File: space monke quest3 p1a.png (186 KB, 1200x849)

186 KB PNG

Andoen 1 is a life supporting planet! It seems unusual that a planet that supports life could have formed around a red giant, but this planet is covered in plant life. While the probe is almost one hundred years old at this point and is clearly outdated and running on whatever scraps of radioactive material its fuel cells have left, it still seems “very sure” that the planet has no living animals on it, only plants. More significant then this is the fact the probe finds multiple ruins hinting at intelligent alien life inhabiting this planet; these aliens having a similar or slightly higher level of technology to your own!

The second planet of Andoen 2 is a cold and dry desert world filled with endless sand dunes. Little of note stands out to this probe's systems.

The distances of space remind you of your people's battle with mortality- and the next step taken against it. Every since capturing and incorporating the technology of the Haazar trading vessel that arrived in your system, the newfound Telomere lengthening has just increased your race's average life expectancy to 100 years of age. Even better, the fact it is not a genetic technology means you can give it to people who are alive and beginning to age themselves- much like yourself, and your right hand in the form of Eoba.

File: space monke quest3 p1b.png (150 KB, 1200x849)

150 KB PNG

While Supreme Rulers of the past grappled with the issue, the sudden extension of the average citizen's life means that you need to create more useful habitation space, before your home planet of Jaxt gets too overcrowded!

An entire generation of deathless individuals; a crazy thought, but now very real. The Telomere lengthening procedure essentially allows individuals to stay in their “adult” age range for much longer, the mid to late 30s age of mature but not youthful, as their bodies restore their own damaged cells much more effectively then you once could as an elder. As this technology can be given out to almost any Jaxtian in short order, you will have a massive population boom from the lack of deaths- not to mention the increased windows to pregnancy and childcare.

Two ideas that are currently within your technological and budgetary limits are given to you from Alavis- your AI assistant. The first is to build space stations. Building large scale space stations around your planetary colonies will act as not only extra population space, but also as a benefit to space industries like transport and space-construction. Moreso, these space stations have a military use and will be the first line of defense before a planet is bombarded by enemy ships in the event of a interstellar war.

The second concept is to build undersea colonies. Deep ocean habitats have been proposed for a long time- but your technology to build them just hasn't been there until now. Deep ocean habitats will keep the majority of your population on Jaxt, while allowing them to do ocean aqua-farming, gather geothermal energy, and act as a first step in designing habitats for ocean or under-ice sea planets.

Which will it be, Supreme Ruler?
>Space Stations
>Undersea Dwellings

>>5053826
>Space Stations
The cylinder is big encouragement towards defense systems.

>>5053826
Also, glad to have you back QM. Monkey brain activated...

>Space Stations

We have experience from Cirrus before, and making headway on space docks is good too. Building big ships is hard in atmo.

>>5053826
>>Space Stations
Space contains more resources than oceans ever will

>>5053826
>>Space Stations

>>5053826
>>Space Stations

>>5053826
>Undersea Dwellings

>>5053826
>Space Stations

Kino is back on the menu boys

File: Fusion Core.png (26 KB, 1052x940)

26 KB PNG

>>5053823
Just gonna post my fusion core idea here.

>>5053826
>Space Stations
Ayyyy it's here!
Anyways we should go with space stations for now as we have prior experience with them as well as allowing for a better defense of our colonies from space, it'll also eventually allow us to build big as ships in space easier instead of building on planet and launching them into orbit.
Later on we should get undersea dwellings on that one colony with the Migrators so we can start actually integrating them into our empire and finding out ways for them to contribute instead of just saying they are part of it and not doing anything with them at all.

>>5053826
>Space Stations

I'd argued for them previously and think they're a smart idea yet again - especially since they'll enhance our military and industrial capacity. Under-sea construction is good too but the simple fact is we're going to probably use orbital colonies sent via fusion-hyperspace or slow-boat STL travel to new systems as our initial colony (rather than landing on the surface of some body I mean) and if that is the case getting experience with them now is smart.

Also good to see QM saw my theorising on the effect of almost doubling our lifespan on our economy / population growth / etc.

>>5053826
>Space Stations

>>5053826
>Undersea Dwellings

We already have a semicolonized planet with a rich undersea habitat under our belt, and it allows us to keep our population closer to home and more easily monitored for now.

File: space monke quest3 post1.png (747 KB, 4960x3508)

747 KB PNG

You have decided to begin building space stations in orbit around your planets. Not only will this act as a buffer for your population to grow and live without overcrowding, but also provides some useful industries and a platform for further construction for deep space.

More immediate then this is the Baalathi metal that either makes up or covers the exterior of their giant blue cylinder ship. This bright blue metal is analyzed after a few flakes and shards are broken off using acids and hi-intensity lasers. The material is a Ferrous derivative of copper; a strange mix of many elements in a structure that would be very difficult to manufacture, even with your level of technology. The metal is named Azurium.

Azurium is a very strong alloy of many metals, including coppers, titaniums, and iron+carbon in a mixture equivalent to high grade steel. The metal could have many uses in armor plating and military, to industry, to high-energy physics and science. However because of its complexity; Azurium cannot be manufactured with available technology and you must find a natural source of it. While the elements that make up the universe are everywhere; creating artificial molecules out of particle accelerators are still beyond your capacity. This makes Azurium a rare resource, alongside Tritium, which will limit your building and expansion options unless more sources of them are found.

The concept to use the metal to help fix a core issue with your fusion reactor's in heat dispersal jumps to mind instantly. But there is a problem; Azurium is so heat resistant that working the metal is impossible. Even in high grade blast forges and with laser presses, trying to shape or melt the metal is essentially impossible. Its melting point is astronomically high. However, the Baalthi must have had a method to shape the metal themselves; there's no way it naturally formed into a giant cylinder ready for space colonization.

Your science team look to you for some advice, perhaps they missed something. If heat doesn't work; What method should be used to try and shape the Azurium instead?
>Chemical
>Electric
>Plasmatronic (Tractor Beams + Shields)
>Radioactive
>Kinetic (Hydraulic Press)
>Sonic
>Other (Write In)

>>5054370
>Chemical + Garvitational
The gas giant it originated on probably had some unique chemical properties to enable such things. Recreating its possible origins may help shape it?

>>5054370
>>Plasmatronic (Tractor Beams + Shields)

>>5054370
Supporting >>5054398

>>5054398
Support this, I wanna say it's formed as a concentrated gas deep within a gas giant and solidified somehow?

>>5054398
+1

>>5054370
>Radioactive

>>5054398
i like this idea

>>5054370
>>5054398
Makes sense. The Balaathi likely formed the alloy using their unique gas construction techniques. I reckon we can weaken the metal with chemicals then shape it with plasmatronics.

Supporting.

>>5054398
+1 Makes sense.

File: space monke quest3 post2 p1.png (267 KB, 1200x840)

267 KB PNG

Over the next five years, you allocate the budget and get to work sharing the life extension gift of the Telomere-lengthening technology. At the same time, you also give your science team a little nudge in the right direction; suggesting using chemicals and plasmatronic gravity induction to shape the Azurium.

Unfortunately, it seems as though your suggestions didn't help much. The science team tries a whole plethora of different chemicals and gravity tricks, even using radiation in an attempt to soften the metal up, but nothing works. Finally a breakthrough comes when a scientist discovers that the Azurium is receptive to being shaped by very strong magnetic fields. You are just now remembering those strange magnetic waves detected inside the alien cylinder back when they repaired it from your strike ships- now you feel quite stupid for not remembering it sooner and saving your industrial teams a lot of time.

In better news; the wide-scale Telomere lengthening done upon your entire adult population has had an even stronger impact then you first assumed. While a few individuals were too old or sick, or their bodies just couldn't regenerate their damaged DNA to make use of the procedure, the vast majority were inoculated.

While of course the first reaction is one of increased population and higher standards of living in old age, since someone nearing 100 years of age is essentially just a 40 year old forever, the second reaction would be the incredible sense of gratitude and approval of the rolling out of this technology.

It's actually a little embarrassing. People are calling you the greatest Supreme Ruler of all time. These approval ratings are almost as high as when the Hegemony was first founded and banned nuclear weapons- after four billion people got killed by them? The approval is now that high.

File: space monke quest3 post2 p2.png (183 KB, 1200x849)

183 KB PNG

...The truth is, all these people are actually very lucky. Very lucky the Telomere lengthening procedure also restores youth. Very lucky that the procedure is so cheap and not reliant on any rare resources.

Because if it didn't... this technology would not have been spread to the masses so easily. The Hegemony is not supposed to waste excess resources, and having half the population being elderly pensioners would bankrupt your country. You would need to enact life and death budgets; judging an individual's lifespan against the value they bring to the Hegemony... And while you don't want that to happen, any advancement in that field could bring need for it. You get the distinct feeling people wouldn't be praising you, but instead calling you the grim reaper.

However, the great extension of life span does come with a few problems. In short; the Hegemony's approach to late-life medical costs and retirement is a strong central social security system with allowances for citizens to pay their own way by sacrificing other privileges or luxuries. For instance, many citizens choose to stay in a smaller dwelling or forgo some of their allotted vacations in exchange to have their retirement a few years earlier. This program is robust enough to allow for all basic living expenses and medical costs, but the individual is still expected to save some of their own money for luxuries and unnecessary costs. This life extension has just made their own personal accounts laughably inadequate- even the ones who tried to do the right things were never prepared for something like this!

Because of this technology- the average Jaxtian that is in retirement or about to retire have just been greatly disrupted. Now individuals who were supposed to die at 70 will live to be 100- meaning the state will have to pay for forty years of retirement instead of just 10. Many have also forgotten their career skills or have physically degraded away from their job. There is also a degree of unfairness to those who are still young as well; many retirees entering the workface again will slow rates of advancement and meaningful promotion. With a huge increase in lifespan- how are we going to approach this problem? No matter what you decide, it's likely to make some people upset or cause other problems down the line.

>Everyone is forced back to work
>Current retirees are given light labor
>Current retirees keep their status for life
>All retirees, including ones in the future, keep the extended retirement program (WARNING- Will murder your Budget)
>Other (Write In)

>>5055493
>Current retirees keep their status for life
>Give a small allowance to those that were going to retire in the next 10 years
That's a one generation problem and I think that our budget is not too tight for now.

>>5055493
>Current retirees are given light labor

>>5055501
Support this, only a single generation will need it so we can afford to be nice

>>5055501
+1>>5055522

>>5055501
This - if they want to complain point out they are complaining that they are going to live too long, which is a stupid complaint.

>>5055493

>For individuals who retired early and are still before the current retirement age, they rejoin the workforce until they reach the current retirement age when they can retire again. They're still getting an early retirement compared to those who follow them, hopefully they'll see this.
>Current retirees over the current retirement age get to keep their status if they wish; but offer encouragements for them to re-join the workforce of their own choice and volition. I mean, many of them already know that their personal accounts won't be enough anymore so would welcome the chance to boost them now that they're feelign spry again.
>For Jaxtians who would have retired within the next five/ten years, they get five/ten years added to their minimum working span. We can't just spring a complete change in how retirement's going to work for them without giving a justafiable adjustment period. Again, though, allow them to stay working for longer then this if they wish to boost their personal accounts.
>For Jaxtians still over ten years away from retirement, the new rules will take effect

Additionally, we probably want to find some more job-possiblities for those Jaxtians looking for work to suppliment a retired state that's going to last for longer. What are the requirements and standards we have for military service? If a Telomere-lengthened Jaxtian is capable of meeting them, getting some additional pilots/crew and raising sone 'space regiments' ready to storm the inside of the Sphere next time it opens and conquer whatever lurks within for Jaxt would be a good way to do this without drawing too heavily from the upcoming generations.

>>5055574
>sphere

Cylinder, even. Derp.

>>5055501
Supporting.

>>5055527
And supporting this. If they complain, remind them that we gave them 30 extra years of life and nigh-eternal youth. Some extra labour is a small price to pay, and is NECESSARY to ensure not just our prosperity, but our continued advancement and ability to defend against hostile aliens. Do not become complacent, Monkes of Jaxt!

Isn't our economy still growing? Surely the space habitat construction project and the ensuing knock on effects will give plenty of new jerbs to go around?

>>5055881
That's not the problem here, anon. The problem is that people who were about to retire or were already retired are now going to live until they're 100. Which means you have people who will need to be on retirement funds a lot longer - some of which they don't have. The government would have to pay way, way more than it was expecting.

>>5055886
This. The demographic pyramid is one of the major determining factors in a nation (or planet's!) economic output and standard of living. We're skewing it hugely if we don't get old folks working.

File: space monke quest3 post3.png (217 KB, 1200x849)

217 KB PNG

You have decided to allow the retirees to keep their pensions for their now elongated lifespans; while phasing in the new program for those younger and younger. While your population is always growing, an unproductive large portion of your population isn't doing your budget any favors and will slow down some of your programs until that old generation is finally gone.

On the social web and in daily life; the change goes by with a great appreciation. The current old folks are allowed some light labor while keeping their unemployed status, but for the most part the retirees get to live a life of luxury and ease for however long they will live naturally now. The old generation is essentially a new class of nobility- and this causes a great degree of jealously among younger and working folks. Many already believe that the next retirement age will be 90 for them; where as these spoiled retirees around today get around 30 to 40 years. Needless to say, this has caused some friction and jealously between the generations. The youth generation already have a name for them; "lengthies". Hopefully since it's a one generation problem; in the long term it won't amount to much.

Speaking of generations; you are dealing with something wholly unique now. Your close friend and alien ambassador- Bluey. Bluey is the Haazar child implanted in a Jaxtian soldier, being born from that, and fully immersed in Jaxtian society. Watching him grow and measuring his differences from Jaxtian children has been a huge help to understanding their race.

As far as you can tell, no amount of Jaxtian DNA implanted in a Haazar creates a child. Not random DNA, not sperm, not an egg, not even a fertilized zygote can successful replicate in a Haazar's body- and they willingly give themselves up for this kind of research in exchange for payment, so you have no lack of test subjects. It seems only a Haazar breeding spike is capable of this kind of implementation.

Bluey is a young Haazar, but has been raised as a Jaxtian. He was born as an adult; he had no desire for parents or protection, he never needed milk, and he has a mature mindset focused on trade. While he needs a translator since he can't make the noises, he was born capable of speaking Jaxtian. Much of your research on him has been in relation to how he views community and how well he can be integrated into the Hegemony, as opposed to Haazari culture, which is more focused on the individual. However, Bluey is entering the stage of his life where he will develop into one of the Haazar types- essentially genders, for the hermaphrodite race.

The current leader of the Haazar's ship still marooned in your system is, of course, loyal to the Hegemony. As he explains it- because Bluey will go through puberty totally isolated from any other Haazar, it is almost certain that he will develop into the warrior type.

File: space monke quest3 post3 extra.png (80 KB, 1200x1073)

80 KB PNG

...Of course, there's nothing wrong with him becoming a warrior type! Warrior types are just another reproductive strain of the Haazar, and are also said to be the most intelligent and competitive of all of them. While the Haazar don't like to attribute genes or sex to intelligent, there is a very strong correlation there...

Maybe you've just gotten a bit emotionally attached. After all, the only Haazar you had personally killed was a warrior. Who threatened you with his knife-dick.

The truth is, simply allowing Bluey to return and live amongst the Haazar for his adolescence will let him change into the type that fits him best; but at the same time, it will mean you won't have the same amount of control and won't learn as much as you can out of him; your science teams struggle to find a good way to evaluate if his citizenship is any better then a Haazari child- but letting him return to his people will greatly reduced the valuable research you can get out of him.

While you know there is no possible risk of him attacking you or anyone important to your cabinet even if he becomes a warrior, since you've been well acquainted all this time, you just know it will reduce his ability to intermingle among Jaxtian society. You managed to get him to wear shorts at least- but you don't know if you can control a warrior's libido so easily. It probably will be too risky.

There is, of course, a third option- though one that carries risk. You could pool what you know about Haazar medicine and try to control his puberty directly through injections and medicines- but doing so could have disastrous consequences. After all, the backwards Haazar have done barely any eugenic and development research against their own people, so the attempt at manipulating his development directly will be treading new ground- with all the risks that involves.

One way or another, you want what is best for him. He's kind of like your son- but you also view him as a very special member of the Hegemony. Not a resource to be expended so frivolously. What's the best course of action for little Bluey?

>Keep Bluey with you (Bluey becomes a warrior)
>Allow Bluey to go live amongst the Haazar
>Control Bluey's puberty directly (Chance of something going very wrong)

If we were to keep him as one of us, he'd need some special equipment, and perhaps, treatment, to be able to participate socially. Hazaar themselves are completely incompatible with our society due to how their biology - they have no basis for family.

I'd say we should let him live amongst his people, but keep an eye on him.

>>5056348
Bluey will unfortunately not ever be able to be a true Jaxtian ever again. But I dont necessarily think it would be bad to live amongst the Hazaar for him if he has a mission, I say we let him get to his warrior phase and then live with the Hazaar, he is loyal to the hegemony and with his increased intellectual aptitude he would be able to more easily introduce hegemony ideals amongst the asteroid colony about how a community under the hegemony is stronger together. Obviously this wont happen right away but use enough propaganda and Bluey showing off the nicer points of Jaxtian citizen life maybe they can see being a part of the hegemony has its benefits

>>5056348
So the hazaar have superior gene-engineering but they don't know how to control their own puberty... ok.

>Allow Bluey to live amongst the Hazaar.

>>5056348
>Allow Bluey to live amongst the Hazaar.
Bye son. Stay in touch, alright?

>>5056348
>Allow Bluey to go live amongst the Haazar
We don't want him to become a Warrior if there's a chance we can avoid it happening, and he's too valuable to put through the risky controlled procedure on the first try. However...

>Invite another prebubescent Haazar to come be studied on our science colony, and go through a directly controlled puberty.

Surely there's one we'll be able to convince. And if we can get one and run the experiment before Bluey goes though his own puberty, it might even give Bluey more options.

>>5056348
>Allow Bluey to go live amongst the Haazar

Also supporting >>5056396

>>5056348
>Warrior types are... ....said to be the most intelligent

Is there any actual evidence to back this up? The Haazar warrior caste appear to be dominant socialy, so there's reason to suppose that with their control of Haazar populations they might exagerate their own abilities and importance to give a justification FOR thier positions and importance. Because the Warriors we actually met in the boarding action went into rape-mode rather then trying to do anything sensible or logical; and the Warrior-Leader was dumb enough to threaten to rape the supreme Leader of our people in front of armed soldiers. Is there any evidence we have to suggest that they're not actually a caste of drooling retards who happen to be at the top of their society through sheer dominance and agressiveness?

>>5056348
>Allow Bluey to go live amongst the Haazar
Honestly just give him the choice of if he wants to go or not.

>>5056359
They clearly have some taboos around interfering in sex and reproduction, anon.

>>5056348
Give Bluey the choice, BUT make it clear that any Warrior morphs among Jaxtian society will need to wear a chastity belt.

>>5056348
>Allow Bluey to go live amongst the Haazar

>>5056359
>>5056802
>Give Bluey the choice.
Oh right, Bluey might have an opinion on this.
Switching to this.

File: space monke quest3 post4 p1.png (110 KB, 1200x570)

110 KB PNG

You have decided to let Bluey live amongst the Haazar for his crucial years in puberty and development. You're sad to see him go, but it's best this way. He'll be able to become exactly what he was meant to, not constrained by Jaxtian society... or yourself. At the same time, you feel like you've lost a close friend.

It will be a few years before the changes are made apparent and you can see what your decision has caused. And speaking of years- you have had a few yourself.

At the current time, you are about seventy years old. You are one of the oldest active Supreme Rulers- you'd be living past your life expectancy now if technology hadn't improved it. You have had a lot of time to think on the subject, and now you have to consider what may be best for the Hegemony.

Your AIs predict that the alien capsule will have fully restocked and rebuilt its drone army in about 30 years, roughly when you are about to hit your new expected end of life. While it isn't certain the alien capsule will open again at that exact moment, it is a risk. If the alien capsule opens and the Supreme Ruler dies just before or after from natural causes, this will upset the structure of power during a critical moment. Furthermore, even if you live to deal with that crisis, you'll be old and you aren't exactly remembered for being a great war leader. Your hesitation almost caused your own death when the capsule first appeared.

It may be time to find an heir to the Supreme Rulership earlier then you're forced to- and that will give him many decades to get ready. You could also choose someone better suited for what the future may hold; a future of FTL travel and meeting alien races. Your era of diplomacy held at arms length may be ending when the power to strike back against alien aggressors comes directly with the power of the Hyperdrive.

Most Supreme Rulers rule until they become physically and mentally unable to do so; it is only now with this long lifespan that you have more of a choice. Should you try to find an heir early, in preparation for the future?

>Find an Heir
>Continue to rule as Talacent

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

Time to get a more aggressive leader, we will be alive for a long time and able to give advise if needed.

>>5057566
>Find an Heir
Definitely look for candidates now, but who says we need to hand over power immediately? Maybe rule for another 10 years? How long does it take a new supreme ruler to "settle in"?

>>5057566
>Find an Heir
Why wouldn't we look for an heir? We can just hold onto the position until we're ready to give it up while the heir gets ready for becoming the supreme one.

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

We should definitely be prepared for the sucession, even if we don't formally hand over power yet for another decade or two - a successor learning the ropes beneath us might allow for a more gracefull transition of power then some Supreme rulers before us.

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

Get them trained up, then let's maybe spend some time among the Hazaar (albeit never, EVER alone with a Warrior-type without a chastity belt). We're an amazing diplomat and negotiator, first and foremost. We can chill with our adopted son, watch and see what he becomes, and help steer his people towards better integration with our empire in our twilight years. A good retirement, a good legacy.

>>5057566
>>Find an Heir

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

>>5057566
>Find an Heir

But also take care for any heir to NOT be xenocidal.
Speaking of xenos, is it possible to genetically engineer some migrators to fit more into our society?

>>5057566
>>Find an Heir

File: pvprose.png (327 KB, 323x454)

327 KB PNG

>>5057923
>Speaking of xenos, is it possible to genetically engineer some migrators to fit more into our society?

>>5057923
Who cares about the Migrators? They just sleep all day. As long as we don't screw up Caplit's eco system they'll remain a none issue.

I think any attempt to more actively engage with them will just cause more problems down the line. Let sleeping whales lie.

>>5058208
>>5058226
To colonise other oceans. Also, we wont disturb the whole population, just a small percentage.

>>5058253
>To colonize other oceans
Again, they just sleep. That's how their entire sapiency works. We'd need to basically create an entirely new species to make them into "productive" fish people.

Just let them sleep bro.

>>5058257
Thats why I said to genetically engineer them. We are pretty good at that.

>>5058260
There's genetical engineering and there's what you want to do. We cannot do the latter, and it would not bribg much benefit anyway

Why would we want more aliens who might cause conflicts?

>>5058260
Just make sea monkeys of some of our people, then! Their base evolutionary psychology and sense of time are already much closer to us. Making a species which is fundamentally different in perception, metabolism, and (probably) value system more like us will likely have FAR more complications than engineering some of our people to breathe water.

Friendly reminder that anything that reduces the homogenity of our society will cause instability. The indigos caused a minor shit storm and they were just a different colour (and better in every way).

We should not seek to diversify the population of the hegemony unless the benefits outweigh the ensuing instability.

>>5057566
>>Find an Heir

Since it's obvious as to what the vote is, I'm just taking my time working on the update. Thank you for your patience.

File: space monke quest3 post5.png (170 KB, 1200x849)

170 KB PNG

Deciding to find an Heir, you call upon the current highest gene-rated individuals in the Hegemony. As per tradition, the potential heirs to the Supreme Rulership are always children; with their whole lives ahead of them, as to maximize the value of their training and time. This is also the reason many Supreme Rulers plan to have children when they are getting older, so their children are of the proper age. However, with the newfound growth of maximum lifespan, more and more heirs may be out there that miss the convenient timeframe to potentially be selected.

The first is Agori, an Alpha-Phenotype young lad. Like most alphas, his brain is well suited to warfare, but he personally is not especially aggressive. In fact, he finds meeting you face to face a little intimidating.

Kimnan is a highly intelligent, motivated youth. He's a bit arrogant, but exceeds at all tasks given to him. Flawless academics and high marks in all physical and social tasks given to him as well- he's a shoe in for the candidacy. Strangely seems highly interested in a career as a pilot, which is a bit below his station, but his earlier simulator scores are among the best in history, as with everything else he does.

Ingar scores low marks on sociability and empathy- though he is extremely intelligent. Ingar is especially skilled in computer and AI systems, even at his young age, and is highly likely to revolutionize computing. However his psyche profile matches those of prodigal Supreme Rulers of the past; meaning that if he is chosen as the Supreme Ruler, there is a high chance he could become imperial, selfish, and tyrannical for some or all of his reign.

Finally, there is Qenen. Qenen is a bit of an odd ball, as he is both not a child and is also an indigo. Qenen apparently was one of the last Indigo Children to be produced using only the supreme-level gene codes, and he was spawned at the apex of that program. As such, he has no direct genetic line of parents, as many different DNA samples were used to create him. Despite what a break from tradition it would be to select him; he is genetically very gifted. He is about 50 years old and halfway through his natural lifespan.

Which candidate should you select? Whichever one you pick, they will receive extra training and guidance from you until ready to fully take over; with a few years in the meantime while you remain in power during the transition. This is the way of things in the Hegemony.
>Agori
>Kimnan
>Ingar
>Qenen

>>5059564
>Qenen
It's okay if our Supreme rulers have a shorter reign. Let's see what kind of wacky regime this oddball rules over.

Agori would be a decent candidate too, hopefully those Alpha genes balance out that shyness. Kimman and Ingar would better serve the Hegemony as a pilot and scientist respectively. Their character flaws would be a bit too dangerous in a Supreme Ruler.

>>5059564
>Agori

Even with an elongated lifespan, the plasticity of youthful minds (assuming Jaxtian monke are like Earthling humans) will still mean a kid would benefit most from the training. A somewhat, reserved Alpha with genes and performance to qualify for the selection will be a good wartime leader, without any obvious lean towards recklessness or tyranny.

>>5059564
>Qenen

Agori would be next-best IMO. Kimnan wants to be a pilot? Well, he can - but a Supreme Ruler ain't allowed to be a flyboy taking combat drugs and entering frontline combat. Better he follows his desire, we get a great pilot and we still have a competent Supreme Ruler.

Similarly, Ingar is a sociopath...well as much as our eugenics allows such a trait to survive, meaning he'd be willing to do fairly murky shit. Meanwhile if we don't take him, he can just be a scientist on computers and AI systems.


TLDR - Kimnan and Ingar will do good shit if not Supreme Ruler. Agori and Qenen meanwhile are interesting / suitable but not outstanding in a particular area that'd invite us to think "they should be left to do that".

Also on a seperate point, get a sample of Kimnan's DNA - Indigo Project MK2 where we just use his genes to mass-produce high grade fighter pilots?

>>5059608
I also support the idea of prepping for a second Indigo Project in the future

>>5059564
>Qenen
He still has 50 years left, will be ready earlier than the others and with his gene score is probably only second to Kimnan in raw ability.

>>5059564
>Kimnan

Choosing an heir now was done so that there's very little chance of the supreme leader dropping dead around or in the midst of a second Cylinder crisis. Choosing Quenen would undermine this very point, he'll be around 80 when the Cylinder opens again and it's not impossible it'll open later on; so we'd be steering right into the crisis we've been trying to avoid.

Agori is better suited to understudying Eoba Garastra and eventually taking over from him, a great mind for the military but one who'll look to the Supreme Leadership for direction is perfect there.

And Ingar's better of directed into the field of Computing then given power, even his psych-scores admit this.

And even discounting the flaws in the other candidates, Kimnan is simply the best guy for the job based on skills and personality.

>>5059564
>natural lifespan
>He is about 50 years old and halfway through his natural lifespan
With or without the telomeres treatment? I would assume the former but he's also an optimised indigo so we never know

>>5059564
>Agori
Think about it for a while, Qenen is going to be a geezer when the cyllinder opens again. He doesn't have the fire of youth within him.

Even if he's still by the time the cylinders arrive, what next? The Balaathi are still a threat. We can't risk to have an incapable run in the middle of a war

>>5059564
>Agori
His personality will take after us, but he'll be better in war.

>>5059630
The problem with Kimnan is that he's arrogant and wants a pilot. Those are the worst combinations you could have - an extreme danger job with an arrogance that makes him underestimate dangers.

The last thing we need is our supreme leader suddenly deciding he's too cool to watch a battle from afar, hopping into a fighter and getting blown up.

>>5059564
>Agori

>>5059564
>Ingar
I want to commit war crimes and genocide

>>5059662

Hmm. I'm not really certain if a little bit of arrogance is too much of a problem if the individual concerned is both highly capable and motivated, as well as empathic - it's not like he's hauling around Ingar's evident flaws. Kimnan is genuinely a great Monkey and a great guy, and with us to guide him into the role he could be a great supreme leader.

...However, since I am the only one to have voted for him, if no other votes come in for Kimnan I will change my vote to
>Agori

And would also suggest that we give Kimnan the full suit of supreme-grade training so he can either be an extraordinarily capable back-up candidate if the war we're expecting to happen comes too close to Agori, or else hopefully (if we can crack the Hyperdrive in time for him), a Jaxtian Captain Kirk visiting strange new worlds and making those life or death decisions for a bold crew exploring new horizons that cannot wait for orders relayed from Jaxt.

>>5059820
Seems sensible!

>>5059564
>Agori
I personally lean toward Kinman but Agori is more IC for our Supreme Leader.

>>5059820
>I'm not really certain if a little bit of arrogance is too much of a problem if the individual concerned is both highly capable and motivated,
That's even worse. An completely uncapable, but arrogant man, will obviously fuck up, but he won't be capable of getting to the point where he fucks up too badly.

Because he's capable, this means he's going to be able to be arrogant and succeed at most things, only increasing his arrogancy. And soon enough, he'll get too big for his britches and die.

Plus the fact that he really wants to be a pilot. We already have one Chuuni General who almost killed himself solely because he felt like taking a risk.

>>5059883
But uh, i do agree he should be put to good use. He's either going to turn into a Captain Kirk, or into a Wedge Antilles, depending on how the war goes.

>>5059564
>Qenen

>>5059564
>Agori
Kimnan will probably end up as Eoba did becoming the admiral of the fleet.

>>5059564
>Agori or Qenen

>>5059564
>Ingar

Qenen may have an life expectation of 100, but he's already 50. Do you want an 80 year old to be running our defenses?

Agori is young and capable,as well as fit for a military role.

>>5059564
>Agori

File: space monke quest chillpost 3.png (161 KB, 1200x849)

161 KB PNG

Tentatively working on the next update.

However I'd like some feedback on who to nominate for the /qst/ Husbando Tournament in December. I'm thinking either Qet (canonically had consensual sex + killed assasins while naked) or Vul (being the waifu wars initiator)- but technically any of our Supreme Rulers could probably count.

>>5060376
They're both cool, but they did die early. I'd say either Qet or someone like Vantix, the OG

>>5060376
Qet

>>5060376
Qet or Kinja (charismatic media mogul, richest monke on Jaxt, kinky filmmaker, married a hot young Indigo waifu as an old man)

>>5060376

Qet would be a good call. I'd say Kinja is the second possibility, he had a lot of Swag.

Vul by contrast is confirmed as a cheat and adulterer. I wouldn't think him a good choice at all.

Also: With the next update Talacent has heir as supreme leader decided. If he'd be of a mind and everything seems to be going smoothly, perhaps it'd be a good time to look to finding a wife of his own - the Telomere lengthening might have given him another opportunity for a family.

>>5060477
>be a good time to look to finding a wife of his own
I'm pretty sure he already started that before, no?

>>5060376
>Kinja

I vote Kinja, he was fun.

File: space monke quest3 post6 p1.png (154 KB, 1200x849)

154 KB PNG

You've decided on your heir- Agori. The young Alpha-Male has the right mix of traits, you feel. With the amount of time you have left, you don't yet pass on the medallion, but soon you will. The young Supreme seems to cheer up immediately, his nervousness dissolving as he adopt him as your surrogate son in rulership.

Qenen speaks up- promising to take the other two Supreme Ruler candidates under his wing to assist in their growth. While it may be the best for Imgar; Kimnan seems a little upset. You guess he was even a little more immature then you thought from his initial psyche-profile...

In the meantime, this arrangement should be enough to carry your people through the next Cylinder crisis- if and when such a thing comes to pass.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

File: space monke quest3 post6 p2.png (194 KB, 1200x849)

194 KB PNG

In the meantime; something of much larger importance has happened. In the time since your last commands to the high-energy science times, the magnetic forging of the Azurium has been complete. Using even the small amount you have access to- a generator is built.

While a few week-long test runs had been done some half a century ago, these tests focus on the long term. The incredible heat conduction of the Azurium has directly contributed to safely being able to contain a nuclear fusion reaction. The vast amounts of waste heat can now be directly pumped into massive water tanks; and using the rising steam to generator additional power as per a traditional steam turbine, the fusion reactor is now 80% efficient and can now be run nearly indefinitely.

The first nuclear fusion plant is opened for operation in the largest city on the planet Jaxt; and eliminates the need for a safety radius or fallout zone. The nearby fission plants are shut down and their resources scrapped. Within the next twenty years, all fission power stations on planets and colonies will be shut down and replaced with more efficient, clean burning fusion reactors.

You are swarmed with reporters almost instantly once this is made public. Almost immediately, a buzz as energy and computer cycle credits will be doubled for the average citizen. The reporters stick their microphones in your face.

"Supreme Ruler- with fusion generators being just an extra feather in your cap at this point- there is a serious consideration to name you the Greatest Supreme Ruler of All Time. Do you agree with this statement?"

"Oh well, I don't know about that..."

"None other since Akule have been as highly praised- and he was the first and greatest of all Supreme Ones. Should the name of Talacent be immortalized in the same was as his- the unspeakable Akule?"

You're getting a little overwhelmed here. What should be your response to this unending praise?

>Soak it up
>Deny them
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you
Triumphant pride precipitates a dizzy fall...

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

The fusion project was started by Kinja, and the life extension tech was taken from the Hazaar.

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

>>5061207
>>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you
We were merely in the right place at the right time. No more, no less.

>>5061207
>Remind them of the hard work of others before you

>>5061207
>>Remind them of the hard work of others before you
'We are only here because of others. Not only have we stood upon the shoulders of giants, not only past supreme rulers who have led their turn and done their duty; but every Jaxtian who has lived has played their part in bringing us to where we are today. Our Scientists, Our Armed Forces, Our designers Our teachers Our cooks and Our labourers; every Jaxtian of every status. It is the Jaxtian people, and the unity of purpose that our Hegemony gives us which as allowed us the triumph and the wonders we share today; which will allow us to continue the journey of our society to take what is great and see where it might still be better! To work as one and overcome as a people the challenges the universe might place before us!"

>>5061207
>Soak it up

>>5061288
+1 support

Fine speech old boy.

>>5061288
+1

>>5061288
+1 good shit

I also propose Kinja for the Dicember contest.
Qenet did more, but Kinja is a playboy.

Did Vul remind anyone else of Biggie Smalls? the all black suit and the gold chain and the womanizing?

File: space monke quest3 post7 p1.png (126 KB, 1200x849)

126 KB PNG

”We are only here because of others...”

In response to the unending praise and congratulations over the nuclear fusion project, you have to silence the paparazzi. You speak over them, with a speech about the importance of unity and how everyone's effort together is what created the Hegemony.

”And lest not forget the great works of the previous Supreme Ones- all of whom had a greater impact then myself. The unmatchable Vantix Garastra, who led our people into the modern space age, Qet Scholiander, who secured our homeworld for future generations, to Vul Takar, who taught us the dangers outside of our own space-”

“Supreme Ruler- what is the long term plan for the Haazar currently inhabiting Jaxtian space?”

”...and did more behind the scenes then most of you will ever know- Hold your questions, please. And how about Kinja Dulioan, who took on the mantle of Supreme Ruler even when he did not want to? In turn he passed the torch to me, and I have already selected my own heir who is-”

“Supreme Ruler! What is your opinion on the second opening of the alien cylinder?”

”The- what?”

File: space monke quest3 post7 p2.png (142 KB, 1200x849)

142 KB PNG

RED ALERT! BATTLESTATIONS!

The Baalathi cylinder is opening prematurely and ahead of predicted schedule. As the cylinder has posed an unknown threat for a long time- the plans for defense and retaliation have been in place for a long time. The habitation satellites, recently completed, activate their shields and power up weapons. The fleet is scrambling and preparing for a counterstrike.

While your AI network didn't accurately predict the cylinder opening's timeframe, it still poses an important fact. If the aliens are attacking now, they are likely unable or unwilling to turn tail and try to run back to their home system, perhaps because they are out of fuel. Attacking earlier then necessary may be a sign that they have expended all of their resources within the cylinder and this is going to be their single greatest push they can muster, as such, the alien attack here is likely to be final and not followed up by a second.

By the same manner of thinking- this could indicate that the aliens are more desperate then ever. It is highly likely that this is the last time they will try to retaliate- which also means the cylinder is a more important target then ever. Your strike teams have already planned for an intense assault on the cylinder itself, flying inside the opening at the end- now with shields and superior aeronautic technology to bypass the defenses sure to be there, and disable or kill anything within the cylinder to prevent a self destruct or mass-driver attack on the planet Jaxt- or any other target.

File: space monke quest3 post7 p3.png (158 KB, 1200x849)

158 KB PNG

“Ace Kimnan reporting for duty!”

Kimnan has just appeared before you... in an appropriately sized flight suit. You're not even sure how he got into the situation room.

“Supreme Ruler- allow me to lead the strike team on the alien cylinder! I volunteer- ehhrrk!”

Eoba, your general and second in command, has already taken up the youth by the ear.

“Ahheee! Lemme go!”

“Silence, idiot child!” Eoba yells. ”The Hegemony has VERY specific criteria of when child soldiers are used- when regular soldiers would be too smart to go on a suicide mission willingly- of which we do not have a problem with our morale- or when the children prove to be DISTRACTING targets for the enemy! Foolish child! I'd give you a gun and a knife if we were fighting rebels in the jungle-”

“Tala- Talacent! Please- let me prove myself!”

Kimnan wants to lead the assault on the alien cylinder. Of course, he's only a child. But as a Supreme Ruler candidate, Kimnan is far, far from an ordinary child. In fact, you know his stats. He's the among the best pilots in the academy on the simulators, possibly ever. Only the heroic Shintar Val while on performance enhancers comes close- And his small size would mean he'd be almost immune to the g-forces of a tight turn into the cylinder that your adult pilots could hardly handle. You can't believe you're considering this...

>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack
>Deny Kimnan & keep him grounded

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack
This is probably the bad choice but the idea of a little squirt leading the charge is hilarious.

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack
Either he dies a martyr or lives his life as a hero. This is an existential threat to us all... So let us all do what we can to prevent Jaxtian extinction.

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack
I want to warn him that he can die. This isn't the simulations anymore, sonny. Not sure if that'll hinder his performance or not.

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the charge
Lil kid Anakin style.

Even with lengthened lifespans, it'll be nice to have an admiral after Eoba that has some battle experience.

Why are we letting a kid with 0 experience lead the battle for our survival again?

>>5062177
It's funny.

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack

>arrogant child with genius pilot skills against a drone army
Do what want Vaders? Because that's how you get Vaders.

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack

>>5062073
Do we actually have a fighter ready for him?

Also, if we do - couldn't we just let him join the attack, rather then lead it?

All's said and done though, his scores are the best. If his gene-score has made this possible and his dedication has seen him strive to master this field of combat, as proven by his top ranking in the simulators, we must use this resource to help defend and preserve the Hegemony.

>Allow Kimnan to join the attack

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack
>>5062238
Either we will get a Vader or an Ender and I dont know which is worse
>CAPTCHA:SH4DY

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to join the attack but not lead
He's inexperienced and young, you don't allow someone like that to lead an attack no matter how much natural talent and potential they have, but he can join it and gain experience for the future, although I'd prefer it if he stayed outside of the cylinder during the attack he can go in if the other anons allow it.

>Hope nobody heard that stuff about the child soldiers.

>>5062447
Why? We're the Hegemony. We aren't needlessly sentimental about the value of individual monke lives.

>>5062268
+1 to this. Let him join the attack.

Also - seeing as we now have stable fusion tech fairly soon spread across our entire society - we're in a position for FTL ships and that means expanding to additional systems! Probably should've went with that title of "Supreme-st Ruler" or whatever...

>>5062073
>Allow Kimnan to lead the attack

>>5062713
>Probably should've went with that title of "Supreme-st Ruler" or whatever..
Honestly though, while Talacent is good, it wouldn't be fair to call him the best just because he happened to be the ruler that was there when all the benefits of our previous projects came.

We would never have done anything we've got if it wasn't for the stuff the previous leaders started. The Plasmatronics project, the Navy (which allowed us to repell the aliens), our Industrial Colony which allowed production...

File: space monke quest3 post8 p1.png (177 KB, 1200x849)

177 KB PNG

"Eoba- let him go. Prepare the cylinder run team- put him in."

Eoba instantly lets the little tyke go and nods. That's why you like him- such professionalism. You take a step towards young Kimnan and grab a bit of fur on his neck, yanking it out.

"Yeow! What was that for?"

"Listen to me, Kimnan. Do you think that you're going to impress me with this? Do you think I'm going to choose you over Agori if you show me what a big hero you are? It's not going to work- I've already picked him, Kimnan. Agori will be the next Supreme Ruler. There is nothing you can do about it."

"...Alright- but you didn't have to yank my hair out to prove it."

"I didn't. Consider it like this- I know you're great- and that's the problem. You're too valuable to just be let out without insurance. So your DNA will act as insurance. If you get yourself killed up there- I'm going to make a clone of you. An indigo. And that indigo will have your arrogance removed- like any other genetic defect. Do you understand?"

"Yes- Yes your Supremacy."

With that, you let your child prodigy leave to the hangar bay to be locked into what could be his tomb.

"Technician! Adjustment!" He yells, his high pitched voice echoing over the high-tech military hangar. Like he owns the place- like he knows what he is doing.

"Adjustment! My feet cannot reach the pedals! Adjustment!"

File: space monke quest3 post8 p2.png (265 KB, 1200x849)

265 KB PNG

As your forces ready themselves to meet the enemy, your AI and scanners go to work dissecting the enemy fleet.

It's small- much smaller then the first time. There are only a handful of drones to act as an escort for three larger ships- two of which are aimed towards your fleet, the third seemingly ready to fly off on a different course. This ship type is different then any of the ones you've seen yet from the Baalathi. Absent is the squid-shield ship you encountered the first time the capsule opened- perhaps because they know of the threat of your Sapphire Avalanche- the secret weapon of your fleet, a one of a kind beam weapon that can make short work of the Baalathi's defenses.

On your side is your fleet- filled with many WSDVs and the Tul's Revenege. Every ship now is outfitted by an AI capable of blocking the data prion that the Baalathi once used to ruin some of your computer systems- you greatly outnumber the enemy this time.

Three specially designed fighters- the strike squad- stand at the ready. They are outfitted with inertial dampeners and better engines and propulsion- they are designed to enter the atmosphere inside the cylinder and to be able to both scout and strike at targets within. They are marked by a yellow stripe.

"Strike team- ready!" Says Kimnan, piloting one of the three ships. You felt much better at putting him in one of these ships- since they have their own high energy shield generators. Though as small fighters, they will likely only be able to deflect a few minor energy blasts.

In the meanwhile- the capability of these new Baalathi ships are not known to you. Your main concern is getting your strike team inside the cylinder- while also avoiding whatever last ditch effort the Baalathi are probably using here.

What's the best course of action here, Supreme One?

>Full scale assault with all ships against the enemy, while the strike team rushes past towards the cylinder
>Section the fleet evenly and engage the three enemy ships with even numbers to prevent possible collateral damage; strike team flies between them to make their run
>Use the fleet to distract the enemy fleet while the strike team makes their run
>Use the strike team as a scouting force to see the capabilities of the new enemy ship Warning: Chance the Cylinder will close before they can make it inside

>>5062881
>Full scale assault with all ships against the enemy, while the strike team rushes past towards the cylinder

>Use the fleet to distract the fleet.

Assault the ship that is moving on a different direction, that will force the enemy on the defensive.

>>5062881
>Use the fleet to distract the fleet.

Distracting the fleet is stupid, we outnumber them. We should engage their ships, use our big weapon to take out their main vessels and overwhelm them while our strike team goes into the cyllinder.

>>5062881
>Full scale assault with all ships against the enemy, while the strike team rushes past towards the cylinder

>Emphasize good dispersion between fighter-sized ships, so they don't get enveloped by any big globs of plasma

>>5062914
+1

>>5062914
Supporting this one!

>>5062881
Let's goooo

>>5062914
Sounds like a good idea to me, support

>>5062881

Whichever we do, can we also use something to make sure the one about to fly off on a different course doesn't get to skedadle out of there? Deploying whatever tractor-drones we can muster on the fringes of the engagement might be able to stop something scuttling away or catching us in unfavourable positions.

>>5062914
Supporting

>>5062914
+1 I can't think of anything better so going with this.

File: space monke quest3 post9 p1.png (223 KB, 1200x849)

223 KB PNG

You decide to fully assault the enemy fleet- making sure to keep a distance between your fighters. Eoba understands instantly, and makes the order to spread out in formation.

The fleet engages. Once the forces meet, the drones begin to attack, mostly ineffectively. The larger enemy ships, whose capabilities are a total unknown, don't fire at all. However, they do have a new trick- a sudden neutrino heavy filed of energy is created nearby these larger ships, sweeping through your ships. While your AI cores can handle and deflect most hacking attempts by these aliens, as well as being immune to the once dreaded data-prion, this attack physically disables computer systems with massive numbers of energized neutrinos. The few ships that are struck by this field are disabled- and a few are destroyed by the firing drones. However, your superior military fight back.

The full scale assault gives plenty of time and room for your special strike team to move into position.

File: space monke quest3 post9 p2.png (411 KB, 1200x849)

411 KB PNG

You also order a containment area around the battlefield, to prevent any slippery enemy ships from trying to run away. Given how nonaggressive the larger ships are, they may have a secondary plan then engaging in a dogfight. The containment area is held by a collection of your MK2 Service drones- unarmed by useful construction drones equipped with star dynamo drives, enough to keep up with any ship, and tractor beams.

You are now Kimnan Oles. You are equivalent to a twelve year old.

While flying a real bird is a significant departure from your simulator experience, it's all essentially the same. Your controls and general strategy is well practiced and drilled, and your AI copilot can make up most of what you lack. While a computer could drive a vessel better then you, or any Jaxtian for that matter, there's a little special something that makes a craft driven by a living person special. Even a kid.

"Strike team- fall in on me. High g entrance angle on my mark- adult pilots will take a softer angle to lessen g's- fall in as fire support. Entering now."

The two pilots obey as you fly over the lip of the cylinder- a tight angle at high speeds testing your craft's inertial dampeners, and your own body's blood flying into your head. But you can take it- you're lightweight. You fly over the lip and through the crack of the lid of the cylinder, and enter into the alien's generation ship's inner atmosphere.

File: space monke quest3 post9 p3.png (221 KB, 1200x849)

221 KB PNG

The inside of the alien cylinder is breathtaking. This thing has loomed over your home planet since you were born- a symbol of a cold war. The cylinder is extremely rudimentary as far as you can tell- a thick shell of Azurium filled with gas, probably scooped from a gas giant as your scientists predict, meaning a low chance of being flammable or corrosive to your ship. The walls of the cylinder are fitted with large installations, and as it goes deeper, the gas gets thicker and obscures your view of the depths of the cylinder. Not quite the alien habitat that some may have expected.

This thick shell of the alien craft will eliminate most ability to communicate with the outside world- and you went in first. Your allied craft will be in with you in seconds, but you are stopped on your approach by two threats.

The first is a pair of magnetic ships- the two craft that once repaired the damage to the cylinder caused by the Hegemony's ships in a battle that took place before you were born. These magnetic craft could be totally useless- or potentially lethal, depending on what level of magnetic field they could generate. In a best case scenario, they would only be strong enough to move your ship around as per a weak tractor beam. If the magnets are stronger, they could wipe your ships' flight and control data, which would take time to reboot- especially without a direct connection to an Alavis core. Of course, if the magnetic craft are very powerful, they might just be able to flatten your ship like a pancake, and kill you inside.

The second threat is a large turret, like a pimple on the inside of the cylinder's rim. It's just one, a large turret slowly turning itself to aim at you. It's likely its some kind of defensive structure to protect against space debris from entering and bouncing around the cylinder, and more of an afterthought for an attack run. If its armed with the normal weapons of the Baalathi, it probably couldn't destroy your ship with one shot, as your shields would scatter the energy, but you'd rather not take the chance either.

This is your first test of your intuition and flying skills. It's time to fight. Your little fists curl around your flightsticks.

>Fire at the Magnetic Craft
>Fire at the Turret
>Divert all power to forward shields and wait for backup
>Take evasive action inside the Cylinder

>>5063299
>Fire at the Turret, and try and strafe so that only one of the two magnet ships can target you at a time

>>5063308
Support this

>>5063299
>Fire at the Magnetic Craft

>>5063308
This, be cautious but also aggressive.

>>5063308
+1

>>5063308
Supporting!

>>5063299
Let's try to keep our little hotshot alive.

>>5063308
+1

>>5063308
+1 The turret is built to shoot shit, the two other ships are built to repair and maintain things so they're likely not as dangerous.
captha W0A8H

>>5063308
Supporting this.

The Magnetic ships look like they have an Azurium coating, I'm not sure we'd be able to damage them with our weapons easily anyway.

We saw they had enough highly concentrated Magnetic power to repair the Azurium strut fairly quickly so I wouldn't want us getting close or focused by both, either.

Could we bring forward two tractor drones and just... tow the magnet craft away individually with tractor beams? Seizing them would grant us their Azurum and perhaps allow us to reverse-engineer their magnetic construction/repair methods.

>>5063299
>Fire at the Turret, and try and strafe so that only one of the two magnet ships can target you at a time

File: RFM_TheRealFirstContact.png (178 KB, 1024x600)

178 KB PNG

QM is taking too long to update! Well if he won't update, I will!

Ook Ook! What's up my fellow True Mumkes!!?? It's you're favourite alpha: Jalax Rones! Coming to you live on Radio Free Mumke; the pirate news channel that drops truths bombs on your brain when the supreme ones aren't looking.

It's been a wild century right? What with all the alien contact and all. (Assuming the whole existence of the Hazaar and Ba'latthi aren't just elaborate hoaxes to unite the population against a common enemy.) I'll tell you what isn't a hoax though:

Did you know that the first alien contact wasn't with the Hazaar? Nah monke, the first alien to contact the Jaxian race was creature that called itself: F.S. Hammer. He contacted Supreme Ruler Vanix Garastra during the beginning of his reign and gave him the star dynamo technology in exchange for favours yet unknown.

If you thought the that failed argon trade deal was bad, who knows what'll happen when the green canids come rolling up to our door to collect.

Stay curious fellow mumkes! Rones out!

I will work on the update soon. Thanksgiving is slowing things down considerably.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, hope you have a wonderful time!

File: space monke quest3 post10 p1.png (70 KB, 1200x849)

70 KB PNG

You decide to fire at the turret first- you are up to date on the Baalathi as far as the Hegemony's battle information is concerned, and you know its material is likely the same as the drones- compacted air.

You fire a Neutrino blast at the turret and, a moment later, fire both lasers from your ship. This causes all the energy to strike the target at once to maximize power output from your reactor in an effective attack. This is a technique not known or used by many pilots, especially in the heat of the moment, but something you have considered and practiced in simulators. The turret is easily destroyed in a second, blowing apart into pieces that gently fall to the walls of the cylinder from its minor gravity well. You are being pursued, so you can't stop and celebrate.

At the same moment you dart away from the two magnetic ships so they cannot both get within range of you at once, your two slower adult comrades come into the cylinder using the wider angle of flight entry. They're ready to grant you fire support!

File: space monke quest3 post10 p2.png (154 KB, 1200x849)

154 KB PNG

Turning your ship around while maintaining its momentum; you take a chance to fire at one of the magnetic ships with your lasers as a way to keep it at bay- but the attack is ineffective.

Damn- it seems the Azurium coated magnet ships are as tough and durable as the Cylinder itself- your lasers can't do anything. You speed away- though your ship AI reports that a powerful magnetic field was trying to catch you up close and personal- a very strong magnetic field. Though at least the closer of the two magnet ships stop chasing you- and begin to turn towards your allies.

You start to feel panic and helplessness as the two magnet ships hone in towards your fellow pilots- communications are bad in this cylinder, though you could get a message to them, you aren't sure if their AI cores could process it in time with this terrible interference. If they don't know that these magnet ships are nigh-indestructible, they may waste time and energy fighting them, or worse, get boxed in.

What are you going to do?

>Fire at the magnet ships
>Fire at your allies to make them scatter
>Fire at random constructions around the cylinder to see if you can destroy a control mechanism
>Flee the cylinder to report back to command and request tractor-beam ships to handle these magnetic craft
>Other (Write In)

>>5064921
>Flee deeper into the thick gas, firing above your allies and hope they get the message to dive to prevent pursuit

>>5064943
+1 Let's hope this goes well.

>>5064921
>Flee deeper into the thick gas, firing above your allies and hope they get the message to dive to prevent pursuit

>>5064943
+1. Let's hope for the best.

>>5064921
>Fire at random constructions around the cylinder to see if you can destroy a control mechanism

These magnets are close in size to the Drones but are both fuller with the magnet system and more heavily armoured - so there might not even be enough room even for a AI subsystem on board, let alone a pilot. And yet with their role of fabrication and repair they'd be needed to undertake construction patterns ands manoeuvres far more complex then any automated drone. Let's see if we can find or identify some sort of signal transmitter and take it out - as a bonus, we might get what's causing our own communications to be so bad.

Good thing the turret wasn't made of azurium too.
>Fire above the pilots and fly deeper into the Cylinder.

>>5064943
>Flee deeper into the thick gas, firing above your allies and hope they get the message to dive to prevent pursuit

Seems like a solid strat. here's hoping!

>>5064921
Do it up!

>>5064921
>Flee deeper into the thick gas, firing above your allies and hope they get the message to dive to prevent pursuit

File: space monke quest3 post11 p1.png (122 KB, 1200x849)

122 KB PNG

You fire not at the magnet ships- but at your own allied ships in pursuit. You intentionally shoot wide, but close enough to be considered aiming "at" them.

Your intentional warning shot may lack any kind of meaningful information; but it came out at the speed of light. Those in those ships are not random people, they are trained Hegemony pilots. They'd know that a warning shot like that couldn't mean your ship was hacked or that you went insane or were a dumb child and shot at them by mistake- as it was too off of a miss to be a mistake of an intentional friendly fire.

The only possible way to interpret that shot was the inability to communicate; and you would never fire at them in a dogfight to distract them, unless it was of vital importance. Logically speaking, then, they should pick up your meaning to disperse and avoid the magnetic ships. That's the only way these trained soldiers should be able to interpret that, right?

You might still be prepubescent, but you're as smart as any adult. You're a prodigy. You're the best. So you aren't going to die here- and that's a fact.

As you descend deeper into the cylinder, your ship sensors detect objects approaching. The objects are small- about the size of an adult's head or so. They are freely floating in the gas at a certain depth and density. At first you are scared to approach, since they have a vague resemblance to the naval mines once used in your species's naval conflicts, but when a testing shot pops one without any explosive reaction, and the sensors on the ship can't detect any AI or energy emissions, you begin to drive through the objects slowly and carefully...

File: space monke quest3 post11 p2.png (149 KB, 1200x849)

149 KB PNG

As you pierce deeper, you finally come to what you think is the other end of the cylinder. While the maximum speed of this craft is far more then enough to travel down the length of the cylinder in a mere moment, you'd never go that fast in an atmosphere. Still, despite its large size, it doesn't take too long to travel in with a star dynamo capable vehicle.

At the far end of the Cylinder is something that catches your attention; what looks like a giant loop or collection of loops, lined up, glowing faintly. They may be spinning- though its hard to tell at this distance. Could this be the cylinder's power source or reactor core? It doesn't look like fusion or fission power sources you are familiar with.

Along the sides of the cylinder and pointing inwards are several large towers near the end. Strangely, none of these structures seem fit for habitation, nor do you see any "civilian" craft for use of crossing the vertical space- nor are any craft coming out to deal with you, and intruder. Perhaps the aliens were more desperate then you thought, though this is giving you the impression this cylinder may be fully automated. Why fill it with so much gas then? Building material?

Anyway- your strike squad is still back there, probably dogfighting or evading the enemy magnetic ships. You need to do something before they corner you against this closed end of the cylinder- your weapons won't defeat them so it is only a matter of time. You still can't contact command, so you have no idea what is happening in the battle outside, nor do you know how you're going to request a tractor-beam capable ship to get in here and safely deal with these magnetic threats... But you should focus on your own escape first.

>Fire at the towers
>Fire at the large spinning rings
>Turn around and provide support so you can cut your way back out of the cylinder
>Other (Write In)

Strange...could this be what is making the vessels? It could be a constructor...either that, or the towers themselves are. They make ships through the use of pressurized gas, if I remember correctly.

>>5065311
>Fire at the large spinning rings

Logic here is that they may be generating gravity that the magnet ships are designed to operate in, so maybe we can ground them or otherwise mess them up.

>>5065311
>>Fire at the towers
Particularly if any of them seem to be broadcasting signals of any sort

>>5065311
>Fire at the towers

>>5065311
>Fire at the spinning rings

>Fire at the towers.
If the spinning rings are a reactor, the resulting explosion might kill us.

>>5065311
>Fire at the towers

>>5065311
>Fire at the towers

>>5065311
>Fire at the towers

>>5065311
...wait...

Oh... fudge.

Could the rings be a Jump Gate? Op said that any jump-gate society would need to send out sub-light ships to build these gates, and this Cylinder has been purposely filled with tools for building stuff.

I'd still say that we should shoot the towers first - they're closer, so we can start knocking them out along the way to the rings. But we should still take care of those rings just in case...

Changing my vote to

> Fire at the towers along an approach vector that will also allow us to fire at the rings once the towers are down.

>>5064443
I don't read this quest but know that I appreciate this, anon.

File: RFM_FanMail.png (126 KB, 1024x600)

126 KB PNG

>>5065574

Oh hey fan mail!

Thanks anon. That means a lot to me. Here on Radio Free Mumke we put a lot of effort into- oh shit, they've found me! I gotta cheese it!

Stay free MUMKEEEEES!!!!

File: 41GeSyc-2PL._AC_UX342_.jpg (40 KB, 342x496)

40 KB JPG

>>5065912
There is no escape, Jalax. You WILL trust and love your supreme ruler. You WILL enjoy your role as a jaxtian steel worker. You WILL fuck the indigos. And you will be happy.

>>5065912
Good luck Jalax, remember the safehouse is ready

>>5065912
This little side thing is great, stay safe Jalax!

File: space monke quest3 post12 p1.png (137 KB, 1200x861)

137 KB PNG

You have chosen your target- the transmitter towers! Of course! With any luck, you'll be able to stop the magnetic ships- and maybe even help turn the tide of the battle outside of the cylinder by destroying whatever helps control the drones!

Firing your lasers at maximum power, these large towers seem like too hard a point to crack- until your allies arrive. With the other two pilots quickly joining your assault on the towers- it seems they did understand your message well, dodged the magnetic ships, and came to your aide. Now they fire with you, probably realizing exactly what your plan was this whole time.

Within a few minutes, the transmission towers are destroyed. While the towers are large and thick, enough damage via laser is enough to break into the computational cores within- the hundreds of thousands of tiny spheroid chambers inside each tower acting like a massive server bloc for the gas-powered Baalathi computers. You ended up destroying all of the towers- and in the meantime, the magnetic ships screeched to a halt in mid air, their Star Dynamo propulsion disabled.

With the towers destroyed- the rest of the Baalathi systems have also gone offline. Though your ability to transmit data is still slightly impeded by the Azurium itself. Its odd- you didn't detect any signals directly from the towers themselves, so how can the Baalathi beam messages inside the cylinder with all the apparent disruption from the material of the cylinder itself?

File: space monke quest3 post12 p2.png (223 KB, 1200x849)

223 KB PNG

That's no matter to you- you'll let the scientists figure that out. To you, Kimnan Oles, you have just completed your mission and struck at the heart of the Baalathi! This cylinder that has loomed over you your whole life is now been defeated and is the property of the great Hegemony! You send out a message showing what you have learned within the great Cylinder directly back to high command. For now, your job is done. Hopefully, when you get back home, you'll get a hero's welcome too...

You are now Talacent Intari, the Supreme Ruler of the Jaxtian people. And the second battle of the cylinder is now over.

You have received word from inside the cylinder that the special strike team succeeded in their task; disabling the cylinder and stoping it from closing again, as well as preventing any other surprises, and capturing the enemy's base in the process. While the strike team succeeded in their mission- the truth was the battle was almost already won by the time they had destroyed the ability of the cylinder to command its attack forces.

Simply put- your fleet is no longer the half trained, half built precautionary force it was when the cylinder first arrived. You knew you would win; you had so many more ships, and countermeasures to the enemy attacks. However, some of your pilots and ships were still destroyed by the newfound ability of the enemy to create high density Neutrino Fields from their larger ships.

Within the cylinder, Kimnan had discovered free floating objects that looked like naval mines. It is only now, with newfound information, that you know what these are. They are the Baalathi themselves. This type of life, adapted to living in the soup of a gas giant, is so foreign and alien the concept of age, class, or even its intelligence is in question. There is no convergent evolution with your own species to speak of- it is a gas creature at its core.

File: space monke quest3 post12 p3.png (121 KB, 1200x849)

121 KB PNG

In the aftermath of the battle, you are told that one of the three large ships, the ones capable of disabling your own ships but lacking in firepower themselves, was caught trying to escape on the fringe of the battle. Just a short scanner sweep later, and this ship is identified. It is a colony ship.

The inside of the other two large ships were hollow, essentially decoys, though they could still fight with their disabling field. Now, this third ship, is instead filled with several tons of atmospheric gas from within the cylinder, and inside of that gas is suspended with thousands of Baalathi. The tiny alien life forms make not attempts to communicate; perhaps these ships were not outfitted with any method of that, and they were reliant on the cylinder itself to do that kind of thing.

The Baalathi aboard this colony ship were headed directly to Max- your own solar system's gas giant. Presumably, they would have simply dumped themselves into the atmosphere of Max, sunk underneath the surface level to their appropriate depth, and simply begin living there. This must have been a last ditch effort to save some of their population since you managed to thwart their initial assault.

But now- you find yourself in the exact same situation you did over a decade ago. These Baalathi are helpless and at your mercy. You have conquered the cylinder and it is now in your possession; but the “colonists” aboard this ship represent a wild card. It is time to deal with them.

>Destroy them
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now
>Allow them to reach Max (under heavy security and surveillance)
>Other (Write In)

>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now
>Study the Balaathi, try to find a way to communicate with the group mind

Better some more compliant prisoners. Perhaps we can affect their group mind to believe that serving us is a better survival strategy?

These things are a completely alien form of life but maybe with study some chance at triggering the group mind of Jaxtian Balaathi into developing a symbiotic outlook in their interactions with other species.

They only became warlike because the Hazaar did something. Maybe it's possible to do something Pavlovian with feeding them to reinforce good behavior?

Gotta find a way to communicate.

>>5066179
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now
Also:
>Ask the Hazaar if they know how to communicate with them. They struck a trade deal with the Balaathi that caused this mess in the first place.

>>5066179

The Haazar could communicate with the Baalathi to make their initial gas trade, couldn't they? Perhaps ask/check their systems to see how they did it and see if we can repeat this process. Even ask them to lend us a hand, perhaps they might see that increasing our capabilities to liberate their home system would be to their own long-term benefit.

At the current time, I would say:
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now
But let us not be fooled; this is not an intent of permanent incarceration; simply a temporary stay of execution. The Baalathi are guilty for many Jaxtian deaths and attempting sabotage, conquest and life-scouring of our solar system without attempt at to communicate or even formal declaration of war. We will question them, interrogate them; dissect them and analyse them. We will learn what we can from them, we will learn better ways to stop and to kill them in the future. And eventually, once we have no further use or need for these specimens, we will
>Destroy them
as executions for their crimes of attempted Xenocide.

>>5066198
agreed. Remember kids, FUCK XENOS.

>>5066198
+1

>>5066179
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now
>>5066198
Baalathi only became aggressive because the Hazaar fucked with their chemical hivemind, I really doubt that they can be held responsible or are even really sentient.

>>5066269
If they're not even really sentient, then we should have even fewer qualms getting rid of these creatures when the time comes; and if they are all a hive mind then they are all together the entity that has tried to wipe our presence from our home system.

We are Talacent Intari, and we will not commit Xenocide. But we would not hold any issue with bringing a mass-murdering criminal to justice if they were Jaxtian; and the Baalathi hive mind (or element of it that invaded our solar system) is guilty of this crime.


>>5066179
BananasQM, are there any evident differences between the Baalathi on the colony ship and the ones inside the cylinder, perhaps something that might hint at less developed state?

>>5066179
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now

>>5066179
>>5066191 +1

>>5066191
Smart thinking.

>>5066179
Support!

>>5066191
Do this.

Remember they Baalathi that attacked us were basically roofied . I don't thinks it fair to see them all as dangerous. Capture the ship, have the Bazaar tell us how to talk to them and also figure out how much Argon we need to pump to them to make them sane

>>5066537
Agreed. Wiping the Balaathi is a bad idea. If we can get useful interactions with a new sentient species that we can advance our science by learning from just by adding a readily available gas into the cylinder we owe our research tree the effort to at least try it. Plus we shouldn't go ahead and xenocide them because their hostility is basically the Hazaar's fault, as they are basically only aggro because they are strung out thanks a bunch of greedy rapey space sociopaths one step removed from Ferengi and Jews.

>>5066179
>>5066191
+1 good thinking mate, although I think they need a certain set of conditions to be able to actually think and such, remember that when the haazar did the gas trade with them they changed their behaviours due to some of their gas giants gas being gone.

>>5066191
Agreed. If we won't xenocide the Hazaar there's no way we're xenociding the Balaathi.

>>5066179
>Disable their ship and keep them imprisoned in it for now

Even ignoring the possibility of good diplomatic relations with their species, even ignoring the moral implications of killing them, we should keep them alive so we can find out more about them - their technology and their plans if nothing else.

>>5066191
+1

Update is in production. It's a larger one.

It won't be done today. Sorry.

>>5067263
>>5067104
No worries. See you Monday!

>>5067263
It's all good mate!

File: space monke quest3 post13 p1.png (227 KB, 1200x849)

227 KB PNG

You decide to keep the Baalathi trapped on their ship for now- and see if you can find a way to communicate with them. You were chosen as the Supreme Ruler for being a natural diplomat after all.

Sending a message to the Haazari leadership; they tell you that their records show that the Baalathi and Haazar communicated with Faster-Than-Light technology on their home planet. The plans or designs for such a system are not on the Haazar's ship- even if you wanted to extract it from them- as this ship is not a colony ship, but instead a trading vessel.

Your ships disable and keep hold of the Baalathi's colony ship. With its Neutrino Field disabled, flight controls removed, and even sensors cut off, its highly unlikely that this small ship has any kind of transmitter or weapon capable of breaking free; and as such, they are your prisoner. Ships are connected to it, controlling and studying gas flows- at a certain point, you may be able to control the Baalathi.

Your science team also studies the artifacts taken and found in the Baalathi cylinder. The great spinning rings are the most interesting find; they are not actually physical objects, but are essentially a magnetic/kinetic phenomena that are stuck in place in the cylinder- the visible light they produce is from random gas molecules entering its spin and then being flung out. It becomes obvious from a short time that these are essentially a massive power battery. Your scientists say you could generate power just by shoving an electric system between these; as these rings act as a solenoid. It seems that these rings were meant to act as the power source for this ship, but based on the slowdown calculated from their spin, they would only last for another ten to twenty years, explaining why they opened the cylinder and attacked earlier then expected.

In addition; the magnetic ships. They are indeed unmaned drones- and based on your estimates the magnetic fields they produce would be strong enough to squash one of your WSDVs flat if they got close enough. The magnetic producing components within are useful to study, and will allow you to improve your own magnetic and Azurium refining technology.

File: space monke quest3 post13 p2.png (201 KB, 1200x778)

201 KB PNG

The Baalthi who remained in the cylinder are taken into a high pressure gas containment unit on Caplit. While your scientists think its extremely unlikely the Baalathi could escape or fly around in the atmosphere of a normal planet, since they evolved on gas giants, using Caplit as a research base it ideal because its atmosphere is so thin and even if the Baalthi escaped- it would be unlikely for them to go underwater and ruin the moon's biosphere.

During these studies- you learn a lot about the Baalathi, but also discover more question. Their form of life is foreign to you, and you aren't exactly sure what they're made of. The elemental composition is all there, but it isn't carbon based, and despite its similarity in appearance, they are not made of Azurium. Instead, the Baalathi are filter-feeding, flying sponge-like organisms that survive in the atmospheres of gas giants by a yet unknown method of generating energy. As you expected, each individual Baalathi has its own set of pumps and sphincters, meaning each is an individual; but they respond very strongly to the concentration of gasses in their local environment. This seems to explain their change in behavior based on what kind of elements surround them.

Your scientists quickly discover two gasses of importance. Argon does indeed make them more docile and peaceful, and more willing to communicate, if the Haazar know what they're talking about. Hydrogen gas, on the other hand, seems to create a sensation of panic and “hunger”, which makes sense, considering it makes up the majority of a gas giant's composition. Lack of other gasses would indicate a resource poor environment. Given the high concentration of Argon on Max, introducing the Baalathi to that environment would make them incredibly cooperative, the point of being servile. So now you know how to enslave them, and how to torture them. Great.

The aftermath of the battle gives a massive boost of morale to all Jaxtians- you have finally defeated the alien cylinder and have secured your solar system from the first major attempted attack by an alien power- the sense of the Hegemony's power and eternal victory is greater then ever. You reward your young pilot, Kimnan, with a golden band on his right arm- as an act of strength. The youngest to ever receive such an award. Unfortunately, there is a small amount of public outcry against you keeping the Baalathi alive- many are demanding the punishment of Xenocide for killing so many Jaxtians. These crowds can be soothed, but it can't be understated what damage the Baalathi have done to your people- and how your people want vengeance.

File: space monke quest3 post13 p3.png (127 KB, 1200x849)

127 KB PNG

You can't please everybody- and the public especially are hard to please sometimes. As long as they don't disagree or speak out against the Hegemony, their xenophobic opinions are allowed- for now. Of course, you care a lot less about pleasing them then a certain somebody who you owe something to.

This is a bit overdue- sorry kid. You had a war to fight. But now, this belongs to you.

File: space monke quest3 post13 p4.png (147 KB, 1200x960)

147 KB PNG

Over the next 10 years, the Baalathi cylinder crisis fades from relevance. Now, the cylinder floats in space, emptied and made safe, to act as an orbiting storehouse of your newest most precious material- the Azurium coating. The cylinder is quite large and, given your lack of industrial levels of use for the Azurium, your computers predict it will last you for quite a long time. Now, the Azurium is used for fusion power cores and heat sinks.

During the decade, Bluey has grown into a man. Err, grown into a Haazar. You're pleased to see him again after this time- your influence on him was kept at a minimum to ensure he lives as a Haazar- and yet despite that he seems so very pleased to see you again too. Bluey went through puberty and is now a Keeper type Haazar. Sometimes called Teachers or Learners, these Haazar are known to be the second or third most intelligent, but are known to be excellent mediators. They remember the laws and agreements of other Haazar in a community, and are also keepers of local history and knowledge. Most often they help raise and educate children- in exchange for work or breeding rights when they grow of-age. This Haazar gender fits him well you think, as he brings the Jaxtian culture of community, discipline, and wearing pants to the culturally distinct Haazar still living among the Haazari exclusion zone.

Bluey has agreed to fulfill your wishes and act as an intermediary between the Haazar and Jaxtians. He will continue to spread your culture to them as best he can, to teach them the value of the Hegemony and of the wisdom and sanctity of the role of Supreme Ruler. You couldn't be more proud of him- you have biological, normal, Jaxtian children. But for some reason, Bluey feels like your closest son.

Also during the decade is the great Fusion Replacement project, where all nuclear fission power stations on Jaxt and the colonies were replaced with Fusion power. You thought this project would take closer to twenty years to finish, but with each new station the sudden increase in usable power actually made it exponential. It really is hard to overstate how significant fusion power is in your species development- the Tritium fuel is so efficient that you think a single gas giant could power an entire solar system's energy needs for the far conceivable future. The massive growth of the energy sector has also exploded the Hegemony's budgeting surplus; massive gains in every industry and part of life.

Unfortunately, this massive fusion revolution has not helped your lack of ability to vent heat in space. The few test fusion reactors you've sent up overheat very quickly- and would need to shed 3% of their mass every hour or so to avoid overheating. This would make it impossible for a ship to use a fusion reactor powered warp drive even for a few hours- much less several days or months of travel.

File: space monke quest3 post13 p5.png (176 KB, 1200x919)

176 KB PNG

With your successor to the office of the Supreme Ruler still in training, the responsibility of your position is still on your shoulders. But in truth, you will be happy when it is no longer.

It's no fault of anyone of course- not that you aren't thankful to have been the Supreme Ruler of the Jaxtian People during one of the most interesting and prosperous times in your nation's history. It's just that you've been alive for eighty whole years, and you've ruled the Hegemony for almost all of that. With the extending lifespans of Supreme Rulers- you could rule for longer, but you didn't get to retire for longer. Wasn't that the whole point of extending people's lifespans? Quality of life?

Oh well. The unending stress but also prize has just gotten to you after all these years. It's high time to pass the torch. If it wasn't for Eoba Garastra, your best friend and closest ally, you don't know if you could have managed...

But you still have time. It's the golden years of your reign, and the Hegemony itself is smack dab in the middle of a great golden age. With no great cylinder looming over your head, the Haazar pacified and ever-more falling under the Hegemony's cultural sway, and the promise of FTL so salivatingly close; It's time to relax a little bit. Make things a little easier for the next in line. What shall you do?

>Cut some spending and a nice budget surplus aside for Agori
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"
>Advance your FTL program
>Other (Write In)

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"
I can't think of a more fitting legacy for Talacent.

>>5068020
>Advance your FTL program

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

Sooner we can get peaceful relations the sooner we can declare a return to peace. FTL would be nice - but we're not exactly finished with colonising our home system yet anyway so it can wait without causing too many issues.

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"
Might as well research the diplomacy tech while we're the diplomacy specialist.

Plus, we could probably subjugate the Baalathi very quickly with argon. And once do that, we could obtain their technologies namely azurium production, the super solenoid battery, and hypertronic communicator. These could open doors in our own research.

>>5068020 #
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

>>5068020
>Advance your FTL program

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

The Ring batteries are the answer to our current heat problem, they allow us to store pretty much all the energy a fusion reactor puts off.

>>5068020
>Develop some new heat-reducing/venting technology.
Having this system would be a boon to both our Sapphire Avalanche weapon systems and to our FTL program, so count this as
>Advance your FTL program

Also: with this massive budgetary surplus bought on by our new fusion energy system, let us:
LOWER THE AGE OF RETIREMENT from 90 to 80.
We're standing down at about 80 years old, after all. There's good reason to make this the universal Jaxtian standard. If everyone has about twice as much lifespan as they used to have, let us also give them twice as much retirement time to reward them for working twice as long.

>>5068020
>>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

>>5068020
>Advance your FTL program
No, this is the best possible gift

>>5068086
>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

I think it’s a fitting legacy for a diplomat and steward who was forced to do battle by the turn of fate. Why sustain hostilities, when we could all benefit?

Also, I concur with the other poster’s ideas about lowering the retirement age. We can afford it now.

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

Decode the Ballathi language.

I think we are getting close to a true multi species empire

>>5068020
>Advance your FTL program
FTL is so very important, we can begin colonization of other solar systems and get even more materials to work with, we can decode the Baalathi's language later.

>>5068020
>Encourage Xenocultural study and decode the Baalathi's complex chemical "language"

FTL might be nice, but we should decode mysteries closer to home first.

>>5068634
>unironically wanting to turn into a xenophile state
Why?

>>5068890
Not xenophile, per se. Non-monkes don't get equality.

>>5068948
Do you wanna end up like Rome? Because that's how you end up like Rome.

File: space monke quest3 post14 p1.png (205 KB, 1200x849)

205 KB PNG

You have decided to encourage the Xenocultural studies division- and put forth a good effort to decode the Baalathi language in time for the next Supreme Ruler- or at least until you can get something useful out of them!

The Baalathi in the disabled ship and the ones in isolation research are soon studied closely; studying every interaction with each other, with the use of tools, and by pumping gasses into their environments.

Unfortunately, even over several years, very little useful data is revealed. Your scientists have discovered at least two forms of "communication" among the Baalathi. The Baalathi seem capable of very short range communication by manipulations of air pressure, but it is difficult to tell if this is an intentional form of "speech" or if the Baalathi use this similar to sight or sound in the same way you do. The second method of communication, in the form of concentration of gases, is found to be a mostly reactive response, as opposed to a planned or intentional action.

In other words- the Baalathi react to gases as though it is a stimuli in their environment; as it is a stimuli in their environment. Different evolutionary responses are expressed by different gasses. Since the Baalathi seem to need a number of gases to survive and reproduce, the "emotions" caused by an abundance or lack of a gas could be little more then a hunger drive. Even after five years, you're no closer to actually speaking to them. Some scientists even question if the Baalathi themselves are sentient beings at all, or if they are simply a biological version of a sublight expansion drone- spreading themselves throughout the galaxy using the technology and at the whim of some greater alien creator race.

At the same time, you make the simple decision to double your people's retirement- the newfound energy of the fusion reactors makes this simple and easy. And at the same time, you go ahead and increase the number of vacation days and maternity leave, essentially doubling all of them. Considering you have your workers for twice as long as you used to, they can afford to work a little slower. These changes seem to almost instantly patch up the grievances of the youth generation against the elderly, retiree generation as things are now more fair.

Understandably- these are very popular. The civilians even made a statue of you. They're still calling you the greatest Supreme Ruler of all time- though this may just be a fad. You also feel a bit of the shame and negligence from your low-brow form of appeasement to the population. Increasing pay, time off, and luxuries are all good ways of gaining approval, but poor ways of granting the people true satisfaction and fulfillment. The corrupt oligarchies of the past backslid that way, eventually each candidate was elected not on their values or qualities of a leader, but what they promised to give to whoever would vote for them. This is a sobering reminder...

File: space monke quest3 post14 p2.png (103 KB, 1200x849)

103 KB PNG

You are now Agori Falathane, the next in line to become the Supreme Ruler, and you wake up once again in the morning to ask why are you so damn large?

Size is a silly thing. Irrational, even. Height has always been a factor strongly correlated with intelligence, leadership, strength, and attractiveness, especially in men. But as educated by the Hegemony, you know there is no direct casual link. There is nothing about being tall that makes you smart, but every single Supreme Ruler has been significantly taller then the average Jaxtian- the gene program weighs height and size as important as longevity or resistance to depression and schizophrenia. Why?!

It's absurd that, even in the modern times, you are the way you are. What value does your massive body have? You woke up hungry yet again- consuming yet more resources. Not only are you an Alpha phenotype, bigger then almost any non-Alpha Jaxtian, but you are in the top percentiles of the eugenic spectrum. Are Jaxtians really so shallow? You'd believe the lesser citizens and average workers to be so easily fooled- but why did Talacent pick you? Why did he think YOU'D be a fitting leader- was he so subconsciously controlled by his instincts during the Cylinder crisis the he thought the largest child brought before him would be the best to defend him and his people from alien attack?

It's absurd. Truly absurd. Nobody should be scared of you. Your physical strength brings no value to a war fought in spaceships. Even on a planet- logically anyone should be more scared of someone small, tucked away in cover with a gun. By the simple rules of technology and warfare, you're the least scariest Jaxtian of all.

But enough of that philosophizing. You're in line to become the next Supreme Ruler- and there's nothing you can do about that. You must play your part, same as any laborer- the Hegemony crushes all into its gears to make you into something useful. Today, you are meeting Eoba Garastra for some important "test" he is giving you.

File: space monke quest3 post14 p3.png (188 KB, 1200x849)

188 KB PNG

At one of many secret, Hegemony-controlled facilities, you have continued your late adulthood training.

While young children in line for the Supreme Rulership are selected based on gene score, aptitudes and talents are still tested. Not only to tell the current Supreme One how to divide and select amongst you, but to provide further training. In some ways, your upbringing was more free then any other child's; free to pursue topics of interest at your own pace and to your own liking, nearly unlimited resources in the form of tutors, education, travel, medicine... But then again, you had one of the most stiffling upbringings imaginable. The only thing the Hegemony can't stand less then a dissenter is a resource not fully utilized; and so no matter what you chose to practice or study- you had to be good at it.

You never felt like you were much good at anything. Objectively speaking, you are a genius. You mastered every subject, but it never clicked right, it never seemed easy, the way computers always seemed easy for Ingar, or flying for Kimnan.

As a late adult, you've found a bit more freedom. More of your training now has involved people skilled; meeting the heads of many important departments, learning how to manipulate people. Learning how to make people improve themselves; but never without giving you your cut. That's the core of what leadership is, isn't it?

There's Eoba now.

"Agori! So good to see you. My my, you've grown! What have you been eating?!"

"...You saw me last week, and you said the same thing. I don't think my height has changed since then."

"Oh stop- still never mastered small talk, huh? And you let me make fun of you again! Shameful. The Supreme One doesn't take insults from anybody- even old friends."

"You were... insulting me?"

"Hehe, Agori, you're adorable. Don't ever change- even after what happens today. I don't want you to change."

>Ask him what he means by "after today"
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness
>Question Eoba about what is behind this door

>>5069036
>Ask him what he means by "after today"

Aww crap, we got a blackpilled philosophical hulk.
"Ëveryone asks who is the supreme leader, not how is the supreme leader."

I'm starting to think we would have been better off with Kinman...

>MFW Anons want to conquer the galaxy but keep picking the "nice" supreme leader.

>>5069036
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness
He's a big guy

>>5069031
Oh no, we picked a successor with anxiety and depression because he was jowly.

>>5069036
>What do you mean "after today"?

>>5069036
>Ask him what he means by "after today"
>>5069042
>implying /fitlit/ Agori was the worst option

>>5069036
>Ask him what he means by "after today"
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness

>>5069036
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness

>>5069036
>Ask him what he means by "after today"

I love this huge dude already, it's funny how our kneejerk reaction to elect for an Alpha to lead us in war has ended up.

>>5069036
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness

>>5069036
>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness

>>5069042
The guy sitting in the highest chair on Jaxt can't be out there exploring the galaxy. Kinman would have been great as supreme leader, but he'll be even better and of more use breaking the light speed flight barrier and commanding the first manned Jaxtian mission to another solar system.

I hope.

>>5069036
>>Ask him what he means by "after today"
>>Seek advice on how to overcome your awkwardness

>>5068971
Rome didn't fall due to it's cosmopolitan nature. It fell because it got caught in a military industrial doom loop and has a political structure that insensitived individual power acquisition over long term stability.

>>5069339
The Barbarians who helped open the gates sure didn't help.

>>5069036
>Ask what is behind the door.

After Today is probably our ascension so no need wasting a vote on that.

We don't need more character advance so no need to ask about the awkwardness. Also I am not sure how useful this advice would be.

The last option develops the plot the most imo

>>5069042
Agori has low self-esteem but I think that he could still make a good supreme leader, his brain is good at war but he's not a barbarian and he's still very smart even if he isn'r super talented at something like the two other candidates.
Also Ingar is way worse personality-wise and even Kimnan is flawed.

>>5069036
>Question Eoba about what is behind this door

>>5069461
>Also Ingar is way worse personality-wise and even Kimnan is flawed.
Thing is Kimnan and Ingars flaws were clearly stated, while Agori's was only hinted at.

It was effectively a choice between a cold bastard, an arrogant bastard, and a mystery box. Now that I've seen what's in the box, I'm not so sure I would have made the same choice.

It'll be interesting if nothing else.

>>5069587
I'd say being a sociopath and an arrogant daredevil are worse conditions for a leader than being awkward and not sure of himself.

>>5069343
A lot of those barbarians were mercs trained and paid by Roman leadedship, no? The proto-Germans, certainly.

>>5069686
They were paid mercenaries, yes. Eventually paid with land. But generally speaking, those Barbarians managed to get power in later rome as they sought to desperately plug the holes in their falling empire, which led to an even faster downfall.

The point is, multiracial societies? Not a good idea.