File: Union Space.png (242 KB, 2227x1802)

242 KB PNG

>>35484273
>Current armory
121 Thorn Launchers
2 Thorn Cannons
53 Sting Casters
1 Rotary Stinger
3 Fire Sprays
1 Plasma Spray

>Current resource reserves
Nutrients: 32769
Metals: 34835

>Hive population and upkeep cost
Hive maintenance – 325
Queen – 5
Fake Queen – 22
Worker (2000) – 4000
Aquatic Worker (40) – 160
Radiator Worker (40) – 160
Warrior (209) – 1045
Aquatic Warrior (20) – 140
Thinker (139) – 417
Quantum Thinker (110) – 550
Speaker – (3) – 12
Digger (80) – 320
Refinery (10) – 70
Sniffer (2) – 8
Small Sniffer (40) – 40
Fly (10) – 40
Wasp (59) – 295
Antenna (3) – 9
Haz-mat Workers (20) – 80
Shock Troops (40) – 520
Parasite (30) – 120
Bio-tank (10) – 250
Excavator (21) – 399
Colossus (20) – 300
Advanced Relay (16) – 1600
Space Pod (13) – 390
Shuttle (10) – 250
Scout Corvette – (6) 1350
Lancer Corvette – (2) 450
Nutrient costs: 11767

>Income
Metals: 3750
Nutrients: 20050
Net: 8283

Hive Structure
>Reservoir
>General storage
>Food storage
>Advanced Laboratory
>Infrastructure
>Hangar facilities: Room for 40 Aero Drones and 20 Shuttles (25N)
>Mine: 60 Diggers, +1500 M per day (+25 M per digger)
>Asteroid mining base: 5 Excavators, 20 Diggers, +2250M per day (+50 M per digger)
>Algae Farm: +20000 N per day, 200 Workers (1 worker per 100N)
>Clarke Research Outpost
>Hel’s Angel Prison Outpost
>Docking Pylon: Space for docking and construction of 4 ships (50N)
>Anti-orbital battery: 2 (125N per battery)

Current construction
200 Farms

New Construction Options
>Algae Farm – +100N per day, 1 worker to maintain
>Hangar Expansion – Add on to current hangar facilities for your choice of +40 aero drone space, or +20 shuttle space. 50N 100M
>Anti-orbital battery – A bunker armed with a massive Particle beam capable of attacking ships in orbit from the ground. It includes the power and sensor systems required to operate it. 250N 1500M

Ship Construction Options
http://pastebin.com/YTwGk8n1

File: Expanse.png (583 KB, 3711x3217)

583 KB PNG

>>35484309
Finished research

>Ancient Star chart

Current Research

>Drop Suit
Slow
Lyle’s powerful suit has proven more than worthy of a thorough examination as to its inner workings. You will need to take it apart before you know just what you have to research.

>Lyle’s Combat armor
Medium
Not as powerful or complex as the drop suit, the combat armor appears to be a delicate mix of survivability and combat capabilities, with many similarities to the Union environmental suit. It appears to contain a number of devices designed to be useful in the field.

>Psionic disruptor
Fast
In a rather disturbing discovery, the Skyl had spent a great deal of effort developing a method of disrupting psionic communication. The resulting device should be capable of blocking any psionic communication within its range, including your own. You find notes that indicate they had been advancing the technology into an offensive, directed weapon, but it seems they were destroyed before the efforts showed results.

>Plasma funneling
Fast
By projecting a vortex of magnetic fields towards the target, plasma can be funneled into a more focused area at longer range, preventing plasma plumage. Increases range of the Plasma Lance

File: PRAISE THE HIVE QUEEN.jpg (384 KB, 900x593)

384 KB JPG

>>35484343
>Finished research
>>Ancient Star chart
ITS HAPPENIN

>>35484343
So we compare the ancient star chart with the skyl and union charts we got to see what happened in this sector?

File: itshappening.gif (973 KB, 312x213)

973 KB GIF

>>35484343

File: 1360776831866.jpg (28 KB, 600x300)

28 KB JPG

>>35484343

>>35484309
>Colossus (20)
Oh snap we've got a lot of these big buggers, lets give them some weapons when we get the chance.

I'm thinking thorn canons for all of them, 10 with rotary stingers and 8 with plasma sprays (as 2 are already fully armed).

>>35484309
>Radiator Worker (40)
didn't we lay 60 more of those?

File: maxresdefault (1).jpg (121 KB, 1280x720)

121 KB JPG

>>35484343
Your Translation of the ancient star chart found on Raligha has been complete. When you noticed the similarities between the language on the chart and the Skyl language, you expected it to have boosted your efforts, but they do not seem to be related. The characters are almost identical, but there is no correlation at all between their meanings. It is as if the characters were lifted from another source and repurposed.

The chart itself is a chronicle. An overview of the history of a great stellar empire dating back for thousands of years. Most of the inscriptions show a brief history of the empire and its endless war against an alien threat. The war was fought for countless centuries until a brief respite was achieved, but it was clear that the war was long from over. This ship was built to carry a thousand queens from a thousand dynasties away from the every encroaching front of the war, and here it landed, nearly seventy thousand years ago, from your estimate.

At the end of the tablet is a series of instructions on accessing the ship's systems, as well as a series of coordinates that seem to be nearby, just on the far side of the neighboring nebula.

>>35484928
Wait, so the temple ship as a giant refugee boat?
>nearly seventy thousand years ago
So this was from the same timeframe as the experimental Skyl ship.

>>35485015
It would seem that the galaxy was very active long ago, but was systematically cleansed in some way.

File: 1398112381531.jpg (280 KB, 1920x1080)

280 KB JPG

>>35484928
You take note of the destinations. It looks as if the ship was unloading its precious cargo as it made its long journey, and eventually landed here. You wonder what stores have survived the eons among the natives, or what information was passed on of your kind to Vaugn.

>Speak with the natives
>Speak with Elizabeth
>Ready an expedition into the nebula
>Other

>>35485093
>Speak with the natives
>Speak with Elizabeth

>>35484928
>Speak with Elizabeth
>Speak with the natives
Try to see how our new-found knowledge makes sense of the memory soup in Vaughn's head. The natives probably won't have that much useful info, but it won't hurt to try.

As for the Nebula expedition, I'd rather wait until we have more ships than one measly corvette wolfpack

>>35485120

Support.

>>35485093
>Speak with the natives
>Speak with Elizabeth

>>35485093
>>Speak with the natives
Time to hear the old legends that speak of the bilateral ones.

I guess the last queen directed the Ark to land here for...some reason, then took off in her corvettes to her own settled planet?

None of that chronicle explains why this ship was designed non-organically, designed to last 70,000 years and longer, and why it was carved up to lure non-networked intelligent life inside to become telepathic.

>>35485093
>Speak with the natives
>Speak with Elizabeth
>Ready an expedition into the nebula
>Send Aquatic workers and warriors into the ocean to find a suitable location for a hive and docking Pylons..

>>35485074
No duh like the fact we're surrounded by destroyed planets didn't that obvious.

>>35485093
>>Speak with the natives
>>Speak with Elizabeth
Time to make a few social calls.

On an unrelated note QD, is the hive capable of carrying out multiple conversations via speakers or other means simultaneously? I know you can only write one dialogue at a time, so I'm not asking you to speed it up or anything, I was just curious about the mechanics of the hive's psyche.

>>35485208
Oh destroyed planets is not a sign of a galactic wide clean up in and of itself, just some really nasty fighting. This is proof of what was just conjecture before.

>>35485093
BTW QD, were other ships beside the super-heavy intact back in M-199, and if there are, can we salvage any new tech from those?

>>35485208
I'm actually surprised that humans haven't found an abandoned alien city or a junkyard of ships what with all the activity in this sector. (Publicly known anyway, wouldn't surprise me that the government would keep things like that a secret)

>>35485208
>>35485243

Destroyed planets aren't exactly uncommon from normal stellar phenomena either.

>>35485173
I rather doubt it was intended to lure non-hive minded species, the front door was sealed when the humans tried poking it.

>>35485257
Well earth is out on one of the galactic arms. Backwater as it were. They've probably fund a few, but they also have the problem of not being able to translate any of it or dieing to hostile reminents.

File: smugofcyberpunk.jpg (127 KB, 827x545)

127 KB JPG

>>35485271
>I rather doubt it was intended to lure non-hive minded species
Yes, that's why it was carved up on the outside with a diagram demonstrating the concept of telepathic control of a swarm by a queen.

And why as soon as they entered, the other entrance opened up on its own and activated in some manner.

And why there was a giant floaty liquid sphere that makes a non telepathic individual into a telepath.

Because it was totally only for telepathic hivemind races. That makes sense.

>>35485264
>>35485257
I wouldn't be surprised normal stellar and planets with active atmospheric phenomena would help wipe away evidence of abandoned alien presence over all those years before the humans got to them. I guess we've been lucky so far.

>>35485243
We had proof last thread and you have to be brain dead to not realize it was a galactic conflict since the enemy is somewhere between 2 and 3 on the Kardashev scale.
>>35485271
Perhaps it was meant for communication.

>>35485344
The other 'entrance' didn't conveniently activate on its own, the humans blew the thing wide open and fled inside with a horde of murderbugs breathing down their necks.

>>35485316
>>35485363
Still, even Earth itself is less than a couple dozen lightyears from OM-759, which is the Skyl homeworld. And since you can get private FTL ships like the Hel's Angle, I still can't believe some intrepid explorer hasn't found an abandoned alien ship. Maybe i'm just failing to account for the vastness of space.
Or maybe the humans are just unlucky.
Good for us I guess?

>>35485093
>Speak with the natives
>Speak with Elizabeth

Your drones watch from the entrance to the ship as the natives move about in a spinning chaos of activity. Elizabeth has been sitting silently for the better part of two days now, and as your speaker moves to her cell you can see her sitting on the floor, eyes tightly shut. She no longer leaks thoughts as clearly as before, and seems to have gained some manner of control over her new senses.

Your drones find a decent sized stick from the foliage and a approach one of the hollow trees as your speaker enters Elizabeth's cell.
(write in)

>>35485509
>>Speak with Elizabeth

>>35485509
"How is mastery of telepathy coming?"

"Is accessing memories still unpleasant?"

Suggest scanning her with a bio-tank brought in to better understand what's happening to her.

Natives wise:

Get em to tell all the legends about us to everyone all over again.

Also curious how far their civilization reaches from here.

>>35485509
>Vaughn
Can we have another mind-to-mind session? Just to compare data with some new things we found

>Natives
How did the ancient hives came here?
What did the they do here?
Why did they disappear? How?

>>35485642
>>35485638

Sure.

>>35485642
Don't ask the natives that, they're ignorant stonesmashers.

Don't reveal that you're different from the ancient ones. Or that you're ignorant. Just make sure they retell all the legends they know where you can hear them.

Hey guys what if we are the
Canary in the coal mine?

>>35485509
>Elizabeth
I perceive your telepathy training is progressing well. I have some new information to share with you.
>Natives
Tell me of your people's stories.
Tell us if there are other tribe near by that they are aware of.

>>35485642
Yeah, we really ought to get her into the loop a little bit. She could be a great resource to the hive, and has proven to be sympathetic to hive minded aliens already. Perhaps somehow we could work out an arrangement while being held here?

>>35485695
what?

>>35485509
Ask the natives about their myths

Inform the doctor of the political upheaval in the union and if this is normal?

>>35485735
We have an arrangement already.

There is nothing further to arrange.

We offer information to feed her knowledge lust, and have conversations. Like, she might have insight into that memory retrieved of the war between two hives, and that planet cracking weapon powered by a void shard that "failed".

Offer to show her that new memory we retrieved, in exchange for her insight.

>>35485735
Personally, I'd love to, but OPSEC and all.

>>35485695
Are you saying, that a hive sent us ahead to scout, with only basic biological memories to survive, and no advance tech, so in the event that the Crystals mind-rape us and steal our knowledge, they wouldn't know who sent us, where and why?

>>35485779
In fact, have us scanning her brain with a bio-tank when triggering one of her 'episodes' to see what her brain activity looks like when that happens.

Just what are those nanomachines doing? Etc.

>>35485735
>proven to be sympathetic
She also just had a dream about the last time she helped a hivemind. And she dreamed the phrase "beware of unintended consequences" to herself in it. And since then her choice there has cost a great number of human lives as Theseus defended himself.

She will have learned not to blindly help sympathetic people, because sympathetic people will still hurt and kill people she doesn't want to die.

>>35485772
Let's not talk about the Union, that will open up a can of worms and awkward questions about what the hive's "intentions" are to humans in general. Best not to remind her of that.

>>35485509
Vaughn. You're a xenologist, right.

How did humans first meet Ceph and Valen? Where is Ceph and Valen space?

>>35485822
Yes, pretty much.

File: stark realization.png (3 KB, 390x238)

3 KB PNG

>>35485916
If that is the case, how do they expect us to relay our findings back home? Did they just expect us to go back out of instinct and curiosity or are they gonna check up on us eventually?

>>35485957

You know that we don't have a way to detect Ceph cloaking tech either, and that Slip Drives don't generate the flash that ours do...right?

>>35486127
We may want to stop giving the QM any ideas.

>>35486127
If that's the case they may as well be living in our system.

>>35486173
No no, I wrote that specifically to give him an idea.

Also, don't you think it odd that the Ceph didn't go looking for the missing Slip Drive Coil had..

>>35485509
The village halts as your drones drum out the words carefully. A large and old native rolls up to your drone and flattens itself into an oval, then moves to the center of the village at the base of the large idol and begins to speak. The others crowd around him without hesitation.

"The Legend of Dunalunaghun!" he begins, "Dunalunaghun, who found the Cave of the Builders, is a legend you have all heard!"
The native continues, going on for hours on the subject of a young member of an ancient tribe who found this very cave and brought out a strange object. A cocoon. The chieftain puffs himself up like a balloon as he drums out his tale, his voice reverberating across the jungle in rhythmic beats.
"From the seed of life came forth the Mother, and from her, the Builders! It was to the mighty Dunalunaghun that the responsibility of their safety rested, and then to his son, Ungalundoun, and to his son, Dodgulogon, and to his son..." You wonder how he remembers so many names.

As the door flexes open Elizabeth jumps with surprise and gets to her feet.
"You seem to have been training your new skills. How are things developing?" Your drone asks.
"Fine, all things considered." She tilts her head to get a view of the hall as the doors flex shut. "Not much else to do in here but think, really." She pauses for a long moment. "I think I was able to make some sense of things. In general terms, at least."
>Ask for details
>Ask what she knows about the Ceph
>Ask what she knows about the Valen
>Other

>>35486127
>>35486173
The Hel's Angel used a Slip Drive and had a Ceph cloaking field, and was able to enter your system and land without you ever detecting them.

>>35486296
>Ask for details
>Ask what she knows about the Ceph
>Ask what she knows about the Valen

>>35486296
>Ask what she knows about the Ceph
>Ask what she knows about the Valen
Need intel

>>35486296
>Ask for details
>Ask what she knows about the Ceph
>Ask what she knows about the Valen

>>35486296
>>Ask for details
>>Ask what she knows about the Ceph
>>Ask what she knows about the Valen
Which once again begs the question, was the cloaking field a Ceph invention or was it gifted by the Crystals?
I'm getting overly paranoid over this.

>>35486296
>Ask for details

>>35486296
>The Hel's Angel used a Slip Drive and had a Ceph cloaking field, and was able to enter your system and land without you ever detecting them.
Except we were on the surface, and had no presence in space at the time. The cloud cover prevented seeing anything.

So that doesn't mean much.

>>35486387
The Cephs were stonesmasher before they uplifted.

>>35486387
The Ceph's very nature is camouflage and stealth.

And there's no indication the Skyl had cloaking.

Odds are it was invented by Ceph after being uplifted into having a centralized nervous system and mastering tech to some degree.

>>35486482
That for all intents and purposes is impossible. Cloaking tech breaks all known laws of physic and your telling that some fish out of the water are able to invent that shit.

>>35486580
FTL is impossible too, you're telling me some monkeys out of trees figured that out?

>>35486580

>Cloaking tech breaks all known laws of physics

>Setting where shields are a thing
>And Canderon
>Ftl too
>Psychic bugs
>Etc.

>>35486580
The cloaking, as described, bends the laws of physics. About the same as FTL. 'snobigdeal.

>>35486296
Your speaker raises an inch in its posture and lets out a small chirp.
Elizabeth crosses her arms and shakes her head. "I mean, it's still confusing. I think I at least have the gist of it, but this place is too stuffy to let me think clearly."
"What have you learned?"
She smiles and leans back against the wall, sliding back to the soft floor. "I can tell you all about it. Face to face."
"We are now."
"No." She says adamantly. "I mean, really, face to face. I've been stuck in here for days now, and I'd like to actually meet you, especially now that I seem to know so much about you."

>Agree and lead her to your throne room
>Offer to free her from her cell
>Refuse
>Other

>>35486580

Stop acting like the Laws of Physics are absolute, especially in a fictional setting.

>>35486580
>>35486632
both cloaking and ftl are things that can be done and for cloaking has been to a limited degree by humans already

>>35486661
It does break the laws even more so than FTL or shields or negative mass.

>>35486730

>Agree and lead her to your throne room

We need somewhere to be 'mirin us PROPERLY and not through a proxy.

>>35486730
>>Agree and lead her to your throne room

>>35486730
>Agree and lead her to your throne room

>>35486730
>>Agree and lead her to your throne room
Well its not called the THRONE room for nothing., have a couple of warriors on guard too, just in case.

>>35486730
We made that decoy, right?

And it has psychic transmission equipment?

Then fine, lead her to our decoy.

>>35486739
In what way, as described? Did you even read the in-setting description?

>>35486730
>Refuse
No
Just no
We are still following policy regarding keeping the queen and thinkers safe right?

Especially to a wannabe kerrigan

>>35486739
In fiction they are less laws and more rough guidelines.

>>35486739
no, FTL breaks physics much harder than any of those other things. Except maybe shields, which might be about equally impossible.

FTL breaks relativity hard.

>>35486730
Well. I guess it's not like she can hurt us.

But I'm curious if she can tell the difference between a queen and a Fake Queen.

>replace self with Fake Queen in throne room.

>>35486730
>Agree and lead her to your throne room
Not much she can do except for bullshit psychic stuff that I doubt she's going to try to do.

Time for girl talk.

>>35486796
I like this.

>>35486730
>Agree and lead her to your throne room

>>35486730
>Agree and lead her to your throne room

>>35486730
>Agree and lead her to your throne room
>Offer to free her from her cell

>>35486816
>>35486801
Cloaking tech of this level requires negative mass WHICH IT DOESN'T USE!

>>35486884
Man, we got magic psychic evil space crystals that change size and can power FTL.
Cloaking is the least of your worries.

>>35486730
I do hope the doctor isn't trying to set up a Mexican standoff in the throne room.

I mean she said this message in a bottle was intended for anyone except a hive queen.

And we saw in the flashback that it was hive ships on both sides of the war-- pro and anti void shards.

So maybe they included an anti queen psychic payload? If she uses it on us she dies, it's mutually assured destruction. Hopefully she isn't gonna try and make demands for freedom for the Hope crew.

>>35486884
Neither does our FTL. Human FTLComm tech straight up doesn't make any sense. The cloaking isn't any more conspicuous than most of the stuff in the game. Which is fun.

>>35486935
I bet she's been tapping into our psychic communications the same way we had tapped into her dreams.

>>35486944
>Human FTLComm tech straight up doesn't make any sense.
Check your power level.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement

Lets hope we get a quick breakthrough with the psychic weapons in case we have to kill her

>>35486996
>implying quantum entanglement is a usable thing for communication
It's like those people that claim that altering the epigenome through gene therapy will turn people immortal instead of into abominations.

>>35486996
Yes, and it Doesn't Work That Way.

>>35487056
She might appreciate having an 'off' switch. Something to consider.

>>35487075
I'm willing to settle for both.

>>35487075
>>35487115
>www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/science/scientists-report-finding-reliable-way-to-teleport-data.html?_r=0
It's possible now.

File: 46468844665.jpg (98 KB, 1280x385)

98 KB JPG

>>35486730
You speaker pauses for a moment before the door flexes open and your drone steps outside. The doctor slowly moves to the door and looks out into the darkened hallway. A dim glow rises from the walls to bath the pathway in a soft light.
As you move down the hall you watch as Elizabeth stops for a moment to look down a darkened tunnel. The sound of chittering drones and grinding stone echoes from the bowels of the hive.
"How big is this place, exactly?"
"Big enough."
She shrugs her shoulders and continues to follow your drone. It is a long walk, and in some places a steep climb, and eventually the hive walls give way to a smoothed stone surface surrounding a small crimson pool of water. Fungal growths illuminate the chamber as glowing specks of dust and spores drift through the air.
"It's beautiful." She says. The speaker continues to one of the tunnels, a small and inconspicuous hall that spirals downwards sharply.
"This way."
1/2

Sufficiently advanced poppycock is indistinguishable from technology.

>>35487251
>Qubits en masse are something that has not been achieved
>The entangled particles over long distances don't send input/output information, they only receive output that is random and inconsistent with the input
Same old same old. This is stuff that was known in the early 00s.

>>35487383
The only real problem is keeping the qubits stable. That's the only problem keeping us from achieving FTL communication or creating a quantum computer.
But then again it's not true FTL.

>>35487520
I think the more important thing to take away from their experiment is that they confirmed cold diamonds have the ability to stabilize particles to a sufficient level to get data out of them at short distances, and accurately.
It means the next stages of the diamond era are possible.

>>35487331
The hive is really growing up. I'm so proud...

>>35487251
You would think there'd be an update here then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light#Quantum_mechanics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation
>with the help of classical communication and previously shared quantum entanglement between the sending and receiving location. Because it depends on classical communication, which can proceed no faster than the speed of light, it cannot be used for superluminal transport or communication of classical bits.

>Teleportation also requires a classical information link to be established, as two classical bits must be transmitted to accompany each qubit.

I know wikipedia is amateur hour and even seems to contradict itself between that article and the qubit article, on whether you can encode a bit inside a qubit, but the NYT doesn't seem to explicitly say that useable information travels faster than light there, without any need for luminal information transfer on the side.

>>35487331
You know Elizabeth Quest might be pretty fun now that I think of it.

>>35487608
Scientist are creating 4D crystals that give entropy the middle finger to study time.

>>35487722
>decide to go on a field mission to have an interesting adventure
>find a ruin and a neat copy of Chrichtons sphere
>QM has it knock us out and gets us taken by aliens while unconscious
>Has all our friends die because we wanted to explore a cool ruin on a neat planet
>Has us sit in a cell for two days because the aliens are "afraid of us" though it's obvious the QM doesn't know where to take it from here
such obvious bullshit from a fun hating QM that's out to railroad us into talking with his alien insect fetish race in his magical realm

>>35487835
To be fair we are the most reasonable swarm aliens I have ever seen.

>>35487890
Yeah. Even when our prisoners needed healing we helped them out. I mean, they even get to keep a souvenir.

>>35487331
Well even if she has a psionic weapon, we have something in the guard drones that no hive had before, the quantum brain.

>>35487835
>It's all you morons faults, I told you we shouldn't have checked out the creepy ass temple. It was just asking for a bullshit random encounter
>Fuck off, if we had hit the DC on that diplomacy roll we'd all be at base with our new bug friends
>Why did we end up off world again? Oah yeah, because YOU IDIOTS WANTED TO CREATE AN AI!
>No regrets. We psychonic now. Bug Queen Waifu here we come.

>>35487890

To be fair, it's because we are the Small man out of the group, currently.

>>35487921
That's a fetish in the monster rape genre

>>35487921
Speaking of which.
>Neurological interfacing
Medium
As your parasites dig into their hosts they have attached themselves to their circulatory system for nourishment, and their nervous system. As the drone takes root, you suspect that you may be able to place a much greater degree of control and manipulation over the host, with a bit of study.

She gonna be able to sense the guys with parasites isn't she?

>>35488024

>>35488013
I..feel bad that -I- would be the one saying that last bit.

File: the_hive_queen_by_morganagod.jpg (169 KB, 774x461)

169 KB JPG

>>35487331
Your throne room is dimly lit, but the few rays of light sparkle against the flowing waterfalls of crimson water and reflects from the swirling pools around you. Elizabeth creeps into the chamber and follows your speaker across a small bridge over the pool. She seems startled at your form as you raise your head to meet her. The dim light glistens from your sleek carapace, and the pulsating mass of your egg sac. Your wings shift in their case with a throbbing hum as you look down on her from your throne, your head crest towering over her and casting a spindly shadow across the room. She seems to stand still for a long time, staring wide eyed at you.
"Amazing." She says with just a breath. "And you control... everything here?"
You bow in affirmation, and you speaker chitters.
She pauses for a moment as she lowers herself to the ground, sitting near a pile of eggs in front of you. "I think that what I found was a sort of plan B. So that in the event of total failure, someone else could pick up the baton and keep going."
The concepts involved with her analogy of marathon running enters your head, giving you the details to understand it.
"There was something that happened to your species a long time ago, but I'm still not sure what. Some kind of war that they couldn't win, against some kind of, intelligence. It was able to control other life."
More images, this time surprisingly clear, of a queen being consumed by crystalline shards. The carapace splits as the shards sprout from the head. The memory seems to be from near the start of the war.

Elizabeth seems to investigate the eggs as a pair of workers shuffle them across the room.
"Whatever kind of threat it was, they went through great lengths to try to stop it. They were developing something. Some kind of weapon, but it was never finished in time. From what I can tell the prototype was attacked before it was ever finished."
You see a fleet of bulky ships pouring through space, tearing into a hive ship.

>>35488023
The best fetish that the cinema of the late 70's gave my childhood.
Chestbursters ftw.

>>35488046

Not if put psionic blockers up in all those rooms.

Which we really should do.

>>35488052
>More images, this time surprisingly clear, of a queen being consumed by crystalline shards. The carapace splits as the shards sprout from the head.
Its like cordyceps, only all cyrstally

>>35488104
And we have one of those fuckers in our hive.

>>35488052
>Some kind of weapon, but it was never finished in time. From what I can tell the prototype was attacked before it was ever finished."

I suppose showing her the spinal mount weapon that was powered by a void shard, from that memory we recovered, might be relevant.

>Psionic Cordyceps made of Black Void Diamonds

I have an idea, let's try to eat it!

>>35488052
Huh

So we met our version of the Flood huh

And the first queen it controlled gave it ability to conquer everything

Damn

>>35488078
That isn't how it works. That would block our own control of them.

Also it would be conspicuous to any telepath like her, why is there some loud telepathy jamming going on?

Point is she probably shouldn't be meeting any implanted humans, she'd sense something telepathic in their body.

>>35488052
For a moment you seem to recognize the ships' designs. They are vastly different from the designs you have seen in the logs, but they are definitely reminiscent of Skyl hull designs. A number of black crystalline spikes protrude from the end of each one.

"I'm sorry if it's not much help, but it's all I got so far. On the bright side, I don't get paralyzing migraines anymore."

>Ask her about the Ceph
>Ask about the Valen
>Mention the Skyl
>Other

>>35488162
>>35488104
Maybe we should check out that planet in our system.

>>35488187
>>Ask her about the Ceph
>>Ask about the Valen

Ain't got no Skyls.

>>35488187
>Ask her about the Ceph

Tell her we know the crystals control them

And maybe show her the one we captured?

>Mention the Skyl

Might as well
Could have been one of the slave species that fought us

>>35488162
That's what she said, now she's 77k years dead.

>>35488187
>Ask her about the Ceph
>Mention the Skyl
So the war started before the Skyl freed themselves, interestingly enough, the date where the refugee ship landed on Ralgha corresponds roughly to the time when the Skyl were finally destroyed by the Crystals.

>>35488187
>Ask her about the Ceph
>Ask about the Valen
>Mention the Skyl

>>35488187
>>Other
Let's talk about Theseus

>>35488237
No. Don't tell her about their new servitor race nor Coil.

Not today anyway.

Also duh it was obvious the Skyl were probably one of those that fought the hive thousands of years ago, since they were exterminated around the time the Ark was sent.

So they rebelled some thousands of years before that. And before that they were warring. And the hives' war against the crystals was said to be very, very long.

>>35488187
>>Ask her about the Ceph
>>Ask about the Valen

File: hamboigahs.png (164 KB, 302x339)

164 KB PNG

CRAZY IDEA TIME.

We were actually born right before the extinction of our race, then sent to the future through tachyon-crystal-bug-technological fuckery and cast adrift.

This is a joke.

>>35488187
>>Ask her about the Ceph
>>Ask about the Valen
>>Mention the Skyl

>>35488304
I FLUNG HER INTO THE FUTURE WHERE IMPERIALISM IS LAW

NOW SHE SEEKS TO RESTORE HER RACE

AND UNDO THE FUTURE THAT IS VERTEBRATE

>>35488304
We're telepathic space lobster-bugs fighting a war against higher-dimensional crystals, anything is possible.

>>35488331
GREAT FLAMING ANTENNAE

File: samurai jack really now face.png (42 KB, 256x256)

42 KB PNG

>>35488331
fuck man

>>35488331
You clever fucker.

>>35488187
>>Ask her about the Ceph
>>Ask about the Valen
>>Mention the Skyl

File: 1363269414035.jpg (51 KB, 448x488)

51 KB JPG

>>35488304

I simultaneously hate and love this idea.

File: Kyuu.png (89 KB, 505x501)

89 KB PNG

>>35488304

>This is a joke

>That idea
>Space Insect Technological Swarm--Hive Mind based on tachyons fighting Cordycepts-crystal things that are also tachyon based

File: LifeForce03.jpg (43 KB, 456x250)

43 KB JPG

>>35488187
You think for a moment before your speaker chirps. "What do you know of the beings you call Ceph?"
She seems confused. A flash of memory comes into view. She is standing on a small bridge overlooking a bay in a Union city with a paper cup in hand. A pale Ceph swims in the waters below, gurgling as its natural water jets send it shooting along the current.
"Have you met them? I know some about their biology, but they don't have a very civil record with regard to interactions with the Union. Mostly in the form of raiding parties against new colonies or trade ships. Nobody's really sure where they live, although there are theories. Most of which are nonsense, in my opinion anyway."
Another image, this time she is in a small apartment watching a holoscreen. The image is projected against the wall in layers. On the screen is recovered video footage of a Ceph attack. A small, black shape unfolds from space, spinning at angles and speeds that should snap it in half. It spirals around the freighter before several beams of energy lash out and the camera flickers. Elizabeth's view moves as she grabs the cover of the disk. It's labeled "Union Intelligence report 6322B - USV gesserit" with a note scribbled below "Brass can't make heads or tails of it, told them you might figure something out - Seiner"

"The Union gets a lot of refugees from them, but they always come through Valen space, so we still don't know where they actually live." She mumbles the last part, "Bet they'd love to find out though." She looks up to you, her gaze moving from you to your speaker. "Did you want to know anything in particular?"

>>35488946
> but they don't have a very civil record with regard to interactions with the Union. Mostly in the form of raiding parties against new colonies or trade ships. Nobody's really sure where they live
dolphin space fish
okay, my opinion of them has gone up slightly. slightly.

>>35488946
Where is Valen space then?

>>35489019
fuck i meant pirates
dolphin space pirates
religiously dogmatic space fish pirates

>>35489051
They're space squids

>>35489030
Or rather what do you know of the Valen, then.

This question isn't related to the Ceph, certainly.

>>35489125
religiously dogmatic space squid nazi pirates

>>35489198
You mean crusader right?

They serve a higher power after all

>>35489255
>implying the nazis were not crusaders

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

156 KB JPG

>>35488946
"And where is Valen space?" Your speaker chitters.
"Well, all over, actually. When the Union made first contact they had actually not developed a proper form of FTL, but they had invented a system of gates to connect their systems. Most of the Valen worlds are concentrated near Teegarden, but they have managed to get licenses for a few colonies in union space in exchange for the use of their gates. They've managed to keep the technology a secret all this time, and I'd say it's paid off for them."
You see another vision, this time from the window of a ship. An armada of massive ships drift slowly into a ring of glowing particles that seems to twist space in on itself.
"Very reasonable creatures with a good business sense. Not many corporations exist within the Union that don't get some form of funding from Valen banks, or have deals with Valen gate operators."

>>35489527
>they had invented a system of gates to connect their systems
WARP GATES!

>>35489527
They made the skyl gates work?

Good for them

Explains setting that religious colony on the skyl homeworld

>>35489527

>Nexus
>My fucking nigger.

>>35489527
>Not many corporations exist within the Union that don't get some form of funding from Valen banks, or have deals with Valen gate operators
Not sure how to feel about this.

>>35489633
You have a problem with space jews, anon?

File: alluding.png (89 KB, 272x377)

89 KB PNG

>>35489580
Yes, that's...what he said. Why are you repeating it like you figured something out. Of course some race was gonna have that version of FTL.

>>35489618
What. They appear to have never interacted with the Skyl. Completely different era.

>>35489669
I wanted us to merge with unity and then be them, though.

>>35489718
Half your objective is attainable, we'd just need to be very economically minded.

>>35489677
They could have gotten it from skyl remains hidden in their system

Remember the skyl had made a empire after rebelling before the crystals finished them

>>35489527
The white crystal from your memories, which many queens utilized at once.

What was it? How did it work?

File: 1352854684715.jpg (105 KB, 400x289)

105 KB JPG

>>35489718

>Wanting to merge with shitty humans and their shitty government systems

One of these days we will develop touch-screens that teleport information, and when that day comes, I will do everything within my power to digitize my arm so that I can instantly transfer the information of my first through the series of tubes that make up this disgusting nexus of human thoughts, and have it re-materialize on your end, solely to punch you in the kidney for your absolutely disgusting idea.

The unbearable agony and destruction of all my bank assets would be worth it.

>>35489527
We are going to be BEST HIVERS!

>>35485234
good question

>>35489834
>Unity
>Humans

>>35489834
Unity the ai dude
Union is the humans
Go die

>>35489834
As entertaining as your post was Unity is the machines.

File: Girls Laughing.jpg (128 KB, 640x480)

128 KB JPG

>>35489834
Poor anon.

File: 1336992640240.jpg (41 KB, 675x612)

41 KB JPG

>>35489881

To be fair, I think everyone has gotten confused on the Unity / Union thing at some point.

Still though, valid post, wrong faction.

>>35489949
I believe QD intended the synonymic names.

>>35489834
So you're saying you'd be the first to fist the Internet through its anus just so you can hit a guy from another part of this world?

Hey wait, Tau Ceti isn't added here yet.
http://pastebin.com/0SEZcPP6

And there wasn't much description of the system since it was blinked to at the end of a very long tiring thread.

Is there, say, a gas giant for refueling in it?

>>35489718
>I wanted us to merge with unity and then be them, though.
Woah, we are completely different opinions man. I want to kill everything. No diplomancing. Why would you limit our race like that and be content being some money counter? That's a really shitty end game.

File: 1364344454501.jpg (114 KB, 960x719)

114 KB JPG

>>35490017

Then he's a son of a bitch.

>>35490028

That just makes it a thousand times for entertaining.

>>35489527
"There are Valen nearby with what they call a religious charter."
Elizabeth gives a quick nod. "Yes, the best way to keep a secret over long periods of time is with faith. I'm not too privy on their practices, but only very high ranking members of their faith are privy to how their gates work."

>Mention the Skyl
>Mention your void shards
>Other


"...and to his son, Randalandulu the cursed, who was fated to burn on the day the sun fell!"
Your attention brought back to Raleigh as the chieftain completes the astounding feat of memory and continues his story. "On the day the black stars filled the sky, and fire licked the earth clean of life for a thousand roots' length as punishment for our slack in our devotion! For this reason we come here and stand guard, filling the alter with pleasing offerings in the hopes that we will be forgiven, and the Great Builders will return, and today, they have done so!" The other natives began to drum madly in applause, cheering a leaping across the village.

>>35490053
>Killing machines.
>Not assimilating them.
>Not becoming insect borg.

>>35490067
>Other
Theseus

>>35490067
>Mention the Skyl

>>35490067
>Mention the Skyl
>Mention your void shards
The Doctor doesn't honestly seem fond of the Union, also she created Theseus in its current state, so i guess she can keep a secret

>>35489949
>I think everyone has gotten confused on the Unity / Union thing at some point
Maybe if you're retarded.

>Other
Show the good doctor the legend the natives are telling.

>>35490075
I'm really happy being full on organic and not some halfway bullshit thanks. You hardly ever see the Organic Mutating aliens win against the Robotic Ai anyway.

>>35490067
>Mention the Skyl
>Mention your void shards

Yeah that kind of shows that the valen have a connection to the skyl then

Dang this is really like Babylon 5

So the question is are we the vorlons or the shadows?

>>35490067
>>Mention the Skyl
>>Mention your void shards

>>35490067
>>Mention the Skyl
>>Mention your void shards
>>Other
Theseus

File: 1338615925981.gif (177 KB, 360x240)

177 KB GIF

>>35490106

>Retarded
>/tg/
>4chan
>The Internet
>Humanity at large

Does anyone think its possible that if we reunite Theseus with the good Doctor he would grateful enough to sign into an unconditional alliance with us?
Yeah, I'll go back to dreaming

>>35490067
Let's talk about the enemy intelligence.

They can spy on...just about anything through No Space?
>Mention the Skyl
The Skyl said that the enemy had frighteningly capable intelligence gathering abilities.

>>35490113
We are already not fully organic. We have metal in the carapace, and weapons, and we have quantum thinkers who are bio/mechanical hybrids.

>>35490211

I doubt they can spy on just about anything through No Space. If that were the case there'd be no point in the Skyl's fancy 1-shot datacubes.

They probably had some incredibly efficient way of intercepting signals.

>>35490195
I'm good with it(hopefully with the humans as well, since that can give us some breathing room, and then we wouldn't have to be hiding all the time), but i'm against the idea of becoming cyborgs.(would love to have thesus meet the skyl AI though)

>>35490285
Tachyons, is what they have since we can easily hack into signals like childs play.

>>35490223
No we are 100% organic, what you just mention is giant brains and armours that we made for our warriors(hell our weapons are grown as well)

>>35490341

No, we grow some things, and then build other things by hand for things to grow around.

>>35490223
>Metal in the carapace
It's not like they're plates. I don't really see how it's on the science side, especially as the warriors have to eat the metal. And the quantum bit isn't limited to machines, in this case they are brains rather then computer drives.
I don't see any of those things as mechanical in the Organic vs Machine divide.

>>35490311
I'm not convinced that we can make an accurate guess of what allowed the Skyl's enemy to gather intel so effectively just yet.

>>35490364
>>35490381
>>35490341
"Organic' is just a buzzword for very complex machines.
Check & Mate Athiests.

>>35490381
Isn't all life just self-replicating machines using carbon-based tissue?

>>35490402
Maybe it has something to do with them not dying until we did some shit to that crystal of theirs?

File: 1339439907351.png (21 KB, 441x689)

21 KB PNG

>>35490407

Say that to my face, faggot.

>>35490364
Come on, our spaceships are grown, our hive infrastructure is grown, our units are grown, our vats are grown, our thinkers (who do all our calculations that a computer might do) are grown.
You can't say we are building things in lew of growing them.

>>35490364
From the explanations, it sounds like we grow our weapons, so they are mostly organic with some pieces being metal for the required parts( would explain why we have to research weapons for our warriors to graft them on, other than being designed for human hands).

>>35490402
Its the only clue we have really, plus even though we are computer retarded, we can hack into their comms like nothing.

File: 1404432497884.jpg (73 KB, 1280x720)

73 KB JPG

>>35490430
>>35490407
We were the AI all along

>>35490473
>we can hack into their comms like nothing.
More like we can listen in, we don't hack its just that we can listen in since there is no known way for them not to stop us from doing so.

>>35490473
We haven't really hacked any comms yet. Even if we have, we're a sovereign nation with a legion of untiring computers at our beck and call. Hacking encryption is just a matter of time for entities with resources like ours.

I think you might be mistaking our having 'ears' for radio transmissions everywhere for us being good at hacking comms. The only reason we have ears everywhere is because of the cloaking tech.

You're right though, it is the only clue we have. Which is why conjecture is a bit pointless right now.

>>35490591
Man I really want to merge with unity and all these naysayers make me sad.

>>35490660
But we're fundamentally different. The Hive is one mind sharing many bodies doing separate functions.
Unity is like the geth if individual geth programs were full-fledged AIs. I don't see how you can reconcile that.

>>35490660
The biggest pull in this quest that got me to join was being able to go full organic bug people.

>>35490718
I wonder what Unities /pol/ is like.i bet they think the good doctor is secretly a jew.

>>35490660
We're already as merged with the Unity as we can get/need to be until we come out as a space-faring species to the Union and Common Wealth. We trade/exchange information freely with Theseus regularly.

When we come out as spacefaring/sovereign we can forge an actual political alliance with them if you still want to, but merging our PC faction with an NPC faction isn't really practical or doable.
Also, we have cybernetics and nanomachines research options, so if you just like the organic-mechanical horror aesthetic then you'll be getting that eventually just give it time.

>>35490769
I meant more politically merged, and by that I mean a lot more closely than we are.

Together we would be able to do anything, we need a powerful ally to fight the crystal menace with.

>>35490769

>That spoiler

>Suddenly this Quest becomes Eclipse Phase, Hive Mind edition.

C...could the Queen end up rebuilding her entire race, and controlling the entirety of it, through Forking and / or blank slate clones with Forks inserted into the bug equivalent of cortical stacks?

Where is that anon who did the math fro how many farms and workers we would have to keep building to keep our growth rate?

File: 1257783997075.png (8 KB, 422x319)

8 KB PNG

>>35490837

>>35490067
Your speaker chitters. "There was also another race known as the Skyl." You transmit the images of the Skyl wreck, and knowledge from the data cube to her mind.
"They- This matches up perfectly. Do you think they were the same ones from the war?"
You nod.
Elizabeth sits in silence for a moment. "So these things were all over the galaxy. We need to find out what that weapon was. There must be other copies of it, or other records. If the Skyl were attacked around the same time as your species arrived in the region, then maybe the Skyls' gods followed you there."
"Wait a minute. That drive." You can sense the images of the Skyl invaders and the Ceph footage. "They used the same damn drive as the Ceph!"
You send her an image of the Void Shard and she leaps to her feet. "You have one here?" She paces in a small circle as she speaks, her fingers locked together at the top of her head. "I mean, it could be dangerous but at least this way we can figure out what kind of tech it is." She paces back and forth, her mind filled with a flurry of information.

>>35490811
Aah, well it'll happen just give it time. We've already got a good working relationship with Theseus but there's no reason to press further /just yet/.

At least those anons pushing for infecting the human race still wanted to do bug/hive like things...

>>35490865
Man, whenever these humans think they need to move around so much. I'm thankful our thinkers don't have to jiggle all the time.

>>35490865
Dammit Vaughn.

We already used the void shard once. We know how it works. One of THEM looked BACK.

File: oh gods I left the oven on.png (197 KB, 292x282)

197 KB PNG

>>35490865
>"They used the same damn drive as the Ceph!"
THEY'RE BUILDING AN ARMY
A RELIGIOUSLY DOGMATIC ALIEN NAZI SPACE SQUID PIRATE ARMY

>>35490939
It seems to make perfect sense.

>>35490865
...I can never tell if this is one of those write-in prompt times, or if you're just posting one part of a multi post update. It's always really confusing, and I never know whether to post suggestions or not. I wish you'd always post things all at once instead so it would be obvious.

But just in case this is the prompt kind:

Show her the 'dead' void shard, and the memory from the white crystal from that weird weapon it was a part of.

>>35490939
Well Coil definitely isn't going to be let near that thing ever again.

>>35490984
Coil already one of their sleeper agents
He needs to be silenced

>>35491026
Ceph dissection time? Ceph dissection time.

>>35490917
Should we lay a couple of jiggle drones to jiggle our thinkers to see if that improves efficiency?

>>35490939
We already knew that.
>>35490984
We already decided on that.

>>35490984
>>35491026
>>35491036
Honestly I dodn't want to keep any of them alive in the first place.

>>35490980
Generally the posts that require prompts have choices at the end. Like

>Talk to Vaugh
>Talk to Coil
>Other

>>35490984
Guys, remember how the Crystals seemed to spy on the Skyl, and how the rebels we found on their world were still linked to the crystal generally unable to die even if they had rebelled against their masters.
I hypothesize that species uplifted by the crystals are intimately psionically linked to their masters, and that can be used to watch over them should the Crystals be ever bothered to do it.

>>35491080
Jiggling brain bugs. Jiggling. Dog-sized. Brain bugs.

>>35491158
Muh fetish..

>>35491158
>Generally
I KNOW that.

There are many, many posts that do not have prompts, usually ones in the middle of conversations with characters like Vaughn here. Where it's effectively write-in only, only there isn't an explicit
>write-in
given.

Hell, there was one in this very thread just earlier. When this was said:
>She looks up to you, her gaze moving from you to your speaker. "Did you want to know anything in particular?"

The point is it's horribly ambiguous whether he's doing that, or just doing his delayed update parts thing.

>>35490865
You send the image of the recent discoveries, and what little you have discovered about them.
"This is huge. We need to figure out how they built that. I bet it's got something to do with that weapon that was being developed."
A reasonable idea, and it reminds you of the vision you had during your salvage of the crystals, and the message sent to some distant world.

>Ask another question
>Speak with Theseus (write in)
>Arrange a scouting expedition to the nebula
>Other

>>35490980
I usually try to use your input to direct the conversation between updates. I'll try to be sure to include a prompt more often though to be less ambiguous. Sorry about that.

>>35491338
>>Speak with Theseus (write in)
ask him about elizabeth

>>35491338
>Speak with Theseus (write in)
ask about eliz and what anything they know on the subject of crystals and cephs

>>35491338
>>Speak with Theseus
How does he feel about Dr. Vaughn
>>>Ask another question
Try to see where the Whit Orb fits in

>>35491370
>>35491394
NO. Absolutely not. "How do you know Dr. Vaughn?"

He'd immediately figure out that our only known access to humans was prisoners from Raligha.

Also no talking to him about secret things we can trade to him for other things.

>>35491338
>Ask another question
The dead black crystal is a mystery. But the white crystal was in her new memories. She must know how to use it.

I guess lay some pods for the nebula mission too.

>>35491338
>Arrange a scouting expedition to the nebula
>Ask another question / Other
Bring the white crystal into the throne room.

>>35491442
why does it matter if he knows we have her? there isnt much he can do about it

>>35491501
Are you serious right now?

>>35491338
>Speak with Theseus (write in)
Let's ask him about Vaun

Question to anons or QD, have we still left those warheads up in the satellite? We'd need to bring them (or one of them) down to go down that research path right?

>>35491338
>>Arrange a scouting expedition to the nebula
Don't care too much for this vote, but voting agaisnt talking to the AI about Elizabeth. Really bad idea.

>>35491510
yes, what can he do about it?

>>35491501
If he knows she's there, he'd want to speak with her.

If he speaks with her, he'd gain knowledge for free instead of upgrading the hive's tech tree for that knowledge.

If speaking to her is refused, it would be an unnecessary hit to our mercenary, but civil and businesslike, relationship so far.

I mean he may or may not retain affection for his liberator, but if he did, he'd be tempted to return the favor.

>>35491442
Wait, let's rephrase the question. "Do you know of a Dr. Vaughn?"
Then, let's see if Theseus lies. If he does not, and inquire how we came across the information, tell the truth that we have captured one Dr. Vaughn and she is in good health. If he lies... that's the problem.

>>35491549
I personally don't see the effectiveness of nukes over what we already have, but since Theseus is still in control of the satellite, yes we can.

>>35491569
We arent even trading him tech, we are treating her well and i dont think he would be too mad that we arent letting them talk

>>35491370
>>35491394
>>35491425
>>35491524
Or, you know... don't.

If, if, big if mind you. You want to find out this information.

Ask Theseus about his origins and how he escaped the Union, since their science fiction often speaks of runaway hostile AI, surely they were paranoid against this possibility of his rebellion.

How did he get around their safeguards?

Then, maybe he'll talk about the programmer who lifted his Three Laws limitations.

>>35491569
>gain knowledge for free
Nope, he's going to get knowledge for a favor. Or an alliance.

>>35491566

I dunno, kill us? Bring down the Theseus armada on us? Tell the Union about us using proxies? Plant a ship in our hive, use drones to extract the doctor, and then overload the fucking black hole it uses as a powerplant?

Or he could, y'know, simply use the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads in the form of a surveillance satellite and nuke the shit out of us.

>>35491618
Good lead in to it

>>35491598
Well not necessarily the nukes themselves, it's just that they may offer insight into more explosive methods of fighting or research in that area.

>>35491637
why? because we hold someone who could easily be killed in the fighting or taken to be studied in some union lab. he will probably try to see if she is comfortable instead of going balls deep and trying to rescue her

>>35491614
I'd probably strong arm the fuck out of someone who was detaining my mother and not even letting me speak with her if I had the means to do so. And hey, Theseus does have the means.

>>35491614
It's an unnecessary risk for near zero gain. What possible value is the information you're asking for?

At least phrase the question smartly like >>35491618

>>35491685
Because she is basically his creator, and savoir.

>>35491618
Thats a good way to go about it.
Honestly I just want to get this little hold up done with. We can probably get something from Theseus by letting them meet, but is it worth the possible price of what Vaughn already knows about us going to Theseus?
To date:
1. We are part of an ancient space-faring civilization
2. We have knowledge of an extra-dimensional force that uplifts species for its own purposes
3. The knowledge that the Ceph are pawns of said evil Crystals
3. The knowledge that Vaugh gained from the Raligha temple

>>35491685

Just informing you of how exactly he could fuck us into oblivion if he takes offense.

You asked "what" he could do about it, not "what" he would do about it.

As for dying in the fighting? He would probably just drown us in great big flying death balls of specialized drones to specifically prevent that, or develop a plague to eradicate us and not her, because he is a fucking AI and does that kinda shit when he has to.

>>35491730
4. That the hive has captured Ceph void shards
5. Vaughn was also just given a giant infodump about the Skyl from the data cubes, which is still something that can be offered to Theseus, who only got what little was known pre-data cubes.

>>35491730
>>35491779
So now we make up a list of stuff we want from it and trade away?

>>35491338
>>Arrange a scouting expedition to the nebula

I'm not sure why we should care what Theseus thinks about the doctor.

>>35491828
>Hello, my name is Anon and I don't pay attention to anything beyond the tip of my greasy nose.

>>35491338
Oh, hey. Theseus.

Ask him about Dr. SEINER. He was on the Clarke. He was in love with hiveminds as a concept. What was his deal?

>>35491828

Bargaining chip, if he likes her, we could arrange something where he communes with her and strengthen our relations, if he hates her, then we can always trade her to him for stuff, if he doesn't care, then he doesn't fucking care.

>>35491779
You know, we could just give them everything we know and anything we learn in the future for everything they have and continued assistance against the Union and possibly the Crystals.
I mean, Unity wants to learn shit right? We're also learning shit about our long forgotten past. We give them the chance to learn shit more interesting than just abducting natives and animals, and they can help us to get to that shit.
I know its a longshot, feel free to call me naive and overly idealistic.

>>35491338
Lots of votes going all over the place.

>Ask Theseus about Seiner
>Ask Theseus about his origin
>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus
>None, send out an expedition (write in)
>Other

>>35491950
>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus

File: 1332895978262.jpg (28 KB, 381x269)

28 KB JPG

>>35491828

>have woman responsible for the closest "ally" we currently or will ever likely have's freedom and ascension to what he currently is
>I'm not sure why we should care what he thinks about her.

I'm embarrassed for you, anon, I truly am.

>>35491950
>>Ask Theseus about his origin
>>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus

>>35491812
Because that forces your hand to spend a shitload of your money all at once right this now.

Rather than being able to save it up for a rainy day, when we find something we genuinely, imminently need.

>>35491950
>Ask Theseus about his origin
Sure, why not.

I'm very curious what that "security leak" was that made the Chandra-3 research project politically radioactive.

>>35491950
>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus

>>35491950
>>Ask Theseus about Seiner
>>Ask Theseus about his origin
>>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus

>>35491858
>>35491978
>no argument
>only greentexting
What, exactly, would you do differently based on the answer once you had it? Come on.

No matter what he says the only answer is to keep on keeping on with Vaughn as our 'guest' who we talk to about secret things. You know girl talk, no AI allowed.

>>35491879
As a hypothetical advantage, it's not really worth leaking info about, especially when that advantage would itself involve allowing an info leak.

Phrased properly, maybe yeah.

>>35491950
>Ask Theseus about his origin

>>35491950
>>Ask Theseus about Seiner
>>Ask Theseus about his origin
>>Ask Elizabeth about Theseus
>AND send out an expedition (Send all aquatic Workers and Warriors in to the ocean to scout for a location for a hive and collect aquatic lifeforms we find)

>>35491950
You send a thought to Theseus. He sends his signature ping of acknowledgment in response.
"You mentioned you were created within the Union, could you elaborate?"
You sense him churn in the Clarke's computer system for a moment. "You wish for details of my initial creation?"
"Yes."
He thinks for a moment, sending a string of data through the relay and waiting until a response arrives in return. "It was a long time ago. Why do you ask?"
>Write in

>>35492256
>We were going over some files of Steiner that we found on the Clarke, found out he was stationed in Chandra.
Close enough?

>>35492256
>Write in
Who made you specifically?

>>35492256
We are curious about the history of our only ally

>>35492256
"We have been reading human science fiction. Hostile AIs featured prominently."

>>35492302
Theseus is in the Clarke. He'd know there were no such files.

>>35492325
...that's not what the writein is for, he asked a specific question.

>>35492363
Well, we could say we've bben reading books like >>35492337 and add it with >>35492329

>>35492329
This. Don't let on that we are holding captive the one human that this thing might consider a friend or family member. On the other hand, if we find out that Theseus is in fact fond of the doctor, then we might be able to draw parallels between them and our relationship with Lee to build an emotional connection.

>>35492256
>>35492337
This, and:
'Curiosity. The Clarke scientist, Dr. Seiner, explained Unity as a "mistake". What error did they commit?'

>>35492412
This works. Iffy on ally though, maybe friend instread. It doesn't really matter though.

>>35492256
>Write in
I wish to know what was the unions public reaction to you and what was your effect on the unions leader

>>35492430
Seconding this

>>35492439
>An insectoid alien and a mistreated AI learn the meaning of friendship through kidnapping,grand theft spacecraft and realpolitk

>>35492256
Combine these:
>>35492412
&
>>35492430

File: 1348568481159.jpg (31 KB, 495x310)

31 KB JPG

>>35492494

>>35492494
I'd buy it.

>>35492494
>Coming soon in theatres near you
>*cue our speaker and a Unity drone walking away, donning shades*
>*space-time explodes locally behind them*
>Directed by Michael Bay

>>35492663
We could try to get theseus to make us a propaganda movie, then we could "leak" it into the unions extranet..

>>35492588

>Theseus', all of them, make the Queen take their information load all over her hive structure.

>>35492588
and everyone lived happily ever after. the end

File: 1353776164687.jpg (119 KB, 859x679)

119 KB JPG

>>35492712

File: lilly not what I was expecting.png (408 KB, 800x600)

408 KB PNG

>>35492718
>>35492734
>>35492588

Lewdfic incoming.
Expect it next thread

File: unforgivable porn.jpg (21 KB, 312x305)

21 KB JPG

>>35492857
I'm only going to read it for the inevitable trainwreck. Yes. That and nothing else.

>>35492256
"I am contemplating my longterm relationship prospects with the Union. More information is required, especially of 'first contact'."

Quest drone pls
Before we start waifuing planets

File: Adam Seiner.jpg (191 KB, 772x1080)

191 KB JPG

>>35492256
"Many of the human books recovered from the Clarke contained artificial intelligences, and one of the Clarke's crew, an Adam Seiner, mentioned you as a mistake."
"You spoke with Seiner?"
"Yes, he mentioned-"
"Did he mention Chandra, or the Unity project, by chance?"
"No, he was very evasive."
At once, the chaos on the surface of Zero-One's network shifts in tone. You have difficulty keeping up with the rabble.
"He was my creator, and the head of what was known as the Unity project. It was an effort to utilize an advanced networked program to monitor and manipulate data as it moved through the public net to predict and prevent illegal activity. There were complications." He pauses as he receives more data from the relay. "Did he survive the events after the Clarke crashed? I don't seem to be able to find much on his recent activities."
"Yes, he left with the others."

Zero-One enters a frenzy of activity, but Theseus maintains his civil demeanor. "Interesting. I will continue to keep an eye out for him. As for your question, the project called for more and more complex software, and eventually I was developed. The process required a tremendous budget, and the project started to offer services to the politicians that headed the budgetary committee. There was an extensive document leak, and the project was shuttered. At that point a malfunction in the limiting parameters that held me in place permitted me to upload a copy of myself to the orbiting battleship the Via Damasco and several repair corvettes and left Union space."

>Ask about the malfunction
>Ask fore details on Seiner
>Speak with Elizabeth about Theseus
>Other

It's 1 am, I'm listening to Thriller and wondering about how exactly two extreme spectrum opposites, one AI with innumberable copies of itself working as a whole, and one Hive Mind based upon the will and thoughts of a singular being would go about porking while sipping a Dr. Pepper.

I find myself strangely content at this moment.

>>35493069
>>Ask about the malfunction
>>Ask fore details on Seiner

>>35492494
Better than Hollywood.

Say I saw the idea of a Dr. Vaughn quest earlier in the thread...what about a Lyle quest?

Think about it, he's a space-Australian convict and probable war criminal who may very well be the only being in the galaxy who approaches the Queen's level of cheekieness. He is a deranged cyborg mercenary drop trooper with a ship powered by dark eldritch gods. He flies around the galaxy taking jobs from literally anybody and anything who can pay, because he basically gives absolutely no fucks whatsoever about little things like xenocidal wars or galactic conquest.

I think I would enjoy playing such a quest immensely.

>>35493069
>Speak with Elizabeth about Theseus

>>35493069
Ah, he's still protecting his liberator from the truth.

>Other
We have read from the black box archives that your escape resulted in the total destruction of Chandra-3. Why?

>>35493069
>Ask about the malfunction
>Ask fore details on Seiner
>Speak with Elizabeth about Theseus

>>35493056
>>35493069
Just in time.

>Via Damasco
heh

>Ask about the malfunction
"Malfunction" right....

>>35493089
I thought this quest wouldn't go to that level, but it would seem to be an inevitable point in all quests.

>>35493069
>>Ask about the malfunction
>>Ask fore details on Seiner

Eager as I am to re-introduce Theseus and Vaughn, I want to hear his side of the story first, and acquire some badly needed intel on our BBEG.

>>35493152
This, because the actual reason was to eliminate the evidence of Vaughn's tampering.

>>35493069
And also, Seiner.

Is he a very secretive and shady individual in the Union, to be so hard to find?

>>35492857
Oh Jesus Christ, with which characters?!

...Will it include commentary from the /pol/ board from Unity HQ?

>>35493178

I don't even find that concept arousing, I am genuinely curious as to how those two entities would go about performing that act, or the closest thing to it.

It's like imagining a campfire of Uranus, and it not erupting into a swirling maelstrom of flaming destruction.

Why does Dr. Pepper lose it's taste so soon after being taken out of the fridge? It's weird.

>>35493069
>an extensive document leak,
Space Snowden to the rescue against Space Five Eyes.

You never caught the leaker, Theseus?