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The space traffic of Mars orbit is rushed today, ships of all size fleeing in waves from the orbital stations and colonies as radio chatter washes over your surveying space pod. Further in the outer system more traffic is evacuating in smaller numbers from the moons of the system's gas giants and the innumerous tiny asteroid colonies spread across the belt, while others remain still, their transponder beacons silencing as they attempt to vanish into the belt with the rest of the scattered junk and mined out rocks and gas tankers haul what they can from the various harvesters across Jupiter.

In the distance, far in the outer system there is a brilliant flash of warp emergence, then another, and another. Dozens upon dozens of miniature stars flash for a brief moment as your pod's sensors finally make out the silhouette of the IFS Columbia as its great hull begins to shed sheets of heavy fighters, interceptors launching from its forward launch tubes. The fleet around it slowly forms up as they appear one after another within a ten light second radius, and together they accelerate forward in a spherical formation with the Columbia in its center.

The system enters high alert, panic spreading as the civilian traffic begins to boost hard out of docks and the carefully choreographed traffic becomes a swarm of chaos as the local traffic control towers' orders go unheeded. From the surface of Mars, and emerging from the many military shipyards In orbit, Union grav fighters launch and hurl themselves to intercept the incoming fleet, and the local picket fleets begin to assemble.

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
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first
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Leggo
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>>1233890
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HERE WE GO BOYZ
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>>1233890
its past past midnight here, Happy you´re back
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>>1233890
>that feel when HQQ thread
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>>1233890
I missed you
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkpS2Sdu2io

YESSS YES!
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Guys
What if lee is having minir chest pains
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So Path Spore incident is happening right?
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GAS THE SQUIDS
NUKE THE WHALES
STAB THE MONKEYS
TRUST NOTHING
THE VOID IS WATCHING
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Aww yis.
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This quest brought to you by FormOther FTL drives.

FormOther, perfect for the Frontier, and for impressing your Valen boss.
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WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Daily reminder.
>Raid OQ
>Read the locked memories of that thinker.
>Board a scav vessel for their FTL.
>Send a diplomacy team to earth.
>Build Orbital solar array in both planets.(It's cheap enough in nutrients to be wort it and the metal can be converted from half of it's income.
>Take Reprive (I think that is the system that our mother made her last stand and it only has mining corvetts, it would be a great test for our raiding fleet.)
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>>1233931
Nah. This is commonwealth attacking the Sol System (I think).

Speaking of, we should really try to talk to the Commonwealth about backing off the union somewhat. Bleeding their military forces is counter productive to the real threat.
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>>1233923
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>>1233890
So the commonwealth making a push to take back Sol then? no real worth industrial but a major pr boost if they can pull it off
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HE HAVE RETURN ! A GLORIOUS DAY INDEED !
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>>1233890

Gilliam exits the tram as pulls into the small station, a direct line to the local ziggurat, an old decommissioned atmospheric processor long ago gutted and refurbished into an arcology. They often either became massive, vertical slums or self-contained gated communities. This one was a bit of both, with a number of executive suites and sectioned off communities and corporate branch offices near the top, and various lower level employee housing held bellow. Near the middle, however, the government had purchased a number of floors and constructed what was in essence a sealed laboratory. Gilliam quickly makes his way past the public transport station followed by his guards and the lab workers further behind, taking an elevator and a short walk to the air tight security doors of the lab itself. He could tell from the various small restaurants and shops, as well as the litter and general filth of public traffic that this place was normally quite busy. As he gives his data to the terminal the security door opens to an airlock, promptly spraying him with various chemical gases and scanning the chamber before allowing him through the inner door to reveal an almost sanitized looking lobby.
cont.

>>1233923
It was many things, but "minor" is not one of them. Damn thing felt like a weed whacker running in my chest cavity.

So shortly after my last thread my body decided it was sick and tired of keeping me live, and my aorta burst. I was rushed by helicopter to the hospital for emergency open heart and have been pumped with drugs and in great pain since. As such, please forgive me if I end up forgetting anything regarding any crunch we had going in the last few threads, I tried to look through them but I probably missed a bunch, as such, feel free to remind me if you think I've missed something, because I probably did.
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>>1233977
Dont worry about that, just keep yourself healthy man

Really scared the shit out of us hearing you nearly died
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>>1233977
Shit, that sounds intense. Glad you aren't dead.
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>>1233890
Hello QD, how's your health holding up? Is your Dad okay?
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>>1233890
for mother
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>>1233977
Thank you for not dying dude.
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ITS FINALLY HERE


ITS HEEEERRREEE
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>>1233977
Dude, you are awesome for sticking with this. Best of luck for a swift recovery. Take care of yourself and no worries at all regarding the crunch. I'm sure it builds up quickly for quests like this.
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>>1233977
Wait...
Who is Gilliam already ?
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Since the commonwealth is taking Sol, we should talk to the leader(Who's name I've forgotten.) and sell them a secret about earth.
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>>1234023
High ranking union mad doc we got a para in
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>>1234023
The doctor we parasited back on Gemini. They were the doctor in charge of the psionic experiments we rescued Lee from.

He got redirected to Path after the Obsidian Queen attack
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>>1234023
Research Head for several Union Black Projects whom we parasited while rescuing Lee, got ordered to transfer somewhere when all the shit broke loose several threads ago.
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>>1233977
Gonna have to leave this thread, but you a lucky motherfucker and that shit sounded painful
Don't sweat it on the crunch
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>>1234023
That Union scientist we donated a spine pal to. He's going to be studying hive tech from a secret lab on Path.
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>>1233977
No matter what, you're awesome for being able to quest at all in this state.
Really, really happy you survived. Don't worry too much about the crunch, it can always come later/retroactively, it ain't needing a rush.
And thanks for keeping on.

>>1234023
Parasited union docsci.
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>>1234033
Ho yeah that guy. Woah, didn't follow the quest for far to much time.
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>>1233977
The crunch, if i recall correctly, was Scouting pods and Ship constriction.
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>>1233977
Hows your heart, my nigga?

How's your dad?
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>>1233977
Gonna have to leave ( I probably need at least 5 hours of sleep if I want to be productive I guess) but thanks for running, and take care of you.
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>>1234044
It can be ignored for now
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Hey guys, what if we maybe suggest to the Union and Commonwealth that fighting is a bad idea?

Once the black queen shows up, we're going to be stuck defending two weakened human factions so that she doesn't get her hands on superior human technology. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think it's not the best situation.
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>Came up with a ship design, give me your thoughts

Hull: Corvette 400N 800M
Capacity 200/20
Size: 100 Meters
Module Limit: 2
Spinal Mount (x1): Ramming keel 50N 200M
Armor: Standard
Power: Micro Fusion
Utility: Defensive shields 10N 30M
Utility: Cloaking field 50N 150M
Utility: Atomic self-destruct 200N 200M (on use)
Module: Harpoon 10N 200M
Total Cost: 520N (720N) 1380M (1580M)
Upkeep: 260N

A cheap fireship built purely for its purpose, whether to take out clusters of screening ships or to be used en masse on a capital ship. It uses its cloaking field to try to close the distance and has a 20 meter frontal shielding to use when detected or on its ramming course. Has a ramming keel and harpoon to assist in ramming, once rammed or in a suitable location it will detonate. Bathe its enemies in nuclear fire
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>>1234115
Oh god, one thing at a time anon, we can do ship construction at the end of the thread.
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>>1234111
Nah, let them keep fighting. The commonwealth has our help with the scavengers and the Union are assholes.
The only danger here is OQ which we're keeping an eye on and, hopefully soon, raiding.
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>>1234027
You do realize the AI on Earth has the blueprints to the completed Psionic cannon right?
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>>1233977
Damn, that sounds rough.
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>>1234111
I'd rather they duke it out for a bit. In an ideal scenario the Commonwealth could retake the Sol system in a brief conflict, it's not like the Union really wants it.
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>>1234111
Yeah, I agree. We can probably queue the Commonwealth in on the fact a greater threat is headed for the union and commonwealth both. We can also offer assistance (like letting them know the location of the scav base and/or supporting a joint strike against them is the Commonwealth pulls their punch and ignores the current weak position of the Union.

The Union itself I guess will be unwilling to throw away their forces against the commonwealth when the hive represents a big threat and we're telling them worse is coming.

I'm on mobile for next several hours so apologies if I have slow replies or spelling errors.
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>>1234131
We ignored that plotline and thus never sure what the proto ai and the tribals connection to the project remains were
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>>1234124
I'm not going to be able to stay till the end sadly, give me your opinion on it at the end pretty please and I'll read it in the archives.
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>>1234129
Fighting the Black Hive
Raids against her systems are for the most part are impractical because of her superior numbers and instant response time makes it impossible to divide her forces to create effective advantage. A straight up invasion would force us to play a dangerous game of chicken forcing us to commit all our forces in attacking her or admit to her that we are too weak to fight her. The best option we have available is to build up our empire and try to capture one of her advanced relays to eliminate her instant response time.
If a planet gets infected with her creep the first thing to do is confirm whether there is an advanced relay or not. If there is primary objective is to destroy/jam the relay then destroy the creep. If there isn't one primary focus should be on destroying the creep.
Cryospray is a great choice for removing creep while doing minimal damage to structures and environment.
Energy weapons are all-around better for remove creep than kinetic weapons
Disassembler missiles are a great choice for removing large swathes of creep without doing damage to the biosphere
Photonic armor is great for limiting creep spread.
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>>1234131
Honestly we could probably start recruiting human help to join Theseus in building the Psionic Cannon for us since they are immune to the Voids psychic bullshit
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I just realized i had my name from another quest still on, sorry.
>>1234115
Can't have both shields and stealth, and the kamikaze can be done with pods instead of Corvettes so it's redundant.
>>1234131
He might but i don't think it's likely, I'm more worried about void fuckery creating cults on earth, which is why i want to go down there before the commonwealth meets them.
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>>1234124
Well actually, considering how long threads stay on the board, it should be fine to talk about build orders and stuff throughout the thread. Previously we were worried about getting bumped off.
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>>1234155
So we give up the psionic cannon so the humans get interested in psionic research again the very thing we are trying to avoid?
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>>1233977
Well shit. Thanks for running man, your threads are always awesome.

Heres to hoping your heart heals up correctly and quickly. Stay well man.
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>>1233977

The lobby is filled with traffic, various technicians and researchers pushing carts of equipment and crates of various cargo from place to place, or examining new deliveries with careful scrutiny. Gilliam's guards begin discussing some matters with another using various military lingo the doctor doesn't quite understand, but the gist seems to be regarding alien incursions. The guard looks back to Gilliam.

"The local space is clear, but there was an attack by a hostile threat. Same species as the buggers over Gemini by the looks of it, but a different faction. They had a battle over the planet not too long ago." He says. "From what I can tell, any recovered debris from it is being brought here, and this is your new data pad. It's linked to the lab." He hands him a small device from the first guard and Gilliam takes it, examining it quickly as it automatically logs his fingerprint and biometric data from the glance he gives its camera. A new mail notification pings in the corner, and he clicks it. It brings up a small map of the facility and an automated greeting, as well as a request to visit the main lab as soon as he arrives. He nods to the guard as he moves to leave, and follows the map through the bustle of lab techs and workers moving cargo.

The lab itself is surprisingly well outfitted, it clearly has been here a long time, although until now it was likely dedicated to much less secretive research. A man stands near the entrance, shouting at workers as they haul in crates and jars, and he quickly eyes Gilliam as he approaches.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Alex Gilliam," He says, "are you in charge here?" The man extends a hand.

"I am. Dr. David Palmer, Xeno Biologist. Until now this facility has been dedicated to the study of anything and everything of interest found in the Expanse, I suppose technically that hasn't changed, but now anything not related to these things, the Xeno Formicidae, is getting put on the back burner indefinitely." The two shake hands. "I understand you are an expert on Xeno Archeology. I was sure to read some of your papers when I received word of your arrival and I think you can certainly help, we don't have much in the way of that skill set here." He directs Gilliam towards a number of instruments and crates, bringing up a holo-projection of the inventory they've collected so far.

cont.

>>1233995
He's doing great. He was able to get a minimally invasive procedure, so he just ended up with a scar on his side instead of a big o'l monster of a scar down his chest like I got.

>>1234018
I honestly tried doing some pre work and finish up some crunch I got in the works, but oxycodone is a powerful thing, and is not conducive to doing any kind of math. I'm down to just running off over the counter meds now though. It just feels like a broken bone, otherwise I feel fine.
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>>1234129
>Union are assholes
>Ceph,OQ and Crystals are super assholes
>The two groups are not one the same side
We should let them get a bit bloddies so that they come the the negotiating table easier, but not to the extent that they cannot help us against a greater threat. They lose a world or two to the Commonwealth but if the human start doing mutually destructive stuff we step in and tell them to knock it the fuck off.
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>>1234169
It isn't a matter of driving a thread off the board faster, it's a matter of doing one thing at a time and staying focused on one thing at a time. Getting anything accomplished by consensus in this quest is like herding cats.
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>>1234158
What the fuck are you talking about?
She has a slight numerical superiority but that pales in comparison to what she could have if we allow her industry to continue to survive.
The raids are meant to destroy as many of her ships as possible so she has to replace them, this will weaken her, allowing for an opportunity for invasion.
And we have instant response time too, in fact our is superior since she only has one relay per fleet.
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No research?
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>>1234163
>>1234160
>give humans the psionic cannon
Why are you this stupid? Do you not realize where everything could go wrong if you give the least predictable race the most powerful weapon?
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>>1234160
They're highly resistant but not immune, that cyclist researcher who summoned the void god is proof that they can still be corrupted.
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>>1234189
Glad to hear your family is okay man. It's never fun seeing them get ill.
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>>1234190
They might not appreciate us stepping in on their war, i know the commonwealth leader wouldn't.
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>>1234209
>give humans the psionic cannon
They don't have to survive or leave unparasited after they finish the work

>>1234216
Yeah as soon as i hit post I remembered the crystal zombies on Tenebrus
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>>1234202
Obsidian queen has absalute numericl superiority.
What she lacks is quality, because she never developed quantum thinkers, which means we started at her tech level and then set off sprinting, now she's rubbing her crystal head with worry because she don't know what us reds have in store for her.
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>>1234202
>She has a slight numerical superiority
>She likely has twice as much as we do minimum
>Slight
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>>1234230
If I remember right she doesn't have missiles, shields, or planetary defenses because all previous Hives just used picket fleets and ground swarms for defenses
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>>1234209
>give humans the psionic cannon
When the fuck have i ever said this?
When the fuck have i ever implied this?
I want to go to earth for diplomacy and heresy removal.
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>>1234202
Nay nay, it ain't slight.

Imagine her as the zerg, and us as protoss. She's had tens of thousands of years on us to develop and build up.
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>>1234230
>Obsidian queen has absolute numerical superiority.
No she doesn't, go read the thread where the white queen had her last stand, she completely shredded OQ's fleet. That was recent.
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>>1234176
The fuck are you going on about? there already doing psi and psi cannon research, the nowhere clusterfuck happened because they though the discovered a new tech while researching the psi cannon tree
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>>1234251
Mom died a year or less ago and wiped out nearly all of aunties forces. Unless I got the timeframe of that flashback wrong.

We can move in and start the slaughter at our leisure, and I say sooner is better.

Also FFS we need to talk to the commonwealth about retrieving psionic cannon related research from Terra
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>>1234227
I said we would only step i if they started mutually destructive actions such as the glassing of inhabited planets. Some will be mad at the intervention, but many will be glad. Take the Cold War for example. A lot of people on both sides realized that using nukes would be retarded.
>>1234230
That reminds me, could The Red Queen be special in some way? Could the White Queen has tweaked with her to some extent. In the flashback, I wasn't sure if all of those thinkers were working on her pod or her.
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>>1234189
>From what I can tell, any recovered debris from it is being brought here
>that nat 1 on destroying debris
Remember killing Seiner? We're on the other end now.
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>>1234158
No, raids are immesurably useful. A few ships tie up allot of ships and resources. In a war vs a bigger economy, the efficiency by which you deny effective use of resources will dictate how it plays out. Raiding is hyper valuble to us provided we get it right.

Straight up invasion is right out. We need to develop a defensive bulkward and bait her into it. Grind that fleet down then burn back hard before recovery.
Energy weapons suffer in atmosphere compared to kinetic, you'de be better off and more time efficient just dumping our own creep down and pumping resouces into it while suppressing any structure generation by hostile creep.

>>1234242
Pretty much.

>>1234252
That was just the fleet. Look how fast we grew, Obsidian has had the same time but with an intact fully developed war economy. No Queen as experianced as Obsidian is going to sit around not rebuilding their fleet. One battle a while ago means fuck all in this context. She has the numbers on us.
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>>1234238
>>1234251
Her having twice our number in ships is still slight, we have the tech advantage to equal her in space combat, the problem is leaving her industry undamaged since she's trying to recuperate from WQ's last stand.
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>>1234189
Hope you and your father have a swift recovery
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>>1234263
Well, we do have a guy in the facility this time. We could totally take over all the scientists there with parasites.
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>>1234260
>Recent
>A year ago
>With a few developed planets we can make millions of troops and tens of thousands of ships
>She has potentially dozens of worlds at the least
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>>1234242
And all of those are stupidly expensive anon. Shields alone would be easily cost an entire ship in resources. Missile cost resources to use.
>>1234260
You do realize she can build ships in a day right? That entire line of arguing is stupid.
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>>1234189
Now we have to resist shouting "burn it, burn it all!" as soon as we see what they have.
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>>1234285
I wasn't talking about pricing. I was just stating a fact about differences in tech.
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>>1234275
This guy here>>1234273

Pretty much sums up what I mean.
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>>1234285
Shields have a compounding effect in that they keep our ships alive. This lets us build up numbers while OQ does not seem to realize how much of a threat it is. I imagine she is going to go after other ships with shields to try figure them out in an attempt to match us at some point, so it may be prudent to develop anti-shield weaponry at some point.
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>>1234285
>>1234284
We really dont know that for sure.
All we absolutely know is Auntie has the baseline Hive techs, she might be retarded or autistically ass-backwards tech wise because of her relationship with the void gods. We wont know in any capacity what she is capable of or not until we start raiding her. And Im serious, we need to get that psi cannon research from earth, if we dont talk to the commonwealth they are laible to just blow it all up when reclaiming the earth.
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>>1234300
No way we can get it all without getting stopped first. What we should do is to try to control what they find out. If we cant stop them finding something out, no problem. Its not worth losing our unwitting spy over.
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>>1234275
At least twice as much as we do genius there's a good chance she has ten times the number we do which would be a complete advantage for her.
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>>1234189
"We've already cataloged what was found in New Port, and it wasn't much. The largest intact object was a shard of biological material the size of a baseball, and it seemed melted together, likely a fragment of hull." Palmer types on the console and the projection adjusts. "The battle over Path, on the other hand, gave us some far more interesting specimens. The ships themselves were damaged beyond the point where we could still call them ships, but the interiors remained at least capable of being studied. Several fragments of what I assume are crew, and chunks that seem to be components of several ships. Do survivors, as to be expected from the damage, but there is still plenty to examine." He says with glee. He turns to Gilliam.

"I'd like your help in examining and identifying anything you could consider a sign of culture. Language, technology, art, anything not borne from their biology, which, given what we can see so far, seems to be rather mixed together." The projection shows a number of small holographic miniatures of various hive chunks, some pieces of ship no larger than a man, limbs of drones, strips of burnt flesh from hull interior segments.

"We have a number of interesting specimens being prepped for proper dissection. I'm not sure what you would personally find interesting, but our preliminary analysis if truly fascinating.

>Request to assist in the dissections
>Examine the preliminary data further
>Ask Palmer about something else (write in)
>Other
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>>1234273
>That was just the fleet. Look how fast we grew, Obsidian has had the same time but with an intact fully developed war economy. No Queen as experianced as Obsidian is going to sit around not rebuilding their fleet. One battle a while ago means fuck all in this context. She has the numbers on us.
But she sent nearly her entire fleet, not just a few ships, she's still still recovering for the battle A YEAR AGO. She's trying to gain her previous fleet numbers which is bad for us, right now she's weak which is why we should strike with some raids to weaken her further instead of sitting down with our thumb in our ass.
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>>1234309
Except when blasters come into play shields become nothing more than a minor advantage.
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>>1234324
>Ask Palmer about something else
Security measures and how good is the bio containment protocols here

So we can plan a raid if things get fubared
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>>1234324
>Request to assist in the dissections
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>>1234323
>At least twice as much as we do genius there's a good chance she has ten times the number we do which would be a complete advantage for her.
Maybe when WQ and the Builder were still alive she had those numbers but now she is weak from fighting those 2 queens.
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>>1234333
Anon, your being stupid.
Unless OQ toed her hive worlds into that fight she has the advantage in production and numbers. No amount of insiting otherwise is going to change this cold, hard fact.

We are the underdog who needs to jealously guard our new tech if we hope to win this.

Also note: i am an advocate for raids, they tie up superior numbers beautifully.
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>>1234324
>Request to sit in on the dissections
We don't want our man too close to any traps OQ might have set up.
And while we're sitting in we can
>Examine the preliminary data further
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>>1234324
>>Examine the preliminary data further
Let's not get our one host infected with OQ's deathspores by going near the imminent containment breach.
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>>1234324
>Examine the preliminary data further
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>>1234324
>Examine the preliminary data further
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>>1234324
>Examine Data Further
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>>1234190
>They lose a world or two to the Commonwealth but if the human start doing mutually destructive stuff we step in and tell them to knock it the fuck off.
This sounds like a good compromise. We should talk to Killinger and the Commonwealth commander about the threat of the Black Queen so maybe we can stage a kind of intervention for the various parties involved so they get it out of their system.

>>1234324
>Examine the preliminary data further
>Ask about biological containment protocols
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>>1234324
>Ask Palmer about something else (write in)
"Given the nature of their technology, literally everything they do could be considered biowarfare."
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>>1234355
Actually, speaking of that, we should probably get Gilliam to point out that the Obsidian Hive may have hidden mechanisms to prevent the proper analysis of its ships and drones.
Like deadly spores or the like.
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>>1234324
>Request to assist in the dissections
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>>1234354
We negate her current numerical advantage with our superior Tech, although that won't last long if we leave her industry intact.
She also is behind in production based tech.
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>>1234324
>Examine the preliminary data further

>>1234371
Seconded.
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>>1234381
Post got cut
She also is behind in production based tech. She surpasses us only because she has many worlds.
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>>1234381
Anon, not saying I don't support taking harassing actions against her but I think you are underestimating her far too much. Despite her void autism she is still a Hive Queen, with a lot of experience under her belt.
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>>1234389
She has psionic spore tech so technically she's ahead in some areas
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>>1234381
Again, your not making any new points.

Advocate = in support of.

As for negate, no we dont. Not entierly. Even in our more successful ship battles we still take considerable damage. We certainly punch above our weight class in ships, but we don't dominate, otherwise why would we be so worried?

>>1234389
Production tech I conceed on, but if she has 10x our worlds but we only have 2x the tech efficiency then its not an equel footing. It also raises the fact that her production has much more room for redundancy and ability to suffer loss, while ours is more concentrated and a bigger blow to us if we lose it.
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>>1234396
And i think your overestimating her too much.
At least we agree on raiding her,
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>>1234404
>Production tech I conceed on, but if she has 10x our worlds but we only have 2x the tech efficiency then its not an equel footing. It also raises the fact that her production has much more room for redundancy and ability to suffer loss, while ours is more concentrated and a bigger blow to us if we lose it.
I concede on this, i agree with everything but the production estimates, i believe we're lagging behind slightly.
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>>1234354
Using the OQ's lack of faster-than-light sensors to blink battleships in, send relativistic bombardment at some planet's hive spires, and blink out before they see the light from the original blink, would certainly cost her some production capacity.

Then there's psionic cloaking, a strategy that will be at its most effective at locating and jamming her Advanced psi relay bugs only once, so we'd better get it right the first time with multiple simultaneous infiltrations, we only need one to succeed.

But, those would be more effective if we could research more miniaturized quantum comms with Theseus, which was mentioned as a possibility. Otherwise we just send off the drones and hope, with no way to communicate.
>>
The one thing people here seem to forget is that jamming her network would render her unable to communicate with her other planets for a full day this would let us raid her without being able to mount any kind of response.
>>
>>1234408
I agree on testing her defenses with caution, but a full attack would be very ill advised. Remembe that the OQ has forces that wrecked a bunch of server ships when we couldn't even field a single capital ship. Our forces have definitely grown immensely since then, but we have to assume the OQ has built many, many ships in that time.
>>
>>1234404
Also note that efficiency improvement is a steadily and rapidly narrowing bottleneck, while increasing raw production facilities is exponential. We need to expand, badly, if we are to keep this war on relative footing. We have bought time by making allies.
>>
>>1234408
I think any raids we perform should be done with more intelligence gathering. We just don't know enough to estimate her strength. She owns many more planets than us, and has an already-established industrial base. As others have said, even if our ships are 3 times more powerful and our industrial base is twice as powerful, if she has 20 times as many planets as we do, our advantage disappears. If the Union agree to surrender their planets peacefully, we still need to spend at least several weeks just spinning those planets up into full production mode, which leaves us vulnerable.

Losing portions of our fleet is not good in this situation when we can't even exploit the resources closer at hand yet.
>>
I've been running under the assumption that QD plans on scaling the size of the black queens fleets to roughly match our own after we go to war with her. Knowing us if he gave us a fixed number we would match or top it in two threads
>>
>>1234408
Its hard to overestimate her, WQ had tech superiority over her and she did well. But tech does not negate numbers and WQ learned that the hard way.

You also forget that WQ did not lose only to numbers, the ceph were there and so were the void gods. Thats two big ?? that you haven't taken into your estimations.
>>
>>1234423
>>1234438
>>1234431
>>1234432
Instanteous transportation + Instanteous communication = Instanteous response time
We could render her entire network inoperable graph a burner drone to on of her advanced relays.
>>
Were we expecting this most recent invasion? Nothing about it shows up in the last thread.
>>
>>1234423
>But, those would be more effective if we could research more miniaturized quantum comms with Theseus, which was mentioned as a possibility.
Aren't we already researching that?
>>
>>1234428
Better to flat out invade that just raid, her drones will be disorganized.
And why would the jamming only last a day?
>>
>>1234438
Then let's begin probing her forces with our raiding ships and put this argument to rest, they're designed to be cheap so i believe we can sacrifice them for intelligence.
>>
>>1234432
>making allies
Well it sure ain't the union that you're talking about, I hope.

>>1234458
Bad anon! No metagaming!

>>1234470
The Blink drive has a reliable 5 LY jump range, anything beyond that can't be said to be "instantaneous." The network jamming is a good plan, so let's keep an eye out for that. I'm just saying we should err on the side of more caution before jumping into systems we know she controls.

>>1234471
Union vs Commonwealth war. We're staying out of it (for now).
>>
glad to see you back qd, this is honestly one of the best quests ever and i'm happy to see it continued. also very glad you're doing okay now
>>
>>1234402
>She has psionic spore tech
What? Nothing indicated her spores themselves are collectively psionically sensitive before they've grown into a relay or infrastructure or whatever.
>>
>>1234260

im new from tye beta stuff, so if i get things right this queen is called Red, she is currently weary of a queen called obsidian and the mom of red died and killed off all the aunties.
so the queen in beta is what a cousin or a sister of red?

also this queen is In space wicked!
>>
>>1234478
Takes a day to hatch a new one assuming they exploded from the overload. White crystal could mitigate their effects.
>>
>>1234467
>the ceph were there.
And they got immediately jammed, which recked them.
The void gods is the big bad though, no argument there.
>>
>>1234493
Her spores specifically allow us to unlock psionic spore research.
>>
>>1234324
>Request to assist in the dissections

Mention that there may not be much difference between the big chunks and dissecting the "crew" since it's all living tech. The smaller organisms may yield insights into how the larger function. A multidisciplinary approach is needed
>>
>>1234487
This is a good idea.

>>1234496
Beta is in a different timeline or something, but I guess the same concepts carry over. The Black Queen (Obsidian Queen, Kinslayer, Betrayer, Traitor, etc) was corrupted by the planet-eating "void gods" and basically killed off every other queen. The void gods themselves are a problem, since there's basically only one way to even hurt them, and that's with the psionic cannon. If we start researching it or testing it, the void gods immediately know. We have not started researching it and are incapable of hurting the void gods.
>>
>>1234496
I reccomend the archive. alpha ha run about 10x as many threads as beta

and i think betas queen is a cousin yes.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Hive%20Queen%20Quest
>>
>>1234472
>Aren't we already researching that?
As far as I can see no new quantum tech has been researched or unlocked since complex matter reconstruction.
>>
>>1234528
I want to a nice space city where we can dump all of our research together with Theseus just to see what crazy tech we can come up with.
>>
>>1234324
"Well, firstly, this facility wasn't always so secretive. What security do we have, in the event of containment breach?" Gilliam asks. Palmer nods.

"Yes, but this lab has always been graded for such risks and is capable of securing dangerous specimens and toxins safely. There is always an inherent risk in alien technology as this, but so long as it's dead we should be fine. And all the armed guards, I am told, are here to ensure they are dead."

"Alright. What have you figured out so far?" Palmer seems almost giddy as he leads Gilliam over to another terminal.

"Well, we all know that of all the worlds mankind has discovered, by far the strangest and most unlikely discover is the common similarities of genetics. Humans, Taidaren, Valen, we can all, for the most part at least, eat the same food. At least, within the same margin of difference as an ape, a goat, and a shark. Look at this." He clicks on the controls of the terminal and a number of projected helixes appear. They are different in the details, but largely made of the same materials.

"How can anyone fathom three species evolving on three different worlds coming up with such a similar genetic structure." He says.

"Right, the Gattaca Paradox. Every form of carbon based life has the same general genetic architecture. One of the great mysteries of the universe. Xenology 101." Gilliam says. Palmer only chuckles.

"Yes, but after we examined the samples taken from one of the recovered crew remains, we found this." He clicks a number of keys, and a new strand appears, replacing the others. Three genetic strands curling in a triplex, linked in a complex web of proteins. Palmer almost burst out laughing in his excitement as Gilliam shuffles closer, mouth agape.

"How is that stable?" He asks. Palmer shakes his head with excitement.

"I have no idea!" He says. "The bodies are slightly acidic, almost like orange juice, so that's one theory. The Triplex can't remain stable in a neutral or basic environment."

"But they would still be horribly prone to mutation. Cancer rates or birth defects would make long term stability difficult."

"Unless they use it to their advantage. We've seen massive differences in their castes' biology. The ones at the new Gemini embassy alone show us that. Their speaker, the name alone tells you enough about their thought process. It speaks, like us, and that is all it is meant to do." Palme places a shaking hand on Gilliam's shoulder. "They mutate themselves to purpose. My god I've never seen anything like it. I bet their ships look similar under a microscope, and this complexity, we'll be data mining this strand for years!" He quickly catches himself, and changes the projector screen again.

cont.
>>
>>1234570
>capable of securing dangerous specimens and toxins safely.
Not good enough.
Ready the fleet.
>>
>>1234528
Found it in the middle of thread 58. we're researching "smith dissection" but it's not completed yet.
>>
>>1234570
>we'll be data mining this strand for years!
oh no
>>
>>1234570
So Mom seeded all the life in this sector then?
>>
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>>1234570
>"Unless they use it to their advantage. We've seen massive differences in their castes' biology. The ones at the new Gemini embassy alone show us that. Their speaker, the name alone tells you enough about their thought process. It speaks, like us, and that is all it is meant to do." Palme places a shaking hand on Gilliam's shoulder. "They mutate themselves to purpose. My god I've never seen anything like it. I bet their ships look similar under a microscope, and this complexity, we'll be data mining this strand for years!"

Seiner is laughing right now from whatever afterlife exists in this setting
>>
>>1234602
I don't think the White Queen did because she wasn't old enough.

Maybe her grandma did or something even prior to the Hive
>>
>>1234602
Mom and Gardener. Both of them did it as a collab project according to the Barren queen.
>>
>>1234590
Dont worry. If in ten years they discover how to make bug spray work on us, we can discover how to make a human equivalent in 2 days and figure out how to spread it to every human world in a week at most. They trey any bio terrorism, we will show them how its properly done. Besides, if we can see what information they have gathered about us (really the OQ's hive) then we can plan ahead.
>>
>>1234590
It won't matter, within two years the 4-dimensional crystal war will be over, either in loss or victory.
>>
>>1234602
Wow, we got an ever bigger secret we can use to completely destroy everyone's worldview.
Creator of 3 space fairing races is pretty huge.
>>
>>1234611
They diddled around with humans, not Earths most common ancestor or every other species on the planet, so they cant be responsible for the common genomes.
>>
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>>1234611
Neither are old enough.

It's far more likely the 4th dimension is responsible for the vast majority of lifeforms being capable of being interacted with by tachyons.

For some reason psionics can manipulate all carbon based life. Possibly including causing it to form.
>>
>>1234621
>>1234611
Plus the ark that Mom came on isnt at least 3.5 billion years old(the latest age of life on earth), so life would already have developed.
>>
>>1234570
Hah, silly apes. Thinking that they can do anything without us knowing, little do they know their R&D guy already belongs to us. All their research is belong to us, all their planets are belong to us underground, all their bases will be belong to us.
>>
>>1234621
Our Mom may not be responsible for all life, but the hives generally have been around for millions of years or more. They may have done something from that forgotten era.

Also... the void God is another entity claims to create/uplift life...
>>
>>1234623
Actually I think they were flesh and blood at some point before they went through some sort of singularity.
>>
Weren't the queens around for 30,000 years or something?
>>
>>1234610
White Queen and Black Queen were the only two queens born ON the arc in space before it came to this galaxy. After White Queen (mom) left, Gardener became top dog since she controlled Raligha or something.

>>1234604
We should get rid of that man's head. Literally nobody wants him back.

>>1234602
Not impossible. Humans and Phantoms, definitely. Valen and Taidaren, who knows. It's within Hive capability to do it.

>>1234635
My personal theory is that the Void Gods are basically the Hive equivalent of Theseus: an AI research project that got out of hand.
>>
>>1234635
All I was saying is that Mom wasn't responsible. I can entirely believe that the Old Hives or the Crystals or a surprise third faction is responsible.
>>
>>1234623
I wonder if we could devote serious resources to that line of questioning. Modifying genetic data with psionics, tachyons, would be an uber-OP ability, if it could only do anything further than our infiltration eggsacs.
>>
>>1234643
70,000 years ago.
>>
>>1234570
"Well, attention to the present. We don't have much to dissect. We found some kind of... I'm not sure. But it's about two meters in diameter and was found inside a charred wreck, deep enough so it was crushed but not burned. We also found several parts, enough to reconstruct one of the drones." Several pictures are quickly pasted together, three legs, two arms, and a shredded torso in three pieces with a head that's been popped open like a steamed lobster." The parts are all from different sources, but they seem to be the same caste. Oh, and the real jewel, and it wasn't even found here. We've got a full, intact drone. Not sure about the caste, but the settlers on Djin apparently found it in the ice caves. Thing is dead as a doornail, but it looks almost perfectly preserved in the ice. Ice cores from nearby sources indicate the thing's almost a million years old. At least ninety thousand. God, how long were these things space faring, do you think?"

"Ninty thousand years old?" Gilliam asks at your nudging. "Are you sure?"

"At least." Palmer replies. "Why?"

"No reason." You say, the hologram shows an image of a block of ice, freshly cut with laser drills, being held in a thawing rack. The blackened figure inside is twisted, as if the body was burnt before being frozen, the limbs seemingly bent and contorted without having been broken. You doubt it could have survived whatever warped its carapace like that, and you detect nothing from the lab at all, none of its crates or samples give any hint of mental activity, and the guards follow them everywhere, watching every door and security camera. You wonder if you'd be able to even get a fly in here.

As you mull over such things, Gilliam is approached by another guard in an officer's uniform, his armor painted with a blue stripe of the local PDF rank of captain.

"Hello." He says with a quick salute. "I'm captain Vance Norris, and despite what either of you believe, I am in charge of this facility." He is a gruff looking man, several scars trace along where implants are or once were, and a small metal plate sits on his right temple with a port that seems dedicated for his helmet to interface with. "I have seen or heard of a number of labs going up in atomic fire or worse in the past few weeks because they started studying weird shit." He spits the word, "and I swear to you on my mother's grave I will personally incinerate anything I see so much as twitch on an operating table. I've already given this speech to Palmer, and now I'm giving it to you. I'm watching you, and your weird alien bullshit."

"Sir, I-"

"Don't even try. My last post had these same things involved. Upper brass wanted live drones studied. Had some crazy madman in charge, and in less than a day, those things were loose and disemboweling my men. I lost people that day, and by god I will shoot you if I think you're about to do something like that here." He stuffs his helmet back onto his head, and storms off.
cont.
>>
>>1234643
Or was it 300,000?
All i remember is we cause that genetic bottleneck in humanity.
>>
>>1234647
>White Queen and Black Queen were the only two queens born ON the arc in space before it came to this galaxy
We have yet to confirm that the arkship traveled beyond the galaxy.
>>
>>1234653
WE GOT STREET CRED
>>
>>1234650
We're already researching Psionic Telekinesis so we're on our way.
>>
>>1234653
[FOR MOTHER]
>>
>>1234653
• Djin: Population, 6,340. A small planet covered in porous holes. The planet is covered in water, and the network of caverns and interconnecting caves have yet to be even remotely explored.
>>
>>1234653
I think I like this guy, and not just because his proclamations will make this place less dangerous for us. He understands, at least on some level, how dangerous this stuff can be.
>>
>>1234653
>WQ OQ only got to this portion is space 70K years ago
>Humans unearth a drone that is 90K old

Maybe one of the reeeeally ancient hives then.
Might be a scout of the WQs mother Hive?
>>
>>1234653
Hohoho, I like this guys moxy. Lets do what he says for now. Our spy is far to valuable to risk.
>>
>>1234669
Damn, how deep in human area that is.
Also even for us it would be hard to explore the caves...but worth of a shot still. Although we got 99 other things at our "to do" list.
>>
>>1234679
Agreed, its not like we can't research it indirectly through him either.
>>
>>1234682
One of the neighboring systems.
>>
>>1234669
Right, let's send some more observation pods that way and start infiltration. Even if this one drone is dead they usually travel in groups, there could potentially be millions recoverable if the hive is deep enough. Or even better - ancient knowledge.
>>
>>1234677
>>WQ OQ only got to this portion is space 70K years ago
Wrong.

70k years ago is the date of the Betrayal, cursed be aunt's name.

We have literally never asked the Barren Queen how long ago the Ark arrived here.
>>
>>1234691
We should have Elizabeth and the Barren queen talk also bring in everyone to watch this trainwreck happening before us.
Also reminder.
Cryospray is a great choice for removing creep while doing minimal damage to structures and environment.
Energy weapons are all-around better for remove creep than kinetic weapons
Disassembler missiles are a great choice for removing large swathes of creep without doing damage to the biosphere
Photonic armor is great for limiting creep spread.
>>
>>1234653
>almost a million years old. At least ninety thousand.
HOW OLD ARE WE?
WHAT'S THE FUCKING TIMELINE?
>>
>>1234653
Palmer stutters for a moment before looking back at Gilliam.

"I'm sorry about him. He's a bit worked up. His troops just transferred in recently. Anyways. We've been trying to thaw out the sample from Djin without harming the sample itself. We've taken some carbon dating of the surrounding ice to compare with what the settlers found, and we get a range of dates, but regardless, this thing was frozen while mankind was smashing rocks together. The oldest samples show the caves forming a million years ago, while ours show the more mild ninety thousand. It's a bit of a wide margin, but it's what we got. I've asked them to keep us posted with any more findings, and to try to get a better idea of when this drone got there, and how."

>Offer to help perform the dissection
>Ask for a tour of the facility and its staff
>Other (write in)
>>
>>1234718
>Ask for a tour of the facility and its staff
>>
>>1234718
>>Offer to help perform the dissection
Lets see what this drone is made of
>>
>>1234718
>>Other (write in)
Have you tried.... ringing Gemini and ASKING their speaker about it?
>>
>>1234718
Ask for a tour.

We can help cut it open soonish
>>
>>1234653
>and I swear to you on my mother's grave I will personally incinerate anything I see so much as twitch on an operating table. I've already given this speech to Palmer, and now I'm giving it to you. I'm watching you, and your weird alien bullshit."
I like his style!

>>1234660
I went back to look and you're right. It's unclear. We could ask the Barren Queen for clarification.

>"Both her and your mother were born before the ark left the space of the ancient hives. They were born as it departed, fleeing from the maw of the abyss." She says. "I do not know the details, only that it changed them. The Black Queen's fervor became her undoing. Her plans brought her closer and closer to the enemy, and when the time came to strike, when the abyss opened and the time to attack came, she looked away, and let it devour her."
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/47638615/#p47641665

>>1234715
The Red Queen is not even a human year old, chill your jimmies.

>>1234718
>Ask for a tour of the facility and its staff
Would be more in-character. Gilliam is not versed in biology.

and also seconding >>1234739
>Bring up asking the Hive in Gemini
>>
>>1234718
supporting
>>1234739
>>Other (write in)
>Have you tried.... ringing Gemini and ASKING their speaker about it?
>>
>>1234718
>Offer to help perform the dissection
We should find out what's the deal before it inevitably bites us in the ass.
>>
>>1234718
>Ask for a tour of the facility and its staff
>Offer to help perform the dissection
Help from a distance...a LARGE distance.
>>
>>1234718
>Offer to help perform the dissection
>>
>>1234653
This guy is gonna get a hell of a resume if he survives this post.

>>1234718
>Ask for a tour of the facility and its staff
>>1234739
Thirding.
>>
>>1234742
>The Red Queen is not even a human year old, chill your jimmies.
I thought our pod was sent out during the final battle? How long were we in that pod?
>>
>>1234718
>Offer to help perform the dissection
The ice drone might have been void corrupted.
Also supporting >>1234739
>>
>>1234718
>Offer to help perform the dissection
Science, ho!
>>
>>1234771
Void corruption doesn't work like that.
>>
>>1234777
It might be similar to the nowhere corrupted humans, they were implanted with a physical void shard and this drone might be too. Better safe then sorry.
>>
>>1234739
Actually, though Gilliam wouldn't know about this,

the Union has agreed to give the hive all artifacts in the Expanse.

I think a frozen hive drone would qualify.

https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/48523245/#48527443
>>
>>1234769
It was less than a year ago that the White Queen's fleet was destroyed by the Void Gods and the Black Queen, so any way you count it, it's not more than a year. I'm not counting any time spent before hatching. After waking, we basically just blinked to Leeland as soon as we awoke. Doesn't really matter, Red Queen is younger than a human toddler.
>>
>>1234785
Incorrect anon. You are making assumptions of things that didn't happen.
>>
>>1234785
The corruption didn't really take hold of Black Queen until her betrayal. You can't compare a human mind to a drone mind, either. The drone mind would fry before being corrupted, that's a built-in failsafe that even our drones have.
>>
>>1234805
Also humans were designed by Mom to NOT by psionic. What I think is they need some non psionic prodding to be corrupted, like that religious nut.
>>
>>1234795
I need to re-read the archives...
>>
>>1234811
Mom's engineering probably made them heavily resistant, but genetic mutations have weakened that (as well as creating Blanks, effectively), and extreme proximity to the void shards will still do it. It took several months for that base to go corrupt.
>>
>>1234811
Well the void found a way to get around that safeguard, and mom made them long time ago and abandoned the project after she got what she wanted a century ago?
>>
>>1234718
>>>Offer to help perform the dissection
We can tour later

>>1234739
Also a good idea.
>>
Also, the hive probably has more advanced dissection and preservation expertise than human technology anyway. So that's a possible benefit to them.

>>1234785
The crystal brains were explicitly not void shards. It was spelled out. The dark color is just blood.

Also an individual drone would be of very little value to assume direct control of.
>>
>>1234818
What im saying isnt that they cannot be corrupted, but that its harder, takes longer, has to be done in a more "roundabout" way or a combination of the three.
>>
>>1234800
>Incorrect anon. You are making assumptions of things that didn't happen.
Thread 57.2
>The helmet cam adjusts itself deliberately, lowering to look at the body. The skull is cracked open, and the brain is partially crystallized, cloudy shards of what looks like a dark quartz covered in blood embedded in the brain, the shape following the curves of the brain itself, as if the brain had been frozen solid, then smashed against the floor.
Thread 59
>Human Possessed Dissection
>the physical structure of the brain has also been severely altered, becoming a crystallized solid substance.
>The only remaining fragment that does not crumble to dust within the day, is a small fragment of material you find embedded within the back of each human's skull.
>>1234805
I know the void god's psionics don't work on our drones but it's the physical corruption I'm worried about, we have yet to finish researching Crystal neural jack implant.
>>
Should we be cheeky as fuck if they call tell them destroy it and if they refuse and say "at least this shipwreck will be an entertaining one" and blink some ships above to watch the show.
>>
>>1234835
>Should we be cheeky
Yes.
>>
Space citadel, in construction, 4-5 threads ago.
>>
>>1234835
I like this, eve better if we just send in a single corvette.
>>
>>1234851
THIS!
While i don't want to stress QD the Space citadel and scouting pods have been in the back burner for a long time.
>>
>>1234863
I'm just happy QD isn't dead. I've been re-reading this quest and I like it a lot and wish we had more. Please don't die, QD.
>>
>>1234835
That's silly. The ancient frozen corpse is the one thing they aren't in apparent danger from.

They won't admit having collected the wreckage of the OQ's fleet, and since that's recent it's not part of our gunboat-diplomacy demands anyway, they're welcome to the sleeping sporepod that is
>We found some kind of... I'm not sure. But it's about two meters in diameter and was found inside a charred wreck, deep enough so it was crushed but not burned.
>>
>>1234833
>While your initial observation in the field lead to fears of a more ethereal composition, the crystalline structure's dark color appears to have been caused by blood cells and remaining components of the brain lodged within the structure itself.

They are not void shards. Void shards aren't even made of atoms, they're just seemingly nothing. The 'Crystal neural jack implant' being researched isn't a void shard.
>>
>>1234863
This is what the 3 time you brought this stuff up?
>>1233954
>>1234044
Let the crunch be abandoned till QD is better and stop being so demanding given his situation
>>
>>1234897
>The only remaining fragment that does not crumble to dust within the day, is a small fragment of material you find embedded within the back of each human's skull.
We wont know if it's a void shard or something similar until we finish Crystal neural jack research and until then I'd rather be safe than sorry.
>>
>>1234718
Gilliam looks about quickly as he mulls over his thoughts.

"Have you... considered asking them?" He says.

"What?"

"The speaker on Gemini. Have you considered calling the embassy and... just, asking them about it?"

"I..." Palmer seems at a loss for a moment. "I don't think they'd let us. I could maybe try to get a diplomat to pass on the question. I'll see if I can get the Secretary to pass it on to Morgan."

"Right." Gilliam says. "Well, I would be willing to help out with any of the dissections you have planned. In case you wanted me to help examine their biotech."

"That would be appreciated greatly. We have the control room up here. It lets us operate our remove surgeons from a central location."

"Remote surgeons?"

"Well of course." Palmer says with excitement. "I know, it's less fun than really getting in there yourself, but we've got no idea what these things could be capable of even in death. We wouldn't want them to gush acid all over our technicians or anything like that, would you?" Palmer speeds up into a jog as he flicks his ID pass through the door's lock and it opens as he dips through sideways and nearly falls as he slides to a stop at the command controls. Screens show a number of tables with various samples being prepped by robotic limbs hanging from above, and several large window shaped screens show the rooms of the operating rooms. In one is the frozen block of ice slowly thawing, the other, a number of tables with various worker body parts, and the third is a small blob of flesh oozing a thick greenish paste. In time, you recognize it as a thinker, or at least it once was, now it more resembles a ruptured cyst.

"Come on everyone let's get this show on the road!" He shouts with glee. "I want to know what's in these beautiful, beautiful pinatas of ours." He leans in looking over a number of displays before becoming reminded of your agent's presence. "Oh! Right. First off, what do you make of it from the perspective of an intelligent creature."

>Assist Gilliam and offer him some small piece of information in his observation
>Allow him to study the remains himself
>Attempt to sabotage their research with poor data and low quality analysis.
>Other

>>1234901
Actually the reminders help, that way I know what I missed and what I didn't.
>>
>>1234917
>"Remote surgeons?"
>"Well of course." Palmer says with excitement. "I know, it's less fun than really getting in there yourself, but we've got no idea what these things could be capable of even in death. We wouldn't want them to gush acid all over our technicians or anything like that, would you?"
They've learned
>>
>>1234917
>>Assist Gilliam and offer him some small piece of information in his observation

carrot
>>
>>1234917
>Allow him to study the remains himself
>>
>>1234927
My god.
>>
>>1234917
>Allow him to study the remains himself
keep gilliam seem competent but don't give them useful info
>>
>>1234917
>Allow him to study the remains himself
>>
>>1234917
>>Allow him to study the remains himself
We want to see how efficient their methods are
>>
>>1234917
>"I don't think they'd let us.
Ha, unless you instead choseto call up the Valen, to pass on a message to their human representative on Gemini, to talk to the hive representative.

But that's a whole new can of space-gators they'd be opening instead.

>>1234917
>>Allow him to study the remains himself
>>
>>1234917
>Assist Gilliam and offer him some small piece of information in his observation

We need our cover as a super scientist intact.

Also, is anyone else incredibly nervous with how energetic that other scientist is with cracking open a "piñata" that could potentially contain lethal alien bio-weapons... even if he survives this he may not be long for this world.
>>
>>1234917
Hmmm if we sabotage too hard then it would look bad if its proven wrong, such as a new guy taking our spy's place at the best. Let them learn some rudimentary stuff. If they get too close to some important things then play devils advocate, get some uncertainty going and let them doubt their observations for as long as possible while making it seem like we are trying to be helpful.
>>
>>1234917
>Allow him to study the remains himself

It's a little bit too dangerous to give hints here. Giving rise to questions like "how do you figure?" and responding with "just a guess" isn't very helpful.

>We wouldn't want them to gush acid all over our technicians or anything like that, would you?
Hehehe. Well it was only ever going to work once.
>>
>>1234917
>Assist Gilliam and offer him some small piece of information in his observation
Maybe try giving rise to more questions than answers. Keep them from knowing something before us.
>>
>>1234917
>let him do it himself
>>
>>1234917
>>Allow him to study the remains himself
No reason to sabotage, no reason to giv ethem a suspicion he knows too much.

Let's let the other scientist show off a bit. Gilliam isn't a biologist really after all.
>>
>>1234917
>Attempt to sabotage their research with poor data and low quality analysis
Union shitters don't deserve jack
>>
Maybe we should invite this Palmer guy over for a few drinks and a free internal pet?
>>
>>1234989
we're already playing a dangerous game with Gilliam. Let's not, until we know more.
>>
>>1234989
Well we HAVE had no less than 5 days to establish a sewer hive under New Tokyo that could easily have hatched some flies and parasites by now.
>>
>>1235018
New tokyo is where we get to see live actions of aunties spores right
>>
>>1234635
Or... maybe it's the hive the one which has diverged. The hive achieved complete mastery of its own evolution, it makes sense to consider that its base genome is now completely different to whatever it was originally. Hell, as Palmer points it is designed to achieve maximun mutation rate.
>>
>>1234635
>the void God is another entity claims to create/uplift life...

You know this is a good point.

We've only seen the void gods corrupt existing life. It hasn't been able to create anything unique but I'm pretty sure any decent queen would be able to create some kind of new species from whole cloth. It's more difficult than just editing existing genomes like we have been doing, but it must be within the realm of possibility.
>>
>>1235107
They altered the Skyl so extensively over time they may as well have made them from scratch.
>>
>>1234852

Why we always forget to read that Thinker mind? The Void already knows about us. So there is no danger, can we get a vote to do it already?
>>
>>1235132
This. We have literally nothing to loose at this point by looking into it's memories, and could give us a crucial edge.
>>
>>1235132
It's not really relevant right now. QD tends to resolve things in a very step-wise manner. We're dealing with Gilliam right now, will move on to something else soon, and once we're done, there's time to suggest new actions.
>>
>>1235132
There are levels of danger. You never know if it raises the crystal DEFCON further.
>>
>>1235132
Cause it became a forgotten sidequest that lost importance as we learned things by other events
>>
>>1234917
"Well... Honestly it's difficult to say. I would think they were different species, but knowing they're not..." Gilliam says, his mind finding no aid from you. "The drone you've managed to get in pieces, it looks like it could be a lower caste. A worker of some kind. It looks similar to those found in the Expanse, but slightly different."

"Yes, I've noted that myself. The carapace is darker, with what look like thorns. Do you think it's a deliberate aesthetic?"

'A sign of rank, or indication of a faction loyalty?" Gilliam replies. "An indication it's from a different hive than the primitive hive found in the Expanse."

"Are you sure those were truly primitives?" Palmer asks. Gilliam ponders the thought.

"I've wondered about that myself. Our own space has worlds and regions of worlds at radically different levels of development. It's possible we found a kind of primitive community of luddites."

"Alien Amish?" Palmer asks with amusement.

"Something like that. I don't think that's very likely though. It could have been a new hive, too young to make use of their advanced technology, or they could have just been pulling our legs this whole time. I don't think there is enough data either way to be sure. Regardless, these look different from them. This could be their idea of branding or uniforms." Gilliam looks to the thinker. "This one is more interesting. I don't see how it would function physically."

"We can't detect any hint of musculature in the legs." Palmer says simply as a number of probes pierce its fractured shell. "It's filled with a strange mass. It seems similar to... brain matter. It's nothing but electrically conductive fibers."

"A leader caste, maybe? We know they were able to breed a drone just to be able to speak verbally, and we still don't know how they speak among each other, or how specialized their drones can get." Gilliam says. Palmer scratches his chin as he grabs a cup of coffee from the desk behind him and takes a sip.

"You're saying you think they could export their thought process?"

"We know they do. Their behavior shows an indication that they are some kind of collective organism. We just don't know if they have a distributed intelligence, or a consolidated one. This, however, would hint they can consolidate their sentience into a few bodies, possibly able to control the others."

"The legs are the same. A flexible structure holding a conductive fibre within. "Palmer says as the instruments pluck a leg from the thinker's crushed corpse. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was fiber optic cable. And damn good cable too."

"Did you find anything that would indicate their FTL capabilities, either transport or communications?" Gilliam asks.

"No, or at least, nothing we're capable of comprehending."

The two continue to pass conjecture between them as technicians slowly slice the bodies apart layer by layer. As they do, the ice block continues to thaw, its rack slowly heating the frozen corpse.

Cont.
>>
>>1235152
It hasn't lost one single iota of relevance to this quest, we just decided to put it off because it reveled to us too much IT CANNOT BE knowledge. We have now attained this knowledge, so we should check what else is on there.
>>
>>1235155
>"We can't detect any hint of musculature in the legs." Palmer says simply as a number of probes pierce its fractured shell. "It's filled with a strange mass. It seems similar to... brain matter. It's nothing but electrically conductive fibers."
Oh shit, that's a relay. We need to start thinking about stealing this from the Union, maybe deploy a covert advanced psionic jammer over New Tokyo's orbit.
>>
>>1235155
>this caste info dump
SHIT, STOP GILLIAM, STOP
>>
>>1235176
Another task for Lyle?
>>
>>1235139
>So there is no danger
Assuming it doesn't actually have the Psionic cannon research on it. I mean the White queen performed the research with millions of thinkers and she left a message that said to kill the Black Queen.
>>
>>1235186
>>1235186
Its just a thinker anon
>>
>>1235186
Sounds like a thinker to me.
>>
>>1235186
That's a thinker anon. it even says so.
>>
>>1235176

Yes. At most we could look it inside a room wwre we are shirled from the Void, you paranoid bastards.
>>
>>1235186
It's a thinker. Learn to read.

>>1235187
Meh, this kind of basic info is going to come out anyway.
>>
>>1235189
The psionic cannon is only hazardous to us if we fire it, thereby puncturing whatever veil lies between us and the crystals. We cannot see them without being seen by them, and we cannot strike them allowing them to strike us, remember.

Just viewing the plans won't have any effect on us at all.
>>
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>>1235186
>Oh shit, that's a relay.

>>1234917
>you recognize it as a thinker, or at least it once was, now it more resembles a ruptured cyst.

I don't think you tried at all.
>>
>>1235214
Why not have the humans fire it again? Or Design a race to fire it thats null.
>>
>>1235214
Well we are being watched by the void, who knows if they can detect us working on the plans.
>>
>>1235214
That's quite the assumption. Did any of those queens have Void Demon spying on them at the time?
>>
>>1235155
>the ice block continues to thaw, its rack slowly heating the frozen corpse.

Oh, right.

I just remembered how drone hibernation works.

They remain effectively dead, perfectly preserved, until their psionic brain, the only active part, gets a mental signal to awaken.

And they're very hungry when they wake up, if sleepy.
>>
>>1235235
CHRIST I JUST REMEMBERED THAT

There might be an entire hibernating hive on that planet holy shit!
>>
>>1235235
Well, this should be interesting.
>>
>>1235235
Well, I don't think it's going to be very happy to learn that its Mother has been space-dust for a very, very long time.
>>
>>1235235
That's quite interesting.
>>
>>1235214

The cannon was a mistake to make. It opened a bigger door. Shielding and destroying the Void followers is a better idea unless we could one shot the Void gods and Queenie would never make that easy.
>>
>>1235235
That drone is going to die.
Maybe we can ask some questions with our parasite before vance puts a bullet through it's head.
>>
>>1235235
WE CANT LOSE OUR SPY. Subconsciously give him the idea of hibernation and tell hm to tell the others all while backing the fuck up.
>>
>>1235243
>its Mother has been space-dust

>>1235155
>The carapace is darker, with what look like thorns. Do you think it's a deliberate aesthetic?"

Its mother is quite alive and well, anon, if completely insane.

And only its Mother or a Thinker of her hive could awaken the sleeping drone.

So, odds are, what survived the wreckage?
>>
>>1235251
That's why the message on the thinker is to kill the black queen first then it's memories will likely unlock the memories.
>>
>>1235262

Oh shit.

How fast can we nuke the whole place?
>>
>>1235251
>The cannon was a mistake to make
It's literally the only weapon capable of harming the Them, we'll never be rid of them or drive them back without it. It's not like it even poses an existential threat to the shooter unless it's a queen doing the shooting, we could probably talk Theseus into constructing and testing one with a disconnected instance of himself.
>>
>>1235266

Actually we had a notification SEVERAL THREADS AGO that we can now read the Thinker memories.
>>
>>1235262
The description is from the recent OQ drone pieces.
>>
>>1235276

It also opens a hole the Void gods can use to enter. And we only get a few shots.
>>
>>1235278
Which thread? Because I've read all of them and nothing like that was mentioned.
>>
>>1235272
WAIT. If it's an OQ former hive, or even the former hive of an OQ relative/daughter, then there is probably a relay somewhere on the planet. A hybernating relay is a valuable enough prize we shouldn't necessarily need to nuke the whole thing.
>>
>>1235262
I can't remember but did the Gardeners Warriors have thorns on them? I know the OQs do
>>
>>1235278
We did?
>>
>>1235284
We only need a couple.
>>
>>1235286
If that's true, it'd be on Djinn where the frozen Drone was from.
>>
>>1235288
Gardener's were literally walking trees.
>>
>>1235278
That sounds vaguely accurate, but it's been a long time. Do you have a thread or quote anon?
>>
>>1235281
Oh, shit. Never mind. It's not clear what hive it belonged to.
>>
>>1235290

Yes there was a change of sorts notification that we could read the Thinker memories but we didn't because Void Gods. But the Void Gods already know about us due to that accident so there is no reason to get reading that Thinker memories out the way.
>>
>>1235302
Sure, but we're doing drone dissection with Gilliam now.
>>
>>1235302
No there wasn't.
>>
>>1234917
Funny story, according to current understanding it's best to freeze things quickly and unfreeze them quickly to minimize damage, limits water expansion damage.
>>
>>1235227
All drones including thinkers have a basic relay in their brain that capable of sending and receiving signals from nearby medium and advanced relays.

That said, we're not going to be able to confiscate anything from this particular lab and I'm not convinced it'd be worth it even if we could.
>>
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>>1235155
Your battlecruisers swarm with their escorts, a vast horde of ships rapidly hurling towards the inner system of Tiberion as it sparkles with atomic fire and particle beams lancing against ship hull and shields as they flicker in the darkness. Ahead of you is the core of the Tiberion system, a lush looking cluster of worlds likely home to billions. You pass Windleton, a small frozen ball of gas and rock, a failed giant that only managed to reach the size of a large moon. Its surface is cracked with ancient mining operations, many of which swarm with Scavenger ground teams, but the ships have moved on and you detect no human signals. The scavengers are likely tearing it apart for metal, the mines themselves seemingly long abandoned.

Further in is the first truly contested world of Argos, a roughly earth sized ball of rock. With most of it either frozen or nearly frozen, it's vast continent spanning its surface and wrapping around the planet's equator is mostly fridget mountains and tundra steppe dotted with the lights of metropoli and dommed settlements, with the coloration of earth born forests and grasslands spread across its surface. The detonations of atomic warheads periodically mark the ground, and you detect a select few warships in orbit still firing into the enemy fleets as the Commonwealth defenders are vented to space one ship at a time.

Further in the system and on the far side of the star, you detect another world, smaller, and mostly ocean calling itself Elvanine. Its surface is covered in cityscapes that hug the many shorelines, and further in still is a dead, radioactive husk of a glorified asteroid known only as Tiberion A, its useless stone remaining untouched by both sides in the conflict, and its surface marked only with the sign of impact probes and abandoned rover landing sites, its appearance like a clone of Sol's Mercury, only smaller, and with a longer day.

>Move in to liberate Argos
>Fire a passing volley and continue to aid Elvanine
>Other
>>
>>1235379
The thinker is dead, it's relay might be completely gone and even if it's still there it wont do anything.
>>
>>1235379
Anon, that thing may hold intel of the OQ from the very beginning of the war, that sort of thing could be a game changer.

What if we snuck a parasite into the lab (let's be honest, that's pretty easy to do with Union labs) and have it brain jack the thinker? QD has stated it's completely capable of brain scanning enemy drones.
>>
>>1235387
>Fire a passing volley and continue to aid Elvanine
>>
>>1235387
>>Other
Completely drive off the fleet surrounding Tiberion, and leave a picket fleet behind to mop up anything on the surface while the bulk of the fleet continues to Elvanine.
>>
>>1235387
>>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235387
>>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos
Oh yeah, joint operation time!
what happened to the thawing drone
>>
>>1235387
>Fire a passing volley and continue to aid Elvanine
>>
>>1235387
Oh shit we're suddenly in the commonwealth.
>Move in to liberate Argos.
>>
>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235387
All we need is a few ships to touchdown on Argos.
>>
>>1235395
Not corpses that are more pus than brains anon.

And the odds of sending sensitive data containing Thinkers on an attack instead of freshly hatched young Thinkers is extremely unlikely for the paranoid OQ.
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235432
None of our ships can drop pod drones.
>>
>>1235432
Argos isn't a mining world.
>>
>>1235445
Yeah, I noticed. Oops.
>>
>>1235432
Argos is a contested planet, it has a population.
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos

Your fleet shifts its course and begins its acceleration to the planet itself, weapons at the ready. Your fleet holds a number of your more advanced fighters and gunships within their hangars, as well as missile bays ready to launch.

>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
>Fire an advanced volley as you approach at full speed (may cause damage to planet's surface)
>Have your main fleet hold its fire until within weapon range to avoid collateral damage
>Other

>>1235407
It's still thawing.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
>>
>>1235456
>>Have your main fleet hold its fire until within weapon range to avoid collateral damage
We should treat this engagement by the books.

The point isn't necessarily to win these fights alone, they're to cement an alliance.
>>
>>1235456
>>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.

Also, prep the assault/stealth fleets for rapid surprise reinforcements. Blink them in opposite our advancing strike craft for maximum confusion.
>>
>>1235387
>Move in to liberate Argos
We're still fairly lacking in the aquatic troop department right? We should use the time spent fighting on Argos to lay some aquatic warriors for Elvanine.
>>
>>1235463
Hold.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
Get ready for shitty rolls! I can feel it already.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
>Have your main fleet hold its fire until within weapon range to avoid collateral damage
>>
>>1235456

>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.

I view this as the option that risks us some more but stops the bombardment of the Commonwealth positions faster. Maximum Friendship Rescue GO!

The last option with the main fleet will come in once we can avoid blasting the Commonwealth positions too.
>>
Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>1235471
Priming the dice to avert said shit rolls.

For Mother!
>>
>>1235477
STOOP YOU'RE USING UP ALL THE LUCK
>>
>>1235479
>>1235477
Both of you are in the thrall of the Gambler's Fallacy and would benefit from the assistance of the Thinker.
>>
Rolled 89 (1d100)

Muh luck muh muther
>>
>>1235477
>>1235491
Wow, what are the odds?
>>
>>1235499
One in a hundred?
>>
>>1235456
>>Have your main fleet hold its fire until within weapon range to avoid collateral damage

>>1235462
Well really, the most important goal of all is to stop Scavs from gaining research material to get any more advanced than they are.
>>
>>1235456
>>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.
Time for our strike fleets to show their mettle.
>>
>>1235456
>Deploy your more advanced strike craft ahead of your fleet.

Your ships quickly shed formations of the advanced strike craft. A worthy test of the craft, which while not entirely new, you have yet to place into open combat on their own so far from a supporting ship. You have high expectations for the craft, which were largely inspired by the human's own rather effective and expensive fighters.

>Have them target the enemy capital ships with their missiles
>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft
>Other
>>
>>1235516
>>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft
>>
>>1235516
>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft
>>
>>1235516
>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft
>>
>>1235516
Sad. We don't have ships designed to capture Scavenger ships.
>>
>>1235516
>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft

Without support the scav capitals should fold much more easily.
>>
>>1235516
>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft

Your craft rocket forth, quickly accelerating towards the world ahead and leaving your fleet behind. Their weapons power up, simmering with anticipation at the imminent battle.

Please roll 1d100, best of 3.
>>
>>1235516
>>Have them focus on Scavenger sub capitals and strike craft

We have harpoon-shooting corvettes, might we capture a capital vessel alive?

Or maybe we shouldn't try that in a human system where they're watching.
>>
Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>1235542
>>
Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>1235542
For Friendship!
>>
Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>1235542
>>
Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>1235542
>>
Rolled 48 (1d100)

For Mother!
>>
>>1235531
We can vote to build the boarding fleet made from those 3 ships designs in the Disscussion page later
>>
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>>1235550
>>
>>1235550
Friendship hooooo
>>
>>1235559
AGAIN I FORGET
>>
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>>1235550
That's a nice invasion you're having there, Scavs. It sure would be a shame if anything were to happen to it.
>>
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>>1235550
Yes!
>>
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>>1235589
Wow, that really does sum up our play style perfectly.
>>
>>1235630
We've got both things. At the moment we are being kind to our friends by destroying our enemies.
>>
>>1235637
It's the best of both worlds!
>>
>>1235542
Your strike craft are quick to move in, their thrusters sending them rocking from side to side to avoid fire as the enemy fleet fires a salvo of kinetics into your approaching formation. You detect the shells burst as the close in, scattering shrapnel across the battlespace. A moment later, a wave of small metallic pellets grind against your shields, the strike craft glowing brightly as the fields struggle against the high velocity sandblasting. Several of the shields wink out, and one of your fighters bursts open, and a moment later explodes in a violent burst of rapidly freezing and boiling gas and plasma. The others pivot their weapons to targets, and quickly scatter into waves of swarming fighters that weave through space like an outstretched finger, each fighter moving to where it is needed.

You spot dozens of large ships, at least two hundred smaller craft, although it is hard to count as more emerge and others vanish over the planet's horizon. They all begin to open fire as your ships dart between bursts of radiation and shrapnel, another two of your craft bursting into a ball of fire from the incoming wall of weapons fire. They return it, your gunships firing their railguns as they close to range, their small turrets pivoting to track the incoming targets as Scavenger strike craft move to intercept. You burn down several with your particle beams, and a flight of your fighters engages. They begin to ignite like embers in the night, the plasma lance of your fighters flash boiling their hulls and cracking them open like popcorn kernels in an open fire. Your gunships run across the surface of several rapid attack ships, well armed and highly shielded ramming vessels, aiming for the weakened shielding near the rear drive. You lance off a portion of hull with the particle beams, and a kinetic warhead lands firmly into the armor of another, setting off secondary explosions as oxygen tanks ignite and Scavenger crew spill out into space from the opened wounds.

You detect a signal from several remaining picket ships, their hulls heavily damaged and shields long gone. One of them ignites in a burst of atomic fire as its long outdated fusion reactor breaches, the other firing escape pods in a mad panic as the first glimmer of atmospheric friction tints its belly red. Another, bleeding atmosphere from along its spine is the Murphy's Law, its hull number designating it an Orbital Monitor, a rather outdated ship design not scene since the Colony Wars due to their relative sluggish acceleration, but its oversized guns have made up for its shortcomings in this instance at least, as a specialized turret slowly pivots to track its target, its sides filled with its powerful quad laser batteries that make it little more than a defensive weapon system with a thruster attached. It batters a Scavenger cruiser, lighting it up as its hull melts away from the barrage of particle beams.

Cont.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfPPu4Mrj8
>>
One hell of a rumble, this is.
>>
>>1235721
>the other firing escape pods in a mad panic as the first glimmer of atmospheric friction tints its belly red.
Is that ship falling down into the atmosphere?
>>
>>1235793
Yes.
>>
>>1235803
>>1235793
Not necessarily, depends on which point it is in its orbit, for all we know it could be on an escape trajectory from the planet
>>
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>>1235721
Your fighters are quick to shift their course as you detect a wing of Scavenger strike craft, your alien hostage recognizing them as Carrion Feeder class bombers, and you drive them off from the lopsided looking Monitor ship, its own hull barren of any point defence itself. Its damage is extensive, however, and you can see its particle beams flicker on its starboard side until the weapon explodes mid-volley, leaving a deep gash down its scar-covered hull as the massive four-barreled turret separates from the ship, spiraling away in a ball of igniting plasma and volatile gases. It fires its maneuvering thrusters and slowly, gradually shifts its position, fighting its own massive girth to pivot its wounded side to the surface of the planet below and re-position its weapons. You detect a bleeding hole seeping gas and water where its main thruster would be, its hull too old to even accommodate a gravity drive, and it is clearly too low in its orbit to recover its altitude, but you see it fire again, ripping open a gap in the shielding of another Scavenger attack ship that your gunships are quick to exploit, gutting the hull along the gap in the shielding with lancing arcs of particle beams.

Another Commonwealth ship, more modern in its appearance, but only slightly, appearing as a flattened plate of metal broken by a habitation ring in the center, quickly adjusts its course, launching a volley of missiles and lancing out with several rapid fire kinetic weapons. Its hull in several places is entirely missing, the armor melted away and trailing a mixture of atmosphere and crewmen as an attack ship plunges its ram into its fraile midsection, shattering its hab ring and causing its flattened hull to smack either side of the attacking ship like a folding sheet of paper. A small number of escape pods jettison from the two hull fragments, a number of them ramming into the side of the Scavenger ship, as others rocket towards the planet below or vanishing into a lancing arc of point defence.

Your craft take the advantage, moving in on the attack ship as its hull grinds against the debris of the human wreckage, venting the ship and quickly overloading its flickering shielding. A moment later it ruptures in a burst of antimatter, its magnificent fireball of a death melting away a flight of pursuing strike craft, along with three of your own. A more than fair trade by your estimation.

The Murphy's Law guts another two vessels, and begins to erode the shields of a larger Talon class ship comparable with one of your own cruisers as it broadcasts to one of your passing fighters. It is a landing location, not far from the equator amid a flat steppe not far from the base of a rather jagged mountain range. You examine the site, and find a blasted wasteland marked with a glow of a shielded bunker complex in the center, craters covering the landscape around it as an atomic warhead detonates not far from it.

cont.
>>
>>1235832
As you parse through the signal, the Murphy's Law begins to break up, it's worn armor melting under the fire of several capital sized Scavenger ships. Escape pods streak from it, but as it's hull melts away you can see it continue to fire, lancing out at the enemy fleet until the moment its fusion reactor is hit, and it ignites into a momentary miniature star.

Your strike craft continue to press the attack, picking at the wounded and the smaller support ships until your main fleet is within range.

>Focus your attack on the larger ships as your fighters continue to pick at the support ships
>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack
>Other
>>
>>1235853
>Missile payload and press the attack
Kill.
>>
>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack
>>
>>1235853
>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
>>
>>1235853
>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack

Fire long range kinetics and the like at the supporting ships and have the slower missiles concentrate on the capitals which should be easier pray without point defense from the escorts.
>>
>>1235853
>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
>>
>>1235853
>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
Hopefully we can cripple one of the captial ships once there is less going on. Then board it to steal all their couches.
>>
>>1235853
>>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
>>
>>1235853
>>Focus your attack on the larger ships as your fighters continue to pick at the support ships
Everyone punches inside their weight class; should help keep them from overt attacks of opportunity.

Don't forget this fleet was diverted from another fight; it still has work to do after it's done here. We shouldn't use all our aces here.

Is it weird to be sad about the death of old, likely rare ships? 'Cause I'm sad about the death of old, likely rare ships. Plus it must have sucked to crew something you knew wouldn't stand up to a real fight.
>>
>>1235853
>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack

>Escape pods streak from it, but as it's hull melts away you can see it continue to fire, lancing out at the enemy fleet until the moment its fusion reactor is hit, and it ignites into a momentary miniature star.
[F]
>>
>>1235853
>Focus your attack on the larger ships as your fighters continue to pick at the support ships
>>
>>1235884
>Don't forget this fleet was diverted from another fight; it still has work to do after it's done here. We shouldn't use all our aces here.
It's been too long, what's this fleet's purpose?
>>
>>1235853
>>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack
>>
>>1235889
Not entirely sure, but I'm pulling from here:
>>1235387
"Aid" in the form a fleet isn't usually peaceful.
>>
>>1235853
>>Have your main fleet sweep away the remaining and damages support ships before refocusing onto the capitals
>>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack
Hit them hard and we won't have to hit them again. Although we do desperately need to capture and intact scav ship to figure out how their skip drive works.

>>1235884
>Everyone punches inside their weight class; should help keep them from overt attacks of opportunity.
Actually tiny ships have repeatedly been shown to punch well above their weight class in this quest, with a corvette going toe to toe and holding it's own against a commonwealth dreadnaught in one notable case.

And I agree watching old ships of days gone by sad to watch. At the very least they went down guns blazing, it is a glorious way for a ship to go.
>>
>>1235853
>Have your fleet launch its missile payload and press the attack

Please roll 1d100, best of 3 for your main fleet to engage.
>>
Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>1235907
FOR MOTHER!!!
>>
Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>1235907
>>
Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>1235907
FOR MOTHER
>>
>>1235907
FormOther Industries Munitions
Cornering the market in quality and genocide.
>>
>>1235916
oh thank fuck it isn't awful
>>
>>1235916
Thank you.
>>
Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>1235907
>>
File: aw shucks.gif (2 MB, 369x206)
2 MB
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>>1235914
that's what I get for forgetting mother
>>
Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>1235721
>>
>>1235906
>Actually tiny ships have repeatedly been shown to punch well above their weight class in this quest
You're right; I was grouping our fighters and their support ships in the same power band for some reason.

>it is a glorious way for a ship to go.
Better than being turned into a museum at least.
>>
>>1235907

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7PadmCGIqg

Your heavy fleet corvettes are the first to fire, their cruise missiles launching from their hulls in a wave of chitinous drones screaming towards their targets. They identify the largest and slowest among the enemy, those they can get to with greater ease, their warheads closing in and detonating across the enemy fleet. Your strike craft move away from their targets in time as you watch several flicker and die from point defence before the salvo impacts, rippling the hulls of their targets like waves in a pond. Several Talon class ships are all but gone, their shattered hulls bleeding fire and gas. Two Rending class ships tear apart from the salvo, their hulls shaking from the impacts and their shields flickering away as the second salvo launches. Stinger missiles, shorter range but more maneuverable, flood the battle space for targets as railgun impactors tear into the wounded capital ships. The stingers find their marks, ripping apart the armored Attack Ships and Talon ships as well as a number of mid-sized unclassified ships assembled from an unknowable number of alien hulls.

They return fire, their own weapons blazing amid the detonations of warheads and kinetic strikes. Plasma jets and particle beams intermingle in the crossfire as five of your corvettes ignite in flames and begin to scatter, while another batch of frigates have their shields flicker and die before crumbling from incoming fire.

Your fleet ends its deceleration as it enters close range, your swarm missiles launching from their holds and swarmer drones filling the space around their motherships in a mad dash to their targets. Fire specks in the void of space, crumpling hulls and dashing against shields as strike craft crumple and die, the enemy point defence overwhelmed as your close range plasma melts them away and particle beams lance smaller ships in half. An attack ship, it's hull blazing, rams into a cruiser at far too great a speed, snapping both ships in half from the force as the attack ship begins dumping its antimatter, the reaction scorching away the hull of your own fractured ship before they both vanish in a brilliant flash of light.

The sky is alight with fire and melting metal as debris from all sides burns and detonates in the friction of reentry. Warheads illuminating the darkened battle with flashes of light and particle beams dancing into visibility as they ripple over failing shields and melting hull, igniting leaking gasses and internal munition stores. In time, longer than you would like, you can detect the fleet falling back to Elvenine where another Scavenger fleet mops up the remainder of its own meager resisting PDF, trailing atmosphere as they go

cont.
>>
>>1236008

You quickly scan the surface and you find countless battles across the frigid world of Argos, and a signal from the site marked as a landing zone. It is tagged as from Lord General Augustus F. Cunningham.

"By god, what a light show! We can see you from down here at sunrise and you're giving ol' Tiberion's glow a run for its money! I was told to expect ground support and I certainly won't refuse the offer.-" the signal is cut with a sudden burst of static as an atomic warhead detonates several miles from the position, it regains its clarity in a moment. "I'll expect you directly and we can discuss the matter of retaking Argos."

>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>Split your fleet and keep a formation above Argos to provide orbital support
>Other (write in)
>>
>>1236008
You have to hand this to the Scavs, they die hard and they die loud.
>>
>>1236027
>>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236027
>>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
Don't suppose we could send an unoccupied fleet over here in time for it to be useful?
>>
>>1236027
>Split your fleet and keep a formation above Argos to provide orbital support
>>
>>1236027
>>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
I'm feeling pretty confident in our ground trooos, and the other planet needs capital support.
>>
>>1236027
>Split your fleet and keep a formation above Argos to provide orbital support

Keep a small portion of our fleet (say 1 or 2 light fleets worth of ships) over the planet to provide some rudimentary defense and air support. Send the vast majority of our ships to Elvanine.
>>
>>1236027
QD is it Titan time? We need to bust out those bipedal beauties.
>>
>>1236050
Well this is ok. Keep a small number of ships here for basic support but send most forces obward.
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine.
It might be wise to blink in some stealth fleets to attack the scav fleet when our main force reaches them to avoid casualties.
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236050
Voting for this.

Let's have our cake and eat it too.
>>
>>1236050
Seconding. It shouldn't divide us too much...
>>
>>1236027
>your fleet and keep a formation above Argos to provide orbital supp
The more heavily populated world is still under attack.
>>
>>1236058
>It might be wise to blink in some stealth fleets to attack the scav fleet when our main force reaches them to avoid casualties.

I agree with blinking in stealth fleets, but I'd prefer to keep them in reserve. Have the ships blink in along the probable scav escape vector and go silent. When we hit the scavs we leave a gap in our forces that allows them to "escape" into the waiting stealth fleet. We don't have to deal with a possibly dangerous desperate last stand from the scavs, our stealth abilities are probably revealed slightly less to the Commonwealth, and we keep most if all of the Scavs from escaping the system alive.
>>
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236085
That's a pretty good idea.
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and have your fleet move to Elvanine
>>
>>1236085
Ooh, nice, supporting.
>>
>>1236085
>>1236050
Seconded both.
>>
>>1236085
Supporting
>>
Changing to
>>1236050
>>1236085
Basic sun tzu strategy.
>>
>>1236027
>Land your ground forces and move your fleet to Elvanine
>Have your fleet move on, but leave a small formation of ships behind
>Other
>>
>>1236085
Also going to support, this is what our stealth fleets were designed to do
>>
>>1236124
>>Have your fleet move on, but leave a small formation of ships behind
>>
>Land your ground forces and move your fleet to Elvanine
>>
>>1236124
>Have your fleet move on, but leave a small formation of ships behind
>>
>>1236124
>>Land your ground forces and move your fleet to Elvanine but leave a small formation of ships behind.
>>
>>1236124
>Have your fleet move on, but leave a small formation of ships behind
>>
>>1236124
Land the ground troops and move most of the fleet on, leaving a small number of ships
>>
>>1236124
Can we do the stealth flee thing?
>>
>>1236124
>Have your fleet move on, but leave a small formation of ships behind

How many ships would you like to leave behind, exactly?

>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>Leave behind some corvettes (write in)
>Leave behind one battlecruiser
>Other
>>
>>1236175
I'm guessing yes, but that's probably the next battle scene (since it's at the next planet).

>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships.

They can still shoot - and it's better to let them recover and rapid repair away from the front lines.
>>
>>1236180
>>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
Not too damaged to fire, and this way they can dedicate resources to repairs.
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>>
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>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
Let them lick their wounds
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>>
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships
and also
>Leave behind one battlecruiser
>>
>Go to sleep
>Return
>Human found ancient as fuck Drone
>We are possibly the Creator of most life in this sector
>Also SPACE WAR

Woah, that's escaladed quickly.
>>
>>1236180
>Leave behind your most damaged ships

Your fleet begins shedding its shuttles and your smaller craft lower themselves into the atmosphere as they close in on the designated location. It becomes clear it is a sizeable fortress, the outer layer of defences have been burned away, but at one point in time it clearly held a ring of anti-orbital batteries and a number of anti-orbital missile silos mark its surface, either damaged from bombardment or the last have long since been expended.

As your shuttles close in on the center of the facility, the massive installation shields begin to drop, and you see a somewhat better view of the inner facility. It is a massive fort, roughly star shaped in its structure, with a set of large walls carved into a stone layer of what was likely a small mountain at some point, reinforced with what looks almost like starship armor. Pillboxes line the walls, and between two of the points of the star is a large but debris filled road pockmarked with holes and smoldering in its heat which leads to a large central gate, the walls on either side covered in tank cannons and gun emplacements.

The far corners of each of the fives points of the star reaches just outside of the shields, and is equipped with a massive quad laser similar to that of those you saw on the Murphy's Law in orbit, a number of smaller gun emplacements set beneath it, and separate from the fort itself, in its own island just outside of the shield, is a heavy reinforced dome of metal and concrete, similar in appearance to an observatory, but where a telescope would be a massive cannon peeks out of its covering. A tremendous klaxon echoes across the landscape, and after a minute of the cannon slowly turning, it fires with a thunderclap and mild shock wave that rolls over the landscape. A moment later its shell in the distance ignites as a rocket booster propels it further than the cannon itself can manage, and as your shuttle lands amid the directional lights and traffic directors in a small airfield behind the fort's walls, an orb of atomic fire rises like a second sun in the distance.

As your shuttles land, so too do a number of other human shuttles, and more still begin taking off, a rapid and well coordinated changing of guard as sorties return and leave to replace them in the field. Your swarms of drones emerge as more shuttles find landing zones elsewhere, and a speaker emerges from one of your shuttles and quickly skitters up to one of the humans directing the chaos with a set of glowing cones in his hands. He is taken aback at your quick approach and nearly drops his instruments as you greet him.

"Humans requested to speak of strategy to the Hive?" You ask simply. He points his cone quickly at a complex of buildings and trench tunnels dug into a set of more natural looking stone hills glowing with the light of buildings dug into them.

"The command bunker is that way, uh... sir?" He says with slight apprehension.
cont.
>>
[hype continues to build]
>>
>>1236336
Shit that was a good show, pity about it the drop in quality in the last season
>>
>>1236336
Oh god our speakers are just too great
>>
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>>1236336
You are unsure where the Scavengers have solidified their positions, but conflict is sporadic and seemingly everywhere. Your shuttles drop your aerial drones to survey the more confusing of the conflicts as you watch unmarked bunkers strike each other with identical artillery. The attacking scavenger forces seem to have overtaken a number of defensive positions, and have turned the weapons against the humans. While obviously a bad situation for the natives, this compounds the danger as you have a difficult time identifying which positions are held by Commonwealth or Scavenger forces. You decide to avoid any overt strike on the regions of confusion, and focus no finding more obvious pockets of enemy activity.

As your forces continue to land and find their own positions to dig in within striking distance of as many of the unidentified combatants as possible, your speaker finds a human willing and able to lead you to the General, although only after you hear the man berate the trooper over radio for his initial hesitation.

The winds are harsh and cold as the human opens the reinforced metal door with the sound of a tremendous metallic squeak revealing patches of rust along the outside, although the inside seems well polished and painted. The human leads you further still into a chamber within the bunker, the lights flickering occasionally with a soft buzzing sound, and he knocks firmly on a reinforced door that reverberates like a drum. It opens with the whine of hydraulics, and the human waves your speaker in before it shuts again automatically.

A rather impressively adorned human sits in a hovering chair, the seat moving along the room rather slowly as he examines a holographic projection of some battlefield. He pauses it, indicating it is either simulated or recorded, and turns his chair to you. With a firm grip of his cane he stands himself up, though there is a limp in his left leg that would indicate a wound of some kind. He grips his cane with one hand, and his desk with the other, an ornately carved oak structure fitted with a number of holoprojectors and inset computer terminals. The rest of the room is rather antique in design, reminiscent of some ancient Earth decor style you have yet to see outside of period piece films in Union space. A well adorned drop suit stands in the corner like a sentinel, although its open helmet shows it is empty. You think it first to be decorative, but quickly spot a large scorched crater set in the armor of the left leg exposing a number of wires. The rest of the wall is occupied with diagnostic equipment, with a large door set in the wall where the armor can be taken to a maintenance or deployment bay, while the other is filled with paper books, a strange rarity to find, many having been published long before the founding of the Confederacy itself, let alone the Commonwealth.

The man gives you a curt nod.

"Greetings, I am Lord General Augustus F. Cunningham" He says.
cont.
>>
>>1236396
This is what I love about the confederates, they got grit and style at the same time.
>>
>>1236396
>>1236396
>This pic
>Used it so many time

Good, good. I like this man.
>>
>>1236396
Excellent, a combat veteran in our general. There's likely more to the man than his posh facade indicates.

Also...

>>1236336
>The far corners of each of the fives points of the star reaches just outside of the shields

I'm sure it's just paranoia, but after our last incident with the Tartarus reactor I've been on the lookout for any other pentagram like facilities. Given the relative unimportance this planet appears to have, one must wonder why it has such a massive military facility on it...
>>
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>>1236429
I think it's supposed to be a bigger version of one of these old star forts
>>
>>1236429
>not knowing about star forts
For shame
>>
>>1236440
Oh yes, I'm very aware that it looks like just a larger than usual star fort. As I said, I expect it is hyperactive paranoia. I just noticed that the fort has a 5 pointed star shape which is the same as the reactor we destroyed. I'm sure its probably just a coincidence and not something to worry about.
>>
Speakers the cutest.
>>
>>1236396

Your speaker steps forward to the large desk as Cunningham picks up a rather sizable tome that smells of musty paper, closing it with a thud in one hand as he holds it up in the air and a mechanical hand unfolds from the top shelf and takes it, quickly placing it into its spot just outside his reach. Its spine is lettered in english in gold leaf lettering with the title Alien Dream, Alien Sheep: Comprehending incomprehensible motives on Earth and beyond, by Alexandra Adams It sits by other, similar works of Xeno sociology, psychology, and a number of cultural works from various hon-human authors as well as scientific journals regarding first contact with Humanity as written by Valen and Taidaren researchers, as well as others dated even before human spaceflight, or even human industry, including a number "the art of" books written by various influential humans across earth history.

"You really did give those bastards hell. We could see the fighting from down here and damn near needed eye shielding to watch it. Good show, boy!" He says with some excitement. Your speaker chitters with confusion. "And now comes the really fun part, kicking this rattlebacks off this world once and for all. Our own forces are spread quite thin, although without those fleets bombarding us we should be able to at least become more mobile with our local forces. At the moment we have eyes on a number of the bastards holing up in an old industrial sector next to the old mining town. The sector was evacuated when they first arrived, but now they've occupied it and are using the fallout shelter as a bunker." He says, and the lights flicker, the ceiling shaking as the cannon fires again. "Thank God for atomic artillery." He adds with a grin, "but it's not quite enough, we manage to get any that try and advance on our position, as well as a few columns of what we think are tanks, but that bunker is graded for orbital bombardment. Nothing much we can do on that front until we can get in there. After that, well, the whole planet is in shambles. I'm sure you were able to get something of a decent look on your way in here, and you know how to best use your troops, what would you propose?"

>Write in
>>
Hey guys, I just realized that the Commonwealth is basically laissez-faire, so wouldn't it be completely reasonable for the Hive to deal with each planet individually? We could probably negotiate for mining rights on these worlds, especially once we've helped them out.
>>
>>1236447
Ah, late night shadowruns and pathological paranoia. It's like this quest never went on hiatus.
>>
>>1236459
>We have several Buster Bunking options, we could remove it entirely with a plasma artillery barrage, or we could take it only partially destroyed with a Titan.

We should give him the two options.

Titan Specs are on the 1d4chan page
>>
>>1236459
The hive proposes we tunnel lay a short and violent siege upon this structure. We shall tunnel underneath it to allow for rapid breaching and shall deploy our heavily armored units to smash their way into from the surface. The scavengers deserve no mercy or hesitation, they must be completely swept from any area they take.

Also beware they will probably lay extensive mines and traps as they retreat to deny us their spoils, not that the hive cares for it.
>>
>>1236459
I am all for deploying our bipedal titan but don't we have a large drone with that bunker-buster plasma cannon that turns the whole drone into a giant laser?
>>
>>1236469
I'd go for partially destroyed with a Titan, since I want to take back some leftover Scav tech for research. Possibly some Commonwealth stuff we haven't seen before too, if there aren't any and they aren't looking.
>>
>>1236459
Give us a list of targets that we can hit as hard as possible, leave the cleanup and complicated situations to the locals.
>>
>>1236459
"Greetings Lord General, this one speaks for the Red Hive.

Identify hostile locations and provide any relevant tactical information. A few ships remain in orbit to provide limited bombardment support. How much infrastructure would you prefer remain non-obliterated?"
>>
>>1236469
Backing.

We can offer support to their positions if we can get confirmation of which positions ARE theirs so we don't have a friendly fire incident or fifty
>>
>>1236473
More like giant plasma artillery, it lobs shots, doesn't have a continuous beam.

Although he said it's probably immune to orbital bombardment, hence me mentioning the Titan which has a giant sledge
>>
>>1236459
There held up in a fortified position and this resembles trench warfare?

This is our specialty and the battle for the system will be decided by the fleet

Just get the workers to tunnel into the facility and other holdups and just wipe them out in close quarters
>>
>>1236473
If you want to destroy the whole thing (or most of it at least), you want the Plasma Assault Cannon. If you only want to make a hole that lets our troops in, you want the Particle Cannon with its Alpha Strike.
>>
>>1236471
I like the tunneling idea. it might nets a higher chance for spoils to recover.
>>
>>1236459
Have a worker pick up and start reading his books without asking.
>>
>>1236469
The big toys are fun, but we should keep a few up our sleeve for emergencies.
>>
>>1236502
Actually, do we have any that qualify more as "fun" than "useful"?
>>
>>1236502
If we don't use it now, we probably never will.
>>
We also need to practice seigecraft if we ever want to breach one of auntys world for whatever reasons, so just use this place as a test-bed for strategies

Just don't let the commonwealth know though
>>
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>>1236501
that's a bit rude.

>>1236506
Just use the useful things. Why not use all the things we designed that would be perfect here? Don't you want a practice round for fighting other hives?
>>
>>1236501
That's improper guest behavior.
>>
>>1236507
>>1236510
No, you're right. I'm one of those that never uses items in games "because I might need it later". This is pretty much ideal test grounds.
>>
>>1236510
>>1236511
What's he going to do, ask us to leave?
>>
>>1236519
Not cooperate after this combat is over. We could fix him up and rebuild some infrastructure in return for limited mining rights or farming rights or something. How many nutrients you reckon we could farm off some land here, even if it's a short lease for a few years?
>>
>>1236524
enough for a small fleet maybe, if we have space we can farm anywhere tbqh
>>
>>1236524
Why bother? we can put those resources into claiming whole new worlds or sites
>>
>>1236527
Having mines or farms on one planet does not prevent us from having mines or farms on another planet.

We need more.
>>
>>1236524
If we ever decide to offer planetary protection services, we could easily undercut regular mercenaries by taking either land for farming or just crop yield for payment. It would be easy, steady nutrients.
>>
>>1236533
Yes, but we dont need to deal with the diplomatic baggage and black ops that would occur on isolated sites on human worlds just to gain resources,

Just 2 worlds and we are funding enough ships to fight efficiently against one of the human powers and we still haven't reached our limit
>>
>>1236524
I have a feeling we might get a few Commonwealth worlds eager for Hive help in repairing the damage the Scavs did and probably won't mind letting the Hive have ownership of an undeveloped continent on their planets in exchange
>>
>>1236535
>>1236542
The Commonwealth is ripe with opportunities! Being semi-feudal makes it pretty easy to work with them. I don't really see why we shouldn't.

>>1236540
There's no black ops. This is the Commonwealth. Each planet does its own things as long as they pay their tithes. They literally have a planet with medieval serfs. We strike a deal to help them out with labor or medicine or defense, and get farmland or mines to exploit to fuel the industry.

Black Queen has dozens of worlds and many hive ships. Sure we've defeated a few, but she has more. Our technological advantage, even if it means we have tenfold better efficiency doesn't get us over Black Queen's position if she just has twenty times as many worlds.
>>
>>1236459
Your speaker chitters softly as it examines the holoprojector as it shows a large map of some battle, possibly during the first invasion.

"This speaker speaks for the Hive, ships in orbit will offer support, but humans are confusing in their fighting."

"Yes, I would imagine that it would be difficult to determine which bunkers are ours and which have been taken. They are quick to turn our guns against us."

"Yes. The Hive needs targets to attack." Your drone says. Cunningham nods in agreement.

"Very well. I'll give you some coordinates of places devoid of human life. You can just go in and rightly bleed the bastards." Your drone chirps in agreement as he begins manipulating his terminal, the hologram shifting to show various positions across the planet. "Keep in mind though, they have taken a number of anti-orbital batteries, but seem to still be repairing the power systems we blew when we had to evacuate them. They're offline, but we don't know for how long, and the perimeter guns are still up." He says as the various positions are highlighted on the map. Your speaker examines them in its periphery as it examines the shelf of books with a casual glance. The Art of War, The Prince, All Quiet on the Western Front, as well as Leviathan, Nicomachean Ethics, and The Last Lion among the older works, with Rise of the Confederacy: The Last President, the First Hedgemon and Ethics of interstellar Governance among the more contemporary works.

>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
>Offer to initiate a frontal assault with your drones on the sector
>Other (write in)
>>
>>1236548
Sure no humans would be at all not interested in how our tech works, it wouldn't just be government but corps, underground research teams and every crim operation who would love a chance to grab our tech

I mean look at the union man, the used lyle to give cover to there operation to grab our drones
>>
>>1236558
>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
>>
>>1236558
>>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
>>
>>1236558
>>Offer to initiate a frontal assault with your drones on the sector

I just wanna see a Titan one time
>>
>>1236558
>Offer to initiate a frontal assault with your drones on the sector
I just want to fuck some shit up and tunnels to slow!

>>1236560
"Observation diary, day 56. The worker drone continues harvesting the fruit. It does not sleep. It does not rest. All it does it harvest fruit. The taste isn't really great, but they must really like it for some reason since it's all they grow. For hundreds of acres."
>>
>>1236558
>>Offer to initiate a frontal assault with your drones on the sector
Did we bring enough workers to dig a tunnel fast enough to be useful? We shouldn't have more than a few in a ground assault force.
>>
>>1236558
>>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
Digging tunnels is a specialty of ours.
>>
I just have to say, I am loving these book names QD.

>>1236558
>>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector.
>>
>>1236558
>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
>A false frontal assault will act as a distraction in the mean time.
>>
>>1236558
>>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector
>>Offer to initiate a frontal assault with your drones on the sector

Why not both? The large drone weaponry wouldn't be effective in a tunnel anyway, so have them draw fire from long range.

>>1236570
I think we have a big sandworm drone for digging purposes.
>>
>>1236572
I'm changing my vote to
>>1236578

We don't know how long the tunneling will take and a full frontal assault will certainly distract them from getting the anti-orbital batteries back online. And if the tunneling fails we still have the frontal attack to fall back on (and vice versa).
>>
>>1236578
Backing.
>>
>>1236569
So you just going to pretend what the union tried to steal our drones didn't happen?

Or that any competent CIA would be plotting to find weak-points in our security to grab our tech and drones at all?

The commonwealth have there own research teams remember and many of there admirals are oligarchs with interest in new tech and its possibilities
>>
>>1236578
Supporting this.
>>
>>1236593
I don't see what the Union has to do with this. Do you really think that the various oligarchs will try to fuck with the hive after they've seen it in combat? After the Hive helped liberate their planets? When there is a picket fleet in orbit?
>>
>>1236593
Anon we're engaging in large scale ground warfare on Commonwealth planets. If they want to pick up one of the many drone corpses laying around and study it I don't think there's a whole lot we can do about it.

They probably have shiploads of poor dead warriors en route to Commonwealth lab from that last planet we fought. Don't worry about it, this was always going to be inevitable once we decided to land troops.
>>
>>1236599
Yes because the temptation is to great
And any competent black ops/research director will need to understand our ways to make contingency's to deal with us if we go hostile to them
>>
>>1236593
>union tried to steal our drones
Yeah, when they thought were were primitive rock smashers. Sure, they would do it again but with such limited information about us they would only do it in circumstances where they felt very safe.
> commonwealth have there own research teams
Yeah they do. And they are currently shit scared of us and likely busy with whatever paltry tech we have shared with them, inadvertantly or not. Since they can use that tech, or alliances, to screw over the enemy they are obsessed with while not angering us.
>>
>>1236600
>>1236603
Combat drones are fine but setting up hive infrastructure is a stupid idea
>>
>>1236593
Of course they are plotting to get their grimy hands on our beautiful tech and drones. Anyone would. I'm certain even Theseus probably has dozens of contingency plans to seize hive assets or respond to an attack.

What we need to do is to be scary enough that they don't want to risk pissing us off further, while at the same time being helpful enough that the brass believes it's easier to get what they want through diplomacy than through subterfuge. As long as we get this balance right, the only people who will try to get our shit will be small groups of extremists who will be greater enemies of their own nations than they are of us.

>>1236599
Has it pretty right, at least in the short term. We are far too powerful and scary for the oligarchs to overtly act against us without undermining their own power base. Right now we're helping them beat off an alien invasion and causing serious problems for their long time rival. They won't turn on us until they feel more secure/we stop helping them (unless they turn crazy or void corruption or the like)
>>
>>1236558
>Offer to tunnel into the bunkers of the industrial sector

"The Hive will tunnel into this bunker and drive them out from within. Humans will continue to force them to hide." Your speaker says, Cunningham taps his cane against the floor.

"Bully!" He exclaims. "I'll be using the time with the shields down to adjust our forces. We have a lot of wounded stuck out there in the thick of it, and we'll keep the atomics dropping to keep their heads in the dirt. Although, I don't want to be nuking any of you, so let me know when you're people are under the blast radius."

"The Hive will attack on the surface once it is within that distance. The enemy will be unable to defend from both fronts." Your speaker replies.

"A go-getter your men are. I was told you were something of a gestalt intelligence. Must be wonders for troop morale, maybe your drones can show my men the proper way to charge a pillbox then." He says, only half in jest. "As for the other locations, you can hit the ones I've provided first, those are the locations the invaders have taken entirely. In a perfect world, we would retake them intact, however losing them to get rid of the invaders is perfectly acceptable. The only occupied regions we can't afford to glass are the civilian centers, and those will take a bit more care. Once you manage to kill off the primary targets, we can get in closer and figure out how to retake the civilian centers while minimizing loss of life."

>Deploy orbital bombardment against the Scavenger positions before attacking
>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
>Other
>>
>>1236611
>Deploy orbital bombardment against the Scavenger positions before attacking
>>
>>1236611
>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
>>
>>1236611
>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
>>
>>1236611
>>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
>>
>>1236611
>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
"Perfect world"? Interesting concept, we should try it.
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>>1236611
>>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact

We have this fight won, absent horrible rolls. And with such horrible rolls even orbital bombardment won't help. We've proved the hive is powerful. Now let's prove we can be precise and clean as well.
>>
Guys, we should totally have our speaker and some drones join the victory parade.

It is the least threatening way to reveal ourselves to the commonwealth citizens, and will show them and union fence sitters and xeno lovers that we have an interest in human lives.
>>
>>1236611
>>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
Our drones do good work, but if they screw up, we can always glass those positions after.
>>
>>1236611
>>Other
Use our ships to set up a radio frequency or whatever for troops to request air support from our drones.
>>
>>1236623
>"Perfect world"? Interesting concept, we should try it.
Backing this for laughs.
>>
i have an idea for retaking those civilian centers, we can capture and parasite some scavs, then have them go to the civilian centers after we destroy the latest scav bunker so they can claim their retreating.
Then we just sabotage the defenses, remove the parasite scavs and just walk right in.
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>>1236611
>>Send your drones and use air and ground combat only to retake the positions intact
Alright humans, time to fix bayonets!
>>
>>1236637
Potentially devastating but should we really show our hand like that? Perhaps we should save something like that for when we make a move to drive away their main fleet.
>>
We can also use our relays nausea field on isolated, dug in, hard to remove scavs so they're constantly suffering psychological damage.
>>
>>1236637
We've revealed a lot to the humans so far, but I'd draw the lines at revealing parasites (or at least that we can effectively force other species to act against their own sides with perfect infiltration). It is too much of a risk of that information getting out. If we demonstrate an ability to control loyalty with spine pals we'll never be able to convince them they're only "health accessories" or the like.
>>
>>1236642
We can trigger the parasite's self destruct after(Or during) The sabotage so the humans won't know why the scavs suddenly gave up.
>>
>>1236643
I could totally get behind deploying the nausea field, although we'd have to be careful where we use it, as it would naturally hit the humans harder than the scavs.
>>
>>1236651
Isn't the effect roughly equal to all races we know of?
>>
>>1236611
"Perfection should be strived for." Your speaker says. "The Hive will retake these facilities for the humans."

"Honor among bugs. You certainly aim to impress, that or you're drones don't hold much in the way of self interest. Those battery positions are kill zones."

"Yes. The Hive will be doing most of it." Cunningham laughs.

"That's the spirit! I'll cancel the general evacuation. I have a few troops that were able to hunker down after they retreated but were unable to fall back to a proper position due to the enemy fleet presence. They still have air power in those areas. I was planning on sending in a fighter squadron to escort a shuttle flight in, but now, I'll give them the good news." He says as he adjusts some controls on his terminal in his desk. "They get to go back in the trenches and get some use out of those bayonets for a change. I trust you'll give them an example to live by." He adds as he types out various orders. The lights flicker again, the small compact chandelier swinging from the ceiling as the cannon fires once more.

Okay, it's almost 5 in the morning, so I think I'll need to call it here. I'll stick around for questions, comments, and any crunch issues for a bit but I've got my cardiac rehab tomorrow and I can't be sleeping through that.
>>
>>1236637
Instead of using them as saboteurs, we could just use them as recon, and if the Scavs manage to organize a retreat, try to let the parasites ones get off-planet. Lower risk of exposing the parasites, and bigger potential payout, but less immediate usefulness.
>>
Can we try and force them to surrender instead of killing them? We understand how they communicate and they must have seen that they no longer have orbital support. If we offer them good terms maybe we could take prisoners.
>>
>>1236660
Thanks for running.
>>
>>1236660
K, Thanks for running and wish ya and your pa good health
>>
>>1236657
If anything, some more resistant humans would suffer less of an effect, but most would have a very similar baseline susceptibility.
>>
>>1236662
What are we going to do with Scav prisoners though? It took us a long time to return the human prisoners, and we like humans. Killing them defeats the point.

>>1236660
Thanks for running. Keep getting better. Will you be running again soon, or are things still uncertain?
>>
>>1236668
well there is the fact that we could take the positions without fighting then, so that would save us time and drones, also there could be diplomatic benefits with the humans of making them see we understand concepts like taking prisoners and mercy which could be useful if we ever end up in conflict with them.
>>
>>1236660
Thanks for running QD, hope your rehab goes well!
>>
>>1236662
They don't deserve our mercy!
>>
>>1236667
Thanks for running QD, are we expecting another session next week?
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>>1236660
Hope your issues get better, when's next session?
>>
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>>1236660
Thank you for running again Questdrone, Hope you start feeling better soon.
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>>1236679
This isn't about mercy really, just the appearance of it. Having Scavs as prisoners could be useful too though at some point, it's nice to have another thing up our sleeves.
>>
>>1236668
While I do still have a bit of a backlog of mechanics to flesh out that I was not lucid enough to handle during my early recovery, I do plan on resuming a more regular schedule.

As it is, I am about half finished with Espionage mechanics and the Space City construction options in general, and I know there are some other things I need to sort through like ships that have been under construction for several threads and that sort of thing.

I recall mentioning the espionage system in a previous thread, where special resources can be built up and spent on operations, with such resources including things like bribed politicians, parasites local agents, local weapons, contacts within the society and that sort of thing, which could be built up through various activities you could set your secret hive to do, and spend them on things like having a parasite maintenance worker blow up a power station, or have a corrupt politician ram a bill through, or have parasites news reporters cover or slant stories to your liking. Typically, using resources in that way would spend them, meaning the worker would end up dead or arrested, the politician considers himself even and cuts his ties to you, and the news reporter could end up fired or lose credibility. Many big operations would also need credits and equipment, which would be gained the same way as other resources, such as contacts with the underground giving access to weapons, parasites bankers giving access to credits, ect.

The Space City mechanics is about half way done as well, and what I have so far is the idea that you build a hub which can then connect to a set number of wards, each with a specialization you choose, with the hub itself possibly being specialized or holding room for modules like a ship. Think of it like the Citadel from Mass Effect, you have the central presidium as the hub, and the wards connected along the outer edges. The general idea being you would be able to build Space Cities to serve different roles and customize them to suit the needs of the area. A few ideas I'm still not sure about would be specialized hubs that would boost the stats of a colony they are supporting, like an agricultural center exporting food to a barren colony, but that may be scrapped if I can't figure out a good way to do it. Some module ideas I've got already sorted are military and civilian, things like fighter bays, planetary defense grade weapons, and drone-attended restaurants and service facilities to accommodate non-hive life forms.

Feedback and ideas are always welcome.
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>>1236704
Looking forward to it
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>>1236704
Damn, only managed to catch the beginning before i had to go to work.
I wish you the best of health QD, everytime you run is automatically a good day for me.
>>
I think the Commonwealth nobility would love some of these for those parades they love so much
>>
Fuck man i love all the Commonwealth characters we have met so far.

To bad we can't send a tatical group force consisted of pod humans using our improved power armor. Maybe when we get a longer relation with the humans so we can say. Due to continuous joint operations the hive selected a phew special humans so they can work as field speakers between the hive and commonwealth troops.
>>
>>1235721
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfPPu4Mrj8
Oh snap Nexus- That game is dope QD.
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>>1233890
>wanna post earlier in the day but my IP range was blocked from posting on 4chan
yaaaargh

Anyways, just wanna post this since circa this morning. Yay for HQQ!
>>
>>1236891
this, this gives me ideas. Hey QuestDrone, could we have the hive try and make a movie or a cartoon show to try and get some extra cash. It could be fun to try.
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>>1236600
>If they want to pick up one of the many drone corpses laying around and study it I don't think there's a whole lot we can do about it.

Don't be silly. As an detail oriented hivemind, we know exactly where every drone died in battle and can send in more drones to devour and recycle the dead as cleanup.
>>
Siege Petard

Sight: Basic
Olfactory: Basic
Acoustic: Moderate 1N
Psionics: Basic
Mandible: Combat 1N
Blade: Combat 1N
Arms: Dex 1N
Legs: Sprint 1N
Utility: Explosive Glands 2N
Utility: Honey Pot 4N
Carapace Heavy 5N 20M
Chassis: Basic
Size: Large x2
Cost: 32N 40M
Upkeep: 16N

A cheap and large drone made specifically for breaching defensive fortifications and static positions. It's Honey pot can be loaded with volatile substances that will likely trigger upon the explosive death of this drone. What substance is contained is up to what is advantageous in the situation, be it explosive substances or even more caustic acid. Basically a giant baneling, say goodbye to those pesky fortifications.
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>>1236925
Why make a kamikaze drone when we can just use plasma guns?
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>>1236931

Why equip drones with Plasma guns when we can just give the plasma gun some legs and eyes?
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>>1236949
>Why equip drones with Plasma guns when we can just give the plasma gun some legs and eyes?
Why not do both? That way they concentrate fire on the drone, it falls over dead, and its gun gets up and starts firing?
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>>1236953

Oh god, it's Half Life Opposing Force all over again!
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>>1236953
>Drones carrying smaller drones.
How far can we take this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2iKzopz0io
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>>1236953
Yes, please this. Do it on the ships too.

> You took down the battleship, but the guns are still working.
>Now you have to deal with a bunch of flying guns
>>
>>1236993
>>1236963
>>1236955

It wouldn't be too hard I'd think- they don't have to be particularly fast, smart, or strong. For a gun on a drone I'd say some thin legs that could fold over the barrel of the weapon when not in use(maybe with frills that can fan out for zero gee movement?)- And brainpower isn't a problem-most of our guns are semi-intelligent already anyway. We'd just be putting fly-bits on all our weaponry.

If it's on the battleship just make the guns sorta likea rhemora- it'd make our ships a lot more modular too if they could shift- Battleship too damaged for direct engagement? Plug some long range batteries in, take all its closer-range weapons and plug them on an undamaged ship.
>>
>>1237001
>>1236993

Eh, I doubt it would work of capital vessels without being stupidly horrifically expensive, the main POINT of vessels that big is not just as a platform for more guns, it's a platform for the POWER to supply those guns.
>>
>>1237009
Fair enough, but it doesn't have to be for capitals. Would make for a really rapidly modular corvette fleet for instance.

IIRC that's essentially how one of the human factions does their ships right? One big spine and then they plug in everything they want as needed. I guess we have fighters for ship-sized engagements though. I'm just spitballing against what >>1236993 anon suggested for ships.
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>>1237011
>>1237009
We can make our ships modular.

Imagine the ship and the gun being separate organisms, like living coral and whatever the fuck wants to live in it. The guns might have limited power and ammunition when separated from the ship but that would still give us a bit more firepower after the ship itself goes down.
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>>1236704
I FELL ASLEEP DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE QUEST!!!!!!
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>>1236704
Can we finalize our embassy's look next time it comes up as well? One of my favourite parts of the quest so far.
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>>1236631
Was this a bad idea or did it get lost between the voting?
>>
We also need to see what is going on with the hybrids that just got discovered by the anarchists
>>
>>1237198
>man ask who they work for
>conviniently at that moment the tv is passing re-run from our landing in Gemmini
>Hybrid just point towards the tv and smiles
>Old man dies from having lost his sides.
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>>1237238
He lost his sides when he saw Lee walk out from the shuttle.
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>>1237256
>Man who thought he'd lost all his sides loses last additional bit of side he didn't even know he still had.
>>
>>1237267

Truly, the Hive are monstrous creatures, to destroy a man's sides so thoroughly and completely.
>>
>>1236704
>Typically, using resources in that way would spend them
What about just getting a smaller "passive" bonus if we hoard the Intrigue resource (mother knows we love to hoard resources) instead of using it?

>Space City mechanics
These seem pretty good. I'm assuming gravity plating would come standard?
>>
>>1237192
I think it's a decent idea in theory, but problematic enough in practice we probably don't want to do it.

A lot of the Commonwealth is xenophobic. Having their soldiers and military banners marching with obviously alien troops could create domestic problems for the oligarchs - especially in the systems that have not seen us in action against the Scavengers or borne the brunt of their assault.

The Union would also see our drones marching alongside the soldiers of their most bitter enemy. It would make it much easier for hardliners to argue we are politically aligned with the Commonwealth and that therefore the interests of the Hive and the Union are completely incompatible. The Commonwealth has also not been broadcasting that they are suffering from an alien invasion lest they be seen as weak. The Union higher-ups know they have been attacked, but not the scale or danger of the war. This means that even if the Commonwealth releases a statement that says they were getting their ass kicked by "Rattlesnakes" until the Hive arrived and saved human lives (which they are very unlikely to admit), that statement would almost certainly be dismissed as false propaganda given that this is the first the Union public is hearing of the war.
>>
>>1237455

It could theoretically be played like the Union *forced* our hand when it came to the Humans -both factions of them.

One fucked up on a scale that we -couldn't- ignore and forced our intervention, and we may be interacting with the other to ensure they don't do something similar, but we are more polite about it.

Christ, I think the Union execs and Top Men are still shitting themselves over "Oh god, we almost summoned Nyarlathotep" level shit to really care that we are keeping a watch on their bitter rivals while helping them break the face of a spreading cancer.
>>
>>1237455
I'd tend to agree. Working with the commonwealth is different than making sure everybody knows we're doing it. We don't really gain much from parading with the Commonwealth. It would be nice I guess, but nice doesn't build ships or anti-orbital batteries.

>>1237468
>almost
Summoned enough of it to destroy a server ship. Pretty sure both the Union and Commonwealth are not in great positions. More for us!
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>>1237440
>I'm assuming gravity plating would come standard?
I'd think not, actually. It's incredibly expensive, and most of our drones wouldn't get much practical benefit from it. I'd say we restrict it's use to modules that are expected to see non-hive traffic, to cut costs.
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>>1237485
>It's incredibly expensive
Is it? Yeah I guess it doesn't really have a point unless it's for tourism, and even then, not everything has to be gravitzed.
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>>1237483

It really says a lot when you force a so obviously extremely Elder Race to intervene so you don't end up destroying reality by summoning an Outer God into it just long enough(read: a few seconds) to casually annihilate something that it takes entire fleets of your ships and months of intelligence and logistics work, and hours of actual combat, to render mission killed.

I think Red Queen's hive still counts as an Elder Race on it's own, Red Queen herself is fucking -ancient- even if she's only really been awake and aware for a few months.
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>>1237498
Our egg was probably laid shortly before we were launched into space which was about a year ago
>>
>>1237503
I think what >>1237498 is trying to get at is that Red Queen still counts as carrying the legacy of an ancient race, even if the individuals making up the hive aren't very old. Red Queen isn't old (at least not consciously), but like if a mortal race had been around for a million years, you wouldn't say their current mortal ruler wasn't carrying their legacy.

At the very least we can probably agree that Black Queen is probably the oldest creature in this quest, not counting the Void Gods.

Though now that I think about it, maybe the Ceph are older?
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>>1237512

Nah, the Ceph SPECIES is probably older, but in so much as the Ceph being a political entity worthy of consideration? Not really.
>>
>>1237490
Yeah, there was a debate a ways back when we were designing a diplomatic ship (I think) about adding grav plating to the whole ship. It boiled down to "It doubled the cost of the ship" vs "we can afford it". I imagine there would be a similar expense for something city-sized.
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>>1237524
The plating would only be for areas where humans are allowed/expected to go
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>>1237532

On the other hand.

Having Grav-plating everywhere, and if the Humans ever wander around in places they shouldn't be (But we allow) they would notice that we have Gravplating literally everywhere, and start sweating at the overt expression of dosh.
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>>1237524
Grav plating costs the same as a single spinal mount.
>>
>>1237455
While I disagree with some of your reasoning, I concur that joining in the victory parade would mostly just raise tensions with the commonwealth and the union.

It's going too fast, and the people and nobles that are undecided or opposed to us would panic and raise hell over it. Let the first impression of us as friendlies who helped against the scavs trickle down to the common folk and the systems that haven't met us, then we can see about furthering relations with the commonwealth.

For that matter, while the scav war is on we should hammer it as hard as we reasonably can because it's easy PR with the commonwealth. Be sure not to outshine them though; they'll be a lot more receptive to a war they won with the assistance of aliens than they would with a war that they "won" because aliens came along and won it for them.
>>
>>1237549

Can we turn Spinal-mount weapons into hilariously disgustingly over-sized Turret batteries for use on MegaConstructs and fixed installations like planetary bodies?

They would have a slow as fuck traverse rate, but once they get a targeting solution (Quantum brains and targeting software, lol) then shit is going to get real; real, real fast for the poor fuck on the other end.
>>
Also, I'm happy you're okay, QD.
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>>1237485
It goes on all our ships already.
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>>1237552
Aren't we having the Commonwealth fleet take the brunt of the attack from the Scavs while we blink in behind them for a surprise since the Scavs know how to track human warp jumps but they can't predict blink locations? Even if we end up doing the most damage (just by nature of this strategy), the humans can claim we simply offered tactical support and the glorious Commonwealth fleets did most of the fighting. As long as the top brass know, that's enough. What the plebs are told and what filters through to the Union is what's important.

There's a meeting with some top generals that's overdue, and I'd like to ask them how much they know of (the elder) Dr. Seiner's research. Not because we don't know, but because perhaps the Commonwealth is sitting on the completed plans for the psionic canon since they DID manage to complete it, after all.

>>1237555
Well, we're not sure how station weapons would work yet, but we've got several options for planet-to-orbit defense: Surface to Orbit Missile System and Anti-orbital batteries. If I remember correctly, the old hives never had anything like this and relied on picket fleets exclusively, which is why White Queen just abandoned planets to recall the fleets to one position. The planets had no defense after the pickets left. As far as using planets for system-wide defense, I don't think that's possible because everything would just be out of range.
>>
>>1237549
That's per meter. Coating something in grav plating costs the same as making that something into a spinal mount.
>>1237607
I hope not; our drones don't get much use out of it, and we could be using the materials to make twice as many ships.
>>
>>1237607
at best its on like 1 or 2 ships.
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>>1237620

Nothing is out of range when you have FTL capable munitions!
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>>1237620
And there is the rumor or chance they rescued other team members of the Lunas psionic cannon
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>>1237651
Or was that the Union that rescued the survivors?
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>>1237668
The moon was shattered because the Union nuked the canon, misaligned it, and caused it to misfire. It's unknown if there were any survivors from the Commonwealth side.
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>>1237620
>There's a meeting with some top generals that's overdue, and I'd like to ask them how much they know of (the elder) Dr. Seiner's research.

Yeah that's going to be one hell of an interesting conversation. Perhaps we can test the Grand Marshall by asking him what he knows of the Earth's destruction without revealing what we already know - and if he provides us with accurate information we can reciprocate. I wonder how deep down the rabbit hole of disclosing secrets anons will choose to go. Just off the top of my head the secrets that talk could lead to include:

1. We know the Moon was destroyed by an experimental weapon.
2. The weapon was originally of Hive and Skyl design.
3. The "archive" they found was actually a relay that would send the completed plans to our Mother
4. The schematics were placed around Earth because of humans "innate" psychic resistance.
5. The weapon is not designed for conventional warfare, but with the specific purpose of slaying "Gods."
6. We are fighting a war against the Void God and his puppets.
7. We are losing the war.
8. We are the last free hive in existence.
9. The BQ is enslaved and may attack the Union in force soon
10. The Union almost released the Void God, which is why we have a massive fleet over Gemini.
11. Human psychic "resistance" is because they are a bio-engineered weapon against the Void God. So they better hope the Hive doesn't lose.
>>
>>1236660
Thanks for running QD. I've missed this quest.
>>
>>1237769
"The Hive understands that there are many religions represented in the Commonwealth. Are you a religious man, Grand Marshal Magnus? What do you make of the Ceph gods? They are not real gods. Real gods cannot be hurt or killed." [chittering]

It's not 100% true that we're the last free hive, there's technically the Grey Queen's daughter (formerly Barren Queen), although she would fall under Red Queen's empire at this point, and if you want to call the empire a single Hive, then you're right.

We've already told Yogesh about the Void God (though we just called them "the enemy") a short while back (in-universe) so Magnus should at least know a little bit about it http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48676134/#p48677568

I'm sure we'll have to have a meeting with Magnus, and I'm also fairly confident we could negotiate for information about the Psionic Cannon, if any exists. The part about firing the weapon basically being an invitation for the void gods is important, just so he knows that it's not a weapon we're going to use against anyone but the real enemy. The limit on how many times it can be fired is also important. We've got, what, three more active shards left? Is that enough? Are there more than one "void gods" or is it just the one entity?

I was also on an archive binge and noticed something about the thing that Elizabeth touched. It was described as:
>...a large sphere of metal suspended in the center of a circular room. It twists and ripples like mercury as the doctor approaches. ( http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/34213389/#p34220370 )

Which is similar to how the Void God was described:
>The horrific, twisting fluid, like flowing mercury, begins to reach out, its form growing hands and claws and tentacles and wings, thrashing and probing at the air around it. Several robotic drones open fire, their lasers lashing out to the silvery skin, and twisting along it like a reflection ( http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48300749/#p48303723 )

Now, I get that there's only so many ways to describe a sliver-colored metallic liquid, but re-reading the description in the earlier thread gave me pause.
>>
>>1237922
Also I should mention that my current thought is to have a Hive Ship for each void shard. That way the loss of a single Hive Ship (in case of malfunction, for example) does not prevent us from firing any more shots.
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>>1237922
I think it is more a descriptor. The lake of living metal was described like mercury as well
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>>1237945
I hope so. I still think that the Void Gods are the Hive's version of AI-Gone-Wrong and the Sphere of Induce Psionics was the "tame" version of whatever it was that became the void gods.

I mean it's either that or AN ANCIENT EVIL which is a bit cliche but I can understand it, given the situation.
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>>1237922
Didn't the Grand Admiral was having a pretty interessing view on religion ?
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>>1238173
>"Yes, human mortality." Your speaker says. "It is a great shame."

"Not at all." The admiral replies. "What would the point of this world be, if not to prepare us for the next? I cannot fathom what I would do with an eternity. No, the great shame is that you are trapped in this world, forever unable to pass through this great illusion."

"Illusion?" Your speaker says, testing the word. "False sensation, a fabrication. What do humans consider false?" The admiral simply shakes his head.

"No, this universe, it is simply an illusion of the mind, filling our reality with what our senses perceive. I am fully aware that your reality and my own are radically different, but they are both true to some extent, just as the Pope on Vedra speaks his own truth, but it is still constrained to the illusion around us. As a species, humans have spent millennia discovering truths both outwardly and inwardly. Death is simply a part of that. A step in a cycle leading us to the divine truth of Mool Mantar." Your speaker chitters in confusion.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/49171303/#p49176073
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>>1238173
Nah, that was Admiral Yogesh, who's a Sikh (I had to look up Mool Mantar since that's all he said, and Sikhism wasn't actually mentioned).
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>>1238194
I had that thread up, so I assumed they were the same person
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>>1238192
Ha yes. I like this guy, he his pretty chill. And he give us honey.
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Does have anyone have a link to when our speaker went batshit crazy and rambled when we went into warp?
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so I have a quick question. I thought we wanted to keep humans in the dark about the evil god because the more they know the more likely this thing can hurt them. I don't know where exactly or even in what thread but I do recall some talk about how the more you know about the void god the more it can lash out at you so the best defense against it would be ignorance.
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>>1238376
I've got an image of the event, if that's any help.
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>>1238404
Yeah, that image was in the thread after we warned the guy about our speaker but the incident wasn't between them
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>>1238376
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/49191936/#p49195013

>"Lots of speakers, all speaking, so few speak well, but speaker speaks well, yes, very well, not like round Union speakers. Only one Union human is good at speaking, yes, one. Yes." Your drone chitters softly as the space around the ship ripples into a field of stars. It twitches madly for a moment. "What was it we were speaking of?"

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/49191936/#p49195516

>Yogesh scratches his beard, visibly disheveled as he gives your drone a half-smile.

>"I believe you were discussing the merits, or demerits, mostly, of the Union's administration. The entire way here." He says.

>"This speaker apologizes. It can be too good at speaking."

>"So you said." Yogesh says.
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>>1238418
This shit cracks me up every time.
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>>1238392
>"...The White Queen continued to isolate herself, abandoning tradition, dismissing requests for aid or judgment, only speaking with us to warn us away from our latest plans. We would ask her why, and she would tell us only that the knowledge would destroy us. Eventually, we went on without her. The Black Queen's experiments, her research, they offered us hope, a way to attack them directly." Her head rocks in its place on the pillows. "She was right. When we sought to attack them, to reach out at them to strike, we only let them reach us." She turns back to your wasp in silence.

>"Knowledge is power, this is true, but it brings with it a great risk. Some things must be seen in order to see. To attack, they must be attacked. To exist, you must hold them in your mind. That is the nature of our enemy. That is what she understood, and she knew that telling us would only place us in greater danger. She could only look on as we ignored her, knowing we were lost the moment we made our first move. That, I realize now, is why she left us as our weapon grew closer to completion."

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/47638615/#p47641918

At this point, we're already being watched, so the "keep hiding" boat has sailed. This warning was said before the Union tore a hole to hell, and obviously some people from the Union already know, so we can't really make it any worse. If anything, warning the Union bigwigs will let them know just how important the information quarantine is (and we and Theseus can offer solutions in that regard), and Yogesh was already told, so Magnus should know, and should be told that's it's a world-ending secret. I'm sure he'll understand.
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>>1237176
My understanding is that the publicly accessible areas in the office is to be made fancy with hive grown metal materials to provide intricate detail accented with projected hardlight decorations and bioluminescent lighting.

>>1237440
At the moment there are three levels of options for covert hives I have in my notes, a passive behavior, which is essentially an overarching standing order for a hive (Maintain Concealment, Passive Observation, and Covert Infiltration are the bottom three right now) and these settings could be considered to be levels, ranging in order of how much risk of discovery the hive is at and how interconnected it is to the planet. The higher level it is in this manner, the more options it has, with all of the other activities requiring a minimum level to perform, for example Passive Observation allows a hive to deploy stealth drones such as whisperers to monitor the population, while Covert Infiltration allows them to begin altering the dreams and subconscious minds of sleeping locals to push them more towards a pro-hive stance.

Other than the passive behaviors, there are then operations, which are ongoing projects that work towards a specific goal and often buff the attempts of other hive activities or gain resources for use later, such as bribing politicians or parasitizing news reporters, and then Covert Actions, which are one-time events that spend these resources on big, high risk high reward activities, such as sabotaging local infrastructure, framing a prominent figure who is devoutly anti-Hive, assassinating troublesome individuals and things like that. I'm trying to get it in a good place between being too crunchy while also having lots of options, but the main thing is that you can more or less set and forget a covert hive's passive stance, give it a number of operations to maintain, and then forget about it until you want it to perform an action, hopefully allowing you to do all the things you have previously needed to spend entire threads doing yourself, such as your infiltration of the BFI and research station on Gemini, or the infection of the local sewer maintenance workers.

As for space cities, by default they use rotation for gravity, however the tourist, diplomatic, and generally luxury centric options include gravity plating to regulate the gravity to suit the guest in question. The current Hub specialized options include the Promenade, which is geared for non-hive mercantile activity and functions as a high-capacity civilian trade hub, and the Presidium, which is a luxury focused facility intended to serve as a tourist attraction and resort for wealthy and influential people, as well as a diplomatic facility for envoys and diplomats, which includes moderate relays and surveillance facilities to help with covert activities in addition to its overt role as a resort and negotiating center.

The space city you have building over the flaming gas giant could easily be either.
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now that we actually have pretty good contact with the commonwealth can we make a currency? I vote for bug dollars that are more volatile than bitcoin. Just for the hell of it
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>>1238644
Everyone takes energy credits
>>1238637
Sounds awesome!
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>>1238637
I'm still sorta worried about making the espionage system too convoluted, and I am wrestling over how many connected wards a hub modules should support. My current thought it maybe five, all rotating around the hub so as to provide gravity, and I'm open for any ideas for what you would like to see them do. The general idea is that the wards would serve mostly as living space for both attending drones and non-hive life, as well as non-essential functions to bolster the hub's function or give it a more well rounded set of abilities, like a military ward in an otherwise civilian centric merchant focused space city, or an industrial ward in a Star Hive.

>>1237555
The Star Hive Hub variant offers planetary defense grade weapon systems, including arrays of anti-orbital batteries. By default they are heavily defended, but the Star Hive is intended to be an overt military space fortress to lock down a system or planet from attack.

I'm still working on the ward options for them, and of course am open to any suggestions if anyone has anything specific they'd like to see, or feedback on how they'd like it to work.
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>>1238751
I'm thinking for a military base one set of modules could be Macro Batteries of ludicrous size, see the commonwealth or the MAC canons over Reach in Halo.

Then you could have hanger and barracks modules, a relay module and maybe something that allows for Human/Theseus connectivity
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>>1238637
Wil the luxury resort sections of a space city include large enough pools of water to accommodate valen and ceph guests comfortably?
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>>1238751
>I am wrestling over how many connected wards a hub modules should support
5 sounds reasonable. Easy ward types would be military(ground troops, shielding/armor, Point Defense, hangars/drydocks, Anti-Ship, Doomsday), industrial (metal mining, production), agriculture, housing (hive and non-hive), sensors, engines/towing anchors(?), tourism, medical, commercial(different specializations?) education(?), Hive nursery, prison/brig/POW storage(?), public drydock, and I'm sure I think of more later.
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>>1238850
We should just have entire parts of the ship floaded, show off we can live in florished worlds and in underwater worlds to. AH!
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>>1238911
Let's keep FormOther's connection to the hive a secret if reasonably possible.

We can always create another company if we wish to make dealings using the name of the hive, and there is a lot to be said for controlling a company that is believed to be human-controlled; it may offer us latitude in our dealings that a hive company wouldn't have.
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>>1238955
Yeah i know. I'm just hyped because HQQ is back!!
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>>1238955
That's what we have clones and hybrids for
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>>1238751
Why not do it the way Stellaris handles spaceports? In Stellaris, each spaceport has six levels, and each level allows you to add another module for a total of 6 (not counting the core weapons module, although you can put more guns on it). There are 13 different modules, but 4 of them are just "build a class of ship faster" so it's not very creative, but the basic framework is straightforward. Some modules just generate resources, while others modify ships built, ships in orbit, or have effects on the planet.

Five per station is fine.

Modules that would be cool to have (aside from Promenade and Presidium):
* Drydock. Equipped with advanced ship service hardware. Generates credits by allowing ships to get extensive service.
* Trade ward. Generates credits by facilitating merchant trade in a neutral zone. Includes security and hazmat handling.
* Shopping ward. Generates credits by dedicating significant effort to providing goods and services for consumers.
* Medical ward. Able to offer medical services and augmentation. Get some sort of espionage bonus and generate credits.
* Hydroponics. Generate nutrients.
* Gardens. Generate a small amount of nutrients while generating credits from tourist attraction. Includes both flora and fauna.
* Common laboratory. Provide a location for non-hive life to contribute to hive research at cost of credits.
* Space laboratory. A location for hive research to take place, but in space.
* Security wing. A combat force ready to either drop from orbit or take care of things in the station.
* Habitation ward. Generate credits through longer-term rents than the hotel wards. Used by those docked or employed in the station for long periods of time.
* Military ward. Various flavors, as needed. Shielding, big guns, small craft hangars.
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>>1239080
I'd personally prefer a smaller number of modules just to keep things from getting too crazy. If we end up with 10 of these space cities eventually, for example, that's 130 different modules to keep track of in addition to everything we're already calculating.

That being said, I really like your module ideas. Here are a few of my own.

*Entertainment wing: From hard-light holograms to brain linking this is you one stop shop for state of the art fun and enjoyment. (Adds spy and propaganda boost)
*Manufacturing: A place for hive and non-hive life to craft items smaller than spaceship sized.
*Government wing: different from the presidium - this is for lower level officials who keep bureaucracy running.
*University: a "college" of sorts for those who wish to learn from hive specialists. Bonus to research and propaganda, penalty to secrecy.
*Luxury accommodations: Extreme luxury quarters for very wealthy valen and humans.
*Cultural exhibition: Museum of hive history, etc. (propaganda bonus)
*Immigration/refugee intake sector: With upcoming wars some may seek security in hive citizenship. This will facilitate "processing" of large numbers rapidly.
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>>1239180
There would be 5 per station, so 10 cities would be 50 modules, many of which would overlap.

But I agree that getting too complicated here would just make things harder, not easier.
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>>1239202
Oh, I see. I thought you were talking about 13 modules per city from the Stellaris reference (to my shame I have never played it). 5 modules per city, like QD suggested, sounds about right.
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>>1238751
Do Space Cities vary in size?
>>1239180
>>1239080
If the modules are going to this specialized we should be able to add more. They're cities in space not glorified space station.
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>>1239217
>If the modules are going to this specialized we should be able to add more. They're cities in space not glorified space station.
They probably shouldn't be as specialized as the examples I've given. Maybe Trade, Shopping, and Gardens could be rolled into one, since they do more or less the same thing.
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>>1239211
Nah, it's more like there's 13 module types, but only 6 actual modules maximum in any one space port.
So you could say that if we went with the star hive space city thing, each would have a maximum of 6 modules, but those 6 modules might be any of the 13+ module types we're brainstorming here.

Also how about a Thinker module? Like an entire module, filled to the brim with Thinkers thinking things - or one gigantic armor-plated Thinker.
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>>1239247
>thinker module
What you want is a Research module.
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>>1239247
Would there be any advantage to having our thinkers in space as opposed to on or under the ground by our planets? Space on our cities is relatively limited and I think we've already passed the point of diminishing returns on pure thinker investment.

A trans-species research module, however, could be extremely useful. I wonder how expensive it would be to psionically shield it...
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>>1239339
>I wonder how expensive it would be to psionically shield it...
Nothing.
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>>1239339
>>1239247
I don't think we keep track of the number of thinkers any more.
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>>1239384
Silly anon we are all thinkers researching to please mother.
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>>1239452
We must be quantum thinkers and this is how we rationalize helping mother plan stuff
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>>1239217
While I would assume they would, depending on their population and what modules/wards it has, they will all be regarded in the crunch as the same "fuckhuge" size.

>>1239202
Yea, which is why I felt 5 would be a good number, with the wards themselves offering a more radical level of benefits than a standard ship module ever would, making them more akin to a planetary facility than anything else. Sort of like a district in the new civ games, I suppose.

>>1239339
>>1239247
>>1239260
I have considered the possibility of giving the research system a bit more depth than the massive orgy pile of mad science akin to a toga party of German-Brazilian scientists it currently is, although I'm a bit hesitant to touch if it won't result in any marked improvement to your fun. My initial thought though, would be to essentially split the giant research pile so that any given thinker can only research one thing, but provide a wide selection of thinker groups that could research things in a more focused manner. The downside is it would mean you'd need to spend more resources on new facilities for thinkers in more places, and spend a bit more time prioritizing your research by allocating research facilities to them, while the upside is you'd have more control over what techs get unlocked, when, and in what order as opposed to me rolling for them as they get chipped away at.

I guess I'll leave that up to you if you'd like to try something like that out or not.
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>>1239622
>massive orgy pile of mad science akin to a toga party of German-Brazilian scientists it currently is
Great description, and I like the current system as it adds some discovery that wouldn't be there if we could choose when what is finished when
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>>1239622
>The downside is it would mean you'd need to spend more resources on new facilities for thinkers in more places, and spend a bit more time prioritizing your research by allocating research facilities to them, while the upside is you'd have more control over what techs get unlocked, when, and in what order as opposed to me rolling for them as they get chipped away at.
Sounds good to me.
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>>1239657
I'd still roll for how well the research goes, you'd just be able to, say, direct more dice to what you want done sooner.
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>>1239681
Personally that sounds like a good idea. There's a lot of tech we are researching that we could use right fucking now.
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>>1239622
huh, I'd assumed the research and "bandwidth" setup was intentional, simplified and capped to avoid the problems AI quest had with them. Keeping the research simple removes the temptation to "build more research" ad nauseum.
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>>1239681
honestly I say keep it as is. Otherwises things get super crunchy.
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>>1239681
No news is good news
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>>1239681
Admit it QD you just want to increase our research bonner. But if it's more like a focused so we can have the "more usefull tech" avaible to us i think this is a good way to try it.
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>>1239681
So? Are you better?
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>>1239681
Just realized we didn't get anything related to research at the start of the thread
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>>1239681
I think it's plenty crunchy as is - no need for yet more complexity for Anons to argue over. That being said, it might be interesting to see some expanded mechanics for joint research projects with Theseus or the humans. It could be a bit of a preview to the joint project safely completing the psionic cannon will be.
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>>1239734
Actually it could be pretty simple crunch wise. Much simpler than some of these other mechanics being introduced.
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>>1239823
We are already having two massive mechanics being added. Having another set of numbers for anons to spurge over would only cause problems
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>>1239811
You can only have one or the other anon. After all more options are kind of impossible without a system like this.
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>>1239853
There is a difference between reworking the whole research system and adding a small thing to take a barely worked out thing into a worked out thing
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>>1239840
We technically already have problems but it's due to the players being fuckwits and unable to remember anything do to the hiatus.
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>>1239872
>small thing
You really are naive. It's impossible because options can't be represented in crunch only fluff due to fact collab are only a bonus to research nothing else about it can expanded without expanding the system.
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>>1239920
>ad hominem
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>>1239823
Its a massive fucking thing that will be added in because we'd need to factor in each thinker, The place where they are located, Any stations/bases we set up solely to put thinkers in, ect.

It'll add up rather quickly and we'll have more numbers to crunch.
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>>1239622
I definitely like the added control that would give us, but desu I am somewhat hesitant.
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>>1233890
Qd yyour baaaaccckkk!!!!!! Omgomg how is your health? Are you recovering well? Will it affect your life permanently?
I assm glad to see you have returned, and I will contuine to pray for your health to return.
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>>1239959
Follow the damn argument. He wants more options to collab research. I tell him the system would need to be more complex. He's says no it doesn't. I say it fucking does because collabs are nothing but a bonus so there is nothing that can be added on until the system is changed.
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Yeah i changed my mind. Keep the system as it is.
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>>1239986
>Actually it could be pretty simple crunch wise.


I don't think you get that the system would not be easy crunch wise, So how about you follow the fucking argument.
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>>1239986
First, I am not the first anon who talked about collabs, I just agree with him. Also, the system wouldn't need to be completely reworked to make collaborations actually a viable thing to do.
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>>1239996
Oh that's what you were linking to. Well to be honest it could be pretty simple depending on how it's handled. QD did say that it would count "thinker group" not individual thinkers, which would be stupid, and it would solve a bunch of problems QD would run into like if a faction wants to raid one of our planets how would it affect us and what research could the potentially get. Though a some sort priority system would be probably more favorable to you guys.
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>>1240019
Collabs provide nothing but a bonus which is the point of them. The reason we don't do collabs has nothing to do with the mechanics but with the reason of us being secretive.
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>>1240075
I personally enjoy it as is, because once we go into thinker groups. My point once more arises. We will be austic and spam buildings or 'groups' of them and have to manage there upkeep and whever they are.

While the idea seems good, it'd cause more fighting amongst anon's and also more crunching of numbers.
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>>1239681
It ain't broke QD so don't fix it, it's simple and everyone likes it. You spent a lot of time cutting down on crunch, don't add more to something that's already one of the most universally loved parts of the quest.
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>>1240101
>more crunching of the numbers
Honestly that depends on how it is handled. It could involve less number crunching because we don't know how many dice he has to roll. We already know it's more intensive then upkeep.
>More fighting
More arguing could be good if more people actually discuss plans for the future.
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>>1240150
tg, and qst by extension, will argue about literally anything and it is never productive
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>>1240150
It would't be, It'd be number crunching or people strictly trying to do something else. These tend to have a habit of issues.
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>>1240165
>never productive
You just posted an image which suggests communal efforts to be highly productive. Which they often are.
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>>1240165
Anon I think you got your message and picture messed up.
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>>1239980
I have a plate in my chest holding my sternum together made of some kind of aerospace polymer, but other than that I'm not really permanently affected.

As for the debate over any research rework, thinkers would more or less get their own new facilities just like any other resource, and each facility could research one subject, then you could just assign facilities to either the same subject or different subjects, then instead of rolling my d100s per research, I'd roll them per facility.

At least, that was the idea that popped into my head at 5am when I was prepping for the thread. I figure there would likely need to be some manner of natural bottleneck, either a limit on research facilities or a limit on how many can help on a single project. Like I said, I just wanted to run the option by you guys and I figured I'd hammer out the details later after the other stuff is done if you liked it. As it is now, every tech gets a d100 roll, modified if you have help, the subject is boosted, or you are otherwise familiar with it. Crits will finish most in one day, while crit failures cause a setback due to an accident that ruins the lab results, while if it's dangerous crit fail effects become worse, and trigger on a higher roll, with the exact number depending on the tech itself. I would keep all that aspect, but just give each facility a d100 to assign as you wished.

>>1240117
That's another reason I just ran it by you all first. I'll leave it be for now and see if it makes more sense to add it in later as things progress, as well as what anons think about it in general.
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>>1240150
Actually, the most difficult and time consuming aspect of tech is writing up the unlocks and statting up the new adaptations and modules. It doesn't actually involve much raw crunch work beyond rolling dice.
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>>1240272
I think you are right
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>>1240280
>I have a plate in my chest holding my sternum together made of some kind of aerospace polymer

Blessed be, QD is now AUGMENTED!

And after reading up on the 'new' research mechanics, that would be good, methinks. MORE ROLLS FOR THE DICE GOD! And perhaps the fact that specific labs have specific bonuses to certain kinds of research would be cool too. (e.g. a lab in Djinn would have bonuses regarding cryotech and ancient hive research, a lab in deep space would have bonuses to weapons development/engine development but a malus on societal research, etc).
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>>1240280
Since we've had a bunch of researches going for a while, I really wanna see what the rolls look like for them.
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>>1240329
Yea, I'm trying to not dedicate too much time to working out a system that's already on the backburner, but I figured it would lift a bit from Stellaris and have different places give you a bonus (or penalty) for a research facility there. I'd also stat up research wards and set up research oriented espionage options.

>>1240345
I wanted to get the ball rolling against as soon as possible, but since this isn't a new day and is just a .2 thread, the unlocks are still on the way. Soon you'll get two days worth of them though, so that should be fun.
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>>1240368
Oooooh, I can't wait! Really great to have you back, I'm glad you're doing better.
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>>1240368
>two days worth of research logs
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>>1240368
QD paradox dropped a ball with Stellaris, cause its RnD shit is well shit.

Glad you're back though and I can't wait for 2 days worth of RND.
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>>1240368
>two days worth
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>>1240368
>Soon you'll get two days worth of them though, so that should be fun.
Oh boy.
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>>1240368
>tfw we still haven't been able to use any of our terrifying terror weapons against any hostile controlled planets
I really wanted to go to war with the Union.
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>>1240582

Anon, we have very, very different ideas as to what entails a "War".

Bringing the Hurt to the Union on a total scale would be a Skirmish by our Race's standards.

Isn't that fucking terrifying?
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>>1240582
Just wait till we find the ceph homeworld.

Then we'll use ALL OUR TOYS
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>>1239950
You should look up what that means
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>>1240368
How about we build 10,000 Orbital electroponic stations in G-426?
>>
Did Fluff ever get back on how his book was going?
>>
One thing I thought of while there were was the wait that we could use to help convince humans the White Queen engineered them is that Homo Sapiens have a longer life span in similar situations than related species, including not only chimps but, if fossil records are any indication, other human species save Neanderthals.
And a long lifespan seems like something the White Queen would want to put in if she wanted to create a race that would develop a civilization.
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>>1241738
It's funny recalling that we told the Commonwealth that the thinker that designed the humans should be recycled, but it turned out mom did it.
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>>1241738
The longer a race stays a child, the longer it has to learn important skills that will help it survive
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>>1241770
I don't think mom had quantum thinkers like us. So the bad desing is excusable.
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>>1241828
Well, from the perspective of designing a psionically-ignorant race that would be able to develop enough technology to go to space and build the psionic canon, you actually don't want to design them to be robust because then they wouldn't put so much priority on using technological augmentation. If humans had two hearts, heart medicine becomes a lot less important.
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Hey guy, did we ever send that recuperation operation on Tenebris to subdue some of this weird, non-carbon based form of live ? The kind of Sand Worm. We take body but our thinker needed living specimen.
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>>1241858
No, we've not gone back to Nowhere just yet.

Should put that on the to-do list.
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>>1241858
I think we scooped some of them up before the fleet left.
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>>1241738
Another big bit of evidence is that humans are the only known species(to humans) who have no natural degree of psionic ability. I remember hearing that other species have "some" ability.
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>>1241883
That was body if I remember well. The thinker try to analyse it and just go "WTF is that fucking shit." and then turn to us "Mother ! It's rock mother ! We need living rock mother !"
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>>1241893
I'm pretty sure it's not just that they have no psionic ability that makes them an artificial construction, but that their brains actively self destruct upon any kind of psionic awakening. That's why all the human subjects died in that lab we wrecked on Gemini and why Lee was in such critical condition until we rewired his brain. At least if I'm remembering this correctly.
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>>1241905
We've examined both living and dead specimens and because they're a silicon-based lifeform we just can't gain anything useful from their silicate genetics.

My personal theory is they were some kind of engineered lifeform like the blue carbon goo we found on that one planet
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>>1241905
>>1241935
We haven't examined any living ones.

>Finished Research
>Lithovore dissection
>Astoundingly, these beasts seem to come in a number of shapes and sizes, living and consuming just as normal carbon based life, only with silicon as a base. Frustratingly, your thinkers have hit a wall unlike any previous research attempt. All methods of genetic decryption and analysis have met with failure, and all attempts to deconstruct the component materials into a properly researchable pseudo-protein compound has also met with failure. The closest thing to a genetic structure, something more similar to a series of interconnected chemical laden viruses and bacteria, offer no real hints to their internal code commanding them. Structurally, the chemical compounds react in a manner that results in a similar behavior as genetic code, but through a more complex process of relaying chemical compounds from one substance to another. A strain of virus-like cells transfer substances back and forth between a more complex chain of silicon bacterium which seems to perform cell division on behalf of the smaller cells. The process is convoluted and confusing, and you are still unsure of the reasoning behind their actions on a cellular level, or even if there is any. As it is, the dead beasts offer little clues, and their genetics, if you can call it that, is glaringly incompatible to your own.
>If you are to study these beasts further, you fear you will need a live subject.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/49171303/#p49171531
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>>1241935
We need to do more test, MOAR. Ours species can create penis canon that tear hole in reality and kill gods. Not gonna let some silicate worm cock-block our glorious SCIENCE.
>>
>>1241947
We need to send a capture team. It could create a whole new branch of the "tech tree".
>>
>>1241972
Why not check P3 of G-426? It would be easy to check and if they aren't anything special then it would make a great tourist destination.
>>
Oh one thing we can't forget, checking in on Michael and our other newly parasited agents like Decker and Coco who are being held by the Valen for a few days now.

Speaking of which, now that we have a parasite in a shade hound, does that mean we have their genetics for cloning?
>>
>>1241923
>but that their brains actively self destruct upon any kind of psionic awakening.
Yeah. Sources:

When Elizabeth looked at Lee:
>"...it seems that my initial hypothesis is correct. The human brain is capable of sensing psionic signals, but it does not lack the needed organs to properly translate and understand the data...I suspect psionic sensitivity is slightly more common than I had anticipated, although still nothing anywhere close to the complexity of the hive's network....If my theory is correct, that would be what used to be the limit of human telepathy. It's more like a phantom limb, just a leftover from when we lost it during evolution."
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/40607626/#p40609147

The Barren Queen revealing that White Queen was responsible:
>"Of the half-beasts found across these stars, she only seemed to pay mind to two. The Phantoms that live here, who she taught to hide from the minds of others, and the Blind, who she robbed of true sense, sealing their minds away forever in the tomb of their own bodies. I cannot fathom why she would do such a thing, to bring a lower race under your care, and then carve out such a part of their minds is a cruel thing."
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/47638615/#p47641748

Lee's brain confirmed for melting due to getting fed psionic signals:
>"The more you think about it, the more your brain resists the psionic influence. I think I've figured out where and why the human brain falls apart, and I'm trying to nudge things back in place, as it were. At the very least, it should be able to help mitigate the side effects temporarily"
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48264190/#p48264767

The solution to make sure Lee doesn't die from sensory overload:
>the basic infrastructure needed to receive and interpret mental signals is implanted into the brain, while gene alterations are done to improve the sensitivity of human neural cells to psionic signals, allowing the human brain to process and understand psionic information, however, the inability to control or broadcast its own signals limits the implant's function, preventing it from helping to resist hostile psionic influence, although it is more adept at detecting such attempts.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48264190/#p48267210


>"The implants are essentially just an augmented version of my little tuner here, but adjusted to be an integrated implant within the brain, based largely off of the physical alterations my own brain has undergone. The only real difficult aspect of it was trying to figure out exactly what it was in the human genome that caused the reaction to tachyons. I still can't find any logical explanation for such a thing to ever actually evolve."
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48264190/#p48267578
>>
>>1242151
I think that's the next thing we're going to be taking care of.
>>
Oh speaking of Obsidian Queen raiding plans, do you think it might be effective to mount a Micro-Rip drive on a battleship or even a Hive ship hull for the sole purpose of opening up a wormhole after battle and stealing everything that's not nailed down using a fleet of tugs?

Seeing it transports ships one size smaller and a battleship is 2km long, a hive ship mounted Rip Drive would let you steal entire asteroids.
>>
>>1242239
I don't think we'll have enough time during and after the raids to steal ship with tugs, she'll probably try and reinforce any attacked systems which is why i suggested the raiding fleets.
>>
>>1242239
>>1242259
Why not create a small ship that has a couple of microrip mounted on, and some grappling hooks? So it'll jump in, grapple a ship, then jump back to a waiting fleet to beat the shit up and salvage over. Like a drive-by kidnapping.

Hell, if we could make a prototype right now, we can test the viability of this method with the Scavs. They might not have couches, but they sure do make weapons testing interesting.
>>
>>1242501
It would have problems for the same reasons that we can't use a ripdrive to send a bunch of missiles through a rip: it's not accurate enough to rip a rift on top of someone. If we built something similar but optimised for stealth, so it could get close enough to get it's hook in though, ripping out shouldn't be a problem.
>>
>>1242501
>a small ship that has a couple of microrip mounted on
Rip Drive requires a Hive Ship.
>>
>>1242525
That's also a good one. Ninja steal their ships with our stealth salvage corvettes.

>>1242533
Yeah, but these are micro-rips, not rips proper.
>>
>>1242533
A full size rift needs a hive ship. But what about one the size of a standard scav ship?
>>
>>1242546
They only come in battlecruiser+ sizes. There's no such thing as a "small rip drive."
>>
>>1242551
Then we'll just have to make an Oinkbane ship then. A fully stealthed battleship/battlecruiser with a rip drive and plenty of grappling hooks and boarding goodies. "TOO SUBTLE!"
>>
>>1242501
Not possible without blasters to disrupt their shields.
>>
>>1242558
Fund it
Also, did anyone ever buy any commissions for this quest?
>>
>>1242573
You would not believe how difficult it is to find people who can draw not-kawaii-uguu bullshit who are open for commissions.

That said, if anyone knows anyone, I'd do it.
>>
>>1242577
IG is a drawfag. He has a pretty good deviant art
>>
>>1242566
>getting flashbacks to how the Bradley was designed
But very well, add blasters on it! Or just have it be paired with another ship that has enough blasters on it!

>>1242577
>>1242581
Yeah, I'll do it, I need the commission experience anyways.
>>
>>1242551
Actually that's incorrect. Corvettes can equip micro rip drives though true rip drives requirements and cost are unknown.
>>
>>1242573
Well MrSmiles, the guy that does all the fanart of Death Among the Stars, has been getting into HQQ and has done some already.

>>1242581
And yeah, some of IG's art are pretty much the official art of the races like the Skyl, Taidaren, and Unity's Apple drones
>>
>>1242587
What's the best way to get in touch with you?
>>
>>1242566
hmm, instead of a single ship, a small fleet or task force might get better results. A distraction element, a suppression/shield popping element, and the actual taking element. Or something like that.
>>
>>1242594
Cyclotrons fuck with targeting systems, Ion cannons shut ship systems down, and ship Blasters we never really use despite being very versatile and a natural counter to shields.
>>
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>>1242591
Email perhaps, or deviantart. If you have Steam that'll work too.

***SHILLING START***
DA: carriontrooper
Steam: greensniperhat
gmail: greensniperhat@gmail.com

There's also a commission information on my DA.
***SHILLING END***

also some Theseus.
>>
>>1242624
Could you maybee do a dump of your HQQ drawings?
>>
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>>1242642
Well OK, since you asked.
>>
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>>1242642
>>1242651
There's also this one that I drew, already posted up top >>1238404
and this >>1236891

These were from the other computer, I don't have ones with the real filenames, and missing the one 'get better soon QD' picture I drew when I heard QD's in hospital.
>>
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>>1242663
So yeah, the previous pics are of a Hive speaker, a Ceph, and now here's one of the couchless Scav.
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>>1242668
Then we have a Valen, but this might be outdated. Gonna have to draw a better one later on.
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>>1242663
Its on his twitter
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>>1242681
>trust em i'm a speaker
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>>1242681
That's Grave's get well soon pic, I have drawn my own (that I currently don't have right now). I think I may have posted it once or twice before but I'm not sure. ANYWAYS continuing with the dump, have a Skyl.
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>>1242693
oops
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>>1242693
and last but kinda least, the Taidaren. This one even managed to find a vintage loot!
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>>1242693
That's actually MrSmiles who drew it. Graves just has a cameo as the skeleton
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>>1242743
Yeah, I remembered after I posted the pics. Oops. Credits to where they're due.
>>
>>1242620
Cyclotrons are also sniper shots, think the Intervention from MW2 (if anyone gets that reference).

>>1242668
>>1242693
These are the two QD said were spot on
>>
Are we ever going to make some human hybrids for Lyle and Jackobs crack teams of soldiers in hive exoarmor?

Or we start recruiting injured Commonwealth veterans
>>
>>1242981
We already do. We should make a full human seiner with a parasyte for Elizabeth to work with
>>
>>1243017
Chimera Seiner is best Seiner
>>
>>1243072
Is he even Seiner at that point?
>>
>>1243017
No more Seiners. Everybody hates him, especially Elizabeth and Theseus.
>>
>>1243206
But what if QD wants to?
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>>1243206
Thats why we get rid of the bad bits first
>>
>>1243235
But all the bits are bad.
>>
>>1243247
Not his smarts. We should be able to have a scientist preset for our clones if we have an engineer or sharpshooter preset
>>
>>1243017
>parasyte
The Hive would become unstoppable if they could get their mandibles on a parasite
>>
>>1243253
Maybe we could just clone Elizabeth or something? I really doubt having Seiner, of all people, around as a co-worker would help things. Remember when we asked Theseus what to do with him and he immediately said to kill him? Going back and reviving Seiner is a dick move to our best bro Theseus.
>>
>>1243323

>Best bro

That's a strange vernacular for "Husbando" friend anon.
>>
>>1243323
Nah, I doubt cloning Elizabeth is possible or will yield positive benefits. She has those special psionic abilities our mother's artifact gave her that are almost certainly not duplicable (at least until our psionic knowledge improves even further), and the current Elizabeth may not approve of it herself. I'd hold off on cloning this particular super-scientist for the time being. That being said, I'd have no problem with making a Gilliam clone for Lizzy to pal around with. He seems competent enough even if he isn't quite at that peak mad-scientist level.
>>
>>1243355
>>1243323
We should make a Seiner clone in all but name. By that I mean we should copy his skillset and, like we did with our hybrids, give them to a new clone
>>
>>1243355
>>1243362
You know, I do seem to recall that Seiner spent a lot of time playing politics rather than doing science. He might not even be a great candidate for cloning.

Gilliam clone is alright, though. I'd be down.
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>>1243414
Lets make both
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>>1243415
I'm going to have to insist on "No Seiner" unless it's so far removed from Seiner that it doesn't feel like we're reviving him.
>>
>>1243423
Yeah, just put his skills/intelligence into a different clone
Lets make a scientist Lee
>>
we also got the the Hacker skillset from Decker now that he's been parasited, right?
>>
>>1243430
I want to formally adopt Decker.
>>
>>1243424
why not take this further and create a sub-faction composed entirely of Lee clones that rely upon the hive for reproduction
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>>1243435
We could have a Lee cafe in our space city where Lees serve you drinks while in maid outfits
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>>1243435
>>1243439
>>
>>1243439
Nah, more like worker drones dressed as Lees, or maybe one of them wearing Lee mascot suit.
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>>1243443
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>>1234653
I'm surprised there's no art of Cavebug.

Gilliam: "Am I glad that it's frozen in there, and that we're out here, and that it's a warrior, and that we're frozen out here, and that we're in there, and I just remembered we're out here! What I want to know is, where's the cavebug?"
>>
>>1243650

Cavebug is a massive ruse on our parts right? My memory is fuzzy and I don't have the time for the foreseeable future to archive-delve.

If so, I love everything about it. If not, still hilarious, but less so.
>>
>>1243673
i dont so but i think they just found a really old corpse
>>
Shouldn't we create a "Honor Guard" special unit for Lee and our speaker ? Like really impressive one,Chimera with heavy implant and exo armor for example. Not for raw protection, I suppose warrior could do the job, but to impress and play the intimidation card.
>>
>>1243716
The hives of old made their speakers as crazy as possible to show off their biological poweress; We could try something similar with an honor guard, see how insane we could make a functional warrior drone.
>>
>>1243673
It was this thread
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>>1243752
Those were their relays, not speakers.
>>
>>1243716
Agreed. I had suggested making Honor Guards a while back but got everyone telling me it was a bad idea lol
>>
>>1244036
What if we just do chimeras with the Metal Skin graft? Or should they be able to pass as average humans?
>>
>>1244036
>>1243716

Honor guards actually sounds like a pretty good idea. They won't have the same kind of space restrictions our warriors are running into and if we up-armor/augment them enough it should be clear they aren't human (meaning we avoid the uncanny valley while still having intimidating humanoid-ish guards).

>>1243253
>We should be able to have a scientist preset for our clones

This actually sounds like a pretty good idea. Given the number of skilled scientist brains/knowledge we have access to getting some "human" scientists could possibly assist our research or allow infiltration of human scientific organizations (although the latter may be difficult due to the necessity of credentials, references, etc. in the scientific field). Maybe we can hook our scientist clones up with a type of quantum brain to give them different personalities/insights?
>>
>>1244051
Chimeras don't look human at all. They have some human traits but they are probably completely overshadowed by the hive appearance, so you just get an abomination
>>1244052
Elizabeth gives us a boost to research as she has a different perspective than us. The scientist clones would have this as well. However, the quantum brain thing wouldn't work because human brains are already quantum brains
>>
>>1244052
If the science chimeras/hybrids/replicants are based off humans, they'd come with their mostly-human brain and reasoning capabilities, like how our clones so far have acted. Hybrids and Chimeras would be connected to the hive's psionic network, so they'd be able to work directly with thinkers, so there's not really a point to having a dedicated quantum thinker for each one.

As an aside, I have to keep reminding myself that thinkers are like two meters in diameter and aren't "small" at all.
>>
>>1244068

While regular thinkers are pretty large, Quantum brains are much smaller and are not capable of the advanced calculations thinkers are. For example, according to the pastebin, our parasites all come with quantum brains included.

If we're straight up cloning scientists I agree that a quantum brain might not be necessary. If we're creating hybrids, though, a quantum brain would be a nice way of giving them unique and eccentric personalities we've come to expect from our super-scientists.
>>
>>1244052
>>1244062
>>1244051

I think we shouldn't go for something that look to much human, they don't need to. That's why chimera are perfect, they are humanoid, but clearly not human. In a "raw" state; they can enter the uncanny valley but that's why cybernetic, armor and modification are here for.

I just read the pastebin, and Chimera can be pretty OP, if costy, but that's why they are a honor guard and not a regular troop. They get a bonus from their original race, they can be modified with Drone augmentation AND have cybermetic.

What I offers is that whe establish several model of chimera, let's say one for each race, that would be adapted to their racial bonus ( maybe several for the human; they seems to be a bit more polyvalent than the other ) with coherent drone augmentation and then we implant them with every fucking cyber-implant we can, of course each model, even if in the same race will have different implant. The armor should also be part of the model ( for example a light/medium for the Reacher-Strider archetyp).

Their capacity to possess a level of independance will allow them to react even if we get trap by something that can cut them from the hive.
>>
Let's see if I can rough an honor guard would need:

roughly human sized; so it can go where humans can.
visually distinct as Hive; we decided long ago to not pretend to be humans in any official capacity. We are not human, and aren't ashamed of that.
be actually useful as guards; they wouldn't need to hold off an army, they just need to be able to hold out long enough for our less subtle drone to relieve them.

Is there anything else they'd need? With a hive here, they wouldn't need to be overly-complicated multi-taskers.
>>
>>1244135
oh, one more thing:

they need to intimidate, not horrify; If they're going to be regularly seen around our diplomats, it would be nice to avoid causing everyone in the immediate area to lose their lunch every time they walk by.
>>
>>1244135>>1244140
So, a chimera with everything we can give them and enough disguise to not give a human a heart attack once they see one
>>
>>1244135
So a human that is not a human?
How the hell does that work?
>>
>>1244148
Just that it is the size of a human
>>
Also, i recall QD said we can't put a quantum brain on a human.
>>1244160
A warrior is about 6 to 7 feet tall, that is within human size.
>>
>>1244172
But it is also wide
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>>1244175
>But it is also wide.
Not extremely, it's only slightly wider than a human.
>>
>>1244180
I never said that it had to be a chimera. It could be a warrior, but I kind of want a chimera because we only use them for egg sacks and that they could easily make themselves horrifying and not just intimidating to other humans
>>
>>1244189
The honor guard can't be horrifying, they're mean to guard diplomats.
Aren't the warriors Lee has with him suitable enough?
>>
>>1244199
I think the concern here is that the warriors are too large. If we can get by with guards that fit into elevators and can go through doorways, that might be good.
>>
>>1244199
Bunch of soldiers are about to try to kill the diplomat. They aren't intimidated by the honor guard. It takes off its mask, revealing a terrifying mix between hive and human. The soldiers shit themselves leaving easy targets to mop up.
>>
As I say >>1244131
The exo armor will allow them to not be too horific. But we should not limit ourselve to human. Race like Ralighans or Skyll seems to be very usefull anc could be fierce guards and warrior. We are not human, we are not ashamed of it. But our warrior are horribly creepy as fuck for a human, a chimera in full armor will be alien and intimidating; but also impressive. And not as fucking horrifing as a warrior.
>>
>>1244140
>>1244199

Yeah I agree with this. Our objective is not to just terrify, but to project power and intimidate.

Chimeras as an honor guard will fit more easily in human designed areas (for example - sitting in a car in those inefficient human seating arrangements), while at the same time being powerful enough to protect valuable individuals and obviously enough not-human they don't start thinking more about infiltration.

If we gear up the chimeras with metal skin (in addition to whatever other augments we add) they should fit the bill of elite adaptable guards pretty well.

>>1244203
It was a heavy warrior that didn't fit on the elevator:
>"I don't think he will fit in the scanner. And for sure not in the elevator." He says as he takes a step back. Lee just scratches his head.
>"Alright." He says and turns to your heavy warrior.

That being said, I'd personally like something a bit fancier than our bum-standard warrior as the elite guards for our most important human operatives.
>>
>>1244199
>>1244209
Also, they are not reliant on the hive to act, if they are a problem, like a destruction of the relay or whatever; they can still do their job.
>>
>>1244203
Our warriors aren't that large height and width wise, they can fit through doors no problem, elevators are the only problem i can think of due to their abdomens.
>>
>>1244209
>skyl
>the race we specifically told Heretic we would not use as slaves
Newfags are a mistake.
>>
>>1244223
Technically it isn't a Skyl if it is a chimera, but Heretic might get mad regardless
>>
>>1244223
Hey, they would not be slave; Lyle is not a slave, but what ever; if we must not use Skyll, do not, even if their racial bonus are cool.
>>
>>1244224
>>1244225
He would absolutely get pissed. I really would advocate against using Skyl.
>>
>>1244209
>>1244211
Using chimeras for honor guards is stupid, they are horrifying, uncanny valley abominations.
And why would humanoid guards calm the humans down? It'll do the reverse since they'll be wondering why the hell the hive diplomat isn't being guarded by hive beings.

>It was a heavy warrior that didn't fit on the elevator.
That's weird, was it a heavy warrior? how big are our regular warriors shoulder to shoulder?
>>
>>1244228
It's totaly acceptable for me, I just wanted them for their bonus and a bit of variety. But the Ralighans are still awesome.
>>
>>1244231
That is why we give them a bunch of armor so they aren't seen as humanlike, just humanoid. Also, it isn't to calm them down, its just so that the guard isn't physically restricted. I doubt a warrior would fit in a car.
>>
>>1244234
The Ralighan spiral warrior is great, and I would love to see those in action someday.
>>
>>1244231
Did you read the posts ? They would have cyberimplant to the bottom of the ass, drone modification and exo armor on the top of that.
>>
>>1244238
Chimera spiral warrior with photon blades mounted on extendo arms
>>
>>1244215
I'm pretty sure Chimeras are more effective than our warriors in combat. Warriors were torn apart by Lyle in our first combat with him and even though we've improved since then I expect combat chimeras will be more capable and less disposable. They also look a bit "cooler" to human sensibilities as well (especially with metal skin and exo-armor). If we ever adopt important individuals from other species we can have the chimeras be bodyguards crafted from that other species genome as well.

>>1244223
Yeeah, let's not risk it with the Skyl by creating Skyl chimeras just yet. At least not without getting approval from Heretic first.

>>1244231
>Using chimeras for honor guards is stupid, they are horrifying, uncanny valley abominations.

I agree that without hiding their features Chimera are too horrifying and uncanny valley to be an effective face for the hive. That's why I'm arguing that they need to be in full armor or otherwise augmented so that they're so obviously alien they're not in that "uncanny valley" for the humans.

I'm supporting chimera guards because they're more combat effective, can operate independently (for example, if the queen has to go dark due to a psychic attack), and will be able to perform better in a human dominated environment. For example, let's say there's an attack and Lee needs to escape in a car. Would a warrior be able to drive it?
>>
>>1244236
Giving humanoids armor won't magically turn their shape into a non humanoid.
And can't we just give our warriors the tail adaptation so they can fit?
>>1244241
Adding even more shit won't reduce the uncanny valley, you have it backwards.
>>
>>1244248
Humanlike is when something looks human. Humanoid means something is in the shape of a human, with a head, two arms, and two legs. If you cant see that a chimera has human eyes and mouth or something, it doesn't have the uncanny valley
>>
>>1244228
We could just ask. I mean how hard would it be to ask for a few skyl to act as our honour guard for a few weeks out in the system. After the couple of weeks they can decide what they want to do.
>>
>>1244248
Uncanny valley is only a problem is they look too human but just not enough. If they are clearly something else (and with what we give them, they will look like some humanoid alien cyborg) that's not a problem.
>>
>>1244262
If we created chimera skyl to act as honor guard, because a non chimera/warrior guard would be useless, they would be ostracized by the skyl and be under our direct control. Using normal skyl as a guard would be pointless
>>
>>1244245
There is literally no advantage to using chimerae as honor guards over proper hive beings.
>>
>>1244248
>Giving humanoids armor won't magically turn their shape into a non humanoid.
The idea is that we don't want using these things to tip our hand (or even give a minor clue) on the whole chimera/hybrid/clone deal, we just want people to think we designed a bipedal/humanoid drone caste.

No one looks at Scavs in their full armour and says "Whoa, where did these humans come from?!" They're obviously alien and are treated as such, that's the impression anons want the chimeras to make.
>>
>>1244245
>I'm pretty sure Chimeras are more effective than our warriors in combat.
Oh god dammit it's the Chimera commander argument all over again.
>They also look a bit "cooler" to human sensibilities as well (especially with metal skin and exo-armor).
>What are smiths.
>What is augmentation phobia.

>That's why I'm arguing that they need to be in full armor or otherwise augmented so that they're so obviously alien they're not in that "uncanny valley" for the humans.
The only problem i have with that is that people will wonder why our hive diplomat is being guarded by weird, never seen before humanoids instead of our drones.
>I'm supporting chimera guards because they're more combat effective.
Where does it say Chimeras are better than our drones?
>can operate independently
So can quantum warriors and a quantum thinker.
>and will be able to perform better in a human dominated environment. For example, let's say there's an attack and Lee needs to escape in a car. Would a warrior be able to drive it?
This your right about but i still think having humanoid guards will freak people out much more than our warriors.
>>
>>1244228
Are the Skyl known to the rest of the galaxy? Ignoring Heretic for now, if we started using Skyl in public settings, would they recognize them as a separate species, and what would that do to later interactions with the actual Skyl and humans?
>>
>>1244273
>Reading the post
With proper adaptation; they can best warrior in combat, they are also more versatile, more adapted to human environement and, and it's one of the biggest advantage, can act outside of the range of the hive if something happen.
>>
>>1244279
That is why we make them obviously hive looking in nature. Chimera are also more independent because they have a human brain and are able to adapt on the fly much better than with a thinker or a quantum brain
>>
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>Human Hive Chimera
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>>1244294
That just looks like a bipedal drone
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>>1244274
>The idea is that we don't want using these things to tip our hand (or even give a minor clue) on the whole chimera/hybrid/clone deal, we just want people to think we designed a bipedal/humanoid drone caste.
Would such a Chimera design be possible? Why not just use bipedal warriors?
>>
Nigga just make Kamen Riders or something like that, just more organic.
>>
>>1244292
>Chimera are also more independent because they have a human brain and are able to adapt on the fly much better than with a thinker or a quantum brain.
Fucking hell this argument again.
I am unsure about adaptability in the battle but i am completely sure Chimeras aren't better than our warriors at killing or better than our thinker at commanding drones.
>>
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>>1244283
My point was that every single one of those qualities (with the exception of ability to operate like a human in society) can easily be implemented into a new hive being instead without evoking the damning consideration of "why do they look humanoid?" in onlookers.

As was said, this is just the chimera commander argument all over again, and it's defeated by the same ruling that defeated it the first time, unless you're really hellbent on having them look humanoid for some reason despite the serious ramifications that would have.
>>
>>1244299
Because bipedal warriors are fucking tall. Like 10 feet or so. They would just take up too much room and be a large target. We can make the chimeras look more hivelike, and therefore look like a drone, by giving it hive armor
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>>1244302
Guyvers.
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>>1244273
See
>>1244245
The advantage is that they can operate easily in a human city environment, which is advantageous when guarding a human from other humans on a human planet.

>>1244279
>why our hive diplomat is being guarded by weird, never seen before humanoids instead of our drones.
They'll be distinctly of hive design despite being humanoid, and be assumed to simply be a newly designed drone caste made specifically for guarding Lee the same as how our Diplomat is a humanoid drone made specifically for interacting with humans.

>>1244299
>Would such a Chimera design be possible?
Yeah, why wouldn't it be?
>Why not just use bipedal warriors?
Several reasons
>From the pastebin
>Humans receive endurance legs, and the benefits of both Dexterity and Strength arms. By default a Chimera also possesses the speaking organs of its original species.
Super strong arms that can also interact with any human technology that other humans can interact with, our warriors can't shoot human guns, operate a human car or type on a human computer etc.
>Due to the increased efficiency in biology that a Chimera benefits from, many adaptations can be internalized in locations that once held an organ, such as small egg layers, or miniaturized honey pots capable of storing up to 5 small drones. In addition to adaptations, a Chimera can be augmented with cybernetics.
>The mind of a Chimera is far more instinctive then that of other clone types, interpreting the commands of the queen as an overwhelming drive that will block out other thoughts, although they are fully capable of thinking creatively and using individuality to fulfill such commands. On an individual level a Chimera thinks in a similar manner to its original species
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>>1244307
So we can't make a bipedal drone that can easily operate in human environments and objects, but can make a Chimera that is similar enough to a hive drone to fool the other species?
That is weird.
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>>1244279
>Oh god dammit it's the Chimera commander argument all over again.
You didn't provide any argument against the fact that in pure fight, the chimera are inferior to the warrior. Chimera commander are useless, not chimera guards.

>The only problem i have with that is that people will wonder why our hive diplomat is being guarded by weird, never seen before humanoids instead of our drones.
People don't know what we look like, if anything, the top backet know that we are able to modify ourselve and that's all.
>Where does it say Chimeras are better than our drones?
That's pure deduction, chimera are expensive motherfucker, but they are able to enjoy both the advantage of the hive and the one of more independant form of life. They can fight like one with their psyonic ability and enjoy drone amelioration while being implant with cybernetic, equip exo armor and being inject with our clone model. They are also independant if needed.
>So can quantum warriors and a quantum thinker
Not on the same level, the quantum only thinker only add a bit of random in their tough process, but the thinker will still try to folllow our last command.
>This your right about but i still think having humanoid guards will freak people out much more than our warriors.
Have you look our warriors ?

Also
>What are smiths.
>What is augmentation phobia.
They have armor. They look like humanoid alien in armor. Not terminator.
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>>1243355
>our mother's artifact
Gardener isn't our mother and the artifact was meant for the Ralighans.

>All this talk about clones
The reason we don't use chimera is because they will freak people out. QD has outright said they will scare people and a lot of this talk about clone memories and the such shows that people don't realize background experiences and genetics play just as an important role as skillset in determining usefulness.
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>>1244305
I agree with you that human chimeras are probably not better than our thinkers at commanding drones. The human mind is not built for that kind of overwhelming tactics and data. However, humans have adapted to certain skill-sets where they can be extremely effective either in small units or as individuals.

From the pastebin:
>while a natural, unarmed and unskilled human is inferior to your drones, a highly skilled and well equipped one can be devastatingly effective. There are three kinds of clones you can produce. The difference between them is primarily physical, and hold a similar level of individuality and skill potential as their natural originals.

>When working in numbers, they [Chimeras] are capable of using psionic tactics to strategize on the fly, and will obey any clone with the greatest skills in the relevant field of expertise without question, making them excellent in the area of special operations, espionage, and general support where individual thinking is more important than numbers and large scale tactics.

Both of these things make me think Chimeras will be more effective than warriors in small-unit combat such as an elite bodyguard detail. They are capable of near Lyle level combat skills individually and as such are more capable than a standard warrior - especially in a foreign urban environment where reinforcements may not be available.
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>>1244305
Even a quantum brain can only do so much when not connected to the queen. A normal hive brain will do your last orders to the letter. A quantum brain will be able to modify your orders on THAT TASK to adjust for changes. A human brain will be able to add new objectives
>>1244306
The chimera commander was a stupid idea. However, what the difference here is that a chimera would be able to go places a warrior can't. For example, our warrior wasn't allowed to follow Lee when he went to the Valen embassy(or whatever it was, its been a while). This is because he wouldn't fit in the elevator or the scanners. A chimera would be able to do both.
>>1244315
This
>>1244317
This
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File: HiveExosuit.jpg (64 KB, 900x506)
64 KB
64 KB JPG
We need to start openly recruiting humans from the soon-to-be-adopted Expanse worlds or Commonwealth

That way we can have our Honor Guards without everyone flipping out.

I'm personally of the belief that Hybrids would work better for Honor Guards instead of Chimera for the fact they're just fucking terrifying
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>>1244330
Terrifying on command can only be a blessing. We can hide the terror until we need it
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>>1244330
>I'm personally of the belief that Hybrids would work better for Honor Guards instead of Chimera for the fact they're just fucking terrifying
Wow someone who isn't a social outcast or retarded. What a rare sight.
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>>1244340
Why is having an much more intimidating honor guard worse? I am genuinely curious?
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>>1244340
Now, I'm totally all for sending Chimera after the Scavs or OQ.

Can you imagine the terror Spiral Warrior Ralighan Chimeras would inspire if we EVER managed to capture or board a Scav ship?
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>>1244350
We need to ask about QD if the Ralighan chimera can equip cybernetics tough.
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>>1244329
>he couldn't go where Lee could because he was too big
Then we create a version that doesn't have that problem.

This entire argument boils down to "is humanoid form worth the risk of widespread realization of our ability to create human-like beings subservient to the hive?".
>>
would we be able to just have a human brain in a humanoid drone body? so that it can operate and think separate from the hive for VIP protection of course
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>>1244354
Why not? If human ones can, what would stop a ralighan from getting lightsaber hands?
>>1244359
We could create a drone that is the size of a human, but it would be weaker than a regular warrior and wouldn't have the benefits of a chimera outside of a smaller frame
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>>1244359
You mean like our speaker ? Cause the only sign that they will see it that it's a alien, in a weird alien armor, with two arm, two legs and a head.
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>>1244367
I mean, the thing like whips, and shit like that.
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>>1244317
>You didn't provide any argument against the fact that in pure fight, the chimera are inferior to the warrior.
What evidence do you have that Chimeras are better than our warriors? You are assuming they just are just like the Chimera commander anons did.
>People don't know what we look like.
They have pictures of our warrior drones, and the description+sketches of Dr seiner.
>That's pure deduction.
Just like Chimera commanders?
>They can fight like one with their psyonic ability and enjoy drone amelioration while being implant with cybernetic.
That doesn't make the Chimeras better than our warriors, at best it makes them equal.
>equip exo armor.
Heavy warriors are equivalent to humans/Chimeras with power armor.
>They are also independant if needed.
So are drones with quantum brains.
>Have you look our warriors ?
Have you though about what people will think when a bizarre alien races diplomat suddenly has humanoid guards?
And how is alien power armor not scary?
>>
>Don't use human chimeras or they'll find out that we can manipulate alien biology!
>Use ralighan hybrids with cybernetics instead when ralighans are a known alien race.

lol
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>>1244359
You mean like what we did with the Speaker?

Let's face it my dudes, they know we are masters of genetics, we make starships out of organic matter for fucks sake.

They also know that IF we wanted to make humanoid drones (like we did with the bipedal Ambassador Speaker) that we likely CAN

>>1244390
With the return of the Hope crew the Union pretty much knows the Ralighans are known to the Hive.

I was only saying Ralighan Chimeras should be used on our enemies like the Scavs or OQ for their ungodly melee capabilities
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>>1244326
>I agree with you that human chimeras are probably not better than our thinkers at commanding drones. The human mind is not built for that kind of overwhelming tactics and data.
I don't think that was the reason the Chimera commander idea failed, i recall it was something about Chimeras not being fully hive or something.

>Both of these things make me think Chimeras will be more effective than warriors in small-unit combat such as an elite bodyguard detail. They are capable of near Lyle level combat skills individually and as such are more capable than a standard warrior - especially in a foreign urban environment where reinforcements may not be available.
You have a point.

>>1244329
>Even a quantum brain can only do so much when not connected to the queen. A normal hive brain will do your last orders to the letter. A quantum brain will be able to modify your orders on THAT TASK to adjust for changes. A human brain will be able to add new objectives
Doesn't the quantum thinker add new objectives also?
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>>1244347
We don't actually need the honor guard to be terrifying the armor scares people enough. People seeing that there are flesh and blood humans under the suits would humanize the hive a bit and make people more willing to join the hive while revealing that freaks like Chimera are a part of our hive will lead to bad PR and rumors for us.
Not to mention Chimera and Hybrid are around the same level once cybernetics come into play.
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>>1244407
>Both of these things make me think Chimeras will be more effective than warriors in small-unit combat such as an elite bodyguard detail. They are capable of near Lyle level combat skills individually and as such are more capable than a standard warrior - especially in a foreign urban environment where reinforcements may not be available.
This was my thought for using Hybrids for the bodyguards
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>>1244367
I wrote a fair bit here, but >>1244384 puts it better than I did.

>>1244370
Unless they use other means (infrared, x-ray, ultrasound, electrography, etc.) like they probably covertly would if they wanted to learn more about us (they do) and realize that it's something distressingly similar to a human inside.

>>1244390
>>1244406
People aren't aware that we can make near-humans loyal to the hive, and widespread awareness of this fact could greatly inhibit our infiltration efforts.
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>>1244384
>What evidence do you have that Chimeras are better than our warriors? You are assuming they just are just like the Chimera commander anons did.
This is probably from when QD said that a heavily trained and equipped human could beat a warrior. A chimera would have that training, the armorments, and hive biology
>They have pictures of our warrior drones, and the description+sketches of Dr seiner.
They don't have complete knowledge of our every caste. For all they know, we have a humanoid somewhere in the heirarchy
>Just like Chimera commanders?
I admit, I don't exactly remember how commanders were come with
>That doesn't make the Chimeras better than our warriors, at best it makes them equal.
If they are equal in combat ability, why not use them if they also have skills?
>Heavy warriors are equivalent to humans/Chimeras with power armor.
And heavy warriors have disadvantages that powered chimeras don't have
>So are drones with quantum brains.
But not nearly as good
>Have you though about what people will think when a bizarre alien races diplomat suddenly has humanoid guards?
And how is alien power armor not scary?
Well for one, they wont be as physically imposing
>>1244407
It will add new objectives to that order. But a human brain will be able to do things outside of that order.
>>1244412
Chimera will have more hive biology which doesn't have the limits that the half human form of the hybrids have.
>>1244413
An untrained chimera would be better than an untrained hybrid. Why would training change that if a chimera can be trained as well?
>>
A major problem with use fielding chimeras is it tells everyone that WE CAN IMMITATE HUMANS. The only thing worse is telling them about the spine pals. Chimeras must be entirely covert. They can see chimeras, but if they find out that that they are part hive then their paranoia will go thru the roof and their screenings will be extra thorough. For honor guard, im thinking a definitely hive like creature, but just has "more", in the same way that we have the crest on our heads and beautiful wings. It shouldn't look lie our heavies, it should be more compact but no less deadly.
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>>1244412
>People seeing that there are flesh and blood humans under the suits would humanize the hive a bit and make people more willing to join the hive
It would do the complete opposite and terrify people if we reveal these human guards too early though.
>>1244413
>This was my thought for using Hybrids for the bodyguards.
I still believe our warriors are generally better fighters, but his argument for Hybrids/Chimeras being better at small specialized teams has convinced me.
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>>1244425
>They see fully disguised chimeras
What? they have a new drone caste we haven't seen before?!
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>>1244425
They already know we can imitate humans when we suddenly had a speaker drone that could perfectly speak english
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>>1244426
>I still believe our warriors are generally better fighters
They definitely are and these honor guards wouldn't be going into full-scale war battles. The hybrids are there to look intimidating and provide security for Lee and then as squadmates for whatever covert operation Lyle or Jackob get into.

But as I've said several times now, I don't think we should unveil them until AFTER we start recruiting from the Commonwealth and adopted Expanse worlds so we can keep our Cloning tech hidden
Even though I'm sure they already suspect us of being able to clone things, what with our ungodly genetic capabilities, cloning would be childs-play
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>>1244438
They know we can build at drone that can make human sounds but they see that that drone doesn't look a bit human. A parrot is not a human even if it can say "Polly want cracker", nobody will ever believe otherwise. Now a drone that looks human is a totally different thing, it will have everybody look at each other funny while wondering if the other person is really human.
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>>1244384
>What evidence do you have that Chimeras are better than our warriors? You are assuming they just are just like the Chimera commander anons did.
No, because I don't want them to command our warrior, they are not made for that. For the other point, see below.
>They have pictures of our warrior drones, and the description+sketches of Dr seiner.
They also know thanks to our ship, speaker and the corpse of auntie boi that our race are master of genetic and adopt a large variety of form.
"That's pure deduction"
>Like chimera commanders
You quote like 1/20 of my senteance mate.
>That doesn't make the Chimeras better than our warriors, at best it makes them equal.
>Heavy warriors are equivalent to humans/Chimeras with power armor.
I and several other did bring argument of why they where better in this particular situation. They can be equip with both drone adaptation and cybernetics, equip armor and be implant with experience thanks to our cloning project. And they are still roughly human sized. A heavy armor for example can equip a fuck ton of weapon while being in synergy with the cybernetics.
Heavy warrior are big ass motherfucker, but they are slowed by their weight and unwieldy in human/urban environement. And they also need Hive guidance, not the chimera.

Don't understimage the experience bonus, look at Lyle and co. they are fucking monster. QD already said that while a basic human was a inferior to a drone, individual could best them and being fucking monster. We can make those individual. It's a bit expensive, but we can do it.
Also the chimera have the adventage of being able to use psionic tactic while in group.
>"They are also independant if needed."
>So are drones with quantum brains.
No they are not, they will simply be able to be more flexible in the task whe give them. They can't adapt to unpredictable situation.
>Have you though about what people will think when a bizarre alien races diplomat suddenly has humanoid guards? And how is alien power armor not scary?
Woah, that's humanoid speaker have humanoid guards, that's strange. They are also alien wearing alien armor. Weird.
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>>1244426
>It would do the complete opposite and terrify people if we reveal these human guards too early though.
Chimera would terrify and repulse people from the hive if they get revealed at any point.
>I still believe our warriors are generally better fighters, but his argument for Hybrids/Chimeras being better at small specialized teams has convinced me.
It really depends on race as well. Scavengers hybrids and chimera could quite possibly out match drones, even in large scale conflicts, in boarding and zero gravity warfare considering they pretty function like sentient drones by design.
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>>1244446
We were able to adjust for a new species. Our first speaker drone had a human mouth that nearly gave Lee a heart attack
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>>1244419
>Well for one, they wont be as physically imposing.
>8-10 foot metal man isn't intimidating.

>It will add new objectives to that order. But a human brain will be able to do things outside of that order.
If i recall correctly both a Quantum thinker and a Hybrid/Chimera can add other objectives to fulfill their orders, But a Hybrid/Chimera can't do things outside that order, he might be able to do stuff freely after he fulfilled his objectives though.
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>>1244432
>>1244438
They haven't realized that we can make things that could pass for a human.

As soon as they see that happen you can bet that they'll clamp down hard on diplomacy and security and start researching ways to tell the difference.
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>>1244456
AS physically imposing. A 6 foot tall metal man is scary but a 10 foot tall alien quadruped is even more so
>>1244458
A chimera honor guard isn't supposed to look human. They will only see that we have a humanoid drone.
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>>1244442
Thats... actually a pretty good idea. Seeing as we offer an unbeatable health package people will probably be lining up soon enough for hive citizenship. Chimeras might be more combat capable, but they do have a disadvantage of being psudo-human alien horrors should one be uncovered, captured, or killed. Hybrids are certainly more subtle.

We'd have to be extremely careful, however, that our hybrid bodyguards not leave any DNA traces anywhere as a detailed analysis will reveal that despite their looks they aren't really human. That the hive can create alien beings that can perfectly pass as human is a secret we don't want getting out.
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>>1244449
Thank you for not being a paranoid moron
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>>1244467
Thats why we give them acid glands protected by armor
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>>1244467
thank you for thinking
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>>1244418
>Unless they use other means (infrared, x-ray, ultrasound, electrography, etc.) like they probably covertly would if they wanted to learn more about us (they do) and realize that it's something distressingly similar to a human inside.

"Huh, that's thing has two hearth, weird metal spider arm in the back, Electrostatic thing, weird gland all over the body. That's a fucking alien" they would need to study one to find out they are partially human. And we not gonna let them do it.
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>>1244449
>I and several other did bring argument of why they where better in this particular situation.
This anon >>1244326
Is the only one who brought evidence as to why Chimeras are better than warriors in certain situations, you just stated they were with lackluster arguments.
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>>1244467
Honestly if one of our Honor guard is captured and they manage to get behing the acid gland we give them, that's probably mean they already know a lot about us.
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>>1244464
>AS physically imposing. A 6 foot tall metal man is scary but a 10 foot tall alien quadruped is even more so
Our warriors aren't 10 feet tall.
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>>1244326
Thank you for looking in the pastebin for that information
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>>1244484
Regular warriors are like 2m at the least, Heavies are significantly larger.

And they're fucking horrifying in cqc
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>>1244484
And our chimeras wouldn't be 8-10 feet tall. Even if they are the same height it will be larger. Humans are both predatory and prey animals. Something is more scary if it looks bigger than us.
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>>1244479

see >>1244449
>QD already said that while a basic human was a inferior to a drone, individual could best them and being fucking monster.
and
>Also the chimera have the adventage of being able to use psionic tactic while in group.

also >>1244317
>They can fight like one with their psyonic ability
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>>1244488
>Regular warriors are like 2m at the least.

From the pastebin
>Their carapace is typically a dark green or black, depending on diet and local foliage, and they typically stand roughly 6½ to 7 feet in height.
>>1244491
They would be if they were wearing power armor.
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>>1244449
Drones with quantum brains literally get an experience bonus which they can share with other drones.
Humans will realize what our chimera are once they find DNA of native life in their genetic sequences not to mention that fully humanoid drones would be suspicious no matter how look at since it would be hard believe that drone that humanoid didn't have nonhive DNA spliced into it. This not even taking into account the rumor mill which will destroy our reputation no matter how you try to reveal the chimera. Too much risk for too little reward.
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>>1244494
Does it how large hive power armor is in the pastebin?
>>1244495
>Oh no! Alex Jones thinks our chimeras are part human!
Humans aren't nearly as good at genetics as the hive are. We could probably hide the fact that there is human dna from the Union's primitive tech
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>>1244493
>QD already said that while a basic human was a inferior to a drone, individual could best them and being fucking monster.
That is after MLC anon's post.
>They can fight like one with their psyonic ability
So can our warriors, that's nothing special.
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>>1244494
So I was right? Those are both taller than 2m
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>>1244495
>Humans will realize what our chimera are once they find DNA of native life
Because you think we gonna let them catpure one of them ? They are litteraly ambassador bodyguard. Attacking them is like attacking the ambadassor, that's foolish. And they will have acid gland anyway.

> not to mention that fully humanoid drones would be suspicious no matter how look at since it would be hard believe that drone that humanoid didn't have nonhive DNA spliced into it.
Why ? Our speaker have one head, two legs and two arm when he his standing. They know we are master of genetics.
>This not even taking into account the rumor mill which will destroy our reputation no matter how you try to reveal the chimera.
The tinfoil hat probably think we already control every governement; the other will eat what ever the media tell them. And do you see how we introduct to them ? Our repuration is "Creepy insect that are clearly the topdog right now" having humanoid guards will not be harmfull to that.
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>>1244509
2 meters is apparently shorter than i though. 6-7 feet still isn't' that big though.
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>>1244508
>That is after MLC anon's post.
And ? I talk about experience in my first post, that thanks to our cloning project we could give them experience, ect...

>So can our warriors, that's nothing special.
I was just showing I already show that argument, but whatever. What it mean is that they can be individual AND still fight in perferct coordination like our drone.
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>>1244505
You're making the dangerous assumption that the Union leadership (and every other faction leader) will just follow your retarded logic that that we didn't us human DNA when we had almost the entirety of a human crew for a ship under our control for a month, and that we can't make completely human looking drones despite parading around a fucking chimera, and this won't increase tensions and security against from all factions which it of fucking course will. Tell what makes any of this believable.
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>>1244505
>Does it how large hive power armor is in the pastebin?
Medium carapace is
>The added bulk means the suit is larger than a natural human, but it is still many magnitudes more compact then a drop suit, adding only 20 to 30 centimeters to the overall height of the user.
So between 7-11 extra inches. The heavy carapace doesn't give any specific numbers but it is equal to a heavy warrior in stats.
>>1244518
>And ? I talk about experience in my first post, that thanks to our cloning project we could give them experience, ect...
You mean "inject with our clone model"? Cause that was vague and confusing, i didn't understand it. Still a lackluster argument compared to >>1244326
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>>1244537
They won't KNOW it is a chimera. It will just be a bipedal drone. We can hide all features of humans
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>>1244512
There is a large diffrence between adjusting the skeletal structure and speaking organs and making a hybrid between two organisms that went from the same goddamn phylum. They can assume that we can all they want. Let's not make their paranoia warranted. How about we just make a new unit type that is expensive as hell but worth it instead of using hybrids?
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>>1244541
Fine, he express my idea better if you want. The point is still that Chimera CAN best warrior and in certain situation niche role be better than them.

>>1244550
>There is a large diffrence between adjusting the skeletal structure and speaking organs and making a hybrid between two organisms that went from the same goddamn phylum. They can assume that we can all they want. Let's not make their paranoia warranted. How about we just make a new unit type that is expensive as hell but worth it instead of using hybrids?

They don't know what is under the armor, it could very well be a bipedal drone for them.

And let's not talk about paranoïa. We already make them shit temselve when fucking Lee become our ambassador. Last time their heard of him, has being abducted from a super secret reschearch center on psyonic by a unknown group.
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>>1244541
going from 5'8 to 6'7 isn't that big of a change. Also ,the two arguments complement each other. We give the training to the chimeras and they have the psychic connection that all of our drones have.
>>1244550
They would only know if it has human dna is if the humans captured a DIPLOMATIC ENVOY, basically declared war, and were able to parse through the info before we glass the entire planet the lab is located on
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>>1244512
It doesn't even have our hive which is the worst part. It could be the hive from Djin that reveals it for us.
>They know we are master of genetics.
The average person doesn't realize this dipshit and how does this sound.
>They know we are master of genetics so they have no reason to be suspicious of a fully humaniod drone when all our drones more or less the same body type
Not to mention people are already panicking over us. This will make thing worse.
>>
Wait a minute, our speaker has been walking trough the commonwealth station and ship without problems so why would a bipedal warrior have problems?
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>>1244568
A quadropedal warrior is 6-7 feet tall. It becoms bipedal when it stands back on redesigned hind legs. That adds several feet to their size.
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>>1244563
>it has human dna is if the humans captured a DIPLOMATIC ENVOY
>he doesn't even know how DNA works
This stupidity is beyond all explanation.
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>>1244574
They get the dna if they capture the chimera. Presumably, the armor would prevent cells from falling off the chimera making capture a requirement to getting it's dna.
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>>1244574
Must I remend you they will alway go around in hermetic power armor that allow them to survive void/space ? They will never take them away. They will not let DNA all over the place, if any it will be the DNA of the armor.
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>>1244579
Pro tip: It won't. If it can penatrate the armor it won't stop DNA from flying all over the place.
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>>1244573
And the speaker, assuming he's the size of a worker, is 5 feet tall quadrupedal, that's only a 1-2 foot difference.
Also if you look at the drone builder pastebin medium drones can be made at any size between 1 and 3 meters, so we could make a 5 foot tall warrior and give it bipedal legs, then it would just traverse like our speaker.
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>>1244585
And it would be inferior to a normal warrior, without the benefits of making a chimera which IS comparable to a warrior and superior in certain circumstances
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>>1244583
Something than can penetrate a medium or heavy armor is likely to be either a weapon or a special equipement.

That mean they either catpure of attack a diplomatic envoy. That's mean our fucking war fleet just above their head will glass their capital.
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>>1244589
>And it would be inferior to a normal warrior.
>1-2 feet shorter.
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>>1244592
Also wouldn't be able to have as heavy of armor or the same caliber of weaponry.
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>>1244598
>Being 1-2 feet shorter then other warriors means you are inferior and worthless.
And how is the weapons caliber affected by the height?
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>>1244592
On bipedal legs. Wich mean he would need a special, lighter carapace. He would not be able to equip cyber or to wear a armor like the chimera, the thing that compensate for their lack of natural armor in comparaison to a heavy warrior. And they would have the weakness of not being able to act outside of hive range.
>>
>>1244604
Its just 1-2 feet shorter than normal, the warrior isn't completely crippled.
Also, again, ADD QUANTUM BRAINS.
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>>1244602
Not the height, the weight anon. The chimera, clone or agent like Lyle don't only compensate with their implant, but also rely on their powered armor to equip weapon they would not be able to wear alone. Bipedal legs can't support as much weight as a quadruped; not without help.
>>
>>1244602
being a size category smaller reduces your strength. A fully grown man can hold a rpg. A midget will struggle to lift it, let alone aim it without a table or a wall to lean it against
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>>1244590
They are not going to try to capture it. The problem is when some terrorist group gets involved with some explosive and they happen to pick up some DNA.
Though the more important is over here
>>1244566
What happens when the Djin drone reveals that our drones can incorporate nonhive DNA? And how long will you ignore that chimeras will panick even the normal people not just "conspiracy theorists?" Anybody who isn't mindless pro-Xeno will panick at shit. Do you really want to prove me right?
>>
>>1244608
>Also, again, ADD QUANTUM BRAINS.
But Quantum brain only make the warrior/thinker able to extrapol in the accomplishement of his task. He can't deal with unpredictable event. Chimera have individuality, and, as it has been said, being injected with experience.
>>
>>1244613
I didn't really remember, what is the issue with the Djin drone exactly anon ?
>>
>>1244615
Actually the Quantum brain does allow them to learn so that point is kind of moot.
>>
>>1244623
Yeah, but it doesn't come loaded with decades of experience
>>
>>1244623
But we can't inject them with our clone template/experience no ? Drone don't fight like clone, agent, chimera, ect... and they are still reliant on the hive for order.
>>
>>1244609
Oh, that makes sense but i don't think a 5 foot tall bipedal warrior will have much problems carrying regular warrior weapons, it's still medium size.
>>1244612
>Being 1 foot shorter = midget.
Also, the 5 foot tall warrior is still medium size, it won't have significant problems.
>>
>>1244622
It's fucking proof we can splice DNA with nonhive you dense motherfucker. While the conclusion you are trying to push that you think they will come to is highly unlikely in the first place this little tidbit kills it entirely.
>>
>>1244629
By that I mean that if something happen they don't know how to deal with and they can't hear mother, they will not be able to improvise.
>>
>>1244635
I understand that, what I fucking didn't remember is what the hell is a Djiin Drone exactly
>>
>>1244615
>But Quantum brain only make the warrior/thinker able to extrapol in the accomplishement of his task. He can't deal with unpredictable event.
Yes it can, a Chimera squad will deal with it better if it falls within their specializations but a Quantum warrior can still adapt to the situation.
>>
So which would win in a fight?
>HQQ Warrior Drone
vs
>DAtS Troll Reconstructed
>>
>>1244637
>>1234653
>Oh, and the real jewel, and it wasn't even found here. We've got a full, intact drone. Not sure about the caste, but the settlers on Djin apparently found it in the ice caves. Thing is dead as a doornail, but it looks almost perfectly preserved in the ice. Ice cores from nearby sources indicate the thing's almost a million years old. At least ninety thousand. God, how long were these things space faring, do you think?"
>>
>>1244631
Oh, I was under the impression that a warrior was large size. However there is probably a decrease in quality because otherwise all of our warriors would be as small as possible in the med category.
>>1244635
How does the djinn drone have non-hive dna? When we make an adaptation based off of another species' abilities, we don't use their dna
>>
>>1244638
>Quantum brain: This complex collection of entangled particles permits the drone to perform rapid, intuitive calculations without consciously processing a problem, granting the drone an intuition capable of performing uncanny predictions or seemingly lucky guesses using data that is not inherently quantifiable. (4N)
http://pastebin.com/3hWCdbhN

Frankly I don't understand that in this way.
>>
>>1244649
The pastebin description doesn't mention that quantum drones can still function outside relays so i don't think we should rely on it as final authority.
>>
>>1244649
A quantum brain is good but a brain of a hybrid or chimera is even better at intuition
>>
>>1244654
did QQ forget to write that?
>>
>>1244654
I was under the impression that they allow Thinker to control their drone better when outside of the hive relay, but that's all. We should probably wait for the words of God to be sure of what exactly are the limitation of the quantum brain.
>>
>>1244656
I doubt that.
>>
>>1244645
Ho, that one? But it's just a drone from a old hive, possibly the OQ one, no ? It's just a warrior, nothing to worry about, not too much. Anyway they are nothing we can do about it.
>>
>>1244629
>>1244625
Technically experience and independence wise our clones are kind of weak. They all have a similar background (they are all pretty much empty shells personality wise) if not skillset and are more or less treated as a drone that we control so they aren't accosted to acting independently.
>>
>>1244664
>I was under the impression that they allow Thinker to control their drone better when outside of the hive relay.
I recall that non quantum drones will enter a coma outside a relays range unless under command of a thinker, quantum drones won't enter a coma.
>>
>>1244670
For me the whole point of the agent is that they can act alone if we tell them what whe want them to do; they are human. They don't need a specific personallity (they will naturally develop one with the time anyway), just a devotion to the hive and the experience we give them.
>>
>>1244673
Well I think the subject is a bit shadowy. We should simply ask QD "What exactly the quantum brain do" and be settle.
>>
>>1244670
They know how to act independently when they are cut off. None of them have so far so it hasn't been a problem. Also, personality isn't important with guards and a drone with the combat skills of motherfuking Lyle is not weak
>>
>>1244683
I specifically remember that quantum drones can function outside relays alone so no need to ask QD about that. I even recall that we used Quantum drones on the seiner lab mission because of that.
Clarifying if Quantum drones can deal with unpredictable events and adapt however should be done.
>>
>>1244693
Especially the diff between clones and quantum brains
>>
>>1244695
Aye, really need to put this Chimera commander issue to rest.
>>
>>1244693
That was a long time ago, but didn't we use relay ? Because I remember that a pod land to save them; without a relay they wouldn't have been able to call the pod to save their ass.

But that was a long time ago, so you maybe (probably) right.
>>
>>1244668
>it's probably just a power tap that the mirage
>WAIT THERE WERE FUCKING VOID SHARDS ON BOARD

>the scientist doing void shard research is nowhere probably nothing
>OH SHIT HE'S SUMMONING VOID DEMONS

>there was a guy called Smith among the diplomatic group he's probably nothing special
>HE BREACHED THE AND IS HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE QUEEN

Noticing a pattern here? You are literally dismissing all logical arguments pointing out how it could backfire on us in favor of your relavitively flimsy idea the only difference is that we have a chance to actually prevent the all the backlash and negative PR by not going through with it. Surely you are smart enough and reasonable enough to realize this.
>>
>>1244699
I agree that the commander is a shitty idea, they are not mean to command, they are made to make special elite agent/unit that can act outside of hive relay while being more adapted to human environement.
>>
>>1244703
>Because I remember that a pod land to save them; without a relay they wouldn't have been able to call the pod to save their ass.
I think anons added the Quantum brain so the drones wouldn't enter a coma but still kept the pod there because they could.
Basically they though better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
>>
>>1244681
>>1244684
Personality predetermines how they'll act. If they all act like fucking Lyle then they get predictable though their combat skills don't come directly from him so this argument is pointless anyway.
>>
>>1244705
>>1244707
thank you for thinking and we know the chimeras are not made for being commanders they are "special elite agent/unit that can act outside of hive relay while being more adapted to human environement" and what do you think they could do with our genetic code!!! think guys
>>
>>1244705
Mate none of this have a thing to do with the Djiin warrior. I never underestimate the Smith. Or the treath of the void shard research. But from what we know, the Djiin drone is just a dead, frozen warrior of auntie, or of a other hive.
Even if have a other species DNA ( how would they know anyway ? It's a fucking hold warrior, if he has a other species DNA, that species is probably dead). What do you want us to do ? Nuke the base ? And go to war with the Union ? They will know more about us one day or another anyway, that change nothing.
>>
>>1244722
What?
>>
>>1244695
>>1244699
The way I see it is like this:

Tactical commanding of large number of Hive drones:
Quantum Thinker > Thinker >>>>> Human Brain (any type)
Remember how mother left a whole hibernating hive but it only had one thinker running the thing? There were thousands of drones there, and the little autistic brain could control them all. The Quantum Thinker is just better at improvising, but it's only a different flavor of autism. The human brain just can't fucking deal with this. Doesn't matter what type.

Individual initiative:
Human brain > hybrid human > chimera human >> quantum thinker >> thinker
The thinkers don't really have any initiative. They don't adapt to situations. Quantum thinkers do, but in a limited manner. Humans get the advantage because that's how the species is. The hybrid doesn't feel as strong a pull from the hive, so it's better than the chimera that is a lot more compulsive about its actions, but they are still better than thinkers.

"Small group tactics" is something like 10 or less individuals, each acting more-or-less independently, but in tandem. Chimeras and Hybrids shine here, but a well-coordinated (probably through digital implants, being able to communicate over non-psionic means) human group would come close to matching them. The advantage of human brains begins to disappear with larger groups, and thinkers start showing their worth.

>>1244703
We have never been in a situation where we could test the effectiveness of quantum brains, as we have never been in a situation where we were not directly controlling any of our drones through a relay. Keeping quantum brains in the lab-bound drones was a safety precaution that we ended up not needing.
>>
>>1244742
The clones all have the same thinking capacity. It was stated in a post earlier citing the pastebin
>>
>>1244742
>Human brain > hybrid human > chimera human >> quantum thinker >> thinker
That order feels wrong to me. Ask QD if it's right.
>>
I think it's a good idea to put together a chimera special forces team for one reason at least: they'll be able to operate effectively while under a psionic shroud. That would be invaluable for trying to steal one of the Obsidian Queen's relays.

It would be good to sprinkle in some technical specialists too in case there's another incident like Nowhere where it's too dangerous for us to look at it.
>>
>>1244759
That's actually a very good idea. If we psionic shroud a ship with a relay, and send the chimera in, the OQ drone will be unable to do anything and our honor guard will just have to take the relay.
>>
>>1244759
Less of a team and more like a battalion, Those relays are heavily protected, not to mention mobile. Its better to err on the side of caution.
>>
Cant we just make an equally expensive unit from scratch? It might actually be a bit more expensive but it could have as much power as a heavy but only a bit bigger then a tall human and a bit thicker. We arnt going to mass produce these guys, we can use them as overt units in the worlds of oter factions under the premise of an issue importnat to the hive while the covert side of things is handled by chimeras and Lyle and friends.

Speaking of which what is the lovable Aussie doing?
>>
>>1244764
On that subject, we should find a bitching name for the Honor Guard. I don't know, something that fit the hive.
>>
>>1244770
Myrmidons?
Praetorians?
Definitely not stealing that from the AvP games
>>
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>>1244759
>>1244759
>>
>>1244728
We had no chance of stopping any of that shit I listed which is the entire point. We didn't know what a Smith was when when the diplomatic mission happened. We didn't realize the Mirage had void shards where didn't implode on itself. We didn't realize that Nowhere referred to a fucking system so the void summoning thing happened.
And you somehow don't realize you are risking our entire PR and increasing tensions with every goddamn faction on an assumption that people will think exactly how you want them to which by nature is fucking stupid and you want us to go through with your fucking plan. Do you not see the problem with here? You are risking a lot on something relatively minor and unimportant which is having an honor guard. Good relationships and good reputation is more important then going through with your retarded which you will argue for even if I'm completely fucking right but you should be able to why I don't want to even if you are right. Am I right?
>>
>>1244770
the Wardens
the Guardians
the Exterminators
>>
>>1244779
like that you use that brain mama gave you thumbs up
>>
>>1244779
>We didn't realize that Nowhere referred to a fucking system
To be fair, Nowhere WAS on the star map at the time Killinger mentioned it. We just didn't catch on
>>
>>1244788
Stop it.
>>
>>1244779
Just curious, are you the same guy who kept posting the "That's now how it works you little shit" Kybey image? I kept seeing it in like every single thread, and the angry posting style was very distinct.

I was also writing up a pro/con analysis for hive-form vs humanoid guard, but firefox ate it so time to re-write it.
>>
>>1244779
But...what you say make no sense. You are basing this on the assumption that they will totaly panic when seing the honor guard and risk it all to verify if they have human DNA. That's stupid. In the worst case we could tell them "We realise our warrior make you affraid. This one are more small. We hope this is sufficent to lesser you fear." and they will just take it for a akward alien attemp to being checky and less threatening at the same time.
>>
>>1244775
>Praetorians
Bitching!
>>1244779
Though it got incomprehensible at the end, I see what you mean. The chimeras' only use isn't only for a honor guard. They are also special forces and can function under a psionic shroud(which even works on humans)
>>
>>1244775
I like both of them. They feel feeting.

>>1244782
Warden maybe, definitly not exterminator.
>>
>>1244800
Couldn't have said it better
>>
>>1244798
I never post images.
>>
>>1244800
Also aren't we studying ways to influence PR concerning the Hive?
>>
>>1244800
I think his worry is that after seeing the honor guard (especially if they appear human such as if we use hybrids), there will be a lot of benefits to gathering and/or testing left behind DNA.

Even with modern technology you can learn a huge amount from DNA such as a person's ancestry, propensity for diseases, etc. If the honor guard appears human gathering their DNA may be a high priority for the Union government as, even if they are only "mere" humans, the DNA could be used to determine relatives, what planet/system the guard may originally be from, and what kinds of people the hive is most likely to recruit as guards. All of this would almost certainly be considered highly valuable information for the Union.

If we use Chimeras ("disguised" as essentially bipedal elite drone warriors), that risk is still there - although the DNA will be harder to recover (no hair/spit to analyze), and any DNA uncovered will not look like hive DNA (assuming a Chimera's DNA is duplex and not Triplex like "regular" hive organisms). I would guess Chimera DNA differs significantly enough from a human's that they wouldn't think we're "stealing" their genetic code, but that's just speculation.

>>1244782
"Royal Wardens" maybe.
>>
Humanoid guard detail for Lee:
+ Can use human equipment, weapons, and vehicles proficiently
+ Fits in all places a human could be expected to fit
+ Can be sealed in an exosuit and have features hidden
+ Ability to use personal initiative if cut off from network
? Potentially terrifying, depending on specifics of design
- Suspicious
- Not as good at combat

Hive-form guard detail for Lee:
+ Pretty good at combat
+ Great branding, definitely Hive bugs
? Pretty terrifying due to being a new species and obviously bred for combat
- Can't use human equipment, weapons, or vehicles proficiently or maybe even at all
- Awkward fit into human spaces
- Doesn't have as much initiative when cut off from hive network

Seeing how much shadowrunning we get up to, the suspiciousness of the humanoid guard detail is a big problem. Also I kind of imagine the Red Queen is more than a little bit vain, and that branding for the hive-form guards is a big plus for it. So, in order to mitigate the disadvantages of the hive-form guard detail, we'd need to clarify:
* Can we make the drones small enough to minimize awkwardness when going through scanners, fitting into elevators, or walking through corridors?
* Can we modify the drone manipulators in order to allow drones to at least somewhat use human equipment? There shouldn't be any human DNA in them, just a modified "hand."
* How badly impaired would these drones be if cut off from the network?
>>
>>1244836
But they will alway wear hermetic armor. They will litteraly never take them away except if they need to go in a medical pod. And the whole point is that they are mix between Humand and hive, their DNA is probably a utter mess; we are genious in biology and DNA, the human are not.
>>
>>1244800
>Implying people evidence to assume things
They already have enough evidence to assume that the chimera could be a hive-human hybrid but they won't just assume that it isn't some new drone type meaning that it will be inconclusive until they get evidence which they will ask for first ask for it to come directly from the chimera. The public however will most likely believe whatever their preferred news sources says, which will be regardless of whatever we say, and it will most likely be human-bug hybrid which will be very believable at this point.
This how it will actually go down and everything after this will be us dealing with the fallout.
>>
>>1244842
I am still adamentium on the fact that they can be as good, if not better than drone in combat on that scale. They would be equip with the best of the best we can produce. With all kind of cyber, drone modification, and shit. We also gona make several design, to use the diversity of our cybernetic, drone option and equipement at our advantage and the psionic connection will allow them to rely on each other ability, like our drone.
>>
>>1244842
Humanoids are not as powerful, but they make up for it by being highly skilled in combat if we give them training in that.
>>
>>1244842
I'd remove
>Ability to use personal initiative if cut off from network
>Doesn't have as much initiative when cut off from hive network
Until QD clarifies if one has better initiative.
>Can we make the drones small enough to minimize awkwardness when going through scanners, fitting into elevators, or walking through corridors?
A medium sized drone can be made between 1 to 3 meters in size.
>Can we modify the drone manipulators in order to allow drones to at least somewhat use human equipment? There shouldn't be any human DNA in them, just a modified "hand."
Just give it dexterity arms.
>>
>>1244856
What evidence?
>Chimera is humanoid
That is the only thing the humans would have to go off of.
>>
>>1244856
>Wich they will ask for
"No, the hive will not provide you with his member"

The public don't know anything on us, they will only see humanoid. They will be all kind of theory, they would even think we are some super secret project control by human overlord.
>>
Why do anons keep speaking broken English?!?
>>
>>1244857
>>1244859
The guard detail isn't intended to be a go into direct combat, they should be able to protect the VIP and get him or her to safety, so pure combat prowess is not quite as important. These guards should be able to tank and run, maybe return fire a little bit, but they aren't drop troopers.

And yes, I think that if we were to make a kitted-out chimera or hybrid, they could potentially be stronger than even a heavy warrior, but they would also be three or four times as expensive.
* A heavy warrior costs 38N 45M.
* A human clone costs 60N right off the bat, and putting Endoskeletal Plating and Metal Skin on them increases that to 95 N 120M. Put them in a Medium Carapace and they cost 105 N 160 M.

It's expensive (relatively speaking), but a Special Ops unit of these kinds of improved clones definitely has the potential to be devastating.

>>1244866
There's a chance for the rumor mill to spin it that way, whereas there's basically no chance for it to be spun that way with hive-forms. The humanoids are definitely more suspicious than the hive-forms.
>>
>>1244888
>It's expensive (relatively speaking), but a Special Ops unit of these kinds of improved clones definitely has the potential to be devastating.
The best of the best are the ones deployed with Lyle and Jackob
>>
>>1244866
Humaniod when all other drones have been more or less bugs which is the problem. We have shown no precedence on creating nonbug drones even the speaker is a bug.
>>1244871
Then tensions will increase and they become even more suspicious of our motives. Which in turn may cause the Union and Commonwealth to call truce and prepare to fight us in case we try to pull any shit of course this is still unlikely even in this situation.
>>
>>1244846
Oh I agree with you that an honor guard's a good idea - especially if they're all sealed away and appear to just be another hive "caste." I think the risks are minor and that any event where there is a situation that allows DNA to be collected (such as an attack on Lee and Co), the costs in loss of genetic secrecy will be outweighed by the benefits of having elite and highly skilled guards to protect our important persons and assets.
>>
>>1244901
I'm not seeing any good special ops opportunities in the near future, though. Besides "steal a relay." That's a good special op.

We're also going to have to infiltrate the Ceph homeworld and steal their crystals to use for ammunition. Eventually. If mute Ceph get smuggled out, we can smuggle infiltrator Ceph in.
>>
>>1244907
>costs in loss of genetic secrecy
This is the first thing we lost but not the only thing. We will also get even shittier PR then we already and coupled with the fact we are infiltrating the Union would guarantee war and possibly Lee's death or capture.
>>
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>>1244888
You don't give them enough cyber or even drone adaptation anon. We aim to a top tiers unit here. I don't think they will more than like 50 or 100 in our entire empire, we can put a bit of money on it. We also really need to make several design. It's very late where I am, so I'm gonna go sleeping, but I will come with offer for design tomorow.
Also
>>1244903
>Union and Commonwealth
>Call truce
>Being "ally"
>Ever trusting each other
>The commonwealth turning on us after what they us doing because the union tell them "THEY HAVE HUMANOID ALIEN ! REEEEEEEEEEEEEE !"
>>
>>1244938
I pointed it out it's unlikely even in those circumstances.
>>
>>1244938
Yeah, I'm just saying that even starting to think about it, the clones are way more expensive than drones. So it shouldn't be surprising that the clones can be stronger, they do cost like five times as much.
>>
>>1244928
Stop that mate, you are being overly paranoid. At worse; the union will be suspicious but will not be able to do dick about that. They will never get a sample without killing or capturing one of Praetorian/Myrmidons/(Royal)Warden and that IF the acid didn't disolve the corpse. And to do that would mean going in war with us, witch they not gonna do because their are a bit suspicious on our guards.
>>
>>1244948
Actually they're about even but the big thing is that they are inherently inefficient so they were always going to be more expensive.
>>
>>1244954
Okay a better question why not ask Theseus his opinion he knows better then you or me about how this would crash and burn.
>>
>>1244928
I'm not sure how they'll immediately think infiltration if they analyze some (chimera) DNA and see it's partially human. Hell, the conspiracy theorists are probably already claiming that the bug aliens have been puppetting the Union for years and only now are we finally "revealing" ourselves.

So if they find human DNA traces in chimera blood after a terrorist attack or whatever we can just say we were experimenting in making more "human-like" hive drones to fit in human like areas. Nothing in that suggests we can perfectly duplicate human clones. At least not strongly enough to risk going to war over.

Remember, we are an eldar species. We just jumped a massive fleet over their capital like it was nothing. We have reserves. We have allies. The Union (hopefully) isn't stupid enough to embark on a war they are certain to lose badly. Even if they do find conclusive evidence of infiltration (which this isn't) going to War is not necessarily a foregone conclusion.

They've sent robotic assassin abominations after us, unstable mercenaries, kidnapped and experimented on the hive equivalent of diplomatic envoys and civilians, attempted to assassinate their own diplomatic representatives to spark a war with the Commonwealth, and almost destroyed all of creation. This is just a handful of the crimes the Union has committed. If they claim offense at our infiltration (which they wouldn't even have strong evidence of) we can say they did worse first and that they have to deal with it.
>>
You know what, let's do it, let's make the Chimera guards.
>>
>>1244982
Star with Chimera first and then move onto using human hybrids once we start recruiting humans to be adopted?
>>
Have to admit, I wonder what the secret government intelligence dossiers say now about Lee, Elizabeth, Lyle and friends.
>>
>>1244984
I'll wait for QD to answer if we can make Chimera's look enough like drones to fool humans into thinking it's a new caste before trowing my vote but yes, that is the plan if it doesn't fuck up.
>>
>>1244994
Elizabeth is confirmed working for the Hive, because of her little talk to the guards at Nowhere, and because the Hope survivors would probably say exactly that.
>>
>>1244972
>They've sent robotic assassin abominations after us, unstable mercenaries, kidnapped and experimented on the hive equivalent of diplomatic envoys and civilians, attempted to assassinate their own diplomatic representatives to spark a war with the Commonwealth, and almost destroyed all of creation. This is just a handful of the crimes the Union has committed. If they claim offense at our infiltration (which they wouldn't even have strong evidence of) we can say they did worse first and that they have to deal with it.
It's a good thing it'll look pretty justified to the public when it's reveal we have humaniods drones and our infiltration are revealed.

>So if they find human DNA traces in chimera blood after a terrorist attack or whatever we can just say we were experimenting in making more "human-like" hive drones to fit in human like areas. Nothing in that suggests we can perfectly duplicate human clones. At least not strongly enough to risk going to war over.
At least make the lie more convincing than that. All of that is such pure adulterated bullshit that I already can hear them saying "you really expect me to believe this bullshit?"

>Remember, we are an eldar species. We just jumped a massive fleet over their capital like it was nothing. We have reserves. We have allies. The Union (hopefully) isn't stupid enough to embark on a war they are certain to lose badly. Even if they do find conclusive evidence of infiltration (which this isn't) going to War is not necessarily a foregone conclusion.
If they believe we are attempting some apocalyptic shit like brain snatchers (we are) and infiltrating their society with clones which could influence their election (we are) then war is fucking happening they have no choice. They won't want to but they have to assume the worst if we start being uncooperative.
>>
>>1245001
Because of her actions in creating and freeing Theseus and now her ties with the Hive, she is probably one of the most influential humans to affect the Union
>>
>>1245019
The only beings that know Elizabeth freed Theseus are Theseus, Elizabeth, The Red Queen, and Lee.

Even Theseus didn't tell us, he just said that there was a malfunction. And Elizabeth didn't tell us directly either, we got that tidbit from a dream. She later admitted it and told Lee once we brought up that the Hive and Unity were good friends.
>>
>>1245000
You didn't check the pastebin did you?
>>
>>1245027
No, what am i supposed to be checking?
>>
>>1245036
http://pastebin.com/u/QuestDrone

It's in QD's intro post...
>>
>>1245026
I didn't say she was well known.

Just saying that by unleashing Theseus and now working with the Red Queen she has had and will likely continue to be a BIG influence on the Union unknown to all but a few
>>
>>1245036
Human chimera basically look like humans with drone feature which would basically require us to fuck with the DNA until it potentially loses all of the traits that make human chimera so useful since genetics is that complex.
>>
>>1245065
Oh.
>>
>>1245079
Of course that would be irl logic applied to this quest. To make a humanoid drone with the traits of a human without looking like a human would require us to start from scratch. It wouldn't even considered human on a genetic level at that point.
>>
This argument aside, we've got several press conferences coming up.

What do we tell the humans? We're going to have to tell them at least a few things about how the Hive works, if we're going to play up the menace of the Black Queen and how heinous her betrayal of the other queens is.
>>
>>1245126
The best mehod i believe we should use is to be both truthful and vague, for example we can tell them that OQ had decided, in the guise of diplomacy, to poison the other queens and break their minds.
>>
>>1245126
No need to tell them specifics.
We are a hive mind,there is another queen who is a total bitch who is responsible for the near extinction of our race(avoid questions about why she did it),we are the sole faction in between her and you other races,we DONT want to kill,eat or enslave you all. Anyone ask touchy subjects that cant be dodged, just act stupid or that you dont understand a specific concept. The important conferences are with the Union and Confed leaders.
>>
Here's a Chimera Guard profile I put together. Anyone have suggestions? I'm sure I probably forgot some of the tech we have access to.

Variant: Praetorian Chimera

Decked out in colorful carapace in the style of the hive - the scarlet clad praetorians are the elite guard of important individuals in human space. They are not designed for subtlety as some of the Chimera are, but to impress outsiders and protect their targets against all external threats until heavy hive support can arrive from other areas.

Cybernetics:
> Lifter Arms (10N, 10M)*
> Strider Legs (12N, 10M)*
> Second Heart (4N)
> Reactive Pupils (2N)
> Thermal Pits (2N)
> Echolocation (2N)
> Bio-digital interface (1N)
> Pistol Sledge (8N, 15M)*
> Acid Glands (2N)
> Chemical Fabricator (8N)
> Electrostatic muscle grafts (8N, 15M)
> Metal Skin (30N, 100M)
> Weaver Graft (20N, 10M)

*Exact variation of arms, legs, and weapons can vary based on skills and Chimera diversity.

Skill sets: Almost all brawlers and sharpshooters, but with a handful of techs and engineers to provide support and knowledge to any specific "squad."

Equipment:
> Medium Carapace Armor (10N, 40M)
> Photonic Blaster
> Photon Blade
> Photonic Armor
> Personal shield (when it becomes available)
> Advanced psionic reading (when it becomes available)

Suggested number of Praetorians: 100
Total cost: 11,900N, 20,000M
>>
>>1245286
That looks great. For the SpecOp chimeras, maybe add our various forms of camo and dex arms
Also, would it be possible to copy Lyle's skillset? Probably would be a better brawler with some other skills here and there
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>>1245286

So we use them to guard Lee?

Okay.
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>>1244842
After all that talking past one another I gotta hand it to the one anon that actually sat down and evaluated and addressed everyones concerns.

Well done faggot. You have changed nothing though, the argument will continue.
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>>1245286
They should also have fully upgraded olfactory and radar. Also a razor mine, stinger whip, spitter gland, gravity foils, and filter lungs could be added if able.
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>>1245386
The best part is the it guarantees billion of humans recruits for the void since it looks like a demon from fucking hell. Are you guys even self aware enough to realize how retarded this is? The void is watching and you want to roll this thing out into the public eye?
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>>1245512
It'll look like a humanoid drone. Just as demoney as our warriors.
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>>1245521
I think we're going for advanced ancient race over pure terror. As I recall pic related is what medium armor looks like. So it'd be like this but with (optional) red highlights.
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>>1245521
No it doesn't. AT FUCKING ALL. A chimera doesn't even look like a drone it looks like a human with drone features and there are no mechanics in place that let us more away from that anyway.
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>>1245545
Um... what about having them wear armor. Armor that is described as almost a drone in and of itself. Wouldn't entirely concealing armor they wear at all times be a pretty good concealing method?

We also have tons of abilities that allow us to mimic humans or to don specific human forms. It shouldn't be too difficult to take "humanizing" abilities and reverse them.
>>
>>1245512
>>1245545
as far as I can tell everyone who wants chimera guards want to put it in full body covering armor where it can't be seen as a human-drone abomination that it is.
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>>1245557
>We also have tons of abilities that allow us to mimic humans or to don specific human forms. It shouldn't be too difficult to take "humanizing" abilities and reverse them.
Name one. If you are going to say the vocalizer or the bipedal legs I'm already laughing at you.
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>>1245562
Why not use a hybrid instead? Cybernetic for the most part replace the benefits of the drone part any way and most of the good stuff is in the suit anyway.
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>>1245573
Okay, here's 2 of them to start.

Directly from the pastebin:
> "Semi-fluid tissue – Painful to use, and difficult to master, this complex and drastic procedure uses a number of implants and genetic mutations to allow the user to soften their bone structure. This process takes several minutes and may cause severe aches and pains, after which micro muscles implanted throughout the body allow the user to alter their physical bone structure to a limited extent, especially the face, allowing the user to adjust facial structure, height up to several inches, alter should width, and other factors. In addition to this, the tissue of the skin is made especially malleable, allowing the user to alter or remove their own fingerprints, alter, remove, or create wrinkles and skin deformations, increase or lower voice pitch, as well as adjust iris color and shape, although the alterations are not perfect enough to mimic existing individuals with absolute confidence. To mimic an existing individual, you must know all applicable biometric data, and have at least one day for the user to alter and perfect his or her physical appearance. The disguise will be sufficient to fool all but the most closely known individuals, and may fool some or most biometric security systems, although it is not guaranteed. Does not affect blood samples or other DNA based testing. (8N 5M)"

>"Facial reconstruction – A mix of implants and procedures to alter the appearance of a person’s non augmented parts. Can be used to change face structure, skin tone, height and weight, hair color, and voice pattern. Has no upkeep cost. (50N)"
>>
>>1245573
Well I am sure we could just graph more drone features and make them slouch or something to reduce their appearance.
>>1245594
The cybernetics just add to the drone parts. Also, the chimera part will only help. We wouldn't have blades, upgraded senes like olfactory or radar, acid, echolocation, and other stuff that couldn't be fit onto a hybrid.
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Straight Hybrids look something similar to this, right?
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>>1245594
If the guard will be concealed 99.99% of the time a chimera's probably the way to go. The risk with hybrids is that if the Union gets a sample of their DNA for any reason it will become apparent we can create perfect human looking infiltrators that are not human (since the DNA will show it's not human under analysis).

I'm not a super supporter of the honor guard idea anyway - and is some anons are incredibly against it we don't need to do it. It just seems like a fun and relatively in character thing to do to help add some flavor to our diplomacy with humans/the Union.
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>>1245617
Hybrids look like humans with very small differences. That looks more like a chimera and even then that is a bit much
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>>1245627
Though if the armor gets damaged and they get an image of the human-like insides(such as the bones of the arm and at the most a semi-epidermis) then that could raise a few questions. 10 threads after the event when something else hurts tour credibility, they reveal the images and threaten to go public. I like the idea of an honor guard, im just still partial to my non-chimera, new unit idea. Though I agree that until QuestDrone comes back we are just batting around ideas.
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>>1245617
Yeah, I agree with >>1245633
That's pretty much how I picture a Chimera. A hybrid can pass as human most of the time.
>>
>>1245633

So, why not just engineer our Chimaera to be more similar to that instead of the idea of them looking like twisted humans?

It's not like we don't have full control over their biology or anything.
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>>1245653
That image is basically just giving a helmet to a chimera and slightly altering its body.
>>
Voting for this thread on suptg seems to be broken
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>>1245707
Did you go /tg/ archive or /qst/ archive?
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>>1245719
I just go on the Hive Queen Quest tag. I'll go on qst though
>>
Hmm, to wander off the great chimera debate for a minute, here's a incredibly dumb idea.

Could we make a ram ship writ large by taking a battleship and stripping out pretty much all of the weapons, replacing them with singularity projectors and making the rest of the ship a slab of engines, armour and shielding?

I'm not sure if a singularity moves relative to the ship, so you might several projectors to let it blaze through an enemy formation, tossing off black holes in its wake.

I guess that makes it more of a fancy bomber though?
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>>1245608
>We wouldn't have blades, upgraded senes like olfactory or radar, acid, echolocation, and other stuff that couldn't be fit onto a hybrid.
I'm now certain I'm surrounded by idiots. All that shit can be added to armor instead of the clone.
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>>1245740
that would also probably require a lot of canderon that we probably don't have probably
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>>1245741
Also the fact that a hybrid's dna is much more obviously human than the chimera's.
>>
>>1245760
I know, I know. It'll be nice to put singularity projectors on things once we have the canderon though.
>>
>>1245740
What if we made the hull a gigantic spike that we could ram with and regenerate after? So imagine a big needle with a shitton of powerful thrusters behind it, that goes through enemy ships like needle through fabric, that regenerates.
Or make it smaller, so you can have a mass of thousands of needles piercing through ships?
>>
>>1245792
you mean like a giant reusable bullet?
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>>1245796
yeap. But homing since we put thinkers on it to act as guidance.
>>
>>1245796

Explosive pods are cheaper...
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>>1245792
I'll be honest. I just want to ram things with black holes.
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>>1245850
I love ramming black holes too
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>>1245768
Weren't you making an argument about how they would have to capture our clone in order to study their DNA? Nice goal post moving.
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>>1245918
>>1245850
Ramming and singularities don't mix. Trying to would destroy the ship.
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>>1245966
Well, like I said, I'm not sure whether or not a projected singularity moves relative to the ship. If you can basically anchor one just in front of your ship, you can ram with it!

If not, you need more of a flyby tactic - jet through and project them away from the direction of travel.
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>>1245954
Just saying that it is 1 more advantage chimeras have over hybrids
>>
Also, must I add that every eventual sample ( even if they probably never gonna exist) would be send to the research center of the union on our species. The one where whe have a agent that could resolve the issue; if problem they are and the DNA is just not some weird mess that the human don't understand.
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>>1245286
If I can add something, the Lifter + Strider model should equip a heavy armor. If I remember well, they work better together.

Every model should come with what you write, with only the arm (and their associated cybernetics) and armor differing with the model. I would add Endoskeletal plating to the "base model" tough. Can be reddundant but hey, could save a life.

Also we should add the arm blade to you model, no reason to not do it.

The model with medium armor will only replace the lifter-strider by reacher and strider and add sting whip and sting finger.

Now, the real point where I have no idea: What fucking drone modification did we give them ?
>>
>All this stupid discussion about chimera/non-chimera honor guard. Most of it has been said already, but here's my opinion:
- Most of humanity is in a total panic about the space bugs that suddenly appeared. This panic recedes to smaller fear/unease over time. After all, we're giant bugs that walk among them. The tin-foil community will suspect everything about us (with some correct details among the bullshit) but for now nobody believes them.
- Those that met Speaker know there is a caste of bug that can talk like a human. They may have an inkling that it was created specifically for that purpose and so they will think we have SOME measure of genetic manipulation at hand.
- If we build chimeras as an honor guard, those humans that didn't suspect we can mutate at will will have a big eye opener: "Hey, they suddenly have a humanoid bug. How did that happen? ..." It's one thing to have a mouth that can make human sounds but it is another thing to have a human body type on a bug. One can be explained as a quirk of nature, the other is a big red flag.
- Except for the two scientists (one of which is parasited) nobody knows about bug DNA. Yet. This DNA is triple-stranded, thus different from human DNA and it will take some time to find a method to sequence it, but it will be done.
- They don't have red hive DNA yet, but one day they'll find a broken leg or something on a battlefield and they will analyze it.

...
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>>1246639
- It will not be easy but with enough time humans will realize there is non-bug DNA in our DNA. They don't have the original species' DNA to compare, after all.
- Now with a human looking guard (yes, a bipedal human-sized thing looks human even if a face plate and covers the features) they might be prompted to look closer at our DNA and they might find the human DNA.
- When they find we are among them, everybody will shout "they are among us, infiltrating us, the tin-foils were correct" and all hell breaks loose.

About what we would need humanoid guards for:
- fit through human-sized doorways: just make smaller drones
- use human equipment: have the smaller drones have finer claws, able to push buttons and grip a steering wheel.
- I don't know if chimera guards or hive-form buards are better at combat and I don't care. The honor guard doesn't have to be able to single-handedly defeat the human army. Their purpose is to stand next to Speaker and look scary. If Speaker is attacked and the guard overrun, so what? It's just a drone, not a one-of-a-kind VIP. When damaged, it dissolves in acid to protect the DNA and we just build a new one.

>>1244775
"Myrmidons" literally means "ant-people", the myrmidons in Greek legend were created from ants.
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>>1246646
>"Myrmidons" literally means "ant-people", the myrmidons in Greek legend were created from ants.
That's why I picked the name. They call the Hive Xeno Formicidae after all. Might as well embrace the ant-life

But I am more partial to Praetorian
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>>1246681
>Suddenly memory from Age of Mythology
I remember why I Ioved this unit now.
Actually that's give me a idea. Since we are going to make several model of this guy, like several human one, a spiral warrior one, ect.. might as well stick with the greco-roman theme and give them a name each in this style.

The group in general (Aka our Elite chimera troop) will be call Myrmidons, the human one with the lifter-strider and heavy armor will be a Praetorian, the one with lifter + strider and medium will have a other name, ect...

Also
>Tfw when you bring a subject that create a big argument for hours.
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>>1246735
What I mean by this, is, let's create a new special force of those guy, call them "The Myrmidons" and give each of the different type a roman/grec name.

For example, we have two human model, the "Lyle one" with strider and leaper in heavy armor and a "Jacob one" with lifter-strider in medium.

The heavy one will be the Praetorian and the other idk, Gladiatores ?
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>>1245792
That is silly and impractical at best, but it would be a fun side-project. Really, all they'd be are giant kinetic missiles
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>>1245760
>>1245771
Also about that; we really need to work on "Combi" drive aka a new generation of drive that would allow a ship to use the best drive for it current situation. We know that the drive of the Union and the Commowealth can outmanever ours in combat, but if we manage to combine our two drive, we will dispose of the great mobility on the galatic level provided by our skip drive and adventage on the OQ when in combat situation. The only issue is the Canderon. We need more of that shit.
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>>1246962
>Skip
I mean blink, sorry. Dam you Grave !
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>>1246646
They will also guard Lee
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>>1246962
unless we figure out areas where the different techs converge, all a "Combi" drive would be is a big blob of FTL engines stuck together, likely larger than any ship we'd want to use it in. It would be handy to have all the different FTLs on tap for whatever, but practically we should only have multiple FTLs on a ship for a specific reason. I vaguely remember someone talking about a "FTL sampler" cruise at some point, for instance.
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>>1247113
Hum right, I was just thinking about launching some thinker on it, just to see if the autistic little mongrel can make something about it.
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>1247113
what do you mean with a "FTL sampler" cruise?
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>>1247138
It was discussed earlier when talking about space cities
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>>1247142
can you direct me there?
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>>1247142
>>1247138
Okay, now that sounds amazing, if we are ever going to start trading off techs /THIS/ is how it should be done, getting commonwealth, unity/heretic, and union dignitaries aboard the space city to do a giant showroom event for various FTL drives and then auctioning them, maybe have a few biotech booths for the humies and skyl, have some Closed door booths just for showing and trading weapons to unity/heretic, doing manufacturing exhibits showing off integrated bio-mechanical improvements and inventions (bar our fission engine which FormOther has a patent on obviously) Selling the entire event as both having private (for government contracts only) and public (for commonwealth and union richfags) events and booths to really sell the whole thing as a giant expo/convention. Maybe we could sell the hive city as the new multinational trade hub and cut in on the space whale racket, which would make me laugh to see those fuckers rage.
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>>1247183
It was this tread
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>>1247192
thank you
>>
I wonder how Lyle and company are doing.
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>>1247289
me too
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>>1247289
>>1247289
We've got a lot of plot threads bouncing around at the moment. If I recall correctly we've got:

Anarchists under Path
Scientists above Path
Possible frozen hive under Djiin
Space War with Commonwealth
Commonwealth invasion of Earth
Telling the Commonwealth Grand Marshal about Void Gods
Dinner invitation with Valen
FormOther trade with Valen
OQ possible invasion of Union space
RQ possible invasion of OQ space
Lee giving a speech to Parliament
Lee giving a press conference to "balanced" network
GQ being reborn as our daughter
Devon interrogated by the Valen/Decker breaching the network for Theseus intrusion.

And what Lyle and Co are doing.

So there's a lot to cover, it seems like, over the next few games.
>>
I just re-re-read the Pasbin in detail, and I must agree with anon 8/ri. Maybe not on the same point; but that order is wrong. They are not really gap between the different type of clone on the psychic level, if we don't take the ability to use psionic tactic in account. They are probably one between Quantum and normal drone and between this two and the clone, but we must wait QD for confirmation.

>Chimera -... While they have the mental capacities of a hybrid
>The mind of a Chimera is far more instinctive then that of other clone types, interpreting the commands of the queen as an overwhelming drive that will block out other thoughts, although they are fully capable of thinking creatively and using individuality to fulfill such commands.
>n an individual level a Chimera thinks in a similar manner to its original species, but has gained traits of your drones, and is more willing to perform sacrificial actions to fulfill its objectives
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>>1247497
Meaned to >>1244754
and >>1244742
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>>1246639
>>1246646
Lee is like a child's pet rock to the players. He has almost no real use to the hive and they put him in the most disposable and least vital position the hive has to offer. They treat him less like a person and more like a object with no useful abilities (let's face it the only thing he really has to fear is "accidents" not actual assassins which bodyguards offer no defense against) when he's more than capable of fending off an attack himself and would more for him and us if he did.
Not to mention that the honor guard plan is shortsighted by design since there are too many ways it could wrong (I thought up at least 20) and have no real versatility since they can never take off their armor and if they get hit by an EMP they become useless (our armor still suffers from the same weaknesses as human armor).
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>>1247186
>fission engine
You had one fucking job anon. And I'm never going to actually consider selling any tech besides our most basic tech. Though we still need to get samples of all the biological life that the Commonwealth territories have to offer.
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>>1247666
>Lee useless
Outside of allowing us to not getting cucked by the Union system of embassy, and giving us the love of the pro-alien and of many Lee suporter ? Quenie also actually like him, after all he his the first human we ever talk too, and he try to help us against the Smith. He his simply valuable for the Queen, for the Hive.

also:
>>1246646
Man, do you realise how advanced we are in bio-technology ? The human are not even close to understand how we even work. Beside, with what they have, they can't know that we can use non-hive DNA in our creation, because the only thing they have are pure drone. And the only they don't yet study is like 10,000 years old, even if they are non-hive DNA in it, how the hell they gonna know ? They gonna simply assume the ADN they found in the warrior is the DNA of a Hive Warrior. Wich it will probably be anyway.
>- They don't have red hive DNA yet, but one day they'll find a broken leg or something on a battlefield and they will analyze it.
We didn't make Hive force land in battle against or with Union force yet, and you forgot that we are perfectly able to clean behing us.
>- Now with a human looking guard (yes, a bipedal human-sized thing looks human even if a face plate and covers the features) they might be prompted to look closer at our DNA and they might find the human DNA.
And how will they look closer to this DNA ? Not like we gonna let them have acess to a sample.

Even if they do, they are children to us in this domain, and Chimera are a fairly avanced research; even for us. They would need decade of study in this domain, and we have a infiltred agent in their research center precisly to make their research going in a wall for a reason.
>- Those that met Speaker know there is a caste of bug that can talk like a human. They may have an inkling that it was created specifically for that purpose and so they will think we have SOME measure of genetic manipulation at hand.
They are armor, inside could very well be a bug. And our human-chimera look exactly like this, they have a creepy bug face.
>Except for the two scientists (one of which is parasited) nobody knows about bug DNA. Yet. This DNA is triple-stranded, thus different from human DNA and it will take some time to find a method to sequence it, but it will be done.
Same answer than above, human have no idea what they are doing, like with the project with the void shard, Jez, they put it in a PENTAGRAM ! They are just pourring their metaphorical dick in all the hole they find to see what happen.
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>>1247503
Yeah it does seem that Hybrid and Chimera brains are more or less the same in terms of capabilities.
>>
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About Chimera appearance, here is a quote from quest drone about it.
https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/12364896618And the attached image was marked "chimera" at thread 39 for one of his posts when we unlocked genetic tapestry
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>>1247814
He posted this one too.
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>>1247814
I can't acess to the page you provide halas, would you mind copy-paste it ?
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>>1247814
Sorry, this was the right link for the quote.
https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/123648966181
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>>1247714
>Outside of allowing us to not getting cucked by the Union system of embassy, and giving us the love of the pro-alien and of many Lee suporter ?
Actually Lee almost had us cucked out of luck due to him having no connections (which is a majority of his job) and the that support you're banking could turn very quickly on him since the pro-xeno groups are fickle as fuck and basically modern day liberals.
>He his simply valuable for the Queen, for the Hive.
Overly sympathetic not valuable by any means. He has the same value for us as a human would have for a dog of the toy breed.
>Man, do you realise how advanced we are in bio-technology ? The human are not even close to understand how we even work. Beside, with what they have, they can't know that we can use non-hive DNA in our creation, because the only thing they have are pure drone. And the only they don't yet study is like 10,000 years old, even if they are non-hive DNA in it, how the hell they gonna know ? They gonna simply assume the ADN they found in the warrior is the DNA of a Hive Warrior. Wich it will probably be anyway.
An overestimate of our abilities since we actually lack a lot of experience the older hives had. As a matter of fact that could end up being a dead giveaway we aren't an ancient hive.
>We didn't make Hive force land in battle against or with Union force yet, and you forgot that we are perfectly able to clean behing us.
>And how will they look closer to this DNA ? Not like we gonna let them have acess to a sample.
Are you allergic to thought experiments anon? You seem to lack the ability to explore possibilities of how things could go wrong and humans never act the way you expect them to.
>Even if they do, they are children to us in this domain, and Chimera are a fairly avanced research; even for us. They would need decade of study in this domain, and we have a infiltred agent in their research center precisly to make their research going in a wall for a reason.
Actually it would take a month unless the King bill get passed in which it could take a few weeks due to autocracies being stupidly efficient and our agent is not part of the biological research department.
>They are armor, inside could very well be a bug. And our human-chimera look exactly like this, they have a creepy bug face.
Actually they will look like a human face with bug features not that it matters since you will drop this entire honor guard argument when you see what the Smith Head research unlock.
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>>1247832
So if we modify them a lot; wich we will do, because we want them to be the best fighter possible, as they will also be use in special operation, both they apparence and DNA will be far from human.
>>
>>1247835
>Actually Lee almost had us cucked out of luck due to him having no connections (which is a majority of his job) and the that support you're banking could turn very quickly on him since the pro-xeno groups are fickle as fuck and basically modern day liberals.
He will make connection; and he has the more important of value: he his loyal. As for the politic commentary, we don't know that and anyway, even if I know what you mean by "liberals" that's can have very different meaning with the country. Right now they love him, we gonna use that to claim territory on the Union. After that most union human probably gonna hate us anyway.
>Overly sympathetic not valuable by any means. He has the same value for us as a human would have for a dog of the toy breed.
We have the same view on him that we have for Lyle, they are our children too. They are not animal ( even if I love my dogs).
>An overestimate of our abilities since we actually lack a lot of experience the older hives had. As a matter of fact that could end up being a dead giveaway we aren't an ancient hive.
QD already say that we where one of the most advanced hive in scientific research. And even the most basic hive is wayyyyy above human capacities.
>Are you allergic to thought experiments anon? You seem to lack the ability to explore possibilities of how things could go wrong and humans never act the way you expect them to.
Not I'm allergic to overly paranoid reaction
>Actually it would take a month unless the King bill get passed in which it could take a few weeks due to autocracies being stupidly efficient and our agent is not part of the biological research department.
Our agent have high-ranking access, his whole point is to inform us on the situation and sabotage it if necessary; that's why he is here. And no it would not take month, you underestimate our capacity in genetic manipulation
>Actually they will look like a human face with bug features not that it matters since you will drop this entire honor guard argument when you see what the Smith Head research unlock.
See >>1247832
also resolve the problem of the DNA.
>>
>>1247841
And assuming that image Questdrone posted when genetic tapestry was unlocked is accurate, we won't even need to modify their appearance if we just use the reasonable excuse of wanting them to be able to use human doors and technology. We'd just need to obfuscate their Dna, maybe with some way to make any body parts and fluids that fall off basically disintegrate and have the dna break down.
>>1245617
The picture posted here is actually just a drawn version of the one from genetic tapestry, and both images make it seem like the creature only even has three fingers per hand in addition to the weird head.
Both the images are actually from these things called Necrophages from a game called Endless Legend if anyone wants to google them. The humanoid one's called a forager.
>>
>>1247841
>because we want them to be the best fighter possible
Sorry to rain on your parade but hive organism are very finely tuned which showed signs of being a weakness on several occasions. This means that just shoving every single adaption into a chimera could easily be turned against us if you understand the weaknesses of every adaption.
>>
>>1247884
Not like in "every single" adaptation, but we can use some of them. Human chimera arleady have endurance legs and both Dexterity and Strengh arm for example.
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>>1247882
>Endless Legend
Dam cool game, Amplitude is a awesome studio.
>>
watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq8vAMfNfT8
>>
>>1247906
Amplitude is awsome look at this
Endless Legend - Shadows - Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=449kwDubrRo
>>
>>1247936
>Have been not so far from their studio during some time in a friend house
Halas they exist no visit. Why are you so cruel Paris ?
>>
>>1247872

Hence we are gonna heal everyone in our territory and give them quality food. With free medicine and good food a lot of people would love us.
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>>1247884
Thats why I think we should simply create an entirely new hive unit, one that is a bit bigger then a human, but highly compact. It would be a bit more expensive then chimera or hybrids, but we wouldn't have to worry about a masquerade. Why worry about accommodating an old unit when we can make a new one with accommodations built in.
>>
>>1247989
We have already give answer to this argument several time. Drone are still vulnerable to been shut down from us, and can't be use with the psionic shroud like what we want to do with the Chimera. A roughly-human sized and bipedal drone will also be less efficiant than a chimera as he can't rely on armor and cybernetics to compensate the loss in strengh.

Also
>When working in numbers, they are capable of using psionic tactics to strategize on the fly, and will obey any clone with the greatest skills in the relevant field of expertise without question, making them excellent in the area of special operations, espionage, and general support where individual thinking is more important than numbers and large scale tactics.

Individual are simply better in certain domain and situation than drone, that's all.
>>
>>1247965
>>1248000
PLEASE USE PROPER ENGLISH! YOUR SENTENCES ARE A MESS!
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>>1248006
Woah, calm down. It's simply getting late in my time zone and english is not my mother tongue. I'm gonna go anyway, I really need to sleep.
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>>1248046
good night
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>>1248061
Thanks anon
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>>1248084
so CUUUUTE!!!!
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>>1247872
>He will make connection
An admittance that I'm right disguised as argument so that's how you're going to play
>Right now they love him
Fear and love are two different feeling. Though you're spouting shit with little evidence.
>They are not animal ( even if I love my dogs).
You treat Lee like he's less capable than a dog. Lyle is a highly capable fighter and treat him as such. Elizabeth is highly intelligent scientist and alien lover (which she has mention that she would like to meet some of the other aliens we have access to) and we treat her as such. All Lee has is that people think he has something valuable and in all your attempts to hype him up you seem to forget this. Elizabeth and Lyle are a bishop and knight to Lee's pawn.
>QD already say that we where one of the most advanced hive in scientific research. And even the most basic hive is wayyyyy above human capacities.
Ancient hives mostly focused on biotech and whatever hobby they had. While we have a more diverse tech base we also lack the experience other queens had in using their tech though this in not even going into how ancient wise hive queens actually act.
>Not I'm allergic to overly paranoid reaction
In politics what you call is actually paranioa is merely covering all your bases and overall acting like one of those ancient wise hives you want us to be.
>Our agent have high-ranking access, his whole point is to inform us on the situation and sabotage it if necessary; that's why he is here. And no it would not take month, you underestimate our capacity in genetic manipulation
You overestimate us anon. Unlike you I have a basic understanding of genetic and how hideously complex genetics is. Fully understanding our genetics would take years, learning enough to fight and counteract us would take months unless they find a hive equivalent to the rosetta stone at which point it all assumption go out the window.
>also resolve the problem of the DNA.
Great you solved a tiny fraction of a massive problem the other problems are still counterproductive to everything we want out of the Union. One that hasn't been mentioned yet is that in the 21st century people have managed to create a sensor that can see through objects them from 20 meters away which they can fit into a smart phone imagine what other shit they could have I wouldn't want to risk them getting too much information with whatever methods they have too use. There is also problem is there are too many variables at work here and wise queen would realize that though we are not very wise. An ancient queen would be more cautious and play more conservatively and tipping your hand like this is neither. This isn't even getting into what the actual factions think. The pro-xeno are anti war so they aren't as much on our side as you think. The more right winged factions how ever would be easier to deal with if we are willing to offer resources for the upcoming war and refuge for people who want to avoid war/parasite removal.
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>>1248000
>psionic shroud
"Psionic cloaking" dumbass.
>A roughly-human sized and bipedal drone will also be less efficiant than a chimera as he can't rely on armor and cybernetics to compensate the loss in strengh.
Physical abilities wise drones and augmented clones are on the same level with drones being more efficient.
And heavy carapace is on the same level as heavy warrior.
Stop misrepresenting the facts.
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>>1248094
>The more right winged factions how ever would be easier to deal with if we are willing to offer resources for the upcoming war and refuge for people who want to avoid war/parasite removal.
Thats one thing that I have come to agree with. Killenger does not seem like an idiot so he wont try to fight us if he understands that he would shortly suffer and obsidian colored net-loss. He is mostly preferable to that one politician who is apparently preaching the end times.
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>>1248110
Cant we make the square mass law our bitch and make incredibly dense units that are as strong as augmented units? Not trying to be anal about this, but I just want to cover every base.
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>>1248094
> there are too many variables at work here and wise queen would realize that though we are not very wise. An ancient queen would be more cautious and play more conservatively and tipping your hand like this is neither.

All the old and wise queens are dead. The only exception is th Grey Queen who until recently was useless and beyond hope.

We are neither a wise nor an old queen, but we are of an ancient lineage and have the energy of youth. So many of the things we have accomplished - like our alliance with Theseus (who the Grey Queen doesn't even recognize as life) and Heretic (the remnant of a species our mother never trusted) would have never happened if we were traditional.

We don't have time to wait for 40,000 year plans to slowly come to fruition. We know more about the Unions methods than they do ours. We have the cards in this scenario and although we should not go all in, we should play what we have.
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>>1248202
>we should play what we have.
Less is more anon. The old queens were very efficient. Through mostly superior tactics and caution managed to outmaneuver and outwit several factions and even set up contingency plans in case of failure. I've been thinking up plans and contingencies to get what we want with the Union and the Honor Guard thing is a risky card no matter how you play it and considering that there is little benefit to playing the way you want to it's not worth it and Lee is in no danger current from anything a regular warrior couldn't easily handle.
The main problem is that you don't understand how to play the game of politics. You want to solve as many problems as possible while using as little time and resources as possible. Security currently isn't an issue our image however is which why I want to avoid doing this. Our next card should soften our image a bit before being ruthless and scary again to evoke something I like to call the tsundere effect.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116164-Science-Explains-Tsundere-Appeal
Long story short any mellowing out will be seen as progress and I have thought of a few things to try but don't know which to do.
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are we going to build a glatiator pit becuse i found lots of gladiator bugs
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/33/18/00/33180065d9c62f2f53f7da75a7060346.jpg
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>>1248689

Why would we build a gladiator pit?

How does it benefit us in any way?
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>>1248745
Spectator sport for our space cities, of course. Or to test our designs before we send them into the field.
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>>1248745
this >>1248766
and iwhas so sleepy that i lookt on bug people picture and said that armore looks like gladiator armore then after posting them i took a cat nap and now i am going to bed it 04:07 so good night
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>>1248442
I think we actually agree on more than you suspect, Anon. I disagree with you on the value of the honor guard - it is true - but I think we are somewhat aligned in the next strategy to pursue with the Union. With regards to the honor guard, I am in favor of specialized drone or chimera escorts for 2 broad reasons.

1. Security: Terrorism and false flag attacks exist and have occurred often in this quest. The Union council was willing to assassinate their own diplomat to go to war with the Commonwealth. They may attempt a similar (stupid) ploy here where they sponsor an attack against the hive and make it look like the Commonwealth. Or some of the violence and discontent against the hive could spill into terrorist acts against us. An elite guard will not only protect better, it will deter attacks through reputation alone (like the modern secret service).

Specialized guards will also be better equipped to deal with psionic disruptions that could incapicate regular warriors. If there is an attack from some outside radical force that disables our relays in system for any reason - our warriors will be far less effective. Even worse, without mothers guidence they may fulfill their protect order by killing any humans or diplomats nearby. Can you say "clusterfuck"

2. Political: We are heavily invested in appearing to be an advanced, regal, ancient race. Showing off items like hard light swords and armor with a more dignified countenance than the standard warrior will be important to keep up this image. We want a look that says "royalty" even to humans primitive monkey brains. More variation in units that appears to be based on class may also lead the Union/ others to think of us as a collective mind with many different castes rather than a single super organism. I personally believe this confusion as to our identity works to the benefit of the queen.

Royal guards also allow for more political leverage. If, for example, a negotiation for the expanse with the Union mandates limits on our forces in the system or fleets in orbit of remaining Union planets (which I believe is likely), having an effective relatively small elite group ready to go will allow us to acquiesce this request, to the benefit of the Union thinking they have made progress or a diplomatic win.
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>>1248861
Shit, I forgot how much the Union is willing to attack people under the shadows, this only reinforces my support for the guard. The guard could also serve as testing for if our chimera spec ops would be worthwhile.
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Are we still arguing about the Chimera guards? What's the current issue?
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>>1248906
The latest argument against them is that Lee, of all people, is not worth having an elite honor guard
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>>1248922
That's bullshit.
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>>1248906
I honestly don't care (much) if the elite guard are chimeras or drones. There are costs and benefits to each. I just think that some sort of a special elite guard will not only be quite useful, it'll be a nice in-character affirmation of our royalty.
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>>1248939
I like the honor guard idea but i prefer drones over Chimeras.
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>>1248906
Who knows.
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>>1248937
Sorry, but that was my impression. Please correct me if I am wrong
>>1248949
Seems we are at an impasse
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>>1248922
are they worried about him not being worth the drone's upkeep, or worried about him appearing valuable because he has an honor guard? 'cause the first one's definitely not true. Neither are true. He is currently our official ambassador. Replacing him would be a major pain. We could make his guards a different color or something if Anons really want to I guess, imply these guards were elite training washouts or something.
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>>1248971
>Sorry, but that was my impression. Please correct me if I am wrong
I was talking about the "Lee doesn't deserve an honor guard" thing, not you.
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>>1248987
> 'cause the first one's definitely not true. Neither are true.
..and that's what happens when you don't read your post before submitting.
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>>1248989
M7hOSHTC was talking about how Lee was just a pet and how stupid it was for us to appoint him as ambassador here>>1247666
. But that is probably my tired brain taking things too far
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>>1248987
>imply these guards were elite training washouts or something.

What?

They already figure that we pretty much custom-design Drones for tasks and highly specialize some sub-castes and designs and have a mastery of biology they cannot even begin to fathom, there isn't any "Training" to be mentioned.

Don't treat them as fucking retards anon.
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>>1249036
He was saying that the humies would be made to think that
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>>1249036
I dunno, i'm just spitballing. I was trying to suggest we imply they were a lesser tier elite from "normal" elites (if we ever get that far), if anons were worried about making him appear too important.
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do these pictures look like special speaker/diplomat?
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https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/07/c1/ec/07c1ec77024a904451881b053365c43d.jpg

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https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/59/95/17/59951757e54eb0371caf35fc7ade75cf.jpg
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Is this the most active quest out there?

With Banished Quest dead now, yes, I think it is.
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>>1249094
Have you read any of it?
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>>1249078
>do these pictures look like special speaker/diplomat?
i meant do these pictures look like special speaker/diplomat material?
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>>1249078
1-3 good for regal. 4 no. 5 good for a more grounded look. They are, however, all bipedal.
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>>1249058

Yes, I know.

And we already saw that they have already grasped the implications of our Biological mastery.

Don't treat the humans like retards.
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>>1249209
Never said I agreed with him
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>>1238011

So, in a departure from the increasingly tired royal guard/regular guard debate, how about we talk about something a little less cancerous - The Void God.

My personal theory is that the Void God/s are natural entities that were somehow awakened by the Hive's development and experimentation on blink drives long ago. My guess, as in the attached diagram, is that if you go too "deep" in a jump "bad things" can happen.

The blink-drive is, by far, the most powerful general purpose ftl in the game. It is cheap to build, easy to fuel, accurate, and most importantly - instantaneous. Just like the void god it allows our ships, our relays, our minds to be anywhere at any given time and nowhere for a time. I suspect there is a deep and perhaps long forgotten connection between the abilities the hives have to see through relays and into minds and the Void's abilities to reverse the effect and see into us.

Of course, I don't base this theory just on my own hunch. In fact, I first started suspecting this when I saw the following quote on QD's ask.fm page.

> "I'm fairly certain the only way to get something like the Blink drive is by researching something that eventually rips open a new Eye of Terror and starts one of the galactic threat events."

Sound familiar to anyone? Anyways, what other theories do y'all have about the crystals and the void shards? What are they, and why are they here and interested in us? Pure elemental evil, or something more?
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>>1249418
I came to the same conclusion. The 4th dimension is probably where we go in between jumps. If the initial inventors of the blink drive managed to wake a 4th dimensional being in the process, well tough shit
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>this argument is still going
This is going to be another one of those squabbles we look back on and wonder what the hell people were thinking.

Look, like it or not, chimerae in a public position represent a potentially catastrophic risk to our diplomatic relations in the form of their DNA and all the revelations about our use of human DNA that would entail.

>but they would never ever get a sample
Are you willing to gamble the entirety of our goodwill with both the union and the commonwealth that that is completely and utterly true? Especially when it's been firmly established that the union might be willing to launch an attack if they believe it would aid them in some way?

All it takes is a random anti-alien terrorist attack (or "terrorist" attack if Killinger is feeling cocky) and suddenly there's DNA evidence and we banic and have to figure out how to cover our tracks, tracks that wouldn't exist if we had just used a souped-up drone for bodyguard duty instead of our humanoid abominations. Shit, it doesn't even need to be an attack, even a sufficiently violent car crash or construction accident would leave us in the same position: banic, cover tracks, pray that they don't figure out the secret that could destroy any trust human factions have in us.

The risks are extreme, and the comparative gain to using chimerae is minimal, especially if you consider that their combat advantage is largely speculative; it just plain isn't smart to take such a gamble.
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>>1249418
I always got the feeling the hive was the original slave race, and that they were the void gods first steps into the universe.

That and that the whole war against them was some godslaying creation turned on the creator quest where one trumps the other and back again for millenia, I also dont think the skyl were the first slave race the hive encountered, I think they might have been chased across the galaxy perhaps the universe time and time again, Fucking up the void gods plans to enter realspace but being cataclysmically annihialated each time they got close to destroying or even fighting them and that the hives existance is some horrible nightmare they wont ever escape, and that humans and perhaps other psionically deaf races are the only way forward for this universe because the void gods really do seem like a force of nature, being that they have an entire layer of reality to themselves.

That or the void gods are the dark mirror of the hive from HQQs mirror world.
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>>1249472
One question. Is it morally correct to apply our moral values on an entirely alien species. If we found a species that LOVED murdering the shit out of each other or committed incest, would it be fair to tell them not to do that? Why would it be fair to tell a species that constantly changes its dna not to use other species' dna? Would no one bring this up to the public? While I am not saying that the entire human species wouldn't start wars with us, would we not be able to explain ourselves or that NO ONE would defend our actions?
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>>1249541
My main evidence for the void gods making the hive or from them being our parallel selves is that our drones react to them the same way they do to being attacked psionically by a rival queen, which makes me think that its not really the mechanic of control causing it but that they actually feel like queens, that we feel like void gods, and that either they made us like them, or we are them in reverse.

Which is spooky cool and also sad because if Im right the only way to beat the void gods is to find and exterminate all the hives, bury all the shards (Which im pretty damn sure slave hives are making and seeding to worlds like the cephs) and sending them all through a blink drive to the outer edge of the universe and commiting seppuku.
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>>1249548
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>>1249418
>"I'm fairly certain the only way to get something like the Blink drive is by researching something that eventually rips open a new Eye of Terror and starts one of the galactic threat events."

That sounds like a reference to Stellaris. Each race has one of three types of FTL drives: Warp (go anywhere, but at a set rate of LY/day, like the humans), Wormhole (go anywhere as long as you're in the range of a wormhole station, like the Valen), Hyperlane (a limited type of Warp where you can only go along existing routes), and the end-game Jump and Psi Jump drives (Psi Jump is an upgrade of Jump, they let you go quickly to any system within range, like you're carrying your own wormhole).

Of course, this is pretty much exactly like the Hive Blink Jump in this quest, except in Stellaris it allows for the possibility of the extradimensional invaders endgame boss. They basically rip open an Eye of Terror and start sending fleets in and trying to conquer this dimension. I had them spawn on the border of my empire, right next to my entire fleet and an awakened AI empire, and despite the two of us basically being in between wars, we managed to take care of the invaders in a few in-game months. Kind of disappointing.

So, in this situation I think the ask.fm answer was just a reference to the game, not the quest.
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>>1249559
Its a terrifying idea but its always been the one I've come back to. I can elucidate more but, the drone thing is my main point of evidence, the other points I can make are mostly just conjecture.

Its just that one thing, that one horrible little thing that makes it all seem like it might be true.
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>>1249572
It is no secret that Stellaris is a major inspiration for the game. Even the new research system that was proposed in this thread was inspired by the Stellaris research system.
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>>1249578
>It is no secret that Stellaris is a major inspiration for the game.
Not initially, this quest was inspired by A.i. quest. Also, i recall that we had a void shard before Stellaris came out although someone will need to check the dates.
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>>1249545
There would always be some kind of crazy fringe supporters, but we're aiming for a "the Hive is your friend!" approach here. Messing with their humanity without their approval isn't going to go over well.

>>1249578
This quest predates Stellaris by about a year, since Stellaris was announced in 2015 and HQQ started in 2014. It's probably more accurate to say that both have a pretty good understanding of common tropes in sci-fi.

>>1249418
>>1249458
>>1249548
I personally think that the Void Gods are a Hive experiment gone wrong. They seem to have extreme difficulty manifesting themselves in normal space, and they seem to be unable to create life, only perverting existing creatures by hijacking their brain/psionic functions with some sort of psionic implant. The Ceph have this implant in their shells, the Skyl had this implant in their brains, and the infected humans in the lab also had the same kind of brain-buddy. Our parasite technology is very similar to this, as we've replaced Coil's Void Implant with one of our make, and retained the original functionality of the shell, except it's routed through the Red Queen.

Regardless, their origin doesn't really matter. We know that they basically can only be hurt by the psionic cannon, which we'll need to research and build, and for which we'll need to obtain ammunition. I'm also curious as to how many of those giant abominations there are. One? Several? Hundreds? Anyone have any ideas here? They've been referred to in the plural, but the Hive refers to itself in the plural as well, so that doesn't mean much.

I'm also wondering if we'll need to completely eliminate any kind of psionic sensitivity in all races (including killing all Hive life) so as to kill these things for good. Do they spring from the void forever, or are only so many?
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>>1249572
>I had them spawn on the border of my empire, right next to my entire fleet and an awakened AI empire, and despite the two of us basically being in between wars, we managed to take care of the invaders in a few in-game months. Kind of disappointing.

You got lucky, basically. Their portal appeared right next to a large fleet and they got promptly attacked after only a few of their fleets had come through. That's basically the worst-case scenario from their perspective.

If instead the portal appears in a weaker empire that can't shut them down quickly, more and more fleets keep coming through the portal. I'm not saying it's incredibly hard, but it sounds like you had the easiest possible time of it.
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>>1249592
>>1249601
Yeah, but the release of Stellaris still had influence on the direction of the quest
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>>1249604
Yeah, the system that had my entire fleet in it was also heavily fortified, as it was on the border between me and the awakened empire. So what happened was they would spawn a 60k fleet, warp to my fortified system, have their warp be intercepted by the snare station there, and get destroyed by my 120k fleet in days. I know there's even contingencies for when more portals open, and I hope to maybe even see them one day.
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>>1249601
See everything you have mentioned strikes me more and more that the hive was their first attempt at entering our reality, or that the hive is their mirror.
If they made us, we were made with all the stuff in place for direct overwhelming control, and have all kinds of power that might be attributed to age, but we dont know the origin of the hive, I think it might be design.
We mimic them without meaning to, like our actions sync up with theirs, although that might just be our queen in specific because the other queens didnt seem to do things like that, but it could be the same for the void gods, maybe 1 or 2 power players who want to do things the same way we do.
>They've been referred to in the plural, but the Hive refers to itself in the plural as well
Maybe its me over thinking it, but its all these little things, in their philosophy of action, and just how the quest has been written, that beat for beat the hive is acting like the void gods and seem to be written that way.

>I'm also wondering if we'll need to completely eliminate any kind of psionic sensitivity in all races (including killing all Hive life) so as to kill these things for good. Do they spring from the void forever, or are only so many?
And thats the million dollar question. We just dont know. But there are implications, specifically the big "If you know them they know you" thing, which strikes me as some twilight zone elder god bullshit of the oldschool rpg variety where everything was parallel dimensions, rather than Eldritch crawl into your mind and eat you alive with non-euclidean geometry elder god.
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>>1249616
Just had a thought, what if we invaded the void, or began work on creating a crystal-goo to send to them and genocide them where they live, like a grey goo but for them, but that would be something that would take an understanding of whatever the fuck they are or are not made of which doesnt seem like regular matter, but maybe some kind of psionic array or tool or methodology could create.
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>>1249625
That seems like the "destroy fucking everything" option that would leave the Hive blind as well.

And I don't think they created the Hive, because the Black Queen got corrupted, and the Void Gods don't seek to exterminate the Hive like they destroyed the Skyl. What you're saying is something like:

Void creates Hive -> Hive breaks free -> War in Heaven -> Ark with Queens -> Hive frees the Skyl -> Hive life re-corrupted through Black Queen

But I'm saying something like

Hive creates (or wakes up) Void Gods -> Void Gods attack Hive (War in Heaven) -> Ark with Queens -> Hive frees the Skyl -> Void Gods find a way to corrupt the Black Queen

The Ceph and the corrupted humans seem to think of the Hive as demons, and the Void Gods as, well, "Good" Gods, so I think the Void Gods have some sort of inferiority complex and want to feel better about themselves by painting the Hive as evil.

... We're not evil, are we?
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>>1249658
There is a 90% chance whatever way or order the cosmology here has, that the hive is super fucking evil.
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>>1249663
But we just want to adopt everyone in the galaxy.

That's not so evil, is it? Sure, they might resist at first, but they'll soon find how much they love life under the hive.
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>>1249663
I... I didn't know.
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>>1249677
>>1249669
We really aught to make peace with the fact that either we are lucifer falling from heaven and have killed and will continue to kill and torture our way across the cosmos in a vain war, our only redeeming trait that maybe we are right to resist, or we are the demiurge/instagators who summoned up the literal pit of endless horrible monsters who want to torture and rule everything everywhere just because we wanted to save on gas.
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Don't forget that if the Hive wasn't being played by humans, we probably would have killed Lee or left him to rot at some point
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>>1249714
Oh ho ho I havent forgotten. Just another item on the laundry list of terrible shit we and the collective pantheon of hives, I forget the actual word Hivedrone used, have done and probably will do.

We are selfish little shits afterall, and if we didnt think playing dressup with Lee was more fun him and every other human in the union and probably the commonwealth would be bug food.
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>>1249663
>>1249669

I honestly have a hard time believing we're quite THAT evil.

Oh, don't get me wrong, we're evil. We're pretty fucking evil.

But as far as evil goes we're not the 'slaughter everything for shits and giggles' evil. We're the 'We're so much better than you and we've deemed you all incompetent, so we're taking over now sit down shut up and fall in line' evil. Honestly, the sheer fact that we're not going to judge the whole by some specific assholes and the fact that we've allowed some humans places of importance in the Hive (even if it's only because we think it's funny) strikes me as relatively decent, all things considered.

We're still pretty fucking evil, though. We're just not 'end all life in the galaxy' evil.
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...although the Union would probably think differently. I mean damn, the higher ups probably consider Elizabeth a Traitor To Humanity, god knows what about Lee.
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Boy you guys have been busy. I'm so glad this is back.

If we can get one titan fight scene before QD mysteriously disappears again I will die a happy man.
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>>1249806
They probably hate him. Just look at Morgan's feelings of pure rage when he first saw Lee in our hive ship. Not to mention he is proof we know of their experiments in giving humans psionics and that we have performed clandestine operations on them and they could do nothing about it.
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>>1249797
>We're pretty fucking evil
Other than our use of parasites and maybe one or two specific instances I've forgotten, most everything we've done is pretty much either moral or part and parcel of normal statecraft.
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>>1249850
Less scummy than the Union so far, anyway. They were actively dicking us over from the moment they discovered us and thought we were a newly-discovered stone-age species, even while pretending to be friends to our faces.

That relative comparison of dickishness might change depending on how much and how aggressive our covert infiltration programs get, though.
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>>1248110
>And heavy carapace is on the same level as heavy warrior
You fucking didn't read AGAIN. We have already discuss the matter with a other anon. The problem is that a heavy warrior is incredibly bulky, and that any reduction in size wile make him less resistant and less able to use heavy weaponry. We can't use bipedal legs on a medium or human sized drone either because they can't support as many weight, and while our Chimera have cybernetics and armor to allow to do so, our warrior don't.
>In politics what you call is actually paranioa is merely covering all your bases and overall acting like one of those ancient wise hives you want us to be.
>You overestimate us anon. Unlike you I have a basic understanding of genetic and how hideously complex genetics is. Fully understanding our genetics would take years, learning enough to fight and counteract us would take months unless they find a hive equivalent to the rosetta stone at which point it all assumption go out the window.
I think you underestimate us, but whatever, you just gonna bitch about "No I'm not, They gonna find it on month !". Whatever
This anon >>1248861 have give you even more argument, but I doubt you will care. Or that you will care that we will obviously use them for other operation, as is it litteraly say that they are made for those special opperation and more efficient than ou drone in this domain.

>>1249472
see>>1247832
and>>1247882
>>
>>1249885
>We can't use bipedal legs on a medium or human sized drone either because they can't support as many weight.
>What is the speaker.
>>
>>1249944
>What is the speaker
A slow and unstable drone that don't carry any heavy weaponry ? Wich is precisely the point ? It's in the pastebin mate.
>>
>>1250004
>A slow and unstable drone.
Don't pull stuff out of your ass anon.
>The admiral gestures with his hands to follow, and begins to lead your drone down the halls to the outer docking facility. The two of you glide through the umbilical as you hear a faint crash and a murmured curse as Wise scrambles to keep up with the both of you, flying through the umbilical before the loading bay doors seal behind him. He scrambles through the umbilical before your speaker raises a clawed foot and reaches out to grab him.

>that don't carry any heavy weaponry ?
When you say heavy weaponry your talking about the weapons our medium sided warriors carry right? Cause the speaker design in the pastebin does carry combat Blades, maybe it can carry some warrior weapons as well.
>>
>>1250040
>http://pastebin.com/u/QuestDrone
>While upright, the drone is less stable and slower than normal, but its stature and stride are both elegant and formidable.
From the Bipedal legs on the pastebin.
I suppose my ass are the pastebin then.
>>
>>1250050
>slower than normal.
Isn't the speaker a really good fighter by human standards? I recall QD saying they could go toe to toe with a martial artist so that debuff might not be as crippling as you think.
Also the speaker can rapidly enter quadruped stance at any time.
>>
>>1250085
I can't tell about the martial artist, but for sure he his inferior to a normal warrior drone.
Also, I think the Speaker in the pastebin is the old model, he don't have the bipedal legs and I remember him being equip with the photon blade ( I don't recall the name exactly, but the point was to make him look less defenseless).
>>
Did we remember to build those FTL sensor building?
>>
>>1250111
Found the post.
https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/133683458597
>How well could our diplomat drone serve in unarmed combat against an unaugmented professional fighter? How about an augmented fighter?

>Surprisingly well due to the the efficiency and compact nature of a drone's muscle tissue giving it a great strength advantage despite the elegant but less than effective bipedal legs. It would be faster and stronger but have a weak foundation, so if the opponent was able to get a few real solid hits in on the legs the drone would likely lose. To do so, however, would be a fair bit harder than breaking a human bone, so an unaugmented human would probably have a great deal of trouble getting such hits in unless he just walked off the set of a kung fu movie.

>All things considered, it would probably be the closest thing to a fair fight a human could get against a drone without using military equipment, but it would require a human of great martial skill to pull it off.

I also found this
https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/137599272741
Which puts this anons theory a bit shaky >>1249548
>>
>>1250129
>All things considered, it would probably be the closest thing to a fair fight a human could get against a drone without using military equipment, but it would require a human of great martial skill to pull it off.

From what I understand here, that mean that a unaugmented human, if one of great martial skill could actually kick the ass of the diplomat. So yeah, bipedal legs on medium sized unit are not good for combat purpose.

>https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/137599272741
Ho, that's interessing. So yeah probably not a Hive project gone mad.
>>
>>1250142
>From what I understand here, that mean that a unaugmented human, if one of great martial skill could actually kick the ass of the diplomat.
>Surprisingly well due to the the efficiency and compact nature of a drone's muscle tissue giving it a great strength advantage DESPITE the elegant but less than effective bipedal legs.
>It would be faster and stronger but have a weak foundation.
Mike Tyson had a PSI punch of 1,800, nearly one ton per square inch, just our speaker can punch stronger than that.
>>
>>1250180
>but as QD fight, could loose, against a unarmed, unaugmented human if he his a top tiers martial artist.
He said a speaker would do suprisingly well, i understand it as any fight between a speaker VS a martial artist would be quite even

>but I could say the same about human going into that fight, they would use augmented agent or simply weapon.
Which is why we use a smaller than normal warrior to protect Lee while reinforcements come.
Anyway i already proved my original point right. >>1249944
Also i just reread >>1250040
And I'm wondering which foot the speaker used cause if he used the folded ones.
>>
>>1250154
Yeah, I understand. But that's a unarmed, unaugmented human, like a human going in a fist fight with our drone. And, yes, of course the drone gonna kick the ass of most human in that situation, but he COULD still loose; I agree it's probably not gonna happen cause only a top-tiers martial artist could do it, but I alos doubt a human gonna try to fight our drone bare handed. He gonna either be augmented or use weapon.
>>
>>1250198
>He gonna either be augmented or use weapon.
And our smaller-than-normal warrior will also have stronger armor and weapons.
>>
>>1250194
But the only way we have to reduce our drone in size, at least for the moment is by using a different chassis.
>Anyway i already proved my original point right. >>1249944
Well no. I link you why the bipedal drone where shittier at fighting than normal and chimera. Also >>1244609
>>
>>1250211
Are you talking about the Chassis section of the drone builder pastebin or the Size section? Either way they both don't matter.
>Medium: This is the standard drone size, ranging on average between one to three and a half meters in size. The total cost is standard price for any medium drone.

>Well no. I link you why the bipedal drone where shittier at fighting than normal and chimera.
A bipedal drone is only slightly worse at fighting and the drone can enter quadruped stance at anytime.
>>
>>1250221
>>1250208
But a smaller drone will be shittier at fighting, and will still have the flaw inherent to a drone: lack of individuality, loss without the contact of the hive, can't use human equipement, less adapted to a human environement, ect...

>A bipedal drone is only slightly worse at fighting and the drone can enter quadruped stance at anytime.
I don't call being able to be beaten by a unarmed and unaugmented, even a top tiers one being "slightly worse". And QD post seems to tell that his legs are worse even if their "normal" stance
>>
Instead of creating a royal guard. Why not just give Lee some trainning? We have a hologram tech that we can use to train him. We can even give him a photon blade so he can protect itself.

In other words, lets make Lee into a jedi consular.
>>
>>1250462
They will not just be used as royal guard, but for where they can shine : special op, they will notably be a precious asset in the capture of the OQ relay. We can simply activate a psionic distruptor and send a troop of Myrmidons in ( I'm gonna call the group in general like this, I like it).

Also, as much as I love Lee, he his a unaugmented human and can't really walk around in exo-armor.
>>
>>1250462
For apperances and because 6 sets of sensory organs and defense limbs are better than 1.
>>
found some fluffy speaker material

https://www.pinterest.se/pin/545428204857354562/

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a8/d6/42/a8d642e3446f7fa06bacadcbb9a26a99.jpg
>>
>>1250715
>imageboard
>links to images instead of posting them

come on now
>>
>>1250715
>https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a8/d6/42/a8d642e3446f7fa06bacadcbb9a26a99.jpg

Speaker best speaker, speaker is fluffy, speaker speak for mother !
>>
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>>1250752
>>
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I would rather the literal Vanguard and Voice of the Hive to the entities we can't speak directly mind-to-mind, or mind-to-organic-usb-to-mind, to be taken seriously.
>>
>>1250783
If I remember well, the fluffy fur of the speaker, thanks to his color scheme, is also made to work with the psionic influence of the speaker; to relax his interlocutor and make him more receptive.
>>
>>1250805
What else can we do to make the speakers more appealing to the Union?
>>
>>1250816

Not go over-fluff to the point it's creepy in a way of "We specifically designed this living thinking organism in order to make you think it looks cute or approachable."
>>
>>1250819
Marketing 101

We pride ourselves on making it irresistible to the consumer.

Throw in a few of these at the civilians calling it the domesticateable version.

And have them say "meow" to make it as jarring as possible.
>>
>/qst/ threads last for weeks
Now every day can be Hive Queen Queat day!
>>
>>1250831
let make CATBUG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVpZjE4rTjo
>>
>>1250853
here is my favorite CATBUG and i dont know how to Embed pictures

http://orig02.deviantart.net/3c55/f/2013/148/8/0/day_190__catbug__25_minutes__by_cryptid_creations-d66xnjv.png
>>
do you think we can sell these and catbugs as pets/spys

http://orig09.deviantart.net/70a9/f/2013/038/6/6/day_80__candy_floss_moth__30_minutes__by_cryptid_creations-d5u6ng2.png

http://orig11.deviantart.net/acb4/f/2012/274/8/6/vena_velvet_worm_by_mbpanther-d5gi7wr.png

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/42/10/99/421099dbd974563d2994ea293d646f12.jpg

http://paradoxhaze.wikidot.com/local--files/brook/joltik.png

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9d/13/ba/9d13ba64d78cb7070dd402ec5573aa10.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/054/7/d/pkmn__joltik_nomnom_by_zilleniose-d3a9agu.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/2f/61/f7/2f61f72431cc9b12bdf1582116241fb4.jpg

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a6/a3/86/a6a3861788b6438aef6bbdfc34f1c311.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7f/4d/aa/7f4daa96a7f4b491ead293693196d447.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/41/ed/67/41ed67c55843ee9bd35f18beb2049c9a.jpg

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7a/53/81/7a53817497f62d23860d2ebd873ffc96.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5a/3a/a6/5a3aa699c27e9f977b96c430ac930500.jpg

excuse me for all the joltik there where just so many and they where ADORABLE!!!! and i am sorry that i dont know how to embed picture
>>
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>>1250915

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE They gonna know we can put non-hive ADN in our creation !"

But seriously, we must consider that they gonna analyze every shit we put on the market officially, so we should not put too much important shit in it. On the other hand, we have started to develop deals with the Valen market, we could use them as a "relay". We sell pet to the valen, using our cover and they sell it to the humie.
>>
>>1251021
and we could use the pets as spys
>>
>>1251028
never use anything advanced or ground breaking in anything or anyone that you are going to sell
>>
I think this place is probably the best to ask, so what RPGs are like HQQ, or is best for playing a game like HQQ? I'm an RPG noob, but I love this type of setting and would like try my hand at running a game.

Bonus question: any recommendations for books, games, movies, etc. that are like HQQ?
>>
>>1251116
Stellaris is a good game to try that space civ game, and you can play as insectoids
>>
>>1250866
you have to download the images, then upload then using pic related.
>>
i am trying now
>>
>>1251170
it works>>1251123 thank you>>
>>
>>1251123
how to you upload several pictures?
>>
>>1251174
You can't. You have to make several post.
>>
>>1251174
You can't newfag
>>
>>1251184
i am not new it just that i have never posted a pickture before this cat >>1251170 it is my first
>>
>>1251198
>i am not new it just that i have never posted a pickture

Buddy, if you've never posted an image to 4chan, you're pretty much the definition of newfag.
>>
>>1251170
what do you think about this catbug can we make into a custom speaker or pet or servant
>>
>>1251253
forgot to ad ?
>>
Newfag aside, designing exotic fluffy pets with the furrble genes, we can create an adorable spy network that can spread without the need to mate.

It would be best to try selling them to the Valen first on the FromOther enterprise. If it works well enough we can try making other pets and see what sticks.
>>
>>1249751
>-If we didnt think playing dressup with Lee was more fun him and every other human in the union and probably the commonwealth would be bug food
A fun way to look at politics.
>>
Truffle hybrids! We could sneak them on ships! Sadly we would need to make them fertile again
>>
>>1251263
We should make a thinker dedicated just to Lee that can be his virtual buddy. Somebody that can make sure his suit gets treated properly, that can fetch info for him if he wants information on a topic that he cab digest. Somebody that will make sure he has the best and FABULOUS set of clothes to wear custom fitted just for him.
>>
>>1249751
>every other human in the union and probably the commonwealth would be bug food.

One of the primary reasons we wanted to befriend Lee is to get our hands on that sweet, sweet human technology. Remember when they had lightning guns and we couldn't make heads or tails from it? Then we let Lee take his back, and found the corpse of his buddy and took THAT gun instead. There was also some contention on whether or not we should save the humans from the stampede, but we decided not to leave them to die. In fact, not being violent with the humans eventually let to Lyle and Coil showing up, and that's where we got our cloaking technology from (as well as the three void shards). Maybe they would have showed up otherwise, but the cloaking tech led to a few very decisive victories over Black Queen, and has allowed us to grow undetected.

Now, as it turned out, we got most of our advanced tech from Theseus at the start, but we HAVE been reverse-engineering human technology, especially some of our more advanced weaponry. This has led to us having a huge tech advantage over Black Queen.

If we were violent with the humans, it would be MUCH more difficult to get salvageable weapons and technology from them. How many times have we fought the scavengers, and we still don't have their warp drive. Because, hey, as it turns out, being in open conflict doesn't leave a lot of stuff to salvage after you're done killing the other side.
>>
>>1251273
i like that it would be like having personal asistant or digital asistant?
>>
>>1251273
Lee, just like Elizabeth, can call upon the entirety of the hive network instantly and doesn't need a dedicated secretary, he just needs to learn how to do it.

It's how the Hive clone dealt with the Valen when getting a brand for the reactors: they literally took the information from Elizabeth's brain.
>>
i found an artist on deviantart s/he makes hybrid animals with anything like the gandalf dolfhin and mostly with word play
http://cryptid-creations.deviantart.com/gallery/
>>
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>>1251298
what is Yodas hobby [Yodaling]
>>
>>1251332
How much of this quest have you read, or is this your first thread?
>>
>>1251405
i have read all but i am re-readin them all again
>>
>>1251415
Speaking as someone who was ridiculed for being a newfag, try lurking a little bit longer to get the autistic[spoiler/] intricacies of 4chan
>>
>>1251425
i have a question why do you guys ad fag to everything?
>>
>>1251436
Why not. Drawfag, writefag, newfag, oldfag. Its tradition
>>
>>1251436
Man; that's like THE newfag question.
Short answer : it's just like that, it's not even really negative.
>>
>>1251279
But we have the skip drive, and yea I know what your saying, its a gross over simplification because there were other benefits to playing dances with bugs. Not to mention the fact that we still might need to outsource psionic cannon research to humans again, be it through not-kerrigan or the commonwealth, but still there were many many discussions of if we should bugfood the humies.
>>
>>1251580
I might be for outsourcing PART of the Cannon project to the humies. If they start asking questions, we are gonna have to be honest with them, which is why if we have to give them a job, its one that wont allow them to reverse engineer the whole thing.
>>
>>1250244
>But a smaller drone will be shittier at fighting.
No it won't, it's only a 1-2 foot decrease in height, any decrease in fighting proficiency will be minuscule.
>can't use human equipement.
I recall our drones back in the Dr. seiner assassination mission could use several devises, or at least had the option to use them, they even used a computer.

>I don't call being able to be beaten by a unarmed and unaugmented, even a top tiers one being "slightly worse".
That's a speaker fighting, a diplomat drone, a warrior will win every time against a martial artist.
>>
>>1251781
Could it hold a rocket launcher
>>
>>1251807
Probably.
>>
>>1251781
>No it won't, it's only a 1-2 foot decrease in height, any decrease in fighting proficiency will be minuscule.
He won't be able to equip heavy armor; that what make them too bulky to enter building. So we just end up with a warrior.
>I recall our drones back in the Dr. seiner assassination mission could use several devises, or at least had the option to use them, they even used a computer.
That not what I mean by "using human equipement" beside they needed our special adaption to interact with technology, something they won't have if they are shut from the hive. Well they will be useless if they are shut from it anyway

>That's a speaker fighting, a diplomat drone, a warrior will win every time against a martial artist.
And ? That's the bipedal legs that make him less effective, it will have the same negative effect on the warrior. Bipedal legs on on medium sized drone are shit for fighting, that's all.
>>
>>1251580
>skip drive
This isn't Dats anon
>>
>>1251781
>can't use human equipement
it whas a computer with a key board and mouse i think? and they could conect to a computer to controll it bio-USB and you just need two fingers or one finger on both hands too use a computer i you are human
>>
>>1251807
It's actually have a special adaption to launch hive missile.

They would need the dexterity arm to use a rocket launcher I suppose.
>>
>>1251845
It could have*
>>
>>1251845
Dex arms aren't that good at combat
>>
>>1251845
but would the arm support the wieght of the
rocket launcher?
>>
>>1251861
>>1251864
Yeah I know, I'm just answering the question. And yes, from what is writte in the pastebin, they can still transport heavy shit.
>>
>>1251819
>He won't be able to equip heavy armor; that what make them too bulky to enter building. So we just end up with a warrior.
Oh, well that's fine isn't it? just give the warrior Combat, reactive or conductive armor.
>That not what I mean by "using human equipement"
If their nimble enough to use a computer they can use most human devises.
>beside they needed our special adaption to interact with technology.
No they don't, Look at this bit in thread 33
>Your worker plugs in the small device and the computer beeps in response.
>The worker selects through several menus on the computer as the alarms echo through the halls. It selects an option and the computer clicks as a small dialog box opens and the light on the data stick goes out. It promptly rips the stick from its port and rushes down the hall.
>something they won't have if they are shut from the hive. Well they will be useless if they are shut from it anyway
Do you know how drones disconnected from the hive work? Only the regular drones will be useless, our quantum drones and drones commanded by a thinker can still act.
>That's the bipedal legs that make him less effective, it will have the same negative effect on the warrior. Bipedal legs on on medium sized drone are shit for fighting, that's all.
Did you even read my posts?
>>
>>1251889
There's also the fact that drones equipped with white crystal relays reduce the effect of psionic jamming, meaning we can just have some of the drones equipped with it and the others will be fine.
>>
>>1251889
Chimeras are very effective when disconnected compared to a drone w/ a quantum brain. In fact, the chimeras would be the only unit aside from Lyle that the psycic shroud would be worth using on
>>
>>1251921

True.
>>
>>1251921
>Chimeras are very effective when disconnected compared to a drone w/ a quantum brain.
Are they? Im sure Hybrids would be but Chimeras are half drone aren't they? Gonna have to ask QD about that for clarification.
>In fact, the chimeras would be the only unit aside from Lyle that the psycic shroud would be worth using on
I recall a drone with a quantum Comm would also work but the Qcomm would have to be carried in a honey pot which is why we're dissecting the Smith with Theseus.
>>
>>1251921
i must agree but how did the psycic shroud work again?
>>
>>1251889
>Oh, well that's fine isn't it? just give the warrior Combat, reactive or conductive armor.
Well they are then just vanilla warrior. So not a proper guard.
>If their nimble enough to use a computer they can use most human devises.
I'm sure they will totaly be able to drive a car, or use human weapon, especially given they will probably have strengh arm and not dexterity arm.
>No they don't, Look at this bit in thread 33
Ok fine, you right on this one. I was just remembering that in the begining of the quest we needed some special thinker to plug into what was left of the human computer.
>Did you even read my posts?
Yes. The fact that he his a warrior will make him better that a speaker, the fact he has bipedal legs will make him worse than a normal warrior. That's it.
>Do you know how drones disconnected from the hive work? Only the regular drones will be useless, our quantum drones and drones commanded by a thinker can still act.
I know how we can do it. We have no idea what could happen. Regardless, we are still waiting for QD answer about individuallity for the quantum drone. But the pastebin is pretty clear on the clone being best are improvising and using their individuality and of the chimera supperiority in operation where individual capacity, complementarity and cohesion in a low number group are primordial over the drone.
>>
>>1251947
>Are they? Im sure Hybrids would be but Chimeras are half drone aren't they? Gonna have to ask QD about that for clarification.
Yup, it's in the pastebing :
>although they are fully capable of thinking creatively and using individuality to fulfill such commands. On an individual level a Chimera thinks in a similar manner to its original species, but has gained traits of your drones, and is more willing to perform sacrificial actions to fulfill its objectives
>>
>>1251947
Chimeras and hybrids are very similar but they are much more animalistic but still functions just as well when disconnected. Also drones cannot be made to follow non psionic orders. They can be ordered to follow those of another psionic individual however.
>>1251953
The creature is blocked off of all psionic signals, making them invisible to anything remotely psionic but they can't recieve orders.
>>
>>1251974
>Well they are then just vanilla warrior. So not a proper guard.
That's fine for now, they're just meant to escort Lee where his regular heavy guard can't.
>I'm sure they will totaly be able to drive a car, or use human weapon, especially given they will probably have strengh arm and not dexterity arm.
You're right.
>Yes. The fact that he his a warrior will make him better that a speaker, the fact he has bipedal legs will make him worse than a normal warrior. That's it.
Ergo a bipedal warrior can beat a martial artist 99% of the time, and in combat the second thing a bipedal drone guard will do is get to cover, it will probably do that and get Lee to safety simultaneously anyway. Also the diplomat drone has peacock and mimetic, a warrior would have a much stronger carapace armor.
>I know how we can do it. We have no idea what could happen.
Didn't that happen once? I recall we sent quantum drones into the summoning chamber in the nowhere incident and they work until the void gods came out.
>Regardless, we are still waiting for QD answer about individuallity for the quantum drone.
I'm pretty sure he already answered this, quantum drones still need the queen but can predict some thing that'll happen.
>>1251978
Ah, alright then,
>>1251979
>Also drones cannot be made to follow non psionic orders. They can be ordered to follow those of another psionic individual however.
I know that, but i recall anons planning a psionic cloak drone that would carry a Qcomm connected to a thinker.
>>
>>1252014
>That's fine for now, they're just meant to escort Lee where his regular heavy guard can't.
Myrmidons are not just mean to be that. Protecting valuable asset are a part of their job. They will also serve as spec ops, especially to act under Lyle commandement, but also with a advance psy distruptor, wich will be handy to capture a OQ relay. Basicly they are made to act when low number and quality are more efficient than rough number. Aka what they made for:
>When working in numbers, they are capable of using psionic tactics to strategize on the fly, and will obey any clone with the greatest skills in the relevant field of expertise without question, making them excellent in the area of special operations, espionage, and general support where individual thinking is more important than numbers and large scale tactics.
>You're right.
From the pastbin
>Arm/graspers
>Dexterity: Small and nimble graspers capable of carrying both heavy loads and delicate treasures with equal skill.
>Strength: Powerful graspers suited for striking and wielding weapons. Each arm can hold 1 weapon graft. (1N)

The difference is pretty obvious. Human chimera have both in one btw, and that's before being upgraded with cybernetics.
>>
>>1252014
>planning a psionic cloak drone that would carry a Qcomm connected to a thinker.
If the intent is to control the drone via Qcomm, that wouldn't work because it's just not compatible enough.

However, it would be possible to use Qcomm to get data feeds from Hybrid, Chimera, or Clone operatives. They'd operate independently, and we wouldn't have a psionic conneciton, but we'd be able to keep tabs on them.
>>
>>1252043
>If the intent is to control the drone via Qcomm, that wouldn't work because it's just not compatible enough.
Then why would they bother designing the plan? Can someone check the threads for their reasons why the psionic cloak+Qcomm can work?
>>
Im all for having a chimera black ops team, but it would only be of use against a faction that can interfer with our psionic network. The only factions that have shown ANY ability that might come near this are the Crystals and their minions. The humans are only just starting to experiment and their "big break" was one guy who could do next to nothing and would die n a few months because of incompatibility. So how about tow groups, chimera black ops, and drone honor guard?
>>
>>1252071
Because it was an idea we were talking about but got shot down by QD after he clarified that you can't control a drone through Qcomm.

>>1252073
Sounds good to me.
>>
>>1252073
>but it would only be of use against a faction that can interfer with our psionic network

Really, in all operation where low number, quality or individual thinking are more important than raw number. They can work in perfect cohesion despite their individuality and thus be complementary. They will also totaly serve under Lyle.

About using them for honor guard, I'm still for it, but that's a other matter.
>>
>>1252073
To be clear, I'd be fine with a chimera black op team as well, but they should be kept far, far from the public eye, and certainly not be acting as public bodyguards to anybody due to the absurd amount of unnecessary danger that would pose to our diplomacy and shadowruns alike.
>>
>>1252073
>The only factions that have shown ANY ability that might come near this are the Crystals and their minions.
And OQ, she has psionic jamming.
>So how about tow groups, chimera black ops, and drone honor guard?
Alright, the drones can be the honor guards that protect Lee while Hybrids stay among the crowds to keep an eye on anything fishy.
>>1252081
>Because it was an idea we were talking about but got shot down by QD after he clarified that you can't control a drone through Qcomm.
The idea was still being developed even when QD said that, that's why we're Dissecting the Smith.
>>
>>1252104
Well about public eye, we let the droptrooper and several of the crew sender after Lyle get out alive, so they know we use human with hive armor.
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>>1252117
The Cortez crew was captured by the Valen and are currently being interrogated, we're also parasiting them and getting a Theseus instance to infiltrate, all of this will help hide most of the facts about what happened, the union leaders will only know that we hired lyle and not that we can make humans from scratch.
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>>1252146
The Velen will end up handing them to the Union tough, and we are not sure we gonna be able to infect them all before that.
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>>1252156
>Velen will end up handing them to the Union tough
We're basically going to blink our fleet over to where those prisoners are being kept, and make a big show of "THIS IS OUR LAND, REMOVE WHALES" and probably find a way for the prisoners to escape or maybe buy them off from the Valen.

The Valen are cool to deal with, they don't automatically side with the Union.
>>
>>1252156
Devons interrogation just started though, we have time.
>>
>>1252117
Worst case, Lyle and his gang have done some sort of work for pretty much every side known to humanity; the idea that they'd do work for sweet hive tech is hardly outlandish, and the idea that we could tailor our tech to a human is equally logical.

The danger is with humanity as a whole realizing that we can use human DNA to create "humans" that are loyal to the hive. I honestly think the only thing that could fuck up our relations with them harder would be them learning about our use of parasites in infiltrating their society, and the increased scrutiny of people's biology should the former be discovered will likely lead to discovery of the latter if we can't figure out a way to hide our tracks.
>>
>>1252162
Valen are also fucking space Jew. They probably gonna sell the info about us wanting the prisoner to the union while trying to get the most cash from us. If we use treath, they will probably also do it, because worth cash but also by revenge.
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>>1252174
I'm still sceptical about them finding something in the Chimera. Hybrids are more obvious, but Chimera are more monster with a human mind. I honestly think their DNA is more Hive than human.
>>
>>1252194
The fact that it would have recognizable genetic segments to go with phenotypic features would tip a few people of, even if only 10% is human.10% of a genome makes a hell of a difference since 1.2% is the difference between us and chimpanzees.
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>>1252194
Realize that in a mess of alien, unintelligible DNA sequences, even a few sequences that happen to perfectly match up with human ones would be as obvious as a flare at night.

And no, there's no way anybody who knows about DNA would buy "just random chance" as an explanation.
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>>1252212
We don't have double helix DNA tough. I have no idea on how we manage to make those thing, but hey; hive bio-tech is close to space magic one some point.
>>1252229
That's make me wonder; at what the chimera DNA look like exactly ? Like we just put human sequence in it, or did we mutate the drone to be closer to human ? QD answer about their look seemed to indicate that the DNA was higly flexible.
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>>1252245
If it has any phenotypical characteristics derived from a human, then it has to have the proper human DNA sequences from which to generate the proteins that lead to the expression of those physical characteristics.
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>>1252267
Found my answer
https://ask.fm/QuestDrone/answers/123648966181
Basicly, it look like what we want it to look like, exactly like his look.
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>>1252278
All that's saying is that we control how much human is in the human/bug horror. If there's any human at all then it has human genes, and is thus susceptible to being discovered if any genetic material is obtained.
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>>1252323
If the drone genetic material is majoritary, wouldn't the DNA of the Chimera adopt our non-helix formation ?
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>>1252357
Not sure. Since this is centuries after modern day, in which we have already sequenced the human genome, they probably can whip up a program to look for any catalouged genome segments. And when they find several strips that match parts of the humane genome they will probably be willing to believe that the apparent fact, considering all the SHOCK AND AWE we have pulled.
>>
>>1252385
We need to know exactly what human know about the study of genome, and how far from us they are in this case. I suppose it's time to send a Thinker on the net.
>>
>>1252357
I was just thinking that, they probably would have no fucking idea how to decipher whats human and whats not, they just dont have the genetic understanding necessary
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>>1252357
It shouldn't be relevant as the fact that they identified a triple helix shows that they either are or will presently be able to analyze it anyways.

Besides, barring QM fiat I'd assume that the human DNA is either separate from the hive DNA (meaning they could find it even more easily) or the human DNA has been integrated into the hive helices (in which case they'll still find it once they start analyzing the genome).
>>
>>1252460
>DNA is either separate from the hive DNA
Honestly that seems very crude for such a advance race like us.
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>>1252460
Also, David Palmer (not President !) was pretty excited about our triplex ADN. But he was pretty clear about it being incredibly complex, he even admit he don't even know how our DNA is stable.
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>>1252438
It would be very easy because they already know the human genome; any matching sequences would stand out like a sore thumb and raise questions we don't want them asking.

>>1252490
Who can say? Might be more efficient to just toss it in and have parts of it encode normally than to go to the trouble of integrating it into the helix.

Not that there's any significant difference I can really think of between them, insofar as this issue is concerned.

>>1252521
Sequencing tests operate by taking the helices apart; the additional complexity really shouldn't have any effect on their ability to analyze the pieces it's composed of.
>>
So whats the current argument over?
>>
Fun facts everyone
>Smith disection
This should allow to plug human brains into any hive organism we want whether it be a drone, a ship, or even infrastructure.
>Complex organ splicing
Would eventually allow us to construct our own custom organisms.
We'll soon have better options then the ones you guys are throwing around.
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>>1252838
More honor gaurd circle jerk. Honestly dont care at this point since weve come across a good middle ground already since the option to just make a human sized drone is a fucking possibility.
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>>1252956
That's not what the smith dissection is for. We heard that the smiths could transmit Intel through a internal Qcomm, so we're dissecting it to find Qcomm miniaturization.
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>>1253300
New chimera suggestion
>Carnotar
>Leeland Centipede
>Taidaren Swarm
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>>1252521
Oh shit, I had no idea that name was taken. That's typically why I try to run a google search before giving a character a name, that's what I get I guess.

As for the questions about Hive genes, Hive life uses a triplex consisting of three strands which are composed of similar protein strains as other known carbon based life, which is currently considered one of the great mysteries of science as to how so much alien life is so similar. Only two of the triplex strands could be considered "active" and fully functioning, however, the third strand is essentially a junk storage strand which holds jumbled chunks of data pertaining to the Hive itself, such as adaptations not formed and genomes not included. It's essentially like a work bench from which the Queen plucks data from to fill the primary strands and form the egg being laid into the drone you intend to produce. When a drone cocoons, it takes data from this junk strand and replaces parts with data no longer needed in its current genes in order to rapidly mutate.

It is inherently unstable in nature, but is kept in a stable balance by a slight acidity of Hive life in general, as Palmer said, roughly as acidic as orange juice. Drone meat would taste a bit tangy, and drone blood is almost citrusy.

As for all the other questions, I was thinking of riding this thread into page 11 this weekend by essentially setting up a QA/crunch fest where we just get ahead of all the stuff we are sorely behind on. Leading up to the last hiatus you guys were designing a lot of drones and ships in the discussion page and honestly I was having a bit of a hard time keeping up with all of them, so the pastebin is a bit out of date. I'd like to just spend the day figuring out what you guys want your designs to be, answer questions pertaining to anything that may be causing confusion, and sorting out all that stuff before it becomes too much to handle.
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>>1253716
do the speakers really have beaks like birds?
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>>1252838
Basicly we have argue over the possibility of using heavily modified and augmentend chimera as a honor guard. But we finally come to a middle ground. Basicly we will make them, but simply not use them as a honor guards and they will stay in the "Special Ops" part of their jobs.

>>1253635
About that, we play around with the idea of using a theme for this guy. A anon launch two name, aka Praetorian and Myrmidon, the latter meaning "Ant-people" in greek, they come from a legend and they were basicly awesome warrior fighting like one (and their name also come from the fact that the first of them born from Zeus who seduce a woman by turning into a ant).
So the idea is too call the group in general "Myrmidons" and then give a greek or roman inspired name to the differrent model.
>>
So we can all agree in creating a new type of drone to be this honor guard and the Hybrids/Chimera we use as black ops units?
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>>1255695
yes
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>>1255695
That seems like the best course of action. The black ops squadron doesn't need to be limited to humans only.


IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NEWS:
Raligha. The natives treat us as literal gods and make war on each other because they do not believe the offenders are faithful enough.

Yay or nay: long-term infiltration project by creating Ralighan hybrids that would guide their race away from superstition?
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>>1255725
yay
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>>1255725
Nay. We've already got too much on our plate, and this is pretty minor compared to the other things we could be doing. Maybe after we're dealt with the void gods, but not now.
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>>1255725
think if they start to worship the void "gods"
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>>1255776
sorry i whas going to awnser to this >>1255759
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>>1255695
Yep. That"s seems to be the best solution.

>>1255725
Yeah, make them become guide for their people, we could make use of them. Like go in full "Our ennemies are not our brothers ! No, we must unite, for our true ennemy await in the sky, beyond the stars !"

They are under our protection, but they could also help us, just need to find out how. Maybe create special equipement for them ? Like the Necrotic Legion if DAS Quest if you follow it.
>>
>>1255786
i like your plan but are we also going to make them less superstition?
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>>1255804
i mean superstitios
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>>1255725
>Yay or nay: long-term infiltration project by creating Ralighan hybrids that would guide their race away from superstition?
No mostly because the lesser races are superstitious by nature and it seems like it could an advantage where psionics are concerned. I think we should rather focus on using hybrids and psionic imprinting to advance their tech level as well as gifting psionics to them like Gardener wanted.
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>>1255881
we can do that first we need to stop the in-fighting
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>>1255967
>stop the in-fighting
The in-fighting is from them not knowing whether we killed Gardener or if we are Gardener or if we are an entirely new queen. Fixing that is priority if you want to stop the fighting.
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>>1256073
sounds like a good idea then maybye we can focus on using hybrids and psionic imprinting to advance their tech level as well as gifting psionics to them like Gardener wanted.
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>>1256073
>>1255967
Well from what I remember of the oral history lesson by the ralighan elder they have a high respect for familial and generational lines and achievements.

I think they'd understand that we are the new generation, to pick up where the Gardener left off
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>>1256166
most likely
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>>1256166
it a good idea i support it
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>>1256302
i mean its a good idea you have my support
>>
Hey QD, I don't know if you're still checking this thread. If you're there, will the next game be tomorrow, or at another date?

No worries on the time as long as the quest keeps going. I know you've been dealing with a ton lately.
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>>1257266
the most important thing is that QM takes care of them self
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>>1257428
True. I also agree about stopping the in-figthing in Raligha. We need to check what the problem is. If its just the fact that they believe we are the gardner and not other queen. I don't think the raligah's know about other queens.

But what if this war is about different worshipers? Like a Raligah tribe worshiping a rock instead of us? Would we try to stop the figthing in a peacefull way or by force?
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>>1257673
peacefull they dont need to worship us
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>>1257707
>we should help them advance their tech level as well as gifting psionics to them like Gardener wanted. we can use the hybrids and psionic imprinting to guide there people
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>>1257707
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>>1257707
>they dont need to worship us
If they want nice stuff then they'll have to.
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>>1257266
This thread will continue tomorrow, but will be dedicated to hammering out details on drone design and mechanics, because I've been getting behind on that as you've made new stuff and improved on old stuff in the talk page, but I've fallen behind in updating them and holding proper votes for them. I just want to get all of that out of the way as much as possible, so it will be a Q/A, crunch talk, and general discussion session instead of a proper thread, which will be next week as normal.
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>>1258181
Probably a good idea to start a new thread at that point.
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>>1258274
If we need to, threads can stick around usually for 8ish days here, but I'll keep an eye on it as needed.
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Uuuh!! New thread and promise of more after it. Cool.
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>>1238751
>>1258302

Things have been getting a bit hectic lately, with several breaks in rather quick succession due to various scheduling issues and near-death experiences, and as a result I have sadly fallen behind on a number of crunch related things,especially the wiki and pastebin. Namely, you have performed numerous alterations to drone and ship designs, as well as formed new ones and I have sadly fallen behind in updating the pastebin with these new variations. Rectifying that is my primary goal for tonight, as well as just trying to get a general idea of your opinions on the number side of the quest and any feedback in places I am lacking, or that you believe I have forgotten (which is likely).

I'd also like to just use the time to answer any and as many questions as possible regarding any confusion regarding the quest, its system, and lore (so long as it is known in character, obviously).

To start, I was asked over discord for a description of the Queen and drones in general in as much detail as possible, and was told a lot of it should probably be posted in the thread. I tend to agree since most of the information is only occasionally and vaguely described across past threads, and often not in great detail beyond what there is in the Hive Biology pastebin.

the manipulators of all drones, regardless of caste, are a circular clawed hand consisting of four equally sized digits arranged in a circular pattern of equal distribution. They are held at rest closed together like a kind of spike shape. The feet have the same layout, with four clawed digits, but they rest in an open position with a thicker pad of flexible chitin than the "palm" of the hand, which are smoother, more flexible, and a bit softer, but are both still four equally sized digits of even distribution in a circular pattern, so their footprints would be X shaped.

All drones have a set of two ocular eyes and two compound eyes, but instead of lids the ocular eyes have a protective third lense, making it look similar to the compound eyes, but smaller and front facing located lower on the head and closer together than the compound eyes, which are along the sides and further up the head. The protective lens gives the eyes an appearance almost like supermarket security cameras encased in tinted domes. You can see the ocular lense if you look close and have the right lighting, but they can't move in their sockets, as they reach back in the head too far like the eyes of the jumping spider, and require moving the whole head to look in a new direction. They can bend the tubular shaped cornea slightly in order to turn the ocular eyes by at most ten degrees, but this is mostly used for focusing the eyes on a single location for better depth perception.
>>
>>1260398
On the topic of the wiki and pastebins, could we add micro rip drives to the carrier ships in the fast assault fleet? We haven't actually incorporated the drive into any of our ship designs yet, and adding them to the light assualt fleet would offer them unparalleled strategic maneuverability, which is sort of the whole point of that fleet.
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>>1260398
Regarding a question of the Queen specifically, and in particular her wings, they tend to be mostly atrophied in mature queens, or take on purely ornamental functions, but are otherwise similar to the standard wings, with a set of insect wings which force air along a guiding airfoil of chitin which serves as a wing case when folded away, and may be carved or decorated somehow over time. The airfoil is similar to a fingernail, and regrows quickly, so it changes color more drastically with diet. The Red Queen's airfoils are red, with deeper red in the center and lighter along the outside, following veins where new chitin grew first and migrated outward, the wings themselves are translucent like silk and covered in veins woven together like dragonfly wings, but are surprisingly durable, like hard plastic, while maintaining flexibility. They can bend to a surprising degree before snapping, and if snapped the veins bleed slightly and it will regrow in a few days at most. There tend to be two wings per airfoil, and two airfoils per drone, one on either side, which all fold together when not in use like a beetle over the thorax. The Queen's fold against the front of the egg sac. They are also clearly not big enough to carry the queen, even without an egg sac, and are only able to allow a freshly hatched and immature queen flight over moderately short distances, like all of the Queen's adaptations, they are more or less just less effective middleground versions of all of the other drones' base adaptations intended to serve as ad hoc survival tools until a hive can be established, and then never be used again. the egg sac tends to be as big or even bigger than the Queen herself when fully expanded and functioning at capacity, although it grows and shrinks a bit depending on how busy it is.

Like the wings, the Queen also has blades, just like the wings they are smaller and less effective but capable of serving as ad hoc combat or worker blades if needed, you've never really used them and they are pristine and well groomed, like polished nails of a high class noble woman, only the size and general shape of a scimitar, and pearly white in color, although drones who use their blades tend to have scared cracks seen through them and have discolored spots within and along the edges where they have been chipped and broken from use and healed over again and again. They rest along the underside of the forearm by the wrist, and the arms of all drones tend to be held when at rest in front with the hands pointing downward, like a mantis or a mantidfly. Warriors are more upright in posture, so hold theirs slightly more apart, while workers and the Queen tend to hold their arms closer together and directly under the head near the mandibles when at rest.
>>
Can you post your discord please
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>>1260434
all drones breath through a number of holes along the back, usually between four and six. Radiator tube adaptations extend these breathing holes to look almost like the tubes along a xenomorph's back, but all drones still have a bit of a ridgeline of protruding chitin along their back set symmetrically on either side of where a spine would normally be, which holds flaps that serve as their main nostrils. This connects to a kind of air exhaust which runs in the mouth, through a kind of advanced book lung that looks like an air filter, and then out the breathing holes, with a diaphragm functioning like a bicycle tire pump located in each breathing hole taking air in the mouth and out the breathing holes. In larger drones this can sound like a rumbling noise as the flaps and diaphragms quickly cycle one at a time like engine pistons to maintain constant airflow through the filter book lung, while in smaller drones it sounds more like a sift chitter or cicada/cricket noise. The diaphragm pumps can pull and push air in either direction if need be, and a drone carrying something in its mandibles will typically reverse its breathing to avoid inhaling too much dust.

The radiator tube adaptation functions by extending the pre-existing breathing holes along the back with a blood-filled radiator which uses passing air to help regulate body temperature, allowing the body to cool blood with rapid air flow, or to heat/cool blood to match the ambient air temperature more closely to help against detection. Drones with these will appear to be cold blooded, and show on thermal scans in a similar manner to Xenomorphs as a somewhat cold form not far off from the ambient temperature, though they can't regulate their body temp and hide from thermal scans at the same time.
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>>1260517
Come to think of it why don't we have air bladders and the ability to eject air to maneuver in zero-gravity?
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>>1260517
The mouth of a typical drone is actually largely similar despite what mandibles it has, with the mandibles being largely external. The speaker mandibles are the most unique, with alterations to the muscle lining of the throat to permit it to alter its shape to adjust its sound, and the mandibles themselves resemble something like a stubby beak, and it functions in a similar manner to a parrot repeating its owners language, using its adjustable throat to function as the tongue, which it lacks. Construction mandibles hold enzyme glands which produce a potent chemical saliva variant used in construction, while combat mandibles are entirely external in nature. The mouth itself is behind the mandibles themselves, and is covered in fine hairs and a thin layer of mucus which serves to filter out dust particulate from clogging the drone's air filter-like book lung. When eating non-liquid foods, the drone eats with its mandibles and uses a secondary tube in the throat to store the food in a grinder gut where chitin plates grind the food and mix it with a corrosive saliva until it becomes a fine paste, which it then vomits back up to eat more properly as liquid food, which uses a small proboscis normally held retracted just at the base of the mandibles, just under the mouth where it is out of the way and typically not seen. When fully extended it can reach up to a foot in length. This leads to the proper stomach, which digests the sugary hive-processed nutrient paste on a more as-needed basis, and functions more like a gas tank than any earth-evolved stomach. In the hive, the closest thing drones have to sleep is the short period in which they rest while biting on a straw-like tube with their proboscis extended, where they draw nutrient paste from the Hive's vats for sustenance.

>>1260490
QuestDrone#5849
Honestly I mostly just hang out in the QTG discord and the (now 2) podcast centric discords to shitpost, listen to drunk rambling of other QMs and, occasionally, ramble drunkenly myself, so you're not missing much of anything.

>>1260429
I'd honestly like to go a step further and just go over all the various fleet formations you have set up, and mate their compositions more official, as I have noticed confusion as to what they incorporate, especially because a lot of them on the wiki talk page include other fleets within them, and utilize different names in some places to refer to the same fleet or ship.
>>
>>1260541
Certainly a simple solution, and one I never really thought of honestly.

It likely wouldn't work (at least not for very long) in a vacuum as any air supply used for propellant would need to be brought with the drone, and in an atmosphere wings, even cheaper ones, function well enough to move a drone to where it needs to be in zero-G. I just felt it would be a bit redundant in the long run.
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>>1260614
Well we'd only really need it to get to propel a drone to a surface to cling on to.
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>>1260643
I could maybe develop something based on human zero-G air jet systems, thought gravity foils also would make them a bit redundant as well, as they would permit a drone to accomplish the same maneuverability without expending air reserves.
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>>1260705
>as they would permit a drone to accomplish the same maneuverability without expending air reserves.
They're near useless in microgravity and as long as the jets don't replace wings they could be used in case of a hull breach.
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>>1260751
Not at all, universal gravitation means they just exert less force in deep space, although it doesn't require much force at all to propel you in zero-G. The lower the gravity the less thrust it gives you, but the lower the gravity, the less thrust you need. Gravity foil based tech always works, it just works better within or near gravity wells, but it will always still offer a fully useable level of performance, especially comparable to man-portable air jets.

If you still want an emergency air jet adaptation, I can stat one up. It would likely be a carapace adaptation as it would require strategic air jet nozzle placement across the drone's body and hollow compartments for storing and compressing small amounts of air.
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>>1260705
>>1260751
Though to be honest there is one tech that would even render that sort of use potentially redundant though it's a bit too advanced for us.
http://www.xenology.info/Xeno/17.4.5.htm
This is more or less a completely internal drive though I wonder if it would fit on a drone.
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>>1260398
>ocular eyes
I don't think that first word adds anything to the second word.
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>>1260555
Yeah that fleet business is a fucking nightmare, I never have any idea of the numbers we're sending into battle.
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>>1260801
Emergency jets would work really well with regular wings considering regular wing are definitely useless in a vacuum and are vastly better than gravity foils in a microgravity environment.
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>>1260820
I think the meaning here is "binocular."
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>>1260555
Yeah, getting an official fleet size/account would be nice. Thanks QD
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>>1260820
Ocular as opposed to compound, or monocular eyes if you want to be really technical. They have a focusing lense and create a single image like what we tend to expect eyes to do, instead of creating a pasted together collage made from tonnes of images like compound eyes.

Your drones have both. With two monocular eyes, it has binocular vision like a human, just like a Mantis Shrimp has two trinocular eyes to give it sexnocular vision. I'm not sure how that works exactly but I'm fairly certain a good number of /tg/ posters see that way as well.

>>1260849
Yea, I went to sort that out and quickly realized it was rapidly expanding beyond my comprehension, so I decided to just sit down with all of you and dedicate a night to figuring that out.

https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest_talk:Hive_Queen_Quest

Here's the talk page. It has been added to by lots of you guys to make a tonne of different ships, drones, and formations along with plans and strategies. I'd like to use this as an opportunity for you guys to bring those things into the thread for a more official discussion and vote, as well as straightening out some of the inconsistencies in naming and organization I've noticed while trying to sort through it.

Hopefully we can sort through all the confusion in there tonight and get all that straightened out. I'm willing to alter the fleet system if it helps to simplify any issues there are, if anyone has suggestions or feedback regarding how, otherwise if anyone has an issue, question, or comment regarding it they want to talk about we can go through it bit by bit together, get things finalized, and I'll be able to get them more permanently placed in the pastebin.
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>>1260955
Lets start with the Carrier Battle Group: https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest_talk:Hive_Queen_Quest#Carrier_Battle_Group
We're building 4 or 5, but you keep dropping them from the construction cue. Ironically, its become a running gag.
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>>1260955
Is that the technical term though?

Seems like non-compound, simple eyes can include simple pits, too, so probably want... eyes-that-have-a-cornea? No one's bothered with a word for that category, it looks like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye#Non-compound_eyes
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>>1260985
Well last time I tried to add them my aorta exploded, but yea, added to the list of things I need to catch up on.

One of my own concerns with the wiki is actually the heavy battle fleet (or heavy fleet? or Heavy Assault Fleet?) it seems to be named differently depending on where it is mentioned, its composition consists of mostly other fleets, and the ships it does mention have a similar issue of being named differently in some places. I don't want to just assume anything and end up screwing up fleet setups you guys have made, so I'd like to work through it and figure it out in a more official capacity.

>>1261015
Yea, I sorta just made up the term "ocular" as a way to say "eye with a cornea" because I ran into that issue. "Ocular" is mostly used as a term for eye when talking about human eyes in common language anyways, so I figured it would work well enough.
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>>1260555
>back up to eat more properly as liquid food, which uses a small proboscis normally held retracted just at the base of the mandibles,
So they function better eating liquid food? Does that mean we could feed them the blood of our enemies?
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>>1260955
https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest_talk:Hive_Queen_Quest#Stalker_Corvette

Ramming keels and harpoons and boarding pods are a niche we really need filled, so it seems like we need these at least. Though it hasn't been formed into a fleet yet. Is that needed?
>>
>>1261209
Not enough sugar, but technically yes.

Either way, that's what the grinder gut is for. The exception is metal, which is processed independently from food. After being ground up in the gut it is typically just stored there until the drone can vomit the metal up into a processor, or if the drone has an appropriate carapace and the metal is suitably refined already, it can break it down enough to incorporate it into its own carapace.
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>>1261236
And harpoons and boarding pods are worthless when not pair with Blasters so that design is shit.
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>>1261236
given how well we perform in ground combat, boarding ships should be a priority
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>>1261242
If we ever need to rapidly ruin our public image, all we'd need to do is let our drones openly drink the blood out of corpses. We'd go from "royal red" to ""blood red" in the public eye in no time, likely with lot of references to mosquitoes or vampires for the less reputable groups. "Mind-controlling vampire bugs from space" has a nice ring to it...
>>
>>1261267
Other ships with blasters could take down the shields, it doesn't have to be the same ship that does the boarding. In fact you might want it to be a separate ship, since this one can then remain cloaked until the shields are down so they won't see it coming.

Actually plasma lance could melt shield generators too, if it needed to, though is there a chance it'll cook unintended targets that are wanted intact.
>>
>>1261333
Big problem with that argument. We don't use blasters at all and plasma lance have the shittiest range out of all our weapons besides ion cannons which is also worthless without the blasters and plasma lance position on auxiliary makes it even less useful.
>>
>>1261242
Hey wait, we can take human head intact like Seiner's and download their knowledge.

How much of a Scavenger's body do we need intact to find out what they knew? Is it really just the heart?
>>
>>1261370
>Big problem with that argument. We don't use blasters at all
So we should change that and start designing ships with blasters, right.
>>
>>1261387
What makes it even stupider is that blasters are godly all-rounder that gets exponently more powerful the more you have. Meta might as well say mass produce blaster using ship to win everything.
>>
>>1261242
Does which weapon slot a Blaster is in affect its chances to trigger Focus Fire? Like a Spinal Blaster vs a Fixed Blaster vs a Turret Blaster.
>>
>>1261425
All of them. Seriously placement only matters for special effects if it is a Railgun. Placement otherwise only determines bonuses and maluses.
>>
>>1261376
You have already been mining your current Scav prisoners for relevant information, it has been quite useful in anticipating tactics and studying ship silhouettes to determine their class and abilities. It has actually benefitted the vast majority of your combat rolls against them thus far. Not that you guys need much boosting with some of your rolls.

>>1261236
That would be entirely up to you, but I encourage you all to debate its design and vote to make some if you wish.

>>1261415
That is the general approach of the Scavs to combat, actually. Very well rounded but they seem to lack any real specialists in any field. Their Alphas are starting to use drop suit technology to improve their survivability, and you know they tend to use enemy weapons during ground combat, but beyond that they tend to only really make blasters for themselves in infantry combat, and nearly all of their turret mounts on their ships are blasters as well. Since human ships (Union more than Commonwealth, but many of the Commonwealth's older picket ships suffer as well) tend to be more reliant on shields than armor, they have proven to be devastatingly effective against the aging Commonwealth picket forces, although blasters cannot penetrate a planet's atmosphere, so their shield installations seem to still be quite effective.

>>1261425
Not directly, although it does effect the damage which is dealt as a result of Focus Fire, since different weapon placement types will offer different damage and accuracy ratings. The primary influencer for triggering the blaster special effect is simply the number of blasters hitting the target in question.
>>
>>1261415
I feel like cyclotrons are still a fantastic weapon for most ships, same with railguns.
>>
>>1261544
What are the bonuses and maluses of each type of mount?
>>
>>1261544
So the power of a slot doesn't affect the stacking chance of overloading the shield projectors. By overloading, that's a permanent disabling until they repair it, right?

So, would 8 auxiliary blasters from one ship have more of a chance of overloading enemy shield generators than 2 fixed blasters from the same ship?
>>
>>1261585
Not really. Railguns only really shine on the spinal mount and the cyclotron are mediocre decounting their ability to disrupt sensors. Blasters are the way to go late game.
>>
>>1261595
What information is missing from the pastebin? Ease aiming/power tradeoff. http://pastebin.com/YTwGk8n1
>>
>>1261613
Are you mixing up cyclotrons with Ion canons? Cyclotrons are basically incredibly powerful blasters that are super accurate, they also have a longer range.

I think you're a bit too obsessed with this blasters everywhere idea mate.
>>
>>1261598
It is a temporary short circuiting. The effect lasts as long as you maintain blaster fire on the target, so more or less permanent assuming you fire at the same target until it dies or you start boarding it. Once you stop shooting, they then get to start attempting to bring the shields back online, which would still take some time, depending on their rolls and their shield tech. The Scavengers have rather advanced shield systems, so they would likely bring them up much faster, and the overload would not affect all overlapping layers at once, meaning it would take longer to bring them down.

As for your second question, yes, although the damage the bleeds through an overloaded shield would be far less if using auxiliary mounts, so any damage done would be more quickly repaired.
>>
>>1261544
part of the reason why I want to bring in the CBGs as fast as possible. With them the Commonwealth can shuffle their pickets and blow a massive hole in Union prewar planning.
>>
>>1261645
Okay that clarifies it.

How would you compare the chances/effectiveness of a fleet of blasters' short-circuiting the emitters versus that of a fleet's spinal mount railgun shots' potentially jostling shield emitters out of position?
>>
>>1261628
>>1261632
Cyclotrons are not that impressive to be honest. They only have better energy damage and accuracy everything else is equal. Blasters however deals Thermal damage which conductive armor only partially defends against.
>>
>>1261711
Anon, Cyclotrons are Theseus' main weapon for a reason, and there's a reason his Server ships are shit your pants terrifying to the Union.
>>
>>1261746
Unity doesn't have Blasters if they did they would have mostly replace the cyclotrons you're the sort of person that would only realize this after everyone else gets Blaster tech. Also ship mount have different stats than drones weapons if you check the pastebins.
>>
>>1261692
The railgun's effect is permanent as it causes physical damage to the emitters, while the blasters cause more reliable shield failure that results in the target needing to cool down the emitters and maybe bypass some cooked power conduits here or there, so you trade reliability with permanence.

>>1261682
Without searching through the archives for when you first discussed it, how many do you want built, and are there any changes you'd like to make to the ship designs or the overall fleet formation?
>>
>>1261773
Are you kidding me? Your argument is basically, it's like this because I said so, you're ignoring evidence to further your own narrative.
>>
>>1261777
Mind if I make a vote to build 30,000 Orbital electroponic station on G-426's gas giant?
>>
>>1261682
The so called Nexus class battleships would be better off with a full dedicated rip drive, not that costly micro rip drive. Want to be able to send battleships through too, don't you?
>>
>>1261777
5 or 6 is good. And not really, though they currently don't have any crew by default, not sure if you care about that. There are three main uses for the CBG:
1. Providing a massive boost in fighter numbers to any formation that they are attached to.
2. Allowing for allies with non FTL craft more mobility.
3. Being a place where non hive live can do C&C stuff.

>>1261810
Why not. We have a massive amount of metal.
>>1261816
As far as I am aware, there is no non micro option for the hive.
>>
>>1261796
>you're ignoring evidence
Evidence that has no validity due to him not having blasters anyway technically trying to make a blaster vs cyclotron argument is kind of pointless because we've never really tested them against each other to know which is better so it's only opinions until everyone else gets on our level. Also the scavengers are pretty goddamn effective which their blasters does that mean blasters are better because scavengers use them more. What a stupid argument..
>>
>>1261845
To be honest we still need some metal for terraforming and colonizing planets, building space cities, and expanding our fleet.
>>
>>1261816
Nexus battleship can't send battleships through though and most of their ships that matter in the scavenger war are actually fighters and gunships.
>>
>>1261777
I forgot. Do Fusion Cores (or in the future, reverse engineered antimatter reactors) also have no effect on the chance of shield-shortcircuiting, only on damage output?

Anyway, if other anon has a boner for Blasters, maybe we can create a Shieldbreaker Frigate like:

Hull: Frigate
Spinal(x1): Railgun 150M
Fixed(x8): Blaster 160M
Turret(x6): Blaster 150M
Auxiliary(x4): Autocannon 40M
Armor: Standard
Utility: Fusion Core 190N 950M
Module(x2): Swarm hangar 1200N 600M
Total: 2340N 4100M
Upkeep: 1170N
Swarm hangar fighters: 100
>>
>>1261900
Obviously the swarm drones also have blasters.

Every swarm drone's single blaster contributes just as much to the chance of shield-shortcircuit as any one of a full sized ship's weapon slots does, right?
>>
>>1261816
>>1261845
We do have the regular, full sized Rip Drive and the smaller Micro-Rip Drive for launching fighters/missiles

QD just hasn't statted up the full Rip Drive and that's honestly what is confusing the fuck out of you all
>>
>>1261917
>Every swarm drone's single blaster contributes just as much to the chance of shield-shortcircuit as any one of a full sized ship's weapon slots does, right?
Yup, that's why I suggested that change several threads back when I had that revelation.

A swarm of Blaster equipped Swarmers could melt the hull right off a ship
>>
>>1261917
>>1261900
To be honest swarm drones are better for defense and support than actual combat because if the "mothership" dies they go down with it though I'm not going to argue hard against it.
>>
>>1261869
Actually we do have that gardening technique from the gardener that lets us remove the metal cost of a drone for three times the cost of nutrients.
Not that its very good because of upkeep
>>
>>1261943
That's why we'll have multiple mother-ships, an entire fleet of them.

>>1261645
>Once you stop shooting
Wait, is there no minimum number of blasters blasting to maintain the shortcircuit once it's triggered? If half of the firing ships die, but some or just one remain, would they maintain the effect?
>>
>>1261845
I have been starting to streamline ground troop management more and more with the more streamlined planet management system so that your egg layers produce appropriate numbers of appropriate drones. If you want to instead of keeping track of crew for all the ships, just label a few of your drone designs as the "designated" workhorse of a certain job, that would be more useful for me in the long run honestly. For instance, the whisperer is the assumed default drone design that will be used by a number of espionage options and therefore would be produced in large numbers automatically when and if you select the options it is needed for. You could label a drone design to be your standard for ship-to-ship boarding, and I would just make that drone the primary drone sent in, with much smaller numbers of more support focused drones like flies and wasps. Or designate a certain drone design to be your planetary shock troops, and when attacking a planet your swarms would mostly be composed of that drone type in the first wave. Otherwise, I just assume your thinkers make sure your ships have an adequate stock for any reasonable event that ship would experience. You make a boarding ship, and have a designated boarding drone, I'll just put them together automatically. You make a planetary assault ship, and have a designated planetary assault drone, and they will be the majority within that ship standard.

Planets at the moment just have shitloads of everything, but again I try to pay attention to the role you are trying to assign the drones you design when figuring any details that you don't specify directly, so assigning drones overt roles would make things easier for everyone I think. I already do that unofficially, such as Wasps serving as short range patrol and fire support, Heavy Warriors as boarding troops, Whisperer and Ghost Beetle as your main espionage and recon units, ect.

>>1261810
Sure thing, although I have been meaning to finish giving construction options a proper overhaul to match with the new planet statistic system. (I'd like to blame that on my aorta exploding as well, but I've been falling behind on this stuff for a while and it is totally my bad) so if you have any preferences for how it would function in a more simplified system I'd be willing to add it in, otherwise I'd do my best to translate the new farms into the new system in whatever form that would take. As it is, buildings are no longer individual buildings but large scale construction projects. Instead of building x number of anti-orbital batteries, you build an anti-orbital grid which automatically constructs all needed batteries, and farms and the like would be built on a scale that would alter the planet's stats in some way, either with a multiplier or flat increase, and the spaceborne resources I have set up so far tend to boost the nearest planet's stats.
>>
>>1261930
>Micro-Rip Drive for launching fighters/missiles
>missiles
That is stupid to even think of due to the fact the cost of firing missiles in order to kill a single or even group of ship would greatly outweigh the cost of just sending an entire fleet instead not to mention there is a chance we could wind up hitting our own ships,
>>
>>1261993
I was just saying it's possible, no need to be uppity because I added one little word, I am so sorry please forgive me anon
>>
>>1261993
There's a 99% chance of hitting absolutely fuck-all, the drive has at best a light-minute accuracy.
>>
I have a plan to research the psyonic cannon without involving any of the other factions. First, make a bunch of pure human clones, so they are anti psionic, with the seiner bluprint. They will research inside a massive shielded room on a moon we don't care about. They will be communicated to and from with q-comms. There they will research the psionic cannon without us getting affected. We will monitor their vitals and if they show signs of crystals we flood the room with neurotoxin and make new scientists to continue on the research. Rinse and repeat
>>
>>1261900
Can't say anything about any applications of future tech, and your captured alpha is a commander, not a technician, so he doesn't know such things, however for fusion cores they have no effect on the power regulation of the shield emitters themselves, only the raw power output of the ship. When the blasters cause the shields to overheat and short circuit, the reactor has no method of assisting or mitigating the effect.

>>1261930
Yea, this stuff has been snowballing for a while now, which is why I just decided to dedicate a night to it instead of letting it become unmanageable.

>>1261971
So long as the target is still taking blaster fire, the effect continues to take effect.
>>
>>1261939
Uh if we're doing fighters isn't better to use plasma lances they ignore armor and shields and also have higher damage I also think you undervalue cyclotrons thier high accuracy and damage is good but thier ability to stop target looks means they can be used offensively and defensively at the same time
>>
>>1262017
Blasters have the advantage of a larger range and having an increasingly stacked chance of disabling enemy shields, which allows ramming, boarding actions, or firing the Ion Cannon to disable parts of the ship one by one.
>>
>>1261999
>>1262000
It peeves me that stupid idea that I had hope people would left dead and forgotten. Also nice trips.
>>1261981
How big is the gas giant exactly compared to our planets anyway? Also can we get around to colonizing the rest of the planets in our system?
>>
>>1262017
Actually the cyclotron sensor jamming only matters if the shields are down sadly.
>>
>>1262051
>the rest of the planets

Anon. What planets are you talking about? There's just the gas giant.

Its planetoid moons aren't very profitable looking prospects either.
>>
>>1262062
>P1 lots of metal and potential nutrient income due to the presence of water
>P2 lots of nutrients due to lots of ice and water
>P3 research options and if nothing else s great tourist attraction
Are you retarded?
>>
>>1261236
>Though it hasn't been formed into a fleet yet. Is that nee
Oh wow, I totally stated up a small fleet for that to be used in, but it looks like I completely forgot to put it on the wiki. Here's what it's supposed to look like.


====Boarding Task Force====
Ship: (x10) Stalker Corvettes 10750N 21400M
Ship: (x5) Harrier Frigate 10685N 24400M
Ship: (x1) Tow Truck 2200N 7090M
Total: 23635N 52890M

Hangar Space: 15 fighters/5 shuttles
Ship: (x10) Stealth Plasma Boat 700N 1650M

This a very small fleet, more of a task force really, that's designed to function in concert to target and grab a single ship, although it can be used effectively for many other operations. It can also be deployed along with a much larger fleet to harry and pursue straggling or foundered craft in a complicated battle, ensuring the retrieval of (mostly) intact enemy ships for reverse engineering. How's it look?
>>
>>1262051
Not as large as Sol's giants but it's still a gas giant in full, so quite large. As for your other small planetoids, of course, but they may need some terraforming in order to be fully exploited, due to their small size and barren status at the moment.

>>1261845
So six Carrier Battle Groups, and according to the wiki page each one is listed as:

Ship: Nexus Class Battleship 1x: 31060N 69000M
Ship: 4x Strike Carrier 16,680N 12,990M (66720N 51960M)
Ship: Escort corvette x12: 5580N 14880M

Hangar Space (60 Shuttles and 180 Fighters)
130 Shielded Fighters: 55N 105M (7150N 13650M)
50 Stealth Plasma boat: 55N 105M (2750N 5250M)
Shuttle: 10 Moth Insertion craft 65N 195M (650N 1950M)
30 Stealth Torpeado Boat: 270N 615M (8100N 18450M)
10 Stealth Bombers 245N 590M (2450N 5900M)
10 Heavy Gunship 250N 685M (2500N 6850M)
Total: 126960N 187890M
Upkeep: 63480N

And is there any fine tuning you'd like to do for the ships themselves at all?
>>
>>1262012
>>1262013
Would this be feasible?
>>
>>1262038
I know that but thats way plasma is better the range dosent really matter to fighters and they can kill crew and destroy internal components so there technical like neutron blasters from MoO.
>>
>>1261900
Wait, forgot RDC.

Utility: Rapid Damage Control 15N 20M
Utility: Fusion Core 190N 950M
Module(x3): Swarm hangar 1800N 900M
Total: 2955N 4420M
Upkeep: 1477N
Swarm hangar fighters: 150

Combine with a stalker corvette to ram the target when the shields go down, into, I dunno, a Shieldbreaker Fleet, maybe a 10:1 ratio? Then make multiple fleets.

Shieldbreaker Frigate x10: 29400N 44000M
Stalker Corvette x1: 1075N 2140M

Total: 30475N 46140M
>>
>>1262091
My biggest problem with brooding is that nobody uses the Blaster/Ion Cannon one-two combo. Temporarily shutdown their shields with the Blasters, then hit them with the Ion Cannon to cripple them.
>>
>>1262088
>Its planetoid moons aren't very profitable looking prospects either.

Are you?
>>
>>1262103
Depends if a Full scale rip drive is an option.
>>
>>1262112
There are situations where we want the crew and components alive and intact.

>>1262103
The nexus battleship is bad, it should just have a dedicated rip drive replacing the blink drive instead.
>>
>>1262157
>>1262103
We need a proper full sized Rip Drive statted up so we can end these arguments honestly.
>>
>>1262103
We really do need combat groups with just massive swarms of expendable fighters.
>>
>>1262103
If were talking about fleet designs can I bring up the valability of spine mounted auto cannons it might seem pretty stupid but with the increased damage and accuracy buff from being on a large mount and ship it could be useful as an area denial weapon thoughts?
>>
>>1262135
>implying they couldn't be
P3 has me especially suspicious because the rivers of mercury should have destroyed the crystal forests due to the fact that mercury eats several type of natural occurring crystals.
>>
>>1262103
>escort corvette
>Spinal Mounts (X1): Cyclotron Particle Beam 100M

Awful. Change that to a Linear Particle Beam.

>Strike Carrier
It still has the old single-layer shielding, it should upgrade to multi-layer shield.
Also take out that microfactory, it's redundant with the battleship's. You only need one per fleet.

>Nexus battleship
its Fixed weapon mount should have a weapon with actual range to it, like a Linear Particle Beam, not an ion cannon.

And get rid of micro rip drive to full Rip Drive, yeah.
>>
>>1262103
Wait, if this is supposed to be a carrier group, why does the Nexus lack a spinal hangar? That's nearly the entire point of a carrier anything.
>>
>>1262212
Because Spinal hangers on battleships are ludicrously expensive.
>>
>>1262201
Stealth field + Plasma lance on a fighter = one corvette dead instantly when they attack for every 20 fighters.
>>
>>1262212
It's a Nexus because it sits in a system and rips holes in spacetime for other ships to go through?

>>1262091
Wait, the Tow Truck has no Auxiliary weapon slot filled. No point in not filling that. It's cheap enough.
>>
>>1262220

At this point that's kind of irrelevant.

>>1262103
Oh QD, we were terraforming.... Refuge I think? whichever planet had mom's bunker on it for us.
>>
>>1262220
Well certainly, but they pay for themselves with the sheer volume of strike craft and swarmers they carry. And I would think that would be a vital part of any ship expected to carry out carrier roles for us in combat, wouldn't you?
>>
>>1262210
I can get behind these changes
>>
>>1262240
In that case it should be called a "gate" fleet rather than a "carrier" fleet.
>>
>>1262252
I made the original fleet carrier design and got yelled at. Keep in mind that a single spinal hanger costs 74160 nutrients before any fighters.
>>
>>1262252
How about we don't. just build the a large number of fighters separately from the rest of the fleet and have the "carrier" fleet open a gate for them when ever they are needed.
>>
>>1262279
Just name it the 'gate' fleet then.

Would definitely be something iconic for us, though. A large ship that jumps in, tears open a hole in space and allows thousands more to rapidly pour through.
>>
>>1262270
>>1262279
Yeah okay, good point. When you actually think about the numbers you can fit more strike craft among several ships with docking bays more efficiently than a single massive ship with spinal hangar, the battle group does that well.
>>
>>1262240
What sort of weapons do you think would work on it?
>>
>>1262091
Could work, but the Harrier Frigate doesn't seem nearly as good at taking down the target ship's shields as a bunch of blasters. Ion Cannon is no good until the shields are down already, and the beam weapons will add on damage to the shields to eventually overheat them but so will any weapon.

So if we make this we should also make several Shieldbreaker Fleets >>1262128 to assist it.
>>
>>1262301
Well Autocannon is typical auxiliary fare for point defense. Might as well. That or Blaster.
>>
>>1262287
That's what I wanted in the first place but then some retards from before the hiatus tried to push that we should carry the fighter in the ship with the drive and in a fit of autistic rage I wondered "why use the drive at all if you are going to waste it like that?" People that design ships here are mostly idiots.
>>
>>1262318
You are one sad angry little anon
>>
>>1262287
No, the ships would have to come in with it, not be brought in afterwards.

It's basically one-way, because you can't guess where the other end of the gate will come out ahead of time with enough accuracy to ensure the ships are near enough to it to go through before it closes.
>>
>>1262305
You think the harrier frigate would work better if I swap out the cyclotrons on the turrets for blasters, so they look like this?

Spinal Mounts (x1): Linear Particle Beam 150M
Turret (x6): Blaster 150M
Fixed (x8): Cyclotron 160M
Auxiliary (x4): Auto Cannon 40M
>>
>>1262201
We could make a stealthed carrier group as a support fleet useing corvettes
Corvette. 400 N 800M
Utility: spinal hanger ×2 3600 N 1800M
Utility: stealth field 50 N 150M
Modules: docking bays 200 N 100M
We can change to swarm hangers if we need to but since they hve limited operating rages i thought docking bays would be better depending on the set up the total cost is 4250N 2850M or 5250N 3350M
>>
>>1262291
>We should just build bunch of teleporting carrier ships and drive them through the narrow choke point rather teleporting them wherever the fuck we like an intelligent race would
[AUTISTIC BUG RAGE INTENSIFIES]
>>
>>1262332
It doesn't necessarily have to change, you could just outsource taking down the shields to a more specialized ship that you team up with like the Shieldbreaker Frigate. With the Harrier's boarding pods and all, the harrier is good for attacking once the shields are down.
>>
>>1262363
True enough, but the great thing about blaster fire is the more there is the more effective it gets. To that effect, why don't we include 5 of those shieldbreaker frigates, or maybe combine it with the harrier frigate altogether to make the boarding task force?
>>
>>1262360
Oh yeah, that's part of the reason I wanted to add micro rip drives to the carrier ships of the fast assault fleet. That way a single fleet could create about five rips at once to deploy their strike craft and any frigate sized sub capitol ship. It would really help with their intended role as a fast moving strike and raiding fleet.
>>
I think QD had a heart attack.
>>
>>1262332
Put the blasters on fixed and the cyclotron on turrets and the blaster knockout shields from a distance and cyclotron could disrupt sensors from any position as dives in and out. Also now that I think about wouldn't be a good idea to steal their ship and turn them against them like they do with the Commonwealth?
>>
Well while you guys are have fun making the fleet I'd like to start discussing some of our ground force planing first of I'd like to ask if you think a filter lungs and gill combo would be more or less effective than an oxygen recycler because or drones do have a weakness here.
>>
>>1262469
Personally, I think the thing we need most is a hybrid or replicant clone company organization. Would have been very helpful on nowhere.
>>
>>1262415
If you jinxed him be prepared to have your heart "donated" to him
>>
>>1262469
Gills are exposed, they can be shot and can damage the drone. An oxygen recycler probably isn't as efficient in water though.
>>
>>1262408
You do realize how retarded that sound right? The fact that you want to launch a handful when the ship the could actually carry there which over all is mechanically the same in terms of advantages, except we have fewer ship attacking and more expensive because of the rip drive, and you are trying to convince this isn't stupid. Try harder.
>>
>>1262523
True the main problem we have with the drones is we dont have Defense against chemical weapons and we lack dronew that can set up forward bases our current invasion strategy is overwhelm the enemy before we loss all our troops
>>
>>1262549
Are you talking about fighting the Scavengers? Because we have some simple counters for them.
>>
>>1262415
Na, mostly just watching the debates. I try to not weigh in regarding differing opinions on strategy and design discussions unless there's confusion about the numbers a the root of it.

Sorta like that big one about honor guards. I was reading along, but from what I can tell, all the different sides were right, but just valued different specific things more than others, so everyone came to different conclusions.

If anyone who was involved in making the heavy fleets on the wiki are here though, I'd really like to get those sorted out with exactly what you guys want to be in them. Right now I have a general idea but I'm not 100% sure if it's properly filled out to your specifications and just misnamed, or if there is another issue involved in it. I want to be totally sure everyone is happy with it before sorting through that.
>>
>>1262569
I was thinking more all in all the scavenger are like space vikings we probably won't have to much trouble with them but against more elite forces we no humans in powersuits are a threat and valen are now to use chemical warfare and drones not to mention the effects we could suffer if we ever have to fight in the OQ creep.
>>
>>1262584
QD, could you provide us with full stats of the proper, normal size rip drive? Or is it even available? It appears to be cusing confusion in terms of ship design.
>>
>>1262584
When we get to the next thread, would we be able to start making the honor guard and how would it be best to choose chimeras vs drones in thread?
>>1262613
He is still working on them
>>
>>1262584
>honor guards
We can make drones that fit into human-sized spaces and with manipulators that can use human equipment, right?
>>
>>1262584
Would it be possible to graft a chimera brain into a drone?
>>
>>1262584
Would you be fine with this sort of design?
Hull: Corvette 400N 800M
Capacity: 200/20
Size: 100 Meters
Spinal Mounts (x1): 1000N 2000M Rip drive
Cost: 1400N 2800M
Upkeep: 700N
Also what are the specs of a true rip drive?
>>
>>1262609
We EMP grenades and the Lightning Cannon that can kill their power suits you know.
>>
>>1262630
I've been trying to ignore anything that comes across as shitposting, but the rip drive fundamentally makes more sense on larger craft as opposed to smaller. Having the capacity to land sub capitol ships within light seconds of their target would be a boon to us, and by contrast there is little point in the craft you just posted.
>>
>>1262619
Our drones already have both those qualities.
>>
>>1262616
>>1262619
>Honor guard
Stop calling them that. We are not making an honor guard the most we can agree on is a black ops unit for secret missions.
>>
>>1262654
Except it has no value to "us" on a ship larger than a corvette because the only have not capable of FTL are small craft.
>>
>>1262662
The "honor guard" units are called Praetorians or Myrmidons now

But they could probably be used as the black ops or Void-influenced missions like the Nowhere fiasco to support Lyle or whichever of our human agents we send in
>>
>>1262690
I mean, the Praetorian and Myrmidon are names given specifically to the Spec/Black ops units that are told to guard our squishy human agents while the others meant to go with Lyle/Jackob/Elizabeth on dangerous missions would get differing names likely
>>
Man, read through some wikipedia articles and found where QD found his name inspirations from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Queen_hypothesis
tl;dr: a hypothesis that organisms evolve in order to survive, and not fall to the 'Red Queen' AKA extinct. The name itself came from an Alice in Wonderland quote.

And the guy who proposed said hypothesis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Van_Valen
Sounds very similar to one spacejewwhale species.
>>
>>1262711
The idea of chimera honor can go fuck itself I'm going to vote against putting a caste that is by design meant to be a black ops in the same vein as a fucking smith as a publicly visible guard (armored suits and helmet mean nothing against Union sensors so everyone's going to know what's underneath the suits)
>>
>>1262732
Actually I think an anon came up with the designation red during our first encounter with Heretic, to differentiate us from other hives of days gone by.
>>
>>1262613
I'll prioritize that, but am still working on it.

>>1262619
Depends on what you mean by human spaces and equipment. A drone cannot fit into places that conform to and are designed for humans, for example a drone cannot drive a car, operate the controls of a grav fighter, or ride a bike, although most can easily fit through most doors and accessways. Your heavy warriors in that regard are only really too big to fit into areas that any human drop trooper in full armor would have an issue fitting in as well.

As for devices, the same general logic applies. Your drones cannot operate things designed to conform to the human hand, such as human weapons, operate human made motion controls (since the tracker has no idea what your caws are doing or how to identify them) or operate armature controls and other finely tuned instrument manipulators, but has no issue with more standard things like consoles, keyboards, data pads, and other more common devices like that. Humans would have a similar, if not even greater issue working with your devices without proper modification, which is simple for you to do as your weapons are normally operated by nerve or thought, and all you need to do is add some buttons instead of redesigning the interface.

>>1262629
In a manner of speaking, that's sorta what the chimera is to begin with.

>>1262662
Yea, from what I noticed, the closest you all got to a general consensus was for the Praetorians.

Also, I'm not entirely sure if I've answered this in the thread already, but I did notice the question pop up a bit but I was at cardiac rehab at the time so I forgot to answer. Your clones do not have triplex genetic code, their genes are based on the host life form, and lack the third junk data strand of the Hive genetic structure. The third strand is used in rapidly recombining genetic code from scratch, while in clones you paste pre-formed genes, altered to suit the species, into the pre-existing DNA. It's like the difference between building a house from the foundation up and adding on a garage to a fixer upper that was already built. This applies to chimera as well.

Gene therapy and controlled mutation in human space is advanced enough for them to have ended a large number, but nowhere close to all of their known genetic diseases, and ab-humans such as the squats are possible, but regulation prevents anything more wild in the way of experimentation in the fields of deliberately altering human DNA in order to outright improve it. It is seen with similar scrutiny as Stem Cell research is today. They do not hold any such distaste for aliens mutating themselves, at least not in the mainstream, and just as cybernetics have slowly become more acceptable due to their usefulness, so is gene therapy, although it is still more stigmatized. Just to give you an idea of how far along they are.
>>
>>1262767
Yeah, but take a warrior, still in the shape of a warrior, but with a cloned human brain instead of quantum or normal brain
>>
>>1262741
Good thing you're outnumbered you salty fuck
>>
>>1262646
We could use a moderate pisonic to induce mental attacks on enemy units as well
>>1262690
We could also make specialized drones for pearly support roles here a general idea
Medium drone with honey pot and biological interface combat arms two thumper's and grav foils
It can give the attached drone mobility extra fire power and a stockpile of extra nutrients and ammo make them mindless and reliant on thier host to control them and we have a hive style backpack only 43N and 30M
>>
>>1262780
Why don't you put Hitler's brain in the body of a great white shark while you're at it?
>>
>>1262741
We can just line the suits with lead
>>1262788
You make that sound like its a bad idea
>>
>>1262754
Then fuck, it's some kind of major coincidence then. Let us strive to keep evolving, and get all these other species to also keep evolving.
Like some kinda evolution coach or trainer.

>inb4 the Red Queen is /fit/ + ultra cheeky
>>
>>1262767
>In a manner of speaking, that's sorta what the chimera is to begin with.
I know a Chimera is basically an organic smith but couldn't we an actual smith with a cybernetic/drone body with a human brain plugged in.
>>
>>1262767
Ha am i the only one how read that and imagined our speaker playing violin priceless
>>
>>1262804
You ever try to properly hold a violin bow? You have to contort your hand already, a drone could honestly probably pull it off if only because its digits are already spread out so much.

Seriously, it feels like you're making some kind of ancient chinese gang sign or something to hold that thing.

>>1262788
>>1262790
>Everybody wants to save Seiner's brain but you try to put it in the body of a hybrid and suddenly you've gone too far!
>>
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>>1262811
I actually want to use his head, either for training clones or making him a scientist
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>>1262790
Only protects against radiation not sonic imagery. I'm pretty goddamn savvy when it come to technology, politic/warfare since it's the same thing this point, and current events. I know the Union will quickly know what's underneath the suit not to mention they will hurt Lee's relationship with his people on Talgo.
>>
>>1262767

We should set a free clinic in a poor world. Good PR and lots of data farming!
>>
>>1262820
I was thinking more x-rays
>>
>>1262811
I know thats why its hilarious can you imagine how it would have to contort its self to properly play one or try to extra points if its making some poor sap stay and listen even more if their are other drones that applaud when its done that poor human.
>>
>>1262830
Well you do have a standing invitation to dinner at the Valen embassy...
>>
>>1262830
Ha could you imagine our speaker sing heavy metal with heavy worriors as the drummer and guitarist it be metal as fuck and an absolute train wreck.
>>
>>1262845
You know when you say stuff like that it makes me think you're supporting my insanity instead of inhibiting it
>>
>>1262827
They really don't need to use x-rays to "see" through things which is why I said they are going to find out about the chimera which only worse for them to find out about is psionics and our parasites.
>>
>>1262741
>The idea of chimera honor can go fuck itself
Hey

Listen

What if

Hey what if

The guards are just human-size drones that look fancier than our regular ones.
>>
>>1262845
Well if they do know about psionics then it would better to not show up at all just send them the fish.
>>
>>1262865
They already know about psionics they just don't know how it works we don't know much about it either
>>1262875
Your a genius extra points if we give them photonic wings and a carapace the glows with red and gold light. We could even give them light halos and make them out to be some holy cast
>>
>>1262875
What if people don't buy such bold faced lies? The problem is that people are ready almost any negative thing about us, this course of action is gaurantueed to increase tensions, that we've shown no signs of being to produce drones that aren't, and have no control over the news. This bullshit will make Lee's life harder no matter what.
>>
>>1262891
>>1262900
So Lee's just going to walk around without an escort?
>>
>>1262900
>I was tired enough that I thought this was good enough to post
I'd go to bed but someone is wrong on the internet.
>>
>>1262902
He is just saying that Honor guards that are chimeras are too risky and would rather want drones
>>
>>1262904
I'm tired too, so I was able to get through it pretty well
>>
>>1262905
Some people aren't smart to assume the obvious.
>>
>>1262900
By your logic, we'd be restricted to using only designs that exist right now in anything related to them. Understand your reasoning, but if we're going to hamstring ourselves following that line of thought.
>>
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>>1262905
that's literally what i said :V
>>
>>1262911
You said no escort
>without an escort?
>>
>>1262910
I don't know how you got anything like that out of that post but the official plan on the whole "honor guard" hinges on the human race being a bunch of idiots, having no pattern recognition or genre saaviness. That why I call the plan "shit."
>>
I believe it's time we call a vote concerning the Honor Guard/Praetorian/Spec Ops (or whatever you want to call them) so we can finally get people to stop arguing over a simple thing.
>>
>>1262918
hmm. I was projecting other posts over yours, which I can not find again. I must be more tired than I thought. Sorry.
>>
>>1262926
When there are only like three people awake alienating a large portion of the player base. What a great idea.
>>
>>1262926
I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds like there are several different variations of ideas that have floated around. One is you create an elite clone unit to serve as bodyguards, the other being that the elite clone unit would serve as spec-ops only, and simply not starting a clone program at all.

Unless there is still debate, the generally accepted design in question would be:

Praetorian Chimera
Cybernetics:
> Lifter Arms (10N, 10M)*
> Strider Legs (12N, 10M)*
> Second Heart (4N)
> Reactive Pupils (2N)
> Thermal Pits (2N)
> Echolocation (2N)
> Bio-digital interface (1N)
> Pistol Sledge (8N, 15M)*
> Acid Glands (2N)
> Chemical Fabricator (8N)
> Electrostatic muscle grafts (8N, 15M)
> Metal Skin (30N, 100M)
> Weaver Graft (20N, 10M)

Skill sets: Almost all brawlers and sharpshooters, but with a handful of techs and engineers to provide support and knowledge to any specific "squad."

Equipment:
> Medium Carapace Armor (10N, 40M)
> Photonic Blaster
> Photon Blade
> Photonic Armor
> Personal shield (when it becomes available)
> Advanced psionic reading (when it becomes available)

Suggested number of Praetorians: 100
Total cost: 11,900N, 20,000M

Depending on how they are used, they would be quite potent in a number of situations, should you wish to spare no expense.

If there isn't any issue with the design, I can put it to a vote next week when more people are around to pay attention to the obviously hotly contested issue.
>>
This sort of pure crunch session is a waste of time. Nothing seems to get done. QD should just pick what he thinks is best from what he remembers and then lets move on with the quest. Anyone who has a problem with his choice or would like to make alterations can raise it at the end of a normal thread (or during if it's appropriate). Basically how it was done originally at the start of the quest.
>>
>>1262928
We're not even in a good condition to argue let alone vote, as least I know you aren't but I have a lot of reasons, mostly political, for why I'm against it. The biggest problem is that we can't dismiss it, lies won't solve the problem because are going to assume the worst regardless of what we say and are going to reading deeply into our actions.
>>
>>1262941
Yeah, it makes no sense to use chimera openly as guards, as they're a secret ability to turn normal humans into monsters. Gives the 'i saw an insect man in the sewers laying eggs' witnesses less credit if there' aren't known instances of space bug men that walk on two legs.
>>
>>1262951
I can't believe I forgot that happened. Won't that also expose our flies?
>>
>>1262941
I like this design, although there's also something to be said for having elite drone guards with some of our more expensive drone only advancements (even if they may not be quite as capable independently as Chimeras).

How detectable would the Chimeras be as partially human? For example, if one of them was wounded in a fight and the Union collected blood samples, would they be able to tell the creature was originally of human origin?
>>
>>1262959
Well if they ever get the DNA they'll know it nonhive life.
>>
>>1262912
see
>>1262875
>what if
>The guards are just human-size drones
>>
>>1262961
There's a big difference between "non-hive" and "definitely human." I'm just trying to determine where on that spectrum we fall.
>>
>>1262959
Their basic body shape and skeletal structure is a dead give away already anon.
>>
>>1262962
>>The guards are just human-size drones
>What if the humans are not stupid
Two can play at that game and my game theory knowledge has been telling it's a bad idea no matter how I look at it.
>>
>>1262951
>>1262959
Yeah, if we're having them be on human worlds as the Praetorian Honor Guard they would need to be hybrids or just replicants to avoid a panic.

I've said and still say it'd be easier to field these once it's heard that we are recruiting humans from the Expanse. Then afterwards hybrids could be partially explained as gene therapy enhancements given to the recruits. They already know we are masters of genetics

It's not a perfect solution and there will definitely be super paranoid tinfoil hat crackpots and government spooks that the super paranoid, holier-than-thou anons are afraid of
>>
>>1262971
Are you retarded or something? How is having hive-style drones a bad idea? They've already seen the heavy warriors. They've already seen the workers. They've seen the speaker. There wouldn't be anything human about it, it's just human-size.
>>
>>1262926
We still haven't done either a vote to construct or even confirmation of any of the three different fleet designs discussed in this thread so far, so that's way lower priority.
>>
>>1262972
Well if we put some highly attractive hybrids/replicants in those suits a lot of brains will shutdown when sex drive kicks in.
>>
>>1262972
Lee doesn't need humanoid bodyguards anyway. He sits in an ambassador's office and if he goes anywhere, either it's ambassador-only and even our guards can't go with him, or they will provide transport that will accommodate drone shapes.

I don't see why you'd want anything but Heavy Warriors to defend him.
>>
>>1262973
Human-sized and human-shaped are two different things. Which do you exactly want again?
>>
>>1262981
read:
>>1262973
>human-size.
>>1262962
>just human-size
>>1262875
>human-size

Am I being unclear or something?
>>
>>1262977
Especially if we unlock some Pheromone influence tech (can't remember if we have something like that already) although the psionic influence tech might just do the same thing

>>1262979
>I don't see why you'd want anything but Heavy Warriors to defend him
Because, like many things in this quest and others, it's cool and Jackob and Dillon really sold me on the idea of the Medium Exosuits when they fought the Smith.
>>
>>1262941
Whatever the case, this is not the time to publicize our ability to create chimeras. There's no way we can let these abominations be seen in public with Lee.
>>
>>1262979
Couldn't we get a risk assessment from Theseus telling everything about the situation and telling how likely things will go south?
>>1262989
Sorry anon. I think my tiredness is getting to me.
>>
>>1262941
They also need more senses like radio and smell
>>
>>1262998
I'm clocking out too. Daylight saving a shit.

>>1262994
The intent is to have the chimeras be the black ops teams for when we need to break into a black queen ship to steal a relay or something. Or when we want to leave no survivors.

>>1262941
Are those human-only? What about using Ralighans in there? Would that be a separate design.
>>
>>1262994
>Whatever the case, this is not the time to publicize our ability to create chimeras
Not until we got to war with the Union and we send a signal out to each of our parasited Taidaren (all 900+) on Gemini to cocoon themselves and a few days later they all burst from the ground in a massive tide of Chimera

Not that I'd ever seriously suggest it, but can you imagine how terrifying that would be?
>>
>>1263004
In that case I can get behind them. If we wanted to send them into a really high risk environment where they can't afford to be captured we can have them mutate explosive glands to remove almost any trace of the agent.
>>
>>1262991
>it's cool
Nobody is going to argue that the problem is it's not "smart" to parade around chimera in public whether their in suits or not which is really all that matters in politics.
>Pheromone influence tech
That's what we were making before we invented bio-interfaces.
>>
>>1263004
Daylight savings almost gave me a heart attack. Arizona doesn't follow it, but my phone didn't know that. So when I woke up, I saw that It was the exact time I need to leave for work, I freaked out while getting ready till I noticed my stove and wall clock were an hour earlier.
Also, Ralighans would be slightly different as arms would prob be more expensive as there are more of them as well as more swords
>>
>>1262941
New Tokyo hive scene when?
>>
So QD, how close is the Hive developing an Anti-matter Reactor?
>>
>>1263007
originally the honor guard idea was for whichever human diplomat we sent but after the Nowhere fiasco is where folks started suggesting Chimera for high risk, psionically volatile missions like stuff with the Void or attacking the OQ and itall kinda merged together over the passing weeks
>>
>>1263015
Three harpoons, a ramming keel, and a lonely Scavenger capital ship away.
>>
>>1263005
I was trying to think when I saw this, and I remembered that it was Wreck it Ralph.
>>
>>1263014
I think we all can't wait for that to happen.
>>
>>1263011
Right, Chimera are a bad idea on non-Hive worlds to be out in the open.

I'm still saying whatever guards Lee gets should be Replicant Clones or Hybrids after we start recruiting from the Expanse worlds we're getting soon.
>>
>>1263019
I'm glad I'm who noticed that though we could get the tech from Heretic.
>>
>>1263028
No you can't. Not once was his drive ship described as having antimatter.
>>
>>1263027
Fine with that. Human looking have a lot of flexibility politically one of could wind up being a celebrity like Natalia Poklonskaya.
>>
>>1263034
You can't prove me wrong anon. We know he uses exotic matter as a fuel and their holy weapon had antimatter in it. It isn't a big jump in logic.
>>
>>1263038
exotic matter (a la canderon) is not antimatter (a la positron)
>>
>>1263038
Yes it is. For one we already reverse engineered the Rip Drive so the exotic matter obviously isn't helping since we already have it, though QD so far declines to answer what the hell it actually is.

And we already researched the immolator warhead. Same deal. They didn't invent that either, it was inherited, and they didn't even FINISH reverse engineering it before they all died.
>>
Sadly, I haven't been in for all too long this run, but like other Anons I'll have to turn in here too. I'll be back online tomorrow.
>>
Wait so what were we actually doing in this crunch session. There's arguing but no votes. What was the point of this?
>>
>>1263040
Antimatter is literally exotic matter. What do you think exotic matter is?
>>
>>1263062
i think you're right and i was wrong.
>>
>>1262741
I am the anon who launch the idea on the last thread and I'm fucking agree. They have been hours of argument and we finally agree on the fact of producing Myrmidons. Simply not as guard but Spec ops.
>>
>>1262941
Honestly about the design, I'm more in favor of creating a special "Myrmidons" force with several design using our different type of chimera, cybernetics and equipement.
>>
Any way I can join in? Pretty new to the board and liked this setting so I thought I'd give it a shot.
>>
>>1263193
Of course mate. We are on 4chan, not on a forum, you don't need to ask for permission.
>>
>>1263193
Give the archives a plunge
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Hive%20Queen%20Quest
>>
Did we ever get access to Phantom genetics and get their psionic cloaking ability?

Our Whisper and Ghost Beetle drones will be so dangerous with that.

Phantom Chimera would be equally terrifying and probably very useful against the Obsidian Hive
>>
>>1263235
>Did we ever get access to Phantom genetics and get their psionic cloaking ability?
Yes and yes. Whenever we command them to our children can cloak themselves in the same way as the phantoms, cutting off any psionic communication and obscuring themselves from psionic perception. This temporarily cuts them off from us, so they would require a quantum brain, but while engaged this unit can make itself harder to focus on for non hive life and next to impossible to detect for hive based life. So I'm pretty sure with this we can have our parasites cloak their hosts, allowing them to fade into the background so to speak when trying to lose a tail.
>>
Ah fuck i missed the debates.
What changes have we made?
>>
>>1263329
>>1263329
I don't think anything actually happened besides QD clarifying a few things.

I feel kinda bad actually he said he called this session because he'd fallen behind on crunch stuff.
>>
>>1263330
What about the honor guard thingamajig?
>>
>>1263339
He gave them some stats and we'll vote on them next week, it's not too far up the page.

Ctrl F QuestDrone my dude
>>
>>1263344
Alright then.
>>
>>1263329
>>1263330
We've clarified the number of CBGs that are being made.
>>
>>1263452
The CBGs that have been requested since right before the first hiatus?
>>
>>1263464
Think it was a bit before that. They've gotten added and dropped into the construction cue 2-3 times, so the people that like them (including me), have gotten a bit annoyed about the whole thing.
>>
>>1263471
Oh it's no question that they're long overdue.
What about that bit about replacing some stuff with blasters?
Also >>1261810
reminds me that we have to build Orbital solar arrays and that new building that let's us predict FTL
>>
>>1263339
Who are not honor guard. I was the one launching this shit in the first place, and jez, ok, I agree, it would maybe be a bit risky to use them as honor guard, if you are adamantium on this ok; but no reason to not use them as black ops troop, so let's do this.
>>
>>1263511
I am against using Chimeras as honor guard. We can just add some normal warriors to Lee's escort.
>>
>>1263521
That's exactly what I say mate. Sorry if it wasn't clear.
>>
>>1263551
I know, just voicing my opinion.
>>
>>1263569
Ho ok then.
>>
Hey QD any chance we can get biodomes/nature reserves as a building to preserve Leeland and other life supporting planets? So we can still industrialize a planet while not totally eradicating wildlife? Also are there any bonuses in having Ralighan boarding parties as their style of fighting is literally "sentient blender"?
>>
>>1263477
>we have to build Orbital solar arrays
Nice joke but they're a waste of resources considering they take 30 days to repay the costs for one. That's not even getting into the fact QD hasn't revamped the system to handle that shit.
>>
>>1263945
It takes 15 days to repay the costs not 30.
>>
>>1263985
Scratch that it's 25 days.
>>
I for one, strongly disagree with Chimera or hybrid honor guard

Have you guys forgotten something? Namely the fact that we use them for COVERT infiltration? Do you guys not think that revealing this card would jeopardize our infiltration operations? Do you guys not think that they are wasted as glorified musclebois instead of doing real bodyguard work?

Bear with me for a sec to allow me to explain

There are 2 types of bodyguards, the musclebois and the bodyguards you never see until its too late. The former is to look impressive and fucking intimidating as well as be good meatshields, this is performed well by our heavy warriors that are tanky as fuck and a lot more scary. The real bodyguard work falls onto people that blend into the crowd and don't look like bodyguards, until something starts happening and they stop it long before it gets anywhere near the VIP, all hush-hush.

Don't you think that revealing them would be COMPLETELY POINTLESS and jeopardize our ability to do this as well? Its vain, and a mismanagement of resources. You should be recycled into a new thinker.
>>
>>1264095
I hardly think we'll be revealing hybrids and chimera outside their environmental suite. I'm generally in favor of using chimeras in suits as elite guards, but I definitely see downsides.

So far no one has posted an alternate bodyguard build to the Chimera one already posted. I can do a mock up of a true drone elite "bodyguard" if people are interested. At least then we'll have an option between two things (or both) rather than a straight yes or no to guards. I won't be able to post the build until after work, however.
>>
>>1264147
I'm not interested, VIP bodyguard duty is the LAST thing chimeras would be useful for, standard drones with quantum brains are fine for bodyguard duty by themselves.
>>
>>1264180
Sorry if I was not clear. What I meant is that we already have a chimera build, but nothing to compare it with.

My thinking was I could make a build for a regular warrior type drone with a quantum brain and a few other fancy cybernetics and upgrades. This would not be a chimera bodyguard, but would be a closer match to one than just a heavy warrior with an added quantum brain or the like.
>>
>>1264095
I think everyone now agree on only using the Myrmidons as Special Ops troop.
>>
>>1264224
We need a proper vote to see what everyone agrees on but I'm pretty sure you're wrong
>>
>>1264242
Also!

We should NOT be fielding any kind of Hybrid or Chimera in what could be the public eye UNTIL AFTER we get those Expanse worlds adopted and then we can say any human/taidaren chimera or hybrids are volunteers that have undergone gene therapy

I'm still down for sending a group of hybrids as backup to Lyle or Jackob for black ops though
>>
>>1264251
Well what do you mean by "public eyes" ? Like parrading them as bodyguards ? Or just "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SOMEONE MIGHT SEE THEM !!!"
>>
>>1264242
Idk, that was the conclusion of the big argument we had yesterday.
>>
>>1264255
Parading them as bodyguards on Gemini.
I could care less if someone hobo sees them passing by on Talgo or Path or wherever we end up sending Lyle next.

As fully visible examples of Hive tech, not so good
As sneaky spec ops, could be good
>>
>>1264255
the people going "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SOMEONE MIGHT SEE THEM !!!" are the same people who's paranoia prevented us from getting out into the galactic scene any sooner than we did and would have kept the quest going with us never ever revealing ourselves to the Union or anyone else.

Likely the same group of people who wanted to eat Lee, Lyle and any human they encountered for the sake of "Safety and Hiding" (which is just boring)
>>
>>1264288
Now that's what an ad hominem looks like.
>>
>>1264288
And you are clearly even more full of salt and bullshit than they are.
>>
>>1264288
None of those things you cited were or would have been bad decisions.

>>1264242
Please fucking not. Lee is ambassador for a bunch of alien bugs. There is no need to make his guards humanoid when he himself is supposed to be our human face. If anything it will just be confusing for the people he has to deal with.

I really don't want to have another repeat of this argument.
>>
>>1264459
>tfw when you litteraly the guy who started the argument and finaly come to a compromise but he argument just refuse to die.

Man, how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom !
>>
>>1263921
Ralighans are adapted to a gravity slightly lower than earth, and are evolved for a vertical environment. Their psychology is naturally highly capable of processing zero-g movement and they are incredibly efficient at movement in small spaces in such situations. The Valen have inadvertently produced puppets with slightly similar body shapes specifically for zero-g operations. A highly trained ralighan would certainly be more than capable.
>>
>>1264459
>>1264488
I was there from the beginning and I want to just settle for blops chimeras and was willing to drop using them as guards
>>
>>1264488
Just because there's no one around to contest your argument at the time doesn't mean we've automatically come to a consensus backing your point anon. For the better part of a week we've been strongly leaning toward using the chimeras as spec ops troops while keeping them way the hell away from the Union, we haven't just changed our minds now.
>>
>>1264515
Yeah, I know, I was here for most of the week-end mate. That's just that when you take the time to read the thread when you want to add something to the debate, that's a bit irritating when somene restart it with old argument. Also I wanted to quote Frankenstein, that was feeling appropriate, both about the argument and the chimera.
>>
>>1264515
What you just mentioned was literally the compromise: chimerae will be used for spec ops against shit like the OQ or scavs or whatever while Lee will be guarded by buffed up warrior drones instead of chimerae so that there's no danger of the union learning about them or our use of human genes.
>>
Guys, we need a covert ops group of humanoids. There is a meaning to COVERT. It means no one ever sees it or hears of it. Our only infiltration asset into human society should NOT be revealed EVER.

We can have our fancy public bodyguards, but they will not be chimera. If a chimera is ever going to be security detail it would be from the shadows. Anyone who is arguing for frontline bodyguard in public obviously does not know what effective bodyguarding is.
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An example for the still skeptical:

Scenario 1 chimeras/human assets and agents revealed:

Assassin thinks he wants to kill hive envoy in public at speech. He keeps everything under the wraps, not trusting even humans except for his employer but not any co-conspirators. He keeps his gear concealed and tries his utmost to blend in, wary that a hive agent might be any human standing beside him in the crowd. He shoots envoy, envoy probably survives because hive is awesome and his bodyguards manage to block the shot. But he is still shot at and panic still ensues.

Scenario 2 chimeras/ human agents never revealed but deployed:

Assassin goes through the same procedure, but less cautious as he is not aware of hive's capability to mimic humans. Things are a bit less hush-hush, and can be shared with some co-conspirators and certain anti-hive groups. The assassin blends into the crowd and readies himself, unaware that hive agents were on to him ever since the plot was shared with co-conspirators. How could these aliens possibly mimic humans so well after all? He takes aim, unaware that the guys next to him and around him are all hive agents that are about to pounce on him and drag him into an alley to get shanked.


Now tell me anons, which sounds more effective. Stopping the assassination? Or doing that BEFORE the attempt gets underway and also managing to sniff out all the rats?
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>>1264787
option 3
just plant a bomb under the stage, go to a bar with a tv that happens to be showing the speech, active bomb during said speech and take a drink of your beer for a job well done.
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>>1264787
Who are you even arguing against? Also you forget that option of hiring actual human guards. And using parasite friends.
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>>1264787
There are more factors at play than you acknowledge. First of all, I don't think chimeras in suits reveals we can replicate humans.

Assuming that the assassination attempt is not Union backed, they will be strongly attempting to protect any of our representatives as they think an assassination could lead to war. A would be assassin would not trust random humans no matter what for the above reason. He may trust long time friends and allies, but any "reveal" would not give reason to believe we can subvert at this time.

From a political perspective, a failed lone gunman assassination attempt actually gives us political leverage and sympathy. We can deal with virtually any lone assassin and come out improved politically with almost no risk. It's a government sponsored proxy attack, rogue anti-Xenos agency/organization, corrupted void agents, or massive internal unrest that are the real security threats. In those instances having adaptable troops that can stay effective and innovate in a foreign environment especially if our standard communications are impaired is essential.
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>>1264147
>>1263521
>>1263511
I agree, we can address most of the issues with Heavy Warriors by diversifying the honour guard with (a) different drone type(s), preferably ones that compliment the Heavy Warriors.
You guys can name it

Sight : Thermal Pits 2N
Olfactory: Advanced 2N
Acoustic: Advanced 2N
Radio: Advanced 6N 3M
Psionic: Moderate 50N
Mandible: Combat 1N
+Spitter gland 3N
Blade: Combat 1N
Arms: Strength 1N
Legs: Sprint 1N
Wings: Gravity Foils 8N 10M
Carapace: Reactive 4N 15M
Conductive 4N 15M
+Self Destruction: Acid Glands 1N
+Seeker Pod 10N
+Quantum Brain 4N
Size: Medium

I took as all the advanced sensory stuff as made sense, since knowing is half the battle and all that. Spitter Glands and the Seeker Pod could be useful as a non lethal say to incapacitate a dude or for the dispersal of a crowd. I'm not sure about the wings, they could come in useful in a city given how vertical it is but I don't know if they compromise combat ability, are the advanced regular wings better for this sort of stuff?

These guys are designed to offset the weaknesses of the Heavy Drone when specifically applied to guarding Lee in an urban environment, ideally I'd like them to be smaller than regular warriors, but I'm not sure how possible that is since I added some extra stuff. Anyway they should be able to:

>Detect the shit out of all possible threats, including human based non violent threats by means of mind reading.
>Compliment the implacable fighting style of the Heavy Drones by being lightweight, quick and also airborne. They're tough as nails too, explosion are the only thing their chassis combo isn't massively resistant to.
>Fit anywhere a human can fit and as a consequence be able to stay with Lee at all legally appropriate times, allowing us to leave our slow Heavy Drones behind to kill pursuers in an emergency situation without leaving a fleeing Lee undefended.
>Use its own initiative when cut off from the Hive, it's probably a step down from a human mind in an urban environment it also has a medium relay and is in range of a clone or a hybrid so maybe not? I dunno.

I remember being able to use human tech was a big point in chimera guard's favour but fuck it, just assign a worker to Lee since they use dexterity arms. That's close enough imo.

What do you homos think?
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I have some idea for design of the Myrmidons (as special ops; NOT body guards) but it's late on my time zone, will post them when I get up if the thread is still up. I just post some question in advance for QM :
>Can non-human be augmented with Cybernetics
>Can we produce special equipement for non-human troop (Ralighan for example)
>Can these different race of Chimera still use the psionic communication to fight like one ?

Also for the anons: if we all agree on naming this group of spec-forces Myrmidons ( "Ant-people" in ancient greek, descend from a king son of Zeus and are fearsome warrior) we need to find name that stick with the Roman-Greek theme. We have Praetorian for the "Heavy Human" based on lyle model. I launch "Gladitores"/"Retiarii" for the one with the other type of leg/arm and whip; if someone as idea or better idea, don't be shy, all that.

On this words, good night anons.
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>>1264940
Also seconded, best solution if we want a compromise between the capacity of the chimera and the political safety of the drone. A specialised drone is the good solution; all that.
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>>1264940
Looks pretty nice. I'd remind you that drones can "use" technology and cybernetics.

So I'd modify the design to use some of that elite tech. For example - add metal skin, blasters, photoic armor, photonic blades, bio digital interface, and sting fingers/poisons. Swapping out where necessary with the existing build.
>>
We can add a few(but not replace with) some chimeras or hybrids if:
1. Humans get psychic manipulation tech or
2. We discover assassination bullshitery, and once Lee is confirmed safe, the switch them back out.
Im all for suing the chimeras as bodyguards, but only temporarily and as discreetly as possible. This also gives us a new opportunity to try to develop a new drone. If we need new tech, the Thinkers can just be "inspired" by stuff they already discovered(which means we dig back through our tech and look for any potential branches).
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>>1264940
>Psionic: Moderate 50N
There is absolutely no way we can have our warrior drones going around with delicate and stupidly valuable organs like the moderate relay included, could you imagine the fallout if the Union managed to get their hands on one for dissection?

We'd be better off deploying a low key whisperer with Lee's security detail.
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>>1265757
Yeah, doesn't Lee count as a Relay now with his crystal implant?
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>>1265757
That's what the acid glands are for.

They manage to capture one, we pop it and they get nothing of value other than whatever genetic material is left.
>>
Damn son, nearly 1600 posts.

Welcome back, QD.
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>>1266425
Feels good, doesn't it?
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>>1266571
I nearly had a heart attack when my first live HQQ ended on such a sour note
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>>1266587
Forgot pic
Don't hate me
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>>1266591
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>>1266587
>>1266591
Yea, you could say I felt really torn up inside about it.
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>>1266717
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>>1266591
I hate you :^)
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>>1264314
You really should look up what that means.
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>>1266801
Basicly, that attacking who you are have a argument with, and not trying to produce a counter-argument (generaly because you can't). That's negative to the debate and generaly see as despicable.
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>>1266801
>>1266821
Annnnnnd I just realise I didn't read the sentence correctly, my bad, ignore me.
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>>1266801
>made a bunch of negative assertions about the character of the opposition while ignoring the argument in question
That's pretty much textbook ad hominem.
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>>1266821
>ad hominem
Also I read ad personam and not ad hominen, meh.
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I hope we don't end the (almost)1600 post thread with just name calling. Anyone else got ideas?
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>>1267173
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>>1267173
how many worlds do we control again? As in actually have a full fledge, non hidden hive on? I mean we have our home world, that one jungle world that use to belong to the garden queen or whatever her name was, and I believe we also are setting up a have on a water world. Any I missed or is that all of them?
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>>1267259
We also have a research world near Zero One
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>>1267173
Well we need to go talk to the Valen in Deep Song soon. Our clones should have arrived to drop off the reactors.
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>>1267274
oh, right. But I thought we put that have on the world itself since Unity didn't mind sharing. Either way doesn't this kinda put us at a disadvantage over most the other factions we're up against? I mean the Union has dozens of worlds at the last and who knows how many worlds the black queen has after tens of thousands years wiping out her own race.
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>>1267330
didn't we still need to decide if we wanted to go into the food business as well? If so I still stand by my idea to use our hive's nutrient past as candy seeing how it's sweet by human standards. Just roll it into balls, harden the outside and leave the middle as a liquid. Hell if we can make them healthy as well I'm sure we could sell a crap ton of them.
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>>1267344
We're focusing on only reactors for now.
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>>1267355
fair enough
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When do we get to editing humans? and secretly implanting drones after everyone´s made sure its safe
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>>1266827
It's really not. He'd have to draw an argument from it to count.
>>
>Myrmidons
Here a schematic for the Myrmidons, was not happy with the other. Don't do non-human one cause I want to know what drone adaptation they can get and if they can have cybernetics.
>Praetorian
>Human Chimera
Lifter arms (10N 10M)
Leaper (10N 10M)
Second hearth (4N)
Reactive Pupils (2N)
Thermal Pit(2N)
Echolocation (2N)
Bio-Digital interface (1N)
Pistol Sledge (8N 15M)
Arm Blades (6N 10M)
Acid Gland (2N)
Chemical Fabricator(8N)
Electrostatic muscle graft (8N 15M)
Metal Skin (30N 100M)
Endoskeletal Plating (5N 20M)
Weawer Graft (20N 10M)

Adaptation
Advanced Olfactory (2N)
Advanced Radio (6N 3M)
Advanced Electrical sensitivity (3N 2M)
Combat Mandible (1N)
Spitter Gland if not redondant with Chemical fabricator (3N)
If Spitter Gland useless, Stinger whip ( 5N – MOUTH WHIP! WOUTH WHIIIIIP!)
(I doubt the other adaptation are possible to add, need correction on that if I'm wrong)

Skill set
Brawler and Sharshooter, with some tech and engineer.

Equipement
Heavy carapace 50N 75M
>Weapon adapted to their Skill set – Brawler with close ranger weapon, sharshooter with medium and long ranger weapon, ect...
>No photonic blaster, they are made to be use in number, wich is not the point of our Myrmidons.
The vibro-thermal blade of the armor and the arm blade should be enough, no need for photonic blade.
Personnal shielding when available.

>Retiarii/Gladiatores
>Human Chimera
Reacher Arms (15N 5M)
Strider (12N 10M)
Second hearth (4N)
Reactive Pupils (2N)
Thermal Pit(2N)
Echolocation (2N)
Bio-Digital interface (1N)
Arm Blades (6N 10M)
Sting Whip (7N)
Sting Finger (6N 10M)
Acid Gland (2N)
Chemical Fabricator(8N)
Electrostatic muscle graft (8N 15M)
Metal Skin (30N 100M)
Endoskeletal Plating (5N 20M)
Weawer Graft (20N 10M)

Adaptation
Advanced Olfactory (2N)
Advanced Radio (6N 3M)
Advanced Electrical sensitivity (3N 2M)
Combat Mandible (1N)
Spitter Gland if not redondant with Chemical fabricator (3N)

Skill Set
Brawler and Sharshooter, with some tech and engineer.
quipement
Medium Carapace (10N 40M)
>Weapon adapted to their Skill set – Brawler with close ranger weapon, sharshooter with medium and long ranger weapon, ect...
Photon Blade ( the light weigt will be advantage given the speed of this troop)
Personnal shielding when available.
>>
How has the terraforming of that one WQ planted progressed?
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>>1265802
No. That was specifically selected against to find a better solution. Only Vaughn has the antennae sticking out of your hair implant. Lee has like, the equivalent of a basic relay in his brain at best.




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