>>16053713

Are there any other Xel'naga files that we can peruse? I think we already covered the Biodiversity and Weapons folders, but I think there was a file involving power generation or something.

>>16053953
>A bit of digging shows data intact in folders for operations, design, ship's logs, and bio-diversity.

We've investigated Design and Bio-Diversity, though we've by no means exhausted either.

We've been neglecting our expansion lately. How long has it been since we sent out another wave? With the star forge operational, surely we have the resources to expand at an unprecedented pace if we but allocate it properly.

>>16054033
The last major expansion we had was establishing a base at Lutrious, on the edge of UED space.

>>16054054

>>16054033

Come to think of it, didn't we send a wave of colonizing Zerg in the general direction of Earth? Did we ever check on them again, or were they the ones that stumbled across Dyles and established a colony at Lutrious?

>>16054054
That was shitty expansion. It's going to get us involved in more wars instead of bringing in resources. We need to be establishing resource-rich colonies so that we have the industrial base to overwhelm our enemies next time we need to. Tell Accountantbrate to expand in a direction that will accomplish that, somewhere we're not likely to trip over a bunch of Protoss or Terrans.

>>16054147
Our colonization efforts were pointed that direction, but we made very little progress, as Earth is very far away.

It was actually the war with VoidGate that led us to Lutrious, which is still far away. On a long enough timeline, our colonization waves will eventually overtake Lutrious, but that will not happen for a long time (that is, I'm pretty sure I'll lose interest in running the quest before that happens. It takes us weeks to reach Lutrious without stopping at every habitable planet along the way).

A message arrives in our mind through Dapperlord, whose monocle glistens with sophistication.

"Cerebrate, in light of recent developments concerning the Protoss, I'm looking to expand the scope of my influence in...other areas.

I've been watching the Confederacy, and I believe that with minimal maneuvering, I can take Umoja. That would make your quest to infest the rest of them much easier, don't you think? It would be easier for me if you would assist me, but I must have Umoja for myself. I'm not keen on sharing worlds.

So, are you in?"

>>16054313
(Scenario 7 is a go!)

>>16054313

Have Kerrigan elaborate on the plan. Umoja seems to be a rather minor player in the Confederacy compared to say, the Kel-Morian Combine with their massive mining operations.

IIRC, the Umojans were a faction of Terrans that either wanted to research the hell out of the protoss or make buddies with them so they could do just that. It's probably a safe bet to assume that Kerrigan is looking to snag powerful Protoss/Xel'naga artifacts or information pertaining to them.

>>16054313
"Of course I'll help, sister. Do you need the latest Terran encryption codes, or have you cracked them already?"

>>16054313
Umoja? So long as we get to get revenge on KINGSTON! and burn Tarsonis you can have Umoja, but why Umoja... it's just so... dull.

>>16054367
We also need to send her the film of our crusade against the manta-ray people.

Come to think of it, should we mention the Worldship that we managed to hijack from the UED?

It's likely that she already knows, but still. She probably has her fair share of secrets, and it wouldn't be too remiss to have our own.

>>16054395
>Come to think of it, should we mention the Worldship that we managed to hijack from the UED?
Not until we've adequately plundered its secrets. That worldship fragment is currently pretty much the biggest secret we've got, and potentially the most useful research resource as well. We tell no one of it.

>>16054394
I think the manta rays also remain unmentioned. Recall the utter horror that is a psionic null; that's too dangerous to let anyone else even contemplate.

>>16054352
(Umoja got a lot more important after the Zerg and VoidGate tag-teamed the Confederacy and basically reduced human holdings in the Koprulu Sector to three worlds...)

Kerrigan's plan seems to involve playing Moria and Tarsonis off of one another to make any military action by either at Umoja seem like an attack on the other, and then using that refusal to act to give her time to entrench herself on the planet enough to hold it.

It seems fairly straightforward, though it will require a lot of political cunning.

>>16054367
Kerrigan is happy to hear that we can provide the codes. She tells us that this will make the operation even easier.

>>16054418
(The mantas aren't nulls. We sort of...extinctified those)

>>16054418
I'm not talking about the null apes, or our new freaky things whose name I am forgetting, but the footage of out infested terrans in plate armour riding hatchworms is ridiculous... did we broadcast that on ZergTV yet?
>>16054434
I think the Confederacy still has... 3 core worlds, not including Umoja and Moria, but point taken.

>>16054434

I have a feeling that Kerrigan is treating us like some sort of schizophrenic idiot-savant bruiser. We can smash things to pieces gud and research/steal new and inventive ways to smash things to even smaller pieces in an even gooder fashion. When we're not off making quirky and eyebrow-quirking decisions like ZergTV, that is.

All in all, not a bad assessment of us, and all the better if that's what she really thinks.

I'm voting for supporting her plan.

>>16054481
Artisanlord hasn't broadcast our conquest and infestation of what was to become the mantalisks, yet. It isn't sure exactly how to frame it, or what parts to show.

>>16054492
>some sort of schizophrenic idiot-savant bruiser

Welcome to Zerg Quest!

1 official vote for helping Kerrigan

>>16054492
>some sort of schizophrenic idiot-savant
This is pretty much exactly what our father created us to be, in an in-character sense. It makes sense that it's how we'd act.

>>16054531
Frame it as a reinterpretation of ye' olde terran crusades on earth, and show it all in a rather disjointed way redone in sepia with sad music. Also, I hereby vote to give the go ahead for Kerri's plan.

>>16054562
Real-world reenactment?

>>16054591
Not a reenactment, a reinterpretation. It's based on a true story, and all the mantarays were just unpaid extras.

>>16054620
So, should we let on that the mantas are actually dying?

Also, 2 votes for Kerrigan's plan.

>>16054635
That is entirely irrelevant! It's going to be a a re-imagining of the Crusades done as a civil war program, with lots of "Dearest Jezebel." No one in the Confederacy takes anything shown on ZergTV seriously anymore.

Also, it might be a little late for some housekeeping, but eh..

How's our infested ghost breeding program going?

>>16054682
Artisanlord sets to work with a Ken Burns-like intensity, as if space slugs know who Ken Burns is.

(No objections to working with Kerrigan from anybody?)

>>16054695
Labbrate's breeding program is producing Terrans for infestation, though controlling for psionic potential is difficult. Several crops have given us ghosts, but they are still rare.

>xenta

>>16054744
...Eh?

>>16054749

>>16054749
Since it's pronounced Khuita I assume it's one of those weird russian puns.

>>16054741
Well, at least we're making some progress. I have the utmost faith in his abilities to breed the Swarm super-psis eventually. Once we have a semi-stable line, we can start trying to splice in zerg DNA and make them a proper part of our brood.

>>16054715
>(No objections to working with Kerrigan from anybody?)
Of course not. Overmind's last wishes, y'know. Unless she goes actively hostile of course she gets our backing with her schemes, and it doesn't sound like this one will even take much effort.

>>16054635

Thirding. Let's get shit done.

>>16054815
Awesomesauce.

Somebody roll a d20. As long as you don't botch, Kerrigan plays them like the saps they are.

rolled 4 = 4

>>16054855

Dice, and later, maybe slice!

rolled 11 = 11

>>16054880
I don't like your 4.

>>16054880

Well, shit.

>>16054715
nope i say we giver the psi suppressed glands too so she can hide if need be

>>16054952

The psi-suppression glands will remain a secret that we won't even know about officially.

We don't want anyone getting their hands on the genetic template for that. Terrans might be able to do horrible scientific atrocities to get a weaponized version of that.

>>16054907
>>16054880
(Don't worry, TUCAMP. Kerrigan's fine with a 4)

Kerrigan's plan starts quietly. Using Cyberbrate's up-to-date encryptions, she sends messages, implants spies, and generally ingratiates herself into Confederate and Morian traffic in and out of Umoja.

As we watch the Terran news, we almost immediately notice more talk of tensions between Moria and Tarsonis, and Umoja essentially falls off the map. In days, she instigates minor brushes between Confederate loyalists and Morian separatists. The Confederacy quietly pulls most of its defensive force from Umoja to bolster its ranks at home. After a week of scheming, she has got the world almost completely undefended.

That, of course, is when she strikes. Mutalisks scream into the sky, covering for her Protoss carriers. We wait for the distress signal to reach both of the Terran strongholds. Both planets' fleets go on full alert.

Roll 3d20 to find out how this goes.

rolled 20, 2, 10 = 32

>>16055028
Let's see how well this gambit pays off for Kerrigan.

rolled 18, 20, 16 = 54

>>16055028
I forgot we gave her the carrier schematics.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.....

rolled 8, 10, 4 = 22

Dammit
>>16055080

>>16055073
>>16055076
Now I have to decide which of these rolls is "better."

Hmmm. Either way, /tg/ dice like stuff complicated.

rolled 8, 1, 19 = 28

>>16055028

Let us hope that I do not need to use a reaction face for this one.

>>16055102
(Ok. Both situations were pretty cool. I flipped a coin)

As we watch from our cloaked units in each system, we see the Morian military and the Confederate military put their fleets on alert after receiving Umoja's distress call. Moments later, the Confederate fleet jumps to warp. It arrives soon after in Umojan space, and begins trying to flank Kerrigan's forces. It is obvious that Kerrigan's fleet will either need our support, or she will need to retreat to survive.

Following the plan, we immediately send in our fleet behind the Confederate forces, trapping them between two walls of Zerg forces. A pitched battle ensues, as Kingston's forces remain organized even against great odds. Several of our capital ships and one of Kerrigan's carriers are destroyed, but the battle is definitely going our way. Umoja's orbital defenses hammer us, but their shared encryption algorithms with Kingston's forces prevent friendly fire (Cyberbrate predicted this might happen, and we have limited success with our technological units in masquerading as friendlies). Umoja seems certain to fall.

However, just after our forces arrive to confront the Confederate military, the Morian fleet jumps to warp. Knowing the numbers, we doubt we can fight off both Terran powers at once, especially if the Morians are able to crush one of the Zerg forces against Kingston's fleet.

We needn't worry, though. The Morian fleet does enter a battle when it comes out of warp: against the Tarsonis defense grid. Moria appears to be attempting to invade the Confederacy! It's hard to direct a battle and watch another, and as always, all Terrans sort of look the same, but it looks like Moria has a real chance.

(Told you the /tg/ dice made things interesting. Roll a d100 to see how good a chance they have. Also, if you've got wild ideas on how to participate, we can discuss them)

rolled 46 = 46

>>16055291
GO KMC!

rolled 36 = 36

>>16055291
Send a message through Dapper Lord.
"So, sister, what's the plan if the Morians actually succeed, and conquer Tarsonis?"

>>16055291
Bring in out new mineral magnet and pull the main component, I assume iron, out of the terran hulls.

>>16055291

Moria in charge of the Confederation, eh?

While they probably won't be very receptive to an alliance, and will certainly try to kill us later, it's probably an improvement over having Kingston heading up the Confederacy.

Ask Kerrigan if her forces can handle the taking of Umoja; tell her that we have an opportunity here to finally topple Kingston for good, and that we will never have another chance like this (with the Morians attacking Tarsonis and all).

As for participating in the fall of Tarsonis, I'm very tempted to have our Protoss assets roll out and glass strategic defense points on the planet, or otherwise cloak and wreak havoc on targets of opportunity while the Morian fleet is engaged. I'm not too sure how everyone would react to having Zerg warp in, then telling the Morians that we're actually here to help them out.

rolled 14 = 14

Whoops, forgot to roll.

>>16055291
We have hundreds of nukes on hand, each with several decoy missiles to aid against defensive fire, right?

Anticipate that Kingston's fleet will attempt to withdraw and aid Tarsonis. Have the nukes in position to blast them into so much radioactive dust the moment they arrive. And if they don't show, well, after the Morians weaken the Tarsonis defense grid we might be able to follow up with something more effective, mmm?

>>16055381
>>16055371
>>16055339
I think Tarsonis was meant to be Umoja, otherwise how can the KMC join a battle over Umoja.

>>16055371
At this point, leaving Kerrigan to fend for herself will certainly result in her defeat, and almost certainly result in the loss of most of her combat units.

That's not to say we can't do it, of course.

>>16055415
No, Moria is totally attacking Tarsonis while Kingston's forces are trying to defend Umoja against the Zerg. It's some pretty opportunistic stuff.

>>16055381
1 vote for nuking Tarsonis?

>>16055416

D'oh.

Sounds like we won't be able to commit a large attack force to help out the KMC. So let's do the next best thing: NUCLEAR MISSILE HELL on Kingston's ships.

Make it seem like we're going to FIRE EVERYTHING!!! by means of liberal use of indistinguishable missile decoys along with real actual nukes.

>>16055444
I see... well, you know what they'll say about Tarsonis right? It's the "Planet of Gamma-ray Light."

>>16055444
>1 vote for nuking Tarsonis?
Preferably nuke Kingston's fleet rather than Tarsonis directly. If we just launch a huge wave of nukes at Tarsonis it's likely that the Morians will suddenly be all, "Genocide! Not cool, man!" and attack us instead of Kingston. We must avoid civilian targets until after all significant Terran combat forces have been eliminated.

>>16055469
(The other dice roll would have had Tarsonis and Moria both attacking each other instead of trying to help Umoja. The /tg/ dice are crazy. There was a 1% chance of you guys rolling that)

>>16055499
>>16055464
Kingston's fleet at Umoja, or the orbital and planetary defenses at Tarsonis?

Nuking either one will probably entail casualties in the fleets currently engaged against them (our forces and Moria's forces, respectively), depending on our aim.

>>16055416

Also, maybe a few wings of scouts and/or valkyries to dedicate to strategic hole-making in the Tarsonis defense grid might go a long way. After the nukes.

>>16055543

Direct the missiles to the Tarsonis defense grid. Try to aim for larger concentrations of Kingston's forces and minimize KMC casualties.

>>16055543
1 vote for not nuking.
It'll be obvious that the nukes are coming from us, since they'll be destroying the Morian forces as well.
That might work against Kerrigan's plan.

>>16055594
I wouldn't worry about the KMC casualties. We nuke Tarsonis, destroy Kingston's fleet, and call it a day.

>>16055594
>>16055607
1 Nuke Tarsonis Defenses
1 Don't Nuke Anything

Interesting thoughts, guys.

>>16055607
Good point, so a limited nuclear strike on Kingston's fleet.

>>16055635
1 Nuke Tarsonis Defenses
1 Don't Nuke Anything
1 Nuke Umojan Fleet

>>16055635

Seconding.

Also give warning to Kerrigan on what we're planning.

>>16055668
>>16055635
Wait, you're voting to nuke the Confederacy fleet above Umoja? Or did you mean to say 'limit nuclear strike to the Tarsonis Defense Grid only'?

>>16055694
Oh, did I read that wrong?

>>16055694
I meant the fleet over Umoja.

>>16055722
Those nukes will end up destroying parts of our fleet and Kerrigan's forces as well.

rolled 9 = 9

Where's Kingston?
Nuke that. Also Tarsonis defence grid.

>>16055733
So how about we nuke Kingston's fleet over Umoja and the Morians over Tarsonis. That way we're not favoring either side, and both can claim the other nuked them.

>>16055769
We don't know.

Alright, so by my count,
2 Nuke Tarsonis Defenses
1 Don't Nuke Anything
2 Nuke Umojan Fleet

>>16055791
We would have to sacrifice both our forces and Kerrigan's for that deception to work. Otherwise it'll be far too convenient that a nuclear strike would only be targeted at the Confederacy forces.

>>16055810
Oh well.
How about we nuke the Umojan fleet AND Tarsonis defence.

>>16055733
>>16055668

Wait, hold up.

We don't need to nuke Kingston's fleet above Umoja. With the Morians striking at Tarsonis, Kerrigan's forces combined with ours are sure to win the battle. The whole point of sending nukes was to give the KMC fleet a bit of a push so they wouldn't fail in their endeavor to take Tarsonis.

If we're leery of "friendly" fire with the KMC fleet, we might just want to send a strike force of Protoss or Terran ships or even some waves of scourge to strike at vulnerable points in the Tarsonis defense grid. It might even be a good idea to leave one fleet in the hands of Warbrate while we concentrate on the other thing.

Why are we even thinking about nuking umoja?

Cerebrate anon already told us we're going to win there. You're just going to blow up our forces and waste nukes.

>>16055833
Some minor splash damage certainly, but these nukes are from the KMC who is attacking the Confederacy... so it's just good timing on their part, and not some big Zerg conspiracy.

>>16055852
>>16055860
(You're both right. We're going to win at Umoja either way. I believe we were planning to nuke the fleet there as some kind of ruse)

Ok. So.
Just nuke Tarsonis defence.

Ok!

I have most of this typed up, but I need you to roll 2d100 for your nukes! Our aim has always been...sketchy.

Don't nuke anything, let all of this play out. We don't need to throw a wrench in Kerrigan's defense plan YET. If we're lucky we'll have a ravaged Tarsonis defense grid to pick apart/nuke at our leisure if the KMC loses. If the KMC wins, great, Kingston is probably out of power for the time being.

rolled 18, 34 = 52

>>16056021
Your name fell off.

>>16056021
>>16055914
Name disappeared again.

These were me.

rolled 96, 1 = 97

>>16056021

Nuclear Launch Detected!

>>16056086

What is with the dice, tonight?

rolled 6, 50 = 56

>>16056128

Gremlins wreaking havoc in the /tg/ dice.

To quote a battletech description of gremlins:

>"Ammo load error? What does that even mean? This is a WOLFHOUND!"

>>16056086
>CATASTROPHIC SUCCESS
>CATASTROPHIC FAILURE
FUCK YEAH ZERG QUEST!

>>16055944
Over Umoja, Confederate forces fight and die to defend their fellow man. Scourge pummel the battlecruisers while our mantalisks prove themselves incredibly adept at fighting wraiths (a tactic Warbrate has perfected is to latch onto the craft with its tail, slice off the windows with its fins and devour the pilot). The panicked Umojan populace is treated to an apocalyptic display as its would-be rescuers' remains burn up in the atmosphere, producing thousands of shooting stars. Their fear is palpable to Kerrigan's incoming overlords, full of ground troops for the next stage of her invasion. The battle in the sky is nearly over; the battle for the planet begins now. Kerrigan thanks us for our help, and tells us she's certain she can subdue the forces planetside on her own. We begin mopping up the remaining Confederate ships.

Over Tarsonis, the Morian fleet finds itself in a bind, as the Confederate defense grid has managed to cut it into several groups, rather than a united front. It almost looks like the battle might come to a standstill until a series of missiles wind their way into the system. The invading fleet pulls away from the targets as best it can, but many of its ships end up in the blast zones.

We once again curse our inaccuracy with these missiles, though we are happy that we still seem to destroy more of Tarsonis' forces than Moria's. After firing a couple of salvos, we stop. The battle continues apace, but the confusion has allowed Moria to regroup (even if it has been weakened), and the grid crumbles. Moria's forces are battered, but not broken. We detect a call for terms on an open frequency.

Umoja and Tarsonis have both fallen.

(That's about as perfect a stopping point as they come. If Zerg Quest were a TV show, this is where the season finale would end)

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16053713/

(As usual, one big event spiraled into something way bigger than it was going to be. Way to go!)

>>16056306
We promised Kingston that we would see Tarsonis burn; we need to have Warbrate immediately take a look at the strategic disposition of Confederate and Morian assets, and see if we can now initiate a full invasion on the two weakened sides.

>>16056409
I expect lively debate over this idea next week.

>>16056409
No no no! What we need to do is get an orange, write TARSONIS on it, then roast it and eat it.
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