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We could clone braindead humans in birthing tanks and upload existing human brains into real bodies. And then gently caress them. Switching to B
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Apr 3, 2019 02:11
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malbogio posted:How challenging would it be to upgrade existing Legion with Legion 2.0? Hmm. So 'upgrading' existing Legion to the 2.0 standard would require treatment similar to Granny's, but even longer. Modifying germ cells so that future Legion are born 2.0 is a bit simpler. Both would require convincing the Legion to undergo a massive cultural change. Again
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Apr 3, 2019 02:12
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Just tell them you're rotating new equipment up to the line, they'll get it.
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Apr 3, 2019 02:29
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wiegieman posted:Just tell them you're rotating new equipment up to the line, they'll get it. That... would actually be a fruitful analogy to use with the Legion 
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Apr 3, 2019 02:35
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If we could engineer a universal virus couldn't we also engineer an universal anti-virus or innocculation?
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Apr 3, 2019 03:37
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C Let's get something that can be beneficial for the people who are alive now, thanks.
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Apr 3, 2019 03:47
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Toughy posted:If we could engineer a universal virus couldn't we also engineer an universal anti-virus or innocculation? Yes, the UIP can be used to carry both beneficial and negative payloads. We could use it to cure a disease in one population, and cause a plague in another. It's basically an effectiveness multiplier like the nanoforge, but for biotech/medicine
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Apr 3, 2019 03:48
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If/When we have both Legion 2.0 and the Universal Infective Particle ready at the same time, could they be used together to assist in transitioning the Legion to their newer, improved forms?
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Apr 3, 2019 04:23
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Yes, the UIP would be very useful in applying fixes to the Legion genome, although doing much more than applying Granny-patches would still require in-patient treatment. Having your skeletal structure and skin plates remold themselves while awake would be a little painful
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Apr 3, 2019 18:00
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C has the added benefit of allowing us to deliver specific retroviral modifications to any and all derivative species, for good as well as ill.
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Apr 3, 2019 19:54
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Isn't our use of biological weaponry being tracked in game like we're earning points towards good/evil reputation?
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Apr 4, 2019 02:33
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It may have been mentioned that biowarfare would cause reputational issues, but that's mainly because we've been working with the sort of people that would care about that kind of thing. And if we did use the UIP to do mean things, there would be repercussions. But it's more of a free-form thing, there's not a mechanical Paragon/Renegade-style War Crimes Meter.
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Apr 4, 2019 02:47
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B, let us use science to create a new species based on popular misconceptions of long-dead lifeforms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-58hQ9dLk
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Apr 4, 2019 05:05
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Resurrecting a long dead species that hosed over the galaxy once already? What could go wrong? B I'd also be down with figuring out a way to integrate uploaded humans into new bodies.
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Apr 4, 2019 07:20
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B, for the most thematically appropriate shock to everyone everywhere.
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Apr 5, 2019 21:38
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PoultryGeist posted:there's not a mechanical Paragon/Renegade-style War Crimes Meter. Aww 
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Apr 6, 2019 14:12
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One Week Later “I must say Captain, I am extremely impressed. I’ve run your test genome through all the analyzers and I wasn't able to find any issues. Its terribly inefficient, but as the records stat that Humanity was a naturally evolved species, its to be expected.” “I’m glad it passed your scrutiny. And how is Sandhya doing?”“Incubation is proceeding as expected. As she is technically a prototype, I feel it is unwise to use the growth accelerators. She should be fully grown in another month.” “So are we going to loving do this or what?! This hat strap is loving chafing something fierce!” “Almostya… there. Done!Jadzi hops down from the ladder, looking proudly on the crudely lettered ‘WELCOME BACK GRANNY’ banner. Cody scowls, a brightly-colored paper cone perched precariously on her head. You nod to Kruze, who activates the womb’s open sequence. The device cycles smoothly and opens with a billow of fog (which you’re pretty sure was added to the design for pure theatrics). After a few moments the fog clears, and Hydra groans and slowly opens her eyes. Jadzi’s gasp and Cody’s surprised laugh breaks the silence. “Ohmigodya, what did you doooo Kruze!:Hydra’s eyes snap fully open, all drowsiness gone.  “What! She gave me tentacles, didn’t she, why didn’t you stop her-”You put a calming hand on her shoulder before she can tear out the medical leads. Once you have her attention, you turn your faceplate reflective. She gasps, hands going to her face. “I am not entirely sure what the commotion is about, a basic rejuv treatment is a standard component of all genetic therapies the Brood performs for its clients. Is it not to your liking?”Hydra touches her now-thicker hair, dark except for splashes of grey at the temples. The skin of her hands and arms, no longer pulled tight over the subdermal plating. “No, its fine Kruze, sir. So… was the treatment a success?”You turn to Kruze, who’s pouring over a readout. She clears her spiracles and makes an annoyed vocalization. “Unfortunately, it seems that you may still experience some mild joint pain in your eighth decade. I apologize for that.”“Eighth… But my organs are functional?”“Oh of course, you’re in perfect health. But I spent a great deal of time working on the cartilage bioreplacement figures, I find this result vex-”Kruze is cut off by a joyous whoop from Jadzi, who gives Hydra a flying hug. Further hugs, handshakes, and shoulder-pats are administered by well-wishers, with Hydra promising to be back on duty as soon as possible. ***** Later, The Workshop Legate Augustus snaps a salute to you at the loading ramp of Wrathful Gladius, as his techs finish loading the reactors into the hold.  “I must say, you and your people are very odd. But also disciplined in your own way. With these reactors and parts we’ll be able to recomission a full flight group. That’s not something the Auxilia will soon forget.”You snap a salute of your own before offering the Legate a secured pad. “A little something extra, for the Consul. Tell her that if she likes what she sees, she knows how to reach me.”The Legate takes the pad and nods. “Yes, I have been briefed to not ask questions. But tell the old battle-axe that Little Auggie hopes she’s well.”The Legate turns to leave, but stops. “And Admin, a word of caution. Mishpacha is becoming more civilized that some would like, I would keep an eye on your deep-scans.”***** Even Later, The Kaijuberg/Workshop Sharedsim You look out over all your section heads and supervisors, some far more comfortable in the virtual space than others. The end of the Legate’s conversation plays, then the vid pauses. “Now I know that we’ve got Irregulars on patrols, but only in the Waistra region due to the vegetative menace. I want plans on my desk to beef them up and also extend the Workshop’s sensor grid or maybe even set up Mechanotron patrols. Now we all know that we’ve, that is to say, I have collected quite a few enemies. And the Legate was so helpfully vague. SO it could be an irate Genocrat looking for his free army. It could be Paladin. It could even be Mechanoids. Or it could even be something new and unexpected. Be on your toes people.”A single hand goes up, and you sigh quietly. “Yes Casio, I know not all the Palantor have toes. It was a metaphor.”Decision One: Outpost Project A: Fortify Focus on outpost defenses B: Reach Out There are several other outposts that you’ve been trading with. Work with them to set up a mutual defense C: Carry On Keep on keeping on, you’ve got enough tricks up your sleeve to deal with what may come. No use getting twisted up over vague warnings D: Obtain Some Feral Nephilim You have enough vehicles to move around the plant foe, get a few crates of Neph to send back to Eden Decision Two: Personal Project E: See to Sandhya The memory implants will give the new Human the basic knowledge she needs, but maybe you should personally supervise the beginning F: Suck Up to the Genocrat Even if you get him some Feral Neph, you Genocrat benefactor is not happy. Get back on his good side and maybe head off a threat. G: Take Some Time For Yourself Spend some downtime with friends PoultryGeist fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Apr 10, 2019 |
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Apr 10, 2019 02:47
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D, F We do have a job to be getting to, I suppose. Doesn't mean we can't have first pick of ferals; should we find some particularly useful ones. Perhaps Kruze might find something special, even?
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Apr 10, 2019 03:46
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D E Wrap up that sidequest finally, and make sure the resurrected potential demigod is properly socialized
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Apr 10, 2019 03:49
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Crazycryodude posted:D +1
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Apr 10, 2019 03:54
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DG Work on our tan.
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Apr 10, 2019 04:36
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It's a bit odd to watch Sandhya’s gestation, the Nephilim machine accelerating nearly twenty years of growth into a handful of weeks. And between Kruze’s memory implants and your fullsim, a prodigious amount of education is fit into the same timeframe. You even dip into the sim a few times to check up on her, but only after she reaches her teen ‘years’. You delegate the checkups before that to Elizabetty, unwilling to deal with the painful memory-fragments a child-form brings. She’s decanted in due course, and passes the initial scans and tests with flying colors. As the rest of Kaijuberg focuses on finding and capturing Feral Nephilim, you spend time with its newest citizen. Time is spent exploring the Humantech of the Terraforming Facilities, introductions to the VIs, and discussing the strange new world the new Human finds herself in. Sandhya is a quick study, easily absorbing the information you didn’t feel suitable for implantation. She’s also very opinionated, something you attribute to spending too much time with ‘Auntie Cody’. She also seems to be quite willing to put her beliefs into action, which is why the two of you are in the infirmary. You’ve synthesized meds specifically for your young charge, unsure how modern medicine will interact with her lost genome. And you’re definitely not a medtech, which is why this treatment goop is very slimy and smelly. Sandhya wrinkles her nose. ”This smells absolutely wretched Shikshika, what’s in it?” She attempts to pull back her arm, but your shell is far stronger than she is. You wave your other hand angrily at her arm, the shredded shirt-sleeve and open wounds. ”Things that will help you heal, despite your foolishness. Now hold still!” You close the nanocast around her arm, and she hisses as it activates. Flashing aggravated colors, you dab more goop into the small cuts on her forehead. ”And what were you doing in the Nephilim enclosure, young lady? If Hydra hadn’t waded in you’d be alot worse for wear.!” Sandhya’s eyes narrow, her face taking on a defiant cast. Your mind conjures a pair of ghostly faces that echo the expression, but younger. You glitch at the image, and you have to rewind a bit to get her answer. ”Their rights? What rights?” “Exactly! You’re violating Section 18 of the Constellation of Worlds’ Charter of Universal Rights!” You pause for a millisecond to pull up your long-forgotten copy of the CUR. ”Wait, slavery? They’re Nephilim, they’re just being reabsorbed into the Broodmind. And besides, none of the Archonic species were signatories to the Charter.” Sandhya draws herself up, filled with the iron-clad certainty of youth. ”Did you ask the Nephilim? I know most of the bioforms were designed with animalistic intelligence, but you have multiple clusters in holding that exhibit a tribal structure. They have their own, non-Brood, society, don’t you think you should at least consult them before you ship them off to be brainwashed on a far-away world?!” It should be easy to explain that the universe has moved on from the Constellation of Worlds’ ideals, that survival is more difficult now. But Sandhya radiates idealism, do you have it in you to dampen that light? A: It Is What It Is Finish rounding up Feral Nephilim and send them to Eden. Sandhya will understand in time. B: A Compromise Can Be Reached Restrict your gathering to sub-sapient bioforms, you should be able to convince the Genocrat to accept bulk over quality (-2 STP) C: Universal Means Universal Release all the Nephilim, buy the Genocrat off with outpost goods. (-1 STP, -5 Organisms, -5 Food)
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Apr 16, 2019 02:48
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B the stp expenditure stings a bit but it's the moral thing to do and hey, maybe we can get the sapient feral nephs on our side without brainwashing
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Apr 16, 2019 03:19
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GreyjoyBastard posted:B Sure
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Apr 16, 2019 03:31
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Hm. Not sure what I expected from the human, though they seem to be taking it a bit... Better, than anticipated? Certainly has more personality than I would have expected from a vat-manufactured human. Suppose the simulations must have been quite thorough indeed. (A), as B would make it a bit more difficult to find prime-specimens from the roundup for Kruze to research/utilize/exploit; and C would mean no specimens for us whatsoever. ...Oh, and two other things to do at some point. First, dust off the CUR, and skim through. No need for precise wording, but a loose refresher of the important parts would be useful given our new guest. Second, as an actual Nephilim, Kruze would be better suited to discuss Nephilim rights than we are. So, Kruze can handle explaining that side of things. This may or may not be convincing, but the human did want to know if we asked the Nephilim.
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Apr 16, 2019 03:39
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C
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Apr 16, 2019 03:46
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Letting Kruze make the morality judgement on the subject of experimenting on living subjects is a magnificent cop out. I like it.
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Apr 16, 2019 04:49
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B
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Apr 16, 2019 05:06
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Ugh fiiiiine B, if I'd known you stupid kids would have morals and ideals and poo poo I wouldn't have voted to resurrect your dumb species.
Crazycryodude fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Apr 16, 2019 |
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Apr 16, 2019 05:13
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A
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Apr 16, 2019 05:32
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B
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Apr 16, 2019 22:17
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Arcanuse posted:...Oh, and two other things to do at some point. The Charter of Universal Rights is your pretty standard 'Liberty and Justice for All' document. Signatory worlds (and you had to sign it before being admitted to the Constellation) were required to provide at least basic livable conditions for its citizens, as well as guaranteeing the freedom of travel, information, and self-determination. And Kruze will happily explain that since Feral Nephilim have lost their connection to the Brood meta-system, they have regressed to lesser creatures. And furthermore, they have not pledged loyalty to the Devwi-Ich, the Genocrats, or any mid-ranking Brood members, which means they're fair game for anything up to and including disassembly for spare parts. Sandhya will find this... less than convincing.
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Apr 17, 2019 00:36
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can't wait until the AIs no longer accept our authority, since there's now a human they can revert control to 
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Apr 17, 2019 00:59
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Mh. Thank you, PoultryGeist. Most informative. As best I recall, we seem to have been generally doing a satisfactory job meeting the CUR's standards, so good on us there. As for Kruze, while I maintain having them talk on nephilim rights is a plan without flaw nor possibility of error, there is certainly room for a better plan. ...And, eurgh, I may have one. As it stands, feral Nephilim are not signatories to the charter, and have no rights as such. Offering the sapient ferals the opportunity to be signatories should resolve her complaint, be it by their unlikely acceptance or more likely their assault on whoever is offering. That said, I am less than aware on who has the authority to offer the feral nephilim signatory rights, who else would acknowledge their acceptance, and who would have among the feral nephilim has the authority to accept it. Not a fan of losing out on research material, but taking the time to learn and attempt such an endeavor is somewhat less likely to irk the human, and be somewhat more convincing than Kruze discussing nephelim rights.
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Apr 17, 2019 04:18
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Arcanuse posted:As it stands, feral Nephilim are not signatories to the charter, and have no rights as such. Offering the sapient ferals the opportunity to be signatories should resolve her complaint, be it by their unlikely acceptance or more likely their assault on whoever is offering. That said, I am less than aware on who has the authority to offer the feral nephilim signatory rights, who else would acknowledge their acceptance, and who would have among the feral nephilim has the authority to accept it. My understanding is the charter is a long dead document to which no living government or people has signed on. Might as well ask them to sign the Declaration of Indepence and Magna Carta while we’re at it for all the effect it will have.
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Apr 17, 2019 05:26
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 “I must say Captain, when I received the manifest for your shipment of material, I was very… disappointed.”“Really Genocrat? I’m fairly certain that I provided the biomass and genetic diversity that was specified in our agreement.”The Genocrat’s screen is still for an uncomfortably long span, but then a wet gurgle fills the audio. Laughter, of a sort. “Fulfilling the letter but not the spirit of a contract. How very Corporate of you Captain. I’m tempted to board your vessel and speak about this personally, but the stationmind tells me that you’re not in orbit. Makes this real-time comm that much more… interesting.”“I am full of surprises. Are we good here?”“Yes Captain, you have fulfilled your end of the agreement, if fairly lackadaisicaly. May our paths not cross in the future.”The comm blinks out, and you let out a simulated sigh of relief. While the Genocrat was never going to be the type to invite you to the next Lifeday dinner, they were the type to bury you in mercenaries and Nephilim Horrors. Disinterested coexistence was a decent result. You office camera shows Sandhya standing behind you in a out-of-view corner, fairly vibrating with excitement. Turning to her, you give a thumbs-up. “Well, that went about as well a-”You’re cut off as she pulls your shell into a hug, jumping up and down slightly.  “Oh thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! You’re awesome Mothe-, ah, Shikshika.”Llewellyn, Age 5 posted:“Mommy Mommy, look at this shell I found! Its pretty just like you!” “Captain?”Jasmine, Age 9 posted:Moth-er, hurry up! We’re going to be late to the meteor shower! “10/6? Are you ok?”Your optics and camera focus on her, looking at you with some concern. You re-initialize your faceplate colors and make them soft. “Sorry, my mind wanders in my old age. You said that this… Head-taker wanted to chat with me? “Sandhya’s enthusiasm overwhelms her worry, and she’s smiling again. “Oh yes! He’s waiting down at the base of the mesa, he was making some of the Kaltorans… nervous. Shall we?”As the two of you walk across the town, you see that things are returning to normal after the ‘Great Neph Hunt’. There had only been minor grumbles when you reprioritized your capture protocols, luckily Kaijuberg had enough folks to pull in some extra work crews. A quick hop on a cargo skimmer and you’re walking up to the handful of Nephilim lounging warily at the bottom of the cliff. Hydra would probably have a fit about you being outside the perimeter without an escort, but you can’t imagine that showing up with Legion or Kaltorans would make the Neph any calmer. And to be perfectly honest with yourself, you’re probably the most dangerous thing on Mishpacha One warform stands as you approach, towering over you and Sandhya. A half-dozen skulls clatter on their tethers as it saunters forwards.   “Captain, yes? Sandhya-newsmell tells that you are Ich to the Prey and Enemy above? Headtaker-Ich greets Captain-Ich. Sandhya-newsmell says that Captain-Ich believes in freedom for all, that is why she released Headtaker Brood. Normally Headtaker-Ich would say this is weakness and Captain Brood should be eaten for nutrients.”Headtaker indicates a Nephilim covered in dyes of various colors and festooned with brightly colored flowers. “But Genespeaker has said that the Eating Trees have more powerful genes than all the Broods of Mishpacha. So Headtaker-Ich thinks that Captain-Ich gives Headtaker Brood one of her Aboves, and both Broods let the Eating Trees feed on the rest of the Broods and Prey and Enemy of Mishpacha.”Sometimes, you really wish you could blink in confusion. Its both fascinating and disappointing that Feral Nephilim share the same self-serving attitudes as the Eden Brood, but then again surviving both the Last War and the hellword of Mishpacha would probably put anyone in a bad mood. Decision One: The Headtaker Brood A: Give Them the Northern Mountains There’s nothing of note there, and its out of the way. B: Let them Set Up Camp at the Base of the Main Plateau While its not elevated, its within the perimeter that Elizabetty has set up and will be safer C: Cut them Loose You didn’t send them off to Eden, that’s your good deed for the year D: Join Forces to Fight the Plant Menace/Eating Trees With local support *and* your hi-tech *and* Elizabetty’s xenobotany skillz, you could at least push back the Encroachment Zone Decision Two: A Past, Imperfect That night, for the first time in four thousand years, you dream of: Thunder Sunshine Endings
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Apr 24, 2019 01:24
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D Thunder
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Apr 24, 2019 01:29
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D), Thunder We'll help, but we'll also be taking a few of those trees for research. Dead trees, I should note. "More powerful genes than all the Broods of Mishpacha" is tempting, but not 'bring in live specimen' tempting.
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Apr 24, 2019 01:46
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Crazycryodude posted:D +1
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Apr 24, 2019 01:48
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D Sunshine 
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Apr 24, 2019 01:53
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