Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (NAST) <Tremor> Gen A.1.2

The proposed fuel is replaced with a new selection; a two-part mixer.  Individually they are stable, but when combined catalyze into a highly energetic (and unstable) explosive propellant.  The hybrid propellant manages to beat the energy density of our existing compound by more than a third (pressurization and containment cells included).  The end result is a smaller, more stable torpedo that no longer suffers from acceleration issues.

More importantly, the torpedo can also be scaled down to be fitted to the Relentless's payload mountings.

[NUKE9.13]

Queen's Path Refits
In which the Deliverance and Wrath have their primitive bore drives replaced with shiny new Queen's Paths.
Whilst we're removing the old bore drive, we may as well also jot down blueprints for versions without built-in FTL.

<Tremor> Gen A.1.2: (2) NUKE9.13, evictedSaint
Queen's Path Refits: (2) NUKE9.13, evictedSaint

[BBBence1111]

Can we do Path refits even if it isn't done?

Anyway, +1 on both of those.

[NUKE9.13]

So, I dunno what made me think this up, but have a suggestion for some more lore:

As Queens grow older, their personalities trend towards the esoteric. Their minds remain as sharp as ever, but more of their free time is dedicate to mulling over the future, specifically the unknowable, distant future- Hivers tend to constrain their thinking to the present, the immediate future, and the predicted long-term, so this is unusual. Such Queens may spend years on end considering far-flung events, not sharing their thoughts with anyone, until one day they announce a [prophecy]- information about an event that will take place decades, if not centuries in the future. However, this [prophecy] is 'spoken' as a complex, multilayered psionic symphony, incomprehensible even to other Queens. Nevertheless, the [prophecy] is duly recorded and preserved, in specially designed archives subject to heavy security.
Queens will occasionally consult these archives, 'listening' to dozens of [prophecies] at a time, letting the intermingling psionic noise wash over them, hoping that one of them might sound familiar- because whilst of little use for predicting the future, once the event in question occurs (or has started to occur), the seemingly discordant message will resonate with contemporary thoughts, and will unravel to reveal a (still complex) message that a Queen can comprehend.
What use is a [prophecy] that does not predict the future? The answer is quite simple; they contain an analysis of the event, suggestions for actions to be taken, and musings on potential outcomes- their use, in other words, is in helping Queens react more quickly and wisely to complex events. The events resulting in the formation of the [Council], for example, were the subject of many [prophecies], which explains why the Hivers were able to centralise so quickly and effectively: unbeknownst even to themselves, they had been planning it for centuries.
Speaking a [prophecy] is the last action a Queen will perform before passing away, as she knows when her (natural) death will occur, and spends as much time as possible formulating the [prophecy] before sharing it, to be of as much help to future generations as possible. Of note, not even the Queen creating a [prophecy] can truly understand it without the correct context- but the rule that one must understand a problem in order to solve it is not one that applies to elder Queens.

I think we have a few days before Draig updates, so we might as well add more tidbits of lore, right?

[evictedSaint]

Transmission Detected
Interception Protocol Initiated
Transmission Captured
Decryption Sequence <REDACTED>
Attempting Decrypting Now
.
..
...
....
Decryption Successful
Translation Sequence <REDACTED>
Attempting Translation Now
.
..
...
....
Translation Partially Successful
Displaying Message On-Screen

Survey Log 22.32.3409-A.R.9094
Ship-Integrated Captain **&@(^!%%-0023.1
Survey Stealth Ship CSS 88A-2641 "Translucency"
Alpha System

Translation of Hiver Psionic History Storage Segment S.28.6-Pb9G: SUCCESSFUL.

>status S.28.6-Pb9G
Data transcribed to archive with 82% Translational Confidence Rating.

>get S.28.6-Pb9G -story -5
Query for Inspection of S.28.6-Pb9G: Granted.
Formatting Segment for Story Mode
5% Embellishment
.
..
...
Format successful. S.28.6-Pb9G_story_5 ready for view.

>view S.28.6-Pb9G_story_5
Displaying S.28.6-Pb9G_story_5 on-screen.

Chapter 1

Sixteen was her designation.

It was not her name; Hivers didn't have things like names.
It's not an effort at cruelty or an attempt to break individuality.  Names simply aren't a thing in Hiver culture. When all was thought and idea, names could become conflicting and confusing.  Many things with the same name, and many things with different names.  Designations, on the other hand, led to clarity, and the more tags a thought had the greater clarity it was given.  Anything worth thinking about has a designation.

This particular Hiver - as best can be translated - was designated "Princess 16, of Queen 2, of Queen 4, of Queen 1."

That was her formal designation.  Her complete designation went on much longer than that, tracing her lineage back to the [First] Queen.  Her shorthand designation (as constructing the scaffolding around the longer one could be tiresome) was "PS.16.2.4.1"

But when communicating amongst the brethren in her local colony branch, she was just "Sixteen".  The colony had long since spawned and lost their sixteenth Prince, and the Drones barely had distinction beyond their batch number (also long past "16").  And as for Queens, it was literally unheard of for a Queen to be the direct progenitor for so many others.  Since there was none other in the branch who held the designation of 16, the number was hers, and hers alone.

Sixteen stood at the bridge of the Hivers latest warship.  It was one of the newest - and biggest - that the Council had commissioned.  Literally dozens of Queens had put together their collective psionic will to cement the concept of the ship and precipitate out the mental blueprints. Conceptualizing the design had taken them months of nonstop work and assembling the parts had taken further months, but the ship itself was built literally overnight.

Regalis, her homeworld, slowly spun a mere three dozen million miles away from the sun.  The upper plates of the planet were scorched clean of atmosphere by the harsh solar rays, and it was during the night that rails were laid out to help hurl the hastily assembled ships into orbit a couple dozen miles above.  Weak but efficient engines would power the ship along hundreds of miles of rail lines stretching through the dark vacuum until the entire craft lifted from the surface in a smooth, graceful motion.  The sun would warp and ruin any rails that lingered in the daylight.  The rails would be disassembled by thousands of drones as dawn approached and reassembled after nightfall.

And so the ship was put together in a single night by necessity.

This was Sixteen's ship.  It was designated as [Warship], with smaller tags of the class [Wrath] and version [1.0] and the production overseer, [Sixteen].  That last tag was a small one, dwarfed entirely by the empty one next to it; Captain.

Captain.  It was a rather complex designation, one that bore numerous tags of it's own. Commander. Fleet Leader. Respect and Deference.  But most of all, Queen.  The Captain designation was for Queens, and only Queens.

Sixteen was a princess and the overseer for production.  She wasn't a commander, or a researcher advancing the Hiver knowledge base.  Her station would never bear glory or renown, and if she never bore those designations she would never gain that of Queen.  She was to perform her station as directed,  and she was to do it to the best of her abilities.

And she would.

But not as Princess.

Not as Sixteen.

Around her stood three Princes. As of yet they bore nothing more than the designations of their stations.  They were from a three different minor colonies, gathered quietly and subtly.  They were not the best, but they were the best she had.  Her attention focused on one Prince from a rather unremarkable lineage, virtually unknown save for a minor tag in military prowess.  A humble Prince with the designation "P.184.2.1.2".

Again, not the best, but the best she had.

Her psionic will touched his.  Without preamble she constructed the concept of [Begin], coloring it with the tags of [Confidence] and [Excitement] and, strangely enough, [Sadness] and [Regret].  To his credit the Prince did not waver.  He attached his own tag of [Acknowlegement], calmly sliding it over the [Sadness] and [Regret] and replacing them.

Sixteen turned away from him as the other Princes gathered close.

The ritual was time-honored and a powerful symbol.  P.184.2.1.2 collected his tools and studied the symbol painted on Sixteen's carapace. It was her Queen's symbol, marking her externally as her subserviant.  He scrubbed the mark away and absolved her of the duties owed, and with paints in hand he set about creating her new emblem.  They communicated wordlessly and built it together.

 A dark yellow circle, acknowledging her as a member of the Hivers.  A second circle within it, a lighter yellow of her lineage. Sixteen blue radiant dashes of her previous station, and a pair of red wings spinning counter clockwise around the outside.  These were local identifiers, marking where on Regalis she'd ascended.  Then two orange slashes in the outer circle, for the two other Princes who joined them in this rebellion.  And lastly a small, humble orange circle in the very center; his mark.

The paint dried quickly and the two other Princes followed along, marking themselves with the same emblem as it came into being.  They pledged themselves to her without word or thought.

There was one last thing to do.  The tags from before - [Sadness] and [Regret] - bloomed from the fading [Begin], shining out from the [Acknowledgement].  The mating took place quickly.  Their rebellion was cemented, and the Prince withdrew as his life began to fade.  His task now completed, he only had time to send his encouragement in a feeble, fading thought. 

[Good Luck].

[NUKE9.13]

Hivers are living beings, and as such, following the immutable laws of biology that seem to permeate the entire universe, Hivers die. Death may be universal, but the reactions to it are not, and the Hivers have unusual attitudes towards death, befitting their unusual nature.

Drones are barely considered alive to begin with. Their lives are valued above those of animals (a category that includes all other life in the universe, including other species that might consider themselves sapient), but far below those of the higher castes. For a drone to sacrifice its life in pursuit of its duty is not considered a noble act, but is taken for granted as just something drones do. Indeed, the Hiver 'language' has no way of saying "A drone died"- the closest equivalent is "[drone]->[cease]", which would also be used to refer to a drone that has stopped working.

In the case of princes, death is uncommon. A far more common 'final' fate is [termination]. This occurs when their Queen determines that they have failed the Colony in some way, be it through heresy (or thoughts thereof), or simple incompetence. The Queen will forcibly sever the prince's connection to the psionic network, by sending them a pulse that burns out their psionic organ. This renders the prince all but entirely dumb and deaf, as well as half blind. Once a prince has been [terminated], they are a non-entity; an animal, by Hiver standards.
Most princes respond to [termination] by killing themselves- those who retain some loyalty to the Colony having the decency to make their way to a recycling centre first. A rare few will refuse to die, however. They skulk about the Colony, stealing food where they can- a dangerous endeavour, as warrior drones see them as intruding wild animals, and will duly hunt them down should they be caught harming the Colony. Some flee into the wild, and attempt to survive on their own- a monumental feat for an individual Hiver, but one that especially hardy princes sometimes manage. Hunter drones sometimes return from expeditions with such a 'wild prince' amongst their catch (who are thrown into the meat grinders with all the other prey).
Of note, only princes who are connected to the Queen's psionic network can be [terminated]; those belonging to other Colonies, or rebels who have severed themselves, cannot be targeted.
Sometimes, a prince will actually die before failing in such a manner as to deserve [termination], be it in combat, through old age (at around 25 earth years), or as a result of breeding. These princes are honoured in [religious] ceremonies, where it is emphasised to other princes that they should emulate the success and piety of the dead prince, in the hopes that they too might die whilst connected to the psionic network, and hence ascend to the spiritual plane.

All princesses hope to be [anointed], but most will die as princesses. The average lifespan is around 60 earth years, although some princesses live much longer. Sickness is the most common cause of death, as they are usually kept out of danger- even when a princess goes to war, she will be protected by elite bodyguards, and rarely face mortal peril.
The death of a princess is considered regrettable, on a practical level, but Hivers have few emotional ties between individuals that would result in actual mourning. Particularly noteworthy princesses may be honoured by a 'funeral', of sorts, in which their noteworthy accomplishments are recounted and recorded for future generations to consider, although the body is unceremoniously recycled.

All the callousness with which death is treated for the majority of Hivers is entirely discarded when it comes to the death of a Queen. Her entire Colony can feel her passing, and will suffer as her presence is erased from their minds- a presence that has almost certainly been with them their entire lives, around which their entire being is built. The loss can be devastating, to the point where many of her drones will die on the spot from the mental trauma.
It is fortunate, then, that Queens can feel their natural deaths coming, ensuring that the Colony has ample time to prepare for the damage, and the question of succession can be worked out in advance. Likewise, it is fortunate that Queens can have extraordinarily long lifespans, ranging into the centuries, meaning these events do not happen often.
...

More stuff. Not sure how to finish it. Feedback welcome.

[evictedSaint]

[We]

The Sixteen Saga

Chapter 2

With the Prince dead, Sixteen ordered his carcass to be dragged to the life support and be reduced to protein slurry.  His final action would be to nourish Sixteen's crew.  Securing control of the ship itself proceeded smoothly. 

It was trivial, even.  The ship wasn't due to be launched for a few more hours still, set for just before dawn.  This would give the warship maximum amount of rail length for launch and enough time for crucial last minute construction.  The Drones who would be the ship's crew were already aboard, along with everything they'd need finish putting the hull together.  Sixteen interrupted their frenzied work to broadcast the ship's final designation.

[Warship][Wrath][A.1.0][PS.16.2.4.1][Q.1.2.4.1]

A noticeable pause rippled through the ship as the implications were slowly realized.  The captain was Queen 1, of Queen 2, of Queen 4, of Queen 1?  Their Queen was not the progenitor of any other Queens.  The council had never deemed her bloodline worthy of such honor, nor had the Queen ever informed the colony of their new [Honor] tag.  She'd never risked her colony for such accolades, and their duty seemed to be consigned to a slow, fading death from the designation of [We].  Who, then, was this new Queen?

Sixteen let the thought process work it's way through the Drones on board, then confidently merged the overseer and captain tags into one.

[Sixteen].

That caused a stir.  Was this a rebellion? Surely it must be.  And if it was, then their duty was to their Queen - the [Lifegiver] Queen, not the [Bretheren] Queen.  Once again, Sixteen let the thought process work it's way through the Drones before sending another calm, powerful Psionic pulse.

Sixteen was Captain.  The Captain was Queen.  The Drones are loyal to the Queen.  A Drone does not judge the actions of a Queen.

Respect, Honor, and Deference.  The designation of Captain demanded it.

And so the Drones quieted down and, as a whole, remade their designations.  The tags didn't shift much, just a small mental tweak to reflect which Queen they now served.  They were loyal to a fault, and would serve their Queen to death - even if it meant going up against every other Hiver in the [We] designation.  There would be time later to scrub the last Queen's emblem from their carapace and replace it with Sixteen's. 

The commotion their little rebellion had caused put them more than a minute behind schedule, and the morning sun would not wait.

[Draignean]

[OUR] (NAST) <Tremor> Gen A.1.2
[Efficacy: 4]
The binary fuel system proves a successful replacement for the troublesome fixed fuel mixture, correcting the quality control issues revealed in development and allowing the profile of the torpedo to be reduced noticeably. In addition, the inert nature of the resting fuel allows the missile loaders for larger vessels to operate with slightly more relaxed protocols. We'll likely need an entirely new torpedo frame to really capitalize on these advancements, but the improvements to the existing system are well rounded.

1.2: Stable binary fuel mixtures corrects rush bug, sets ship mounted capacity used to -10/-19, and increases the firing rate of ship mounted torpedos. Strike craft torpedo capacity is set to -3/-7/-23


Queen's Path Refits
[Efficacy: 4]
There's a trace of irritation in the minds of the princes assigned to modify the blueprints of the Deliverance and the Wrath- a faint echo or irritation at the notion of simply removing an integral inner component being a swift or simple operation. Still, they comply admirably. A prince works best when his pride is taunted.


Takers have auto-completed
Queen's Path has auto-completed
Sun Beam has auto-completed
Tremor has auto-completed

Design Phase of Year 1
Resources
Dice: 10
T: 17270 + 2500
O: 52300 + 7500
M: 51970 + 7500
E: 34575 + 5000
S: 2470 + 500

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

Belief Engine: 8/16 [2] | 150O  + 100M + 75E + 20S | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Queen's Freedom: 3/14 [1] | 30T + 150M + 50E +15S | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Amplified Credulity Lab: 4/16 [2] |  80O +80M + 40 Synthetic | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Penance: 6/9 [3] |  20O + 150M +75E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Relentless: 2/7 [2] | 40O + 80M + 55E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Watcher: 2/15 [2] | 90T + 24O + 150M + 275E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

[We] Technology List
[We] Empire Planner

[Shadowclaw777]

[OUR] (PLM) <Tempest> Gen A.10:

Our Plasma Lightning Emitter Generation A, Version 1.0

The Plasma Lightning Emitter is a fancy small weapon mount that the princes came up with, in it that a fusion elongated giant metallic orb with advanced copper circuitry that generates plasma inside the small weapon device of the orb in which a polymer barrel that protrudes out the ship, charges up its electrostatic discharge through the containing of heated and energized fusion plasma that once the energized weapon is shot, a spread of electrical lightning will direct itself towards the nearest, usually metal target that our fire control computer selects, and due to the way the emitter weapon works the lightning will spread to other targets. This weapon is mainly effective against small craft as the lightning can more easily spread through a swarm of fighters or guided explosive munitions directed our way, often electrocuting the objects to a crisp in the vacuum of space.

The Tempest through princes' ingenuity is devised for a small weapon mount, and the strengths of the weapon rely on its effectiveness for point defense and combat during space warfare, where the lightning doesn’t dissipate due to the great ranges of space. Resulting in an effective weapon in which can destroy corvettes, fighters, and guided munitions rather effectively at the caveat that it can still continuously bombard larger ships at closer space ranges with its lightning discharge, though usually larger ships have more metal and insulation resulting in less effective raw damage during combat with this weapons attack against them. The creation of this weapon has shown that even the elemental forces and the stars can be weaponized through [We] and nothing can hide from our grasp.

[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.10:

Our Chiton Composite Layer Generation A, Version 1.0

The Alate is the creation of our safeguard we put behind the Queens that run the command and the lessers that control our military forces, the Alate is a reinforced alloy of fibrous layer of exoskeleton for our hulls to protect them from the void of space and the antagonization of our enemies. The fibers are formed through the combination of fiber of carbohydrates and carbons that provide a slate that you attach to the hulls, resulting in a composite of chitinous plating that can be placed onto a space-faring hull to be very stiff and have high tensile strength, allowing the layer to handle the force of directed attacks rather well as it handles the concussive and destructive properties of kinetics and explosive munitions and the raw carbon durability of the atoms, allowing it to handle tremendous force of directed attacks.

The composite of carbohydrates and carbon alloys through a fibrous methods have its drawbacks in the area of its relative expense as to form an effective composition of a super-chiton you have to stack multiple layers through the carbon atoms and carbohydrates are bonded together in crystals through micromaterials which results in this fibrous armor that can attach to metallic hulls. Furthermore while carbon alloys can handle forces of heat through its temperature and low expansion due to it, this can result in it being in moderately effective against attacks that rely on its pure heat such as plasma and directed energy. All in all the defense and protection of our hull and the precious leaders that inhabit them is at the utmost priority and a composition chitinous layer deviated from the princes is a great development for our defense.

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (VPPD) <Raindrop> Gen A.1.0

Our Variable Power Point Defense "Raindrop". Generation A, Version 1.0.

Based on the Relentless's weapons systems, the Raindrop is a network of laser cannons that can fire rapid low-power pulses for defense against light targets (such as incoming fighters or missiles) or switch to slower high-power pulses for larger or more heavily armored targets.

The Raindrop fits in a Small weapons slot.  Each mounting holds six individual turrets, each of which is manned by a Beta Drone.  These Beta Drones are specially breed for ballistics calculations and psionically tied to one another for improved target prioritizations.  A jack port is surgically implanted allowing the Drone to be directly linked to the turret, giving them near-instantaneous targetting upload speed and further improving aim. 

Each turret holds a single variable-power laser cannon.  The cannon is considerably larger, heavier, and faster than that equipped on the Relentless, and the capacitor bank is kept topped off from the ships power source.

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (CMND) <Queen's Directive> Gen A.2.0

[We] do not do things in half-measures.

The Queen's Directive Generation A, Version 2.0 is designed to further expand our fleet cap from the laughable "mid-sized" to a passable "acceptably sized".  The command suite builds off of the previous generation of Directive suites, but features space for multiple Queens.  This allows a few individuals to dictate a massively larger fleet size through psionic communication and cooperation.

Aside from simply being "bigger", the Queen's Directive 2.0 capitalizes on the psionic integration of Relentless squadrons.  Squadron psionic integration is expanded through the suite's command center to facilitate strike force wide synchronization.  In simple terms, the Directive 2.0 provides a bonus to using large-scale fighter squadrons in battle; the more fighters, the larger the bonus.

Standard equipment from the previous Directive (borehole drones, scanners, Prince and Princess task delegations, etc) are carried over as well.

[Talion]

[OUR] (AGT) <Sleet> Gen A.1.0

Our Aggressive Gravity Tremor “Sleet”, Generation A, Version 1.0

A combination of gravity and psionic systems, the Sleet uses tiny boreholes projected over a long distance to create weak gravity spikes. These gravity spikes, in turn, generate a harsh and ominous buzzing sound. The Sleet module piggybacks on existing borehole generation devices, providing the advanced calculation assistance and specific energy injection to break up larger boreholes into many smaller boreholes during the generation process. This reduces the need to duplicate borehole generation equipment but does mean that the Sleet can’t be active when the equipped ship is attempting to open a transit borehole.

In tests on drones and other accessible life forms, this endless droning buzz has been shown to disrupt actions that require precision. Additionally, the constant minor shakes can knock fine-tuned sensor equipment and pre-calibrated aiming servos out of alignment. The net effect is that any ship subjected to the Sleet will suffer significantly reduced weapon accuracy.

[NUKE9.13]

New Projects
[OUR] (PLM) <Tempest> Gen A.10: (1) NUKE9.13
[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.10: (1) NUKE9.13
[OUR] (VPPD) <Raindrop> Gen A.1.0:
[OUR] (CMND) <Queen's Directive> Gen A.2.0:
[Our] (AGT) <Sleet> Gen A.1.0:

Project Progress:
Relentless
  1 die, 1 rush die: (1) NUKE9.13


Spend 7 dice total: (1) NUKE9.13

So, I feel like doing something a little more interesting for PD than just lasers. Basic armour won't go amiss (unless both the humans and the liir roll up with some very odd weapons). And obviously we need to finish the Relentless.
We need at least two dice to make production patterns, so we can't start three projects (If we don't create any production patterns, we'd be wasting our PP this turn).

[Shadowclaw777]

New Projects
[OUR] (PLM) <Tempest> Gen A.10: (2) NUKE9.13, SC
[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.10: (2) NUKE9.13, SC
[OUR] (VPPD) <Raindrop> Gen A.1.0:
[OUR] (CMND) <Queen's Directive> Gen A.2.0:
[Our] (AGT) <Sleet> Gen A.1.0:

Project Progress:
Relentless
  1 die, 1 rush die: (2) NUKE9.13, SC
Spend 7 dice total: (2) NUKE9.13, SC

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (PSFG) <Queen's Whisper> Gen A.1.0

Our Psionic Stealth Field Generator "Queen's Whisper", Generation A, Version 1.0.

Other creatures of the galaxy aren't truly alive as they can not [Think] or [Feel], but they can be [Touched] with amplified and directed psionics.  Early attempts to weaponize this failed, as even with highly focused psionic attacks the effects never proved to be lethal.  However, study of psychology among other organisms reveals that noticing a small change can be an incredibly difficult task, and while Hiver psionics can't kill an organism they can certainly influence minor thoughts.

The Queen's Whisper is an Anti-Memetic generator which makes use of a large-scale organic Psionic Amplifier to modulate the ship's psionic signature to include relevant designations.  The amplifier is fed from a batch of specially bred Princes chosen for mental fortitude.  These Princes focus on concepts of [Disregard], [Nothingness], [Empty], [Inconsequential], and other related designations.

While the generator does not specifically prevent the ship from being seen by scanners, it does cause those who notice it to disregard it as unimportant.  This cloak is not full-proof, however, and will break if the ship opens attack or performs other openly hostile actions.  Despite this, things like boreholing through a system, maneuvering into an enemy's flank, depositing mines, or releasing dropships is increadibly difficult to notice. 

The Whisper works best on organic computers (i.e. brains), but will also baffle electronic computers as well.