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>>1698270
You feel the notice of a Distant Mind
>Psionic research has received a small boost
>Slip drives have a 10% chance to alert you to their usage

>Current resource reserves
Nutrients: 28,387,150N
Metals: 19,934,864M
Credits: ₡602,226
Credits in Lyle’s account: ₡1,175,000

Active trade routes
>Leeland – Lanway: HMS Orphan, Captain John Spreckels
[FormOther brand Fusion Reactors]

>Construction underway
made but unpaid for
[Light Fleet] x5
[Heavy Fleet] x15
[Ambush Fleet]x10
[Fast Assault Fleet] x5

>Formed fleets and orders
Citadel Hive Ship – [Awaiting orders]
Small Heavy Defense Fleet [Patrolling Leeland space]
25 Heavy Battle Fleet [Supporting Commonwealth Liberation]
5 Missile Ambush Fleet [Awaiting orders]
30 Light Fleets [Supporting Commonwealth Liberation]
20 Light Fleets [Awaiting orders]
10 Fast Assault Fleets [Awaiting orders]
10 Ambush Fleet
6 Carrier Battle groups

Clone upkeep/special projects and expenses
[Gemini]
3 Taidaren Hybrids (105)
4 Human flash clone upkeep – 120
18 Human hybrid clone upkeep – 540
Specializations:
>Tech
>Engineer
>Brawler
[Hive space]
100 Human Hybrids – 3,000
Lyle Rogers – 57
Jackob Eisner – 56
Dillon Reager – 30
Clone/project upkeep – 3,908N

>Income
Metals: 2,950,500
Nutrients: 7,636,000
Net:

Total upkeep
Nutrient costs: 6,675,390

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

Espionage Activity
Gemini: This planet holds an embassy, random chance to gain intelligence each day, +1 Active Operation available. This planet's population is highly irritable and aggressive to Hive influence. All failure and detection chances are increased. Increased rate of psionic resistance in the local populace. Any attempt to increase unrest will receive a bonus to success chance and increased detection rate.
[Covert Infiltration] Resources: 1 sleeper cell planted in maintenance and sanitation department.
>Beggars and Taidarens

Path: This planet is currently under military lockdown, dramatically increasing failure and detection chances. The local population is anxious and afraid of the future due to recent events, increasing the population's psionic vulnerability to influence.

Huron: This planet's condition is unknown, no monitoring effort is under way.
[Maintain Concealment]

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>>1698270
Time to make mother happy

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>>1698288
Hive Territory
[G-426]
*Leeland (capital)
N 60+40
M 45
Development 50

Income:
4.886MN
162.5KM

Defensive structures
>Surface to Orbit Missile System: Uses long range missiles to attack enemy ships in the system (1KN, Additional costs per launch)
>Anti-orbital battery grid: Directly attacks enemy ships in orbit (8KN)
Military structures
>Hangar facilities: Deploys atmospheric and orbital drones to intercept attackers, uses aerodynamic and fighter drone designs (4KN)
>Psionic Shroud: Conceals hive activity from psionic senses (1KN)
Industrial structures
>Docking Pylon: (2000) (100KN)
[Empty docks: 8000/8000]
Economic Structures
>Capillary Tower [under construction]
>Smart Mines active: Calculates development stat twice for metal income
>Algae Farm: +25N
>Film harvester dock: +15N
Asteroid mining base: 50KM per day added to nearest planet.

[M-662]
Raligha
N 90+20
M 10
Development 25

Income:
2.75MN
0M

Defensive structures
>Surface to Orbit Missile System (1KN)
>Anti-orbital battery grid (8KN)
Economic structures
>Bloodroot collectors: Pipes running from Bloodroot trees extract nutrient rich sap +20N
>Greystalk farms: [under construction]
>Greenwall pit: Genetically engineered plant efficiently recycles waste material, Extra N income x2
>Temple alter: A place for the Ralighan locals to worship and bring offerings to your hive, built in the likeness of your local fake queen, +500N per day

[M-323]
>Orbital docking pylon: Space for docking and construction of 4 sub capitals or 1 capital ship, (50N)
[Empty docks: 0/4]
>Mining corvette salvage operations +2,688,000M per day (+8000M per corvette)

[Farcast]
Derelict Sensor array

Glassed Hive world
N 0
M 100
D 10

Income:
0N
100KM

>Smart mine mantle excavation: Calculates development stat 3 times for metal income

Deep space waystation
>100 docking pylons (10KN)
[Empty docks 400/400]

Espionage Rules
https://pastebin.com/kH6fmTV6

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>>1698296
New Construction Options

>Construction option patch notes<
Buildings are now planet or system wide networks. Each building can be built once per planet unless specified otherwise.
Increased yield for solar array. Increased cost and yield for electrostatic station.
Docking pylons can now earn credits by selling repair services to passing non-hive ships (ships from factions with treaties will be given services for free, including Server Ships or hive vessels of subservient queens.)
Weather spires now give bonuses to N score and can increase the defense of a planet.
Capillary Towers now give a bonus to Dev Score.
More to come, feedback more than welcome.


Defensive structures
>Anti-orbital battery grid – A network of anti-orbital batteries scattered across the planet, each situated in a fortified bunker complex fitted with stationary gun positions and intense hive creep fortifications. Each battery is a capital ship class particle beam capable of attacking enemy vessels in orbit of the planet, each situated in relation to the others to provide overlapping fire over any location above the planet. 8,000N 48,000M
>Surface to Orbit Missile System – This massive bunker complex houses a wide range of warheads and a nigh limitless number of missiles within its protective walls, allowing you to launch missiles against approaching invaders from the safety of your hive. The facility uses the ship missile stats and comes equipped with a single Cruise missile silo that can target any detected object within the system, five Stinger missile silos capable of targeting any craft within high orbit, and ten Swarm missile silos specialized in targeting high altitude aircraft and low orbiting targets. The facility itself is a massive complex spread out over several miles, and includes guidance and launch equipment, as well as the means to construct and maintain a stock of warheads and missiles. (1500N 2500M)
>Shield dome network – An overlapping network of bunkers crisscross the landscape of a planet offering emergency shelters for any local inhabitants to survive orbital attack, as well as shield emitters placed in overlapping layers set around important infrastructure and planetary installations. Like all shields, heat quickly becomes a problem as it sustains fire, as such a mixture of ventilation towers and subterranean heat sinks, turning a small facility into a massive, sprawling network of infrastructure. If the planet suffers orbital bombardment, this planetary installation will absorb all damage first. 8,600N 50,000M

Excite

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>>1698305
Military Structures
>Military Spaceport – Extensive fortified maintenance bays and hangars are built across the surface of the planet, as well as infrastructure and manufacturing centers to support the production and maintenance of a planetary strike craft squadron. Swarmer fighters are produced at a constant rate with suitable range to intercept orbiting vessels or approaching dropships, while more advanced fighters and gunships of the most suitable design are produced and maintained for system wide defense and patrol Aerodynamic drones are also maintained in scattered hangar facilities to provide air support in the event of ground attack, and intercept enemy dropships. All craft are held in hibernation to reduce costs, allowing an entire planet's worth of strike craft to be maintained for a relative low cost. 500N 1000M
>Psionic Shroud – A single building built around the shattered remains of a Void Shard, the shroud amplifies the unnatural mental silence of the broken crystal within to mask an entire planet from potential detection, preventing outside forces from easily detecting the thoughts of a hive. (2,000N 5,000M)
Psionic Sensor Tower – A massive spire composed of highly psionically sensitive instruments and material focused on the detection and measurement of wide range quantum states in a vacuum directed at the space around the planet. Grants a chance to predict the arrival of ships approaching the system via certain FTL methods. The effectiveness depends on the method used and the size of the incoming fleet, granting a base chance to detect incoming Blink drive ships at 75%, Space-fold and Rip drive at 50%, Warp drive at 25%, and Flicker drive at 10%. Gatecasting ships from Hypergates and Slip drive is not effected. (20KN, 30KM)
Economic Structures
>Docking Pylon – A large spire or station that contains space for docking and construction of 4 ships, or a single capital ship if placed in orbit. By default is used to produce hive vessels, but can be made to offer repair services to passing ships in return for credits or other acceptable transaction fees. 100N 300M

>>1698270
A full number, wooo!

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>>1698315
>Weather Spire network – A networked collection of spires spread across a planet capable of studying and altering a planet’s climate and atmosphere. Construction includes the building of all spires needed to function. While the spires can manipulate a planet's climate towards any desired effect, by default the spires will attempt to optimize a planet's fertility and habitability for hive life and its primary crop strains, increasing a planet's base N score by 5. Alternatively, the spires can work to create intense storms and thicken the local ionosphere, reducing N score by 5 and imparting a penalty to enemy craft within the atmosphere and blocking enemy communications to and from orbit, as well as disrupting sensors of orbiting ships. This option is not available for planets with naturally turbulent and disruptive climates. (8,000N 20,000M)
>Orbital solar array – A station placed in orbit of the local star equipped with a membrane of photosynthetic cells several kilometers in diameter capable of producing a steady stream of nutrient income. Due to practical constraints of logistics, a star system can support up to five solar arrays. Must be built around a main sequence star. Provides 1500N per day total (5,000N 5,000M)
>Orbital electroponic station – An orbital instillation built near a large source of hydrogen used to fuel a large fusion core, which in turn provides electrical power to a contained algae farm facility. Must be built in orbit of a gas giant. Provides +2000N per day and doubles as a gas mining facility, refueling the tritium stores of any ships in the system. The station itself can serve as the hub of a space city with additional investment. (3000M)
>Algae Farm – A carved out space used to utilize Leeland’s natural electrical field to cultivate food. +100N per day, 1 worker to maintain.
>Hydroponic platform – A floating greenhouse platform used to grow farmland through hydroponics that can only be built on or near water with open access to plentiful sunlight. Each greenhouse platform supports roughly one hectare and requires a single worker to tend the crop and maintain the platform. Multiple platforms can be connected together to create fields of floating farmland. +200N per day, 1 worker to maintain.
>Filter towers – A large underwater pylon built to extract raw nutrients from the microbial life of the surrounding ecosystem. Can only be used on planets with bountiful biospheres and deep oceans capable of supporting large amounts of microbes. Provides between 100 and 500 N per day, depending on the local environment. (500M)

Daily reminder

>Raid OQ
>Read the locked memories of that thinker.
>Board a scav vessel for their FTL.
>Send a diplomacy team to earth.
>Build that new FTL prediction building.
>Take Reprive (I think that is the system that our mother made her last stand and it only has mining corvetts, it would be a great test for our raiding fleet.)

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>>1698325
>Capillary Tower – This massive organic space elevator offers a number of logistical and economic advantages, despite its drastic up front cost and fragile nature. Shuttles or space craft are no longer needed to move resources from the surface to orbital structures, freeing shuttles for more important tasks. The counterweight station serves as a center for construction, with 4 docking pylons included on the structure to repair and build ships, while gaining a bonus to capital ship construction time due to the speedy nature with which resources arrive from the surface. The Capillary Tower can also spread hive creep and extract resources at an increased rate, spreading roots deep into the crust to bring up resources directly into orbit, allowing you to consume a planet much more quickly than normal. A Hive ship can construct a Capillary Tower if given the time and resources to do so, deploying one after 3 full days, after which it becomes the counterweight station, and must remain stationary until it detaches and destroys the tower to move. A Hive ship deployed in this way does not have access to its spinal weapons, but can use other features as normal. A planet can hold a max of 4 Capillary Towers along its equator. For each one, planetary mining or over harvest activities are doubled and its Development score increases by 10, this bonus can surpass a planet's maximum development, and will not effect its biosphere. Upkeep is reduced by half on planets with an atmosphere. (50,000N 500,000M)

These new/revised buildings are all awesome! Thanks QD!

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>>1698332
Finished Research

Cybernetic memory extraction
With the continued assistance of Theseus and his extensive mechanical research systems, you feel confident in your ability to extract at least partial memory fragments from the largely cybernetic brain of the killed Smith agent. The data itself is both partially corrupted from damage and encrypted, but the process of extracting it has provided a greater understanding to the cybernetic brain, and future data extraction efforts should be made far more simple and far more rewarding in the information given.

>Shield dome
By expanding the power and emitter systems of a shield's primary infrastructure and spreading it across a facility, it becomes possible to project a protective dome over ground based facilities. Due to the increase in size, the shield dome is capable of protecting against far greater amounts of damage than a typical starship shield, however like all shields, the biggest enemy is thermal energy, which will continue to build up beneath the dome for as long as it is active, cooking the inhabitants if the shield does not fail first.

New Research Available

Data decryption
Medium (Very Fast with Theseus assistance)
While much of the data within the Smith mind was corrupted during the experimental extraction process or the trauma of the agent's death, there is still a good deal of encrypted data still intact. The data itself could be anything, from a revolutionary discovery to the agent's personal preference in music, or anything between. There is now way to know without decryption of the data, and the total randomness of the mystery has your thinkers begging to go to work.

Planetary Shielding
Slow
By adding further scale to the shield dome, it is believed that an overlapping network of shields can be expanded from a series of clustered protective areas defending a planet's critical infrastructure to a vast, near total coverage shield stretching entire continents so as to protect a planet's biosphere and widespread population in addition to its military and industrial zones.

>>1698336
More are on the way as well. Some are not translating well to the new system and may need more time.

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>>1698341
Current Research
Empathetic Paralysis
Fast
In essence an attempt to weaponize the side effect of psionic probing, empathetic paralysis uses finely tuned and precisely targeted psionic signals to effectively jam the target's somatic nervous system temporarily.

Gas Giant Superstructure Construction
Medium
Using a mixture of space station technology and modified, miniaturized capillary towers, it may be possible to create semi-permanent or fully permanent hives within the upper atmospheres of gas giants, where a mixture of atmospheric static, wind farming, and gas mining can provide a more constant and bountiful resource income while providing a more robust frame with which to construct infrastructure.

Swarm Drive Tuning
Slow
By configuring the gravity thrusters to respond to the foils of other ships within the same formation, performance can be increased outside of a gravity well by taking advantage of a kind of gravitational slipstream created from the foil's unique gravitational effects.

Gravity Thruster Optimization
Medium
Miniaturization to the gravity thruster itself, as well as optimizing the layout of the foils across the hull allow for smaller strike craft sized ships to make use of the thrusters both when operating in atmosphere and when performing evasive maneuvers.

Psionic Thermokinesis
slow/mildly dangerous
An even more finely tuned execution of known tachyonic physics, thermokinesis is the practice of altering the energy state of atoms, but instead of altering their velocity, it utilizes a less uniform alteration to increase or decrease atomic vibration, quickly increasing or decreasing the ambient temperature of the target. It may take some time for your thinkers to successfully accomplish this feat, however, without also igniting the laboratory.

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>>1698350
Psionic Conduction
slow/mildly dangerous
While altering the physical nature of particles has become possible, using highly controlled tachyonic signals it may also be possible to use the projected psionic energy to subtly alter and transfer other forms of energy in a more direct process than kinetic force. Your thinkers believe it may be possible to use alternate sources of energy outside of the target and potentially use tachyonic signals in order to carry that energy to the target. The early experiments have already proven promising, however it may be some time before the thinkers are capable of producing results without causing spontaneous detonations within the laboratory.

Memory Seed
Slow
By creating a miniaturized and less overtly useful memory crystal similar in overall function to the white crystals used to record thought by your elders, and modifying it into a neural implant, you believe it may be possible to create a kind of constantly updating backup memory for clones, agents, and even drones that would potentially hold its information after death. The memory seed would theoretically be capable of retaining the full memories of the host individual up to and including the very moment of death, and be able to preserve those memories long after the brain itself has physically deteriorated, a process that typically drastically limits the time frame in which memories can be gathered.

>Psionic Spores
Slow
While normally the hive spores used to spread infrastructure are little more than genetically engineered nanomachines, replicating and performing their function alone until their built structure is complex enough to receive mental signals, your mixture of psionic research and advancements in spore related genetic programming has made the idea of a psionically sensitive spore seem not nearly as far fetched as it once did. With a mixture of distributed networking and complex cellular reconstruction methods, it could be possible to create a spore strain that would respond to mental signals.

>Advanced Psionic Imprinting
Slow
With the application of psionic imprinting you are able to influence and alter the state of matter using only focused and precise mental signals. Your thinkers believe this can be taken further, using more accurate signals and more precise manipulation methods to imprint more complex thoughts and ideas more quickly and easily, and at a greater range.

>Personal shielding
Slow
By further shrinking the emitters, your thinkers believe they may be able to eventually make them small enough to be equipped to the carapace of a drone, or to the surface of an armored suit. At this time it is mostly speculation and an eagerness to please mother beyond all reason, and you cannot be sure what the limitations may be, but the thinkers are sure they can do it.

>>1698315
>Psionic Sensor Tower – A massive spire composed of highly psionically sensitive instruments and material focused on the detection and measurement of wide range quantum states in a vacuum directed at the space around the planet. Grants a chance to predict the arrival of ships approaching the system via certain FTL methods. The effectiveness depends on the method used and the size of the incoming fleet, granting a base chance to detect incoming Blink drive ships at 75%, Space-fold and Rip drive at 50%, Warp drive at 25%, and Flicker drive at 10%. Gatecasting ships from Hypergates and Slip drive is not effected. (20KN, 30KM)
We need to build these.

>>1698305
>>1698315
>>1698325
We should build a shield dome network, military spaceport, and psionic sensor tower on Leeland. I'm sure we have weather spires too, but I guess it's not a network. And I see the solar array got a boost in N yield.

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>>1698353
Available research options

>Psionic Cannon prototype
Very slow/Very dangerous
Detailed accounts of several experiments show the slow progress of Project Godsplitter. The cannon itself is highly volatile, and even the smallest miscalculation often results in the destruction of the ship, as well as any nearby craft. It can only be equipped to a Hive ship's spinal mount, and requires a functional Void Shard as ammunition. At least a dozen testing sizes were atomized in testing the weapon, and in the end it appears The Gardener never quite perfected it.

>Add new research
>Add Psionic Cannon
>Request Theseus assistance for Data Decryption
>Other

>>1698315
Is that per tower; i.e. can we have multiples on a planet for multiple chances of detection?

Because these sound like something we really want a lot of.

>>1698350
That reminds me: mom's thinker should be banned from any dangerous research.

>>1698366
>Add new research
>Request Theseus assistance for Data Decryption
There is no reason not to get him involved

>>1698366
>Add new research
>Request Theseus assistance for Data Decryption

>>1698366
I don't know if this was ever covered, but would it be possible to research the stuff we've been farming on Leeland to gain the ability to have drones directly derive nutrients from electricity?

>>1698325
>Orbital electroponic station
We must build thousands of these.

>>1698409
Make sure to keep some space for the Gas Giant Superstructure.

>>1698381
I've adjusted it so that all of the construction options are planet wide installations. Each one can be built once per planet unless is specifies otherwise, such as with the solar array, which is system wide, and can be built up to a set number of times, or the capillary tower which can be built four times per planet.

>>1698423
I'm sure we'll be able to integrate them when the time comes.

>>1698423
It's a component of that.

>>1698390
>>1698396
Agree.

>>1698366
Hey QD, what about the Scav Matriarch vivisection research?

>>1698366
>>Add new research

>>1698270
GAS THE SQUIDS
NUKE THE WHALES
STAB THE MONKEYS
TRUST NOTHING
THE VOID IS WATCHING
AND IT'S ALREADY HERE

>>1698468
IMPLANT THE PEDES

>>1698366
>Add new research
>Request Theseus assistance for Data Decryption

>other
Can we do [covert infiltration] - our greatest ally on the CW planets our drones are currently liberating?
We already have millions of drones on the planets so setting up a hidden hive should be easy. And the spike in good feeling towards the hive can easily be explained away as gratitude for us saving their asses.

>>1698474
No anon. That's not how it works.

>>1698270
This brings up a big matter regarding our parasite policy

We need to stop spreading them to the tal so openly, by now this ruckus is now getting notice from the union black ops and raises the chance that our parasite spy program will be discovered

>Shield dome unlocked

Titans with shield domes build in then when?

>>1698502
Never. Drone portable shields is personal shields.

>>1698479
Why not? Is there a reason we can't set up hidden hives on the chaotic planets we have millions of drones on?

>>1698502
When we finish personal shielding.

>>1698474
Having one drone slip away into the sewers and find a place to cocoon into an egglayer takes time and a small bit of risk, with only flies to guard its chosen hive location as it grows.

It takes time to grow up to the higher passive levels, pretty sure. We could certainly start the process with a covert hive, I guess. I'm not sure if it being a warzone means detection will be less likely, or more, if they are trying to clean the place of Scavs.

>>1698507
This is infiltration and espionage. If you want to risk getting caught leaving drones on the planet for such purposes then you don't realize how this works.

>>1698516
We have almost unlimited military access to the planets, the CW sensor network, and troop locations. I don't think you realize how incredibly easy it would be to hide an egg layer in that situation.

>>1698270
So many adoptees i'm so happy.

>>1698516
This, what you are looking for is [Maintain Concealment]

>>1698484
It depends. Is the greater success of the implanted tals due to the benefits of the parasites in terms of health, etc., or are they due to the hive influencing them and unnaturally coordinating their actions?

If it's the former then I don't think there's a problem. If (if!) it ever comes up, we can claim that the parasites are merely beneficial and provide a competitive advantage.

If it's the latter then I don't think we need to stop, we just need to scale back how much we're influencing behavior until some critical mass has been reached.

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>>1698366
>Add new research
>Request Theseus assistance for Data Decryption

Your thinkers gleefully begin their studies as you broadcast the encryption data to Theseus. Zero-One churns with a chaos of data exchange as the topic is distributed to any instance that takes interest. You watch as your thinkers bounce ideas back and forth from the digital interfaces and you barely notice as your human made trade ship, the Orphan, emerges from warp in valen space as the minds of its crew emerge into your thoughts again. They pass by without notice until thoughts of urgent distress begin alerting you to a problem.

Your clones stand in the cargo bay, the ship docked and secured to the station, as a force of security puppets and a number of human guards stand outside, all well armed. A ceph floats over to the door adorned in the uniform of a clerk, and the synthesized voice crackles through the station's intercom link with the ship.

"Captain John Spreckels, in light of recent activity, your trade privileges at this station have come under some scrutiny. Your presence is urgently requested by the station proprietor Elegance of Cresting Waves. Your ship and its cargo shall be impounded until further notice." Your clone hesitates to respond, his mind reaching out to you for guidance.

"Captain please, this is a simple clerical matter I'm sure. We just need a few moments of your time to sort this out." The clerk says as a human behind him is setting up an inflatable vacuum sealed plasma torch. He waves a tentacle at the human and he shrugs and picks the kit up again, hoisting it over to the side of the airlock door.

>Have your clone open the airlock door
>Speak with the clerk through the speaker
>Other (write in)

>>1698409
>>1698423
The electroponic station is essentially a space station with a tether stretching down to the upper atmosphere where a number of gas harvesters drift freely while the station itself is in space. Like other structures, it is built once per planet, but can be expanded as the hub of a space city or with the superstructure in the future.

>>1698446
She is still in transit and will arrive later in the day on Leeland. it's been a long and busy day, and there is much to do this day as well.

>>1698536
Alright, so can we at least start building some tiny hidden hives now when the risk of detection is appropriately low?

>>1698504
>>1698510
I thought since Titan-kun was so big we could use a shield dome as his "personnal shield" but it's fine i can wait.

>>1698484
One plus is that we should know it any time any of the parasited Taidaren is arrested or grabbed.

>>1698546
>>Have your clone open the airlock door

>>1698546
>an inflatable vacuum sealed plasma torch
...a what?

And I say open the door. Worst case we claim Hive affiliation and make it a diplomatic incident. If we're already impounded then resisting is silly. It's like being pulled over by the cop, handcuffed, and then deciding to try to put up a fight.

If that happens our products should sell like hot cakes even at highly inflated prices as governments and corps. snatch them up ASAP to try and learn more about us.

>>1698546
They made the obvious connection to the hive manufacturing FormOther products.

Now the proprietor, who obviously outranks our old engineer contact, sees he can get some leverage and wants to push on us in secret, or conspire against the Guild of Transportation with us, or something.

And of course the Valen may be able to 'hear' the hybrids' psionic brains as slightly different, though we can excuse that as an 'upgrade' as long as they don't steal blood samples.

>>1698546
>Have your clone open the airlock door.

>>1698546
>>Have your clone open the airlock door
>>Other
I remember Elizabeth helped us negotiate with the Valen initially, would she know a ship being impounded without warning is strange?

>>1698565
They didn't detect anything from our speaker until we actually shouted at them, they won't get anything off the clones either.

>>1698546
>Have your clone open the airlock door
>Other (write in)
Ask for details, such things as why and what we are being stationed and only agreed to leave our ship with our on security crew so no missunderstanding of missing objects may happen during the time we are away from our ship. Also bring our lawyer.

>>1698546
Assholes are trying for Intel

They can't be allowed in the ship but we are pretending our guys here are independent traders

Other: leave the station and tell them to fuck off since we will find someone else to sell to as first negotiating tactic

>>1698573
>They didn't detect anything
They specifically thought about its muted whispers.

>>1698565
Maybe since our reactor are simply "from the expanse", and weird looking, they need to make sure that the reactors aren't the sort of thing the Hive has demanded by handed over. Which would be ironic.

>>1698546
>>Have your clone open the airlock door.
Strongly advise they not act on any efforts to impound the ship and her cargo until after we have spoken to the proprietor. Otherwise there could be ... unforeseen consequences.

>>1698565
>And of course the Valen may be able to 'hear' the hybrids'

nah just make our clones chant nursery rhymes in their head. That's how the Valen ambassador's puppet protects itself from heaving his mind 'readed' by the Valen.

>>1698584
>Other: leave the station
We're docked, and they already said that we're impounded. Even if we could get the ship undocked they would likely fire on us.

>>1698584
Point is we can not let the allow to blackmail us by letting them seize the ship during there info gathering

We made our guy have a agressove personality during the talks so use it

>>1698599
Remember, we claimed the reactors were designed from natives from a planet called "Leeland", and this was before Lee was revealed to be alive. Besides, it's pretty clear the other Valen we met was pretty freaked out by the hybrid mental signals.

They'd have to be complete morons to not realize we're hive.

>>1698562
A plasma torch designed for use in cutting open airlock doors without decompressing the room. It has a large inflatable tent that seals to the surface being cut, allowing the user to work without fear of accidentally leaking atmosphere. Useful when you are unsure of the status of the room you are cutting into.

>>1698611
I don't think that would work given we have parasites with relays giving off conflicting signals. It could be worth a shot, but I'm hardly optimistic...

>>1698599
Oh that's true and it's a far more logical possibility.

>>1698546
>Speak with the clerk through the speaker
"If it's a clerical error then I'll speak with that bloated whale myself. Now get your rent-a-cops away from my ship."

>>1698618
If it came down to it and they ID the Clarke, I wonder what the laws about scavenging abandoned military vessels are.

>>1698586
I'm pretty sure that line wasn't in reference to us, but rather it was either referring to Anton relaxing his guard or the Valen getting too loud among themselves.

>>1698584
Don't we have our own hive security on the ship in the form of warrior drones and the like? If they try to impound the ship we can defend it and if it looks like we'll lose either blink a fleet in to scare the shit out of the Valen or hit the self-destruct.

>>1698638
The human isn't an "it."

>>1698638
My interpretation was a rebuke to Anton.

>>1698626
Thanks. "Inflatable" was the part that confused me. It's these details that help make this such an awesome quest. One gets the impression that everything has a ME-style codex entry behind it.

>>1698644
Including drones on our secret trade ship would be retarded. we have 99 crew members of unknown augmentation to fight them off with.

>>1698654
Our Queen's reply to the Captain:

If you're having Customs problems I feel bad for you, son. You've got 99 crew but a drone ain't one.

>>1698644
Then the Valen would sell the union information about the hive having human agents.

if anything they might be trying to trace the ones that escaped Aral. Or the whales managed to vonnect one plus one about our reactor.

>>1698646
Why not? Valen change sex at will, it'd be odd for them to really give a shit about Anton's reproductive organs.

>>1698663
>Valen change sex at will

The Valen change their sex according to the season drone. You should stop watching Deckers Porn Parodies.

>>1698662
>Or the whales managed to vonnect one plus one about our reactor.

Anon, the whales have already done that.
They will want to make a deal with us. I say we let them do that. They'll try to deal with us before ratting a powerful and unpredictable party out to the Union.

>>1698680
>The Valen change their sex according to the season drone.
Actually they use drug implants to change sex at will, before they changed sex every season and a minor few believe it is healthier to change sex like that but it's now mostly by will.

>>1698680
Also according to drugs administered when away from their home planet, so pretty much at will, but this conversation is going strange places so I'll digress.

>>1698270
So will we finally find out what we did with that holo-printer

>>1698546
Your clone marches to the airlock with a growing air of indignation. You are certain if this proprietor is nearby, he will sense your irate clone as he pictures tossing the ceph out an airlock.

"Alright you wannabe rent-a-cop calamari boneless sack of shit!" The clone shouts as he opens the door and rushes out, quickly sealing it again behind him. "You want to talk, let's talk. Show me where the clerical error is and I'll show you exactly where to stick it."

"Excellent." The ceph says. You are unsure if it is a well trained professionalism or if the insult just doesn't translate properly. "Please follow me."

>Demand your questions be answered first (write in)
>Follow the ceph clerk
>Other (write in)

>>1698701
>>1698680
You are both right, actually. They use drugs to simulate the seasonal chemical compositions of their homeworld's oceans, so they can chance at any time, but still follow seasonal trends so that their offspring can properly socialize with others its own age. It's one of the only holidays on their calendar that they allow days off.

>>1698716
We made passes and credentials for our clones on Path I believe

>>1698748
>>Follow the ceph clerk

>>1698748
>>Follow the ceph clerk
The Ceph doesn't know shit. We need to talk to his boss and shouldn't waste time talking with the Ceph.

>>1698751
You believe wrongly.

>>1698748
>>Demand your questions be answered first (write in)
The one we asked: what's the clerical error? As far as we're concerned they need to explain RIGHT FUCKING NOW what their excuse is for impounding our property and denying us our rights.

Isn't one of the only reasons that they do this sort of thing because they believe cargo might endanger the station?

>>1698766
Pretty confident there bucko

either way, it'll help our agents on Gemini out

>>1698766
I'm pretty sure he was referring to our clones currently Shadow Running. And IIRC Theseus provided documents for them.

>>1698748
>Follow the ceph clerk
>Other (write in)

Demand to leave a group of our on security to guard our ship/stuff and so avoid any mistakes during the time we are out.

>>1698820
We don't need to "demand" anything. We can just have our own ship security guard our stuff

>>1698776
Because you're confusing two completely unrelated things. The IDs were given by Theseus. The machine has just been completely offscreen being neither reverse-engineered or used.

>>1698782
Well no duh, that's why it's wrong.

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>>1698858

>>1698858
Good point. I was interpreting the statement about making passes being more like "they have those, right?" Which obviously was the wrong interpretation.

>>1698748
Supporting >>1698773

>>1698874
No, he's actually correct. A bit salty, but correct.

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>>1698858
>>1698888
Well word of God just informed me that the printer wasn't achieved in time for the Pathian agents but it will be used for printing fake ID's for future espionage actions

So technically everyone was wrong and right at the same time

>>1698748
>>Follow the ceph clerk
This is best dealt with in secret, clerk can't help us and the whole thing is probably pretense.

>>1698909
Yep. The Clerk is clueless. There's almost no chance he was told what's really going on.

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>>1698748
Your clone moves after the ceph as it floats down the hall, shoving one of the puppets out of the way as its legs quickly scamper across the floor as it struggles to avoid falling over.

"What the fuck is this about? I already had a contract with one of those fat scaly bastards!" Your clone says.

"That contract is being renegotiated in-house. You will not need to concern yourself with the details, but the station proprietor has uncovered some minor issues with your merchandise. I am unaware of the details." The clerk says simply.

"Bullshit."

"I assure you I am quite ignorant." The ceph says, your clone smirks.

"Well that much I believe. How long will this take?"

"As long as you make it." The clerk replies. A tentacle waves over a wall contact and a door slides open. "Please enter." the clerk says. Your clone steps into the small elevator and it quickly seals shut and jerks into motion, running up along the exterior hab ring up into the larger and rounded off valen section held far above the trade section. As the door opens, light flickers inside, and the room beyond is a dimly lit bubble of air held within a massive tank of water. You can see the surface off in the distance, where the rotation of the station has created a cylindrical tube of air within the tank of water where dozens of valen drift lazily. Large pipes run in twisting, endless spirals from the cylinder of water and out to all edges of the station while massive water pumps turn vertical tubes into aquatic elevators, sending valen all across the facility.

The small room of transparasteel leads into a closed chamber set into the wall. Your clone walks up to the door and presses the contact to open it. It beeps loudly with a red light flashing as a number begins counting down. Above you, within the cylinder of water you see a massive figure lowing down on a pillar of rapidly draining water until it leads into the room on the far side of the door, and the countdown reaches zero with another beep as the light turns green and the door clicks open. It slides with a slight squeak and your clone walks forward into a large, half drained pool. Floating in the center of the pool is a massive valen, its shell coated in gold leaf decor welded into the shell in glittering spiral patterns crisscrossed with small silver plates bolted into place like fish scales.

The valen groans, its jaw stretching as it extends its eye stalks from the water to see your clone, and its massive claws lash out, impacting the floor on either side as the valen sinks its massive talons into a pair of thick, rubber coated control pads. The claws tap several times, manipulating the controls until a translation protocol interface appears as a hologram between your clone and the valen showing a small window of text in the spiraling patterns of the trade language.
cont.

>>1698748
Hang on, if we send Spreckles after the ceph clerk, could we send a cloaked whisperer drone along with him, just in case? If we can use both memetic skin and psionic cloaking that the phantoms use, it would be next to impossible to detect without serious dedicated scanners. We wouldn't even necessarily have to reveal it to the Valen, we could just opt to have it hang back in the room the interview is happening in and passively read the whale. Or we could have it reveal itself if we wanted to show our hand.

>>1699064
I wouldn't be able to both mind read and cloak itself at the same time.

Lets have "captain" Spreckles be careful to not leave behind any hair, saliva, or other DNA samples that could reveal he's a hybrid.

>>1699056
"I am Elegance of Cresting Waves. I own this station. All of its inhabitants are indebted to me." It says. "Their labor is owed to me, their profit is my profit. Their leverage is my leverage, and their losses are my losses." You get the feeling this is some manner of traditional greeting than an attempt to brag, but perhaps it is a bit of both.

"I have come to understand one of my workers has made a deal without my knowledge, and that your merchandise is of a peculiar variety. We have received a number of requests for their sources already." The valen's talon twitches, and a number suddenly appears.

Seventy thousand credits have been deposited into your account.

"Your due share of your first shipment. They have sold quickly, and their origin is a great curiosity with an equally great price offered for it. The parasites that beg me to take their credits for that knowledge will not have it, but you will tell me."

"I already explained this to-"

"I am aware of what you have told my employee. You will tell it again, to me."

>Write in

>>1699130
Dont be a pushover

NUKE THE WHALE IN VERBAL JUDO

I'm not against telling the valen this merchandise was Hive-built, but he's going to have to offer something in return.

>>1699130
They probably have no proff,dishonesty is to be expected in this culture(up to a point)and even if they have iron-clad proof,our clones can just say that they got it from an intermediary who tells them when and where to pick up the goods. Just play it cool and repeat what we said before...but word it so that if they whip out some evidence,we "technically" didnt lie.

>>1699130
Inform him that if this an attempt at renegotiation or fact finding, we're not impressed, and neither will the producer of our goods be. He should already know exactly what we told his employee, and we have no intention of telling him any more.

>>1699166
Why contain it? This could be a massive benefit for us if these guys knew this ship had a direct connection to the Hive.

>>1699130
As I said before, the reactors are from a planet called Leeland. I think you're smart enough to understand what that means. What do you want to do now?

(Be sure to give NOTHING away mentally)

>>1699130
Why isn't your employee in this meeting then?

I mean, did he actually tell his boss everything we told him, since apparently this is valuable data he wants us to give him for free?

Remember Valen society works through debt and gift giving, we should give him information so he owes us.

>>1699130
"The origin of these goods is a trade secret. Any further inquiry into this will force us to void our agreement and acquire another vendor."

>>1699200
Hm, good point, we don't need to get anything right away.

>>1699200
This. The Valen operate differently than humans. Cant assume typical human motivations here.

>>1699130
Wait a minute.

We sold 5 reactors for 700k credits each, with a 10% commission to the Valen.

If all five sold, this is an absurd mistakenly low number.

Ignore his questions and focus on the price changing.

>"Now with specs like this in a reactor this size, I'm gonna need them on sale at around seven hundred thousand each."

>"No. You get ten, or I'll find someone else who will. Maybe that cresting waves guy, he sounds like a good businessman."

>>1699181
For one,the appearance of power.Two,they benefit far more then we do,thus giving us more room to negotiate. The more we have to give them latter on(fewer middlemen),the more deals we can make with them before relations settle.Oh im sure they suspect and some probably are sure of it,but its better if they dont "figure us out" and rob us off the appearance of some powerful new player that could must be treated with caution,but full of potential gains.

>>1699200
But we don't want information, and we have yet to build the required trust to start giving him potentially invaluable information without conditions.

>>1699218
Also supporting.

>>1699200
I think that's just being a sucker.

Valen constantly scheme to give gifts on their own terms, do you think Valen negotiations are on who can get a worse deal for themselves and that's how they advance? Because everything we've seen indicates the exact opposite.

Reveal the source to this Valen in confidence. Make it clear that you are only allowing them to know due to their role in sale and distribution. If anyone learns of the source due to an intentional or unintentional leak on their part. All current and future business with this company will cease, and the products currently held by them will either be returned willingly, or seized through raids.

>>1699218
Fucker shortchanged us

This means war

>>1699220
Listen to this anon, this is the way to negotiate from a position of strength.

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>>1699218
Well then, guess it's time to nuke the whales.

>>1699220
I'm not entirely sure I believe the employee actually told him everything anyway.

Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters may have stonewalled his boss, and now he's exploiting his authority to get answers directly from the source.

We should consult with our engineer contact first instead, since we may be being played to undermine him.
>>1699130
Also, none of this has fuck to do with why our ship is impounded, which is the real reason we came here!

>>1699220
Supporting.

>>1699218
Also supporting. They can pay us the full value for the reactors, then we can talk.

>>1699130
Why is my ship impounded fatass?

And this is bullshit, my cut way bigger then this

>>1699130
"Like I said, the reactors were made by locals in the Expanse. A planet called Leeland. Also you short-changed me for the sale. You want to know more, you're going to have to offer more in your negotiation."

>>1699259
For the record: http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/47517403/#47519501

Literally what he said, and the Valen's just asking John to repeat it.

>>1699259
>>1699268
It's entirely possible Mr. Counts kept a lid on this and we're screwing the game he's playing if we share it further now.

>>1699218
Supporting, don't let him control the conversation.

>>1699218
Supporting.

>>1699200
>>1699216
He reduced our profits from 3.15 million to 70 thousand.

Valen society also works on collecting debts you're owed, and changing the rules arbitrarily to increase how much you've decided people owe you.

Mindless capitulation is not how to gain leverage over them.

Didn't our Valen engennier was upset because of a unsuccessful datting contract? Who was the Valen that won it again? Might have nothing to fo with it though..

>>1699259
Something like this, but angrier, could work well, make sure he understands that if word of our meeting leaks to those other "interested parties" he mentioned he would lose a tremendous future business opportunity. Working together, on the other hand, could produce immense mutual profits.

>>1699259
If their espionage isn't utterly worthless, they've already pieced together that Leeland is a hive world, so that would be tantamount to admitting that they get it from the hive.

If we don't want to out our guys as associating with the hive, we can just say that we've lost contact with the suppliers, with the silent implication that the hive ate them.

>>1699314
I think he was the primary engineer overseer of this station. I was thinking we could get back in touch with him and hire him on as the hives first Valen agent. He's in a shitty position here he's dying to get out of, and could help us establish some real trade with Valen markets, at least better than this thieving fish would.

Plus, it would finally allow us to get a biological analysis of the Valen body. We've been putting that off far too long now.

>Elegance of Cresting Waves
>Tender Songs in Cresting Waves

the last part of their names are similar but i don't know how Valen family names work.

>>1699327
But we literally already told them exactly that.

>>1699252
>Also, none of this has fuck to do with why our ship is impounded, which is the real reason we came here!
It's a negotiating tactic.

Inform the Valen that if they had a genuine concern about safety, then they should have said something before we docked.

Now that we are docked, impounding our ship is an unacceptable breach of decorum. And if he does not reverse this action immediately, then other ships will come that will be willing to transport us from this station. The kind of ships that wouldn't be good for business.

Just release the impound, ensure that we have the right to leave, and then we can talk business.

>>1699200
No. We need to first figure out what he wants.

>>1699218
This. Spacewhale better have a damn good reason for doing this. Although, what thread is that from?

>>1699365
Probably not too connected. But maybe it's a clan or birth location thing? I doubt they're child and parent.

>>1699130
Re-reading this again, I think he's testing our clone. Remember that Valen can do that mind-reading thing. We should have our clone tell the same old story, and have him radiate "yeah i'm telling it good" but not otherwise reveal anything.

>>1699385
We told one Valen. He didn't necessarily tell his boss.

He might not have even shared the actual pricing structure with his boss, judging by this payout. We should be dealing with him directly under the table.

>>1699130
"This is nowhere close to the agreed upon payment." Your clone says.

"No, but it is the down payments made prior to installation, minus the agreed upon minuscule commission. The rest of your three million and eighty thousand credits will be deposited after our shipyards have installed the reactors into the ships that purchased them, and after your impound status has been lifted."

"Then lift it." Your clone says through his teeth. The valen lifts its claw and slams it back onto the control pad.

"I did not gain buoyancy last season!" The valen shouts, its massive shell's blast of sound hurting your clone's ears in the enclosed chamber. "Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters is a fool with a rented name!" You recognize the term to be a grave insult. "But few transactions occur without my knowledge. The guilds will wish to know of this. They have leveraged fleets against such actions and I will not take any such risk in my station without knowing every single detail involved."

"Well I already told the last chum bucket I got the reactors in the Expanse on a world called Leeland. No matter what else you heard from your guild of assholes this deal is a monopoly right now. I'm the only one who has this stuff."

"Yes, and the Expanse is sealed."

"Isn't it still technically Union space?"

"Not in our eyes." The valen replies. "The Shadow Whisperers have taken every stone and star, and we will not leverage against them, but we will short the humans. You are a human, and you will tell me how, exactly, you received these reactors, and you will ensure me it will not bring undue risk upon us."

"The shadow what?" Your clone asks. You realize, as your vast mind scours the archives of human data at your disposal, that 'Xeno Formicidae' has no translation. "Well how about you tell me why you're impounding my ship? You don't want to sell my merchandise, fine, I'll sell it somewhere else!"

"No. If your technology offends their decree, they will all be returned to Leeland, and you will never enter the space of the banking clans again. Before that, however, you will answer my questions. How did you obtain these reactors, how do you obtain more, by whose authority do you sell them, and why is your mind sealed to me?"

>write in

>>1699425
Clever fish

>>1699425
The buggers didn't deal in credits, but they do deal in biological augmentation and, apparently, fusion reactors as payment.

We've made our private dealings with them, I'm sure you can verify that the Orphan was duly authorized with the royalty.

>The Shadow Whisperers

Eh that's a pretty alright name the Valen gave us.

>>1699425
Ah, so he's unsure of what it's based on and where our clones got it, and is worried that it's something that would piss off the Hive.

Looks like we made an impression on the whale-jews.

>>1699425
>No. If your technology offends their decree, they will all be returned to Leeland

Called it!

"I was contracted by the Hive to represent them in trade negotiations. Release my ship and cargo now or suffer the consequences. They have already been informed of your actions.

Anything else is none of your business."

>>1699425
Play completely and utterly dumb about the mind sealed thing.

>>1699425
Our dealings have been completely condoned by local authorities. I would be happy to put you into contact with, what did you call them, "The Shadow Whisperers" if you wish to verify.

If you keep poking around in business that does not concern you I can assuere you you will have no business with me or my associates in the future.

>>1699453
That is immediately turning around and saying we were lying

>xeno formicidae
>alien ant

...how the hell does no human databank have the translation for 'xeno' nor the family name for ants on record?

>>1699425
I like the tone here>>1699453

Perhaps further insinuate that the reason Spreckles believes he was contracted in the first place was because the Hive wanted a no fuss means of accessing the Valen markets. If he makes a big fuss and drags this out too much, the Hive will lose interest in doing business with him.

>>1699425
Above your pay grade whale

You think the guilds are bad? you have no idea what deals your screwing up

>>1699425
>The Shadow Whisperers
Ayy lmao, that's what they're calling the Hive? Fits as well as anything else I suppose.

"What, you're worried they've got some bugs in there? They wanted money. If you have money, I can get more. If you want a good word with the manufacturer, I can put in a good word. That's not going to happen if we're going to have a difficult time doing business here, though."

>>1699425
Some story about some third party telling them when and where to pick the goods up from.We dont know who it is,just referring to himself as a "supplier".This way they cant trace the goods back to us via our clones.

He's got a damn good argument.

Says he's scared of offending the Hive and is worried that these are contraband being smuggled out of or through Hive space. Now the Hive has to officially vouch for this supplier, or he has to be OK with a grey market. One of the two.

We started this trade deal before we declared control of the Expanse. Maybe we should just go public with the reactors now too. If we officially control the Expanse, and there's obviously-allowed shipping coming out of the Expanse, there's no way it's not Hive-approved. I'm not sure what we gain by denying it.


Here's what I think we do: We can still save the face of the clones by telling him to contact the Hive. He can verify for himself whether these goods are contraband.

If he balks at contacting the Hive about it, we've called his bluff. If he does, we can approve and the humans don't look like they've even lied.

>>1699465
Where is the lie?

>>"Well I already told the last chum bucket I got the reactors in the Expanse on a world called Leeland. No matter what else you heard from your guild of assholes this deal is a monopoly right now. I'm the only one who has this stuff."

Revealing that we have an exclusive contract is perfectly inline with what we just said. And how would we explain that:

1. We have fusion reactors from the bug world

and

2. We have a monopoly

Unless we're working for them directly. If we got them second-hand as a middle man we would have no basis for claiming a monopoly.

>>1699472
No correlation with whale tongue more likely

>>1699484
That's a good point too. They haven't actually lied yet.

>>1699472
Maybe it doesn't have a translation for the Valen? And since we decided to call ourself the Red Hive they didn't bother to make a translation?

>>1699485
>>1699491

Aaaaaaah, that makes sense. Must've misread it.

>>1699472
The closest term would translate to "small biting land based creature" which looses much or all of the intended visual comparisons that the word formicidae implies to humans, which is the most immediately striking feature of the hive to them, i.e. big alien ants. By comparison, "shadow whisperer" denotes the immediately noticeable aspect of the hive to the valen, which is "I can hear whispering from millions of voices when they are close by and it feels like they are literally filled with ghosts."

>>1699481
I like this; instead of answering his questions, just tell him to run it past the Hive.

We (the Hive) can just say "oh, that one came from a human supplier vetted and approved by the hive, goodbye."

>>1699489
Right. Worst case we jump a few small ships into the system and broadcast our displeasure about how our employees are being treated. Probably include something about how we will be certain to keep this in mind when entertaining future offers from Valen.

This asshole we're talking to should shit himself at that point if he has any idea the sort of negotiations we've recently been involved in.

>>1699508
Dang, we spooky. Nice to see our diplomatic efforts are being taken seriously for once.

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>>1699508
So what you're saying is the Valen are scared absolutely shitless by the Hive

Anyone else think we can use this to our advantage?

>it feels like they are literally filled with ghosts.

Dam and i though the hive was scary just for the humans.

>>1699517
Obviously we can use it.

The Union is pissed because they thought they were so awesome, but then we said, "Sit. That's a good boy."

The Valen, if anything, were even more smug than the Union. They figured they had everything figured out, topping from the bottom, Union dying to defend them, etc., etc. Then we came along and were scary in the same way we are to the Union, but then even more so because of spooky stuff.

>>1699521
Valen are at least as scared of us as the humans are. We need to show that the hive is capable of negotiation, diplomacy, and trade rather than just taking everything we want with overwhelming force.

>>1699521
You know, if we never researched that "talk quietly" tech way back when, it would sound more like yelling than whispering.

>>1699425
We should get our guy to say something to the effect of:
"What? You think I stole these things from Leeland? I made a deal with the locals fair and square. They knew what I was gonna do with the things when I took em. Even where I was gonna take em. I told em. Hell, I even negotiated a second load of reactors out of them. Check my ship's cargo, if you don't believe me. If they didn't want me to be moving this stuff, they wouldn't have given it to me. They're even taking a pretty premium cut - 80% of our gross."
"As for authority - I'm not fucking dead. If I were doing anything they didn't like, I can guarantee you I would be a corpse right now. They have more than enough guns to pull it off."
"Now I'm not sure what you mean by 'mind sealing' but is that enough? Your station has nothing to fear."

I guess the main points, shitty writing or not, are:
>The 'Leelanders' are technologically advanced enough to produce fusion engines and weaponry sufficient to deal with the Orphan.
>If they weren't cool with what was going on, the Orphan wouldn't have a second load of their reactors.
>What do you mean by 'mind sealing' exactly?

>>1699538
Every time they are near our drones it would be like they are hearing a very crowded street where everybody is yelling into their phone.

>>1699540
This is pretty good.

>>1699540
For a hivemind we suck at consensus. I'll back this just to help move it along.

>>1699540
Well said anon, well said.

>>1699552
I always like to think of anons disagreeing as just a debate between dozens of quasi-autistic quantum thinkers who believe their way, and only their way, is the right direction for the Hive.

>>1699568
I agree entirely with the concept of debate, but it felt like we were getting nowhere near a decision, just a bunch of posts that had differing viewpoints with little common ground.

>>1699425
"The hell are you talking about? Do you think I'd be here with another load of reactors if they didn't want them to get sold?" Your clone says. "I've got a contract, the only contract so far I might add, and if you want to send that kind of deal away then fine, I'll find somebody else to deal with. That's your loss, all you've done is let them know you don't like their goods. If you think I stole something, let me tell you that if I did, I would have never gotten this far, let alone gone back to get more."

>Tell the valen to contact the Hive for proof
>Do not
>Other

>>1699508
Of course, they can't possibly realize that it may be that they only hear this from moderate relay drones...

Otherwise surely the hybrid's basic relay, or the relay in any of our parasites like the one in Lee, would also be just as audible, instead of "sealed".

>>1699584
>>Tell the valen to contact the Hive for proof

>>1699584
>>Tell the valen to contact the Hive for proof

>>1699540
I'll back this just to move us towards consensus. It's well written and thought out.

>>1699584
>>Do not
They'll do it on their own if they have to.

if he does contact he'd have to go through the clans, and give away his exclusive lucrative deal he has here.

>>1699584
>Do not

>>1699584
>Tell the valen to contact the Hive for proof.
If you want I can take you back to speak with them on my ship. Who knows, maybe you could get lucky and strike your own deal with them.

>>1699584
Blink a ship or two into the system.

"Forgive this Speaker if words are not clear. We have heard there is some problem with a representative of ours. He should be released as he works for us."

Do you have couches for trade? This Speaker has never known the sensation of sitting.

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>>1699602

>>1699584
Our guys is setting himself as a middleman right? that's his operation cover and he needs to show he independent of us

So we cant have the hive come bail him out just like that, we bailing him out so easily shows he's our cats-paw too early

>>1699584
>Tell the valen to contact the Hive for proof
Our embassies are next door so it'd be very easy to do

>>1699584
>Do not
Because this here
>>1699594

>>1699584
>Do not
If they contact the Hive, tell them that there is an approved human supplier who creates reactors like the ones in question

>>1699611
Valen aren't a hivemind. If this guy weights the risk and reward, with our assurance, that this is legit, he may not want to spread around news of this deal and gain himself rivals trying to home in on his now-valuable turf.

>>1699584
>Do not
>But offer to bring some token of 'yes my supplier is okay with what i'm doing' with the cargo next time - something custom-made using the same manufacturing techniques used for the fusion reactors. to prove he's not bullshitting and has good standing with the supplier. (we may, as a token of trust, let him keep our money frozen while we do this - we just expect our shit to get sold and add more cash to the pile)

May also be worth mentioning, if the Valen Bossman reveals he doesn't give a shit if the goods are stolen, that the 'Leelanders' did mention forbidden technology. But fusion reactors aren't forbidden technology (our clone can say that he was told as much), otherwise they'd probably be pissy about everyone and everything.

>>1699620
>Valen aren't a hivemind
Of course they aren't. Did I imply they were?

That's likely the fastest way for a Valen to contact the Hive outside of whatever Q-Comm Capt John has on the Orphan

>>1699602
No.

>>1699633
Relatively speaking. It's still not necessarily 'easy' to appeal to the clans, and then go through more and more middlemen until your message reaches the Valen ambassador to humanity, who then goes through the human representative, who only then can go next door.

They've got an elaborate clan bureaucracy to go through, and every Valen in between with their own self-interested agenda.

>>1699607
Part of the point is that every time we've openly jumped ships into a system it's caused panic. Merchant vessels flee, everything gets locked down. Sometimes there are riots.

Tossing some ships on their doorstep would screw with this guy's business. Hard.

Anything else that's weird that might crop up the Valen in general would probably be far more hesitant to question it. It gets them walking on egg shells.

>>1699622
This might work well.

>>1699644
Yeah, and it could also mean war. And the couch meme is really tiring when its not used on scavs

>>1699644
The problem is that you are sending in hive ships without having a good excuse, how would the hive ships have know the Orphan was impounded?

>>1699655
>spoiler

i concur

>>1699644
Why the hell would we know anything about what's going on there?

That would raise so many questions for no appreciable purpose.

>>1699584

Voting for >>1699622

>>1699655

One or two small ships shouldn't start a war. I didn't suggest a fleet. Right now they've detained the captain and the Orphan and are trying to use that as leverage. We would be applying counter-leverage.

Your second point is well taken.

>>1699667
>>1699674

Maybe our ship used a q-comm to alert them? It's sort of a thing. The entire crew would have heard that we were impounded.

>>1699682
>Maybe our ship used a q-comm to alert them? It's sort of a thing. The entire crew would have heard that we were impounded.
That raises the question of why the fuck the crew called the hive without the Captains permission.

>>1699622
As much as I would like to bully this asshole, I'm backing this option.

>>1699667
Hmm, we could offer to jump Hive ships in to verify our claim. We could say if we go back to the ship we can easily contact the hive and get them to bring in a "small" fleet to confirm the statement. It'll be amazing how quickly the Valen backs off at that point since a "small" hive fleet jumping on could ruin his business.

>>1699696
This makes more sense.

>>1699692
Use your imagination, perhaps.

The captain could have told someone to before he got off of the ship.

>>1699701
>The captain could have told someone to before he got off of the ship.
Then why the fuck didn't the Captain call the hive earlier? Why go to the valen then have the crew member call the hive?

>>1699701
Or we could skip the contrived bullshit and just not do that.

>>1699696
Supporting. This is us, in essence, calling their bluff but still giving the Valen a way to back out somewhat gracefully.

>>1699584
>Do Not

>>1699594

>>1699732
Sure, why not.

I figured this would be minor after we jumped a hiveship into the high atmosphere over the Union capital with some adjacent fleets, but apparently not.

Or when we sent a bunch of ships to every Expanse system.

Let's go with this, since we're suddenly so concerned about aliens saving face.

>>1699622
This is a good idea.

They fell off the back of a truck.

>>1699584
>>Do not
The entire point of using Spreckles is to access the grey market.

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>>1699763
We'll make you an offer you can't refuse.

>>1699584
"Look, you don't have to worry about a damn thing, alright? Not only is this tech not on the banned list, they made it specifically for me to sell. Now I've got no idea what you're talking about bullshit about minds, but you need to calm the fuck down and put some respect into those head-trumpets of yours."

"And if the guilds learn of my trading, and they will, these reactors are sold on the open market, they will leverage their fleets against me and demand to know their source. If you can assuage the Shadow Whisperers, how will I assuage the banking clans?"

"You're a smart cookie, I'm sure you'll figure something out. Tell you what, if you're really so concerned, how about you place an order. Any kind of custom made trinket built in the same style as the reactors. Something cheap but elaborate enough to be obvious, and I'll bring it back with me on my next trip just for you. Either way, I'm betting you want to keep those banking clan higher ups out of this as long as possible, and trust me, I'd like to get them involved, it becomes a seller's market that way, but I'm trying to keep this subtle for at least until the Expanse nonsense dies down and the Union calms their shit down, so for now, I'm looking for an exclusive contract. Is that you, Counts in swamps or whatever, or should I just find a new merchant entirely?" The valen shifts in its pool, sending waves splashing along either side.

"This is worth considering..."

"You're goddamn right it is! You shit!" Your clone spits, muttering to himself as he paces with anger. "Fuckin impound my ship... impound it right up your ass more like it...fuckin over sized nob-faced squiggle-eyed saw-toothed..."

"I will release your ship. You will return with an ornamental shell-glave in the south-shallows reverse-grip style." The valen says. "However, the guilds do not allow much to pass beneath their notice. To hide this from them would be levering myself beyond my security, but to contact them freely would be a gift of good faith. I will give you some time, but when our current customers depart, I will have no choice but to alert the clan authorities."

"So can I go then?" Your clone asks.

"Yes. Unload your cargo. Quickly, and do not speak with anyone on this station. This must remain inside until I gift the news to my elders and not before."

"Well what about that counting fella? He knows about it."

"Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters shall be dealt with accordingly. His secrets will go unremembered, and uncounted. Now go, before questions are asked by others of our meeting." The door to the chamber opens with another squeak of waterlogged joints, and another countdown appears over the translation readout as water begins to pour in through pipes along the walls. Your clone quickly exits as the pool begins to overflow, sending the valen back up the aquatic elevator, and your clone quickly returns to the Orphan.

cont.

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>>1699771
I raise

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>>1699787
Oh yeah?!

Yeah...okay, I fold.

>>1699782
that's a shame, I liked Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters, he/she was a cool guy/gal

>>1699782
>Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters shall be dealt with accordingly. His secrets will go unremembered, and uncounted.
Damn.

>>1699802
Yeah, easy to bully.

>>1699782
Man, Spreckles is great. And maybe we should go offer Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters before he gets thrown out an airlock. He could be a useful asset to us and whatever this whale has in mind for him would be waste.

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>>1699782
>His secrets will go unremembered, and uncounted.

>>1699809
He/she/it was so professional and polite.

What about that guy with the fusion torch thingy? I feel we need to ask for his "not remembering" as well.

>>1699802
>>1699804
>>1699809
Then let's invite him to join the hive, we could finally dissect a Valen at the very least.

>>1699812
He's being burned, he's becoming useless as we speak as he loses his last bit of power.

>>1699817
We might unlock the clone specialization "acting like a fucking adult."

>>1699815
>What about that guy with the fusion torch thingy? I feel we need to ask for his "not remembering" as well.
He was a lacky. All he knew was that he had a job.

>>1699825
How is that not true for the Ceph that was just thrown under the glass-bottomed bus?

(Thrown into the propellers? I'm not sure how it would translate for them.)

>>1699817
Can't get a Valen off the station without anyone noticing.

I'm not even sure if the human-intended ship docks can even fit a Valen.

They probably have separate docks for giant valen ships for loading valen in and out of the water areas that we aren't usually going to use.

>>1699822
>he's becoming useless as we speak as he loses his last bit of power.
These people aren't Marvel superheroes man, theirs are natural abilities, not some sort of power that can be used up like a fuel. And it's not like that would be anything we couldn't fix anyway.

>>1699835
We fit a carnataur in the ship.

>>1699842
I think what he's trying to say is that the cover is blown. I'm not agreeing, just trying to help interpret.

>>1699835
We just need to can him, and pretend we are shipping off with a few crates of tuna.

>>1699852
That much is obvious, what does that have to do with Deep Waters?

>>1699852
>>1699859
Oh, as in political power, right, right.

Well, I don't see how that would affect his vivisection much.

>>1699856
If we need to, we can just make a public statement saying we would like to expand our outreach to the Valen and that the first one to show up at the embassy to negotiate will receive exceptionally favorable business terms. The Valen are not of one mind and I'm certain there will be at least one with more greed than sense who will show up.

I'd prefer to do that secretly, but we don't need to shadowrun absolutely everything if there's a relatively straightforward way to go about things.

>>1698341
We should see about a thermal energy feedable anti orbital weapon of some form. Cover the weakness of the shield dome with something that can make use of the problem.

>>1699864
Honestly, if his bosses are as pissed at him as I think they are, we can just tell them that our employers mentioned they were hoping to acquire a Valen, living or dead, for vivisection (they will have probably noticed how we've been buying exotic wildlife left right and center). They'll probably ship him out with us laughing at how they got rid of him.

>>1699864
Valen showing up at our embassy is technically possible, but rather difficult for them. It could be interpreted as a "fuck you" move. I'm not against it, it's worth considering. But screwing with one Valen is one thing, while this could be interpreted as an insult to all of them collectively.

And they already had a diplomatic meeting with us. It might seem backwards if we suddenly announce "Hey, anyone who might wish to now meet with us...screw you guys who came early."

>>1699885
then we invite him into the family right? We should have a finger in every pie; a family member in every race.

I mean after studying his biology fully of course.

>>1699856
You think that kidnapping the single most important Valen on the station would somehow not result in a lockdown and thorough search?

>>1699895
It was a joke.

>>1699893
Hell yea. I figure any time we want to conduct serious communication with another species it would be wise to adopt at least one member of their race. That goes double for a creature with such a complex psyche like the Valen.

>>1699893
We got three very usefull black op agents and a ceph with two taiderians with the deal. We also have a Queen of Blades expy. That Valen doesnt bring anything unique to the table. Maybe if a Valen with radical new ideas(or one with super Space Jew autism super powers) appeared,then I would want to nab him.

>>1699893
But of course. What kind of monsters do you take us for?

>>1699895
He's talking about us taking Counts and Remembers Secrets (the poor engineer Valen we talked to the first time) with us. Since the Valen on the station want to get rid of him anyway this is a possibility he was proposing. I'm not necessarily supporting that position, just clarifying it.

>>1699900
You mean you intended it as a joke.

Spoiler: jokes are funny

>>1699817
Please. When they're alive, it's a vivisection.

>>1699895
If Dark Waters seeks asylum with the Hive and we agree, Cresting Waves will have no choice but to accept it.

Frankly, it's not a bad choice, all things considered.

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>>1699923

>>1699919
I think you're just upset you took someone talking about canning an alien and calling it tuna seriously.

>>1699933
He is apparently not that good of a buisnesswhale,so the only use would be for vivisection/disection. Im sure we can stumble upon a better candidate.

>>1699933
Ah, yes "asylum"
This isn't actually a bad move. The difficult part will be convincing him to come with us and that the alternative is death without coming across as backstabbing the other Valen (we aren't betraying him, but she could see it that way).

>>1699905
>He's talking about us taking Counts and Remembers Secrets
That would make way more sense, and actually be workable.

Anon already contradicted this and said it was a "joke", but I like your plan.

We already know there might be some mating rivalry going on (though the big guy might not really consider the welp competition).

We already have some clue that Valen are willing to sell lesser races to pay off debts (the con artist's backstory), but I'm not sure if we have any idea whether that concept extends to other Valen.

>>1699933
So then the question would be whether we make him an offer, or if we demand that he be handed over.

>>1699944
Valen backstab each other every day anon, she wouldn't take it personally.

>>1699950
Good point. I suppose we can make a token effort to be subtle, then, but don't need to worry overmuch about atmospherics.

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>>1699941
The only thing that offends me about canned tuna is that it doesn't contain more dolphin.

>>1699947
But why though? We get nothing out of it except a bad buisnessman and his body.

>>1699965
we get a valen mouthpiece and puppet, I mean new family member.

>>1699947
One of them wound up dead in that lab we found Lee in, so I assume they are perfectly willing to throw their outcastes under an alien bus.

>>1699933
No it is bad idea

Given a fall guy needed to take the blame for creating this situation and it cant be our man or this head whale who wants to keep his hand clean of making the deal in the first place

sacrifice the weakest link which is the engineer to the guilds

>>1699965
And Lee was a shitty spaceman until we picked him up, and now look at him.

Multiple parasites for a Valen? Or just one medium sized one?

>>1699973
Establishing hive space as refugee zone from the banking clans will make allot of valen take the gamble to move there.

May not get many good buisness men to begin with, but that'll change.

Its not really a priority for us, but having valen subjects who are there willingly will make it politically harder to deal with us for the normal valen society.

>>1699984
No it wouldn't

We dont use credits or there Machiavellian social ladder which the whales live for given there nature

Right now head whale problem is that his underling fucked him over in a deal that the whales above him may punish him for given whats going on

He needs to show that he was innocent of the deal and that the underling has been dealt with and that shadows aren't going to go on a rampage through whale space which is solved by the trinket

>>1699965
We haven't obtained a Valen before. It's one of the few races we haven't gotten our juicy thinker bits into.

We might have had a chance getting one from a "Unity raid" much earlier, but having revealed ourselves it's almost certainly too late for that.

Even a low-level one should be able to give us a wealth of cultural and historical information after we dump the brain in a tank. Remember how useful that lone Scav brain was during the fighting?

And we have no idea what sort of tech it might give us access to. I'd guess not too much, but there might be some small yet critical piece of the puzzle in there. Maybe their reading ability would allow us to tweak what we can already do "just so" and make it less damaging and obvious, for example.