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>>48523245

>>48523245
DO THINGS FOR MOTHER!!

>>48523306
use your inside voice for mother

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>>48523245

This is a reminder to inform the commonwealth we have opened first diplomatic contact with the union.

>>48523245
MOTHER SAYS HELLO!

>>48523324
This.

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>>48523245
Oh please don't tell me we're dealing with the Union today...

>>48523324
I also support this action.

>>48523324
This! Our commonwealth buddies take primacy over the corrupt Union, got to remember that.

Ooh boy what a time to be awake.

>>48523334
>>48523353
>>48523360
we should have movie night with the commonwealth.

>>48523245
IT'S HAPPENING!

>>48523391
We could show off our haptic holograms!

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>>48523245
Wind whips through allies, sending dropped papers and trash whirling through the air as storm clouds quickly form around your emerging fleet as their blink drives disturb the local atmosphere, the sudden discharge of their drives sending lightning arcing between them and rolling through the sky. The clouds glow vibrantly in brilliant flashes of light as larger ships further up in altitude blink in, battlecruisers carving paths through the sky as their arrival casts harsh shadows across the surface below. Battleships emerge into existence, sending shock waves across the sky and punching holes in the growing storm kilometers in diameter where the rest of the fleet can be seen to still be arriving further up in low orbit as the storm clouds mix and swirl around your fleet. Lightning leaps from ship to ship, striking down along the skyline of New Prescott as sirens wail throughout the city.

A new star appears in orbit, shining through the clouds like a lance, casting shadows of your ships along the surface as a rolling thunderclap drowns out the sounds of police and raid sirens across the city, and as the light quickly subsides the clouds part in a sudden shock wave that shatters windows and sets off car alarms across the streets bellow, and your Hive ship emerges from the upper layers of clouds, its spine reaching six kilometers over the city and sealing away what light there was remaining as lightning discharges across its vast, living hull.

Your ships detect gnats. Insignificant vessels, various atmospheric or orbital fighters converging on your fleet and spiraling through the air among your ships as you cast your shadow over Gemini.

>>48523360
I was thinking more from the angle of "the Commonwealth should be able to use this to their advantage, but we recommend they settle their conflict quickly before the Black Queen and Ceph show up."

>>48523447
So much HAPPENING right now.

YES
TIME FOR CHEEKY MOTHER

I was thinking of colonizing Eridani to try and get their tech and brownie points anybody else interested?

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>>48523447
"Back straight, elbows away from the table, and for god's sake that's the wrong spoon." A drone's claw slaps the small spoon out of Lee's hand as Elizabeth speaks, her hologram flickering in the seat across the table.

"How do you even know the difference?" Lee asks.

"I had to attend my share of official dinners and government functions in my day. It was detestable, but it tends to be the only way to get funding of any decent ammount." Elizabeth says. "Regardless, you don't need to know the difference. I know it, so the Hive knows it, and with your new connection, that means you know it. Stop focusing on trying to figure it out yourself and use the Hive's collective memory." She gets up from her seat and her image flickers as she moves through the table. "The human brain is very elastic, it can adjust quickly to new situations. In time you'll get used to it, but for now, think of it like a question posed to the Hive, as if searching something on the net, only mentally."

"Alright..." Lee says as the room begins to rumble lightly for a moment. A speaker quickly moves to the table.

"We have arrived!" It chirps. Lee looks at the drone with concern.

"Did they shoot at us?"

"No, bad weather." You say. Lee only looks more concerned.

"How close did you blink us in?" He asks. Your speaker chitters softly.

"Close enough."

>Open communications with the Union (write in)
>Send an Ambassador drone in person via shuttle
>Send Lee to the surface via shuttle
>Other (write in)

QUICKLY
POST APPROPRIATE MUSIC FOR THIS MONUMENTAL OCCASION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7iRoTqUvcg&feature=youtu.be

>>48523658
>Open communications with the Union
You should very well know why we're here.

>>48523658
>>Open communications with the Union (write in)
For a long time the Hive has watched the Union from a distance, seeking to understand your society and your trustworthiness to the Hive. We have been bitterly disappointed. We now demand you deploy the senior diplomatic unit, the Alder to the hive for negotiations and recognition of the Hive's sovereignty, which you have violated time and time again.

>>48523668
MUSIC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z-D9D_LzwA

>>48523658
>Open communications with the Union (write in)
"Hello humans. This is a diplomatic mission."

>>48523683
Let's not tip our hand completely. Maybe "your leaders should know very well why we are here." The actual civilians don't know shit.

>>48523658
>"How close did you blink us in?" He asks. Your speaker chitters softly.
>"Close enough."
holy kek

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>>48523245
HYPE

>>48523658
>Open communications with the Union (write in)
"HELLO HUMANS, WE HAVE COME TO DIPLOMACY"

>>48523658
>>Send an Ambassador drone in person via shuttle
Oh yes.

Time to invite them to our parlor.

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>>48523447
>Your ships detect gnats. Insignificant vessels, various atmospheric or orbital fighters converging on your fleet and spiraling through the air among your ships as you cast your shadow over Gemini.
muh dik

>>48523658
>>Send an Ambassador drone in person via shuttle

>>48523658
>>Open communications with the Union (write in)

HELLO UNION HUMANS. WE MEAN YOU NO HARM AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, MANY EVENTS HAVE HAPPENED RECENTLY THAT REQUIRE DISCUSSION. PLEASE SEND AN EMISSARY TO OUR SHIP WHO IS ABLE TO SPEAK INTELLIGENTLY ON THESE MATTERS.

>>48523658
Supporting
>>48523702

>>48523711
>Let's not tip our hand completely.
I want to let the civilians know the Union leaders fucked up.

>>48523658

>Open communications with the Union (write in)
Lets tell them that the hive is most dissapointed to humans, but are willing to talk...also humans should sent speaker to us.

>>48523779
Oh, yeah, that's great.

>>48523702
>For a long time the Hive has watched the Union from a distance,
Let's not.

Also we should demand the representative of the planet humans call Talgo. Because that's where the Lee is native to!

No particular other reason. Publicly.

>>48523658
>>Open communications with the Union (write in)
>>Send an Ambassador drone in person via shuttle

BE NOT AFRAID. YOUR LEADERS SHOULD BE EXPECTING US FOR THEIR MISTAKES THAT HAVE ENDANGERED ALL LIVING BEINGS IN THIS GALAXY

>>48523702
No no, how about.

'The Union Queen will board for parley.'

>>48523702
I approve

Uh, just a note for later on, when conversation is underway. There is a way to sufficiently spook.

There was a race native to the region of space you call the Expanse, who sought to delve into the untested waters of a field of physics they poorly understood--waters that the Ceph now swim in freely.

They were exterminated by forces beyond their comprehension, and for millennia the last of them begged for the sweet release of death.

You will no longer find their homeworld in the Expanse. It was annihilated in its entirety.

Now, this is far more questionable if you want to add, because it admits to way too much knowledge about a hundred years ago, so we probably shouldn't: Humanity should count itself fortunate that they only lost their satellite.

>>48523658
>Open Communications with the union
>"The humans have brought attention to themselves. The attention of a the Great Enslaver. The humans will speak to the Hive, or be destroyed before they can be enslaved."

>>48523824
No reason to act stupid anymore. We're supposed to be the ancient civilization that ruled these stars, let's act the part.

>>48523702
Some variation of this would be nice. Although I'd personally add something about how the leadership has also been engaging in actions that should make them very aware of why we have decided to intervene now (but leave those "actions" unspecified in the broadcast).

>>48523801
They already know it's us on G-426 anon, and that we've allied with the Unity. It's pretty damn obvious at this point.

>>48523824
I like this one. Let's see if they put K-man in a dress.

>>48523897
This is a good point.

Time to put on our serious face now. The Union fucked up and it's time to let them know it.

>>48523915
They don't know the extent of our alliance, just that we worked together to stop a cataclysm.

>>48523932
There's no point in being self-righteous. Most of the government had no idea what was going on, and none of the civilians did.

Hell, it's probably better we keep the civilians out of it anyway.

>>48523702
>the Alder

Uhhh.

Just be cautious here.

We don't want to actually give Alder all the secret experimental info the Tories have been up to, because you know what happens when you give the opposition that ammo? They destroy their opposition.

And unfortunately, unseating the Tories means leaving a power vacuum. And we won't get to pick what fills that vacuum. 99% chance it won't be Alder or a conventional Green.

>>48523801
If we demand the rep from Taigo we can also say we have had "dealings" with that "human-speaker" before (true!) and let the population use their imagination as to what that means.

>>48523972
The fact that we know each other well enough to perform a joint attack on a Union facility is more than enough to suggest that we have been exchanging at least topical information of the Union.

>>48523980
Or that evangelical Talgo fuck that presided over Lee's funeral as a political move

>>48523977
Let them all know, every last one. In fact, loudspeaker it over the city with the citadel. Even better, transmit it telepathically to the entire planet.

>>48523915
They don't know how much we've been watching though. Only that we had a method of noticing something going wrong on Tenebris.

And given the poorly understood nature of the physics they were working with, with the void shard artifact, it could be anything related to that as far as they know.

>>48523977
>Not wanting to cause an uproar against Killinger and his fuckup cronies
>Not wanting to ruin Killinger's chances of re-election.

>>48524000
>entity is empowered by creatures knowing about it
>tell everybody about it

How about no?

>>48523658
>Open communications with the Union (write in)
Via loudspeakers on shuttles as well as full-spectrum broadcast, if we can do that, so everyone on the street can hear.
"ATTENTION. ALL HUMAN ARMED FORCES STAND DOWN AT ONCE. HIVE WILL NOT FIRE UNLESS FIRED UPON. HUMAN LEADERSHIP REPRESENTATIVES WILL IMMEDIATELY BOARD HIVE SHIP FOR JUDGEMENT. YOUR COMPLIANCE IS MANDITORY."

>>48524015
We aren't invaders. This is terrible.

>>48523977
Knowledge of this thing is dangerous. Best keep that a secret.

>>48523980
Yeah, I agree. There's no reason to specifically request Alder especially at this early stage. Let's just ask them to send a rep that can talk about all the shit that's been going down (which will certainly be one of the council anyway because only they know about the super fuckup at Nowhere), and let them decide who to give us.

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>>48524010
>defeating one evil just to let a greater evil take his place

We have BLACKMAIL on Killinger. If you destroy him you won't have leverage over him anymore!

Plus, he's corrupt. And corrupt people will always make a deal under the table, and we are very under-tabley types. Like cockroaches.

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>>48524014
>>entity is empowered by creatures knowing about it
>>>>

>>48523977
>There's no point in being self-righteous.
Where's the self righteous part? This is a purely a political move for leverage.
>>48524057
That anon is talking out of his ass.

>>48523711
>"your leaders should know very well why we are here."
I like this one

>>48524045
No, I really want to destroy Killinger politically, his corruption just goes to far. He cannot be trusted even slightly, and if we just blackmail him by the end of the week he'll be doing whatever we told him not to in secret.

>>48524069
>Where's the self righteous part?
The part about blaming all of them for something most of them had no part in or knowledge of.

Union people are no different from Commonwealth people. It's certain parts of the government we have a problem with. And the only reason we don't have a problem with the Commonwealth just like with the Union is their first contact with us had them already afraid of us.

>>48524085
Why would the hive give a fuck about corruption? He's a tool. We have massive leverage over him. He can be trusted to work in his self interest.

If you want to make him suffer then we can roll that into whatever we'll do without exposing him, there's no point in throwing the tool away while we're at it.

>>48524094
>The part about blaming all of them for something most of them had no part in or knowledge of.
Nobody implied that.

>>48524128
When you barge into someone's home and start yelling at everyone, you are implying that.

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>Ambassador coming through

>>48524148
>time to put on our serious face
>yelling at everyone
Anon, stop.

>>48524057
>>48524069
No he's not.

>>47641474
>To exist, you must hold them in your mind. That is the nature of our enemy.

>>48524057
The Void Gods can't see you unless you see them first. Mere knowledge of them is dangerous, as illustrated by the Black Queen's corruption and the other queens falling under the scrutiny of the Void Gods. White Queen literally made the humans to be incapable of perceiving the Void Gods so that they could interact with the Void Shards without drawing their attention because she would not be able to develop the Psionic Cannon on her own, being a psionic being. White Queen waited 50 thousand years for humans to develop that damn cannon so she could take their research for herself.

And now you want to tell the humans about them-who-stare-back-when-you-stare-into-the-depths?

Guy, guys.

Guys listen.

What if we-

Guys, listen! What if we made a thinker, guys, except.

What if we made a thinker, except it was a really big thinker?

What if it was like, several times bigger than the hiveship, so big it could only survive in zero-g, and it was only made out of brain tissue and nothing else.

What would happen, guys?

>>48524127
>He can be trusted to work in his self interest.
No he can't. Not at any level am I willing to place a single iota of trust in this waste of a human being. This is the same guy who single handedly started a war with the Commonwealth and successfully blamed them for initiating it. Bullshit just flows out of him like like water from a spring, he must be replaced.

>>48523897
I don't know I like acting stupid it makes us hard to read and allows us to get serious when we need to to add impact or weight to our words when needed

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>>48524085
Corruption is a point in his favor. We are a foreigner, and therefore an outside corrupting force, from a human point of view.

You can always trust a selfish man to act selfishly. A corrupt politician will always act in his own self interest, and we can expose him later as soon as he becomes a liability.

But an honest man? The one most likely to take Killinger's place? You never know when someone's sincere. utterly selfless principles will make them do something incredibly...stupid.

>>48524184
What like the Deep Rot Think Tank from DAtS?

>>48524184
What would be the point?

>>48524190
>No he can't.
Yes he can. That's literally all he is. He's exactly the sort of person who will never go against his self interest, and if we put a big enough sword over his head, he's ours. Completely. Don't even need to implant him with a parasite, he's basically part of the hive if we want.

>>48524094
>The part about blaming all of them for something most of them had no part in or knowledge of.
This is politics dumbass.
>Union people are no different from Commonwealth people. It's certain parts of the government we have a problem with. And the only reason we don't have a problem with the Commonwealth just like with the Union is their first contact with us had them already afraid of us.
Your point? This politics. The only thing that matters is what we can use for leverage.
>>48524148
>That False Equivalency
>>48524196
Donald Trump does the same thing.
Look at where it got him.

>>48524235
What a pointless post. If you want to say something, then actually say it.

>>48524177
Well she did help them she even had a large psychic relay thier to guide them

>>48524213
That's retarded, we can't tell him anything without him at least trying to use it against us. And moreover, we can never trust him to do what he says he will do. If he swears on his mother's grave that his government will never touch the crystals again and he'll have anyone who tries strung up from the rafters, I can promise you in less than a month he will have secretly started a program to do just that. He will never just accept that an alien power has any power over him, and he will never stop trying to reverse that situation.

>>48524190
What would you imagine him to do, specifically, that wouldn't be selfish?

I mean, we can destroy him now, or we can destroy him later. Nothing wrong with putting it off to see if we can wring some use out of him first.

A year from now we can upturn democracy as we know it, since by then odds are we'll be in the endgame. But now with captain grassroots rising as a poorly-understood wildcard is a terrible time to shake the boat.

>>48523658
You watch as slender, building sized structures begin to tilt, fixing onto the Hive ship above and quickly warming as the anti-orbital batteries power themselves up as fleets of picket forces attempt to hold their formation amid your armada as the last of your smaller craft blink in along the outskirts of your swarm. Your direct your ship's antennae to the city below, and a crackling wall of static slowly forms into coherent speech as you fill every frequency with your broadcast. You find such forms of communication inconvenient, shouting your thoughts to the digital receivers below you which, with your fleet physically blocking their satellites, you realize, have no conflicting signal.

Holoscreens flicker to life in store windows and living rooms. Radios crackle with static in the dashboards of parked cars and window sills, breaking into a cackling cacophony of synthesised chittering voices.

"The Hive has watched your Union from a distance for some time now. Learning your culture and ways, permitting violations of our space to further our observations." The voices say. "We are disappointed. Your rulers know why we are here."

>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship
>Demand they receive your diplomat and send your drones
>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones
>Other (write in)


>>48523668
Music? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wnSmSW9nw

>>48524251
Politics has never been about morals but rather making the other guy look bad. And we want the Union to look bad.

>>48524300
>>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship (aLDER)
Only way for us to show off our new gravity plating and display our technological superiority over them.

>>48524300
>>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones

>>48524313
What are you smoking? They aren't the "other guy". We're trying to open diplomatic contact with them.

>>48524300
>>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship
AND THEY SAID GRAV PLATING WAS USELESS

>>48524300
>>Demand they receive your diplomat and send your drones

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>>48524300
>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones

>>48524300
>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship
I'd vote for asking for Killinger specifically. After all, we've already had a "meeting" with him previously. However, I'm fine if we just let the Union bosses decide who they want to send.
Also, I love how QD phrased the demand over the radio. The writing in this quest has always been excellent.

>>48524268
You know what the likely alternative to Killinger is, right? The one foreshadowed for threads and threads now?

The one we can trust even less than Killinger, because he's a complete fucking wildcard and prime candidate for a sudden spiral into fanaticism that cannot be reasoned or compromised with?

Yes, K-man will constantly try to worm his way out from under our claw. But that's better than someone who isn't under our claw to BEGIN with, and who we can't possibly control.

Do you really think that other politician would ever be more pliable?

>>48524300
>>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship

>>48524300
That's some spooky as fuck music.

>>48524300
>>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones

>>48524332
>They aren't the "other guy".
They are. THEY ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. While Killinger is a slimeball the entire republic is a breeding ground for bastards like him.

>>48524300
>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship
Don't send lee until they try to force on us a human diplomat, i want it to be a surprise.

>>48524379
What benefit is there to us from making Union look bad?

>>48524300
>>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones
Honestly, More than anything I just want lee to walk out of the shuttle with a shit-eating grin and go "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

>>48524379
What the fuck is wrong with your head that you don't get?

There is no other guy. It's just us and the Union. What exactly is making them look bad going to accomplish? There is no onlooker here, there is nobody to win the appearance of the moral high ground in the eyes of. This isn't politics of that sort. Who are you try to smear the Union in the eyes of? The Commonwealth who they're already at war with? Theseus? kek

>>48524335
Well, we're within a planet's gravity well, so it won't even be noticeable.

>>48524300
>Demand they receive your diplomat and send Lee with your drones

Make reference to the part in Union law where this is allowed.

>>48524401
Not yet anon, got to save that for later when killinger tries to fuck with us by installing one of his cronies as representative.

>>48524300
>>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship

>>48524300
>Demand they send a diplomat to your ship

>>48524392
What benefit is there for Jews to cry Holocaust?
What benefit is there for a black to cry racism?
Because it gives them power.
>>48524411
You don't visit /pol/ often do you?

>>48524392
Because they've been fucking with us literally from day 1?

>>48524449
Because in all of those situations there are actually other people who can shift the power to the party they see favorably.

There is nobody like that here.

Making the Union look bad gains us nothing and only pisses them off a bit, which will make things harder for no reason.

You don't think very well, do you.

Guys, if they send a diplomat to our ship, they will send some third-rate paper pusher!

We have Lee so we can abuse their loophole. Don't let them take this from us.

If we're gong to request they send a diplomat, then make damn sure they send some of their top politicians.

>>48524411
And you cannot seperate the Union from it's rulers, which is Killinger and the security council. They are responsible for every transgression the Union has made against us, and so any problem with the Union as a whole is linked to them.

>>48524449

We can make union look like uter morons, but we can't make them look like they did something bad to us. Fucking them up would give us no power over them and would make convincing them not to open more hell portals ten times as hard.

>>48524464
That was just one small part of them, and they didn't know better anyway. We'll get back at him, there's no point in pissing off the rest of them for no reason.

>>48524498
And this is relevant to throwing a hissy fit and making the Union look bad, how exactly?

>>48524411
And to be more specific.
>What exactly is making them look bad going to accomplish?
Power over them.
>Who are you try to smear the Union in the eyes of?
There are dozen of factions within the Union. I want to use the conflict between them to help us gain control over them.

>>48524490
That's easy. If the guy we get is a patsy, we send him back, demand the REAL leaders by name, and if they continue to try and jerk us around, power our more visible weapons. All they'd get for trying is a public furious that they'd pull that shit in a situation like this.

>>48524544
Ok, I am fine with this plan, then, since it looks like make them send a diplomat has the advantage in votes.

>>48524535
>Power over them.
There is none, not until you point it out.

I'll help you:
>we make union look bad
>???
>now we have power over them
Please fill in what ??? is.

>There are dozen of factions within the Union. I want to use the conflict between them to help us gain control over them.
That's a different thing. We'll get to Killinger, don't worry about that, but we aren't there right now. We're talking to them as a whole.

>>48524519
Look, why don't we take a moment for a recap of our diplomatic relationship with both the Union and their leaders?
>Crash land on the same world and help them survive
>As thanks left a nuclear armed satellite over our planet with sufficient firepower to destroy entire super cities
>Team doctor goes home and writes a thesis on how to enslave us and soliciting funds to do so
>Send Lyle to capture our drones
>Send a diplomatic mission to us as a cover for their full mod assassin who infiltrates hive
>Pin blame for inevitable failure on Lee, the one human we actually kind of like
>Get him arrested on trumped up charges, then throw him in black ops lab where he is certain to die
>Gave full funding to Siener to kill and dissect our drones
Oh, and
>OPENED A FUCKING HELLMOUTH AND EXPOSED US TO THE CRYSTALS

And this isn't even the stuff they've been trying to pull on the Commonwealth. Every single time we've sent an olive branch to the Union, every single time, they've tried to use it to exploit the Hive, getting mad at them is less of a hissy fit and more of an actual list of grievances with them and their bullshit.

>>48524490
They won't send a paper pusher. We've showed up in the capital in force. We already know about probably their biggest secret (the Nowhere facility), and they certainly won't let a pencil pusher know about that. It's obvious (I hope) we're here to make some very serious deals and that sending a nobody would be a sure fire way to fuck it up.

>>48524535
So to use an analogy your plan is to (Us being china and Union being America)

Drop the entire Chinese airforce on in the middle of America uninvited and start yelling at everybody that Ohio is the worst slimeball you know of and expect all the other states to rally behind you?

>>48524490
They're sending THEIR diplomat, not OUR diplomat. They aren't assigning us one.

And they will almost assuredly send Neville Morgan, the Chief Ambassador, because they are terrified we will leak classified information from Tenebris.

>>48524574
I'm not following your argument, but I appreciate your recap. It is very thorough, and I agree that we've got very good reasons to be upset at the Union.

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I hope we kept/brought the casings of those satellite nukes from way back. If they try and deny that they put atomics in their observation posts as a matter of course, we can just have a drone plop the fucking things right onto the table.

As a bonus, people are remarkably reasonable and cooperative when there's a strategic nuclear weapon in the room.

>>48524574
>>Crash land on the same world and help them survive
>As thanks left a nuclear armed satellite over our planet with sufficient firepower to destroy entire super cities
>Team doctor goes home and writes a thesis on how to enslave us and soliciting funds to do so
>Send Lyle to capture our drones
>Send a diplomatic mission to us as a cover for their full mod assassin who infiltrates hive
None of this was diplomatic. They thought they were dealing with primitives.

Pretty much everyone would do the same. Including both us, the Commonwealth, and possibly even Theseus.

>Pin blame for inevitable failure on Lee, the one human we actually kind of like
>Get him arrested on trumped up charges, then throw him in black ops lab where he is certain to die
This is a domestic thing, nothing to do with us directly. Again, nothing personal.

>Gave full funding to Siener to kill and dissect our drones
Same as the first bit.

>OPENED A FUCKING HELLMOUTH AND EXPOSED US TO THE CRYSTALS
This isn't diplomatic at all, they were just ignorant. You can't blame them for that, as we did very similar things when we were first experimenting with it. Remember when we lied to Theseus about touching the crystal, when it made a huge hole in the planet's surface? Yeah.

>And this isn't even the stuff they've been trying to pull on the Commonwealth.
Who gives a fuck. That's between them

You aren't thinking on a strategic level, anon, you're basically just holding grudges over the same things that anyone else would have done to us had they been in the spotlight at those times. It's pointless and gets us nothing. Worse than pointless, it sabotages us even.

>>48524574
Yep, they've been fucking with us for a while.

Although with regards to opening the fucking Hellmouth, we can privately tell the Union leadership they've royally fucked up in a way that could end humanity as a species and that we demand they let us put military forces and constructions on all planets in the expanse at once because we're the only way they're going to get out of this alive. We were hiding and they messed up our timetable and could doom us all with their stupidity, now they have to pay the price.

>>48524639
We should bring the whole satellite

>>48524650
i bet youre voting hillary too

>>48524665
This is a time for space politics, not real-world politics

>>48524650

We're going to need to establish claims on worlds that they claim for themselves, and we can say that we can forgive our grievances if they comply. That way they feel like they get a good deal.

>>48524661
Nah, we left it in orbit and transmitting edited data.

Speaking of which, we should give Theseus a quick ping and tell him to stop covering up our activity in the feed. I want them to double check the satellite feed and shit their pants at what they see.

>>48524650
The diplomacy aspect doesn't matter so much. We're an alien species with an arguably totally alien sense of morality. We can pick and choose our grievances. The lack of appropriate seating could be the biggest diplomatic hurdle they need to overcome if we so choose.

These grievances listed are things they would actually understand why we are mad and we could work with addressing. We don't need to invade or war the Union, but reminding them of how they have wronged us repeatedly makes our own actions (like the Hope and attacking that one Union facility) things they can't in good conscience hold against us.

>>48524639
There's no point in "proving" things. There's nobody to prove it to. We know they did it. They know they did it. Nobody else is around to judge or pass sentences.

>>48524716
This.

We're not human, we're entirely alien to them. If they don't like it they can go fuck themselves, we'll take matters into our own hands.

>>48524711
Seconding. Especially if we left the rest of our fleet at Leeland so they know this isn't even all of our forces.

>>48524704
No, that's stupid. According to us those worlds are already ours, we don't need to "buy" them from them.

>>48524711
I actually like this idea but it might reveal how close we are with Theseus

>>48524300
"Send your speakers to our us. We await your shuttle." The voice say, and are quickly engulfed in static as your fleet slowly begins to climb above the clouds, slowly vanishing into the storm above as they climb into low orbit.

Your ships slowly move out from their place blocking the orbiting satellites, and the various stations and channels come back one by one to disheveled looking news anchors and trembling views of your receding ships from curb side cameras as reporters ramble into their earpieces.

You quickly watch as signals bounce back and forth, the entire planet igniting into a maelstrom of digital communication. Rumors, theories, and general panic spread like wildfire across the surface.

The local picket forces attempt to surround your fleet, but are too few in number to encompass your formation. They split into clustered formations of ships, stating by along your swarm's periphery.

A holoscreen creates something like a window, projecting the view of the surface as Lee looks down over Gemini.

"Well, I think you've certainly made quite the first impression. Do you want me to greet whoever they send?" He says.

>Yes
>No
>Other

>>48524716
I can agree that we can use it for a trade of sorts if they start getting pissy about the facility, but otherwise I still think pushing grudges is worse than pointless.

>>48524767
>Yes
With a contingent of intimidating warriors, of course.

>>48524753
It won't technically reveal HOW we were faking the feeds. They already can infer they're faked now. Unity doing it is just the most likely theory.

>>48524767
>>No
Let our drone do it first. One thing at a time.

Then when they try to assign our side a human diplomat of our own, surprise.

>>48524767
>>Yes

>>48524767
>Of course. This is why you were adopted

>>48524767
>>Yes
But not alone, obviously, have a speaker with him at least.

>>48524719
Hey, they might try and play it down. I was just putting it forward as a humorous response if they tried.

Personally I'm in favor of broadcasting (part) of the meeting to the planetary population, to really drive home to Average Joe that their leadership fucked up, this is not an unwarranted act of agression, and that they should think hard about who to vote for next year.

If we take the fuckheads out of power behind closed doors, they still have party support. We shame them in front of EVERYBODY, they're persona non grata. They cease to exist as political entities, and thus as threats.
The last thing we'd want is for one or two of them to revamp their campaigns and get elected again.

>>48524767
>>No
Lee is our trump card so we shouldn't tip our hand just quite yet

>>48524767
>>No

>>48524841
>Hey, they might try and play it down.
Still no point.

WE know they did it. THEY know they did it. There is no room for error here.

Even if they did try to play it down, what would happen? Nothing.

>>48524767
>No
>Other
Not immediately. Let them sit down and start coming to grips with the situation, then bring Lee out to put them off balance again.

>>48524767
>>Yes, but have a speaker with him.

>>48524801
I would have agreed if we had made contact in a less dramatic fashion. However, given our grand entrance they aren't in any position to make demands of us or insist upon a human representative. This is their first time dealing with an alien entity more powerful than themselves. We don't want to let them even think they're in a position to dictate rules to us about how we can represent ourselves.

>>48524767
>No

But keep him in an adjacent room in case they try to pull some "we can't negotiate with you unless we assign you a handler!" bullshit.

>>48524767
>Maybe

>>48524767
>I don't know

>>48524767
>No
Not right away

>>48524801
>>48524841
Support for these.
We need to leak part of meeting to population, showing us in a good light and revealing that lee is actually alive.

>>48524878
That's a good point. Are they really going to start giving demands to completely unknown aliens with living ships that far outclasses their navy that are already pissed off with them?

>>48524878
This exactly. They are in no position to barter the terms of this meeting.

Lee goes with a Speaker and make it clear he's only there for their benefit

>>48524767
>>48524878
Actually, changing my vote to:
>"No"

We can still use Lee to throw them off balance if we want to (as other people have said), and I kind of want to meet the diplomatic representative when he's dealing with something completely alien first before he talks to another "human."

>>48524878
>We don't want to let them even think they're in a position to dictate rules to us about how we can represent ourselves.
It's a bit of a good-cop bad-cop kind of thing.

We show them we are strong like bear and they are small like little baby. We tell them they are in no position to make demands, make our demands, and then, once they leave, we can show that we are willing to cooperate in a healthy and constructive way by
a) playing by their rules (unlike their rulers who don't) by having a human represent us
b) releasing those hostages from the Hope. We brought them along too, even though this isn't mentioned in this thread yet

The first part scares their leaders shitless, and the second makes us nice guys to the populace in general.

>>48524869
Dude chill the fuck out.
>There is no room for error here
Of course there's room for error. Politics invents new room for error whenever they like. There's a dozen ways they could try to explain it away in hopes of, for example, lessening their personal responsibility for the policy, shifting blame to the colonial group's initiative, trying to avoid just blandly acknowledging what amounts to a policy of institutionalized genocide while likely being recorded, or just raw, panicked denial when faced with someone claiming you fucked up.

>>48524767
>>No
We must make sure whoever they send isn't just some Security council mook, and not to spoil the dramatic reveal too early.

>>48524970
There is also potential for c) Terraform poor old Eridani. The planet charities guilt trip citizens into giving up money for.

>>48524981
>Union sends a party of Smiths

>>48524976
>Politics invents new room for error whenever they like.
They can't. They don't have any room to do so here. They can only make or accept demands.

Nobody cares who's in the wrong, because the question of blame itself is meaningless for now, and it will be until we set up some sort of treaty.

>>48524997
>Union gets their planet goddamn glassed

>>48524997
Parties are good, right? People have fun at those, right?

>>48524997
>"Oh Theseus, it looks the Union sent us a bunch of new subjects to research!

>>48525031
this desu, >>48525010 is totally unimaginative

>>48524767
QD, are we showing this to the commonwealth? Or at least having our diplomat ship broadcast footage?

>>48525042
Oh no, they're still getting their planet glassed for that.

>>48525049
I'm sure they will find out, you can't keep something this big quiet.

>>48525049
Since the CW is still probably keeping us a secret from their people, it wouldn't really make an impact.

>>48524991
Sure, that's great too. We just need to get them to a point where they feel we are being gracious and generous if we do that.

>>48525059
Yeah, but the idea was to get the Commonwealth to use this as an excuse to negotiate for peace instead of wasting the fleet power of both of them.

>>48525002
>Nobody cares who's in the wrong, because the question of blame itself is meaningless for now
Are you literally autistic. And my that I mean more so than me.
Because the question of blame is never, under any circumstances, EVER meaningless. Look at Turkey and the Armenian genocide. Look at the still ongoing WWII trials. Look at China and Argentina still being salty bitches about Taiwan and the Falklands.

At a national level blame is CRITICAL and no affront has a statute of limitations, doubly so when firmly placing the blame on the Union leadership will destroy their backing with the public.

>>48525052
No they're not :^)

As butthurt as some anons like you may be, we all realize that only their government would need to be purged in that case.

And maybe something special for Killinger. We implant him with a parasite and we can basically turn him into anything.

>>48525062
>secret
...They took publicity photos.

>>48525080
>never meaningless
>look at this situation where there totally are third parties who can judge and respond to the situation UNLIKE HERE
I mean, you already admitted that you're autistic, but...

>>48525049
Supporting.

>>48525059
Of course, but it's to help build trust with them, sort of like 'this is what we got up to with your worst enemies last night, don't worry we still like you much more'.

>>48525084
No, we're killing Killinger if that happens. If it gets to the point at which we start openly killing Union agents/citizens there will be no need for the charade anymore.

>>48525080
That would entail PUBLICLY blaming them, for the use of the court of the public opinion.

But this runs into the issue that one regime falls, another rises to take its place.

We can either destroy the current government, or lean on it to control it. We cannot do both. And the former may be disastrous.

>>48525134
It wouldn't be a charade, we'd torture him for the catharsis of so many anons around here.

>>48525143
>torture him
No, just extinguish him and be done with it. We have more important things to worry about.

>>48525141
>But this runs into the issue that one regime falls, another rises to take its place.
Then we need to set up an alternative then don't we?

>>48525141
Destruction of the current regime it is then.

Did we bring an Immolator?

>>48525160
But then we'll always carry around this butthurt.

And you know, it's fair to say that the emotional landscape of the posters in the thread reflects the emotions of Mother. So it's really Mother who's carrying around that butthurt.

We need to free Mother of the butthurt.

>>48525162
Not really, so long as it is anyone other than Killinger or that guy from Talgo ISN'T part of a crystal worshiping cult, I don't care who gets in. They literally cannot be worse than who's currently in there. Ideally it would be greens and Alder, and I'd certainly be willing to invest a couple of threads to make that happen, but it doesn't have to be.

>>48525205
You know perfectly well that at least 75% of the politicians on that level are all the same sort of shit as Killinger.

>>48525173
I sure hope we did.

>>48525218
>>48525205
I think it's in character to believe that all forms of government should be top down, with a strong hand guiding the rest.

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>>48525218
>75% of all politicians in the Union are just as politically skilled and devious as Killinger
Look at this anon. Look at him and laugh.

>>48525242
I agree, but
>anons
>in character
>especially for a fairly alien mindset

>>48525244
On the same level? Yes, or they wouldn't be there.

The others are less skilled but just as immoral, though the lower you go the % of decent ones would increase somewhat.

>>48525242
That implies that we like the current strong guiding hand, and would rather not just decapitate the serpent so to speak.

>>48525273
Oh of course, my problem with Killinger is not just that he's a complete scumbag, it's that he is very, very skilled at being a complete scumbag.

>>48525109
For fuck's sake there is a third party. It's called the CITIZENS OF THE UNION.
Our issue is with the ruling party, not the damn species. The idiots in charge of the Union are elected. If we turn the POPULATION of the Union against the RULERSHIP of the Union, we can come out of all this with the NEW leadership in our pocket. If we treat both the population and leadership as one entity, we leave this with EVERYONE in the Union hating us.

>>48525276
Just because we don't like republics doesn't mean we like the guy(s) in charge. I doubt anyone here supports his rule.

>>48525285
DONT FORGET HE "GOT RID" OF HIS CAT

>>48525299
>For fuck's sake there is a third party. It's called the CITIZENS OF THE UNION.
No they fucking aren't. They'll swallow whatever the media gives them, and what the media gives them is whatever the government farts at the media.

>>48525303
I'm sorry anon i forgot, which thread was this in?

>>48525205
And you will decide who gets to replace them fucking how?

We don't get to choose, elections are too soon. The ignorant masses will, and we won't like what they decide.

We have a choice between bad and worse, and we'd better cling to 'bad'.

Does anyone here know why Union industrial capabilities are so much better than ours?
On one planet they can put out over a trillion nutrients while we're struggling with a to get ten million.
1,000,000,000,000 trillion
10,000,000 ten million
How are they doing it?

>>48525343
Smith farmers

Is it bad if I'm hoping things go south so we can go full intergalactic invaders on them?

>>48525362
No, I'm hoping for the same thing.

>>48525362
They wouldn't last more than a month.

>>48525141
>That would entail PUBLICLY blaming them
Which we are, since the consensus so far has been to broadcast the meeting, though trimmed for sensitive information.

>But this runs into the issue that one regime falls, another rises to take its place.
That's not an issue, it's the primary goal. We're here to force a regime change, specifically to one that won't keep fucking everything up.

>lean on the corrupt and subversive existing government to control it
A recipe for failure. The degree of scrutiny we'd need to employ to ensure they aren't trying to advance their own agendas behind our backs would make annexing them the simpler option. Why constantly fuck with a broken system to get results when we could just tear the broken part out and replace it with something that actually functions.

>>48525327
When they had the drones lyle "captured" in observation Killinger appeared and saw the drones weren't cooperating and he goes "I had an unruly cat once. You know how you fix them? You get rid of them" and ordered the dissection of the drones

Very simply and poorly put but that's the general idea

>>48525333
We do have the ability to influence minds

>>48525333
Holy shit anon this entire post is so wrong I don't even have an appropriate reaction image for it.

We have no idea when the elections are or how long it would take to sway the swing voters (hint, not long).

And it is a scientifically proven fact you cannot get worse than Killinger, and we already know of at least one viable candidate that would be significantly better than him.

>>48525333
We don't have to follow the union laws and process of government in good faith. We have a lot of options to force our choice.

>>48525343
The sweat of the common man's brow and the hope of his children power the farms comrade.
Balance

>>48524767
"Not yet." Your drone says. He nods as he looks at the false window showing the city retreat into a mesh of lights sprawling across the planet below.

"Alright. I guess I'll come out with the Hope crew, or whenever you think is the best moment to knock them off balance I guess." He says and moves through one of the doors deeper into the Hive ship's labyrinthine halls.

You detect a shuttle depart a distant location on the planet. The shuttle is escorted by a flight of small fighters into orbit, where it slows its approach, gradually moving its way towards your Hive ship. The fighters break off as the shuttle moves closer, drifting over the hull of your Hive ship like its own horizon as it approaches the towering spires of the ship's docking pylons. Slender armatures reach out and grip the shuttle as it hesitantly drifts into the embrace, and is pulled to the docking clamps.

Within the Hive ship, the airlock door opens and a small group of humans in environmental suits drift out from within the shuttle. The first floats past the seal of the airlock door and quickly falls to the ground with a stifled curse. The others begin to reach out, grabbing the walls or each other as they pass the threshold of the door and quickly collapse to the fleshy floor.

"What in the hell?" Someone asks. "Is this gravity?"

"Or something like it. Magnetism maybe?"

"Status on the air?"

"Breathable, but no idea on toxicology. Nothing I can detect, at least, but then again, it's alien."

"And what are the odds they'd have something we could catch?" One of the humans asks.

"Well, statistically speaking, we should be safe, but for all we know they could use anthrax for perfume."

"Noted."

Cont.

>>48525327
http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/36766468/#36773000

>>48525362
We have a shitton of weapon systems we haven't been able to test so yes.

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>>48525385
>We're here to force a regime change, specifically to one that won't keep fucking everything up.

>he thinks the next regime somehow won't be crazier and more fanatical!

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>>48525362
OH SWEET MOTHER YES, SPACE WAR NOW!

>>48525318
We literally just hijacked every media device on the planet a moment ago, Vorgon style. We can shove a message down their throats just as well, and ours will poison the well against what Killinger would try and claim.

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>>48525395
>We have no idea when the elections are
They've been firmly established as 'soon' for a very, very long time in this quest. Killinger is running for re election against cultman as we speak.

>>48525393
Which is great, but that takes time to get stealth hives onto dozens of Union worlds and build them up enough to get that influence over the whole population. We may not be able to fast enough.

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>>48525403
>"What in the hell?" Someone asks. "Is this gravity?"
For this very moment.

>>48525414
You keep sprouting this meme, but you have yet to put up any sort of convincing argument for it. No single human character in this quest has been as actively antagonistic towards the hive and it's interests than Killinger and his cronies in the Security Council. No one else could possibly be worse than him, and you can't offer a single example otherwise.

>>48525403
>"What in the hell?" Someone asks. "Is this gravity?"

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>>48525403
>The first floats past the seal of the airlock door and quickly falls to the ground with a stifled curse. The others begin to reach out, grabbing the walls or each other as they pass the threshold of the door and quickly collapse to the fleshy floor.
>"What in the hell?" Someone asks. "Is this gravity?"
Ha

>>48525403
Wow, I wish I could say I am surprised, but I'm not.

"The Hive is an EXCELLENT host, and would not kill diplomats. Why do you continue to mistrust us?"

>>48525427
Our opening message was basically "We're unhappy and your leaders know why." There's going to be a significant faction demanding answers. We can also prove that the things we're upset about really happened, and they are things that their citizens would be unhappy about too. The Smiths' existence, government-ordered attacks under cover of diplomatic missions, experiments on Union citizens (Lee, no less!), secret fuckery with portals that nearly summed a dimensional horror...

>>48525403
>"Well, statistically speaking, we should be safe, but for all we know they could use anthrax for perfume."
Funny thing, he's perfectly right, but he's forgetting the bigger danger with alien microbes and biological substances.

Allergies.

>>48525414
>implying we aren't going to effectively install the next regime
What's important isn't just our ability to bullshit the election results, but the public expectation of the result. If everybody hates the existing regime thanks to our little demonstration, then they're less likely to cry foul if a party with a Hive friendly ideology gets in.

>>48525481
>Why do you continue to mistrust us?
>bunch of dudes who literally never heard of us before
>not until we jumped a massive fleet right into their atmosphere
hurr

>>48525489
>secret fuckery with portals that nearly summed a dimensional horror...
I think we should refer to this one as the "reason why we're here."

>>48525511
They have heard of us before! The Hive was all over the news!

>>48525521
Yeah, today.

>>48525395
>we already know of at least one viable candidate that would be significantly better than him.

Do you mean the guy from the same human cult as the latest human who instantly bowed down and worshiped the crystals.

The guy who's suspiciously and inexplicably popular, almost as if there might be a psionic influence over the population in his favor that we haven't investigated into the possibility of yet.

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>>48525403
The human figures slowly begin to make their way down the hallway. There are half a dozen, each sealed in their environment suits. You identify four as marines, each with a small, compact sub-machine gun slung across their back, likely in some quickly-made compromise as whoever sent these humans debated as to what would be considered expected and what could be insulting.

"Command, are you still reading us?" One says.

>Block the communications to outside of the ship
>Allow communications
>Other

>>48525343
How are you coming up with those figures?

>>48525489
I fully agree with all of this.

>>48525519
No, that's just the cherry on the top. The Union has been pissing in our coffee well before that happened.

>>48525489
Exactly. We can easily leave Killinger's stooges with fewer legs to stand on than a Vietnam vet at a pogo stick convention. They're going to be grasping at straws only to find those straws are dunked in a super-sized cup of bug juice.

>>48525554
>>Allow communications
No fucking point in this otherwise desu

>>48525546
No, I meant Alder.

We should start a covert hive on Talgo later to check that guy and his cult out. Can't be too careful.

>>48525554
>>Allow communications
Let them know what's happening. No point in keeping them in the dark.

>>48525554
>>Block the communications to outside of the ship

We know how humans like secrecy, obviously, so we're respecting that!

>>48525554
Allow communications.

>>48525554
>Allow communications
Provide color commentary over their own channels. Show of force and all.

>>48525554
>>Allow communications

We have nothing to hide here. At least not right now. If we need to get into really secret communications or something it's a simple matter to cut comms if necessary. We'll hear useful things the Union may tell their underlings over "secure" channels.

>>48525554
>Allow communications

We've established power. Now we need trust and the moral high ground.

>>48525554
>>Allow communications

>>48525554
>Other talk to them instead "we here you you also have no need to fear if the hive wanted you dead you would be"

>>48525554
>Allow communications
>briefly comment along their channel that the Hive has taken steps to accommodate the use of their antiquated equipment

>>48525554
>>Allow communications

>>48525554
>>Allow communications

>>48525467
>No one else could possibly be worse than him

Crystal cultists. Which we as yet have no clear way of proving any given human ISN'T under their influence.

>>48525554
>Allow communications

>>48525554
>>Allow communications
no real reason to block them

So stupid idea but could the priest guy running for government a void god cultist?

>>48525554
>How are you coming up with those figures?
Probably by taking the upkeep costs of humans and extrapolating.

>>48525554
>>Other
Can we interfere with communications just enough to make things patchy and staticy?
You know, for atmosphere.

>>48525510
I am all for installing our puppet government.

But let's make a popular alternative to Killinger that is firmly under our control, and THEN destroy him. We can't put the cart before the horse, right now we don't have something in place to fill the vacuum.

>>48525596
>briefly comment along their channel that the Hive has taken steps to accommodate the use of their antiquated equipment
This is a good thing to mention as well. "Including gravity, as you are poorly equipped for zero-gravity habitation."

>>48525624
Yes, anon. Anyone could be a cultist. Maybe even Quest Drone is a cultist and we're all doomed.

>>48525554
>How are you coming up with those figures?
I am technically making a few assumptions but being able to be self sufficient implies being able to support 70 billion would imply they should be able to produce more than 2.1 trillion nutrients not counting what they export.

>>48525596
>>48525597

This sounds really fun. I'm changing my vote from merely allowing communications to keep functioning to
>briefly comment over their channel

It's a nice show of force that their communications are as insecure as everything else is for them.

>>48525597
Just no.
Because this is much better. >>48525584

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>>48525632
Hah. And if they question it, just tell them;
>"This ship was designed for diplomacy in mind."
>a single ship that can cast an entire city in shadow
>designed for diplomacy
>their faces when

>>48525636
QuestDrone is a time traveler sent to warn us of the crystal menace.

>>36215887
>The Pan-european coalition, formed from the ashes of the European Union, which collapsed into economic turmoil after the United Kingdom left
>Sun 16 Nov 2014 20:35:20

>>48525628
This is reasonable. I mean, you'd expect the connection to get worse as you go farther into the GIANT ALIEN SHIP, right?

>>48525671
OH SHIT

>New HQQ yay
>Wow look at all the replies surely QD has gotten some good story posts in
>Only a few QD posts
>Life is suffering

>>48525636
so.... is that a no

>>48525671
If you have ruined the quest by exposing QD's true identity, I will never forgive you.

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>>48525671
PANIC EVERYONE, THE VOID IS WATCHING

>>48525671
QD recieves his visions via vodka
http://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/137123364645

>>48525590
>Allow communications

>>48525666
Nah man, they'll panic and switch channels or start using code, and then we eavesdrop on THAT anyway.

>>48525697
The thread we formally introduced ourselves to the Union was never going to turn out any other way anon.

>>48525752
No reason to make things any harder than they need to be. They're already shitting themselves.

>>48525768
I realize that in retrospect. At least I still have a bus ride home, then I can just check the thread when I get on my computer. Or, you know. Mash the Update page button. Whichever.

>>48525775
Nigga I don't want to stop until the hypervelocity stream of terrified shit jetting from their collective assholes launches them straight into the Void and punches a hole in some Ceph faggot's ship.

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>>48525554
"We read you." A voice says.

"The inside... has gravity."

"Say again?"

"The interior of the ship. There's gravity. No spin, no centripetal force, and my mag boots don't detect any magnetized surface, but there's gravity. Feels about the same as Gemini." The man says, and he waves the marines to the door at the end of the hall. "Stay watchful, but keep back. We have no idea what taboos we may accidentally violate. They could consider a show of force to be akin to honesty, in which case they may consider a lack of armed guards an insult. Or they could be insulted if you so much as are seen with a weapon. Try to follow my lead and don't assume anything." He says to the marines. They quickly nod and take up positions along the sides of the door as the human at the lead walks towards it.

"I don't see any obvious outward method of operation. I can only assume it holds some internal sensor, either automatic or remote operated." He says as he slowly walks closer.

>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
>Remain silent on their radio channel
>Other (write in)

>>48525654
Ah.

The new system implies that all planets feed their own population, which is largely dependant on the Development score. You can lay more drones and boost the population very quickly to bring up the dev score, while they largely need to wait for population to go up over time. Regardless, the end result is the same. The income of a planet is the net income, after it has fed its population and maintained its facilities. In the case of your planets, drone upkeep has been simplified so that the planet will lay drones as needed, meaning a planet with a high dev score will have millions or billions of drones to build, maintain, and defend the various installations and facilities.

>>48525727
Crystal Head, straight.

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel

>>48525821
>>Other (write in)
Speak over the radio and inform them that a show of force such as armed guards is actually quite offensive to the hive in this particular context.

>>48525821
>>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

Queen gonna be extra cheeky today

>>48525821
>>Other (write in)
Open the door for them.

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
"We are polite to diplomats. We'd never kill them, or use them as an excuse to send in the Smith.

>>48525821
>>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
"Hive has already established an understanding of Human cultural norms. The humans need not fear."

File: 1382263624418.gif (1.37 MB, 193x135)

1.37 MB GIF

>>48525821
>Crystal Head, straight.
>Crystal
QD NO
NOOOOOOOO

>>48525821
>>48525840
>Speak over the radio and inform them that a show of force such as armed guards is actually quite offensive to the hive in this particular context.
This. But also add "We're very forgiving though, so you don't have to worry your cute little human heads about it."

>>48525856
Hahaha +1
This is great

>>48525821
>>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
Be not afraid. The Hive has made thorough accommodations for humans. Please enter.
>Open the door

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125 KB JPG

>>48525821
>Crystal Head
>Crystal

>>48525821
>>Remain silent on their radio channel
It's fun listening to them freak out.

>>48525856
This is so fucking cheeky I love it +1

>>48525856
YES!

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel
Diplomatic negotiations will be much easier if we can hear what they are candidly discussing with each other. If they know for sure we can tap their comms then they will say less over those comms.

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel
I like listening in.

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

We understand their culture - misunderstanding is not a significant concern. The only danger would be in seeking to harm the Hive.

>>48525856
Dohohoho! We can be nice to the diplomats AND fuck with Killinger!

>>48525895
There's no way they don't expect that we are tapping it. I mean, come on.

>>48525856
This is excellent.

Looks like they have not realized who we are.

>>48525856
Supporting.

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel
As amusing as being cheeky now would be I'd rather be able to listen in

>>48525909
There is a difference between expectations and knowing. Also, I assume it is encrypted (because of COURSE it would be) and we are easily breaking said encryption.

>>48525920
The decision between being cheeky and just letting them freak out is tough.

>>48525821
>>48525856
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

Yes, we should do this. We must be at maximum cheek for our introduction.

>>48525821
>>Remain silent on their radio channel
I enjoy the idea of listening in slightly more than being cheeky.

>>48525856
>>48525821
Sure, I like this. Maybe add something like "Like the Killinger did to us." to the end there.

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel

>>48525821
>>Remain silent on their radio channel

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
I don't care what we say exactly, just make it cheeky.

>>48525821
I have to ask, where are our drones? At what point will they begin hearing the skittering of legs and distant chittering?

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe
>>48525856
This.

>>48525933
Might be too on-the-nose. Directly accusing Killinger right off the bat will get fewer citizens on our side than having them demand answers from Killinger themselves.

>>48525856
Supporting

>>48525821
>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

>>48525572
>Alder
>viable

She's highly likely to be hive- and xeno-friendly, but we'll have to make the Greens as a party much, much more popular than they currently are to make that politically viable reality. They're currently a fringe party on Gemini at least, for example, and their short lived popularity in Talgo depended on a guy who just stopped being a Green at all.

Their main base is on a planet that isn't even a real democracy, their parliamentary rep is just an oligarchical corporate CEO, which...wait.
>>39857704
>The Greens have Mentan at their base, and they'd be jumping at the chance to study unexplored systems,
>>40617033
> Mentan is up in the air. Most of its voters are registered Tory, but you know how they are. They just register to get funding, but when it comes down to it they usually vote Green.
http://pastebin.com/0SEZcPP6
>Now the position of CEO of the Behring Angstrom Corporation is determined by a local election, and the CEO is granted a seat in Parliament as recognition to the efforts of Mentan during the Colony wars and since.


But most recently, QD said
>>47984835
> "Mentan doesn't have elections, and the Greens are a fringe on Gemini so I've never really been able to get involved."

So how does Mentan elect their CEO if they don't have elections QD?

>>48525856
Yes please

I will say, though I voted for the remain silent option, I'd love to use the cheeky line about not sending in murderous Smiths hidden in a diplomatic mission once they actually meet our people in person

>>48525821
>>Remain silent on their radio channel
What fun to eavesdrop.

>>48525974
Yeah, either sooner or later that has to be brought up. It's too cheeky to pass up AND gives us great leverage.

I'm voting for
>Remain silent on their radio channel

And then once we've established in-person contact, use the reassuring line with the Smith reference.

>>48525960
>not a massive swarm of flies that literally clogs the entire room

>>48525856
You realize this going over an exclusively military line right? And that the only people outside of the Sec. Council who are going to hear it are the marines themselves?

>>48525821
>Remain silent on their radio channel
I rather keep listening them in somewhat secret.

>>48525821
Hey QD this might not be the right time but in DAtS they unlocked hardlight barriers as a shipmod while would be emergency bulkheads.

Would that be possible?

>>48525992
As a compromise, I like this.

Taunt them while still preserving any advantage tapping their comms might give us.

>>48525821
>>Speak over their radio channel and attempt to reassure them they are safe

>>48525999
Marines aren't really high enough clearance to know about the tin men, are they.

Also we still have to talk to Kent after this tonight, fugg

>>48525999
We can live-rebroadcast the entire first encounter to Gemini if we want.

That might be a good idea.

>>48525890
>>48525898
>>48525920
>>48525931
>>48525981
>>48526000
Wow anon, you haven't run out of ways to say the same thing yet?

>>48526027
Sorry, but only one of those is me.

>>48526027
Oh come on. I was only one of those people.

>>48526027
I was only one of those people.