The night of Gemini is frigid, a harsh, biting cold as the frost in the street is illuminated by the glow of the planet's twin above. The streets are empty, the shops all closed, and a strange, almost inaudible hum of machinery emanates from the sewer grate in front of the machine shop as it sits in the dark, closed for the night. Inside, beside the massive bulk of the complex holo-printer, a bolt breaks through the cement floor, sending small bits of dust into the air. Several more follow suit, sending cracks shooting through the floor between them as a circle forms around the machine.
Beneath the streets, at least a hundred taidarens toil in the darkness, clicking, whistling, and singing merely as several groups of triplets with multiple hands showing missing fingers scuttle their way to the front of the pack where a massive makeshift collection of scaffolding has been set up, with pulleys and winches strapped this way and that all leading to a number of gas powered motors idling on standby. They climb the scaffolding, clutching their bags, and one by one pull out a series of small looking cubes of putty, sticking each one in a slender line along the carved out underside of the shop above. The taidarens around them dive into the waters below and scurry away as the set of triplets empty their bags one by one, tossing them onto their backs, each covered in a patchwork of flame resistant cloth, and they begin attaching the wires to the metal bolts, the small, durable detonators drilled into the concrete.
>>47517403
Is this Oceans 2700?
>>47517403
Taidarens are the best
...Remind me what they're supposed to be doing, again?
>>47517528
Shadowrunning
>>47517528
Stealing a 3D printer for us.
>>47517528
Stealing shit so we can make fake IDs
>>47517403
A shuttle carefully docks with your ship, the Orphan, holding a rather conspicuously looking reinforced metal block covered in dents in its cargo clamps. A number of its loading arms unfold and carefully pluck the box, which shakes periodically, from the firm grip of its clamps and slides it through space the short distance to the waiting cargo bay pod connected to the Orphan's hull spine. As the cargo doors seal and the shuttle departs, your clones return to their typical activities, only occasionally startled by the muffled roars of the predatory beast taken aboard from within its sealed container.
Your clone drops off the small tribble back at the ship, and quickly makes his way through the myriad of corridors and twisting hallways filled with market stalls and shouting merchants peddling strange and exotic goods from all over known space, much of which, you note, seems painfully overpriced. Nearly a quarter of the way around the station's habitation ring and up a small elevator to half way through one of the ring's spokes is the office of the Valen official you have been waiting to speak with regarding your hive-produced merchandise. The doors open to a short hallway lined with chairs of various shapes and designs, and a desk next to a closed door where an incredibly uninterested woman sits typing something on a computer.
cont.
>>47517554
A moment later the door opens, and you hear a loud blast of air like someone hitting the keyboard of a pipe organ with a sledge hammer, and a trio of taidarens flee in random squiggling paths, scurrying across the room like panicked rodents. Your thinkers quickly interpret the shouting as you hear a blaring error report from what you assume is a translator program malfunctioning from the enraged slurring curses being said.
"Away you parasites! You sentient ticks looking to suck my wealth dry! You useless, gnawing..." the efforts of your thinkers begin to fail, although they manage to get the general idea of a kind of dog sized parasitic animal similar to the human head louse known to colonize the gill-covered waterlogged underside of the Valen body, causing a rather painful bleeding rash. The image is not flattering, to say the least.
The door closes again as the taidarens pass your clone.
"You are rude!"
"Bad at business!"
"Pass on good deals, yes."
"Yes! Was wise investment!"
"Double money, more, triple!"
"Cannot fail!"
The group quickly enter the elevator as the door closes, and the woman behind the desk looks up at you.
"Next." She says. Your clone walks up to the desk and she slides a small piece of paper across the table with a pen. Your clone quickly fills it out, including the ship's given ID, account, and various generalizations regarding the quantity, size, and legal status of the fusion reactors in question, mostly through check boxes and binary questions. Your clone slides it back to the woman as she chews her bubble gum and glances at her personal data pad.
"He's in a bad mood, so you should keep it quick." She says. "Parently a mating deal went bad a week too late and he's stuck a seller in a buyer's market." She stifels a slight giggle, as if she finds some level of schadenfreude in the statement.
>Ask for details
>Head straight into the meeting
>Other
>>47517735
>>Head straight into the meeting
>>47517735
>Head straight into the meeting
>>47517735
>Head straight into the meeting
None'a my business, lady.
>>47517735
>>Head straight into the meeting
>dealing with space jews
>>47517735
>Head straight into the meeting
I'm interested but we're here for business
>>47517735
>>Head straight into the meeting
Man I've missed this quest and all it's characters.Y-You're not gonna die again, are you QuestDrone?
>>47517853
The hive merely recycled him and Hatched a new drone, this one needed a longer gestation due to its modifications
>>47517735
>Head straight into the meeting
I suppose we can ask him personally, if he's interested in future business.
Oh shit you're back! Joy!
>>47517735
Your clone gives the young woman a confused glance and she stifles a laugh.
"Hey, just warning you." She says, and buzzes open the door.
Your clone walks in, finding the interior of the office more akin to a bath house than a place of business. It is a large blank tiled square chamber filled with water. The side of the room your clone stands on offers a decently sized ledge with several seats placed here and there looking out over the murky water. Several incredibly large levers are set along the sides of the ledge, each covered in deep scratch marks along the heavy metal handles and several holoscreens set up in the middle, one of average size, and one more akin to a cinema projector. There is a calm sounding digital voice that pipes in through speakers in the ceiling and the small holoscreen reads out a moving, twisting collection of Valen text reading out the various forms and paperwork of the Orphan's cargo sitting in the station.
"What is it you want?"
"I think the paperwork should-"
"Paperwork lies. I wish to hear it for myself." The mechanical voice offers no emotion itself, much like Coil's own translator, but you still can feel some amount of aggravation.
cont.
>>47517403
QD, I just want you to know that I have twenty-five tabs of porn open, and I'm putting them all on hold for this thread. You're more important to me than even the lewdest onee-chan.
>>47518082
The water stirs, bubbles breaking the surface, and several large spikes erupt from below. They spray water as they blast out air with a massive conch shell echoing around the far too small chamber for such volume. The spike continue to rise, more adding to the growing forest, until a vast shell emerges. Vibrantly colored wax coated cloth strips are tied between the giant blow pipes, and the water crashes over the sides of the platform, pooling around several drains.
As the shell settles in its place, two massive limbs, each like a cargo crane, unfolds from the sides and comes crashing down on the sides of the platform where you note there is a large set of rubber pads with a small indented button for each of the massive scythe-like fingers. Its head emerges last, lifting itself with some apparent effort. It is nearly the size of a small car alone, the countless spiralling rows of teeth the size of traffic cones and roughly the shape, with a thorn covered funnel of spikes pointing inwards going down to a massive gullet. Four tongues, each tucked into a bulbous gland, licks over the Valen's palette, picking at something that looks like a two meter long alligator skeleton before pulling it back down the pit of a throat, dislodging it from its gums with a wet sucking sound. The lipless maw is obviously incapable of closing, but the circular flower of teeth and muscular, pedal shaped jaws compress themselves so as to bare the least number of teeth it can.
Four eyes on a set of stalks emerge from around the head, each one perched just behind the hinge of one of the jaws. They lengthen until the stalks are nearly a meter in length each, although wrinkling along the skin hints at them being capable of extending much further, and the curving, 'w'shaped slits narrow, focusing on your clone as its breathless maw wafts a pungent smell like fish from a dumpster in the height of summer.
Cont.
>>47518231
fuckin beautiful
>>47518231
Dude, breath mints.
>>47518231
Well, those Valen (or at least this valen) really needs to first impressions. A Kraken sounds less terrifying.
>>47518231
I'm gonna assume we are memorizing as much of the rooms structure as we can so we can build it on the diplomacy dockyard.
![tmp_9899-[hoots internally]1622515270.gif](https://i.imgur.com/HrpGImJ.gif "tmp_9899-[hoots internally]1622515270.gif")
>>47518231
[screams internally]
>>47518335
Something like this but more alive and with more teeth?
I LIKE Valen, they're described as incredibly empathetic too.
I love your Aliens QD
>>47518231
The Valen's shell bursts into a single-handed symphony as the hollow spines spray water and steamy breath into the air, each with its own unique note. A moment later the translator spins the text hovering before you, and the speaker reads it aloud.
"I am Counts and Remembers Secrets in Dark Waters. I am the engineering representative. I oversee quality assurance of all things entering and leaving this station." The computer voice is bland, but your thinkers in their over-calculating analysis find some hints of dissatisfaction in the statement. "This includes your 'reactors' you wish to unload here."
The screen in front of you shows the results of a rudimentary surface scan of your reactors. They offer little in useful technical information, but indicate no pathogens were detected and no concealed explosives or unregistered chemical components were found, allowing them access to the station itself. A holographic image of the reactor itself, a large, boubous torrus shape of sculpted metal and twisting helixes of pulsing carbon lattice tubes filled with plasma spiralling out, up, and back down through a complex pattern like the home of a funnel web spider, projects into the air. Next to it is another reactor labeled as "closest match found", a bulky looking stellarator branded from a subsidiary of Olympus shipyards called an Neuman 1 series multi-injected plasma funnel reactor, although it is much smaller in size and seems marketed as an engine for single seat sublight racing craft.
"What are the specifications of this design?" The Valen asks. His eyes focus on your clone.
>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
>It's a native design engineered from alien ruins in the Expanse
>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>Other
>>47518550
>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
No need to spill the beans on our covert op yet. We can always create an "engineer" if we need to. An eccentric genius who sells lots of valuable "custom" items.
>>47518550
>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
Were entering the galactic stage soon after all
>>47518550
>>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
Keep it low for now.
>>47518550
>>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
>>47518550
>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
Toss that bait in there. This guy should be able to smell money.
>>47518550
>>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
>>47518550
>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>>47518550
>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
As long as we get him to agree to keep this on the down low for the time being, this is fine. We're going to be making ourselves known very soon anyway.
>>47518550
I just realized. Of the three of these, the alien ruins answer is the least true. We (or at least our thinkers) could be considered engineers. The Hive generally is also more "native" to the expanse than either the Valen or the humans. Just something funny to think about.
>>47518550
>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
>>47518550
>It's a custom design built by an engineer living in the Expanse
>>47518550
>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>>47518550
>>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>>47518657
>The Hive generally is also more "native" to the expanse than either the Valen or the humans.
Not really, we arrived on our homeplanet later than the humans did.
We just colonise better.
Our native roots lay beyond what the others define as "the Expanse".
>>47518550
>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
This should intrigue the engineers and those processing information harvested from cargo scans. That alone should buy our way in.
>>47518684
The humans dont have to know whrn we got there. Besdies, gardener was there thousands of years ago so we're technically native, just lapsed.
I've been waiting for this!
>>47518703
Shit, Mom was on Earth's moon before humans crawled out of caves.
>>47518656
We need that valen contact soon too, but I am not sure if this one is the best...he/she/it just oversees cargo going in and out of station. Although this valen could have usefull contacts.
Either the engineer or native excuse, both are fine
So are we sending a hive ship with a speaker to visit the valen trading post or are we setting up our own trading post in one of our systems after this?
>>47518550
>>It's a native design by locals in the Expanse
>>47518722
I guess we are letting confederate smugglers onto our trading post first and let the valen follow them to us then?
>>47518714
Reminder that the crystals nearly made humans extinct 70,000 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theory#Genetic_bottleneck_theory
>>47518722
i want to send a trading dockyard in the valen colony next to us and broadcast commercials.
>>47518714
Mom probably messed with the humans in the first place, it wasn't chance that the humans have anti psi genes in them after all
>>47518722
I was planning negotiating with them for control of Tannhauser once we came onto the galactic scene. We need to search for more skyl artifacts, and it's right smack dab in the middle of our territory. Make for a good trading center, what with it's hypergates in place.
So we need a speaker to act as a rogue trader then
>>47518755
Don't tell the humans that, though. They'll become almost as paranoid as we are.
>>47518747
Holy shit the dates match
>>47518774
I don't know, Elizabeth figured out that mom played with early human genetic development already
>>47518747
>White queen finds proto-humans.
>Alters them so that they cant translate psy signals
>Crystals find out and try to kill humanity, mother saves them.
Just imagine the commonwealth reaction if they find out when they take earth.
So while we wait, I've been looking into star wars for research inspiration. A couple of things stood out (besides lightsabers and force-related stuff).
First was the small ships, and the insane variety there was. Our gunships are supposed to be bomber equivalents, but sw seems better equipped for that. Then there's the fighters that have four weapons emplacement instead to two, and some of them can rotate to shoot at pursuers. Speaking of weapons, the B-wing's combi-laser which can take out a sub-capital was really rad. Then other utility stuff like solar panels on TIEs and Vulture and Hyena droids being able to walk and patrol docking bays and air bases (the later of which has two heads, even). Is it possible to later implant anything like that on our smallships and make them more versatile like our larger ships?
>>47518799
I don't think she has considered that, she only knows our mother was on the moon and that humans can't translate psy signals.
We might have to hint at the connection though, maybe we should send another expedition to earth and establish contact with that robot.
>>47518791
IS THIS QUEST DRONES PLAN?
TO MAKE THE CRAZY ALIEN MAN RIGHT?
>>47518830
Starwars operate on an airforce combat style, so the fighter jets get all the attention
This quest operates on a more navel combat style, so more focus on the fleet maneuvers themselves than any specific ships
>>47518849
Crazy Aliens Man died hundreds of years ago anon.
>>47518880
Doesnt mean he was wrong.
>>47518880
Then who was that on the show we watched when spying?
>There's a secret cult built around him
>>47518866
Yeah, that makes sense. Neat stuff though.
Of course, some of it are actually kind of useless or stupid as well. Like the Laserweb Defense System, which if a bunch of asteroids connected by electrical energy to form a net and destroy fighters trying to fly through. It works in sw because there asteroids are all bunched up together for some reason, but it doesn't work on a real asteroid belt since they're much farther apart as to not constantly collide and fly everywhere.
>>47517403
LIES!? ITS BACK!? QD WHERE WERE YOU!?!?! Welcome back!
>>47518998
Vote Bitch
>>47518998
QM hell, probably. They say that once a year, a tortured soul is petmitted to leave to finish their earthly deeds.
>>47519105
I hope they let out SpiderQM soon.
>>47518550
"It was designed by locals found in the expanse." Your clone says. "It recycles plasma through multiple fuel cycles by using natural imperfections in the magnetic containment field to siphon off plasma into sub-reactors built through the power helix, and sending it back into the main reactor. The process makes it more stable than a stellarator and more efficient than a tokamak." Your clone points out various devices along the seemingly random ripples of the reactor's melted looking metal surface with a smug smile. "I can't speak for any Valen designs though."
The Valen keeps his gaze locked onto your clone, squinting. Your thinkers examine his facial expressions, Elizabeth halting in the hive tunnels as if queasy as she guides your thinkers through a mental crash course in xeno-psychology and Valen emotional science, which you are surprised is a thing complex enough to deserve its own class. The Valen shows mistrust, confusion, and a twitch of panic races across the eyes, the boub-like eyeballs filling with a smoky color that runs along the normally dark blue sclera, and then confusion again.
"What is your name?" The valen asks. Your clone scratches his head briefly.
"John Spreckels." The clone says. The valen continues to stare at you in confusion.
"You say locals made these?" He asks, your clone nods. "From where exactly did they originate?"
>G-426 (Leeland)
>A planet called Leeland
>Refuse to say
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>Other
>>47518791
That was actually the best thing that channel made in years. For sure one of their best mini series. I was actually impressed, although that may at least partially be because I was expecting absolute garbage and cheap romanian actors going off script of the book.
>>47518982
True, although delta-V is high enough so that ships do need to worry about them. That patch of nothing with the rare rock every thousand kilometers gets a lot denser when you plow through it at a quarter c.
>>47519105
>>47519131
Or damp.
>>47519131
I wish vedibere would be released but i don't think they do third chances.
In either case, this year it was QD and now we have to wait another.
>>47519131
He got out of hell too, now he just needs to start writing
>>47519135
>A planet called Leeland
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
Let's throw him a bit of a bone. It's not like anyone else but us even knows Leeland exists in it's current state.
>>47519135
>>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>>47519135
>G-426 (Leeland)
>>47519165
I'm worried some of the higher ups might make the connection, though.
'Leeland? What the hell kinda name is Lee- oh...hm...'
>>47519135
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>A planet called Leeland
There is absolutely no reason to tell him what or where Leeland is of course. And no proper reason for him to ask other than to try to cut out middle men.
>>47519135
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
Is that Binding? and no reference to our capital world
>>47519135
>>A planet called Leeland
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>>47519178
But those are Valen. And what are the odds that Killinger has spooks trawling Valen info-nets and finding that very specific bit of information?
>>47519135
>>A planet called Leeland
Cheeky answer.
Why is this space whale worried? They want to trade, right?
So if we have to give him coordinates of one of moms worlds
>>47519135
>>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
If he is confused and panicked, now is the time to press for an agreement. He still might just walk away from the deal if he gets too emotional.
>>47519136
What did he run?
>>47519197
Because the design will revolutionize their energy production industry, and he is trying to figure out
1: Why we came to him
2: Is this a trick of some kind
3: Can he easily screw us over
>>47519135
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract.
>A planet called Leeland.
QD, can we write a contract that specifies if it breaks contract and allows information about us to spread to the union without our consent we invade a valen gate with our military and reverse engineer it?
Scare him into not thinking about ratting us out
>>47519135
>Refuse to say
"Although locals call it Leeland"
>>47519232http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Lessons%20in%20Knighthood%20Quest
My favorite quest. It's too bad he died in the war.I would have taken over his quest if I thought I could do half as well as him
>>47519135
>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>>47519256
Our guy is acting as a unaffiliated trader and not in official capacity for the hive
He cant set invasion contracts and stuff
>>47519269
Wait what?! I can't believe it.
>>47519279
Yeah, I dont see why the presumably middleman has to do the branding, but whatever.
>>47519279
Well shit.
The moment he leaves this room, our boy john is going to be jumped by corporate spooks wanting to get their hands on one of these generators
>>47519296
So he can establish himself as a trust worthy seller
>>47519135
>>Refuse to say until after he signs a branding contract
>>47519296
He's in charge of quality control for technical products. If it passes quality control, the station's policy is to accept any and all branding contracts in order to maximize their inventory's variety.
>>47519296
>>47519279
We could say it was a request from the locals.
>>47519325
No, that raises too many questions
>>47519320
Too bad our boy john knows kata, and has clones (which can mutate into monsters) to back him up.
>>47519350
We may want john to get interrogated to give out a location as bait remember?
>>47519333
which questions?
>>47519368
That is also an option.
>>47519372
Such as why do these aliens know valen trading protocols?
Why would they trust a human to do this?
>>47519294It was mostly a joke. I just heard he was drafted for his time in some South Asian country, but he should have been released by now.
>>47519232It was a very laid back adventure mystery bit. Traditional setting but a great cast of characters and a fun way of telling the story.
>>47519368
Honestly with all the shadowrunning we've been doing it's rather hard to keep track which plan does what
>>47519392
fuck it's been two years already?
>>47519397
Just on the safe side we should get john to lead some smugglers to us while we also send a hive ship to a different valen trading post to make first contact with another clan
>>47519397
What were we even planning on doing with the commonwealth? They seemed straightforward, especially compared to their rivals. Our usual method of doing things might not be necessary.
>>47519392
If only there was a way to contact him and know for sure. Internet anonymity is a bit double-edged at times.
>>47519419
HQQ is already 2 years old too.
>>47519430
We're on our way to dealing with First Contact with the Commonwealth
>>47519419
I don't think so. His last tweet was from February of last year.
>>47519430
we need the commonwealth alive as a buffer state against the scavs and not allow the union to control all human space
They just cannonfodder for us
>>47519450
We already did first contact with them
>>47519454
What country is he from then?
>>47519389
>why do these aliens know valen trading protocols?
I'm actually stumped on that question.
They are obviously space fairing with the threat.
>Why would they trust a human to do this?
"Obvious security reasons."
>>47519463
>We already did first contact with them
What i meant was we're working out what to do from there.
>>47519135
A planet called Leeland, but I'm gonna need a drawn up contract for this stuff before I can start giving away contact information." Your clone says under your careful direction. The eye stalks of the valen constrict in a reaction similar in nature to a human's palms becoming sweaty and the stalks retract several inches.
"What proof do you have of this claim?" He says.
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
>Offer more detailed technical data on the reactor design
>Offer other proof of the reactor's capabilities and safety (write in)
>Other
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
Negotiate hard
>>47519501
Does our clone have a parasite?
If so just stab ourselves and show him the healing.
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
We just want him to spread the rumor up to his bosses about this
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
Well excuse me gasbag.
>>47519521
dude, what. why?
We aren't selling biomods. (yet)
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
We can go to someone else.
>>47519473Either South Korea or Taiwan. It's hard to remember, sorry.
>>47519501
We completed our objectives the moment word gets out about our generators and the fact of new alien race operating in the expanse
Only question is how much danger are we willing to put john in now?
>>47519534
Yea but it's the most efficient way we have of convincing him, and he wouldn't know how we healed.
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
Please roll 1d100, best of three to have your clone strategically loose his cool.
>>47519501
>>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
>>47519534
We should sell couches I bet we could make a great couch better than those scavs and thier non existent couches at any rate
>>47519553
>We completed our objectives the moment word gets out about our generators and the fact of new alien race operating in the expanse.
Aw, i wanted the used car salesman commercials.
>>47519560
We don't give a shit about convincing this guy, we just want him to tell others about this incident
Rolled 98 (1d100)
>>47519570
For Mother
Rolled 71 (1d100)
>>47519570
pls
Rolled 46 (1d100)
>>47519570
For Mother!
God it feels good to say that again.
Rolled 34 (1d100)
>>47519570
For Mother!
>>47519578
AFTER ALL THIS TIME. IT STILL WORKS
>>47519575
We can do that when they inevitably come to see us
Rolled 17 (1d100)
>>47519570
FOR MOTHER
>>47519576
I didn't know that was the plan.
>>47519578
But apparently that doesn't matter, we succeed anyway.
>>47519578
First roll since hiatus.
For mother indeed anon, for mother indeed.
>>47519578
Wow.
>>47519573
Valen-size couch would be an undertaking.
Hell we could also add stuff like shell-cleaning and shit to it.
>>47519595
Never yell, inside voice remember?
>>47519578
On the first fucking roll. Man, I'd forgotten how much I've missed this.
>>47519578
A 98 to bring us back.
>>47519501
>Have your clone become indignant at his mistrusting behavior
Oh I'm sure I can sell these elsewhere too.
>>47519560
How to get kidnapped part 1.
>>47519578
Damn!
>>47519603
Also think about it if spider silk is considered luxurious then what must hive silk new like
>>47519628
Do we even have Hive Silk?
>>47519638
I thought that's just worker spit
>>47519647
No that's just hive cement.
>>47519615
>How to get kidnapped part 1.
That's good, we have bases to bust, secret research to steal, plans to thwart.
>>47519653
So worker shit then?
>>47519638
We could design some, but it's kind of pointless.
>>47519604
Fuck I forgot, it's been so long
I don't see why not we have complete control of our biology we could give our selves leather skin if we wanted
>>47519657
Silk is produced by insects when they transition from larva to fully formed adult, and arachnids produce silk for use as a durable construction material.
>>47519676
Our ships have leather interior already
>>47519657
>designated shitting construction site
Cmon anon, it's worker secretion, but not THAT kind of secretion.
>>47519676
Carapace>Leather
>>47519686
So my point is made heck we could make perfumes and other luxury goods if we wanted to people already think our food stuff is a good garnish we could make a lot of money on more than tech
>>47519732
We should just stick to drugs man
We can make any type of drugs for nothing and they would have so many wonderful effects
>>47519578
Mother's still got it.
>>47519755
YEEESS!!! Nothing makes a population more dependent on you than drugs
>>47519755
Yeah, we should buy samples of as many drugs as possible while we're here too. Learn how to make every intoxicant and psychoactive substance known to man and valen alike.
>>47519755
>Dude space weed lmao.
>>47519732
But why do we need to make money though? I'm fine with this generator business since it's just one thing that will be kept close to the chest, even if it's a big deal, but we don't need to make then perfume just to make money.
Let's try not to budge into the human space economy just because they're human.
>>47519755
Sell them the Hallucinogenic spores.
>>47519785
Aww but then we can't use our economic sway to mess with human politics the valen do it
>>47519772
>>47519780
>>47519782
>>47519796
>>47519785
Serious i still don't understand why we just didn't go with drugs in the first place
Do you guys know how hard to reverse engineer drugs just from the end products themselves? near impossible
But the moment we sell this generator or any other product some geek going to take them apart and has at least some chance of learning something
Hard to do that with a pill you know
>>47519570
Your clone waves away the hologram and jabs a finger at the massive valen. Its eye stalks retract behind its maw, peeking meekly around the layers of massive teeth.
"You listen here you bagpipe-talking salt-sucking urchin-smelling fish-sucking snail-assed dumpster-mouthed two-timing sack of floating chump-change counting dollar-store running garbage, I could of gone to any station in all of valen space, and I came here, right to you. You don't have the common goddamn decency to plug one of 'em into a goddamn outlet and see how it works your own damn self I can just pack them the fuck back in my ship and sell 'em to someone else."
The Valen's complexion puffs around the tongue glands, whitening the reddish flesh of the gums, and a strange sound can be heard from its shell, like a deflating balloon as air leaks from its massive diaphragm.
>Comment on his failed mating contract
>Demand he give an offer for the reactors
>Demand a price for the reactors (write in)
>Other
>>47519819
Knowing how the reactors work won't make it any easier for them to make the fidlyer bits of the reactor.
Even if they do figure out how to make them, this will hapen a year or two down the line and most likely cost far more than ours since theirs don't grow on trees.
>>47519785
We need an in to the regular Union economy in order to open new ways to shadowrun things.
>>47519841
>you bagpipe-talking salt-sucking urchin-smelling fish-sucking snail-assed dumpster-mouthed two-timing sack of floating chump-change counting dollar-store running garbage
This made me both laugh and cringe at the same time t b h
>>47519819
Not really difficult to reverse engineer a pill bit the main problem is public image people tend not to like drug dealers for some reason
>>47519841
>Comment on his failed mating contract
>Demand a price for the reactors ( fuck a million space credits each? is that legitimate? its brand new alien tech
>>47517403so is this just a bugmom thread in disguise?
>>47519841
>Demand he give an offer for the reactors
>>47519819
Firstly, we're some of the greatest biochemical engineers the galaxy has ever seen. We can easily learn to synthesize any compound we can get a sample of. Secondly, our generators were the result of reverse engineering human tech in the first place, and doesn't contain any truly original design features for anyone to copy. The only real advantage it has over human made generators is that it's dirt cheep to produce compared to theirs.
>>47519841
>Comment on his failed mating contract.
>Demand a price for the reactors (write in).
Can our thinkers calculate the best price for him to accept?
>>47519841
>Comment on his failed mating contract
Is he going to let a failed contract turn a possible fruitful business partnership off?
>>47519862
Nah most companies just steal the the way to make it from the patent office and by bribery of the docs involved with the studies
And you know what? we aren't going to sell themselves to the end users in the first place so who cares
>>47519841
>>Demand a price for the reactors
Make it a level of order above the current market price for the best generators. These things will sell no matter what the price is, just add a zero to the end of the price tag of a stellarator or a tokamak or whatever.
We might want to charge even more. Like I said, these things will sell no matter the price.
>>47519905
mark up that price by a 1000%
>>47519819
I agree, but the vote is already done. And we don't need to start another business now we have this.
>>47519869No. Not really, no.
>>47519841
>Demand he give an offer for the reactors
Let's not push too hard here.
Although, hell, who knows, they might think this is totally OK in their society.
>>47519876
now your idea of wanting to sell awesome space bug drugs is not wrong, but rather it shouldn't be something we start with for trading. Maybe once we have established a foothold and more importantly gained a more secure network of intelligence amongst the potential buyers so we can observe trends and what drugs go for best THEN we should go for it. I mean we could just test em on human clones but eh we already make the fucking wonder cure with parasites, its just hard to sell " wonder cure bug" when it sticks to your spine and compels you to listen to a space bug.
>>47519841
I laughed so hard I woke people up and got yelled at for it.
>>47519912
WAY too much man.
>>47519906
I wouldn't make them to expensive people tend to judge based on look not function
>>47519921
This is alright in their society
>>47519841
>>Demand a price for the reactors (write in)
Get Theseus to look up what these things go for.
>>47519933
The people who judge based on look and not function won't be buying these.
>>47519869
bugmom?
>>47519933
>>47519943
There ship generators
We are dealing with tech nerds
>>47519841
You owe me a new set of spiracles.
>Demand a price for the reactors.
A modern nuclear reactor weighs in between 2-9 billion dollars, we should price ours higher than any reactor systems we expect to surpass in efficiency. In conclusion we should demand whatever the space equivalent of 10-15 billion dollars is.
>>47519933
What about the ones that love exotic stuff.
>>47519841
>Demand a price for the reactors
High price, but not over the top... we want sell these to other places too, than labs for testing purpose
No reason to comment the failed mating, as we don't know much about it.
>>47519924
Oh, you misunderstand me. I don't want to copy every drug ever produced in human labs to SELL them, I want them so we can use them to fuck with people implanted with parasites in ever increasingly complex and bizarre ways.
Say we want to incriminate somebody? Send a fly to inject them with a banned substance just before they have to take a blood test. Could you imagine shooting up Killinger with LSD just before he addresses parliament or makes a speech at a public rally? Shit would be priceless.
>>47519959
No, worse/better, overworked ship engineers.
>>47519951
I think he's referring to that RE-(SPECIES) wave that was popular for a while. From what I saw it's a self-insert thing.
I feel really bad for the Valen now.... First his date gets turned down and he gets yelled at by a mean human...
Man, that's depressing
>>47519988
I had a feeling it was a fetish thing like those
>>47520013
He's works in engineering, he use to it now
>>47519988
Nno, those don't fit "bugmom" description.
Monstermoms in there were pretty hardcore. Also it really wasn't selfinserts.
>>47520025
Google search reveals mlp fanfiction... ok
>>47519841
>demand an offer for the reactors
>offer some dating advice, we know that shit sucks, we're hoping you'll get someone better - but sheesh don't you know better to mix personal life and business? You almost lost a deal of a lifetime by being broody!
>>47520065
What?
>>47520065
I don't even know anymore.
>>47520018
hahaha, oh wow
>>47520018
No matter what the species, even in the far future, the Engineer's curse still exists.
>>47520089
What? haven't you ever hear an engineer bitch about their lives?
That profession seems to be cursed for some reason
>>47519975
Why settle for LSD when we can use some of that horrible brain fungus from the oceans of the home world!
Who was it we had the parasite in? I know it was a government official but his name eludes me.
>>47520128
Killinger's Head Spook. He's pretty far right now, what with being in the Expanse on a wild goose chase and all.
>>47520128
The head of the intelligence division, spook what's his name. Also the scientist guy, easy to trick what's his name. They're the only government types we have at the moment.
>>47520139
>>47520156
you mean Micheal? he's just a toadie still
>>47520139
Oh it's not wild were just waiting for Lyle to get bored enough to go and deal with them in mean we could deal with it but we kinda promised him a fight with the power armor guy
>>47520083
There's no difference between the two it's one of the pillars of their society
>>47520170
Still waiting for that fight. I imagine that lyle is fucking terrifying to normal non augmented human combatants now.
>>47520167
What? But he was in the top secret meetings between Kellingers division chairs wasn't he?
>>47520189
Yeah as the help,
Don't confuse a thug for the mob boss
NUKE THE WHALES
GAS THE SQUIDS
STAB THE MONKEYS
TRUST NOTHING
THE VOID IS WATCHING
>>47519841
"Look, I don't care if you're grumpy over your date walking out on your sorry ass, but these things need to get sold." Your clone says. The red streaks along the sides of its petal shaped jaws flush white. "Now with specs like this in a reactor this size, I'm gonna need them on sale at around seven hundred thousand each."
"Yes. Yes." The valen says meekly to your surprise.
"And- wait, really?" Elizabeth begins to laugh uncontrollably.
"Yes. I will have it tested for power specifications and recommend the product be carried by our inventory." The valen begins to regain its composure, its eye stalks extending back out timidly. And do not bring Singing Marble Floats in Contemplation into this. A mating season wasted. Because Tender Songs in Cresting Waves offered at the last moment, after I had undergone the Change! All because the contract had yet to be put into writing and 'he' owns a merchant fleet! 'girlfriend', you know nothing of our mating rituals, human!"
The valen's shell whispers with faint noises like a breeze flowing through an overpass, muttering of one-uppance.
"Next season the both of them will fight for a contract with me!" His eye stalks quickly shift back to you. The uncertainty and fear are still there, but there is something new. A twinge of hope.
"I will sign a branding contract for your reactors, with a forty percent commission."
>Agree
>Counter offer
>"You're fucking crazy!"
>Other
>>47520240
>"You're fucking crazy!"
you take 15% or i walk
>>47518830
Guess I'll keep going while we wait.
Geonoshan sonic weapons. Granted it's different from standard sci-fi sonic weaponry, but it made me think about the subject more. Since it would need a medium to go through like a gas or a liquid, it couldn't be used as a space weapon. But then I started wondering how this pseudo-science fictional technology could be used as a space weapon, and what kind of quantum medium it would need to use to work, since empty space isn't really empty in the field of quantum science.
>>47520240
>Counter offer
25 max 30
Oh right Valen change gender alternating with the breeding season
>>47520240
10%, our reactors are awesome and you know it
>>47520229
SPACE WAR NOW
>>47520240
>"You're fucking crazy!"
I don't know why but I feel like we're getting scammed. We should scam them harder.
>>47520229
It's not time yet brother. There are still those who want to play at being friends. They will learn, the time will come soon.
>>47520240
>Counter offer
5%
Bargain hard and walk away over 20%
>>47520240
Haggle to 25-30%
>>47520240
>>Counter offer
>>47520240
Please roll 1d100, best of 3 for a mixture of luck and a haggling battle of wills.
Rolled 48 (1d100)
>>47520292
for mother!
Rolled 54 (1d100)
>>47520292
For Mother!
Take 10% you twit
Rolled 89 (1d100)
>>47520292
For Mother
>>47520240
>Counter offer
25%, and make it clear that he won't be getting any more. No need to shout, we aren't hawking used freighters here.
Rolled 27 (1d100)
>>47520292
>>47520300
>>47520300
Hell yes
>>47520240
Oh god, the Space-Jew-Squids determine mates through their yearly income.
>>47520300
Are you me anon?
>>47520313
That's normal
>>47520300
The inside voice proves itself yet again!
>>47520313
Next year all the squids will love the queen
>>47520240
>"Next season the both of them will fight for a contract with me!" His eye stalks quickly shift back to you. The uncertainty and fear are still there, but there is something new. A twinge of hope.
I love this dude, dudette, whale-jew.
He's getting adopted.
>>47520300
>>47520300
>Profitable enterprise intensifies.
>>47520240
>"And- wait, really?" Elizabeth begins to laugh uncontrollably.
Wait did we just get low ball ourselves?
>>47520313
>Space-Jew-Squids
They're more like crabs than squids.
Whalecrabs.
>>47520313
>>47520360
NUKE THE WHALES
