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The distant sounds of drones echoes from beyond the doors of the negotiation chamber within your grand Hive ship as the human standing before your drone shifts under your gaze. Your speaker chitters as it hoists itself up and folds its hind legs together into a bipedal stance with several loud cracks of chittin. “Your representative is not needed.”

“I assure you, it's a matter of mutual convenience.” Morgan says. “To prevent misunderstandings and-”

“The Hive has one.” Your speaker says. “A better one.” Morgan looks back to the others in momentary confusion as a door flexes open across the chamber and Lee walks through as it flexes shut behind him, sealing out the sounds if distant hive drones throughout the ship's countless halls.

“Hello.” Lee says quickly as he gives a short wave. “It looks like you're in the middle of something. Don't mind me.” He adds as your speaker leans in closer to Morgan.

“Humans have involved themselves in the Hive's affairs. You are fortunate we choose to allow it.”

Welcome back to Hive Queen Quest!

>Archives http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Hive%20Queen%20Quest
>Twitter https://twitter.com/HiveQueenQuest
>Various pasta http://pastebin.com/u/QuestDrone
>FAQ ask.fm/QuestDrone
>Discussion page http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest_talk:Hive_Queen_Quest
>>
>>48528217
>QUICKLY SERVERS, WHAT ARE THE CHEEKIENESS OF THE HIVE?
>OVER 9000 DRONESSSS!
>>
>>48528217
>“Humans have involved themselves in the Hive's affairs. You are fortunate we choose to allow it.”
That sounded vaguely threatening.
>>
>>48528217
“Hello.” Lee says quickly as he gives a short wave. “It looks like you're in the middle of something. Don't mind me.” He adds as your speaker leans in closer to Morgan.
“Humans have involved themselves in the Hive's affairs. You are fortunate we choose to allow it.”
Spoopy
>>
>>48528257
That's the point.
>>
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>>48528217
>“Hello.” Lee says quickly as he gives a short wave.
>>
>>48528217
>“It looks like you're in the middle of something. Don't mind me.” He adds as your speaker leans in closer to Morgan.
Lee's bashful aw-shucks-itude works in our cheeky favor. The level of 'well don't worry the speaker's just got a few extra arms but the Hive's alright once you stop being a dick' adds a huge amount of spoopy to the table.
>>
>>48528296
Good cop bad cop, and the good cop isn't a bug. I like it.
>>
>>48528217
>your speaker leans in closer to Morgan.
>ofw
>>
>>48528217
Well I guess we can now get to the business of releasing the captives
>>
>>48528328
>Bitch I will fucking cut you
>>
>>48528464
Should that be now, or after major concessions?
>>
>>48528480
we should get the shit first, so we know they won't dick us over.
>>
>>48528480
Definitely after. Did we remember to remove their parasites?
>>
>>48528464
Probably after they mention Lyle or the lab.
>>
>>48528468
She'll do much worse than that.
>>
>>48528464
>>48528480
Probably wait a bit until we get to the diplomacy part of negotiations. It seems that they've more or less caved to our demands. Since they have no other option, really.

Once we're done demanding, we can get the nice friendly stuff done.
>>
>>48528217
Morgan keeps his gaze on your drone, and your drone matches it with its unblinking eyes as the other humans stare at Lee as he looks uneasily between Morgan and your drone.

"I mean, they have a point. You... we, the Union just sorta started stomping around their ancestral territory digging up the graves of their old friends and started systematically doing every single thing wrong that could be done wrong. When I was found injured and bleeding, they helped me, gave me water, and carried me back to camp. When it was flipped, and we thought we were the technological superiors, we, well you, I was tricked into participating, but you sent an agent to attack them and kidnap their drones!" Lee says as he leans over from behind your drone.

"And placed human nukes in orbit." Your speaker chirps.

"Yea, and-" Lee catches himself. "They put nukes in orbit?" He says to your drone, then turns quickly back to Morgan. "What the hell?"

cont.
>>
>>48528520
>"Yea, and-" Lee catches himself. "They put nukes in orbit?" He says to your drone, then turns quickly back to Morgan. "What the hell?"

THIS SASS, HOW DO WE KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT?
>>
>>48528520
Lee takes a quick breath as he continues to speak. "Look, what I'm saying is, they went out of their way to help me any the Clark crew when they had no need to. We then turned around and were just terrible to them because you guys thought they couldn't do anything about it. Well they can do things about it, but so far have managed to restrain themselves while they watched you bang the giant evil alien bomb against a wall in their own back yard." Lee almost looses his footing as he leans around your drone, his foot squeaking loudly against the floor. He quickly looks around and pulls out a seat before looking back to your drone and the humans.

"You guys want to take a seat? I'm gonna just take a seat." He says and slides into a chitinous chair. Your drone and Morgan continue to hold their locked gaze for a moment longer before he gives your drone a courteous smile.

"I don't mind if I do." He says.

>Demand all of the expanse be abandoned by the Union
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>Demand specific systems in the Expanse (write in)
>Only demand the artifacts
>Other
>>
>>48528520
>"Yea, and-" Lee catches himself. "They put nukes in orbit?" He says to your drone, then turns quickly back to Morgan. "What the hell?"
Can our speakers make this kind of face? Because I want them to make this face right now.
>>
>>48528520
"oh yea, i wonder what would happen if i released black box protocol to the public."
>>
>>48528538
We're a Mother of course.
>>
>>48528520
>"Yea, and-" Lee catches himself. "They put nukes in orbit?" He says to your drone, then turns quickly back to Morgan. "What the hell?"

wait, did Lee legitimately NOT know about the nukes in orbit?
>>
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>>48528520
I'm just giggling like a retard at everything in this post, this is even better than I was expecting.
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
Under joint governance, of course.
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand all of the expanse be abandoned by the Union
>>
>>48528558
Guess not. We never told him, AFAIK.

It's cool, he's rolling with it.
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
If this is too unfavorable to the Union, maybe just a few buffer systems between our own developed colonies and theirs.
>>
>>48528547
That doesn't seem very meaningful
>>
>>48528562
You mean under hive governance. That's what releasing it to us means.

See, this will let the Union keep people there that they THINK will be spying on us, but they basically can't spy on anything important, because all our walls are living flesh cameras so we know where they are at all times.
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
We could do with a human population. If we can make a few scientists or inventors out of them they could help compensate with the Hive's difficulties with inventing new technologies.
>>
>>48528558
Of course not. We never told him.

>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose

They won't agree, but we can bully down from a high haggle
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>Demand the return of ALL artifacts.
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose

Propose it as a mutual defense treaty. Say that, due to human actions, they will be attacked and the only way they will be able to survive is if the hive mobilizes extremely rapidly. Explain that we may have been hiding before, but that human actions destroyed all subtlety that could be had. Imply the alternate to allowing our full occupation of the expanse region is a full scale invasion.
>>
>>48528542
kek
how awkward
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose under protection and control of the Hive
>Demand that the Union recognizes the sovereignty of the entity known as Theseus/Union
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose

>>48528562
No, joint governance implies the Union will have a say. If the Union decided to do something retarded, we would be forced by the agreement to at least work with them on it.

No, it should be our sovereign territory. We answer or make deals with nobody on it. Split ownership is how you get shit like the Gaza Strip or West Bank.
>>
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>>48528217
Uh.... are we not getting a sense of Morgan's emotional state through the moderate relays out the ass that we have?

We should be able to passively sense his emotions and general intentions behind his completely and utterly stoic poker face, shouldn't we?
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
>>
>>48528542
>>48528520
Are we still going to give them the report card?
>>
>>48528542
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
We can also allow an open border policy and a trade arrangements with the human settlements for at least a few years to help lessen the sting
>>
Looks like we're going to have to look at either letting those planets govern themselves, or we'll need to work on setting up a government ourselves.
>>
What planets are meant by the Expanse? I thought most of them were not settled.
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose

Also, right, we have to quickly surprise attack the Valen right after this meeting so we can keep their half finished hypergate as a research subject!

If we give them time to abandon the planet that shit will be dismantled or destroyed.

We will become best frenemies.
>>
>>48528542
>>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
Humans themselves are not the threat, and some continued integration will be good for our relations. After all, we've got no problem with the Commonwealth so far.

If they hesitate at all, suggest that we could offer our services in communicating a desire for a peace treaty to Theseus and acting as mediators if desired. If they're gonna give up the Expanse, they could at least be assured that they could negotiate a scenario where Theseus wouldn't railgunning them while based beyond our borders.

If they still hesitate, make an offhand complaint that the Commonwealth has been far more cooperative. They'd get that message.
>>
By the way, every human remaining in the expanse will be under our rule. They can stay, but we are the authority, period. Our house, our territory, our rules.
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>>48528542
>Demand all of the expanse be abandoned by the Union
We need those resources
>>
>>48528626
>everybody gets a parasite.
>>
>>48528615
We should actually, yeah. Maybe it hasn't been relevant yet.
>>
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>>48528617
Yes. Remember Kissinger's grade
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>>48528615
Good point, we're using the ambassador drone here right?

>>48528599
I wouldn't be down with forming a mutual defense treaty with them. The commonwealth would be a much more reliable partner for defense and we're already running joint military ventures with them.
>>
>>48528615
Of course, but so far it's mostly been you chewing him out for almost killing everything ever, so his emotional state has been at a baseline of "oh boy we really fucked up this time."
>>
>>48528542
>Demand all of the expanse be abandoned by the Union
And negotiate down to.
>Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose
Or
>Demand specific systems in the Expanse (write in)
Djin, darwin, desmond and any planets that we know belonged to the hive queens of old.
Can we ask the scarred queen what planets she knew belonged to other queens?
>>
>>48528632
Each major quest number has an updated territory map.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48440181/images/1469401251554.png
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>>48528665
GOOD.
>>
>>48528665
Good, nice to see we're getting through to him alright.
>>
>>48528665
hahahah nice.
>>
>>48528635
Don't make it sound like we're totalitarian psychos just waiting to commit genocide because of a filing error now.
>>
>>48528665
Excellent.
>>
>>48528715
You are right we ARE willing to commit genocide over IDIOTS almost letting Cthullu and hastur rape the universe
>>
>>48528715
What, you're not looking for the Union to fuck up hard enough to justify starting a space war?
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>>48528749
Look, there's going to be a space war even if we don't start it, because the Black Queen is going to show up.
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>>48528744
I'm not that upset honestly, we let it happen after all. I'm all for acting upset so we can grab the expanse without contest though. If we have to fight them off every planet it would be annoying.
>>
>>48528744
No we aren't. We aren't going to kill innocent people because some dude they never met was an idiot.

>>48528749
No? We have actual problems to deal with, remember?
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>>48528542
Why not both?
Half the expanse and the artifacts.
>>
>>48528715
We aren't going to genocide them, and we can make that clear.

Leaving shit like "Who is the ultimate ruler of this territory?" as a grey area is just asking for things like the Hundred Years War to happen.

Also, we shouldn't link all these humans to the hive mind. We should appoint leaders favorable to us and acceptable to them and let them govern themselves... provided they fulfill any objectives and obey any rules we make. We will just issue the orders, the governors of each planet/settlement will get it done in ways acceptable to humans.

Make no mistake, though. They will be our humans.
>>
After this diplomatic meeting should be keep our Citadel in orbit until their leaders come to a decision? Keep it there as an ominous looming threat that promises destruction if they try anything.
>>
>>48528765
Yeah, so let's not waste our resources blowing up the apes when we could have them help blow up the Obsidian Queen too.

Our mother didn't die so that we could throw it all away to spite some monkeys.
>>
>>48528769
Actually, I take that back. I want an excuse for a space-war. People are whining too much about innocents and that kind of nonsense.
>>
>>48528678
I hope Morgan overreacts when we demand the entire expanse just so we can say "Don't worry, this is a small payment. Besides, if we added all the rest ancestral systems we'd have to include earth."
>>
>>48528778
Not advocating making it a grey area at all anon, I'm just saying you're coming on super strong. It was already obvious we'd be the only authority there once they'd leave.
>>
>>48528786
Sorry if it was unclear but I don't want a space war versus humans.
>>
>>48528778
Oh boy, I'm so excited. Mother is finally going to be adopting a big mass of humans. They'll be OUR planets, too, which means we could roll out unfathomable bio-medical tech to massively improve quality of life as a show of good will.
>>
>>48528786
The commonwealth is still there, and we can clone the humans even if they aren't.
>>
>>48528788
We've got a damn space war, we're already actively at war with the Obsidian Queen and the Scavengers, and it's going to get worse before it gets better now that the void gods have their eye on us.
>>
>>48528542
If we "Demand the Union release the Expanse to the Hive, but allow those living there to stay if they choose" (which I already voted for) can we please leave this open to negotiation so that even if the Union feels like they're being strongarmed (which they are) we allow Morgan to save some face and not just give us everything we're asking for (which would weaken his administration).
>>
>>48528786
>let's not waste our resources blowing up the apes when we could have them help blow up the Obsidian Queen too.
>Implying having the union fight OQ won't lead to her having shields and everything else.
The humans cannot interfere in our war.
>>
>>48528808
If we live to do it!

We've got enough of a power jump on the Union that I think we're forgetting that *our entire species aside from us* is either dead or driven mad by the void gods, and the final battle is still coming.
>>
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>>48528786
>help blow up the Obsidian Queen

>putting reverse-engineerable human tech anywhere fucking near an enemy hive

We can't convince the humans to self-destruct their own ships as easily as we can our own drones you realize, to deny salvage.

Fuck having humans help, hive space is too distant from their own, they probably won't dare to spread themselves that thin, and we ain't giving them a faster FTL drive just for that.
>>
>>48528818
These aren't public negotiations.

He can go back and say that he saved the world from a huge galactic misunderstanding and is the hero of everything if he wants. Not like anyone will know.
>>
>>48528818
We can return prisoners from the Hope!

>>48528830
They're going to need to defend themselves. We can't let OQ win any engagements with the humans, however.
>>
>>48528830
We can't guarantee that.
>>
>>48528830
>>48528836
She's undoubtedly already working on it.
>>
>>48528796
>Don't want space war versus humans
Do even know about half the terror weapons we've saved up that we've never had a chance to use? I'm not even talking about just the bioweapons either, there's also the psionic warfare we've never tried, like the nausea field. Don't you want the chance to see what they're capable of just once?
>>
>>48528836
>>48528830
Then at least let's not weaken ourselves by losing anything to the humans. We'd probably win, but we'd be weaker for the near future, not stronger.

And if the Union actually aligned with any of the void god servants, they could cause us a serious problem at the wrong time.
>>
>>48528858
We'll be able to use them against the Ceph and auntie.

We actually should mention Auntie to the Union. She's kind of a big deal?
>>
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>>48528855
>undoubtedly
>>
>>48528855
She needs samples to work on it. We couldn't invent shields ex nihilo, we needed data. She has about as much data and samples as the ancient Earth PS3 had games.

>>48528852
We can minimize it and not give her MORE opportunities than she already will take.
>>
>>48528842
They are already gonna put a lot of money into building anti hive defenses since we just jumped on their capital planet and gave a lot of people heart attacks.
>>
>>48528879
Good, I hope it pays off for them, because all it takes for a hive to wipe out the humans is one single super-AIDS strain.
>>
It's useful for the Union needs to think we're willing to go to war over this, and we'd do it if we had to, but we don't actually want to fight a war against them right now. It'd be a perfect time for the OQ to attack. Hell, right now would be a perfect time for the OQ to attack.
>>
>>48528818
Nigga u wut? This is gunboat diplomacy, the entire point is they will give us what we want, or we will take it. And we have casus belli to do so.
>>
>>48528858
We still have the scavs.
>>
>>48528869
The Ceph live in water on a planet that doesn't exist in space, and the OQ will counter any bio tech we throw at her. The humans are the only faction upon which our techniques will have any effect.
>>
Basically, we do not want a war with the Union, so stop asking for it. Sure we can posture at them right now, but that's only posturing.

We don't want humans to go full Ceph. We don't want Theseus to turn on us. We don't want to waste resources on fighting a faction that could be a valuable ally.
>>
>>48528891
>OQ attacking

That reminds me. The forest moon at Refuge is the perfect place for the new psionic towers.

Because the debris field around the Refuge system blocks the G-sensors, as well as impedes blinking into the system itself. So psionic towers are the only way to get forewarning about OQ blinking into that system at its edge.

And she does so very want that forest moon.

Really, we need one psi tower in every star system, as the first infrastructure we create when we land. Maybe we can convince the humans to let us build one such tower in each system, for 'space observation'.
>>
>>48528895
Who live in space. Infectious agents can't really cross the void between ships.
>>
>>48528869
Agreed.
We need to mention that in their ignorance they have made themselves vulnerable to attack and that they may face hostile forces soon (a prelude to brokering peace between them and the commonwealth). While they may have been attacked anyway due to the OQ scouts we noticed, the humans don't need to know that. We need to separate ourselves from the "evil" hive now and clearly.
>>
>>48528895
They are in space. They're intrinsically all military and all spacefaring. Bioweapons are useless against people wearing vacuum sealed suits.
>>
>>48528894

>B-But anon! We need to be nice! I like humans! W-We must protect the innocent!
- Dove anons
>>
>>48528891
All we need to take their planets over is to touchdown on them. After that it would be pretty much over.
>>
>>48528921
Fuck that, the Union is the ideal target for a war, and they've definitely earned it after all the shit they pulled. Technically we wouldn't even have initiated the conflict, we'd just be backing up the only group of humans we actually like, the Commonwealth.
>>
>>48528858
Yes ohh yes I want to see the horrors our arsenal will cause on them, but we should wait. Not just yet anon its not yet time, as another anon pointed out there is the scavs to deal with, and OQ. I do support taking most of the expanse and the artifacts via diplomacy or otherwise.
>>
>>48528946
I hear the innocent are what spores love to grow on most.
>>
>>48528921
>We don't want Theseus to turn on us.
We won't be exterminating the humans, we take as much territory as possible and make bio weapons for wolds we can't, and if those worlds fall we can give the antidote to anyone alive and give the surviving humans to Theseus.
>>
>>48528946
The doves wouldn't be so annoying if we weren't so hostile to the Union just a little earlier in the quest.
>>
>>48528921
>We don't want a war
I do. Sorry to break it to you.
>>
>>48528946
We're likely about to adopt entire planets worth of humans, those ones can be the ones we protect and turn their worlds into beautiful garden worlds for.
>>
>>48528921
There's war and then there's war. It's not like genocide is productive or anything. Just a little conquest for their own protection, from themselves and from outside threats.
>>
>>48528952
>the Union is the ideal target for a war
No they're not. There's nothing to gain there.

>and they've definitely earned it after all the shit they pulled.
Irrelevant. Wars aren't fought over personal grudges. Especially not when we're already in a bigger war.
>>
>>48528952
>Fuck that, the Union is the ideal target for a war
Compared to the Obsidian Queen?

I think you're missing the big picture here.
>>
>>48528929
thats a good idea, maybe build a small set of drone hives too for scouting
>>
>>48528957
>>48528975
There we go, here is a middle-ground I'll like.
>>
>>48528976
Or We could support the Commonwealth and let them do the conquering. Open warfare with the Union is dumb as hell.
>>
>>48528979
Besides tech and resources.
>>
>>48528982
The thing is they're so small compared to her fleets and armies. And keep in mind I'm not talking about a war of total annihilation here, I'm talking about a quick and violent border war fought on the very edges of the Union's territory, the expanse.
>>
>>48528979
>There's nothing to gain

>implying spreading metal trees' roots through their planets' crusts won't boost productivity by an order of magnitude
>implying mantle mining won't boost even beyond that
>implying we don't need huge gainz to prep to protect the humans from Auntie and worse threats
>implying whole cities crop-dusted with hive spores and transformed into horrifying death fields as the newly living landscape itself turns on the inhabitants isn't fun as fuck
>>
>>48528979
Not that anon but
>No they're not. There's nothing to gain there.
Except a lot of worlds we can use and a lot of humans we can give to Theseus for favors.
>Wars aren't fought over personal grudges.
>What is the history of humanity.
>>
>>48528975
What a waste of resources
>>
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>>48529016
>>implying whole cities crop-dusted with hive spores and transformed into horrifying death fields as the newly living landscape itself turns on the inhabitants isn't fun as fuck
Oh god would it ever be.
>>
>>48529026
Plus I mean. This can be both a grudge AND pragmatically productive. For their own good and the good of all inhabitants of this sector of space not named OQ.
>>
>warfags get us to actually declare war on the Union
>OQ and Scavs immediately attack us in two different places back home
>three-front war
>then the Ceph show up on the void god's orders

nooooope
>>
>>48529016
This guy gets it.

I'm not saying myself we should take down their civilization, but I'll be looking for excuses to kill them or run them off of worlds.
>>
>>48529009
We can get all that tech without war, and have already gotten most of it.

We have plenty of unexploited space, we don't need a hyperspecific part of space just because there's a bunch of humans there.

>>48529026
The wars of history were basically always about resources. Emotional outbursts are very rarely their cause, and never the sole one.
>>
>>48529036
We're benevolent bugs, anon, and we have no shortage of resources.
Not to mention doing so would really boost our image to the humans on the planets we'll be taking control of, not to mention our image to outside races and empires.
>>
>>48529002
I do like this plan, but we should take atleast half of the expanse for now, leave the union for after we kill oq and or void dicks.
>>48529016
See anon I also like this idea combinded with this >>48529042
but I dont think its quiet time for it...wait for the enemy count to go from drop a bit before we open up another war.
>>
Guys, can we at least agree to take all we can from them diplomatically before deciding on wiping them from the face of the universe or not?

I mean, I'm not AGAINST it, but one thing at a time, please.
>>
>>48529016
Save it until after we've eaten the Expanse at least. Why fight humans when there's still empty worlds. After we've filled the Expanse if we still want to dine on monkey we can.
>>
>>48529057
That guy doesn't get shit. He's basically in a store with 200 identical sandwiches and saying he wants exactly that sandwich which was already taken instead of the other 199, and is willing to pay ten times the price for it.
>>
>>48529060
Were at war with eldritch gods who killed off the rest of our species

And you want to waste resources on a bunch of chaotic monkeys?
>>
>>48529056
Fronts don't actually matter as much in space also we have the Commonwealth to help us.
>>
>>48529092
>deliberately ignoring the benefits of being seen as benevolent galactic protectors
>>
>>48529092
Fighting a war against them right now would also be wasting resources.
>>
>>48529072
>leave the union for after we kill oq and or void dicks.
The quest will be pretty much over then. Besides, if we go to war with the Union, we can form an alliance with Commonwealth where we're both mutually obligated to aid each other in wars, and thus secure their aid in our war with the OQ.
>>
>>48529081
>exactly that sandwich which was already taken instead of the other 199

No, it's basically saying, I want all 200 sandwiches.

Which is the most effective method, as every sandwich is magically transformed into a ship fleet, and you have a relative who has 201 ship fleets nearby.
>>
>>48529095
...That's totally out of character and will probably piss off all of our allies.
>>
>>48529074
The Expanse is a must, and if they refuse to give it, the practical answer is to take it.

>>48529081
We don't have as many planets open to us as you think. Actually I need to check to see if the new systems have been scouted yet, that's what we have been waiting on.
>>
>>48529104
Logistics isn't as bad, but even with our fancy FTL tech we still can't be in two places at once.
>>
>>48529111
It would be an investment of resources, technically, with a payoff in more resources.

The payoff of good PR is just slightly less tangible.
>>
>>48529121
Take the 199 first and then use the combined might of your sandwich arsenal to take the last one. Gotta do it in order, or you choke on your sandwiches.
>>
>>48529110
That's never gonna happen until we actually genetically brainwash them.

>>48529114
We already have more or less that alliance for one case, no need to go to war with the Union to expand it to OQ.

>>48529121
>I want all 200 sandwiches.
Well you can't get them, you can't fit them all in your pocket.
>>
>>48528217
Kill jester
>>
>>48529095
>Do not worry human, you will be improved by some time in the tank! Fix lacking things like non-redundant organs!
>WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE A MOUTH LEADING INTO THE VOID
>The Lee suggested this, is that wrong?
>>
>>48529110
>>48529111
Not saying fight them

Saying not do this stupid paradise world thing that anon wanted to do for the humies

Who the fuck going to think were protectors after we showed up with enough ships to glass this whole system? they are probably screaming blood murder
>>
>>48529125
He didn't say IMMEDIATELY before!

Give it time.
>>
>>48529125
I wouldn't take his post seriously.
>>
>>48529111
We can steal resources from their planets with ease to fuel our war efforts.
>>
>>48529143
We've gotten several humans in person strongly on our side, and one major human faction is on early but good terms with us as a competent enemy-of-my-enemy. They also still have tech we don't. It's a good thing.
>>
>>48528542
Morgan takes a seat across from Lee, staring intently at him with obvious suspicion. Lee casts his eyes to his hands, fiddling his fingers as he tries to scoot his seat along the floor until the chair quickly walks itself forward.

"Oh, thanks." Lee says, briefly meeting Morgan's harsh gaze before averting his eyes again.

"So, what was your name again?" Morgan asks. You can tell he recognizes him perfectly fine.

"Ryan Lee." Lee quickly says. "I was on the Clarke, and was the first to make contact with the Hive. We met when I received that promotion when you and the rest of the council decided to hang me out like laundry so your could have your crazy cyborg quite literally kick the anthill for no apparent reason other than you're all jackasses." He says. Morgan looks ever so slightly shocked.

"I thought you were supposed to be playing the good cop here." He says.

"Well that part is a bit personal for me, and I'm still a bit raw over it." Lee replies. You detect the faintest hint of a talgoan accent in one of the words, slipping from his otherwise calm, neutral inflection for less than a second. He seems to notice it after the fact and looks down to his hands again.

Your drone steps over the table, dropping to a squat stance beside Lee as your drone leans over the table.

"The Hive has seen enough to know the humans cannot be trusted so close to the artifacts. The region you call the Expanse, it must not be allowed to remain under human control."

"What?" Morgan says. "You can't be serious."

cont.
>>
>>48529128
I mean all but two of those systems are known-claimed anyway.

And if those two have any valuable planets at all, they WILL be Scav-claimed.

One way or another, to gain planets, you must take them from someone else.
>>
>>48529136
Not really we can just trade resources for stuff like labor the only reason people want a war is to satisfy thier murder boners
>>
>>48529166
Anon...
Those humans strongly on our side are allbrainwashed...
>>
>>48529153
The fact that we didn't glass the whole system.
>>
>>48529143
Tell that to Vaughn.
>>
>>48529166
We aren't on good terms with the Commonwealth. We are allies in a war where they need us, but there hasn't been enough contact to have meaningful relations past that military alliance.
>>
Guys, I'm worried that some of us are actually buying our own hype here. We're still the underdogs in the fight against the assholes that murdered our mother and basically our entire species. We don't have the biggest dick in the galaxy- just the biggest one in Gemini right now.
>>
>>48529182
yeah were extorting them with force

That will really go down well with the public
>>
>>48529143
>our pockets are actually bags of holding sewn into the pants
>>
>>48529180
We didn't brainwash Elizabeth or Lee. Especially not Lee.
>>
>>48529204
That's the point, I think. We know we don't have the biggest dick in the galaxy, but between everybody negotiating here it's the biggest.
>>
>>48529173
"The Hive wishes to know if it's behavior seems at all analogous to the human habit of appearing nonsensical for the purposes of entertainment called 'joking'. Because the Hive can assure it is not."
>>
>>48529173
NAME DROP EARTH AS ANCESTRAL LAND!
Then settle for most of the expanse.
>>
>>48529205
Which is what the show of benevolence to those under our leadership is for.
>>
>>48529234
I think He's talking about the playerbase getting a big head
>>
>>48529234
>>48529204
Guys, please. We're a queen. We don't have a dick at all, don't be so crass.
>>
>>48529204
We have more ships than either the Union or Commonwealth.

http://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answer/132284612645
>>
>>48528678
>Demand all of the expanse be abandoned by the Union
>>
>>48529242
very nice.
>>
>>48529204
No, we know for certain that we are a seriously tiny moth in a room filled with bug zappers.

Unfortunately, to grow bigger we need to pick on the people we can outmuscle. It's sort of mean, and undoubtedly a dick move, but that's how every powerful nation formed.
>>
>>48529229
You're right about Lee, but Elizabeth doesn't even consider herself human.
>>
>>48529261
The biggest clit? I don't think she even has a clit though.
>>
>>48529272
Jumps from current character too much
>>
>>48529268
Yeah and that'd be great if they were actually the relevant threat.
>>
>>48529173
>Lee casts his eyes to his hands, fiddling his fingers as he tries to scoot his seat along the floor until the chair quickly walks itself forward.
Now that is some convenient seating right there.
>>
>>48529268
So what? They aren't who we are at war with.
>>
>>48529261
Ovipositor then.

>>48529274
Orrrr, we could pick on the even-easier-to-outmuscle empty planets first. Then have more muscle for outmuscleing.
>>
>>48529307
The Queen has the best thrones.
Nothing like those lying thieving parasitic scavs.
>>
>>48529253
The fuck are you going on about?

You remember some of the factions inside the union remember?

Anti alien, pro alien, conquistadors, hippies etc?
We just scared the shit out of the public and displayed we can pretty much kill them all

Every war and military affiliated faction going to get a boost cause peons are shitting their pants right now
>>
>>48529307
Hah, I'd totally missed that.
>>
>>48529173
"Why should the Hive joke? You staged your war with the Commonwealth because you believed their preexisting conflict offered them no choice to surrender on the chance that they would face a two front war. You then proceeded to piss of three additional interstellar civilizations with your recklessness. The shoe certainly pinches on the other foot, doesn't it?"
>>
>>48529331
Well, it's also a big blow to the establishment. Lee is alive, and the Union was experimenting on him, and the Union's secret experiments on both its own citizens and alien artifacts are fucking things up for humans. This isn't as one-sided as if we'd just shown up and glassed a planet.
>>
>>48529320
Well, yeah.

I am not the one saying declare war on them right now or anything. That's some other dude. But bullying them out of as much as we can diplomatically right now is fine. Then we settle in, consolidate, go full tyranid and strip everything we can... and then when we have used up all the easily accessible resources we have then we can consider going to war for more. If we need to. If we haven't found better places to expand.

Really, this is all in the future. Right now we are trying to shove the humans away from all those doomsday button artifacts and get resources at the same time.
>>
>>48529360
Works for me.
>>
>>48529331
Who gives a shit about them? I'm talking Commonwealth, Valen, our own soon to be human population so we don't get fucking insurrectionist movements that cause havoc planetside.
>>
>>48529179
Human mining is inefficient. They don't even have nanomachines, son.

Their markets won't have the sheer Metals quantities that we could extract ourselves, and have way more overhead. The humans would be using so much of what they mined themselves, selling to other buyers, rather than giving us a monopoly, as conquest gives us.
>>
>>48529360
Yeah, it's difficult to separate the long term from the short term plans in this thread, but I want this encounter to go peacefully and go full space war on their settlements in the Expanse later.
>>
>>48529352
You think these leaders operate like the hive?

There just going to be replaced since they have other people in their parties that take over and have similar agendas

We just gave the military and security factions a gift from gods

Some of the shadow council will take the fall but they can be replaced
>>
>>48529393
Well if you're just counting metals, nanomachines pick up lesser quantities, they basically mop up the place, they don't produce the biggest amounts. And any inefficiency isn't actually spending the metals, it's spending nutrients if you want to term it that way.
>>
>>48529338
This is good.

>>48529360
This also makes sense, although I think we probably won't want to betray them and go full Tyranid if only for no other reason than that it will cause our allies to doubt our intentions.

We can offer a carrot and stick approach. Say (possibly) that we can defend against Theseus and "other" non-human threats against severe consequences if they don't comply.
>>
>>48529413
But the balance of power between the parties could shift between the parties, and I think you're only looking at the xenophobia angle.

What is going to happen in Union politics and the balance of power when it's known that Lee is alive, and that the Union was fucking experimenting on him?
>>
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>>48529405
Yeah, we can space war later, when we dwarf their forces even more than we do now.

...Although we kinda HAVE to space war now with the Valen, if we want that hypergate intact within the next 24 hours. Valen fucking love surprise attacks nobody sees coming after all.
>>
>>48529173
"The humans are not the first to enter this space. The Hive existed in the Expanse long before humans settled the region. They have always been the Hive's worlds. We have allowed their use, but that was a mistake." Morgan leans forward on his hands, propping himself up from his seat.

"There are millions of people already living there! The first wave of the expanse has already spent billions of credits establishing colonies on habitable worlds, you can't just tell entire families to leave!"

"They may stay, but the Union must go." Your speaker chirps.

"And abandon millions in the process? Because you claim, that after all this time of our habitation, that you somehow have claim to them?"

>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
>Reduce your demand to "just" certain systems in the Expanse (write in)
>Other (write in)
>>
>>48529413
We can continue our infestation of the leadership if things take a sour turn in the vote.

>>48529433
Are you really defending that guy who said "Other people only disagree with me because murderboners?" Really both of you should have ignored him.
>>
>>48529173
Calm down human we obviously can't have a foreign power moving it's military as it pleases in hive space and our dominance of traditional will mean most of the resources your colonies gather will be going to the hive anyway since humans seem to have an adversion to war the hive believes this to be the most beneficial out come
>>
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>>48529450
Very good point. Before a space war with the Union we must have our space war with the Valen. Looks like its time to nuke the whales everyone.
>>
>>48529450
>Not giving the valen a deal they can't refuse.
>>
>>48529433
>nanomachines pick up lesser quantities
Wut.

In the current abstracted crunch, smart mines double metals income vs lacking smart mines.
>Smart Mines active: Calculates development stat twice for metal income
>>
>>48529468
mention >>48529338 We are willing to transfer some of the inhabited systems to the Custody of the Commonwealth if they so wish. We believe they can be trusted.
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal

>>48529471
Murderboners are very turgid in this thread, anon, you shouldn't underestimate them.
>>
>>48529468

>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
>>
>>48529433
No, it's human society and economy that's inefficient, vs mindless hive communism.
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal

"The humans have no choice. Be thankful we continue to fix your problems."
>>
>>48529468
>mention earth belonging to the hive

MAXIMUM CHEEKYDRIVE
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
"The hive is very old"
>Reduce your demand to "just" certain systems in the Expanse (write in) same as the last, Djin, Darwin, Desmond and any planets we know belonged to the old queens.
>>
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>>48529485
>>
>>48529486
Prove it. Show me how many times the development stat was used before.

Oh, and that's just the crunch, anyway. We already saw that the humans make 100 times more nutrients on one of their worlds than we do if you go by pure crunch. You need to think about it in a more common sense way.
>>
>>48529468
"They will be well taken care of. We do not wish to harm the humans. But you have shown bad faith time and again, and we have learned well from this. We will concede the ancient territory you call Earth to your dominion and not lay claim to it, but our territory in the Expanse will be reclaimed."
>>
>>48529500
>>48529502
>>48529509
>>48529512
>>48529514

You guys know he's gonna get pissed at that and probably walk away, right? What are you hoping for from this course of action?

>>Reduce your demand to "just" certain systems in the Expanse (The planets we know belong to the old queens.

Also mention that we'll mostly leave them alone and support them well. It's just we don't want the military.
>>
>>48529439
Yeah and he shows up with an army of scary space bugs that came with enough ships to burn half the union down?

a lot of people will think he is a traitor who sold out his species

What parties do you think will benefit from that thought going though the population after there leader say we are taking over the expanse by threatening them

>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal

Negotiate hard then
>>
>>48529468
"The hive had claims on these planets while the humans were still crawling from the Oceans,"
>>
>>48529544
Your dubs can't stop me, and Its because we need to show him we KNOW everything. He is powerless here and he has to understand that.
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
"Really, the human have been terrible tenants. You've damaged the fixtures and left an enormous mess. It's a bit much to expect your deposit back, yes?"

Show of hands: Should revealing that the Hive had a hand in human evolution even be on the table. Yea or nay.
>>
>>48529544
>walk away
He can't afford to walk away. He still has a lot he wants to know and get.
>>
>>48529552
Technically not billions of years, less than a million or so. Although if you want to lie go for it.
>>
>>48529544
Walk away to where? He's in our capital ship.
>>
>>48529544
If he walks away we take the systems it is that simple
>>
>>48529550
Good point. We need to really spell it out for the monkeys just how much older and superior we are to them and how generous we really are being in response to their tremendous fuckup.
>>
>>48529468
>>Reduce your demand to "just" certain systems in the Expanse (write in)
Dagmar, New Port, Juric, Desmond, Telarum Sentinel Wayward Hope
>>
>>48529544
Nah, he can't. I mean, he can, but he can't actually accomplish anything with it.
>>
>>48529468
>>Other (write in)
Draw some Skyl runes, then show the Esperanto translation of them: 'we own this shit'.

Yes, we had claim, geez.
>>
>>48529562
Nay.
They either wouldn't believe it and find us untrustworthy, or flip their collective shit and cause endless chaos.
Or both.
>>
>>48529468
>Other (we will allow union trade ships to interact with human settlements but the union will not be allowed to have a force in hive space anymore
>>
>>48529544
You can't walk away from a fleet in position to wipe out most of your race.
>>
>>48529562
>Show of hands: Should revealing that the Hive had a hand in human evolution even be on the table. Yea or nay.
The would likely not even believe us in these circumstances and think we were bluffing. That card will have to be used at another time, when we can get something from it.
>>
>>48529605
Well, more like, wipe out most of your politicians, considering the planet we're over...
>>
>>48529601
it will be both.
>>48529606
Has the right idea.
>>48529590
Are those all the systems we have hidden colonys on? I forgot which ones we had em all on
>>
>>48529567
And our mother's genetic tinkering with the apes was around 50,000 years ago, IIRC.
>>
>>48529567
Dude our mother Literally genetically evolved humans to not be able detect Tacheyons
>>
>>48529575
Do we have an edge over humanity tech-wise here?
>>
>>48529597
Smart, I like this.
>>
>>48529468
>>48529496
this seems like maximum cheek.
>>
>>48529630
Goddammit retardanon how are you so consistently bad at this quest.
>>
>>48529630
Yeah, but not that long ago comparatively.
>>
>>48529468
>"There are millions of people already living there! The first wave of the expanse has already spent billions of credits establishing colonies on habitable worlds, you can't just tell entire families to leave!"
Roughly 200k by the pastebin actually.
>>
>>48529631
Yes.
>>
>>48529468
Backing this>>48529597
Do not reveal the Hive's involvement with human evolution.
>>
>>48529631
A very notable tech edge.
>>
>>48529631
Dude, our tech is leagues above theirs now.
>>
>>48529627
Its basically everything but the one system they actually have signifigant population on.
>>
>>48529468
>Mention Earth as belonging to the Hive, and that only the Expanse is a good deal
>Other (write in)

Fine, the humans can keep their stupid human government if they so wish. However, we must have full use and monitoring of all planets in the expanse. At once.
>>
>>48529496
Supporting this too.
>>
I really don't think he's gonna bend, guys. So what do we do when he says no? Just as a thought exercise. Do we kill him outright? Let him leave then attempt to raze the planet? We need to at least know a worst-case scenario response.
>>
>>48529678
No.
>>
>>48529590
There is no way we're leaving Tannhauser in the hands of the Chosen People.
>>
>>48529647
Really? This is pretty useful, actually.

QD, is this accurate? Can we call Morgan's "bluff" here?
>>
>>48529631
Boy we have such an edge it'd make Gillette R&D fall to their knees at weep.
>>
>>48529691
Let him leave and take the expanse by force.

Besides, he's a diplomat is he not? He doesn't get to make the big decisions, only relay our terms to those who do.
>>
>>48529702
Please do.
>>
>>48529691
He might not, but we can just take them.

That said, I agree, we are coming on REALLY strong here. Which I like. But we need some sort of carrot to go with the stick.

>>48529647
Neat. Call him on his lie.
>>
>>48529691
We could threaten full disclosure of the full list of Killinger's sins, with proof. Killinger would rather lose the Expanse than lose both it and the Union.
>>
>>48529647
>200k
That's a decent number. By space numbers though, it's not much to go to war over.

>>48529678
Why would you even tell them we would be monitoring if we let them have everything? And what, they allow us to? Come off it.

>>48529691
Leave him and blow up all human owned forces in the Expanse.
>>
>>48529647
Alright, we have got to mention this.
>>
>>48529691
Then we remind him that this is for human safety as well as ours. That while the blood of war will be on his hands, it is better than the dangers of the alternative of letting them keep access to such dangers.
>>
>>48529702
>>48529468

Yeah
>>
>>48529739
Ugh.

Because you get things like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the Hundred Years War when you do that.
>>
>>48529739
Another anon here. They can self-govern within their settlements of course, but the outside Union government doesn't get to have any authority there.
>>
>>48529729
>That's a decent number. By space numbers though, it's not much to go to war over.
That's a pretty good reason to tell him that then.

>Why would you even tell them we would be monitoring if we let them have everything? And what, they allow us to? Come off it.
As far as they know we could have just asked Theseus for census information, and everybody knows the Unity could access that information.

>Leave him and blow up all human owned forces in the Expanse.
Actually agree with this entirely. Display our position of strength and they'd be forced back to the table.
>>
>>48529739
It won't actually sweeten the deal much on their end, it will remain as sour.

Also we would have to continue to deal with their bureaucratic nonsense, "oh no this area isn't zoned for giant pulsing alien flesh buildings," "your mantle mining is making the earth move," "stop flying into people's bedrooms at night," it would never end.
>>
>>48529691
I think we should say that we are really protecting the expanse. Mention that the Union meddling is likely to get their ass invaded and that if they want allies against potentially overwhelming enemy forces that's what we'll give them. We can also imply we'll give them biotech (in limited amounts) if anons agree to that. How's that for a carrot?

>>48529726
Killinger hasn't won the King bill yet. Morgan is technically at least as powerful as Killinger if I understand Union politics correctly. He may not give a shit about Killinger compared with the importance of the entire Union or himself.
>>
>>48528217
Drat, I keep missing the beginnings of these installments. Time to shotgun the last 3 threads. I need to check /tg/ more frequently.
>>
>>48529772
Actually I just saw the anon who posted that we should threaten to spill Union government secrets and I agree with him. We should do that first. It would be more in character.

After further threats don't work, then we move on to take what we want by force.
>>
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>>48529806
>not checking twitter
>>
Also, I would like to mention how war has historically worked:

>You and your neighbor dispute a claim to land.
>You argue over it.
>Eventually you hit an impasse.
>Go to war.
>One side is clearly superior.
>Meet again and the losing side concedes the land.

If he walks we go blow shit up until we get a transmission that they want to talk again.
>>
>>48529739
These settlers came with profit in mind

You think there gonna be happy when we take over the resources and leave them in small enclaves?
>>
>>48529468
Mention that the Humans do not have the naval capacity to defend the Expanse from the Great Betrayer, whose fleets are already scouting this region. They do not negotiate, and you do NOT want to see the full capability of a Hive military fleet.
>>
>>48529824
Perhaps I need to get into that.
>>
>>48529806
TLDR is that the Cortez crew have been taken by the Valen and are under interrogation, our clones in New Tokyo are meeting with the underground, and we made a fun entrance over Union Space and are in the process of taking the Expanse without fighting a war.
>>
>>48529597
Add this to>>48529527
>>
>>48529825
Yeah i understand that

I just don't understand why so many anons are under the delusion that the union population will support us after we do this

I mean fuck the valen are going to be wary of us like hell and what the hell are the commonwealth going to think after this land grab
>>
>>48529850
I just leave it open in a tab and look at it once in a while.
>>
>>48529825
If he walks he can remain a hostage for his "safety" and we blow up all the picket fleet and anti-orbital defenses on the planet. Then we tell him we'll start glassing cities unless he agrees to the concessions.
>>
>>48529468
I'm entirety willing to compromise. Anons are being fucking dumb
>>
>>48529858
Yeah, going to war and taking shit always makes diplomacy harder.

But in the end, diplomacy is based on power and need. As long as we have power and others have needs, they will deal with us. As long as they deal with us, we can improve relations with them and smooth things over after the fact.
>>
>>48529468
"The territory of the Hive expands far beyond the Expanse, including the system of your Earth. Limiting ourselves to the Expanse is a great act of generosity."

You sense anger seeth somewhere deep in Morgan's mind. A cold, violent hate, a sensation of spite without direction that is quickly muffled.

"The humans who choose to stay will be cared for and may continue to live as before, but we will protect the ancient relics that have brought this danger upon us all. It is clear you cannot be trusted with them." Your drone says. "The Hive has existed in this region of space long before humans left their Earth." Lee nods quickly.

"They've been around a long time." He says. "Besides, there's like, a few hundred thousand on the expanse total. It wouldn't be all that hard to relocate them, and it's not at all that bad living in the Hive. It's more or less the Green and Rhino policies mixed together, but they actually work and without the taxes.

"Yes." Your drone says in agreement. "The Hive will care for any who wish to stay." Morgan's mind flashes with anger again, an almost familiar anger, felt only from Lyle until now.

"And I assume the main reason you brought this fleet here is to display the alternative to your 'generous offer.'" He says. "You think mankind will roll over and just give up those systems. Even if we hand them over, the locals won't accept it."

"They may leave if they wish." Your drone says. The statement seems to wound him deeply.

"You clearly didn't study us long enough."

>Walk back your demand (write in)
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
>Threaten with an ultimatum (write in)
>Other

Oh god I'm having a hard time keeping up with the thread, sorry it's slowing me down.
>>
Here is a reminder that since we have been seen by the void god we can look at that hidden memory one of our thinker has.
>>
>>48529858
>what the hell are the commonwealth going to think after this land grab

>"Looks like we were right, we better stay on their good side. Wise! Get me a drink!"
>>
>>48529876
No we let him leave and we take this fleet and burn down that union stronghold in the expanse

>Threaten with an ultimatum
All in, we cant pussy out now after this stunt we pulled
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government and due remember... somebody stopped the destruction of your whole race, and it sure wasn't the ones who decided to stick there iron organs into the unfertlized soil.
>>
>>48529901
forgot to link
>>48529886
for this
>Threaten with an ultimatum
All in, we cant pussy out now after this stunt we pulled
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
If it's too much to ask, then
>Walk back your demand (write in)
We'll ask for specific systems instead of the entire expanse.
>Other
At the very least, they WILL give us their artifacts.
>>
>>48529886
>>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
Now he needs to take this back to the people with the shared authority to make this decision.
>>
>>48529886
>>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
>>
>>48529886
And you have not studied us at all.

>>Threaten with an ultimatum (write in)
Three days.

Oh, and leave the Canderon mining star drills behind, if you would.
>>
>>48529886
>>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
>>
>>48529917
>and it sure wasn't the ones who decided to stick there iron organs into the unfertlized soil.
This sounds vaguely lewd.

Speaking of which, whatever happened to that anon writing the follow up to the last lewd pastebin? We're waiting on that man.
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
>Walk back your demand (write in)

The choice is not entirely his to make. Mention the pressing threat of the Obsidian Queen.

We shouldn't be pressing so hard if we want to later cooperate militarily with them, and we will HAVE to, unless you guys want auntie to pick apart their technology and have us completely lose our tech advantage.
>>
>>48529886
It would be unfortunate if, while the Hive was here, the population were notified of the
>Experiments on the other aliens
>Experiments on Humans
>Smiths
>Inciting war against the Commonwealth
>Truth behind the Moon
>Truth about the condition of Earth

Please add.
>>
>>48529886
>>Threaten with an ultimatum (write in)
The arid world will be first. It is ours tomorrow, one way or another.

...Cuz we kinda have to move on the Valen hypergate now, before this whole negotiation leaks to them. Since they are so indebted to the Valen, they may end up telling some of them.
>>
>>48529955
We have tech the Union is still dreaming about, anon.
>>
>>48529883
Agreed. We can compromise while still being scary as fuck and getting a whole bunch. But I digress, Anons will be Anons afterall.

>>48529886
>Walk back your demand (write in)
Perhaps not. We require those systems or at least access to them and their resources that are not restricted by your government. What would you propose that would make this a reality. We are willing to negotiate with reasonable, rational, adults, which you have so far not acted as.
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
He's totally not thinkign about all the OPPORTUNITY here! Cheer him up a bit! We can like, trade stuff and tech with each other! And broker peace with the Unity!
>>
>>48529941
>Three days.
Jesus anon, three days is like 9 threads.
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
He might be intractable, but a government works to preserve itself over all else. He will be overruled and sent back with concessions.

We really should try to provide a carrot to go with this massive stick we are jamming up their asses. I am not sure what they would want that we would be willing to provide, though... so solicit suggestions from him.

Agree that we are still somewhat lacking in understanding humans, and ask what he things would be adequate to help balm the sting of what we must do here. Phrase it like that, something we MUST do, because of how they have been acting.

Hell, we can even say that we would be willing to restore these territories to humanity in time, if they can prove responsible with them. I mean, we won't. But we can SAY it.
>>
>>48529960
Only problem is the government can spin it into 'an aggressive alien race is spreading vicious propaganda to divide and conquer us.'
>>
>>48529969
Not bad a response.
>>
>>48529970
I don't care about the union, and I don't care the humans in general.

But a bunch of our technological advantage against the Obsidian Queen comes from the Humans. If Auntie decides to go to war on us, she will find the humans (she has found them already) and she WILL do the same thing we have done with the humans' tech. If the Black Queen manages to do that, we will lose our technological advantage against her.

I'm not sure how much more clear I can be on this.
>>
>>48529850
I just use it for quests. It's pretty handy.
>>
>>48529886
>Threaten with an ultimatum (write in)
"You assume i don't want to go to war with the union."
Maybe give him a touch of nausea for emphasis.
>Walk back your demand (write in)
Just Djin, darwin and desmond.
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government.
>>48529941
I like the time limit, supporting.
>>
>>48529886
>>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
Attention has been drawn to the region. If the hive does not acquire ownership, soon another will seek it.
>>
>>48529960
These became void the moment we made official contact with a huge ass war fleet and demanded planet from them

We just replace theuses as the scariest alien race
>>
>>48530000
The threats are worth something. It's better to try then issue an ultimatum.

>>48529886
>>48529960
>Other
We can send these messages to the other governments, like the commonwealth and Valen as well.


We have been sticking our mandibles into the Human business this long so we can come up with stuff like this, now is the time to use it!
>>
>>48530014
Be as clear as you want, doesn't change the fact that a good majority of our research is of our own design. Offshoots of offshoots.
>>
>>48529985
I agree. We really need to solicit suggestions on a carrot from him. We don't want to irrepairably piss them off at least at this early stage. We need to make Morgan think he has at least some small power here and we aren't just imposing terms. He strongly reacts against the impression of slavery or us forcing concessions from him. Let's show we can be reasonable even when we are in a position of absolute power.
>>
>>48529985
Agreeing with this. We need SOMETHING to make them think we're not just greedy space bugs, even if we are.
>>
>>48529886
I think we should walk back our demands this is fucking stupid. Ask for the less populated system
>>
CRUMBLING DOWN CRUMBLING DOWN CRUMBLING DOWN

IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING
>>
>>48529960
Don't forget the attempted assassination of Alder, the Green party leader. Although that may be covered under:
">Inciting war against the Commonwealth"
>>
>>48530020
You know, this might be a really good route to take.

Tell them that we are just the first ones to come running after what they have stuck their hands into. Get him out of "cold anger" mode and back into "oh shit we fucked up" mode. Let him understand that there are a lot of big fish out there that are about to rip off his head and shit down his throat, and we're the best deal the Union, and the human race in general, can get.
>>
With all this talk about carrots and sticks maybe it is time to offer immortality? Or maybe cybernetics and food?
>>
>>48529886
>Other not at all human we made you we now your every thought and motion you are the remains of an ancient curiosity that has grown in to a liability do you think your self mighty we could trade ship for ship solder for solder citizen for citizen and we would recuperate in a matter of days we have fought gods for millina and survived we fear no mortal
>>
>>48529886

>>48529985
I agree with this, QD, we need to add some carrot. It's a good idea to ask him.
>>
>>48529886
>Threaten with an ultimatum (write in)
"On the contrary, we have studied you more than enough. We outstrip your Union in production, in numbers, in technology. The fleet around you now is the product of three months efforts by a single world. We do not demand this of humanity for pleasure, nor profit. We demand it because you have forced our hand. Events have been set in motion that cannot be stopped, and the eyes of the enemy rest now not only on the humans whose reach exceeds their grasp, but on the Hive which caught your failure before destruction fell. We have no choice but to accelerate. Our failure will mean your death as well."
>>
>>48529886
"Purchasing would also be acceptable. How does immortality sound?
>>
>>48529886
Sounds like generic HFY response.
And then all bugs died the end :(
>>
You know, we haven't heard much from auntie lately.
>>
>>48530060
Maybe show him aunt's huge amount of ships, or maybe our mothers on her last stand?
Or maybe mention that the void god can move through space?
>>
>>48530069
Or, we could just point out there is an even bigger stick out there. >>48530060
>>
>>48529886
Not budging on the Expanse. Just because 10k humans plant a flag in some dirt doesn't mean we should walk away.

>>48530020
This as well. We aren't taking the planets because we hate freedom or something,
>>
>>48529886
>Give him time to discuss the demands with the Government
"And you have no idea what you have awoken. What we do must be done, because you have and continue to threaten to destroy us all. Now we must prepare for an invasion. You are lucky they will likely have to go through us to get to you.

We can still be a great boon to you. We have gifts to give. But your foolishness has forced our first meeting to be an unpleasant one."

>>48529960
This, we've still got lots of leverage against the leaders that we're not using.

>>48530063
We do need to start offering carrots. The damn humans are starting to get proud and defiant again, and it's not even the end of our first meeting.

>>48530075
I like it.
>>
Please, guys, let's do SOMETHING to show we're reasonable. Ask him what he wants. We can be scary space bugs while at the same time not being evil, nonsensical invaders. Don't play into the stereotype. We need some of the expanse, but if we aren't going to take all of it we need some guarentee the Union won't do stupid stuff with what they still have. How will they insure that (ask him).
>>
>>48530088
I think she's preparing to attack the Union now that she's discovered them
>>
>>48530095
How about we offer carrots to the rugged frontiersmen who will defy our claims, not to Morgan.
>>
>>48530020
This is smart. Agreeing. (I have made other suggestions in this thread, so this is just an addendum to whatever we ultimately decide to do).
>>
>>48530100
This. I don't want the entire expanse anyway
>>
>>48530092
Nah. They are already 100% sticked. We can't threaten them more than we already have.
>>
>>48530110
>she's discovered them
Anon. Those Thinkers never reported back. You are so bad at paying attention.
>>
>>48530100
>Ask him what he wants.
This is good.

We've stated out demands, but this can go two-way.

We can return the prisoners from Hope. We can offer them biomedical technology. We can ensure that the Unity attacks stop. We can have them meet the Skyl, if the Skyl wish to meet the Humans. We can help negotiate peace with the Commonwealth on better terms. We can offer protection against the Obsidian Queen and the Ceph.
>>
>>48530095
We don't want to offer anything they can replicate or use against us, but something like biological immortality should be very attractive and show us as at least willing to talk.

If a dog is backed into a corner it will bite. If you offer it a bit of food it will come to you, not even knowing about the poison pill you slipped into the meat.
>>
>>48530110
Boy, wouldn't that be a kick in the dick if an Obsidian Queen invasion force blinked right in on the other side of the system with our fleet parked right next to the planet?
>>
>>48530063
Absolutely no cybernetics. They don't do anything the civilian grade Union equivalent can't. The first thing the Union would probably try is slapping them on a Smith and sending it after us.
>>
>>48529886
"The Threat the humans unleashed Would Destroy this paltry fleet easily"
>>
>>48530100
Do the threat here>>48530018
Then show a hologram of the enemy that is beyond the expanse.
And finish with offering discounts for trade, A LOT of trade.
>>
>>48530117
I like it, but we have to avoid a shooting war with the Union first. Then we can make life amazing for a few hundred thousand humans while harvesting the Expanse.
>>
>>48530100
To late for that

We literally showed up with a giant fleet in their capital system after they saw us and the unity blowup a union black ops lab

These guys were already getting ready for war with the commonwealth and then we show up

We have them against the wall but a trapped animal will fight with every it has

The moment we demanded the expanse the discussion ended
>>
>>48530130
It's more like

"you think this is a stick? This is actually a really tasty carrot once you get past the texture. Now THAT over there, that's a stick."
>>
>>48530159
>after they saw us and the unity blowup a union black ops lab
You phrase it like they didn't also see the extra-dimensional horror that grew out of it and took out a server ship.
>>
>>48530160
Doesn't matter. They are already at about the limit of what they'll be able to swallow.
>>
>>48530159
Nah, we can still offer immortality in exchange for the Expanse. That's got a nice ring to it.

And no scheming politician would turn down the chance for immortality.
>>
He needs to understand that we NEED the planets if we are to stand a chance against the coming threat.

The human fleets might be hot shit, but they cannot fight a war of attrition against the OQ. She will drown them in bodies. We are the only ones that stand a chance and we need those planets to get resources from.

After the war is over, we can discuss returning the planets.
>>
>>48530174
Two server ships i think.
>>
>>48530186
It would be weird to offer the Union this before we warm up to the Admiralty enough to offer it to one of them...
>>
I kinda like this immortality idea. It might actually shock Morgan out of his anger again.

And if Morgan goes back to the Union elites mad, that assessment is going to carry over.
>>
>>48530206
That is a good point, we haven't even offered it to our allies yet, and immortality is pretty fucking big.
>>
>>48530186
Not yet no. We should hold onto that little tidbit until we start talking about trade, otherwise we look like we're trying to wage economic war on the Union by sinking their anit aging industry while stealing their territory.
>>
>>48530198
No, it was one.

Also pls no immortality. Not blowing that load already.
>>
>>48530206
This, so much. The Commonwealth get the first digs at all the neat stuff we can offer humanity, they are the only faction of them we currently like.
>>
>>48530206
It's an offer in exchange for a fuckhuge chunk of territory. We could also demand a cessation of hostilities towards Theseus, which is mostly already included in giving up the Expanse, but this would make it official.

What will the Commonwealth give us?

>>48530224
Well, Theseus and Heretic are immortal already. And the Commonwealth aren't really allies. We'll trade with them for it though, just like we would be with the Union.
>>
>>48530224
Extended life, then.

I mean...
>I plan to live forever, of course, but barring that I'd settle for a couple thousand years. Even five hundred would be pretty nice.
>CEO Nwabudike Morgan, Morganlink 3D-Vision Interview
>>
>>48530174
If you were the man in charge of intelligence how many people would you trust enough to tell about the existence of eldritch horrors?

>>48530186
Only a pol with a death wish after his voters find out that he sold planets to the scary bugs who just invaded

>>48530193
There not going to believe us, what do we have that can be used as proof that they would accept and not believe it is just bullshit?
>>
>>48530237
Sorry to break it to you, but I don't like them.
>>
>>48530249
Oh damn this is coming full circle, QD even used Morgan's portrait in Neville's introduction.
>>
>>48530252
The ones that matter.
>>
>>48529886

"And I assume the main reason you brought this fleet here is to display the alternative to your 'generous offer.'" He says.
And here we thought putting dangerous weapons over people's heads were how humans said hello
>>
>>48530252
>Only a pol with a death wish after his voters find out that he sold planets to the scary bugs who just invaded
Planets they don't live on. In exchange for life-extension treatments.

What would you vote for? I'd take the deal.
>>
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>>48530257
That is funny.
>>
>>48530070
Kinda like this one desu. Put a sense of urgency to it beyond just being a pushy dick.
>>
>>48530262
ayy
>>
>>48530244
>Not clearly preferring the Commonwealth over the Union
Anon think about this. The Commonwealth we actually have a decent chance of setting up an actual functioning relationship with, as long as we treat them like friends. The Union will hate us no matter what we do after this meeting, and nothing, not even an incursion of Void Gods will change that.
>>
>>48530262
>And here we thought putting dangerous weapons over people's heads were how humans said hello
LOL. I like it. This isn't a beginning of hostilities, it's a continuation.

>>48530249
>>48530257
This is too perfect. We can't not offer Morgan at least life-extension treatments now.
>>
>>48530255
>Not liking Magnus and co
>Not at least treating him better than Killinger
What fucking quest have you been playing?
>>
>>48530070
The phrasing here is nice, but I don't think an ultimatum is the correct thing to do here. Let them negotiate.
>>
>>48530271
I would want kill the bastard for be a traitorous piece of shit who sold us out
>>
>>48530306
Maybe they love FREEDOM.
>>
>>48529886
"And you have not studied the Hive at all." You reply. "Please return this information to your thinkers. Once the transfer of systems is agreed to, we may discuss matters of mutual benefit."

"And if the others refuse?" He says.

"The worlds belong to the Hive regardless." Your speaker says. "We will await your answer." Morgan stands, knocking the chair back as he does. He looks to Lee with disgust, a sense of betrayal billowing up within him. Lee catches the sensation relayed from your mind and snaps his gaze up to meet him in the eye.

"That's how I felt." Lee says. The emotions within Morgan's mind become cloudy, unsure, a fog of dismay and frustration that holds no direction or target. He turns to leave, the would-be representative eagerly rushing to leave with the marines. "This isn't a time for pride to take the lead here. It's a matter of survival, just just for humans, but everyone." Lee says. Morgan stops at the door for just a moment.

"I know a lot about survival." He says. "You did what you had to do. I respect that at least. I'll bring your proposition to the Parliament when I return. You can make your case for it tomorrow if you want." He closes his eyes, and you catch a flash of an image. A memory, flashing across the top of his mind of a shallow grave dug in sun baked, irradiated soil. Shattered, sun stained domes dot the horizon as the heat makes the air shimmer like water. The image is gone in a moment, and he looks back to Lee.

"I want you to be right about your new masters here. I already know you're right about us, but you need to make the argument in person. If it's you, maybe enough people will listen." He says, and walks away, the door flexing shut behind him. Lee sits in silence next to your drone for some time as the sounds of the shuttle departing send distant thumps along the hull. He turns to your drone.

"So if they say no..." He asks.

>Write in

Oh god this thread so fast. I actually can't keep up.
>>
>>48530304
I've never played the game you've been referencing, but I feel compelled to tell you that in this context that would be a terrible idea.
>>
>>48530317
>Oh god this thread so fast. I actually can't keep up.
ISN'T IT GREAT?
>>
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>>48530255
>Damn it Wise, I told you we shouldn't have given them that honey just because they're giant space bugs!
>>
>>48530317
Negotations continue. They make a counter-offer, and we consider it.
>>
>>48530292
>The Union will hate us no matter what we do after this meeting, and nothing, not even an incursion of Void Gods will change that.
Eh, we still have too much leverage over the Union leadership to simply consider them enemies.

The Union can still paint this as an amicable exchange.

Also we're not giving anything away for free, regardless. Not even with Theseus did we do that. We'll give the Commonwealth anything they want as soon as they can give us something worthwhile too. Maybe tech? They have at least a few toys we don't yet, IIRC. Their psionic cannon research, if they still have it?
>>
>>48530317
"We'll deal with the situation."
>>
>>48530317
Sorry Lee, it's war if it comes to that.
>>
>>48530317
We will secure Aral first. The most populated planets last. They will have plenty of time to realize their error.
>>
>>48530317
Fuck this is going to be bad...

They were already in the mood for fighting...

There just going to change the target to us dammit

And they are in the right in this too
>>
>>48530345
Exactly
>>
>>48530317
>>Write in
Just no the hive does what it needs to survive the coming storm. All life is now in jeopardy, forces you cannot control nor comprehend are coming.
>>
>>48530345
I agree
>>
It sounds like they're still giving us a chance to make our case.
>>
>>48530359
Wait, I thought that was the diplomat speaking, not Lee.
Dammit I'm too tired to think.
>>
>>48530311
LOL, no you wouldn't. Sold "you" out? You don't live in the Expanse. Hardly anyone does. Imagine trading Antarctica for immortality treatments. What good is Antarctica? I'd want to kill you myself if you were the one standing in the way of that deal.
>>
>>48530345
Yeah, this.
>>
>>48530317
"We negotiate."

"We wage Politics."
>>
>>48530317
>>48530345
This
>>
>>48530345
I suppose this is the best way to salvage things
>>
>>48530317
Then we'll be reverse engineering how to mine Canderon within the week. A fair tradeoff.
>>
>>48530317
>We need those systems to protect and defend the humans. Without them the OQ will overwhelm our forces, destroy the Union, and shortly thereafter destroy all humans. We desire no war with the Union, but those resources are of critical importance to the survival of free life.


>>48530353
From their perspective (at least from the public) they were getting attacked by the Commonwealth. From the leader's perspectives they were attacking a weakened longtime enemy who was fighting a war on another front. Fighting a superior alien power is another ballgame entirely.
>>
>>48530317
"We will take the Expanse, because if we do not then they will keep after the void until it consumes them. But we will not harm the people there. We will let them live as they wish, and protect them as part of our hive. If they wish to leave, we will let them. We do not wish evil upon humans, despite all that has happened. There are far worse things in this universe that we must deal with."
>>
>>48530317
Is it too late for our diplomat to psionically transmit visions to Morgan? If so show him very brief snippets of THEM and the conflicts they raised among the Skyl and the Ceph. Of the worlds they purged and consumed and of the crusades that swept across the stars. And then tell him one more time as he's walking out that what he meddles with puts us all in grave danger.
>>
>>48530317
Then it will be their own doing.
>>
>>48530345
What he said. Fucking isuits backing us into a corner
>>
>>48530317
>To Lee
"Humans have wild ambitions, ambitions that set them against eachother and those who could be friends to the Humans. If the Union wishes to evolve, it must see what is rather than what could be."
>>
>>48530381
Wow i don't live in Hawaii, so should i be happy to have the Japanese take them after attacking us during WW2?

It really is that simple, no one who believes in there country would be ok if shit like this happens

They would want to kill the bastard who allowed this
>>
>>48530435
He's out of imprinting range, it requires line of sight, and it only works with simple ideas.
>>
They don't want the Expanse because they have a puny number of people living there, they want it because that's what humans do, they explore and try to find new things and hope for a better future.

We can shut down that angle entirely, or we can redirect it to something more productive.
>>
>>48530317
We claim what we need to grow strong, for their own protection and ours.
>>
>>48530345
Yeah, this. We can bribe the shit out of them, etc, etc.

Even just getting them to concede to staying out of non-habited systems serves our purposes well enough.

Or passing a resolution that allows individual planets in the expanse decide for themselves with few barriers.
>>
Hey, what do people think about sending Lee and a few drones in shuttles down after Morgan. Just so they see we're trustworthy and probably won't start glassing their cities at a moment's notice.
>>
>>48530462
Well sure, because the Japs had already attacked by surprise without sending a declaration of war to the United States. We're doing things diplomatically, through the right channels.
>>
>>48530505
That's already seeming to be happening, they want Lee to talk in front of Parliament.
>>
>>48530508
No we are not doing diplomacy here

We just surprised them with a fuck huge fleet in their capital system and demanded by gunpoint that they hand over the expanse

We literally did a surprise attack here and once the population hears about our demands they will be screaming and wanting us dead and gone
>>
>>48530505
Not this very moment. When he shares our position, some asshole might do something stupid if it's right away. Give them a week and they would too. One day? Falls in the safest range of time.
>>
>>48530317
>"Then the union will lose more than Just the expanse"
>>
How about we open a Q&A session with their planet's citizens?
>>
>>48530562
This is not an attack. We did not kill anybody here.

What we did is enforce historical claims to the territory, and gave the Union a grace period to formally respond to it before we enforced it.
>>
>It will all be up to Lee, giving a speech in front of the entirety of the Union, with billions watching.
>He just wants to play wargames and paint his overpriced Tyranid army

That's our boy
>>
>>48530594
>FUCK OFF SPACE NIGGERS
>WE'RE FULL
And this is /pol/'s first contact with us. Many keks.
>>
>>48530562
Right. Diplomacy.
>>
>>48530594
>Hi, I'm The Hive, a massive eusocial alien hivemind. Ask me anything!
>>
>>48530562
I wouldn't say it's an attack, but then I'm biased.

We didn't bring the fleet to kill them if they don't do as we say, we brought it to forestall unfortunate violence on their part. Also because it was funny.
>>
>>48530345
Retard anon... What we have done is ALREADY an act of war. This fleet we have here right now could take the union over,
>>
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>>48530602
>WE FORGOT TO ASK FOR FIGURINES FOR LEE ALONG WITH THE PLANETS FOR MOTHER
>>
>>48530617
Least deadly war ever. Were all wars like this!
>>
>>48530317
"They will make a counter offer, and the Hive will consider it." You say.

"And if the counter offer is 'no'?"

"We will begin with Aral to secure its gate and the skyl artifacts, then secure the others. There will be time to evacuate, and the Hive will care for all who wish to stay." You reply. Lee lets out a long sigh.

"Right. I was never exactly a model citizen, and I certainly have every reason to hate the Union but... It just feels weird, you know?"

"No." You say. Lee scratches his head for a moment.

"I mean, it feels conflicting. Knowing other people of your own kind are the bad guys. I mean, what do you feel when you have to fight the other queen?" He asks. Your drone chitters as it claws at the table.

"Unbridled hatred."

"Oh." Lee says. "Well, I guess I'll go down and try to work things over tomorrow. I guess, I dunno, everyone seems to think I'm some pro-alien jesus figure or something. Guess I'll ham that up." He says as he leans back in his seat. "This just all feels surreal. You know?"

"I detect no spacetime anomalies." Your drone says with mild confusion.

"Alright, I know damn well you can read my mind. You're just trying to be a smart ass." Your drone is about to say something when Lee shoots it a quick glance.

"The Hive will wait for the Morgan to send his signal tomorrow." You say. "Inefficient human resting cycles are of importance for negotiations."

"Right, I'll be sure to get some sleep."
>>
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>>48530621
AAAAAAHHHHHH
>>
>>48530617
That's not him, he's too good at writing.

Also war and negotiations aren't mutually exclusive.
>>
>>48530596
So a mugging is alright if there no violence?

This literally a mugging

>>48530613
Yeah were threatening them with death

it is an attack man

>>48530617
Thank god, i thought i was the only anon who understood this
>>
>>48530621
We can make chitin-figurines for him.
>>
>>48530621
No, Lee can buy them while his visiting the senate. His a smart kid.

>>48530634
QD don't let us ever die ;-; you write good.
>>
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>>48530634
>"Unbridled hatred."
I guffawed.
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>>48530650
>Violating GW copyrights

You just know they'll summon the void gods on us for that.
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>>48530641
They attacked us first, multiple times.

What would you have suggested we do instead? Would that have been more likely to get us the Expanse and all the void shards?
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>>48530641
No we aren't. We didn't even directly threaten violence. All we did was make a claim. If you are that salty about making demands and not giving loads of free stuff to a power that has only been antagonistic to us so far, give it a rest.
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>>48530634
>"Right, I'll be sure to get some sleep."
META
E
T
A
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>>48530641
Listen.

The Japanese didn't really like when the black ships came either.

But shit happens.
>>
That feel when some anons understand how gunboat diplomacy and others think this is extreme.
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>>48530676
This. We didn't actually directly threaten them. There was no ultimatum. We almost did, though.
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>>48530700
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>>48530700
I just feel bad that it was necessary in the first place. Why couldn't you be more like the Commonwealth or Theseus, Union? Why you gotta be that way?
>>
Man, all those queued-up questions for David Kent from last week... so pent up.
>>
>>48530674
>>48530650

We can probably make the best Tyranid mini's this side of the universe...
>>
>>48530714
Extreme feels are Extreme.

>>48530722
Why do humans need to stick there dicks inside everything and then flail there arms when it bites it? While yes we.. did totally fucking threaten them we also gave them the CHANCE they never gave us.
>>
>>48530722
Because the Union is fucking with crystals, that's why.

>>48530727
Could somebody remind me who David Kent is?
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>>48530736
Well, considering we could probably actually make little tiny Tyranids that move across the board under their own power...
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>>48530675
Black-ops is deniable for a reason

>>48530676
>>48530703

We literally parked a fleet over the their planet

You know what a fleet means to the people facing it?

Death and destruction

And then we demand their planets

They will see this as a invasion cause we want their planets

We backed up our claim with the threat that we can kill them all

So of course this is an attack by a hostile alien race

I mean fuck just take your heads out of your ass and see how does our actions look from the other side will ya? Sure as fuck doesn't seem the actions of a trustworthy neighbor
>>
>>48530747
In the year 2300, wargamming changed.
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>>48530722
That really does sum up my feelings.

It's needed. If we really need to, we can genocide the entire human race and I will be behind it.

But Union, man, just let it go. This is why you can't have nice things. Stop sticking your fingers into all the pies and messing them up, and we will work with you.
>>
>>48530752
>We literally parked a fleet over the their planet
>You know what a fleet means to the people facing it?
>Death and destruction
Not necessarily, no. We never even activated any of their weapon mounts, this is just how the hive performs diplomacy.
>>
>>48530607
>>48530611

Snark aside >>48530594 isn't actually a terrible idea. It gives us an opportunity to seem both less threatening to the public and more threatening to the politicians. We could gain even more leverage by being incredibly blunt with the answers we don't want to give e.g. "Telling you what happened there could kill you" or "We are using the threat of revealing these dirty secrets to gain a negotiating advantage"

Plus it would be insanely cheeky.
>>
>>48530752
I agree. We (and Lee) need to STRONGLY show that we are reasonable and that we are taking these planets for the good of all species. We aren't being greedy, and we won't harm the humans living on the planets now. However, if we do not take them, there is an extremely good chance the entire Union will be wiped out man, woman, and child, for all the stupid stuff they've done.
>>
>>48530777
I'd be okay with that, Q&A with the hive mind. Oh god.
>>
>>48530772
Dude don't try to bullshit the implied threat away

This fleet means death and destruction to anyone who face it

We dont need to kill anyone to make the threat, we just have to show up with the fleet to make the point
>>
>>48530777
>"We are using the threat of revealing these dirty secrets to gain a negotiating advantage"
That's pushing it a bit too much.

Why haven't we told humanity of the thread of the betrayer yet? "Why haven't the hives been here for a while making it appear that the planets are uninhabited? Because the Great Betrayer killed them all. And killed the Skyl."

Heretic can vouch for us if they don't believe us.
>>
>>48530794
To clarify, I mean they'll be wiped out by the Void God and friends (Ceph, OQ, etc) if we are not allowed to "protect" them.
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>>48530808
Yeah, it's gunboat diplomacy.

What do you propose that we do differently than we have actually done? Maybe we'll end up doing it, if you make good suggestions.
>>
>>48530808
>We dont need to kill anyone to make the threat, we just have to show up with the fleet to make the point
Well, that's all we've done.
>>
>>48530809
Good call. We can show we're not a lone alien invader but that entire species have been literally wiped out by these Void Gods and their slaves. We probably shouldn't tell the whole Union (since it'll cause cultists to spring up everywhere), but a few messages to the right people high in government could be very valuable if we can back it up with concrete proof another alien intelligence backs us.
>>
>human weapons of mass destruction which has the ability to wipe out all bug civilization hovers over the bug capital
>lol >rocksmashing bugs >people
>bug ships capable of a decapitation strike on humanity arrives and opens communications
>FUCKING SPACE BUGS HOW DARE YOU??
Humans, man.
>>
I would like to ask a question to all the people who are thinking we are unfair:

When has the Union been nice to alien life? Ever?

When have they negotiated in good faith for the things they wanted? Ever?

Seems to me that the medicine they were giving out was bitter as fuck, and they just don't like the taste now that it's in their own mouth.
>>
>>48530745
>Could somebody remind me who David Kent is?
Underground resistance leader of the group that was looking for Lee.
>>
>>48530808
So what? That fleet is a pretty good indicator of how serious we are about this, do you think the humans would consider handing over all their crystals if we showed up in a corvette and just asked nicely? The fleet was necessary to make the Union understand OUR point of view on this matter, namely that it is a grave one which could spell the doom of all of us.
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>>48530858
Boy, I sure hope he's watching the news right now!
>>
So when are we going to tell the Commonwealth about this.
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>>48530861
So what? the whole how serious we are about this. kinda loses its meaning when WE AREN'T willing to follow through on the threat
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>>48530877
First thing next thread. We need to do this immediately, followed shortly thereafter by a meeting with Theseus and then Kent.
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>>48530871
>the news

>interplanetary communications blackout in effect
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>>48530845
>>48530850

I keked.

But, seriously, we can point out the blatant hypocrisy of their actions and then show we're much more reasonable by agreeing or offering to do "X" instead of just taking power because we can.
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>>48530877
Well, if we're going to control the Expanse we'd want the Commonwealth to acknowledge the claim too. But bringing them in at this point could complicate matters. If the Commonwealth recognizes our claim first, now there's more motive for the Union to hold back.

We could notify them of our demand, but request that they make no public statements about it until our negotiations with the Union are complete.
>>
>>48530772
>this is just how the hive performs diplomacy.
This is the first time we've strongarmed this hard, not even with the Commonwealth. Hell it'd be considered threatening if we moved ships into their borders, let a lone an entire battle-ready fleet literally within eye-sight of their capital

If nothing else, imagine how much damage we caused by cutting out all forms of radio transmissions to the entire continent, hell the physical effects of our ships porting in caused glass to break and cars to crash; we've already killed a whooooole lot of people, mostly civilians, even if it wasn't intentional.
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>>48530826
We should have sent just a few ships to make first contact at one of the union expanse worlds like we were supposed to do before nowhere happened

But nowhere happened and anons voted to go full psycho on the union, wont deny it could have worked if we just talked about the void shards

But we fucked up when we demanded the planets

We really fucked up

Killinger will have everyone rallying around the flag once they tell everyone what we demanded

We going to have to go to war for the expanse now

Gunboat diplomacy only works if the other side isn't able to fight

Looks like the union is still capable of fighting us
>>
>>48530895
You keep thinking the only reason we sent the Citadel was to threaten Gemini with an orbital bombardment. It was not.
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>>48530901
>then Kent

Is.... is this thread over?

Cuz I don't think it is. QD be writin' up a storm.
>>
>>48530918
>we've already killed a whooooole lot of people, mostly civilians, even if it wasn't intentional.
And now you are making shit up to justify your salt. Learn to recognize this threshold anon, so you may avoid it in future.
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>>48530895
Only if they call our bluff. I mean, we'd rather not have a war, but I don't think that we're bluffing when we say we will if we have to to stop the void crystal threat.

We'd rather not get into the same situation as Theseus is with respect to the Union, but we'll kill the monkeys if we have to.

>>48530922
>We should have sent just a few ships to make first contact at one of the union expanse worlds like we were supposed to do before nowhere happened

Why would they give up even the void crystals in that scenario, much less the Expanse?

You're not making your case here anon. Paint me a scenario where we get what we want.
>>
>>48530922
>Looks like the union is still capable of fighting us
Not really?
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>>48530922
I respectfully disagree with everything you posted.
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>>48530922
We can still possibly scale back our demands to making sure that the humans don't do any more stupid shit in the expanse or loot and desecrate the tombs of our allies and comrades.

We can still easily play this off as a miscommunication that is so common in first contact situations. We don't NEED to make this a situation where they have to give us everything we want or we kill them all.
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>>48530922
>Everything is shit because my narrative didn't win
k
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>>48530933
Well they're inferring a few car crashes in one city and the region around it were fatal.
>>
>>48530918
Those morons who were driving their electric hovercars manually instead of setting it to automatic were luddites who had it coming.
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>>48530923
Did i say that? at any point, no not orbital bombardment, Our fleet here alone is large enough to wipe out the union fleet, and still have enough to invade the rest of their worlds.
ANd its not the citadel that is so Threatening it is The Thousands of ships with it
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>>48530952
I missed that, where was it posted? Either way its not a big deal, we've basically caused as much damage as that meteor that hit Russia a couple years back. A couple people injured but only a few seriously.
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>>48530922
>we fucked up when we demanded the planets

We'll see. This quest has a lot of safety rails on it honestly.
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>>48530971
Jesus.

The lack of fucks that guy gives.

I am in awe.
>>
>>48530985
It's also fake / a joke IIRC.
>>
>>48530634
Elsewhere, your pods watch as Path fills its space with ships, and PDF forces patrol the streets in armored vehicles. Tanks mount themselves on wheeled legs on street corners and infantry troops scan ID cards at train stations. Several flies watch as a squad of heavily armed troops pat down a vibrantly dressed couple and drag away several raggedly dressed hobos as they each examine their data pads with grainy images of your two contacts and what look like police sketches of your clones.

Deep beneath the streets, in a dimly lit drainage canal your drones stand around the scarred man calling himself David Kent. Your clones examine him closely.

"I'd imagine you're wondering about the injuries. They're quite fresh, yes. I was leading the mission to rescue Lee from his prison, but they knew we were coming. I suspect my contact was compromised." He leans forward in his seat, lopsided with his cheap cybernetic leg and his missing arm, using his good arm to point out the burnt flesh across his face. "Plasma is a hell of a thing." He says. "Turned the arm to jelly. Had to lose the leg from the injuries. The face, well, it's a good reminder, I think. Either way, my search for our little martyr has already cost me an arm and a leg." He lets out a short laugh.

>Ask about why he wants Lee
>Ask about potentially providing augments (write in offer)
>Ask other (write in)

>>48530958
Honestly, in an age of automated cars, most people secretly think this but consider it rude to say. Either way, the crashes were largely from rubberneckers gazing into the sky as they were driving.
>>
>>48530990
I'd believe it. Russians are insane, man.
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>>48530971
Literally first thing.
>>48523245
>He quickly moves to the window and looks down to see several cars impacted together in a pile at an intersection as people gaze up at the sky as a growing sound of rolling thunder echoes across the city.
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>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee
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>>48530965
Look anon, let me be frank, you sound about as mad as I was when we openly revealed ourselves to the Union and displayed our cloaking abilities. And it took me a while but eventually I came to accept that I did not determine the outcome of such events. In the long run the quest will still run, regardless of what we may have lost. If the rest of the players voted to go one direction I thought was a bad one, who am I to eat them out for it. They had weighed the options and just come to a different conclusion than I had and I couldn't change that, but either way there was no point in getting wound up about it because QD was sure to make the experience a fun one. What I suppose I'm trying to is, the quest will continue regardless of how you feel, and chilling out and accepting that will only make the ride more fun.
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>>48530995
>>Ask about why he wants Lee
Ask about his political plans and why he's doing it.
>>
>>48530995
>offer to have the damage fixed in return we find out why he wants lee.
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>>48530995
>>Ask about why he wants Lee
It's his dreamy eyes right?
>>
>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee

Answers time. We can mention augments later. Maybe we can mention he may expect to see Lee on the television/internet soon once the inner-planetary information lockdown is up. Some interesting cryptic answer like that.
>>
>>48530995
>>Ask about why he wants Lee
>>Ask about potentially providing augments (write in offer)
>>
>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee
If his interests are aligned with ours we can disclose good information to him. He can be an inside source starting a grassroots rumor campaign about Lee and the nature of the... events on Gemini. That he doesn't know about yet. But we'll try to see if he's a good agent for the change we want to see first. We need to know his ultimate political goals.

>Ask about potentially providing augments (write in offer)
He's been friendly. On that basis alone we can offer protective and restorative augments. Legs, arms, extra heart, any face/eye damage, maybe armor if he wants it.
>>
>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee
Also wait, weren't there other questions submitted last time we talked to him at the end of a thread?
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>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee
>Ask about potentially providing augments (write in offer)
Just fix him up.
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>>48530995
Ask why he wants Lee.
Mention Lee is going to be planetside soon, just in case he knows about anyone who will try to kill our boy.

I mean, just sayin'. I don't want Lee to be shot.
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>>48531014
Not that guy, but I felt the same way about a few things
You're right about give and take though
This quest is generally willing to consider other ideas, but you still need to tell people when they are being little shits.
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>>48531014
Not mad about the decision mad about people That think that "We can be really clever send in a large fleet without intent to use it and try gunboat diplomacy" "Oh shit its not working let try and bullshit our way out of it and look weak for it" you know why gunboat diplomacy works? cause the person on the right side of the gun is supposed to be ready to pull the trigger.
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>>48531079
A show of force doesn't have to mean immediate genocide, dumbass. We can play this a bunch of different ways. You're getting stuck on this one point
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>>48531079
...But we are? We just don't want to pull it before they get a word in edgewise.
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>>48530995
>Ask about why he wants Lee
>Ask about potentially providing augments (write in offer)
Just heal him completely, for now.
>>
>>48531065
I just felt like there weren't any good suggested alternatives. The Union wouldn't respect us when we didn't have power, so we had to show we had power. IMO the purely peaceful diplomacy ship sailed when they used an official diplomatic mission headed by Lee to send a Smith to directly attack us.

So we show up and show we have power. The only thing I think we could have done differently is add a little more carrot to the stick.
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>>48531079
Nah you're just salty we didn't declare MEME-I MEAN SPACE WAR
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>>48531079
You must be misunderstanding half of the discussion posts then, the general mood is that we are ready to pull the trigger and are looking for things to negotiate to be nice/look nice.
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>>48531120
I don't think anyone was actually calling for an immediate orbital bombardment. Except that one actual SPACE WAR post that shows up occasionally.
>>
How are we going to tell them about the hives relations with the commonwealth?
>>
That feel when we're on page 7 again
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>>48531167
Depending on the situation, the fact that we've opened up diplomatic relations with the Commonwealth could either help or hurt our leverage in negotiations with the Union. I'm not really sure yet.
>>
>>48531178
I think QD just might have to start a third thread tonight.
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>>48531167
Probably best save that for after negotiations break down completely. It won't help.
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>>48531183
Nah, to close to six so he'll probably end it early.
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>>48531167
I was planning on it being a surprise if they ever actually tried going to war with us.
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>>48531199
The board is really slow this time of night so no worries really.
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>>48531014
Preach it brother! Thats what the game is all about!
>>
>>48530995
"But why? All this, just for some kid."

"Kid depends on where you are. If he grew up on Tarwin he'd have likely killed someone with his own two hands by now. If he lived on Gendrick he would have the option to become a knight by now. He was plenty old enough to join the Space Forces, and he was certainly man enough to survive on a hell world where so many others could not, hunted by machines and beset upon by wild beasts."

"That's a bit of embellishing you're doing."

"Yes." He replies. "But it is the story attached to him that makes him so powerful. We are, all of us, just stories. Some of those stories happened, some didn't, but they all make us who we are. They give us our skills, our insight, and our influence. The stories, the embellishments, they give Lee something not many people have. A story that other people believe in." He leans back, reaching up and pointing to some imaginary figure. "That's what I'm interested in. Something, or someone, with a story that's bigger than they are."

"But why?" Your clone asks. "You're still not answering the question."

"That, I'm sorry to say, is a matter of philosophy. You see, humanity cannot survive in its current state. We are stagnant, devolving. We live as cattle in a slaughterhouse of our own design, waiting for a blade that we sharped and hoisted ourselves to drop." He points to your clones and leans forward again. "We are committing suicide on a species wide level. You can blame it on the taidarens or the valen all you want but we're the ones pulling the trigger. People have lost the will to explore, to expand, to live wherever and however we can instead of huddling up in prisons in a cluster of systems we're scared to death to leave." He grabs his cane and limps to his feet. "I need Lee, because regardless of why he really joined the Space Forces, the people think he did it for adventure, to explore. And if they think that, it's good enough."
cont.
>>
>>48531210
Hot damn, he knows the power of narrative. We want this guy on our side within the Union. I think he could actually pull off that grassroots ideology/rumor campaign with the right support.

The fact that Lee is alive could either torpedo his narrative or make it spread like wildfire, depending on how it's handled. We're going to get Lee to be complicit in becoming a living legend for the good of humanity, even though he knows he's just an honest regular guy who just wants to play with expensive figurines.
>>
>>48531246
But anon, that is how all of the greatest myths and legends are born. Its also the one the common man relates to the most.
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>>48531256
I forget the proper saying, but it's something like, 'the man that does not wish to rule is often most deserving of it' or something.
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>>48531210
>People have lost the will to explore, to expand, to live wherever and however we can instead of huddling up in prisons in a cluster of systems we're scared to death to leave."

Haha, yeah, that's so ridiculous! Nothing to be afraid of out there in the black! If only humans just kept on keeping on on the frontier!
>>
>>48531272
The one who wants it the least, is the most deserving of it. Is the one i know of.
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>>48531246
>We want this guy on our side
In a sense, he's already against us. He wants humans to expand more.

But I'm sure adoption will change his tune.
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>>48531279
Well, to be fair the biggest problem we're all facing is outside of space entirely, rather than just farther out in it.
>>
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>>48531279
Haha! Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?
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>>48531210
Alright I am sold, let's adopt this guy.
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>>48531279
>>48531293
Well look, if expanding "out there" didn't involve "needing to fight the forces of the obsidian queen" then we're happy to work with the humans. We don't have to prevent their settlements. In fact, we can simply work with them.
>>
>>48531210
>>48531279
We can use this! All we need to do is push this need to explore in a different direction than the expanse.

I'm sure someone can come up with something.
>>
>>48531293
I'm fine with humans as a whole expanding, just not on our doorstep.
>>
>>48531293
Humans can expand. We could even get a symbiosis going. They've just got to stop summoning Cthulhu.

It could be that the human resistance to psionic influence will make a big difference in the war against the void gods too. Our mother thought that doing this to them was a good idea, at any rate.
>>
>>48531314
i'm fine with them exploring INSIDE our boarders, We just don't want them FUCKING WITH THE VOID GODS.
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>>48531293
They can expand in a direction that doesn't lead to our doorstep.
>>
>>48531246
>>48531256
>>48531272
>>48531280
>>48531304
Guys, uh. You remember the whole evil from beyond the stars that we want to discourage races from finding out about, right?
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>>48531327
Yeah, what about it?
>>
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>>48531309
Explore inward... to find yourself.
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>>48531327
Yes, and?
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>>48531327
I know not of this evil star thing you speak of other Hu-man, Come look into my shiny object. It is so shiny, yes?

On a more serious note, We don't need to stop them from exploring we want them to stop fucking with the Void. Major difference.
>>
>>48531210
"Humanity was never meant to be ruled by just one force. Even two is too few. They bicker and fight, but they keep their eyes on each other, and not themselves. They both need to crumble. I don't care what comes after, it doesn't matter, so long as humanity spreads, and creates new governments. Humanity evolved on individuality, we were never meant to be a collective. That's why I resist the Union, and it's why I need Lee to spread that message."

"So, you're anarchists?" Your clone Andrew asks. "Not judging, just-"

"An over-simplification, but I suppose you could call me a... macro-anarchist!" He says with a laugh. I don't care what the local government is. That is for the locals to decide. If they wish to hail a king, let them. If they wish to elect their leaders, let them. If they wish to squat in the mud and live in anarchy, let them! So long as the locals rule the locals I am happy."

"And what about the xeno-rights groups?" Your clone James adds. "He seems most popular among them for some reason."

"Because he has lived among aliens. I admit, I know little of what happened on that planet. His interviews did not exactly provide a riveting tale, but it's what people believe he left unsaid that is the most powerful. He is nursed back to health by aliens never before seen by man. That alone is a powerful narrative. Most of my own agents and recruits come from or are otherwise involved in such movements, although not always, and I admit I am not tied in any direct way to their philosophy, but again, I want humanity to thrive. That does not mean I want a human dominated galaxy. Taidarens live under humans just fine. For countless ages before we developed spaceflight, and again on many primitive worlds we founded, humans did the same to animals, following and feeding off of the beasts of the land. The humans living under valen rule are still humans, and they are still living. Locals ruling locals. That is my only requirement." He says.

cont.
>>
>>48531344
We also actually don't want them spread too thin.

Unless we want to make them easier to conquer so we can do it.

Trouble is, exploring will either entail you know. Us. Or worse, Theseus.

Frontier spirit will lead to finding Unity's secret treehouse.
>>
>>48531332
I mean, just saying. Adventure and exploration tends to find stuff out.

I think it would be cool to get them on our side, even merge them into our hive as little humandrones, but we are going to need to make sure this doesn't feed tech to our arch nemesis and make double sure they don't create any Event Horizon type shit.
>>
>>48531324
This. I don't super mind them expanding shit. I just don't want them messing with void/tachyon stuff, or getting into civil wars with other humans.
>>
>>48531358
>Humanity evolved on individuality, we were never meant to be a collective.
Oooh, this is getting interesting now.
>>
>>48530933
Nope, different anon from the other guy.

Do you seriously believe no accidents happened as a direct cause of our gigantic, terror-ships straight from an alien invasion movie appearing above their heads (ignoring where it was directly stated that cars crashed and windows broke)? Or that interrupting all their communications didn't cause any kind of serious issues? Imagine what it'd be like today if the internet/all cell towers died for an hour, the kind of ramificaitons that would have the world over.
>>
>>48531373
I'm sorry, but omelettes and eggs. I really don't give a shit.
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>>48531210
>That's what I'm interested in. Something, or someone, with a story that's bigger than they are.
>Something
I wonder if that criteria stretches to "Hive mind alien trying to find her ancestral home."
>>
>>48531361
Better idea. Co-opt their movement entirely. Warp it slowly beyond recognition, pay lip service to their former ideology while practice drifts ever farther from the original vision. Do things in the name of anarchy that will never lead to the chaosh ladder he wants to climb, and make a new ladder for Mother.
>>
>>48531358
I think we can work with this. He wants change and self-determination. That's good enough I think as a path towards cooperation with humans, because anyone that actually is in direct contact with us for long is going to learn that we're not monsters.

That's how I hope the Expanse colonies turn out. Breaking them out of direct Union control sounds like it'd mesh fine with David's goals.
>>
>>48531359
And we walk with them hand in hand... or with a leash on there neck for there own protection.

>>48531362
Ayyy good anon.

>>48531367
>>48531358
This guy is REALLY starting to worry me, I agree with what he says but Thats the worrying part. This isn't a good guy to work with.

>>48531373
>Died for an hour
You mean abunch of autistic fucking children crying instead of opening a book? We still have land fucking lines to major government buildings/hospitals/ect. There is no fucking issue here. Also why the fuck do you think things went down for an entire hour?
>>
Before Lee speaks to the parliament or whatever, we should have a speaker drone accompanying him perform a "traditional" photon blade duel.

Explain that it's a symbolic contest only, a throwback to a near-forgotten age where such contests were settled with blood, but nonetheless an important cultural artifact.

I just want Lee to impress all the nerd chicks with his lightsaber fighting.

A more serious idea is sending a holo-projector for aiding showmanship.
>>
>>48531358
This is rather amusing considering our efforts to "adopt" so much of humanity into our collective
>>
>>48531405
>This guy is REALLY starting to worry me, I agree with what he says but Thats the worrying part. This isn't a good guy to work with.
Just saying that isn't persuasive anon. WHY isn't this good?

It's not like the void gods are sitting a few star systems over waiting for humans to trip over them.
>>
>>48531413
Well, I can see his point. A thirst for exploration won't be limited to just physical exploration.

They are going to poke the void eventually.
>>
>>48531409
>Lee can't help but make a wooshing sound, and zooom sound
>He thinks he ruined it
>The nerds fucking worship him.

>>48531413

Well we keep them from fucking with the void by taking the crystals for ourselves.

Because alot of people die anon if you go down that path. Think of all the nations on earth now, now make them colones.
>>
>>48531411
We're adapting as much as they are, I think. It's an adventure! Come live on a hive world! Have furniture that can walk!
>>
>>48531405
>This guy is REALLY starting to worry me, I agree with what he says but Thats the worrying part. This isn't a good guy to work with.
The real issue with his philosophy is the question of how local is local? A city, a continent, a planet, a system? And what if a planet legitimately wants to be part of a trans-solar governing body that necessarily involves a reduction in individual planetary autonomy? And what if there's pockets of populations on that planet that strongly disprefer such a course of action?

His philosophy sounds compelling and all, but in practice what does it even mean?
>>
>>48531418
Huh. Why'd you delete that?
>>
>>48531434
>Because alot of people die anon if you go down that path. Think of all the nations on earth now, now make them colones.
You're still not making much sense to me.

Are you arguing against anything but a single Human Empire? Those have wars too, they're just internal.
>>
>>48531441
>Walk your dog?
>No dog walk you

OH SHIT, GUYS CAN WE GET LEE TO HAVE OUR HORRIFYING CAT CREATURE?

>>48531445
It seems planet to planet from his examples, However I doubt he cares if it breaks down into city against city.
>>
>>48531445
>how local is local? A city, a continent, a planet, a system?
Up to them, it sounds like. "If they wish to hail a king, let them." But he thinks there should be more than one or two at least.
>>
>>48531403
His plan is mad. He wants to dissolve all known human governments as we know them. This will make humanity harder to deal with, not easier.

And also harder to adopt. Centralized leadership is easier for us to control or manipulate. Team Freedom is potentially going to muck up the gears.

I mean, we can work with him, and use him, but we don't want his current goals to win, really. They don't benefit us or humanity.
>>
>>48531454
Police actions and rioting are far more contained compared to wars against two empires. Its easy to demonize the enemy if they are't one of your 'people' Lets look at WW2, Hitler and the jews, The Americans and japs, ect. If you don't have one 'human empire' You can very well allow even worse weapons to be unleashed and bring the death toll higher then simple riot police beating a city into submission.

Sorry, Its late and I'm out of coffee.
>>
>>48531453
I reconsidered my advocacy until we have more information. I think using his philosophy to break up humanity into a non-threat is a good idea, but I am not too sure about the ramifications of us in an overlord role or how that would jive with the void.
>>
>>48531358
I mean... humanity did start expanding, recently. And Unity punched their face in hard.
>>
>>48531455
>It seems planet to planet from his examples, However I doubt he cares if it breaks down into city against city.
He just seems to be assuming a planet wouldn't want to be part of a larger government system if left to its "own" devices. I guess he's opposed to militarized conquest? Probably?

His distinction between local and macro just strikes me as arbitrary. I suppose it's not so different than globalization-opponents of today.
>>
>>48531358
"So when the people native to a world clear cut it's forest, that is up to them, but when off-world corporations mulch the Yggdrasil trees to the outcry of the locals, I want to sabotage a few dozers. When people want to live in anarchy, that is their right to do so, but when a world is founded as a mining colony and devastated by war between foreign powers, their plight is worth helping. As a result, I have been called hypocritical one more than one occasion by those who assume my goals to be more complex than they truly are, but everything I do flows from one axiom. Locals ruling locals." He says. "I don't want any specific form of government. I want all of them, spreading across the stars, humans doing what they need to do to thrive when and where they are, without regard to the politics of some distant planet light years away where politicians debate meaningless things."

>Offer hive augments
>Ask other questions (write in)
>Speak about another topic (write in)
>Other
>>
>>48531445
Well, for one it sounds like he thinks there should be more self-governing human factions than just the Union and Commonwealth. So some breakaway colonies would be a good start.

>>48531471
I was more referring to civil wars and coups.
>>
>>48531391
I'm not saying I care about the accidental casualities, I don't, I'm explaining why the humans might think we're threatening violence - we've been pretty fucking threatening so far, including accidentally killing civilians.
>>
>>48531491
>Offer hive augments or at the very least get him off the cane.

>>48531489
As I said elsewhere, I'm firmly in agreeance with him but it can lead to things getting really shitty for humanity in the long run.

>>48531494
Those actually don't happen nearly as often as one would think.
>>
>>48531491
>>Offer hive augments
I guess this is one way to be sure he becomes our new son.

We just have to either send him out of the system or wait for the New Tokyo hive to become established?
>>
I'm going to sleep and see what happened in the morning.

Maybe we can somehow allow human exploration in our systems while still exploiting the shit out of the planets.

We can go the reverse route from what this guy wants and offer immortality, which would make everyone even more willing to just sit around at home and not reach for something better.

Something to note, Theseus is pretty much this guys opposite. Theseus made it his mission to delay and slow down human encroachment into the expanse.
>>
>>48531491
>>Ask other questions (write in)
What does he feel about the Commonwealth? They're the closest to a stellar power made of planet specific government.
>>
>>48531491
I have no opinion here, but I beg Anon to consider what happened when Germany released Lenin from prison and shipped him back to Russia during WW1.

It might SEEM like a really good idea right now, but there could be unintended consequences later.
>>
>>48531491
>Offer hive augments
I think we can support his ideology. I know there are anons worried about the controllability of a diverse humanity, but IMO the Union wasn't going to be something we could control as a whole anyway.

>>48531495
Good, the Union have been violently hostile absolute assholes to us. If a few people crashing their cars when we surprise them is the worst we've done they can thank us for it.
>>
>>48531507
If the humans think so they can each voluntarily join the grand human empire or whatever. Local determination.
>>
>>48531491
>Offer hive augments
>Speak about another topic (write in)
Debate his philosophy, specifically his wish for more governments since that is the only thing i disagree on.
>>48531515
Actually Theseus and him have the same goal of expanding and exploring, it's just that Theseus still wanted to observe the humans and prevent war instead of fucking off to do his on shit
>>
>>48531491
>Offer hive augments
Without leaders concentrating efforts, nothing will ever get done. Sure, you might get plenty of explorers and everyone will have their freedom, but the chaos that it will create will turn everything to warring competing tribes. A strong hand is needed to keep an identity between the people.

This guy is proposing a form of government that is the complete opposite of us.
>>
>>48531507
The Commonwealth is partly like what he wants already. Increasingly decentralized.

So many worlds are shitholes. Local freedom at the expense of interplanetary freedom.

You have completely incompatible legal systems in place, commerce between planets is a cutthroat minefield, and basically no rights.
>>
>>48531491
>Other
Offer Lee's current location and role. It's about to get made public soon anyway.
>>
>>48531540
>This guy is proposing a form of government that is the complete opposite of us.
That does not make it opposed to us.

If anything it might make a good complement. Individual human colonies can form their own symbioses with the Hive, and the closeness of those relationships will keep them stable.
>>
Let's have Lee become an advocate for alien cooperation rather than human expansion.

Like another Anon said, this guy is the Anti-Theseus. I don't really like the cut of his jib, and don't want him to take over.

I am okay with providing him augs, though. He seems like the type of dude who could cause headaches for the Union, and the Union will not be our friends after this. Plus, augs will start him down the road to total indoctrin-- friendship.

Who knows, maybe we can change his views into "Local humanity rulership overseen by the omnipresent benevolent Hive."
>>
>>48531542
Yeah, we need to tell him about Lee now. Fill him in on the events at Gemini and see how he reacts.

We still have the power here. We can make or break his underground resistance movement if we don't like something about how he takes it.
>>
>>48531540
Yep, all the stuff about exploration and liberty and stories being bigger then the men that make them sound good to the ears, but removing interstellar government for planetary governments is just stupid.
>>
>>48531556
>"Local humanity rulership overseen by the omnipresent benevolent Hive."
I don't really want to be managing humans. What a waste of time. This guy sounds alright to me.

>>48531491
>Ask other questions (write in)
What about the Commonwealth? They seem to operate on a similar principle.

Are the stars really as safe as you claim?
>>
>>48531556
>Who knows, maybe we can change his views into "Local humanity rulership overseen by the omnipresent benevolent Hive."
Well, I thought that was already the natural path forward. I don't see how his current view isn't already compatible with that. If a colony of humans want to hang out in Hive space and form close ties with us, he'd be all for it. Adventure, diversity of experience and organization, local determination, it's all there.
>>
>>48531572
Eh, we wouldn't be. At worst a few thinkers could handle day-to-day stuff. Or, even better, we could just have human clones handle it.
>>
>>48531555
>Individual human colonies can form their own symbioses with the Hive
Well if you have an idea for how it would work where we still get the expanse planets to farm and mine I'd be glad to hear it.
>>
I wonder if this guy might change his mind somewhat if he knew humanity's true origins and purpose?
>>
>>48531491
Ya know, I get what this guy is saying, and I like it in some ways, but when you consider the many alien races arrayed against the Humans... well it is really rather stupid. A bunch of loosely associated human governments is always going to be weaker than a collective of the same size.

As the Hive, well I want humans to go his way because damn that'd make conquering them so much easier.
>>
>>48531596
That humanity is metaphorically just our late mother's pet ape project that has since gone on to make a really impressively nice tree house?
>>
>>48531573
The more I think about it, the more I am against it, honestly. He wants local determination. So what does that mean when we need to mine some gold from Goldius X, but the locals believe it is sacred and don't want it mined? Well, we would do it anyway, because we need that gold to stop the eradication of all the things everywhere. And he would fight that.

Like other anons have said, he is basically the antithesis of us.
>>
>>48531491
"Well, I'm still not sure what you mean by 'local', but I may be able to get you some augments if you'd like." Your clone Peter says. He smiles.

"What local means is determined arbitrarily by the locals, and practically by communication and transportation. There was an age when 'local' meant less than a kilometer or two. Eventually it became chunks of land hundreds of kilometers, and then entire continents, and an entire planet. Now, a star system is often considered 'local', and if it has a gate, depending on who you ask the local region can spread even further. Regardless, that is for the locals to decide. As for your offer, perhaps." He says. "If I can't get a hold of my contact before too long. Now with this damn blackout going on, I doubt he will come out of hiding long enough to send what I need." He limps on his leg as he begins to turn back to the stairs when Bartholomew holds up a hand.

"I got a question too, actually." He says. Kent turns back around. "Why the hell are those two dressed up like damn clowns?" David begins to laugh as the couple look at your clones indignantly.

"I'm afraid fashion is something that is beyond my understanding." David says as he walks away. "You can stay here with us for as long as you need. I wouldn't want to try leaving the planet with the PDF on lockdown like this." Hiromi walks up to your clones as Feng follows David up the stairs.

"It's not just fashion, it's practical. You try picking either one of us in a lineup after a change of clothes, I dare you, and the colors and asymmetry knocks off the facial recognition software they use in the city cameras." She says. You hear distant chuckles from several guards as they all begin to disperse. Hiromi quickly spins on a heel and marches away, mumbling curses as she does.

Alright, I think now I'll need to call it quits. I'll try to stick around for any comments, feedback, questions, ect.
>>
>>48531626
sleep good QD!
>>
>>48531626
That's my signal to sleep. Thanks for the threads
>>
>>48531626
Goodnight QD
>>
>>48531626
I feel like a lot of unlocked hive tech is missing from the pastebin at this point. Like the Rip Drive for instance. And all the advanced psionics things.

Also
>Any non-hive life, clone or natural, that is implanted with a parasite and is connected to your hive network can be made to mutate into another type of clone.

Is 'connected to your hive network' a hard requirement or can we tell a parasite/nearby Thinker to do a metamorphosis on a delay, or a specific circumstantial trigger?
>>
>>48531626
>"Why the hell are those two dressed up like damn clowns?"
Yesss, the colorful fashion taste made it in.
>>
>>48531626
Thanks for running QD, today was a pretty busy thread, wasn't it?
>>
>>48531626
Goodnight QD! Thanks for running!
>>
>>48531626
I feel a bit bad that we're using Lee for all the crazy shit we are right as this guy is ranting about his values.
>>
>>48531654
It needs to be connected to you to begin the process, but the entire process does not need to be overseen by you.

So you could have it begin, and the clone could wander off outside of your network range to undergo the metamorphosis, and the process would go along just fine.

>>48531666
Good lord, how did we get to almost 600 posts so quickly?
I feel a bit ashamed to say, but I was absolutely unable to keep up. Normally I try to incorporate non-exclusive write ins as they are made while writing the next post, but it got to the point where I was only able to skim for things with lots of support and replies and just try to get those in, so I'm very sorry if I ended up just ignoring anyone.
>>
>>48531626
Will we get to start duplicating that holoprinter someday.
>>
>>48531694
Ye did gud
>>
>>48531694
Thinkers are incapable of initiating such a thing? How'd it get queen exclusive?
>>
>>48531694
I'd say you did a fine job QD.
>>
>>48531708
Well, they can, they just won't do it of their own accord. Same reason a thinker will try to get back to you once its immediate orders are done. It doesn't know what to do with itself without you, so a thinker wouldn't really have the initiative to start such projects except in very odd or extreme situations.
>>
Now that the thread is over, here is a reminder that we have to look at that thinker's locked memories now that we have been found by the void god.
>>
>>48531738
Right so a Thinker can have a mission to, say, be carried in a suitcase by an implanted hybrid, guide said hybrid to find a good stealth hive locale, and then turn them into an egglaying chimera.
>>
>>48531744
OH SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT! Now that we've seen Them we can finally learn what mom left in there.
>>
>>48531626

>>48220252
>"We're getting false readings. Clicks on the motion tracker that's not there. False heat signatures. They only seem to last a second or two."

Our own implementation of the nausea field is limited to a range of 50 meters.

Marines displaying similar symptoms at Tenebris... how distant were they from the Tartarus Reactor when they experienced those hallucinations?
>>
>>48531764
I don't think they were hallucinating, they were seeing the hibernating silicon beasts.
>>
>>48531764
They can presumably broadcast over the range of multiple kilometers. That's how you know QD has been rolling low for tech advancement.
>>
>>48531694
How badly did we fuck up "first contact?"

It felt like we might have pushed too hard.
>>
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>>48531775
>I don't think they were hallucinating

>nothing was visible on the screens to humans that were viewing the exact same machine feeds remotely
>>
>>48531750
Correct. If it is given the order to do so, it can initiate the metamorphosis, although you need to be the one to tell it what to turn it into. If you just tell it to change a hybrid into a chimera, it will freeze up as if you sent it to the local grocery to get "soda" and it's just standing in the soda aisle looking at a wall of hundreds of drink brands and flavors, paralyzed with indecision.

>>48531764
At that point, well within a hundred meters, although you can't be absolutely sure from the perspective you had at the time.

>>48531788
I greatly enjoyed writing it.
>>
>>48531806
>I greatly enjoyed writing it.
That only makes me more concerned!

Thanks for running.
>>
>>48531806
I wonder how many self destruct mechanisms the Valen install in their hypergates.
>>
>>48531806
Just how long have the Valen been building that hypergate now? Do they have projected completion dates that are public, for when they're open for business?
>>
I hope if the Union concedes Telarum, that either the Van den Broeck Superluminal or Krasnikov Interstellar corporations will go rogue and try to stake out the system themselves with private militia.

Because then we can just attack and steal their star drills to copy, instead of going to a whole rigamarole of infiltrating a star drill factory for the blueprints.
>>
>>48531806
SO from what I can tell Kent would be willing to let world be under Hive control as long as it was (or appears to be) the decision of those living on that world

Although that may conflict with the Hives demands over the Expanse worlds
>>
>>48531872
That's cool, we'll just let them run their own governments for the most part. We can just get Theseus to run our human relations department.
>>
I wonder if the Commonwealth has shipped over that Canderon they promised us, we need it if we're going to mount singularity projectors on the Citadel.
>>
Fun fact the Valen that knows how to build gates is current on that planet.
>>
>>48532786
SPACE WAR NOW!
>>
>>48532786
Fun fact Anderson is on that planet still waiting to be parasited.
>>
>>48532923
Him and Mauser actually, the Valen picked him up from the desert and stuck him in a tank. It'd be pretty funny if we somehow busted Devon and the other crew from Valen captivity when we demand control over the planet.
>>
>48530317
>you catch a flash of an image. A memory, flashing across the top of his mind of a shallow grave dug in sun baked, irradiated soil. Shattered, sun stained domes dot the horizon as the heat makes the air shimmer like water.
"ooga booga i'm a complex character with a sympathetic backstory behind my tyrannical ways"
>>
>>48532970
I really want to know what's up with him and how he was feeling during this encounter. And really want to know what was up with flash of anger only comparable to what Lyle experiences when we mentioned Earth.
>>
>>48533027
speaking of, what EXACTLY happened to earth? All I remember is that mom helped humans build a psicannon there during the commonwealth-union wars, and the moon blew up, that fucked up the earth's waterflow or whatever. but the 'shattered domes' part is what confuses me.
>>
>>48533212
Well that's because that memory clearly wasn't of Earth. By the sound of it Morgan seems to be from the Eridanus system, either from Corbin or that planet that was basically glassed and irradiated into the dark ages.



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