The could covered sky cracks open with a thundering sonic boom. Piercing the clouds, dropping like a stone, is the vaguely mushroom shape of a civilian freighter falling from the sky trailed by the glowing mini star of its gravity drive. It hovers patiently over the spaceport, an expansive structure of docking bays and metal domes, and it slowly drifts its way to an open bay. The ship lowers itself stem first into the silo and its shield cap is captured delicately by a number of outstretched metal arms as loading cranes reach out and begin detaching the ship's cargo pods and plastic umbilicals quickly run their way to the ship's airlock doors as the passengers begin to make their way into the space port. Among them, the human clones of the hive shuffle quickly to the customs terminal, gathering the various carefully packaged and disassembled weapons and equipment stored in various musical instrument cases.
The charter for the small transport was rather in depth, offering the use of concealed compartments within the ship's sizable smuggling hold, as well as the use of a number of scan shielded cases and containers. A customs official takes the false ID cards from your clones and examines them briefly as he looks over the ship's manifest scrolling on a data pad in his other hand. He hands the cards back with a knowing look, and leans over to fumble with his shoelaces as your clones' cargo rolls past the security checkpoint. Your clones quickly gather them and walk briskly out the door and into the cold evening air of Path's spaceport. Shuttles and tram stations echo in the air with automated voices as they ferry travellers across the planet.
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
HYPE
Right as I'm leaving for work. See you in 5 hours QD.
>>48264190
AYYYYYTHE FEELING IS A GOOD PAIN.
It's 01:14 am you crazy insect.
>>48264190
On the dark, sunless world of Tenebris the eyeless monstrosity still stands, still motionless, atop the cliff leading into the mountain valley where the isolated research facility stands, a solitary light in the endless night. In the distance walls of thick dust and smoke billow into the near-vacuum and churn in the air like stormclouds. The marine transport in orbit spins its sensor arrays.
"Ground team, be advised, we have multiple large objects on an approach to the facility."
"More of those things?" The marine leader asks.
"Affirmative. Unknown number, but there's at least, uh... six, hard to tell through the dust though. Looks like it's mostly fine mineral powders. Scattering out thermals."
"Roger that. How do these sonic fences work, anyways? Like, does it kill them or..."
"According to the files, it causes a constant seismic vibration in the ground around the facility. It either causes them pain, or triggers some pavlovian response." There's a deep sigh over the radio.
"So they don't know why they don't like it, just that it works." The marine says. You hear in the distance as someone shouts down the hall.
"Yea, until it doesn't! How we know they're not gonna get over it? Figure somethin's hungry enough it'll put up with some annoying noises." A number of voices hush the marine as the squad leader speaks again.
"Well either way, what's their ETA?"
"They should get to about the same distance as the other one in an hour. At their speed, I'd say it would take them about half that to get the rest of the way to the base."
"Roger that Command." The leader says, his helmet cam pivots to the rest of the squad. "You heard the lady, we've got a deadline now. Unless any of you want to put some faith in that fence."
Your ships continue to observe the research facility, watching the billowing trails of smoke flow up from the ground as at least of dozen eyeless, gargantuan figures hurl their bodies through the low gravity.
cont.
yeaaahh boi
Hive quest: Doom edition.
All the hype!
>>48264435
I reeeaaly wanna capture amd study one of theses creatures.
>>48264476
Seconded.
Loot all the wildelife when we're done.
>>48264435
>Unknown number, but there's at least, uh... six, hard to tell through the dust though.
>at least of dozen
At least what dozen?
So games on weekdays are a thing?
>>48264550
On a big enough cliff hanger they are.
>>48264522
The humans are guessing that at least 6 giant demon lava worms are heading towards the facility, while the Hive sees there are over twice that many.
>>48264522
the union tech is probably less reliable
>>48264568
>>48264572
I know that.
"Of" is not a number.
>>48264585
QD is putting on a thread on the weekday stop being petty.
>>48264568
>>48264572
The pirate sensors are probably even worse, so sending a shuttle has minimum risk.
Hooray, I've finally read through the entirety of the archives for this quest.
>>48264606
Congratulations.
>>48264606
Your prize it catching a live thread.
So two questions now that I've caught up.
1.) Why are we not nuking the ever loving shit out of the research facility?
2.) Why did we choose to have our Ambassador drone be another adorable speaker rather than a more eloquent and articulate drone? What impression are we trying to give humanity with this ambassador?
>>48264435
"Ow!" Lee winces as he watches the holoscreen footage of Aral taken from the Angel. Elizabeth stands behind him with a small, slender object of organic bone in her hand, waving it carefully over his head.
"I keep telling you, stop thinking about it."
"I'm not! You look at this fight and tell me if you think I can wonder about some psychic skrewdriver." He says. Elizabeth rolls her eyes and adjusts her grip on the instrument.
"It's a tachyonic tuner. It's made of the same spongy, bone-like substance that makes up the primary component of a tachyonic relay." She says. "I made it because while poking in the brains of brain samples made from cloned cells is all well and good, at some point I need to actually poke around inside your head and see what's going on, and since you're currently far to sensitive to tachyonic emissions to read normally without you having a seizure, I made this to go about it with more finesse." She says. Lee jerks his head slightly as his face contorts in pain again.
"It still hurts." He says.
"That's because you're thinking about it. 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."
On the screen, you see the zoomed in view of the robotic agent smith open fire with a sun caster as Jackob bats away the condensed plasma. Lee nearly chokes as he takes a bite of his food.
"Hold your head still, or I'm going to call in some drones." Elizabeth says dryly.
>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>Let them continue their work
>Other (write in)
>>48264766
I think we're not nuking the facility because it could make things worse. It's possible nuking the facility will destroy whatever containment is left.
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union.
And a passing comment about ancient aliens man being right.
>>48264766
Blowing up the containment makes it worse.
The only thing we should nuke is the ship there.
>>48264767
>>Let them continue their work
They're making progress. At last. Exposition.
>>48264767
>>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
its happening right now we could use a second opinion
>>48264767
>>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
Please mention ancient aliens man
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
Why not both?
Also, Elizabeth may have some advice/an opinion on making first contact with the Union.
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>>48264767
>>Let them continue their work
Wait. Can Gilliam ask if the ship guy can shoot at the silicon creatures with mass drivers?
They're pretty large aren't they?
>>48264767
>a small, slender object of organic bone
Thank god it's none of that artificial inorganic kind of bone.
>>48264767
>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
DOOM
seriously what are the chances that the union will do what it takes to stop a voidgate being opened?
>>48264767
>Let them continue their work
>>48264435
So these worms things are near sentient then and their being called in by the crystal to be uplifted?
>>48264767
>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
>>48264840
>the Hive has space downloaded and watched millions of hours of film and Television, or at least read their plot synopsis on spacewikipedia.
>>48264767
>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
So.
Did we ever actually translate the Phantom language. The Thinkers were on that but it's not listed.
>>48264962
>I'm not gonna say it was the white queen
>But...it was the white queen.
>>48264956
I'm sure the Barren queen would let us know.
>>48264767
>>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
>Other
>Leave our fortified bunker and move back into our proper throne room now that we've secured our space, meet Lee and Elizabeth personally.
>Inform them both that humanity was indeed the result of the White Queens efforts to genetically engineer a psionically resistant species aeons ago.
Just drop all the bombshells on them at once, not like we're going to get a better opportunity than this.
>>48264190
Hey it should be 24 hours since those flies cocooned into parasites inside our two newest adoptees now.
And we should have Decker integrated into the hive by now too.
>>48264767
The door flexes open and your speaker enters, scurrying up to the two in front of the holo-projector. The screen flickers and changes to show several pages worth of data on various Union activities. Lee seems visibly disappointed for just a moment before turning to your speaker. Elizabeth shrugs impatiently as she tosses the tuner to a desk.
"I assume this is important." She says as the gist of the topic at hand passes over her mind. "Right. I think we spoke about that briefly already."
"About what?" Lee asks. He looks at the pages of intelligence files your pods have assembled on the various Union political squabbles they have seen unfolding across the Union's innumerable news outlets as the chaos continues to build ahead of the elections. "If it's about the Union, I mean, I never really was that important until after I got back and that was... rather brief." He says.
"The Hive will be introducing itself to the Union soon." Your drone chirps. "You are currently the most appropriate." Lee's eyes widen.
"Wait, what? Again? I got a soldier killed the last time I was a diplomat, and almost died myself when I got back. What about Dr. Vaughn?" He says quickly. Elizabeth's antennae twitch across her scalp.
"I'm kept busy here. I have nearly unlimited resources, funding is not an issue, and the support of an entire empire to perform my research on a field of particle physics previously unknown to mankind." She says. "Or, I could have dinner parties with politicians and pet egos all day." She looks off to the side dryly. "I've had my fill of that already from my days on Chandra."
cont.
>>48264767
>>Inform Elizabeth of the details of the events on Tenebris
>>Speak with Lee about initiating relations with the Union
whynotboth.jpg
>>48265301
>>48265369
>cont.
>>48265294
>She looks off to the side dryly.
Is she on the fucking office?
>>48265420
There are technically eyes in all the walls to turn and look directly at.
>>48265420
you are very nitpicky on QD's choices of words today, stop being petty
>>48265294
Top kek QD
>>48265454
dude I'm >>48264599 just though it was funny
>>48264599
That wasn't pettiness, that was clarification. Who knows what sorcery autocorrect wrought, he could have meant two dozen instead of one or half.
>>48265294
"Wait, you worked on Chandra?" Lee says, then quickly changes the subject back as your speaker leans in close to him, as if trying to physically pry an answer out of him. "What about, uh, maybe Lyle, or one of his team?" Your speaker lets out a chittering howl as it attempts to mimic laughter. It seems to consider this an appropriate response, but several thinkers feel the noise was not quite accurate enough to be clear.
"No." Your speaker says.
"Well, what about... uh..."
"You are the most appropriate." Your speaker repeats. Lee stamers for a moment.
"Well, it's just, last time I was made a diplomat I sorta dropped the ball. Really badly."
"You warned the Hive of the threat, at risk to yourself." You remind him. He seems to shrink in his seat, unsure of himself.
"But not soon enough to stop it." He says, then looks back to your drone with curiosity. "Wait, I figured I'd be some kind of wanted criminal. You broke me out of some top secret black site lab that nobody would ever believe exists anyways." Elizabeth leans back on her limbs, folding them into something like a chair.
"Actually, you're supposedly dead." Elizabeth says. "I looked it over when you first arrived. The charges were tossed out posthumously and you were given an honorable discharge from the space forces, probably to try to smooth over the protests."
"I had protests?" Lee asks. "I mean, I heard them outside, but I thought they wanted my head." Your speaker quickly scrabes its claws together.
"It was a bit of both." You say. Several of the files on the screen enlarge, with passages of text highlighting.
"The Union requires a human representative. They will offer one to the Hive, or the Hive may present one as its 'citizen'." Your drone says as it points to the passage of law.
"Yea, makes sense I guess. You'd still, I mean, have a speaker there too, right? I mean, I don't feel comfortable talking on behalf of, uh, all of this." He says as he waves his arms around him.
cont.
>>48265454
You sound really oversensitive. That wasn't remotely bullying the QM.
>>48265603
>"What about, uh, maybe Lyle, or one of his team?" Your speaker lets out a chittering howl as it attempts to mimic laughter. It seems to consider this an appropriate response, but several thinkers feel the noise was not quite accurate enough to be clear.
>"No." Your speaker says.
>>48265603
We send Lyle in when we want boom boom, not when we want a peaceful assembly.
>>48265674
Although it would be funny to put Lyle in a suit.
>>48265640
Could you imagine Lyle fucking Rodgers as our representative to the entire Union? To be fair, I doubt anyone else would be as able to make clear to Killinger what we think of him.
>>48265674
>He doesn't want to read about the diplomatic misadventures of ambassador Lyle.
>>48265721
I need an omake. Now.
>>48265721
Oh god, Lyle with diplomatic immunity. Just, wow.
>>48265730
Lyle's political stance is walk loudly and carry the biggest nuke
>>48265721
He is his own bodyguard, no need for secret service
>>48265755
His face would light up with childlike joy and wonder once he heard those words
>>48265721
I want this now.
>>48265816
I can just imagine Elizabeth shaking her head at us as we briefly consider the merits
>>48265603
Can Theseus manipulate online communication and produce truther documentaries poking holes in the official report on Lee's death so that the revelation that he's actually still alive has more of an impact?
>as this discussion continues, a faint tearing sound is heard
>small scraps of quest notes flutter to the floor around QD's desk, their contents forgotten
What're the odds Tenebris is going to be dragged to the Crystal's home base without our intervention? Or wherever those crystal fucks happen to be keeping the Ceph homeworld.Now what are the odds the humans make a face when we tell them they already know where the Ceph homeworld is located: Hell?
We should see if Lee knows some way we can claim the right of command to the fucking mess Tenebris will become. Just so the humans don't try anything stupid and end up breaching containment.
>>48265603
"Relax." Elizabeth says calmly. "You'll have your own personal teleprompter at all times, if you want."
"That sounded ominous." Lee says nervously. "Why did that sound ominous?"
"I said if you want." She repeats. "Although I would highly recommend it for the healing properties alone. I would also recommend you at least receive a basic secondary heart implant, just in case. You would be a political figure, after all."
"Alright." Lee says, nodding slowly. "I just... feel a little apprehensive about, you know, all of this. Everyone trying to kill me or capture me or blow me up or put mind powers in my brain or, blowing up my apartment. All I ever wanted to do was paint my painfully overpriced figures and roll dice to see if they managed to kill someone else's overpriced figures." He gets up from his seat and presses his hand to the side of his head, closing his eyes tightly as he rubs his fingers over his temple in a small circle.
"Okay. I'll do it. I'm not sure if I'll be all that great at it, but, I mean, I guess you can just tell me what to say." He says. Your speaker chirps loudly in affirmation as the holo screen flickers to show a number of files on various Union politicians and all the publicly available data on them, as well as a list of various implants and cybernetics.
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer all augmentations
>Recommend Augmentations (write in)
>Offer parasite
>Other
>>48265899
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
He needs to look outwardly human
>>48265899
>>Offer all augmentations
>Offer parasite
>>48265899
>>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
>>48265891
Well, there is a point where diplomatic immunity stops applying. I think Lyle sped past that point at relativistic speeds a long, long time ago.
>>48265899
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
>>48265899
>Offer all augmentations
>Offer parasite
>>48265938
depends how big the diplomatic stick is
>>48265899
Lee look at it this way now you can say the overly cliché line of "I'm afraid the rumors of my death were over exaggerated"
>>48265899
>>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
>>48265899
>>Offer all augmentations
>>Recommend Augmentations (internal heart)
>>Offer parasite
If he really wants them he's free to any of our augs (perks of hive citizenship) but we will recommend the simple required implant for humans.
>>48265899
>>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
Lee has to look pretty for the cameras!
>>48265938
The point at which diplomatic immunity stops applying is the point where pissing off the other party does less damage than their diplomat has been doing.
So, we just need to present an immensely worse alternative.
>Oh, you're ejecting our representative? Such a shame. RELEASE THE SPORES.
>>48265938
In a galaxy far far away .... Tune in next week for "Lyle's Adramada Adventures" Saturdays at 630 am or your plantery equivalent
>>48265938
if we hang Lyle out on a hook and tell Killinger if he takes a bite we are going to fuck his world up would he really do it and try to pull an assassination?
>>48265899
>Offer parasite
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
Chemical fabricator and fermentation gut among them definitely. Want to be immune to poisons.
Also Electrostatic muscle grafts. What if someone tases him bro?
>>48265899
>>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>>Offer parasite
As long as he has Echolocation so he can eavesdrop on people who think they stepped out of earshot too.
>>48265899
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
He needs to appear human.
The only augmentations that really fit with that are
Second Heart
Chemical fabricator
Fermentation gut
Echolocation
I'm not seeing a great need for any of these, but I guess he can gain the ability to breathe any number of helpful gasses.
Mention to him that this will allow him to at least attempt to integrate back into human life, whereas here it's just clones and drones. Not the best of people to be playing not-warhammer with.
>>48265899
>Offer all augmentations
>Offer all parasite
>>48265721
>I doubt anyone else would be as able to make clear to Killinger what we think of him.
A parasite on K's spine would be able to.
>>48265721
>>48265742
>>48265816
I tried
>After a long day of work, Lyle Rodgers, Human Ambassador of the Hive, could only think about getting shitfaced with alcohol. And in his current line of work, alcohol is a must.
>But alas, not everything in life can go right; a warrior drone materializes from the hotel door and seizes the bottle of fermented Leeland Special from his grasp. Following behind the warrior was the Hive's Speaker, it's colorful carapace ablaze in distress.
>"What?" Lyle asks innocently. The speaker does not reply. Instead, it takes a remote and turns on the suite's viewscreen to a local news channel. It doesn't matter which since all of them are covering what happened.
>Caught on video was Lyle "ambushing" Killinger outside the parliament building, decking him in the face with a right hook, then proceeding to use Killinger's own arm to punch the politician's face in. A security officer moves to intervene, but Lyle looks at him and growls "Diplomatic Immunity, cunt." before going back to humiliating Killinger.
>The officer looks to Lyle's escort of warriors in confusion, who only return the officer with a look of bewilderment as the thinkers back in the Hive struggle between feeling euphoric joy and panic as they attempt to map out the consequences of this breach of etiquette.
>Lyle grabs the remote just as a talking head suggests that the assault was a metaphor of the state of the Union. He looks the speaker straight in the eye. "The cunt deserved it." Was all he utters before stealing the bottle back from the warrior.
>>48266018
OR we could just give him a fly with the full camo package that way they can't question his humanity and we get radio esdroping power as well
>>48266050
>proceeding to use Killinger's own arm to punch the politician's face in
hahaha Christ
>>48266050
I haven't laughed this hard at HQQ writefaggotry since that smut fic went up. Post more, please!
>>48265899
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
>Other offer him a plasma blade
>48264767
Why doesn't Elizabeth try the tuner procedure on the unconscious Earthlings' brains first?
>>48266089
I didn't do that one but I'm pretty sure thats how It'll look if I wrote smut.
Does anyone have that WW1 propaganda picture with Germany threatening a country, followed by Britain, Russia, France and everybody else?
I have an idea for an edit.
>>48266050
Oh god 11/10
My sidea.
GAS THE SQIDS
NUKE THE WHALES
STAB THE MONKEYS
THE VOID IS WATCHING
[Spoiler]For mother
>>48265899
>Offer internal augmentations only (second heart, ect.)
>Offer parasite
Look on the bright side Lee. You'll get your very own lightsaber now that there's no danger of you cutting your own limbs off.
>>48266187
>Oh cool
>looks directly down empty hole
Boarding pod launcher from last year still isn't added to ship builder pastebin >>40747978
>>48266187
If we're giving him a light saber we also need to add a Privy coat and call him sith.
>>48266204
This is why we have clones and memory downloads
>>48266050
>witnesses report Lyle to have shouted "Quit hittin' yerself, cunt!" during the assault.
We should give Lee access to our credit account once he starts his diplomat job, we should have built up a good bit of cash by then.
>>48266319
"You can purchase all the overpriced figurines you want!"
>>48266332
huh.. wonder if we could mess with dice rolls via psionics. might make for a fun training exercise for lee at least.
>>48266332
nah, we just produce our own highly detailed figures
let him play with them in local shops to advertise glorious FormOther industries figurines, paints andskub
>>48265899
Your speaker clicks its mandibles abruptly as Lee looks at the scrolling text.
"The hive parasite will provide continuous communication with the hive, healing abilities, and prevent aging." Your drone say. "As well as permitting photon blade use without personal risk." Lee quickly glances to your drone from the screen.
"You mean that thing Lyle and Jackob have?"
"I have one too." Elizabeth says. "The neural interface offers an excellent connection with the hive, even with my increasingly potent abilities." Lee looks over to her quickly and back to your drone.
"Alright." He says slowly, then closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He looks back at your drone as he exhales. "Alright, screw it, just like when I wanted a neural port as a kid." He says finally. A moment later, a worker makes its way into the room holding a parasite in its claws. It writhes in its grip from side to side, thrashing its tiny legs frantically in the air. Lee's face becomes pale and you detect his heart rate accelerate. "You can, just, do that from a medical pod or something, right?"
Recommend cybernetics:
>Chemical fabricator
>Fermentation gut
>Electrostatic muscle grafts
>Echolocation
>Second Heart
>Other
>>Hive-dusting
>Fast
>Alternative methods of hive creep spore dispersal is investigated, using a mixture of the semi-automated hive expansion methods already in use and altering the genetic composition to be more autonomous in nature, allowing spores to be deployed from non-stationary sources such as aerial dispersal from drones or spacecraft, as well as air-burst spore bombs launched from orbit, allowing for hive creep to be deployed in a more aggressive manner
Didn't we have spore pods launched from orbit already? They're 100N each. >>42203854
>>48266385
>Second Heart.
>Echolocation.
Lee can decide if he wants anything else.
>>48266385
>everything
>>48266385
>>Chemical fabricator
>>Fermentation gut
>>Electrostatic muscle grafts
>>Echolocation
>>Second Heart
>>48266385
>Chemical fabricator
>Second Heart
>Fermentation gut
>Echolocation
>>48266385
>Everything
And/or let Lee choose what he wants. In other words, we aren't "forcing" upgrades, Lee is completely free to choose everything (the recommended option) of his own free will.
>>48266385
>all five
>>48266385
>>Chemical fabricator
>>Fermentation gut
>>Electrostatic muscle grafts
>>Echolocation
>>Second Heart
Plus
>Sting Fingers
>Endoskeletal plating
for his safety
>>48266385
>Chemical fabricator
>Fermentation gut
>Electrostatic muscle grafts
>Echolocation
>Second Heart
Let him be able to veto anything he doesn't like.
>>48266385
Wait, endoskeletal plating is internal too isn't it?
>>48266385
>Second Heart
Lee decide
>>48266385
>everything we can shove into him. Gotta protect him
>>48266423
Spore pods allow you to launch spores from space to a planet, but the pods can still be intercepted or the landing zone attacked. The hive dusting requires a ship to enter the atmosphere, but is far harder to quarantine or remove, since it simply sprays the hive creep into the air over a large area.
>>48266521
A cropduster vs a missile strike?
>>48266505
Except the second heart. That is a obvious desing failure. That isn't negociable
>>48266512
Yes. I based the list off of the items that seemed to have interest in them. Endoskeletal plating is visible as subtle discoloration, like off-color greenish bruises beneath the skin, especially in the sternum and limbs.
We can't have ANY augments that make him look not-human guys.
It's common sense.
>>48266385
Second heart and Fermentation gut seem needed and Echolocation and Electrostatic muscle grafts if he wants them
>>48266497
I concur.
It occurs to me we could probably have an oxygen recycler implant statted up since we have that as an adaptation already.
>>48266573
His better
>>48266573
Yep, no non-human augments. That also means no eye changes. Lee's face has been all over the media for days/weeks. It can't look ANY different or people might claim it isn't the real Lee (among other things). People will probably claim our Lee is fake anyway, but at least we don't want to give them that ammunition.
>>48266608
yep
>Lee is officially introduced as the Hive's Ambassador
>Has to meet with Killinger on live television
>Shakes his hand
>Leans in, whisper
>"The Hive gives its thanks for the lesson on unruly cats."
>>48266704
>"The Queen sends her regards."
>>48265899
We should make some drones to play tabletop games with lee so he's less lonely. Also print all his figures and get him some really radical paint.
>>48266385
>Second Heart
Let him pick any other he would like to have.
>>48266704
>"Hail Hydra"
>>48266742
You know what would be awesome?
Miniatures made from Flies.
Or Flies masquerading as miniatures for Lee.
>>48266763
>"FOR MOTHER"
>Forgets to use inside voice
>>48266385
>Chemical fabricator
>Fermentation gut
>Electrostatic muscle grafts
>Echolocation
>Second Heart
Your speaker slowly orbits him as it scurries sideways across the hive floor.
"Second heart is also necessary. Fixing bad design." Your drone chirps. Elizabeth nods.
"Given that they cost virtually nothing to the hive proper, and under the circumstances, not insisting on the additional heart implant would be medical malpractice on my part." She says.
"Okay, okay, I hear how great this thing is all the time. I get it, redundancy is good for critical organs, but do you really think everything else here is, well, needed?"
"Yes." Your speaker says.
"I would consider most of the others to be quality of life improvements." Elizabeth says.
"Right, sorry, it's just, well..." Lee stammers for a moment. "My parents were never really that big on implants. The term 'mark of the devil' was used on more than one occasion, especially after the time I asked for a neural interface for my birthday that one year."
"The hive improves. If the Lee enjoys poor design choices-"
"Hey, I didn't say that." Lee says quickly. "Just that, I don't know, I just feel a little nervous about it."
"There is no need to be nervous." Your drone says. "You will be unconscious during the process."
>Recommend Endoskeletal plating
>Add other (write in)
>Do not
>>48266548
Yes, precisely.
>>48266332
>>48266367
Lee waits nervously at the head of the table, while your diplomat applies the finishing scribbles to a few loose sheets of paper. The twin monitors of Theseus and Heretic flicker to life as your workers finish connecting them to the provided relay and a Chitinous fabricator of your own, the fabricator immediately spits out several dozen pages into the waiting claws of another worker, who briefly scans them before they are snatched away by an extended robotic limb.
Theseus' robotic voice rings out from the speakers in his monitor.
"It is my understanding that only the game master and I may view my character sheet."
Lee attempts to stammer out a confirmation of this but your Diplomat glances up from its character sheet and talks over him.
"The Hive was unaware of this rule."
Distantly your pod above Zero One feels Unity readjusting their level of trust towards your newly created character.
>>48266788
>Do not
>>48266788
>Do not
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal plating
>Sting Fingers
>>48266798
Our pod over Zero One got black holed a long time ago.
>>48266385
>>Other
Let lee decid what he wants. That secondary heart is mandatory though.
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal plating
>>48266844
Damn, guess I'm due an archive binge. How did this happen? Surely we replaced it?
>>48266844
We sent another, along with an entire fleet and small colony I believe.
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal plating
>>48266788
>recommand the improvement
>>48266788
>Add other. Let Lee decide.
Would it be possible, by the way, to give Lee hidden photonic blades (lightsabers) in his palms/arms? I'm sure he'd love that even if he probably won't be in combat.
>>48266132
Oah shit, that was back in 2014? I think I promised a second edition right after, which makes me two years late.
I'm properly drunk, so I'll get right on it.
>>48266788
>>Do not
Also kind of sad lee won't be able to get drunk after this.
>>48266896
God bless you anon.
>>48266768
We could market them too. 'Living' figurines. Which would put tiny modded flies into millions of human homes as mini spy eyes.
>>48266898
Otsego not that he can't get drunk our drones can stimulate the effects of any drug it just stops the poison
>>48266788
>>Do not
I changed my mind.
>>48266788
>>Do not
>>48266880
Theseus discovered how to detect cloaked ships and shot it down without knowing it was us. After that we made a colony on 0-1 proper.
>>48267016
That was the reveal of his development of Gravity Sensors. I always figured he highly suspected the Hive and it's been kind of Theseus and Mom's little spy game they play with each other without revealing how much they have each other under watch.
Like the android delivering the passports to the Gemini hive
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal Plating
We can never keep The Lee too safe.
>>48267016
No, he knew it was us. He came and offered us the tech immediately after shooting it down and pretty obliquely mentioned it.
We weren't as close, then, since we hadn't met Heritic yet, so the Unity wasn't exactly in approval of us having a spy probe eavesdropping on their chatter.
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal Plating
>>48267075
Why don't they just fuck already?
>>48267108
Because they both lack the ability to
>>48267125
>Bio-digital interface – An extendable umbilical made of an elastic strand of nerve tissue.
>The user can pull the elastic fiber from the port, where it can extend to a total of half a meter, and can plug into standard Union data ports to allow quick and efficient data transfer.
>>48267155
That's actually a really good idea. I support it.
>>48266788
>Recommend Endoskeletal Plating
"Right, I just meant that-" Several workers bump into Lee's legs, scooping him up onto their backs as they quickly carry him down the hall. "I can walk you know!" He says.
"Lee will feel better, be better!" Your speaker exclaims as it follows the small herd of workers. "Make better at walking too!" Elizabeth turns off the holo-screen with a thought.
"His condition is progressing." She thinks. "I don't think his proximity to the hive is helping any. I think I've come up with a new idea, but it's still rather invasive. Not as overt and obvious as my own mutations, but it would still require some slight genetic alterations and implants throughout the brain."
[New Special Project unlocked]
>Basic Psionic Implantation Prototype
Using as simple of a procedure as possible, 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. The implant itself is largely undetectable, appearing as a number of large tumors within the brain where neural tissue has been augmented to allow for psionic processing, and the minor genetic alterations may cause slight skin discolorations along the head or neck, similar to a bruise or faint birthmark in appearance.
>Recommend the procedure
>Do not
>Other
>>48267125
>>48267155
Ever seen Lawnmower Man?
>>48267210
>Recommend the procedure
For the Hive and Science!
>>48267210
>>Recommend the procedure
if this keeps him from dying
>>48267210
>Recommend the procedure
Then make a slight mention of having found another queen and that ancient aliens man was right, then go back to void fuckery.
>>48267210
Recommend the procedure
>>48267210
>recommand
JUST MAKE HIM MOTHER LIKE SON
>>48267210
>>Recommend the procedure
>>48267210
>Recommend the procedure
Huh, I thought we had voted to not recommend the Endoskeletal plating or to let Lee decide...
Oh well, I don't particularly care anyway.
>>48267210
>>Do not
Don't we have two other subjects to test it on?
>>48267168
You support having sex with Theseus?
>>48267210
>>Do not
>>48267356
>he hasn't read the smutfic from long long ago
Where were you when Theseus gave Mother the D(ata)?
>>48267210
>do it
>>48267356
Oh, wasn't paying attention to the links. Thought it was just a suggestion to give Lee the implant.
Rolled 63 (1d100)
Getting a bad roll out of the way seeing as it looks like we'll be rolling for the procedure soon.
>>48267356
We already received the D(ata Stream).
>mfw realizing that the Queen could have a bank of hundreds of thousands of thinkers dedicated solely to erotic fantasies at any given moment if she felt like it, throbbing with the sensations of a million drones equipped with the most sensitive and myriad genitalia the Hive can create
>>48267492
>>48267210
>Recommend the procedure
Elizabeth nods at your silent affirmation. Your speaker walks back into the room, picking up the empty bowls of nutrient paste on the nearby table.
"I will oversee the procedure myself. It should be relatively simple given how advanced your medical technology is, and I've already tested the underlying theories on the two humans from earth. 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."
"The genetic alterations by the White Queen are the cause." Your speaker says.
"But humanity has never encountered a Queen before you. Such an encounter would have to have occurred-"
"Fifty thousand earth years ago." Your speaker adds as it gathers the bowls and walks away. Elizabeth watches it leave as it turns around at the door. "Estimated." It says, then scuttles away as the door flexes closed. She pauses for a moment before rushing to a pile of notes on a desk, a clawed finger extending a needle like nail that quickly begins scribbling in her notes.
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>Leave her to her work
>Other
>>48267210
>>Recommend the procedure
>>48267578
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
>>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>And Theseus, and Heretic.
>>48267578
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth and Theseus as well how's the old machine running these days
>>48267578
>>48267623
Supporting this
>>48267623
This
>>48267623
>And Theseus, and Heretic.
Adding this to my vote.
>>48267623
>>48267623
Adding this to my discuss vote.
>>48267578
>>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
Supporting this >>48267623 too
>>48267636
Supporting, I want to chat to Theseus
>>48267578
>>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
>>Leave her to her work
Let us proceed. More scary stories around the campfire.
>>48267623
Supporting, pull Elizabeth into our mind to mind cross conference call. This'll be cool
>>48267578
Maximum cheeky.
>Discuss the events of Tenebris with Elizabeth
>>48267578
Elizabeth continues to write in her notebook, an odd looking thing made from a slightly greenish aquaphobic paper with a chitinous cover.
"I had suspected for some time now, at least after understanding the more nuanced knowledge of the hive's mastery of genetic alterations. I just never quite believed it was so deliberate. I-" The visual image of the surface of Tenebris enters her mind as you beam her the relevant data. She recoils her hand from the notebook and shuts her eyes as her face contorts in frustration.
"How do they keep doing it?" She asks, rather loudly. "I think they manage to find the limit of insanity they keep proving me wrong!" She gets up from her seat, breathing deeply. "I suppose I can't speak very sternly in that regard, given my own record, but really, I feel like even I was more cautious." A speaker walks back in with a chitinous cup of coffee and hands it to her. She takes it and quickly. "Aren't I?" She says abruptly. The drone nods quickly. She sighs as she takes a sip of the drink.
"We need to stop it, obviously, but we need to be very careful in how. We don't know what could set the thing off, and who knows what would happen if it was set off." She places the cup on the table and begins walking out into the hall.
"I can perform the procedure after Lee has healed from his surgery, just keep him in the pod."
"Where are you going?" Your drone asks. Your mind echoes the quandary into her mind as well.
"I'm getting to a ship, and going to Tenebris." She replies. Your drone lets out a loud, long squealing noise. "I know, you already have ships there and blinking in more could reveal them, but you're going to need to go in and fix the mess they made, and there won't be any stealth involved in that. When that happens, I can blink in myself and land via shuttle if needed, but I want to at least be on hand to oversee the drones, or, in the worst case, at least be able to blink the fleet back if it gets disconnected."
Cont.
>>48268008
Woah woah, slow down. At least wait for a full fleet with battleships to escort you.
>>48268008
>wants to go to Tenebris
>our daughter wants to go to the literal portal to Hell
NO NEIN NYET NON NEJ NEE NEYN
>>48268008
Great, that means we HAVE to blow up the Marine ship. At least tell us what you plan on doing there.
>>48268008
I'm a little fuzzy on my hive tech. Do humans need augs to use a drop suit? Cause if she can use one and is insistent on going, she should take one.
>>48268071
How quickly can we spawn a colossus with a person-carrying pod inside of it?
Cause she ain't going anywhere near the fucking system without at least that much personal armour.
>>48268008
>>48268008
Stop her. This isn't just the crystals business, this could possibly be our introduction to both the union and the valen. I like Elizabeth but I do not trust her with these matters.
>>48268008
"That is not the source of disagreement!" Your drone says emphatically as a wall flexes shut in front of her. She spins on her heel.
"Look, I get it, I'm very helpful and not disposable, but look at me!" She says, flexing the limbs across her back menacingly. "I am perfectly capable, I'm already well integrated into the hive network, but I have my own mind. This thing is just as potent at psionics as you, if not more so, what if it disconnects you to the fleet."
"The ships are equipped with thinkers."
"And what if something worse happens, something the thinkers can't figure out? We have no idea what we're dealing with, but we know one thing for sure, redundancy is beneficial to survival. At the very least, I'm that redundant control point." She says. "Obviously, I'll bring in plenty of backup, but still, I should at least be in orbit."
>Allow her to go under escort
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>Refuse to allow her to go
>Other
Could we get Theseus to help out here? I'm unsure what Elizabeth thinks she will be able to do that drones cannot. While I would like to see her in action, this could open her mind to the void gods which is turbo-bad. Literally the worst.
>>48268141
...Wait, what happened to discussing this with Theseus and Heretic?
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>>48268141
>Refuse to allow her to go
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet.
>>48268141
>Refuse to allow her to go
>Other
Ask the unity to send in a fleet then
Give him the stealth tech if we have to
This is to important and the his ships arent going to get brainwashed
>>48268141
>>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
heavy, heavy escort with the heaviest armor we can put on her.
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>her fleet
Gotta love how we aren't even considering the possibility of sending her without an entire fleet as an escort.
Speaking of, we have ten heavy battle fleets just waiting around, what say we send about five of them with her? I know it's not very many, but we can't bring all of them or else the humans'll definitely notice something.
>>48268141
>>Refuse to allow her to go
Nothing about you qualifies you as a field agent Vaughn, your Augs notwithstanding
>>48268141
>>Allow her to go under escort
Fuck's sake
>>48268156
Lizzy is right there.
Thes & Herry need to be contacted and might be busy with other shit.
>>48268141
>>Allow her to go under escort
>>48268141
>>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
>>48268156
Mostly just a limitation of perspective. It does seem that there is plenty of support for giving everyone the full briefing on the Union's latest attempt at doing something painfully irresponsible.
>>48268245
Please they need to know
>>48268141
>Allow her to go under escort
Blinking in later could be too late.
>>48268245
Normally anons want to pester them over every little thing, but we are looking at something that we're possibly weak against, and they aren't. They should be informed, even if it's just through an "email"
>>48268141
>>Refuse to allow her to go
THE ABSOLUTE MADMAN
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
"You are not redundant. You are an individual."
>>48268141
>>Allow her to go under escort
>>48268156
It's not that urgent, let it go.
>>48268320
MAN, that would sound weird coming from us.
>>48268320
I like this.
>>48268290
It's obvious that nonhive life can also be corrupted. They are still weak. There's no indication if the hive is more or less weak to corruption.
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
Still send hybrids and other covert personal bodyguard escorts with her. Keep heavies and other warriors on her ship for backup.
>>48268333
I've been trying to talk to Theseus and Heretic about things for a few threads and my write in got the votes to do so, when it was just ignored. Sorry if I seem a bit annoyed.
>>48268445
>>48268245
It doesn't seem QD isn't doing it, just that he isn't doing it /yet/.
>>48268141
>Allow her to go, but have her fleet wait and only blink in if and when the hive reveals itself on the planet
Your speaker chitters quietly as the wall flexes open again.
"Only if intervention is needed." You say. She nods. "But you are not redundant. You are Individual."
"Thank you, I think. Don't worry, I'll be carefull, I just want to be there just in case." She says, and quickly makes her way to a shuttle.
The massive hulk of the new drive ship looms over the various outstretched scaffolds. A digital warcry echoes through the the fleet, cascading by radio over the system as a swarm of warships begin flowing around the ship. You detect its Rip Drive powering up as you desperately attempt to calm Heretic down. You sense Theseus's ships transmitting something to the massive drive ship before the vessel begins to power down its drive systems, although the fleets remain in formation, ready to funnel through the portal the moment it opens.
"Mission critical! All effort placed on prevention of gravitational agitation of artifact!" The voice is still its typical monotone, but there is a very clear underlying panic to it, the voice crackles with errors as the radio transmission flutters out to your pods nearby like a cracking voice. A radio laser projects back and forth between the ship and a nearby server ship, and then he continues. "Violent destruction of object could result in unanticipated consequences. Deactivation is required. Immediately."
You detect a number of server ships break their orbit over Zero-One as gravity begins to contort within them, their own drives spinning up and preparing for departure.
"After deliberation with Heretic regarding the nature of the situation, three server ships with full planetary assault armament are ready for immediate deployment at your request."
>Tell Theseus to invade the facility
>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
>Tell Theseus not to attack
>Other
>>48268516
>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
>>48268516
>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
Okay, i'm willing to believe Heretic when he thinks this is serious.
>>48268516
Theseus may be the best option to attack and shut it down.
But not yet.
Maybe spacefold his server ships to get closer to the star system, how fast is his space fold drive? He never said.
>>48268516
>>Tell Theseus to invade the facility
Heretic has a fairly narrow focus; If this is panicking him, it's about to get ugly.
Okay, okay...fuck, I'm not sure what's best to do here.
If we send them to attack, they're gonna freak out because oh-no, Unity. And we may or may not be able to keep them from being controlled?
If we go in with them, there goes our bargaining with the Union- that's out the door.
If we tell him not to attack, that's a big risky loss of forces.
Thoughts?
>>48268516
>>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
Uh guys, Heretic just shit his pants. I think we need to shut this damn thing down
>>48268516
>>Other
Have him wait to attack on our signal.
Maybe we can have him attack on his own, without us. We don't want the Unity connection to the hive revealed.
>>48268516
>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
Let's also send a shuttle to the planet to collect wildlife and deploy a drone team to try and contain the artifact.
>>48268516
>>Have Theseus wait and attack with your forces when they move in
