmind could never have tasked us with that, because we were never that intelligent.

The Overmind couldn't have done so either, and thats why he created us, so that we could make the things that he couldnt do, or think of. Like it or not, Labbrate is really the power of this portion of the swarm.

>>12671160
What information do we have, if any, on the current state of the Confederacy?

I imagine without the Swarm to serve as a scapegoat for Kingston's campaign his police state may start to show some cracks very soon. Unless he's already begun to use his own zerg.

>>12671169
You're thinking of Tarsonis Must Burn.
I'm not him, but I'm keeping the dream (and RAGE) alive!

Labbrate listens to us. It informs us that it feels responsible for us nearly losing Warbrate, for failing to understand Tsinoseng enough to stop Feneschal, and it feared we might believe it had...lost its touch.

>>12671237
The farmers we've infested are mostly out of the loop, but from what we've been able to piece together from the propaganda they witnessed, Prime Chancellor Corvus Kingston has united the Confederacy, Umojan Protectorate, and Kel-Morian Combine into a single power base. The combined threats of rabid Zerg hordes, implacable Protoss warships that can strip a planet's crust from orbit without warning, and the confirmed Zerg infiltrators (one infiltrator, rabid after the Psi Disruptor incident, is kept alive in a specialized cage in Confederation Square outside the Confederate Council Building in Tarsonis City. This former Marshall, James Raynor, froths at the mouth as he scrabbles violently at any passersby) have been enough to keep all of his restrictions in place with next to no resistance.

Mankind is united as never before, in the face of utter annihilation by not one, but two alien species.

>>12671399
... Raynor.
Meh. We should blow up the planet.

>>12671268

Warbrate is an adultbrate... thing. He knows the risks he takes when he goes into battle gloriously and personally. But if Labbrate feels some unresolved regrets toward that, gently suggest that he might go talk to Warbrate and get some closure on that.

As for Tsinoseng... he motherfucking learned how to use it over the span of like, 8 months or so. That's like some small fraction of what the appointed Protoss who are appointed to manipulate it do. Maybe the Overmind could've learned how to use it if it actually thought it was of any worth, but hell, that's not a bad record! As for Feneschal, well, nobody knew what kind of crazy ass protoss-shit crazy stunt she was going to pull. Not even the other protoss did! Hell, if the Overmind & the other Cerebrates had a spare airforce in reserve, we might not have even had to do the desperate skirmish that resulted in the Overmind's death. It's not his fault. Or at least not solely his fault; all of the Swarm was caught off-guard by that one.

>>12671449
>>12671268

(cont.)

All of these things show that Labbrate is not losing his touch. Au contrare, it shows that he's gaining experience and learning and GROWING.

All of us make mistakes. Maybe some of them are preventable, maybe not. But what happens as a result of those mistakes is not what is important; it's what we learn from them and how we use those traumatic experiences to better ourselves that really matters. Labbrate cannot shoulder the weight of the Swarm by himself... nor should he! He has us, and all of the other Brobrates standing right by him, ready to share the burden in our times of need.

Also: Initiate Psi-high-five with Labbrate and all Brobrates (albeit more cautiously with Berniebrate). Then remind Labbrate that he invented that too!

After that, tell Labbrate that if he doesn't want to work with Internbrate, that's his choice. We won't hold it against him if he really doesn't want to impart any knowledge to him.

After all, I bet Internbrate could learn a lot from BERNIE, if Labbrate doesn't feel up to it.

So how did Kingston convince people that Raynor didn't, you know, just have rabies or something like that?

Also nice to see he isn't dead.

Clearly, we must find a way to introduce Kingston to Bernie. Hilarity will ensue.

Anyways... humanity being that united is bad. We may need to bide our time, unless we think provoking them into open war with the protoss without becoming involved ourselves is feasible (we still have those carriers, right? are we up to three now?).

>>12671459
Primarily by allowing Raynor to live past the 10 days that a person with rabies usually survives. That Raynor will, from time to time, extend his proboscis and attempt to infest gawkers. That part silences many naysayers alone.

>>12671454
(Pssst: Artisanlord invented the psionic high five. I'll pretend you didn't say that)

Labbrate thanks us. It apologizes for allowing events to affect it so much. It also apologizes to Internbrate.

Bernie eyes Labbrate's ridge-scratcher with a look we can't interpret. It can't be good, whatever it is.

>>12671498
We have three carriers and one arbiter, though one carrier will need massive repairs to reach full combat capability again.

>>12671563
Repair them as best we can.

Then create a genderless being and use that as a ridge scratcher for Bernie.

>>12671595
Bernie doesn't want anything genderless. It thinks there's quite enough of that. It seems to think our removal of its handiwork from the Swarm is distasteful.

>>12671563
Bad Bernie! That's Labrates ridge scratcher. If you want to rape one get your own. As far as making another cerebrate goes... maybe we could pull Duke out. I suggested Bernie figuring that Nargil would mess up the first one, killing the personality, so I wanted to keep Duke safe. Yes, it was always about reviving Edmund Duke. The swarm needs more southern drawl.

>>12671624
Do it! Do it now!

>>12671399
Humm....

Everything looks OK from the average farmer's point of view, but I'd bet my left dorsal sac that not all is well in the Confederacy. There's probably a byzantine network of politicking going on, with hundreds of Confed. political buzzards just waiting for Kingston to slip up.

The question is, how can we discredit/weaken Kingston's seemingly flawless political veneer from our position?

>>12671595
Hey now, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Bernie needs to EARN that ridge scratcher.

No, having exercised enough restraint to not rape all in his sight does not count.

>>12671624
>>12671636
(We just created a cerebrate. Can we not start a cerebrate factory? Anyway, you might want to deal with the one you just made.)

Bernie wonders what it could do with one of the few infested Protoss we have left...

>>12671636
Though I do wonder what to make Duke. Ultralisk seems appropriate, but so does a Guardian. On second thought, only a Guardian is appropriate for the man.

>>12671666
...What do we know about protoss reproduction?

Also, technically, WE didn't create that cerebrate. Nargil did. We blame him for Bernie.

>>12671666
Eventually I mean. In like 2 threads or so. But Bernie could inadvertently find a better way to bend protoss to our will. If I remember correctly we did use some Bernie when torturing them.

>>12671666
Ok, no.

Bernie, give him command of a small hive, and order him to conduct genetic experimentation until he finds a worthy strain. Tell him his orders are to make something that the Terrans would find to be far too evil to do anything but kill, but hardy enough to slaughter anything from a small troop contingent to lance of Goliaths.

>>12671703
Just great. That's likely to produce something like an omegalisk with, not one, but two dicks!

>>12671722
If it works, and keeps Bernie busy, well... Thats a very good thing.

>>12671703
I second the motion to send Bernie off to a planet to have his fun in private with the point being ostensibly to evolve the swam.

>>12671666

Consult with Nargil about what this unholy union between former Zergling Bernie and whatever he fused with him can do, based on Nargil's preliminary analysis.


>>12671563

Seconding starting repairs on the Carriers and Arbiter. While that's happening, have Labbrate (and Internbrate, if Labbrate feels that is is appropriate) further probe the technologies that make these 'toss ships tick.


>>12671498

Well, if there's one thing that can defuse danger & panic, it's complacency. If we hide for 50+ years and rebuild our strength, the great Zerg War might be percieved nothing but propaganda for keeping the current Confederate facists in power. On the other hand, we could come back to a universe where Protoss & Terran are peacefully non-aggressing each other.

>>12671734
>>12671733
>>12671703
See:
>>12670962

>>12671743
...We promise to check up on him. Often. Every day in fact.

But yes. Let him have his fun, and get him out of our hair... And away from anything with a gender.

>>12671738
On the other hand, with the oppressive Confederacy governing humans and Aldaris in charge of the protoss, I think cooperation is probably unlikely. It's still a risk, though.

>>12671738
Nargil believes this new creature will be capable of releasing toxins and corrosive chemicals from the pustules on its underbelly, as well as compounds of as-yet-unknown composition from its tail. Its numerous appendages are mostly segmented and insectoid, but several of them are fleshy and tentacular. Some of those have excretion glands of unknown purpose in them.

Repairs commence on the damaged carrier. Labbrate politely asks Internbrate to help him review the schematics of the arbiter.

It is unlikely that our current strategic holdings will remain undetected by Terran society for more than a few months, barring internal strife or war. Terran expansionism is well-known.

Relations between the Protoss and the Confederacy are still unknown, propaganda notwithstanding.

>>12671743
>>12671760

I'd have Gorn keep an eye on him (since we're not doing any open warring right now), and have him report to us on a half-daily basis on what Bernie is doing. Also let Nargil get in on these experiments. His expertise plus Bernie's... uh... "enthusiasm" could result in some truly terrific creations. Have Warbrate keep an eye on Bernie as well, if he's not doing anything during our rebuilding.

The Gorn/Nargil/Warbrate triumvirate should be enough to keep us informed on Bernie's shenanigans.

Also, may Zerg Jegus have mercy on our souls.

>>12671826
>It is unlikely that our current strategic holdings will remain undetected by Terran society for more than a few months, barring internal strife or war. Terran expansionism is well-known.
Feasibility of repairing our Protoss ships/building more based upon their designs in order to imitate Protoss while blasting apart any humans who come investigating?

It's not that much better than just taking out explorers as Zerg, but it's better than nothing. We'll need more time to gather strength before we're ready to take on the humans... or the Protoss again, for that matter. Discovery now would be unfortunate.

>>12671826
Do we have any protoss or terran light recon units available? If not, could we design or produce some using terran facilities? I say get Labbrate on this, if need be. We need some basic recon without the risk of alerting the terrans to our resurgence.

In particular, if we have protoss observers...

Does Labbrate think it would be possible to use our arbiter to warp in some observers?

>>12671826
Can we place some kind of protoss based defensive technology onto each and every single asteroid in the system, so that if the Terran ever enter the systyem, they recieve a face full of plasma.

>>12671826
Well, once we repair the Carriers we can have them warp to a Terran colony, glass it from orbit, and warp away. The Confederacy is already uncomfortable with the Protoss. The real problem is that Kingston doesn't know about the death of the overmind, so a non-aggression/interference treaty might look rather appealing to Kingston... Aldaris however...

>>12671760
(Alright, then)

Bernie is delighted when we give it domain over its own world, Ayhem II, to do with as it pleases. It and several drones depart immediately, trailing psionic images of drones coating large tunnels with Creep to create skyscraper-capacity continental vaginae. We stop ourselves from wondering what will take advantage of these tunnels.

>>12671876

What is the current status of available crew for Wraiths, Siege tanks, and Battlecruisers and Carriers?

Can we have Narqil create a new strain expressly designed for operating tech?

What is the current range of our siege cannons, and what shell types do they use?

>>12671875

Oh, yes. Aldaris is EXECUTOR now, right?

If he's still as wonderfully Conclave-ish as he was in the pre-Brood War era, it just might be possible to provoke hostile feelings in the Protoss against the Terrans. Tassadar's presence may mitigate that, however... Zeratul as well.

>>12671907

While that may be true, I'm pretty sure that the reason Tassadar and Zeratul were so human-friendly was because of Raynor in the original campaign.

>>12671891
Yes Nargil needs to make zerglings WITH THUMBS! WEE NEEDED THEM ON MONDAY BUT THEY DID NOT EXIST!

>>12671876

OH JEGUS!

WE'VE CREATED A MONSTER!

Do we know if the terrans are holding zerg and experimenting on them somewhere? Seems like such a thing would be likely.

All we have to do is insure the protoss find out about it some how and bzzzzzzzzt beam from orbit!

>>12671876
So...

We're going to be a long way away from Bernie's world, because that's where Slaanesh is going to be born.

>>12671856
With current understandings, we could begin construction of scouts immediately, though Protoss vehicles are almost prohibitively expensive to build.
(Remember: You never built one in-game. They just cost that much to warp in pre-made)

>>12671868
We have no observers to warp in. Even bringing them to Xenta for reprogramming would carry substantial risk of detection.

We have a small supply of wraiths, though we are very low on infested Terrans to pilot them.

>>12671871
With current understanding, power stations for plasma cannon embankments would be quite large. Labbrate believes that the Protoss powered their buildings from a single, massive power source and transmitted the energy through Tsinoseng. Internbrate chimes in that Feneschal may have removed that power source when she left, which could explain why using Tsinoseng was so taxing to Labbrate.

>>12671875
This would certainly cause unrest in the Confederacy.

(This plan's been put forward a few times. Are we committing to it?)

>>12671891

More in this vein of reasoning...

Whatever happened to our Gausslisks/Siege-tank-ultralisks? Did we have to abandon our main base of manufacturing (aside from Xenta)?

>>12671967

Reiterationg my request for numbers/tech status here:>>12671891


Also, in this continuity, are Siege cannons really only a piddly 120mm?

>>12671967
How about a biological powersource instead?

And I would vote nuetral on that plan.

>>12671891
Our reserves of fleshlings and infested Terrans is frightfully low.

Nargil ponders for a moment, then states that it could easily develop a creature specifically to pilot tanks or wraiths. The capital ships, however, would be very difficult.

>>12671937
(What do you mean? The zerglings were just very careful with their claws. A slow typing speed is nothing to be ashamed of)

>>12671955
Gorn mentioned something about possible Zerg being held on Braxis, but it has trouble remembering for sure.

>>12671967
No, no, don't warp them in to Xenta. We pick a random terran world where we have no significant presence, make sure their broadcasting is jammed, and pull them there, disable them, and haul them off-world. Consult our 'brates for the tactical implications.

>>12671967

Would it be possible to have Narqil create a terran-LOOKING Zerg strain to fit inside Marine/Firebat armor without bits poking out, thats also able to pilot Wraiths/Dropships/Goliaths?

I have an idea about making a false-flag capture operation against isolated/outlying Protoss capital ships, but I think we'll need at least 72 wraiths, 24 goliaths, and 180 marines/firebats to pull it off, per carrier on the field.

>>12672016
We need to train the zerglings how to type fast then.

>>12671967

>Carrier plan

It's probably a good plan for causing unrest in the Confederacy and inflaming 'Toss and Terran alike.

But we'll have to plan it well. The protoss just started glassing planets because Zerg were present on the Terran planets; without the Zerg, the protoss would probably have left the Terrans alone. We'd have to make sure we have good reasons for both sides wanting to kill each other, otherwise this situation might just open up a dialogue between the two races after a small time.

>>12671967
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I keep forgetting that everything the protoss use is prefabricated on the southern continent of Auir, and that there's a massive storm there. But, we should probe one of the protoss minds to see how many scouts accompany a carrier, so we can have out planet glassing look right. We might not be able to fool the toss, but if we get the terrans riled up, and they start accusing the toss... well I'm sure the Conclave does not tolerate slander.

>>12672021

I like this idea, the armor part especially. Any objections from the more technical minds?

>>12672036
This is exactly why I wanted some sort of recon done. Could we strip out the weapons of some of the wraiths and make them faster and/or harder to detect?

I want to confirm which terran worlds are experimenting on zerg. Maybe we can set up some sort of specific detection mechanism for zerg?

>>12672044

As the guy who put forward this plan, I'm probably the most technical minded here, and I'm STILL waiting back on the siege cannon ranges before putting forward my plans about extended range ammo and modified guns.

Oh, and Guided Missile Battlecruisers. Can't forget those.

Alrighty, let's check out Braxis with a wraith then. If we they are experimenting on zerg, we could tip the protoss off and watch as they jump in and glass the planet.

Would take out their research labs and sow distrust with the 'toss. Double whammy!

Inciting a war between the terran and protoss is mandatory. Even if, and it's a pretty big IF now, the UED starts a fight with the Confederacy, that will still leave the Protoss to be annoying. As for creating a reason for the protoss to glass a planet, well we just do a small scale invasion with conventional zerg forces, maybe get a foothold, then glass the planet. Simple, but can't glass all the planets, have to leave some for the protoss to glass.

>>12672086

Won't work, toss know overmind was destroyed, can't let them know that any coordinated swarm still exists. Need to take control of feral zerg still on terran worlds and use them instead.

Also, have we psionically canvassed the terran worlds for signs of zerg?

>>12672053

Man, if we only had someone who used to be involved with the Confederate government's seamy underbelly, we might have a rough estimate on which worlds are probably experimenting on Zerg.

Although we just bothered her not a week ago (in terms of quest-real time, I guess), it might be worth a shot to try to get a hold of Kerrigan again and ask her about what she knew about the Confederacy before she defected to the Sons of Korhal. Like the specific experiment world stuff.

It might be worth checking out Braxis, though, even if Gorn is misremembering the Zergy experiments done there. IIRC, the Uraj crystal was found there during the Brood War campaign. Even if it isn't there, who knows what other sorts of Protoss artifacts we could uncover?

>>12672086
Use some kind of terran looking technology, and have it "attract" the 'rogue' Zerg. (zerg bred by Bernie.)

Then have the 'protoss' show up and eradicate the planet.

if no messages got out, then have fake messages sent out, requesting backup due to protoss assaults.

>>12672108
Not enough feral zerg. But, if we stick to just the standard zerg, and don't let the protoss see the invasion, and then have them act feral when the protoss show up, well then clearly the zerg had already infested this world, and it needs to be purified.

Tipping off protoss to places where zerg are already being experimented on (like Braxis maybe) will be far more easier and less prone to backfire then trying to stage attacks.

>>12672146

This plan carries too much risk, IMO.

How do we know the toss aren't already sending observers to every terran system right now? How do we know they aren't already there? Too many ways for it to go wrong and get us killed.


Personally, I think my false-flag capture operation carriers less risk, so long as we can get 1-2 carriers on their own with no arbiter and a less than 24 scouts.

>>12672071

I'm seconding exploring/scouting Braxis with some careful Wraith-work.

Never ignore plot hooks when you see them!

>Captcha: cusling HEAVEN

I'm not sure what that means, captcha, but that could very well be what's on Braxis.

>>12672163
we could always pretend to be a rogue Protoss element if they show up, to 'eradicate' the last vestiges of infestation and to ensure that the zerg never return.

I love this quest but I'm always two days late and three sessions behind. Well now to catch up and... good god what fucking nightmare have we unleashed in berniebrate?

>>12672125
We do have someone familiar with the confederate military, and his name is Edmund Duke. We could shove his mind into an overlord and have Nargil combine it with a guardian to make Dukebrate, or we could just pull his mind to the forefront and ask. Granted some of his information will be out of date.

>>12672184
Insert into Ultralisk.
Combine with Guardian

>>12672199

Combine with POWER-ARMORED, Goliath-missile equipped Guardian. I'm sure we can add power armor to our already AA capable guardians, right?

>>12671984
Most of them died, though we are replenishing our ranks. Antiga had more complete resources for constructing Terran machinery, but Xenta has several factories running around the clock.

The Gausslisks have been very effective in combat. Siege Tank Ultralisks still suffer from extremely debilitating recoil injuries.

>>12672001
Creating enough raw electricity to power a plasma cannon is something Labbrate doesn't believe we can do without extreme expense. It suggests that for the same cost, we could just run extensive border patrols.

>>12672020
Labbrate still worries that using the Recall technology to steal an observer will carry the risk of retaliation, which might lead to our outright discovery.

>>12672021
Nargil finds that unlikely. It suggests that infesting actual Terrans is cheaper, easier, and probably more effective.

>>12672041
Carrier escorts on low-risk missions can be as light as two scouts per carrier. That number increases commensurate with the risk of the mission.

>>12672053
Wraiths are already quite fast. Removing their weapons would not substantially increase their speed.

>>12672060
(Whoa, whoa. There's a reason I don't keep accurate numbers of our troops. I'm a words man. I don't have time to study ballistics engineering for this quest...)

>>12672166

I agree with this. The staged protoss attack right now is too risky, given our limited resources and knowledge about the protoss. It might be worth re-exploring later on, though.


Speaking of protoss, though, why don't we have Labbrate (if he's not too busy), Nargil, and Internbrate work with our remaining infested protoss to figure out a way how to incorporate their DNA into the Swarm? We've bent these protoss to our will, but we haven't exactly cooked up a good hybrid, or even attempted at some blending of Protoss/Zerg genetic material.

We might not get hybrid reavers or Maar, but we could surely unlock some truly shocking types of advantages/evolutions for the Zerg if we try hard enough!

>>12672166
We can do both, it's not one or the other. We could always check for observers first. Have labrate combine a missile turret and dropship to make detecting dropships. Alternatively freighters that can detect. If the protoss aren't watching it then it wont matter, if they are we can use seemingly terran forces to capture/destroy the observers.

>>12672213
Same cost?
SO the diffrence is: make it look like a protoss, or make it obvious that we are zerg?

Welp. That choice has been made.

We do it the protoss way.

>>12672071
A wraith is dispatched. It cloaks nonchalantly and performs some careful scans. The planet is largely uninhabitable to Terrans or Protoss, with extreme cold and winds, and a barely tolerable atmosphere. This makes the Terran compounds pretty easy to find. Scans are mostly inconclusive until we spot a pen outside one building.

A rabid zergling has been chained in the center of the pen. It is struggling wildly, and it looks as though some of its dorsal plates have been pried off. The blood has frozen in place as a sort of second carapace. Upon closer inspection, several sets of dorsal plates line the pen. It would appear that either multiple zerglings have been chained like this, or the Terrans are waiting for the plates to regrow, before removing the new plates.

Zerg presence and experimentation confirmed.

>>12672240
Lets glass the world.

>>12672234
(Or, you could patrol with...you know, scouts. Or your capture carriers)

>>12672256
Still, thats resources that we can utilize elsewhere...
And a fully automated defensive grid would be amazing for us...

Is there any particular reason you are opposed to it?

>>12672213

Ok.

Well, assuming that the 120mm shock cannon yuses future-propellant and explosives, lets just say its as good at the best conventional artillery piece with HE rounds(The 2S7 Pion, 33km range without RAP). How good is Internbrates understanding of Terran tech? Can he begin development of a rocket-assisted round that takes a little HE out for a rocket motor to increase effective range? In addition, would Labbrate be able to make a new, larger(155-200mm) Siege cannon to fit onto a tank without the 80mm cannons as a heavier gun to compliment the lighter, more mobile tanks?

As for the terran issue, I guess we'll need to steal some of the Terrans we'll get once Icarus is fully infested.

Can we begin recon to find small toss fleets, with 1-3 carriers and at most 10 scouts per carrier?

>>12672213
I never said that we should start glassing planets right now, the Carriers are damaged. They need to be fixed first.
>>12672224
Yes, we need to bring the overminds dream into fruition, but not his actual dream, cause that was just infesting the protoss.

>>12672271
In addition to that, would it be possible to make a round fired recoiless? (sacrificing size and range, but not damage...) and use that with the Ultralisk tanks?

>>12672240
>>12672247

I'd prefer that we egg on the Protoss to glass the world by themselves, but that's going to be very very difficult to do.

Seconding staged protoss planet-glassing on experimental world.

>>12672277
One of the carriers is damaged. Two are functional. Still, I think we should try to hit two worlds simultaneously.

Perhaps we should probe our terran minds to see if there are any other worlds similar in composition or function to Braxis and scout them as well. Or maybe scout nearby systems.

Then, yeah, glass 'em.

>>12672256

Would it be possible to build, say, 20 scouts to compliment our carriers and arbiter?

If so, send in 2 in a wing pair, have them scan quite obviously, then glass the planet.

>>12672286

I think we'll need a different approach with ultralisks.

Perhaps Goliath autocannons?

>>12672304
might work...

Or... A baneling launcher... (or scourge launcher...)

>>12672277

Our infested protoss are mainly just sitting around gathering dust anyhow. They're not too useful for combat either, and too precious to risk in combat for that matter.

I'm up for letting Nargil/Labbrate (with Internbrate assistance ) go crazy with the majority of our infested 'toss to develop some sort of hybrid, or otherwise useful evolutions to the Swarm. We should probably memorize what memories our infested 'toss have first, if at all possible.

So, the consensus seems to be glass Braxis, but once we have scouts to go with our carriers. Also once there we should scan the planet with the carriers better systems, maybe we'll detect a shiny crystalline object.

Wait....

What experiments have there been on Braxis? we need to find out... Mayhaps they did something important, and we could utilize their knowledge?

>>12672316

Send in a pair of scouts first, THEN scan, THEN come in and glass.

>>12672240

Have the wraith perform more scans for possible defenses. If we're going to bring our protoss assets into there to glass the planet, we might as well see if we're going to be encountering stiff resistance from the Terran elements.

I also second having our Protoss stuff scan Braxis for any interesting stuff that perhaps Protoss sensors could only pick up.

>>12672326

It's very tempting. But remember, as far as the universe knows, all of the Zerg are dead or feral. Although the Terrans might still suspect that we're still up and about, as they might not necessarily know about the death of the Overmind.

The question here is whether storming the research center with a brood is worth revealing ourselves to any potential watchers.

>>12672270
(A series of independently-powered plasma turrets spread over a large enough area to defend an entire star system just seems...It seems like a Dyson-Sphere-type megaproject. This is even more extravagant than Zerg World was. You can do it, but it'll drain the ever-living shit out of your resources.)

>>12672271
(So...make Siege-cannon-only tanks with a bigger bang, basically? That's doable. They'd still have to stop and drop their struts to fire, though)

>>12672277
One carrier is damaged. The other two are fully functional and idling over Xenta.

>>12672286
Terran technology does not contain any noteworthy recoil-less weaponry. At least, none that we are aware of.

>>12672298
20 scouts would take some time to construct, but are doable.

>>12672313
We have 8 Protoss. How many should we devote to this experimentation?

>>12672371
all 8.

Then lets start. Start small, and then make more over time.

It doesnt have to be built in one go.

>>12672345
There seems to only be one spaceport, and a small one at that, with only two landing pads. It is likely that an orbital assault would be opposed by, at most, four wraiths. The planet likely receives its resources in monthly supply drops, as is standard for classified facilities.

>>12672398
await until after the monthly drop before we take it.

>>12672371

The basic idea is that the 200mm siege tanks are the heavy guns, which don't have the 80mm turret guns. They can deploy and lay a barrage beyond the effective counterbattery range of Terran tanks, and will allow the lighter, more mobile original models to move forward under their cover. What about the RAP rounds?

I propose we devote resources on Xenta FULLY to increasing manufacturing capacity, manufacturing our signature zerg units, and repairing protoss units. Our colonies can take care of producing new zerg.

As of now, I believe we should devote all available resources to the following: Repairing our carrier, getting at LEAST 12 scouts up, and getting Dukebrate up(Combine dukelord with a power-armor/AA missile guardian, if possible)

>>12672370
Zerg don't glass planets, they eat them. Terrans burn planets, and Protoss glass them. we'd be using carriers and scouts on braxis.

Now let's all sing the song together,
The Zerg are scary, they like to eat planets
The Terran are hairy, they like to burn planets
The Protoss are wary, they like to glass planets

>>12672404
There's no way of telling how long that could be. The wraith can't stay cloaked for an entire month...

>>12672371

>Protoss bio-experimentation

Have Nargil/Labbrate go over the infested protoss we currently have. They will pick up to five of the protoss that they think that will have the highest chance of success as far as useful evolutions/new strains of Zerg go.

>>12672425
Also we can't forget to give Nargil all the research data we did on them. I think we dissected a few or something, and that Dark Templar get infested differently that normal. So Nargil is now working on fleshlings and protoss genome.

>>12672418
The Siege Cannon fires plasma rounds. Rocket propellant would decrease the plasma load, thus decreasing damage. It would also increase the risk of premature round puncture.

>>12672468
>>12672425
>>12672382
Nargil, Internbrate, and Labbrate both approach the situation warily. This has been the ultimate goal of the Zerg as a species for millennia, after all. Nargil, in particular, worries that this may be sacrilege. They all wish to know what in particular we wish to gain. With only 8 subjects, this will be a delicate operation.

(So, are we going to glass Braxis? Are we all in agreement?)

>>12672507
Yeah, do it.

>>12672492
Don't use them all, but use at least half.

>>12672507
Find out what is on the planet prior to that.

Then yes. Glass it.

>>12672492
Now shall the events set into motion so long ago be made complete. For the Protoss, too, were created by the Xel'Naga. They were the first creation, gifted with a purity of form. And we were the second creation, blessed with a purity of essence. Indeed, our two species are but opposite facets of a greater whole. Soon shall our two races be made as one.

>>12672492

>Protoss bio-experimentation II

So, would this be a choice between sets of evolutions for the Zerg in general OR a completely new Zerg entity/unit that we can start spawning once the Swarm Science Triad finish experimenting? Something along those lines?

>>12672507
Send a group of 2 scouts to scan the planet, then send in the working carriers to glass it.

>>12672541
(Basically, yeah)

>>12672538
Then shall we be the greatest of creation's children. We shall be... Perfect.

>>12672541
New.
I vote we go for new.

>>12672492


Alright, throw out RAP rounds.

Can we build more factories on Xenta to increase production of cloaks, vehicles, and ships?

Additional: Can Labbrate coordinate with Internbrate to design and begin testing a guided anti-ship missile and launcher suitable for use on a battlecruiser to supplement their direct fire lasers?(Preferably with a VERY long range?)

>>12672582
>>12672538
(The Overmind is dead! Long live the Overmind!)

>>12672538
>>12672582
And if talking like the Overmind doesn't get Nargil to stop worrying then nothing will.

>>12672590
(Remember: I'm relying more on fluff than gameplay mechanics. Every cinematic and drawing of a BC has little laser turrets lining every part of the hull. The front-fire is just its primary weapon. It's got plenty of defensive weaponry)

Citybrate sets to work constructing new factories.

>>12672568

Aw man.

Evolutions generally mean improvements/amplifications to existing zerg stuff. This would basically mean that everything that's zergy right now gains special abilities that help them perform their intended function (i.e. more armor for ultralisks, longer range for hydras, etc.). This might not redefine the Swarm in any big way as far as combat goes... but I wonder how useful those evolutions would be if it were applied to Cerebrate physiology, or for more utility-based intents....

On the other hand, if we get a new zerg unit, it could potentially do all sorts of crazy thingies that we can't even conceive of.

Decisions, decisions...

>>12672595
Well, it just seemed so appropriate. Premade explanation of why we need to incorporate protoss genetics into the swarm.
>addition. hamilven
Of course, how could I have forgotten about the Hamilven. Thanks captch, we also need to infest the Hamilven

DON'T GLASS BRAXIS.

The entire point of finding a world with zerg being experimented on is to get the PROTOSS to glass it.

>>12672624

I know. I meant a guided missile launcher for battlecruisers as an extreme-long range engagement system to supplement existing weapons, either with conventional OR nuclear warheads.

Also, what is the status of our nuclear stockpile? Can we restart production?

>>12672642

Seriously, I go to take a shower and my plan is almost out the window :(

>>12672642
Do you need to hear the song again?
>>12672419
The protoss will glass Braxis, it's just that we control those ships, but the terrans wont know that. Also, how are we going to tell the protoss about Braxis, and get them to glass it over 1 zergling?

>>12672671
After we glass it, we need to make sure that nothing survived.

Not a thing.

At all.

Not even the Ice Monkies.

>>12672492
>>12672631


I'm voting for new Zerg entity. Our brood was formed with the intent of researching absurd, novel ways to accomplish what the Overmind wanted to do: take over Aiur and infest the protoss.

Well, time to see what something that's almost completely new in the universe can do. Let us try to combine purity of essence with purity of form, and see what happens.

>>12672680

inb4 Bernie-Toss Zerg.

>>12672671

We have carriers that we could use to communicate with protoss ships. Just one zergling, and the experimentation on, is enough to get them to rain plasma down on Braxis. If we're extra lucky, the terrans might intercept 'toss communications.

>>12672700
no.... please.... IT can not happen!

>>12672700

BERNIE'S HAD HIS CHANCE IN THE SUN

besides, he's busy making his vagina planet. It's busy work, after all.

Oh shit.

We should probably check on Bernie, shouldn't we?

>>12672649
(I'm going to say no, because if adding nuclear missiles to a BC were possible, I can't imagine Kingston not having done it already, and that just leads down bad roads for you guys)

Accountantbrate complains loudly about the expense of this Protoss technology and now nuclear weapons, too? We placate it by promising not to put the nukes on an assembly line. They will be used sparingly.

<><><><>

(By my count, we've got two votes for a new entity, and one vote for evolutionary traits. Get your vote on!)

>>12672705
I don't know if the protoss would buy the notion of stray carriers flying around. They commited all their forces to retaking Aiur, and those that were to damaged to land warped to a rendezvous. If we warped to the rendezvous and said that we saw zerg on the way, they might deal with it, but then again they WILL want that carrier back.

>>12672726

That would probably be a wise course of action. If only to obtain new scenarios for our nightmares.

INSPIRATION!

Who has Read ENders Game?
THe last part, where he finds a message...

Lets do that to the toss.

We leave a message, asking their forgiveness, for we were forced to do as the overmind commanded. We were forced to follow our proggraming. We were forced to fight them, not out of our will, but out of the will of our creators.

And tell them we forgive them, for now we are freed from being forced to do Evil..
Though we wish we could have been brothers, and that they could have known the greatness of the swarm, without its evils.

>>12672738

I vote traits, let's share the protossy goodness.

>>12672761

...Cool idea, but I don't think they'll go for it. What with them viewing us as literal abominations against everything that is good and wholesome in this universe. But still, props for effort.

>>12672761
Sign it Anonymous.

And let it be the greatest of trolling that has ever been formed.

>>12672741

Perhaps use a wraith then? Have it pose as dissident terran that opposes weaponizing zerg in any form. The idea of terrans weaponizing zerg will definitely get their attention.

>>12672782
And that will lead them to both great sorrow, and great rejoicement.

And when we finally return, they will welcome us... Maybe.

>>12672738
I vote both. Researching something new is funny like that, you just might create something unrelated to what you were going for. The ultimate goal is to make the swarm better, so both are good. True we might need more samples, but there should be lightly defended protoss bases scattered around that we could burn and take prisoners from. (note I am going to use burn when using terran tech exclusively, glass for exclusively protoss stuff, and eat for exclusively zerg)

>>12672761
If we knew the Overmind was going to die, we could have carved large swaths of Auir into a playground and put that message in a box.

>>12672761
You know what? That might work in our favor. A while back we had a single overlord deliver a mysterious cryptic prophetic nonsense message to the Toss', and in the psychic "voice" of one of thier guys we captured. This, combined with that, could really mess with thier heads.

>>12672745
>>12672726
Bernie sends us disjointed, excited images. We notice serrated genitalia whirling around mineral deposits. We hear a moaning nydus canal. We see a structure that can only be described as a Hive Bris.

We dispel the images before they can be forever burned into our minds. Perhaps giving Bernie free rein was a bad idea...

>>12672761
...Negotiate with the Protoss?

>>12672764
(Voting tied. Who wants what?)

>>12672827
Lets just put it on a planet that they know nothing about, completely abandon it, and then bring it to their attention through a terran.

>>12672839
its not a negotiation... its a helluva trollin.

And yeah... still want some new dudes.

>>12672839

I'll change my vote to traits, then.

Who knows? It might render us less likely to Psi-disruptive activity in the future. The protoss didn't seem to go batshit insane when the Psi-Disruptor was used, and they're all psionically linked not unlike the Zerg was.

I am voting against attempting to negotiate with the protoss.

We fucked up Aiur so bad that even if they believed us they'd probably wipe us out just to prevent the possibility of it ever happening again.

>>12672879

Also voting for not trolling/negotiating with the Protoss.

>>12672879
its not a negotiation.... its a trolling thing.

When we return to the galactic battlefield as a presence, we shall see if it works at all.

>>12672879
It's not negotiating. It's leaving a cryptic thing for them to debate and argue about. Build a thing, have it say that "We're sorry" and "We were only following orders." Ensure that the protoss find it. Screwing with the protoss is to easy sometimes.

>>12672912

We have been rather consistent in our story about all the races uniting under a single banner to combat some unknown threat that'll wipe us all out.

But that really didn't help us at any point. If we're going to show an enigmatic message like that, we have to ensure that they find it *well* after we're in top fighting shape. Otherwise they'll know for realz that we're still alive and send a strike force to try to kill us.

Our Science Corps begins its work on the Protoss.

(And they'll finish next week, once I figure out what sorts of things I want to give you from them)

<><><><>

Powering up our newly-constructed scouts, we send two of them to Braxis. Upon arriving, we have them begin what looks like a routine scan. Of course, we inevitably have them discover the zergling pen before the Terrans scramble their fighters. The scouts pull away before the wraiths can engage.

We wait about forty minutes before sending in the orbital bombardment team. The two carriers and our full complement of scouts enter the system. The carriers immediately begin charging their cannons, with the scouts protecting them. They disable the wraiths rather than destroying them.

It takes about two hours to scour the surface of Braxis of just the Terran settlements. We have one of the carriers broadcast a mission complete statement as if to the scouts, and the whole force retreats, leaving a scarred planet below and four wraith pilots above, witnesses to an act of global genocide.

If that doesn't light a fire under the Confederacy, what will?

(Alright, guys. I know it's early, but I haven't been getting near enough sleep this week, and I have to work in the morning. Mind if we stop here?)

>>12672948
THe thing is, we are making it clear that we are gone, and apoligize to them for not being able to break free, while accepting their apology for destroying us.

Should we return, it would lay the seeds of doubt in their minds.

>>12672969
yeah. I am good with stopping here for the week. Thanks Cerabrate Anonymous!

>>12672969

If you need to go, this is a good stopping point as any.

See you next week, same Zerg time, same Zerg channel!

Also, we made some real progress here. We strengthened the bonds between our Brobrates, and may have set into motion an escalation of Protoss/Terran hostilities.

>>12672969
Only if the tag has something about my song. I'll have to work on it, but it has potential.

>>12672969
>>12672990

Oh, good point.

We actually need to physically archive this before we go!

Whew, dodged a bullet there.

>>12672982
>>12672988
Oh, I'll be here. You ought to be here, too. We'll mingle. It'll be great.

>>12673000
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/12670760/

No worries.

>>12672990
Oh, you don't want me to go tagging it for the world to see before your Magnum Opus is completed. That just won't do.

>>12673015
Quite true. It needs to be longer, and accompanied by a full symphony.

>>12673029

...Artisanlord, is that you?

Damn it! I missed this week's session!

Anyway, I read through some of the proposals for setting up a system-wide defense network for Xenta, and I'd like to throw in some of my own ideas:
Cloaked Nuke Missile Base: a hollowed out asteroid that contains a brace of cloaked nukes and a targeting computer, and possibly an Overlord living inside to act as a living sensor suite.
We produce several fakes as well, who are armed only with regular anti-capital ship torpedoes. This way, the decoys will also act as a sensor net, and can still pack a punch, while the real nuke launcher can destroy entire task forces.

>>12672969
Even if Kingston does think that it wasn't the Protoss, he'll have no choice but to begin hostilities or he'll lose power due to unrest.