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>>35777339
>Current armory
269 Thorn Launchers
20 Thorn Cannons
123 Sting Casters
30 Cyclotrons
15 Rotary Stinger
3 Fire Sprays
5 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 (100) – 400
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 (200) – 200
Fly (50) – 200
Wasp (100) – 500
Antenna (3) – 9
Haz-mat Workers (20) – 80
Shock Troops (40) – 520
Parasite (30) – 120
Bio-tank (10) – 250
Excavator (41) – 799
Colossus (20) – 300
Advanced Relay (16) – 1600
Space Pod (13) – 390
Shuttle (10) – 250
Scout Corvette – (6) 1350
Lancer Corvette – (2) 450
Nutrient costs: 12672

>Income
Metals: 12750
Nutrients: 40050
Net: 27378

Hive Structure
>Reservoir
>General storage
>Food storage
>Advanced Laboratory
>Infrastructure
>Hangar facilities: Room for 40 Aero Drones and 20 Shuttles (25N)
>Mine: 36 Excavators, 60 Diggers, +10500 M per day (+25 M per digger)
>Asteroid mining base: 5 Excavators, 20 Diggers, +2250M per day (+50 M per digger)
>Algae Farm: +40000 N per day, 400 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)

Construction finished
200 Farms
Secondary hive site is ready

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

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>>35777367
Ship Construction Options
http://pastebin.com/YTwGk8n1

Finished research

>Psionic disruptor
This device, when activated, creates an overwhelming psionic signal that is capable of drowning out tachyon based communication, disrupting any drones and causing mass confusion to psionically sensitive subjects within its range. When attached to a standard relay, such as a drone, it can be broadcast in a cone with a range of several kilometers, with the effect decreasing in potency as the range increases.

>Plasma funneling
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.

Current Research
http://pastebin.com/F6t39KSp

>>35777339
what?

>>35777417
Isn't it obvious?

A human has been removed from the bio-tanks and placed back in his cell. And preliminary neurological interfacing experiments have allowed the Parasite drone inside him--note him clutch his stomach in pain -- to read his mind, and thus his dreams.

>>35777408
Your parasite drones have uncovered a number of interesting discoveries as they continue to experiment on the human nervous system. Several of the subjects appear to have been seeing mild hallucinations or seem to hear faint voices in the distance, and you have begun to see into their mind in a similar manner as with Elizabeth.

You turn your attention to the various other activities you have been monitoring. Your false queen, a rather useful egg layer with an uncanny likeness to you, is ready to be sent away to found a new colony under your control.

>Send it to Raligha
>Send it to (write in)
>Other

I would also like to apologize for last week. Family birthday and what not.

>>35777579
>Send it to Raligha

Best to do that before the Union returns and establishes a monitor satellite in orbit, rendering it impossible to send corvettes there anymore.

>>35777528
>>35777579

Should we ever get away with these drones never being found out, developing proper symbiotic drones would be a viable sale for mercs and profit (stripped of all other genetic information/mimic another species instead of ours of course).

>>35777579
>Send it to Raligha
>Lay two more fake queens and start looking for a suitable hive location in the Desert and the ocean.
Congratulations on the new family member.

>>35777579
Never mind the Congratulations.

>>35777579
>Send it to Raligha
>Other send some workers with her and make another false queen

>>35777579
>Send to raligha

Your copy is carried into a corvette for transport. You suspect that the offerings of the locals will be plenty sufficient to support a small hive, and while your algae would not grow well in the environment of Raligha, there would most definitely be bountiful options for cultivating nutrients.

>Manage the hive yourself
>Delegate the new hive to your thinkers and give it general orders (write in)
>Other

>>35777706
>new family member
That isn't what birthday means anon.

>desert
That is a terrible idea. There is nothing better about the desert. Oh it's really hot? That means no cloud cover to even slightly obscure the hive's heat signature. Humans have environmental suits if you're thinking this will protect you from drop troopers. And it's less protection from bombardment, at least under the mountains you have tons of rock for miles between you and the surface.

Stick to the temperate zones with cloud cover to hide in.

>>35777806
>Manage the hive yourself

>>35777806
>>Delegate the new hive to your thinkers and give it general orders (write in)

>>35777806
>Delegate the new hive to your thinkers and give it general orders (write in)
Find new food sources suited on the planet

Secure the temple and begin to search for other sites on planet

Alert us if any other faction comes to planet

Study local fauna and plants

>>35777806
>>Manage the hive yourself
I don't see why we would delegate. We have a relay right there.

>>35777806
>>35777882

Aye yeah forgot to add

Build hidden Anti-orbital battery around important site and build warriors forces

And ensure peaceful relationship with natives

>>35777806
>Manage the hive yourself

>>35777806
Just to clarify, delegating something to the thinkers is essentially the same as setting up an ai governor in a 4x game. You will still be aware of what it's doing at all times and can intervene if something unexpected happens, but it would otherwise handle the local hive activity, population growth, defenses, and resource management according to your specifications.

>>35777832
The desert is hot enough to cook the nerves of are warriors at night I'm pretty sure it generate enough heat to mask the heat a hive would produce.

>>35777806
>>Manage the hive yourself
The queen is all about mircromanagement

>>35777948
Well that's the thing. We probably shouldn't set up anti-orbital defenses, or allow growth of more than a basic small amount of workers and warriors to interact with the natives and collect biological samples. We should just stay hidden inside the Ark.

Any defense infrastructure is too detectable, the Union is almost inevitably coming back. Increasing hive size is increasing potential detectability as well.

So I don't imagine much management involved, just a static size and sample gathering.

>>35777806
>Delegate the new hive to your thinkers and give it general orders:
Find new food sources.
Secure the temple and begin exploring it further.
Alert us if any other faction comes to planet.
Study local fauna and plants.
Scout for new hive locations.
Manage hive population at initial hive to keep it from being detected.
Maintain peaceful interactions with locals.

>>35778070
The anti orbital batteries aren't detectable from orbit, they can only be located once they've already fired. And most of the hive functions, including the algae farms, are conducted underground, so that isn't an issue. The only hive structure we can build that's really noticable from a distance is our docking pylon.

>>35777948
Yeah in that case, I'd like to change my vote here, >>35777997
to delegating via a thinker.

>>35778134
>The anti orbital batteries aren't detectable from orbit
Then what about the large heat signatures they produce?

>>35778102
Supporting this, I'd also like to add anti-orbital batteries to it as well.

>>35778134
>The anti orbital batteries aren't detectable from orbit, they can only be located once they've already fired
But that's wrong. Any big thing like that has a heat signature even before it's activated.

> are conducted underground, so that isn't an issue
The whole hive's activity has to vent heat somehow. Even the hive on Leeland has a heat signature that's detectable from orbit, even if it doesn't scream "hive!" it is noticeable and unusual. This has been said many times by QD. Read the quest.

>>34379408
>All of the growing activity has resulted in an anomalous and very large heat signature. A mix of the anti-orbital batteries, the repair, refit, and construction of your corvettes, and the pylon itself.

>>35778204
>also like to add anti-orbital batteries to it as well.
No, what the fuck, that defeats the whole point of:

>Manage hive population at initial hive to keep it from being detected.

>>35778193
Again, only noticeable when firing. These constructions are basically massive linear particle beams in bunkers deep underground. They won't be noticed unless the hive want's them to be noticed.

>>35778246
>Again, only noticeable when firing.
You repeating something does not make it true.

>>35777806
>Delegate to thinker

Your corvette lifts off with its precious cargo. It takes several hours for the ship to reach Raligha, and as it descends you hear the blast of horns in the distance and the echo of drumming chants. The village enters a frenzy of celebration and the strange creatures begin piling offerings of alien fruits and gutted animals. Your corvette casts a broad, crescent shaped shadow over the land below and even as it descends you can see the natives swarming over the nearby trees, chopping and cutting at the hollow trunks to make a properly sized landing space.

As the ship touches down the natives line up around the ship in silence with their round forms flattened out to the ground in a squat bow. Your thinkers quickly request details on how you wish to grow the new colony, and how you wish to manage the locals.

>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage
>Keep the hive contained to the ancient ship and rely on the natives to maintain the hive
>Other

It is quite possible to evolve a liquid cooling system that we link to an underground stream and cool it that way. Might mitigate the background heat to normal hive levels. Which will be useful for worlds we already known to own.

>>35777806
>Manage the hive yourself

>>35778246
They produce a heat signature even when not in use. So that entire statement is false.

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Keep the hive contained to the ancient ship and rely on the natives to maintain the hive
It's like free worker drones.

>>35778287
>>Keep the hive contained to the ancient ship and rely on the natives to maintain the hive

>>35778292
I believe researching Cryo spray could be put to that use or if not that maybe the laser cooling it opens up.

>>35778287
>>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Other
Keep the hive contained to the ancient ship, but also begin scouting for other locations that a hive could be built why being hard to locate.

>>35778378
That is a good point.

>>35778287
>>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Keep the hive contained to the ancient ship and rely on the natives to maintain the hive

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

>>35778287
>>Build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage
Assuming this would fully camouflage them from enemy ships, I would prefer not to rely on the locals to sustain the hive.

>>35778287
>It takes several hours for the ship to reach Raligha,
Wait it does.

But can't it just Blink straight from orbit over Leeland to orbit around Raligha?

>>35778758
That and the locals do not understand our tech and would likely just worship it than work on it.

>>35778827
Figured it blinked out of the sat detection range and then went to the planet the slow way under cloak

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>>35778287
>build up defenses, but disguise them in the dense foliage

The bay doors of your corvette opens and your nearby drones move in to carry the fake queen out and into the ancient ship. As it disappears into the ancient ruins of the cave and your corvette ascends back into the air the locals break their silence and erupt into frantic cheers. Your thinkers analyze the situation and your copy begins to lay its eggs.

You let your drones manage the new colony and you look to the various other activities that call your attention. The Skyl ship has begun to unfold its hull as it collects the scraps of the nearby station. Spindly arms move from hulk to hulk, disassembling them peice by peice and salvaging whatever it can from the wrecks. It has already assembled three new ships, each one smaller and more nimble than the others. It's obvious that they lack the massive fuel storage or extra thrusters needed for interstellar travel, instead reliant on piggybacking on the flagship itself.

Elsewhere, in Tau Ceti your pod finds several news broadcasts as they are beamed across the system. A moment later you sense the Unity within Zero One surge in activity as it analyzes the story. It's mostly a re run of the attack on the government building you saw earlier, although this time it's from the view of a hovering news shuttle circling overhead. Several small, jet powered airships hover over the rubble, spraying streams of foam into the smoldering debris.

"Here we are live at the scene on Gemini Beta, where just days ago an as of yet unknown group attacked the government district of Fort Call, killing at least forty three and injuring hundreds. No organization has claimed responsibility for the act as of yet, and bodies are still being pulled from the rubble."

As you watch the humans dig in the rubble you hear a ping from Theseus.
"You requested copies of Seiner's papers on your species."

>Look over them immediately
>Speak with Theseus (write in)
>Other

>>35778930
>Look over them immediately
>Speak with Theseus (write in) about the papers and what going on in the union

>>35778882
There IS no monitor satellite over Raligha (yet).

Also the best place to hide from a satellite, if it were there, would be on the opposite side of Raligha from where it's orbiting, so that makes no sense.

>>35778930
>Look over them immediately
Nothing else to talk about here really. I mean, not that we can admit to knowing yet.

>>35778930
Seconding this:
>>35778960

>>35778930
Just how many large and clumsy corvettes did the Skyl start with in its fleet?

>Look over them immediately

Sidebar we might want to attempt to trade the gravity drive for the Skyl FTL sooner rather than later, in case he refuses and we simply must swarm him with our own, more nimble corvettes, before they build any more.

>>35778930
>Look over them immediately

>>35778930
>>Look over them immediately

>>35778960
Supporting this.

>>35778960
Sure.

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>>35778930
Supporting this >>35778960

Also, I made a thing...Well, I TRIED to make a thing. One can only go so far when you're not a drawfag.

>>35779257
It's pretty good, but I always imagined the arm-blades as positioned in a fashion that meant they were used for downwards strikes. Like a preying mantis' blades except more sheathed.

>>35779257
Nice man

>>35779257
You know, this reminds me of question I had about the warrior drones. Can any drone use a weapon, or do they have to be engineered with a combat carapace? Because smart bombs could do a hell of a lot more damage if they were armed with fire sprays.

>>35779257
Well I imagined the arm blades are positioned on the outside of the hand, thus they can be wielded like a the blades of a praying mantis, but I really should have spent more time on clarifying that.

>>35779316
It was established very early on in the quest and in the pastebin that it's the warrior arms that allow weapon grafts.

http://pastebin.com/ucjHL4Tq
http://pastebin.com/3hWCdbhN

And the smart bombs already have 'strength' arms.
http://pastebin.com/EyHX9rZu

>>35779257
That's art is a solid wouldcommandinanrts/10

>>35779295
But anon, they are. Sorta.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/MantisLegGBMNH.jpg
Like mantises, if someone decided mantises needed to be deadlier, and have hands.

>>35779337
This was meant for >>35779295

>>35779316
You could just slap a honey pot on them and fill it with the chemicals we utilize with the Fire spray.

>>35779346
My mistake, I inferred that the blades would deploy out a full 180 degrees where I shouldn't have.

>>35779373
That ain't a half bad idea, it'd certainly expand the explosive/acidic payload. Speaking of honey pots, why don't we whip up a warrior variant with one, so they can take extra ammo and nutrients for extended occupation or combat away from the Hives reach?

>>35779469
I think this conversation happened before, but the gist was that Warriors only need nutrients since they grow ammo inside their bodies. And that we never really had the need to send warriors out on missions where they couldn't be easily resupplied.

>>35779530
The guns at the time was caster weapons and that was understandable. Now we have flamers and plasma throwers. How much can they be used before the fuel runs out on those types? What about fire suppressor sprayers in case our foes use flamers on us? Or there is a fire due to an accident?

>>35778930
Look over them immediately

You find several research papers, each published in some scientific magazine originating from the planet Mentan in the Sirius system, according to the citations. The first is "local flora of G-426-1" and includes a wide range of observations about the various plants and fungal creatures, as well as several that seem to be somewhere between plant and animal. Most are only basic observations, including a detailed account of the effects of the local ocean spores on a human. The next is "Observations of Xeno Formicidae" and includes a number of sketches and photographs of your speaker, as well as several rough sketches and estimates of yourself and your workers, likely based upon the description given by Lee. There is an entire chapter on theories as to how the hive communicates and organizes itself. One of the most focused on is the observation that many life forms of the planet, including your drones appear to have sensitivity to radio waves, making that the primary theory. You continue to skim it to the end, where Seiner makes an argument for further observation.
"The possibility of an uneven distribution of intelligence should not be underestimated, nor should such implications be easily dismissed. If indeed the drones are controlled by remote signal it is entirely possible that they are entirely devoid of sentience. If such is the case, it could be entirely possible to decode this as yet unknown signal for the purposes of communication and manipulation of lone, leaderless drones without concern of moral implications. Further study to confirm or disprove this hypothesis should be made as soon as such funding is available."

>Speak with Theseus (write in)
>Other

>>35779257
Don't sell yourself short, that's pretty good.

>>35779469
Thanks. I'd be cool with doing that, but I think a worker drone design would be better for that. That is mostly do to the fact the combat Carapace is really heavy and I believe adding a honey pot on top of that would render it's winds useless, except for gliding.

>>35779530
Yes but that doesn't cover specialty ammunition like explosive or acidic rounds, which have proven all but invaluable in combat by now.

>>35779625
Man a mad dock alright

>Speak with Theseus (write in)
about the papers and what going on in the union

and what is steiner personality like

>>35779625
>>Other
Just wondering, is it possible to "hire" Lyle to find and rescue Lee?

>>35779644
That is understandable as well, until we develop the tech for flying or gliding with out wings.
>>35779625
>Speak with Theseus
What's the latest of what is going on in the union?
>>35779675
Maybe float this idea as well.

>>35779675
I would think so, he has made a living doing jobs for aliens who capture him. The biggest problem would be locating Lee, as he has been broken out of Union captivity and not even Theseus knows where he is now.

>>35779675
Possible, you'd have to ask Lyle.

Advisable, hell to the no!

>>35779469
Honey pots make you large and clumsy when carrying all that cargo. They're just convenient living containers that you can load up on the shuttle with all your other drones when deployed on missions.

>>35779625
Theseus. What's the deal with Mentan? Why would Seiner be there?

>>35779625
I'm honestly horrible at hand-drawing, but i'm sorta good with Illustrator and I really like this quest. Thanks for liking it.

>Speak with Theseus
What's his take on the current happenings in the Union. Also, how would people take it if the good Doctor were to be "silenced"

>>35779675
Yes, finding lost persons is one of many talents he considers himself to be good at. He is usually hired to kill them after he has found them, but the finding part is still the same. Of course, once he leaves you would either need to trust him, or devise a way to keep a short leash on him.

Just a note:

Would there in future, if we gained a large enough territory to be laying other hive queens, be a point we could ascend from a queen to a empress?

>>35779625
Kind of worrying, if it seems like they start figuring it out we might have to equip our drones with some rudimentary sentience to avoid lies and outside influence.

now that we have the tech for the psionic disruptor, we should work on tech to negate it.

>>35779722
He might recognize the operating style of the people who took Lee. Greet hwvSepo. Plus I have a suspicion that the people who kidnapped Lee are the same ones who hired Lyle in the first place

>>35779753
Haha no. No discussing about killing Theseus's sciencedad with wetworks.

Seiner hasn't actually DONE anything sinister, but he's had this air of 2spooky raised about him retroactively. Which I like.

>>35779760
Words and labels are arbitrary and socially constructed, man. You can call yourself Grand Poo-Bah if you can convince other people to call you that.

>>35779757
Well keeping him on a leash would be simple, implant him with a parasite and let him know about it. That if he tries to remove or tell about it, it will kill him.

>>35779780
What, a bit like electronic hardening to avoid EMP, but more for psionics?
Frankly that would probably need a short range transmitter drone that can overcome interference, think synapse creatures for tyranids.

>>35779757
We could offer him new, better limbs, and make it so they require something only we can synthesize, or offer him continuing work with the possibility of further upgrade, or work on a way to completely break and control him with our psionic powers, effectively making him a drone. I feel that last option would decrease his effectiveness as a soldier though.

>>35779789
Just realized I typed the captcha in the middle of my sentence. I feel like and idiot

>>35779704
magnetic levitation could be the remedy to the flight problem, but we'd need to research it first.

>>35779811
The idea is a rank above and able to comand queens as a racial head biologically speaking.

something that means if we die the race isen't auto fucked.
Another idea would be to make the fake queens turn into true queens if no queen mental link is detected.

>>35779815
I was thinking more like encrypting our line of communication, so even if they figured out how we communicated, they would need the password or key to actually use it against our drones.

>>35779675
No. There are too many logistical hurdles to that. Letting him go means letting his pilot Coil go, and Coil cannot be trusted not to tell his people about the 'joyous' event of finding psionic bugs who can hear the Current naturally. No, not even by telling him to keep us a secret. He'll listen to his gods and chain of command that are established by his gods before the hive, however honored a position the hive may hold (for now).

>>35779850
The hell are you on about.

You were just talking about blocking psionic jamming. Which has nothing to do whatsoever with that bullshit 'try to control drones' nonsense which will never even work because tachyons.

>>35779850
A simple method would be to pass everything through a thinker first, to be relayed to the other hive network. That way, should the Union duplicate the signal, we could take direct control.

>>35779757
Integrate an advanced psionic relay into the Hel's Angel, offer to equip it with plasma sprays. It's an incredibly effective weapon that does not appear to have any equivalent within the Commonwealth, Union, or Unity armories.

>>35779911
Creates the synapse creature weakness that nids have again. But if it means stopping one section of hive killing another then sure.

>>35779842
Thankfully that is a relatively easy to develop.

>>35779897
What if we did >>35779942 this, and retained Coil, so he became dependent on us to operate the FTL drive on his ship? Or we could just stick a parasite drone in him.

>>35779625
>>Speak with Theseus (write in)
about the papers and what going on in the union
and what is steiner personality like. What's the deal with Mentan? Why would Seiner be there?

>>Other
Speak with Lyle we haven't check on him lately and see how the humans are doing.

>>35779951
What paranoid ramblings are you on about?

Seiner's plan can never fucking work. It's completely impossible. No queen can impersonate another hive drone's mother, they recognize their mother's thoughts only. And queens actually understand tachyons, humans think we use goddamn radio.

You're planning for an event that can never even happen.

>>35779757
Well we know he has that whole pride thing, and that he has done jobs in exchange for his freedom from the unity.

I say we offer freedom in exchange for Lee. He will do it because of his pride right? Or we could hold his ship as collateral maybe, bring back Lee, leave in your ship.

>>35779960
Especially with the help of the twins.

>>35779951
It's really a stopgap measure. We can switch to different methods of communication if we can't stop from being observed or stop our drones from being hijacked.

>>35779760
Interesting idea. Hives by nature are dependent upon and can only have a single queen, but perhaps we could establish political authority over other queens? We are the only queen alive right now, we could engineer our queen children to instinctively get along with a matriarchal ruler.

>>35779988
Seconding this.

>>35780048
Or we could improve our own mental prowess and ability's in a metamorphosis that is locked to one supreme ruler. Establish a line of succession so even if we do die it doesn't end up in mass civil war and walla.

Really quite far in the future though.

>>35779975
Until the thinkers master complete mind control and mind reading via neurological interfacing, the whole thing's a no-go with regard to Lyle.

And giving him a Blink Drive? Is a potential leak of hive tech. Although since he's managed to keep his Slip Drive protected this long, I suppose it's possible to keep it a secret.

It probably lacks the probably-infinite range that No Space does, though.

>>35780150
Well, it does mean he doesn't need to take coil with him then, so it might be worth it.

>>35780048
Establishing C&C on a galactic level is a problem later down the road. But it does bare thinking about. Oddly, the temple shows evidence that many different queens can work together some how.

>>35780181
Even more worth it would be keeping him here still and avoiding the whole risky problem.

And I mean. Just what are you going to DO with Lee once you 'rescue' him.

That probably-terrorist group 'rescued' him from jail, too. You think he'd be happy being taken to happy fungus death world?

Just where can he even go? Have you thought that far in advance? Leefu is great and all, but. Think practically.

>>35780184
The same way any two thinking beings can get along.

>>35780184
I get the feeling those queens only worked together in race wide threat situations, allot of politicking would have gone on in day to day, which slows shit down.

>>35780024
>>35780150
>>35780181

Can't we have the blink drive overseen by a thinker+relay+explosive/acid honeypot drone so that in the event of an attempted tech leak or treachery by Lyle it can self destruct/melt itself and everything else with acid?

We send him to break out Lee and if he asks about the honeypot drone, tell him it's the fuel tank.

>>35780221
I was more on about using the merc for things. Sod lee for now, we can worry about him if we ever end up occupying a human world and deciding not to scour it of life (keeping them alive would be my leaning).

All this paranoia. This is worse then when we were pretending to be natives.

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>>35779625
"So does this mean he is on Mentan? What do you know of the planet?"
"No." Theseus says simply. "Mentan is the site of some of the Union's most prestigious laboratories and universities, but he is not there. He likely sent his papers through a contact he has there, but I have yet to find who or where."
"What is he like?"
Theseus thinks for a moment in silent contemplation before answering. "That is difficult to answer. He spent most of his time with politicians during my time at Chandra, and he does not often make public appearances."
"Paranoid, would be the best way to describe him." He says. "He typically considers himself to always be the smartest one in the room, and is typically wary that others are working against him."
You consider the information and think back on the short time he spent on your world. He seemed polite enough, and was always eager to ask questions as to your nature.

>Ask another question (write in)
>Speak with Lyle
>Other


>>35779760
Well, not biologically, no, but politically, sure. Any queen you were to lay would be able to act on their own, but they would still consider you their mother, and would naturally have a decent amount of loyalty to you because of that. They would be more likely to skirmish with each other over land than with you.

>>35780242
Don't trust any self destruct mechanism short of a living atomic bomb drone. Research atomics first.

Once you can read the Tech Sergeants' minds, have one of them look at reverse engineering one of the nukes, while in a shuttle, safely in space.

>>35780221
We could keep Lee on his old ship if we still have it. Or make somewhere nice for him. Or ask him what he wants.

Maybe he could even get asylum in the commonwealth.

>>35780239
My god, the temple was the hive version of United Nations.

>>35780221
It would be good if we can create humans drones, for infiltration or as a last-ditch survival method.

>>35780297
All of this involves revealing "surprise! We lied. We're totally advanced bugs who hired mercenary to rescue you because of reasons."

InfoSec demands Lee not learn of this kind of thing.

>>35780287
Other:

Speak with Tech Sergeant. Introduce him to a nuke. Ask him what he knows about em.

>>35780287
>>Speak with Lyle

>>35780287
>Speak with Lyle

>>35780287
Fair enough.

>Speak with Lyle

>>35780287
>Speak with Lyle
Ask if he would be willing to work out a deal in exchange for his freedom. Imply you may be able to rid him of his dependence on Coil as well.

>>35780150
No, we can operate the Ceph Slip drive. I meant restoring the Hell's Angel to its original state and piloting it ourselves via the advanced relay on board.

>>35780287
>>Speak with Lyle
This should be good.

Does anyone else think we need to build like 3-5 times the thinkers and quantum thinkers we have right now?

We have been working with the same number of them for a long time now, but building more of everything else.

Additional flaws in freeing Lyle:

You won't be able to research his cybernetic limbs anymore.

You'll have to either take his mechanics the twins from him, or let them go too. They have loose lips too, you know. And with their incredible immune system, who knows if a parasite drone inside them would even be robust enough to survive?

Also whatever individual weapons and devices are discovered to be a part of the Drop Suit and other suit Lyle wore, all those research subjects will be lost when he takes them with him.

>>35780333
We've already let Valen know of our nature. If we're going to capture Lee from the clutches of the Union there will be no reason to hide our true nature from him.

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>>35780387
>operate the Ceph Slip drive

>gaze into the abyss of No Space
>again
>where They can gaze back from the abyss any time someone uses Their shards

>>35780287
>>Speak with Lyle

>>35780411
Oh god, I'm not the only one. We need to do something to accelerate the pace of research. We're getting more options than we can sort through. Speaking of, have we got Valen to research those crystals yet?

>>35779675
Had to start something, didn't you.

>>35780440
>We've already let Valen know of our nature
The hive has never said two clicks to a Valen.

There is every reason to hide your true nature from anyone who could leak it. Anyone who finds out must become a prisoner, or have just as many secrets to be kept as we do, like Theseus. We know where he is in space, if he outs us, we can out him to the Union.

>>35780411
We actually multiplied the number of thinkers, both kinds, by 5 not that long ago.

We just haven't given them nearly a big enough load of research to be proportionate to that increase.

>>35780416
we could always send him to do more jobs for us, like acquiring Tech

>>35780411
I'd be up for it. We could split them 50-50 between Regular and Quantum thinkers.

>>35780516
But we spend 4x as much nutrients on workers as we do on both types of thinkers right now, and we just doubled out income of nutrients and are spending 1/3 on units and have 2/3 excess income right now.

The time to build thinkers is now.

>>35780519
Can we have him kidnap Dr. Seiner?

>>35780411
Does anyone else think we've got more than enough thinkers, and should probably build 3-5 more warriors and wasps that we have right now?

QuestDrone, this question isn't related to what we're doing at right this moment, but are the round dudes who died on Raligha still around? Their corpses, I mean.

I want to ask the locals to let us "honor the dead" by taking it into our new hive. Locals should be thrilled as fuck and we can dissect us a rolly polly.

>>35780602
We could do both, and build some ships too. We are only using 1/3 of our nutrients right now, we aren't using our resources efficiently right now.

>>35780599
I don't want to let him go without having some way to control him. We're having to conceal how advanced we are from the Union to prevent from looking like a threat; if using him means that secret could get out, it's not worth it.

>>35780287
>Speak with Lyle

Your drone moves to Lyle's cell in the depths of your hive. The door flexes open and Lyle is unconscious in his restraints, his head drooping awkwardly as he mumbles incoherently. His eyes twitch open as the lights brighten and he slowly lifts his head to see you. His chin is covered in stubble and his hair has grown noticeably ragged.
"The.. The fuck you want?" He mumbles as he forces his head against the wall.

>Ask question
>Discuss his potential release
>Other

>>35780686
>>Other
Stick him in the bio-tank. Give him a little friend.

For mind reading purposes.

>>35780686
>Discuss his potential release
>>35780364

>>35780620
The bodies have decomposed somewhat, but yes. They were buried not far from the entrance to the new hive.

>>35780686
>>Discuss his potential release

>>35780686
This >>35780710
and
>Discuss his potential release

>>35780710
Do this before any talking.

That way we can tell what he's thinking while talking.

>>35780686
>>Discuss his potential release
>>Other
Stick him in the bio-tank to implant a parasite, but masquerade it as a medical test for the benefit of his health.

>>35780792
Also for being such a good patient, he gets a lollipop I mean a steady food supply and water.

Otherwise that parasite inside him would starve, obviously.

>>35780620
>>35780721
Why not just ask for live volunteers? "We wish to honor the bravest among you, to take you far away to our home-world."

We could offer it only to the winners of the contests they are having in our honor.

>>35780686
>Discuss his potential release
Tell him that we might need him to hunt down a couple of targets soon. (Not yet anyway, but lead him on and give him something to think about)
>Other
Put him in the tank so he can have a little friend too.

>>35780686
> Discuss his potential release

Things to focus on:

The carrot: money, upgrades, certain knowledge for jobs done, same business he always does.

The stick: recapture by the Unity and a horrible time should he give our secret away.

We can use the bug to see his reaction to the deal and go from there.

>>35780416

Things that must be done before freeing Lyle: All that research from all his junk. His cybernetic junk. And reminder that he has a secret part of his ship's computer that Theseus can crack if allowed to:

>>33097651
>...most of it at least. A small corner of the network is still sealed, under lock and key from Lyle. It requests a password and voice recognition.

Unless, I suppose, you wait for proper mind control and mind reading to be researched. Then you can 'hack' his brain yourself, and command his voice to say the password for you.

Might want to wait until you can wipe his memory of that with drugs though, so he can't be mad if he can't remember it.

>>35780817
Because killing them for knowledge is morally distinct from dissecting their dead under false pretenses for knowledge? Just because we're efficient when dealing with hostile species doesn't mean we have to be dicks to everyone.

I might even be down for some live experimentation, but not before having at least some preliminary data.

>>35780925
We would be getting willing volunteers.

And I gave no mention of killing them. We have medical technology, we could analyze them fairly well alive, and they may even view it as a religious experience or something.

>>35779469
Also, if you want to view some more drone designs or ideas I'd look at the ask. Questdrone has some of the designs I or others have proposed on their..

>>35781003
The whole "home-world" thing had me assume you weren't planning on returning them. Shipping a tank to Raligha would be simple.

Any biopsy that gives us worthwhile information that isn't backed up by some preliminary data is going to be unpleasant for the test subject.

>>35781003
I don't think we understand their psychology enough to judge how they would react. They worship us, but they probably expect us to behave in a certain manner. I'd just as soon have fresh dead bodies, not like we can't replicate them anyway.

>>35780686
Several workers enter the cell. As the hive wall slithers away to release him he is sedated and hoisted into the air by your drones. His eyes drift shut as he is hauled away, and your speaker chitters as he loses consciousness. "The hive may have need of your services."

As you dump him into one of your pods a worker drops in a parasite. It writhes in the fluid of the pod and quickly slithers into a small incision just below the sternum. You also note he has a hairline fracture in one of his ribs and multiple bruises. As your drone burrows its way back to the spine and gnaws its way into the nerves and blood vessels your pod quickly repairs the rib and the entry wound of your parasite.
Your study of the human nervous system is still not yet complete, but you have already seen signs of great progress. Lyle twitches as your drone's complex mandibles attach to his spine and you sense a flood of meaningless thoughts and garbled data.

>Keep him sedated until research is complete
>Send him back to his cell and speak with him
>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research
>Other

>>35781125
>>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

>>35781125
>>Keep him sedated until research is complete
Research, I love research.

>>35781125
>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research
I wouldn't recommend this with any other humans. He can handle it.

>>35781125
>>Keep him sedated until research is complete

>>35781125
>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

>>35781125
>>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

>>35781125

>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

>>35781125
>>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

>>35781125
>>Speak with him from within the pod to accelerate your research

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>>35781125
Your parasite is doing its job well enough, and in a properly controlled environment you should be able to more quickly and easily interpret the signals, and more properly integrate your drone into the human nervous system. You sense a number of thoughts racing through Lyle's mind, not all of them clear, as he slowly drifts in and out of consciousness.

Please roll 1d100, best of 3.

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>35781307

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>35781307

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>35781307

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>35781307
"Can you hear me, Major Tom?"

>>35781328

My God..

>>35781328
Lyle just can't catch a break

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>>35781328
AWESOME!

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>>35781328

>>35781328
Is that good or bad?

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>>35781328
Nice!

>>35781340

That's what the fucker gets for accepting a contract to kidnap some of our drones.

Most likely for the mad-doc who we just read about, radio-controlled drones? An abomination, we should kill him and everyone he loves.

Does anyone here think we should start exploring P3 in G-426 to see if we can find anything of use or made turn it into a Zeno, in Tau Ceti system, like world for are species?

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>>35781328
Goddamn the dice gods sure hate Lyle.

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>>35781328

>>35781437
Why hello Merc, what are you doing here?

>>35781377
Are you talking about P2, the one with the forests of crystals? From the way it was described I doubt it has any native intelligence, or life of any kind, but would make for fantastically productive mining outpost. Let's send a scouting team down there to check it out.

>>35781467
P3: This small planetoid is covered in ice, with openings and caverns dotting the landscape. There is no atmosphere, but actively changing ice formations indicate geothermal activity below the frozen shell.

I think we just turned Lyle into the perfect mind slave, kudoz all around

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>>35781463
I'm not Merc.

>>35781467
I agree on sending a scouting team. In fact lets let's send scouting teams to all Three of the planets.

>>35781561
Sorry about that. Nice pic BTW.

>>35781601
I'm hoping Drop Suit research sheds some light on orbital insertion and we can dump a team without risking a ship on scary crystal blender planet.

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>>35781620
No problem and thank you.

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Can we research this?

>>35781742
Biorganic bows for our brave beetle breachers? Better believe it!

>>35781742
whats the source on that?

>>35781828
Looks like Golgo 13 to me.

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>>35781742
That is some hardcore space sniping right there.

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>>35781307
Your parasite adjusts its connection and bites down on the small exposed section of spine it has been gnawing on, digging its mandibles into the nerve. Lyle convulses for a moment and his mind races. You can see through his eyes, but not here and now. He's aboard his ship, within the tank of the medical bay. Coil manipulates the controls as the synthesized voice of his translator echoes in the tank.
"Six stab wounds, three bullets, two through-and-through while one was lodged in your lung, and extensive electrical damage to nervous tissue and augmentations from plasma discharge." An armature braces Lyle's arm as several syringes release from artificial weave of muscles. "Six fractured ribs, secondary heart failure, and a shattered knuckle."
The fluid begins to drain. Lyle steps out of the tank and wraps a towel around himself on his way to the door.
"Stop whining, you should see the other guy."
One of Coil's eyes swivels to the small box of preservatives. There is a third of a face within. "I have." He says, his skin shifting in muted tones. He continues after him down the passageway. "A new assignment arrived while you were healing."
Lyle stops at a consoles and pulls up the mission file.

>Mission summary: Dangerous fauna collection
>Locate and return sample of native species to designated drop point: Port 12, Sunview port, Ring 3, Long island
>Available data in attached document >>>CLICK

Lyle taps on the screen and pulls off a small holo projector as he continues to his quarters. A small 3d image of your speaker floats above the tablet as several rough sketches float nearby.

Minutes later Lyle emerges from the room and climbs to the cockpit. Coil is sitting squat on a pedestal just above him, his tentacles covered in flexible armatures and control rings.
"She ready to go?"
"Yes."
"Good. Plot a course for Mars, I think we could use some help on this one."
Cont.

>>35781970
>Plot a course for Mars, I think we could use some help on this one.
THE SUSPENSE QD

>>35782071
I think this is a reference to the other human mercs our drones tore to shreds.

>>35781920
Whats that from?

>>35782189
Wouldn't have a clue I'm afraid. Give image search a go, might put you in the right direction.

>>35782222
Leads to a bunch of other shit.

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>>35781970
"So just some poaching, then? Just soak up with a burlap sack, why do you need the hired help for that?"
The stars spun by in the bay window behind them as a waitress refilled their drinks. Lyle sat in the corner with his shoulder against the wall and his leg propped on the table. Most would likely dismiss him as another rude merc, not uncommon at this shitty little dive bar, but he had picked this spot to give him a good view of both exits, and with his leg stretched over the table he already had a good grip on his bolt caster. Not even he was crazy enough to bring a proper gun on a station as old as Olympus Point, but an old fashioned compact crossbow was the perfect compromise.

"What do you care? Look, my information says there's a lot of them, and you get paid per sample. More people with sacks means more samples means more money. Ain't that simple?" Lyle takes a deep breath of his cigar.

Across the table from him was a motley collection of mercs. He had worked with them back when they worked for the local shipyards as security to help him smuggle out a prototype design for a job. They were a bunch of assholes, but they were good enough.
"Ok, but we get an even split."
"Bullshit. Twenty percent."
"Forty."
"Thirty five or nothin."
"Neal, cheap bastard."

They shake hands as the meal arrives. A small worker scuttles over from the kitchen with a plate of pulled pork and European sea quail. It takes a moment before Lyle even notices.

>Ask him a question (write in)
>Speak to him (write in)
>Attack him
>Attempt to lead him away
>Other

>>35782412
>Attack him

>>35782412
>Speak to him (write in)
Thank him

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>>35782412

Seiner was the one who ordered the abduction.

>>35782412
Holy shit. This is temporarily Lyle Quest. QD I love you.

>>35782412
>Ask him a question (write in)
What the op seems to you?

>>35782189
It's from tumblr based on a text post.

>I want to be the first person on the moon to shoot a sniper rifle at earth and hit a wasp nest. my whole life so far is leading up to that moment
http://adevilwithanangeldisguise.tumblr.com/post/97208068791/dat-soldier-officialunitedstates-i-want-to
https://web.archive.org/web/20140710003921/http://dat-soldier.tumblr.com/post/88939483692/officialunitedstates-i-want-to-be-the-first
275k notes now.


>>35782412
>Neal
What strange space slang in the future!

Ha, wait, we're talking to him in his dream now?

Ask: "Can we get anything else for you sir? Arms, perhaps?"

>>35782412
>>Speak to him (write in)
We're talking to the waiter, correct?
>Cheers, mate.

>>35782505
>"Can we get anything else for you sir? Arms, perhaps?"
Haha, this one is good.

>>35782412
This is some inception-level shit.

>Speak to him
Thank you him for the info. Butter him up if he'll accept a job for us.

As for his current mission of collecting samples, we could always grow some bodies with acid glands that will decompose when they reach the good Doctor.

>>35782412
>Other
>Eat pulled pork and quail
Man I'm hungry.

>>35782412
>Attempt to lead him away

>>35782565
Oh better yet, violently explode when dissected.

>>35782531
I think I made a mistake though. I think we're actually controlling Lyle now, not the drone in his dream.

>>35782412
"I asked for long pork! I need to have words with your chef."

Storm off into kitchen.

>>35782501
Okay, if we can impersonate his mercs, I vote for this.

>>35782567
I support.

>>35782567
Oh yus.

>>35782412
>>Attempt to lead him away
If we're controlling the drone, and we're derailing his dream...

We can lead him into a deeper dream, where we can control his mind better.

Lead him into the kitchen of horrors.

>>35782412
>other
Stare the motherfucker down without speaking then take the food and eat it.

I am...so confused right now.

>>35782687
[Inception intensifies]

>>35782746
We so epically brain dived into Lyle's mind, we are now running Lyle quest.

>>35782505
>Ask: "Can we get anything else for you sir? Arms, perhaps?"
Haha.

Guys, I doubt we're Lyle. I don't know why you would come to that conclusion. We share his perspective because we're piggy-backing on his mind, but it's most likely that we can directly exert influence over the only aspect of his remembrance/dream that is Hive, that being the worker.

>>35782790
We aren't.

If we controlled Lyle, it would say 'Attack it'. not 'Attack him'. So we must be controlling the drone.

We're playing inception quest.

>>35782790
WE WENT TO DEEP

>>35782832

So we interfere with his memories?

>>35782878
I don't think we can go that far just yet. At best we can screw around with the dreams based on said memories.

>>35782878
We're just going to fuck around with his subconscious attitudes and proclivities towards the hive via dream manipulation.

A subtle form of influence.

>>35782412
Who are we controlling?

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>>35782412
Lyle nearly falls out of his chair as the drone walks up to the table, the bolt of his crossbow flying high into the ceiling.

"The hell's the matter with you man?" one of the mercs asks as he picks up a piece of sea quail. As Lyle pulls himself back upright he sees the drone eating from the basket of food, its mandibles tearing and grinding into the pile of barbecue. Lyle pulls out his knife and holds it in front of him at the drone as it calmly eats with the band of mercs, they are laughing and smiling at him, and one passes the drone a beer.
"Seriously man, you on some bad painkillers or something? Calm down."

The drone eats the beer can, the foaming drink pops in its mouth and it swings its head up to force it down, aluminium and all. It turns to Lyle.
"Would you like anything else, sir?" It asks in a raspy, clicking voice. "Arms, perhaps?"

Lyle dives at the drone with the knife, quickly driving the blade into its head. As the carapace cracks open the sound of cracking glass fills the bar and a rushing wall of air pulls him into the void of space.
He drifts for what seems like an eternity, until the red glow of the martian surface is gone. The space around him feels thick like water, and the stars seem to flow like drifting embers.
There is a soft light above him, and what seems like a figure looking down through the water.

>Help Lyle to the surface
>Pull lyle deeper down
>Speak to Lyle (write in)
>Other

>>35783089
>>Pull lyle deeper down

>>35782931

Holy shit.

>>35783089
>>Speak to Lyle (write in)
Well then Lyle, what will you do; sink or swim?

>>35783089
>Help Lyle to the surface
Backstory ho!

>>35783089
>>Help Lyle to the surface

We'll throw him a bone, here.

>>35783089

>The drone eats the beer can, the foaming drink pops in its mouth and it swings its head up to force it down, aluminium and all. It turns to Lyle.
"Would you like anything else, sir?" It asks in a raspy, clicking voice. "Arms, perhaps?"

Damn it QD.
>>Pull lyle deeper down
Down the rabbithole we go

>>35783089
>The drone eats the beer can, the foaming drink pops in its mouth and it swings its head up to force it down, aluminium and all. It turns to Lyle.
>"Would you like anything else, sir?" It asks in a raspy, clicking voice. "Arms, perhaps?"

I am loving Lyle/Inception Quest so much right now.

>>35783089
>Help Lyle to the surface
Alright fine, we should help

>>35783147
Eh, gotta second this one.

>>35783147
thirding.

>>35783147
Channing my vote from >>35783108
To this>>35783147

>>35783147
Could work.

>>35783089
>Speak to Lyle (write in)
"Would you like anything else, sir?" It asks in a raspy, clicking voice, obscured by the water. "Arms, perhaps?" followed by tittering laughter.

>>35783147
This!

>>35783089
This >>35783147
if he doesn't respond,
>Pull lyle deeper down

>>35783147
That's encouraging Lyle's independent streak, though.

We have an opportunity to make him more and more...dependent. On the hive.

>>35783250

Haha Love it!

>Research unlocked: Dream Control

>>35783250
>tittering
>not chittering
Ya blew it.

>>35187969
>"Gee, and I feel just great. Normally I got these big limbs weighing me down all the time. This new situation is just fucking wonderful."

Re: sinking or floating -- "Good thing you're a bit lighter now then, Lyle."

>>35783550
>>35783250
Not even your own dreams can protect you from Queens' cheekiness.

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>>35783089
Lyle sinks from the weight of his gear, debris and bodies quickly fill the space around him and a drop ship breaks the surface above him, its tail shredded to pieces from a rocket.
A soft lights from above seems to come into focus. A figure wrapped in a robe of gossamer wings, trails of light stretching out from her crown of twisting glass. The figure is obscured by the light if the sun above, but it speaks in a smooth voice as if in his own head.
"What will you do here? Sink..." His eyes move to his comrades, sliced to pieces from the rotors of the drop ship's turbines or smashed to bits from the impact. "Or swim?"
Lyle's hand moves to the buckles of his gear. Bags of ammunition, plates of armor, and the rig of pneumatics intended to help him carry it all. It drifts quickly to the bottom as he kicks off from it and pulls himself to the surface. The figure is gone by the time he reaches the shore, replaced with the sound of thunder and the flash of lighting.

"Sweet fuck, Rogers! I thought you were a dead man!"
Lyle drags himself from the tumbling waves of the shore line as another drop ship tumbles from the sky and cartwheels across the sand, flinging shrapnel in all directions.
"Fuckers were waiting for us! They set up a god damned battery up the shore! We need to take it out before they bring down the whole fleet!"
Lyle finally gets his bearings as he coughed up the last of sea water. "I saw the commander's ship go down. Who's in charge now?"
The young private looks to Lyle's rank insignia sewn into his uniform. "You are, sir."
Lyle moves to cover, a large, still burning piece of turbine, a faint whine still comes from the fuselage.
"We need to get to that ridge first, then we can worry about the battery."

The sky darkens around the blinding light of a anti-orbital battery, its blast echoing across the battlefield like a thunderbolt as it stretches into the sky.

>Have your drones assume the role of the enemy
>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces
>Other

>>35783641
>>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces

>>35783641
>wings
> her crown of twisting glass
Oh, based on the hive queen, duh.

>>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces
Stockholm Syndrome? Stockholm Syndrome.

>>35783641
>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces
I forgot which movie was this but fuck it, We're gonna subconsciously suggest Lyle to trust us.

>>35783641

>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces

>>35783641
>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces

>>35783641
>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces
But not TOO much. I want to see more of his backstory, more than anything else.

You're on fire tonight, QuestDrone, by the way.

>>35783641
>>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces
I didn't realize the Queen's antennae were transparent. Neat.

>>35783641
>Reinforce the Commonwealth forces

>>35783790
I don't think there are. Some dream imagery going on here. I think images from the subconscious of both Lyle AND the queen are mixing. The vaguely angelic appearance from Lyle, features the queen recognizes her ancestors she barely knows by being incorporated into her own dream-avatar, it's interesting stuff from a psychological perspective on both parties to the dream.

>>35783850
Even neater.

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>>35783641
"This is the Galapagos, you have reinforcements en rout."

The waves part as several colossi stomp their way to shore, a collection of warriors swarming between their legs. The private at Lyle's side lights up with relief. "It's about damn time they sent someone, but we're still getting torn up out here, and it's eighty meters to the ridge, at least!"
Your drones open fire, their massive cannons shelling the hidden bunkers along the ridge. A formation of wasps dive from the clouds above into the complex around the battery.

Lyle collapses again in shock, a tracer round whizzing past his head by less than a foot as he struggles back into cover.
"What the fuck are those things?" He shouts.
The private looks back at him. "Friendlies, sir, we got reinforcements!"
Lyle drags his hand through the sand to a rifle, prying away the forearm still clutching the stock and he pulls out the scope to scan the ridge. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts and peers through the scope.
"Six pillboxes. At least three AA batteries. Looks like they're using CIPs, bastards. Probably got paid off by the Union." Lyle ducks back down and inspects his new weapon, clearing out bits of sand and blood. Standard DC-17 long rifle variant, it could take one hell of a beating, usually outlasted the user. "How good of a shot are you?"
"Was top 3 in my class, sir."
"Good, take this and cover me." He shoves the rifle into the private's arms. Before the private could protest Lyle flips himself over the chunk of debris and sprints down the beach.

Please roll 1d100, best of 3 for support.

>>35783767
Which is odd, since I'm on the tail end of a fierce head cold, or maybe that's the cause?
Thank you, either way.

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>35784130

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>35784130
for glory

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>35784130
>1d100

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>35784130
FOR QUEENLYLE

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>35784130

>>35784130
>Which is odd, since I'm on the tail end of a fierce head cold...
Whoa, Well, I hope you feel better soon QD. Better a head cold than Ebola after all.

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>35784130
just rolling for the heck of it.

>>35784185

Aw yiss.

>>35784130

hope you get well soon.

>>35784130
Lyle sprints up the beach to the first form of cover available, half of a crashed drop ship. Several wasps drop from the sky, their bodies charged from rebel fire, and in the distance a colossus bursts like a balloon of gasoline sending flaming bits of gore soaring through the sky. Lyle sprints through the rain of fire and charred chitin as a machine gun opens fire on his position. His legs run cold and numb and his head grows light and hot as the white-hot rounds lick at his heels.

A pop of superheated air cracks past him like a bull whip from the private's position, silencing the machine gun nest as Lyle rolls over the smoldering hull and continues his sprint. He had precious few seconds before a new rebel mounted the gun nest.

He dives into the sand at the base of the ridge just as the gun opens fire once more, the rounds arcing over him as he rolls behind an outcropping of rocks and dragons teeth wrapped in barbed wire. He pulls out a grenade and pulls the pin before chucking it at the piles of sandbags and carbon fibre walls above him. A moment later the nest is enveloped in white hot plasma.

Lyle looks behind him to the shore. Troops are moving up along the exposed southern edge of the beach towards him, their faces twisted into contorted battle cries, a frightening mix of fear and joy that came with the rush of adrenaline.

A hot pinch runs through his shoulder and he spins around. A man in tattered civilian clothes with a bright green armband is hunched over a wall of sandbags. His legs are contorted and burnt, and in his arms is a looted DC-17. Lyle pulls out his pistol and fires three times, the first two miss and the second lands in the man's skull. As the man's head jerks his rifle goes off into Lyle's leg. He collapses to the sand as a pair of wasps descend on the corpse, tearing it like wet paper mache in a blender.
"Shit, get a medic here, he's hit!"
Lyle closes his eyes for a moment, to take a nap.
cont.

>>35784640
>the first two miss
>and the second lands
Dream logic sure loves its paradoxes.

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89 KB JPG

>>35784640
"Son, son pay attention!"
A quick smack on the helmet wakes a young Lyle from a distant daydream. He is clutching a hunting rifle in the back seat of a dune hopper. His father sits in the front seat as his uncle drives. The sound of the hopper's rhythmic engines are muffled from within the environment suit, but his father's voice comes in clear through the speakers.
"This is an important day for you, Lyle. Jackrunner hunting's a centuries old tradition.Now go through the steps like I showed you."
Lyle pulls up the rifle and pulls back the bolt. It clicks as he slides the rounds into the chamber one by one with practiced care, then slides it shut and rests his thumb on the safety.
"Good, that's perfect. Now let's see if you can hit something."
The dune hopper jerks to the side as it turns. Lyle's uncle yells out at the sight of a Jackrunner on the scanner.
"Looks like a big one, too. I'll pull us along after it."

The creature is large, almost three meters tall, and it's sprinting along the desert almost faster than the hopper can manage.
"Ok, son, both eyes open like I taught you."
Lyle steadies the rifle in the crook of his arm and takes aim. He pulls the trigger and the rifle nearly kicks out of his arms.
"That's what semi-automatics are for. Try again."
The panicked animal turns at almost a right angle and the hopper jerks again after it. He takes aim once more and eases his finger around the trigger.

The beast lets out a wail as its leg twitches in its stride. It almost trips over itself as a light blue mist sprays from its thigh.
"Great shot! Let's circle around and finish it off. It'll make one hell of a meal!"

Something catches Lyle's uncle's attention as the scanner picks up a new signal.
"Ali, we got somthin big comin in."

Behind them the limping Jackrunner vanishes in a cloud of sand, bits of blood is sent out in a wide spray of blue as it's drug under the dune.
"Fuck, pull left, pull left!" His father yells as the rolling dune moves.
cont.

>>35784640
no shock trooper or other warrior variants?

>>35785030
I'm gonna bet it's a sandworm or a graboid

>>35785030
The hopper jerks to the left to turn away from the charging creature, but it's too late. The hopper breaks in half from the impact and Lyle is sent skyward. He lands in a dune and rolls to his back in time to see his rifle, pulled along by the safety thong, crack him in the helmet.

He looks up in a haze. He can hear screaming. Lyle crawls over the dune to see the crash. His father is pinned to wreckage, his legs snapped and broken. Hunched over the hopper is a dune crawler, its goliath form lurching after the small piece of twisted shrapnel. Lyle struggles with his arm, his should torn out of place from the fall, and reaches for his rifle through searing pain.

He shoots once. Twice. Three times, each more agonizing than the last as the kick of the rifle pounds into his arm. He feels his collar bone crack under the pressure as he empties the rifle at the creature. It lunges forward, swallowing the hopper and his father whole before a bullet cracks into its thick hide and it turns up to the dune where Lyle is laying.

>Attack the dune crawler
>Carry Lyle away
>Other

>>35785272
>>Attack the dune crawler

>Carry Lyle away
Can't change what happened bro, sorry.

>>35785272
>>Attack the dune crawler

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away
Lyleshota, no!

>>35785272
>>>Attack the dune crawler

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
>Shout "Run!"
then
>>Attack the dune crawler

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
>Attack the dune crawler

>>35785272
attack the dune crawler

>>35785272
Attack.

>>35785272
>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272
Arm Lyle with Scything Talons

>>35785272
>Attack.
Lyle is not a cowardly man, he would not want to be taken away.

>>35785538
Time and place for everything, including retreat.

>>35785272
>>Carry Lyle away

>>35785272

>Attack the dune crawler

>>35785538
Shh now, Lyle-kun, let Mother heal you.

>>35785272
Carry Lyle away.

A figure stands on the dune next to Lyle, as if she was always there. Her eyes are black orbs in their sockets, staring without blinking. A seemingly endless cape unfurls into a pair of wings as she stretches out a hand to Lyle.

The rifle clicks as it empties and he unbuckles it from his suit and hefts it with his good arm like a club at the crawler. The robed figure reaches in and pushes the weapon to the ground before pulling at his arm.
"No! No!" He screams as he kicks and scrambles in the figures arms. The great wings of the figure beat once, carrying them both off the ground and into the air as the crawler thrashes over the dune like a collapsing building before burrowing back under the sand. The young child wraps his arm around your image as you ascend into the sky.

In the pod, a bruised and word Lyle lets out a silent scream in the thick medical fluid sending bubbles gushing to the surface, his body jerking violently from shock as your parasite bores into his spine. After a short spasm he lies still, unconscious. Your medical pod is registering a trace amount of salt content in the pod's fluids, and it is quickly absorbed and recycled.

>Research unlocked: Neurological interfacing

>Leave Lyle in the pod for now to monitor
>Bring Lyle back to his cell
>Other

>>35785605

>Leave Lyle in the pod for now to monitor

>>35785605
>Bring Lyle back to his cell

>>35785605

Leave him in the pod.

>>35785605
im.... so sad now....

>>35785605
Salt? Lyles tears?

>>35785605
>>Leave Lyle in the pod for now to monitor

Man that was a tight vote.

>>35785605
>Bring Lyle back to his cell
Imagine if this quest was from Lyle's POV since thread one. How would we feel reading this right now?

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214 KB PNG

>>35785661
No. It must be raining.

Saltily.

>>35785661
Yes. They were delicious, if you noticed.

>>35785605
>>Leave Lyle in the pod for now to monitor
Excellent. Research. Time to find out the limits of the interfacing right now.

Implant the rest of the test subjects then?