Your name is Terian Choke and you are an Urgi. You were stationed as a petty technical officer on the planet of Newroost by the Accord government, which is completely fine by you. You have very little interest in being a military engineer working on the front line against the machine collective or dealing with renegade Redwing regiments out in some cold space colony; instead having the job to secure territory and maintain bases in the blue zone of your species new homeworld. This is also, completely fine. What is not fine is that the bird you bet on to win on is losing all of his events.”Swim damn you! Swim you sorry excuse for a bird!”In the Consortium, every type of competitive event is open to sports betting. You may be halfway across the galaxy; but your credits are just as good here or there. Zaloon racing is supposed to be the best type of sport to bet; since the racers are too stupid to take bribes or get disqualified for cheating. They just take whatever performance enhancing drug cocktail their handlers make for them; which is all public information. Perhaps you should have studied biochemistry more if you wanted even more of an edge.”GO ORANGE!”He overtakes Blue, then Orange and Red come up close behind. They close their armor plates together and squeeze the water out of the interim space; the diving section of the race is next. You know your racer is going to reach the base of the river first with his own body's divebell technique. Unless...”No! NO!”He stops to take in breath, giving critical seconds for the other racers to make it to the dive site. He overshoots his oxygen he'll need, as two other racers rapidly dive to the finish at the base of the river.
”Grahh! RETARDED- Wait... Third... Green first, red second, race to dive... Hold on! Isn't the race from three days ago? Where's the live feed!?”The only other person present out the outpost who has been quietly enduring your outbursts speak. “No live signals. Esaal autonomous weapons may activate from them. We can't access any networks until the base commander is back and okays it.””That's stupid.”“Blue Zone protocal.”Dole stands watch along with you at the top of the lookout tower. He's junior security; so the rest of the base dumped him on you since one armed security is required to be at base at all times. Waiting for everyone to return from a routine patrol; the Casliaan hasn't taken his eyes off the horizon. It irritates you that he's taking it so serious. You outrank him in the Accord's hierarchy anyway. Casliaans tend to be of lower rank regardless of role; but he's just dumb muscle with a gun.”I got money on this race. Did you unplug the upload dish manually? Or is the AI just keeping it off right now?”Dole, still not turning his head, grunts. “...we aren't supposed to do that until we get permission.””I asked you a question.”“...Well looks like it will have to wait, because I think the captain is back!”You grumble, turning off your prerecorded broadcast masquerading as something useful and head down the long stairs with Dole to ground level. No elevator because, of course, could be comprimised. No AI hookups to any manual systems either, of course. Not a single comfort or conveniance in sight. You hop down much faster then him multiple steps at a time, your hollow bones making you light enough to practically jump down flights without fear of injury while he clutches the guardrails and carefully as to not fall. Heh, Stomper.
You will complain about the conditions, but you were told it is for an important cause. This is about clearing what could one day be your race's new jewel, the homeworld of your whole species. Something about Newroost; which is its new, non-Aristocrat name; is special. While not yet advertised to the rest of the galaxy; this planet's lower then average gravity, weather conditions, and temperature fluxuations in some parts of it allow for unaided Urgi flight. No jetpacks, no gravity devices, no augmentations; just spread your wings and fly! It sounds too good to be true... which is why you think it's at least a little bit propaganda. To your species, this planet is a holy place.The Urgi are a spacefairing species. For countless generations you have existed on spaceships, not planets, with life-support and gravity systems meant to emulate your true homeworld; a place where flight was ubiqitous. For one reason or another, its exact location was kept a secret. Simply put, very few species who evolve flight also develop intelligence, and it was commonly thought such worlds which allowed creatures with large, heavy brains to also fly would be very rare and special indeed. But the secret was kept too well; because eventually the Urgi lost the coordinates to where it was. This left you as a species without a place to call home; only able to live on heavy worlds that your frail, flightless bodies were ill-suited for. Genetic drift and isolation in artifical enviorments would lead to dysgenic effects on your evolution; an organism with no natural pressures or selection becomes weak. Extinction was the trajectory and eventual fate of your species.
But this planet, a mere leftover from a war between two much larger space powers who didn't even care enough about it to occupy it again, could become the new seat of power and hope for the Urgi's future. But it isn't perfect; damage from serious bombing and leftover weapons from the war were left like trash across its surface, and many more lay in wait in secret bunkers and silos, or hidden in the depths of food-webs and biofilms on rivers and ponds. Uncountable dangers. Weaponized pollution. There's no telling if its condition will improve even with the concentrated effort of your new government; underfunded and lacking in experience. So here you are, in the blue zone, having to patrol and test and check and survey and act as bait for any decade-long planned ambushes by whatever horrible machine or hibernating creature was left in wait for an invader long since lost interest. Does management have any idea how difficult it is to actual confirm a blue zone can be cleared and marked as a green zone? How cost-prohibitve it is? Yes you can survive on the surface, visible structures are not attacked, radiation within tolerance levels, and no known infestations or plagues are present in the area or its wildlife. But how are you going to confirm it's safe for habitation by general citizens? You're going to be stuck in this assignment forever, aren't you?But maybe it's worth it, for a good cause?>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your people>As long as the money and privlidges are good>No, it's not worth it>No, it's not worth it for YOU>Fuck this shitty planet; the Accord should go find your Homeworld!
>>6374047>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your peopleThis is the crucible of the newly founded Accord, the creation of a beautiful world by their own hands from the remnants of petty wars.
>>6374047>As long as the money and privlidges are goodThere's worse things than having a do nothing job.Also, we're back! I've been waiting a long time to get to pick the candidates since we didn't last thread and that really bothered my OCDtismo.Kinda sad I didn't get my guess about the candidate right though
>>6374047>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your peopleIt's either this, or nothing. If the Urgi managed to lose their previous planet because they were too obsessed over hiding it, we might as well start from scratch.
>>6374047>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your people Scavengers gonna scavenge, very happy to see SMQ again excited to see what you have in store Bananas
>>6374047>As long as the money and privileges are goodOur guy here doesn't strike me as selfless from his intro, but his job seems fine and the cause seems worthy.
>>6374047>As long as the money and privlidges are good
Quick reminder; this thread may have important or contentious future votes where 1-Post IDs may not be counted. Make sure to stake a multi-post ID or get a secure tripcode to ensure your vote is counted.
>>6374223Alright then, hoss.
>>6374047>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your peopleCAW CAW
>>6374223Applying for citizenship.
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You and Dole await at the gate. With the incoming patrol returning home, you turn off the motion-activated defense turrets and open the reinforced door. You look over at Dole and scowl when you see how happy he seems to be that his superiors are returning. What, does he get off serving them? He should know they'll give both of you extra work when they get back. Middle manager types...But then again, maybe some work is alright. You think that this position, this work, even being on the bottom of some totem-pole in your new nation is still a good thing given your species chance to finally have a true Homeworld again. The place where the Urgi can spread their wings... but under the rule of the Accord. Not even a generation ago you would have been on a spaceship able to do as you please and go as you wanted, but now, things are different. It's a trade off, you suppose. You've never considered yourself especially patriotic, but if one day this planet could be a safe and healthy homeworld for the Urgi... maybe it's worth it. You stick up your chest and prepare to salute your superiors even if it hurts your pride just a bit, until you get a distinct feeling something is wrong. Nobody is talking, and the way the patrol shuffles seems like they're exhausted or wounded, despite having only been out for a few days. Dole's smile fades as the foremost one of the returning group finally comes into clear view, the security head, who raises a hand creakily.“Stay... Back...” He moans.
You've never seen someone infested with the worms in person like this; it's even worse then you thought. The worms, Kuku worms, are a bioweapon directly created by the Aristocrats. You see them wriggling beneath their flesh; the holes open in their skin where the worms burrow in or release fluid, filled with microscopic eggs. They can live anywhere; hiding under logs or stones or in mud, just waiting for the flesh of a large-bodied creature to get within striking distance. Once inside the host; they create more eggs and start eating its host from the inside out, before seeking to aggressively spread them to the next victim. The entire group is infested with them; out in the field and unable to communicate or have the worms medically removed before it was too late.But the reason the parasite is so feared, and so aggressive to be used as a weapon, is because it hijaks the body and mind of its host, slowly turning them into a zombie capable of spreading this infection. This group of worm-zombies even sent out the captain to the front, the least turned, likely so you'd get closer. The rest are no longer even visiably alive. They shuffle towards the open door with newfound speed.”AHHH! THEY'RE RIDDEN!”You flap your wings up and panic, running from the doorway in a hurry. Dole raises up his gun, but hesitates.“My... My friends...”
You're not going to become worm food because of this total idiot. You run to the defense system manual control; but look up in dismay. It's too high for you to reach. You turn towards the entrance again, seeing Dole standing there slackjawed as the infectious zombies get closer.”DOLE! SHOOT THEM! IDIOT!”Why is he just standing there!?You turn to the defense control again. You reach up with your wing tip, unable to get any kind of grip with your long feathers. Dammit! This switch was designed for a Casliaan; or somebody with a better upper body strength! Urgi use their talons for manipulation. Who put this here!? You jump up and flap your wings trying to reach the lever with a jump, but you aren't able to pull it down.”DOLE!!!”The zombified Urgi and Casliaans get closer; one you see absolutely bloated with worms. She waddles closer and lurches back, releasing a spray of vomit; spreading its infection.
The infected people have already broken the quarantine of the base; the vomit sprays into your water supply, air-vent system, into the ground and wriggling into the cracks. This place is already totally comprimised now; any one of those worms could be laying in wait for weeks or months to wriggle into someone sleeping. One worm isn't impossible to recover from, but getting exposed to that much at once... there's no going back.Seeing this; Dole finally snaps into action, firing his shotgun's purification rounds into the nearest zombie, but he does so with remorse.“B-Back! Back exit! Run! I'll cover you!” He says, firing and blasting apart another zombified ex-team member. You take this opportunity to make your way towards the other entrance; through the living quarters. There, you briefly stop at the storeroom. It's not safe here anymore; parasitic worms will be in the vents, the pipes, everywhere... and you know they like to hide in food stores. But there's no way one could wriggle all the way through the ventaliation shaft and through the filters here already, right? You have to abandon the base, there's no other option for you, but while grabbing what few supplies you can carry, you look over a small collection of useful tools you might be able to take with you. Most aren't exactly Urgi-sized, but you could drag one out before you leave the base. Which one do you take?>Short Range Transmitter>Atmospheric Surveyor + Weather Predictor>Defoliant Grenades + Pesticide Chem Kit>Medbag>Entertainment Tablet w/ Preloaded Programs>Portable Latrine
>>6374547>Short Range TransmitterThis is probably the most valuable one in this situation, we wanna get help quicklyAlso trying trip
>>6374047>Fuck this shitty planet; the Accord should go find your Homeworld!I know it doesn’t matter now, but it’s too funny to not vote for retroactively.>>6374547>Entertainment Tablet w/ Preloaded ProgramsThis is not survival advice, it’s just Pure Cinema.>>6374223>embrace AI slop>not a picture worth posting the neuron activation monke memeWhy have you failed us, Triforce AI….
>>6374547>Short Range TransmitterWe were deliberately here as 'bait for any decade-long planned ambushes by whatever horrible machine or hibernating creature was left in wait for an invader', and that hibernating creature appears to have taken the bait. So let's tug on the line as loudly as we can, and get the whole lot netted up and reeled in.
>>6374547>Short Range TransmitterWe can't really do SHIT about these worms, we need to get help ASAP.
>>6374547>Short Range TransmitterCall em up, we need assistance
>>6374547>>Entertainment Tablet w/ Preloaded Programs
>>6374708+1, it's our best bet>>6374547
>>6374547>Short Range Transmitter Beep beepbeep beep bebeep beep beep!!!!
No update at this time today; we'll continue as soon as possible.In the meantime; who is your favorite "bad" Monke character?
>>6375088Man, that's another day I stay up late to see the candidate vote and post my point before everyone else gets it in their mind to do something and it doesn't happen.As for your question, worms are the most interesting villains so far.
>>6375091This post just gave me the funniest idea ever
>>6375088The genocidal supremes
>>6375088If Kima counts as "bad," then I would say her. Helper was a really fun mystery, too. The Aanel are great as a concept, but it's been a while since we tangled directly with them, and they often feel less personal. Eoba II's worm-deging duel was peak kino, though.
>>6375277>If Kima counts as "bad," then I would say herShe gave absolute control to some psycho who caused the biggest genocide in history, so depends on whether you consider that to be bad.
>>6374223important to remember the first female supreme was not a legitimate supreme and just a cheating upsurper.>>6375088i would sit with the ancient genocidal supreme >>6375299just call it horrifically incompetent like maos genocide famine
>>6375299I'd consider her choice of Wrix short-sighted and impulsive, but neither she nor we knew anything about Wrix at the time, and it was our votes which turned him genocidal. Even then, the only reason voters cared (or in-universe Hegemonic history reviled him) was that he wiped the popular aliens and tortured The Yellow Fellow to death, none of which was predicted by us or could have been predicted by Kima at the time.
>>6375379While I'm not a fan of Kima, the Hegemony works under Klingon laws where killing your superior to get their job is apparently perfectly fine to the point there's an entire dress code for people who do so.>>6375382Some might argue that handing absolute control of an totalitarian dictatorship to some random dude means you're accountable for what he does, but i guess it could be called extreme negligence rather than malice.
You grab the transmitter and hop towards the exit door. Dole has already backed up to there, blasting apart one more of the Ridden, before you open the hermetically sealed door and step outside. You shut the doors behind you. While the base is compromised now, this sealed exit will give you some time outside and prevent the Ridden from chasing you here. You breathe heavy as Dole reloads his gun."How many rounds you got left? Is it enough to purify the outpost?"He shakes his head. "No, we aren't staying to sanitize the base. That requires a professional team. We need to move."You prepare to argue, but you realize he's right. If one worm slithered into you you'd be able to survive it, but two or three could start controlling your body against your will; and imagine if one just waited in the barracks for you to fall asleep... The base is a lost cause now; you're stuck out here."I brought a transmitter; we can signal for evacuation.""No good; it's too short range and the signal won't cross over the mountains. Besides, I forbid you from using the transmitter. It could activate a Esaal weapon.""Forbid... I outrank you, idiot! This is your fault! Why didn't you shoot them as soon as they were identified as infected!? Isn't that your job?!""Why didn't you reactivate the security system, or close the main doors when infectious material was identified then?! It's your fault!""I couldn't reach the handle.""That's a maintenance issue! Why couldn't you predict and prepare for that eventuality if you're so smart?""Stomper!""Bird-brain!"Dole slings his gun back over his shoulder and looks outwards, before beginning to walk."W-Where are you going?""I have to report to headquarters. They won't send a rescue team here to avoid breaking quarantine unless the base signals back; and it can't now. Someone has to inform them directly.""...You mean, walk to HQ? The only way there is through the red zone! Dole? DOLE!"You hop after him.
Your name is now Halam Anak, and you are the Supreme Ruler of the Hegemony. It is Year 203 of the Resurrection Era.Underneath your guidance, the Hegemony rapidly took the advantage left behind from the previous Supreme Ruler, your father, and used it to gain a great strategic advantage in your part of galactic space. Beyond advancing technology and the eugenic quality of your population with your gene-program; you also successfully managed to manipulate the Urgi's formation into a proper nation state into a closely-aligned ideological clone of your own, humiliate the Aristocrats; a major faction in your section of space; and even found the first ever Academy of Starsight. You are also very personally accomplished in dueling, having many lovers, and even punishing disobedient rebels; though that one was once your best friend. Most Supreme Rulers rule for their entire lives and given your age, under any other circumstances you would be able to add many more great accomplishments to this record. Unfortunately, that is not what is going to happen to you.https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6266528/Once diagnosed with the Geriatric Protien Collapse; your death-date was already set. The incurable illness is what already takes the lives of almost-all Jaxtians; though rarely from the disease itself, as self termination is the best treatment option to prevent the immense pain and slow decline of the disease. It's a normal part of the aging process, and a well accepted drawback of your race's ever-onwards quest for biological immortality and life extension. Unfortunately, yours came a bit early.For the past few months, you've isolated yourself from your people. They know you are sick, but the extent and exact disease has not bee publically released. Simply put, there is no reason for the Hegemony to know of their leader's death long in advance. It is an unusual case, to be sure, though they will know of it once you've chosen your successor. It is not common for people to live through more then one Supreme Ruler sucession in their lifetime... Hopefully your successor will be a bit luckier then you. You're feeling pretty unlucky yourself. Maybe the unluckiest guy in the world.But are you really?>Yes, you have been afflicted by too cruel a fate>It's your fault, so maybe you could have prevented this>No, this is just the way things are>Other (Write-In)
>>6375524>No, this is just the way things areAccepting it with stoicism and good humor seems appropriate for this Supreme.
>>6375524>No, this is just the way things areHe is the first Supreme in this quest not to get murdered on the job so he should just look at it with pride.Also, candidates soon..what are you anond hoping for this time around?
>>6375524>No, this is just the way things areStaring death in the eye with nobility and dignity, says I.
>>6375524>>No, this is just the way things are
Man, poor colonists. If I had known Monke Quest was back earlier, I would voted to take the pesticide. Looks like they are gonna need it.>Write in: This could have been prevented. This should have been dealt with long ago.The Hegemony's ultimate quest to stop entropy includes the essencial step of longevity for its people. Let us set up a project to fix the genetic degeration and train our successor into carrying it to completion.
>>6375524>No, this is just the way things areHe'd be upset but no one is safe from GPC, not even the Supreme. Honestly Halam will go down as a pretty solid supreme despite his early onset GPC and streak for breaking traditions, most of them werent negative changes per say either
>>6375524>>No, this is just the way things areChin up big dog, that's life
>>6375524>No; I have lived my life as a Supreme of the Jaxtian people; an honour only afforded to scant few. Perhaps once I have picked my successor I should let my death, too, have meaning; and allow our scientists full remit to monitor my decline and experiment to see if this curse might be lifted from future generations.
>>6375524>No, this is just the way things are.It is what it is.
>>6375599>Write in: This could have been prevented. This should have been dealt with long ago.support it is the motivation to drives our society and the only drive that does not lead to a decline immortality has also to come with discipline and duty to not end up like the aristocrats
>>6374223Adding my IP to the thread so I may stop lurking and vote in the future
The way things are...Given your diagnosis, and the medical impossibility of your recovery, you've become withdrawn. The fatalistic outlook was never becoming of you, but simply a result of you knowing your own fate. How are you supposed to simply accept your decline and inglorious death? You have mulled over this many times, until the Threemind breaks you out of your stupor."...Your new project to rebuild the natural ecology and habitable tropical biomes and surface-world of Swallia will have a considerable cost, your Majesty. I see you haven't made any adjustment to the official budget. Is there something you're planning on...""Oh yeah. That."https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6308534/Truth be told, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. But you felt the decision was righteous and good. After all; the Hegemony is meant to be the complete unification of three races in space; the Jaxtians, Vetuckers, and Swall. But as a result of the genocides and the Jaxtian's victory over the others resulted in the destruction of the Swall homeworld for a previous Supreme's vanity project, and a punishment for their resistance. The ecumenopolis has transformed from a shining beacon of your race's indomitable will into a symbol of wastefulness. It might be even more wasteful to change it back. But after all, you made a promise."Looks like I really am the opposite of my father. He had a long, stable rule that left a strong foundation for the next Supreme Ruler. I will leave behind a bunch of problems after a short, unstable one.""But an eventful, glorious one."How are you going to pay for the Swallia rebuilding project? Vote on up to two.>Simply accept the economic downturn; our new economy is strong enough for another long-term project (Rivals may gain strength)>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)>Press the Accord for additional tribute and funding (Strains relationship & slows their growth)>Begin raiding and looting other factions territory (Specify)>Sell Azurium used in Myym's construction instead of slowly reclaiming it for new uses (lose Azurium source)>Curb plans for the Academy of Starsight (loss of prestige)Approval voting. No write-ins are allowed.
>>6375944I feel like raiding the Esaal would be the obvious choice but I'm guessing that's not how it would actually work
>>6375946Also, I don't get it, is the idea here that we're somehow breaking up the entire ecumenopolis? Like somehow disassembling it? How is that even possible?
>>6375944>Begin raiding and looting other factions territory (Esaal)Fuck those guys. They're the ones who screwed up our fishbros' new planet.
>>6375955Yeah see that sounds good but here I'm thinking it'll just lead to a situatin where they raid us back and make the situation even worse or even create a whole new war
>>6375944>>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)and then:>>Begin raiding and looting the other factions territory (Consortium)This can get us respect with the Esaal as clowning on the silly capitalists by using their own money to raid them.
>>6375963Hmm, the Loan might be fine in the end since we can find a way to skimp on it, but I don't know about raiding them after doing so, might destroy trade and fuck up the economy even more now that we finally opened up
>>6375963I'll allow this as a write-in but just know I'm planning on allowing you to choose if/how to pay back the loan later if you do take it, with potential options like just refusing to pay it back, pay it back with gratitude to improve relations, delaying payment, etc.
>>6375944>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)>Simply accept the economic downturn; our new economy is strong enough for another long-term project (Rivals may gain strength)I will accept the loan but i don't like raiding.
>>6375944>Take out a consortium loan >Accept the economic downturn
>>6375944>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)NO MONEYNO PROBLEM
Beginning working on the update now.
>>6375944>Simply accept the economic downturn; our new economy is strong enough for another long-term project (Rivals may gain strength)
Let's just agree to not give away some major shit as a concession for debt payment, alright
Wait, aren't the Esaal literally the only rivals we have left? Worms don't count since they don't have an economy.
>>6376743The Consortium are still a powerful rival economic and social order. We thumped the Aristocrats, but they still exist and are an ancient and advanced society of near-immortals. There are those weird crystal guys. We don't know what happened to the Seekers. And, yes, the Worms are out there.
>>6376746Yeah, but generally speaking the "rival humbled" thing means they stop being a rival. And we did it to the Consortium and the Aristocrats.
>>6376749I assume if we have an economic downturn, they may get a little less humble.
You decide to take out a loan with the Consortium. No single group can fulfill the volume of money you will need; so instead it is a collective effort by many AI run firms, governments, and private individual investors who share the burden of supplying the loan for you. It's safer for them, anyway. They are overjoyed, as you expected."You won't regret this, your majesty!""Indeed! The Consortium has the most reliable and fair interstellar financial network of all of known space.""And with a low -compounding- interest rate!""Which you can pay back however you want! Like raw resources, computing cycles, manhours of specalized labor, or even cultural exchange -basedonminimumfairmarketdefaultprice-!""Yes yes, thank you so much."With that minor humiliation out of the way, you receive a large sum of Consortium credits to act as a cash infusion to your economy, or useful for trading with other nations for your projects. Despite your conflicts in the past, the Consortium nations & corporations really do care about fair market exchange and making money. They are charging you interest for this loan after all; expecting to make a small but reliable profit off of your nation's relative stability and economic output.With that out of the way, the Hegemony can begin the slow process of creating a new Homeworld for the Swall; it won't be the same, but a new ecosystem for them along with integrating its ecology into the city of Myym will allow you as best you can to minimize the time and cost of this still massive terraforming project. On actually repaying the debt? You suppose that's something your successor will have to deal with...
Meanwhile, your attention is drawn to some recent developments. Your withdrawing from the public sphere over these past few months have had little effect on your nation's mostly automated hierarchy and progress towards goals; but it has also blindsided you by the growing culture on your foreign port planet; Skik IV. Once part of the HVS and a hiding place for many rebels and dissidents of the older Hegemony; you made the decision to open it up to foreigners and the galactic underground.Most of the Hegemony remains locked to them; free peoples, space explorers, Aristocrats on holiday, Consortium travelers, privateers... Your planets and worlds belong to your people. But this free port you decided to open up specifically to give the Hegemony a bit more insight into the other nations and cultures in space, as well as allow for some limited trade and diplomacy thru this new place. Naturally, even though it exists within Hegemonic territory, a certain amount of freedom and reduction of the AI network and surveillance-state on this planet. For the first few months, it seemed the foreigners were on their best behavior. Many marveled how the planet had such a clean biosphere free from pollution, and safe and well maintained city infrastructure despite not being a seat of power or home to the richest and wealthiest Jaxtians; unthinkable in their backwater cultures. But recently, things have changed..."Your Majesty, as we fully expected, the guests could not control themselves. The port city has had some unfortunate incidents, with growing intensity. No harm was done to any Hegemonic citizens or assets, but there was some nonlethal violence, vandalism, and work-crime. Things that would be considered terribly anti-social in the Hegemony. Racial tensions of these foreign groups allowed to coexist here have caused this conflict.""Oh? Urgi and the Leraay are fighting? How appropriate, cats and birds. Not trying to break any stereotypes here. It must be the Supremacists leanings among the Urgi, more common then we thought.""Perhaps we should redirect their hate towards the Swall? Cats and fish?""Har har."
It's a complex issue. The Threemind tells you that despite its roughness; the port city acts as a kind of release valve and place of great interest to Hegemonic citizens. Kind of the "wild frontier" in the same was the new colonies were underneath your father. On top of this, it also provides a useful contrast between cultures, and makes your own citizens and planets look better. In a way, this dark stain is useful when compared to the rest of your excellence. But then again, there is the threat of unrest, some loss of efficacy in the businesses present on the planet, and minor security concerns for your own citizens there and generally looking like a dope for allowing this kind of thing...You could put a stop to it, of course. But would it be worth it?>Have the troublemakers killed and tortured horribly (Severe break of trust & loss of foreigner opinion; minor atrocity)>Increase surveillance & restrict movements further (quashes freedom)>Selectively punish offending species & nations by restricting immigration and privileges to the offenders (slight loss of Accord favor, new species accepted as diplomats)>Use Threemind network to subtly shift these groups away from each other and prevent these conflicts in the future with targeted propaganda (Least effective)>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
>>6376798>Selectively punish offending species & nations by restricting immigration and privileges to the offenders (slight loss of Accord favor, new species accepted as diplomats)I can accept a slight loss, and i wanna see what new species comes in.Still though, I'm starting to believe you might actually keep up on that idea to just not do the candidate vote at all in this thread Bananas.
>>6376801It's literally been 5 votes.
>>6376806Sure, but this is the second time you had a post that began talking about successors and what he was gonna have to do but then "Oops, new problem we gotta solve"
>>6376801The Supreme is, like, actively decaying as we speak.>>6376798>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)pic related
>>6376810True, but how long will it take to get there? There's no set time speed in a quest.Of course, it's probably not actually gonna happen, but it could!
>>6376798Killing and torturing them is a LE EVIL option too silly to pick, but I could see the value in the rest, on some level.However.>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)This sounds funny. So I'll pick it.
>>6376798>>Use Threemind network to subtly shift these groups away from each other and prevent these conflicts in the future with targeted propaganda (Least effective)Least effective according to who? Threemind? Sometimes you have to pick the seemingly worst option just to make sure your AI helper isn't having one over you
>>6376848That choice is more using the AI network to subtly shift behavior and keep them away from each other; so not actually punishing or stopping it but just doing things like making them go to social gatherings in different locations or subtly showing them types of food whose restaurants don't have windows facing streets the other side walks at that time, etc. Similar to your own citizen manipulation program.
>>6374056This is me>>6376798>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)Literally who cares if some filthy aliens murder eat other, it's a free port. It's also a good place for our citizens to go get into some drunken brawls and blow off steam.
>>6376798>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
Uh oh, Threemind has finally learned how to properly crack jokes at Halam. Too smart by far!>Unplug Threemind.Anyway, to the matter at hand:>Selectively punish offending offenders (loss of favour with the Accord, new species show as diplomats)We'll make it up to you later, angry birds. We're about to make a whole lot of new friends.
>>6376798>Selectively punish offending species & nations by restricting immigration and privileges to the offenders (slight loss of Accord favor, new species accepted as diplomats)
When overseeing the security concerns and social friction in the port city, you ultimately decide to simply accept it as a facet of that rough-and-tumble place. Not only does this save you money and doesn't risk offending any of the foreigners living and working there by picking a side; it also gives a small benefit to your nation's culture and social fabric. Everyone can look at the behaviors of those foreign aliens living in the port city, compared to the social unity and cohesion of the Hegemony at large, and see how much of a difference it is. How much more orderly, productive, and righteous the Hegemony's core colonies are. There is a division, partially racial, but also cultural that showcases the Hegemony's strength.”Besides... exposure to the outside world and its rough edges may be just what some of our people need.”The scion and noble heir of a highborn Jaxtian bloodline, Jinn Garastra, has made himself a bit of a social butterfly among the foreigners and member of the galactic underground. Confident and ever-graceful, but still gregarious, he seems to be gathering quite a lot of experience first hand dealing with beings of other races and the mysterious and often criminal galactic underground.”I hate his hair.”
At a dueling conference among Jaxtians nobility and Hegemonic elite; you sit besides one Jale Berax, the immortal warrior. He is not of a noble line, despite this, his inclusion is implicit.”Huh?””He's a boy, why does he let his hair grow out that long? I don't like it.”You wonder why such a young Alpha-Jaxtian would be so starkly old-fashioned, talking more like a grumpy old man. He's small for an Alpha. You have to remind yourself. He's older then you, older then Cijan was, even. Yet biologically, he is very much in his prime. How jealous you are of him getting to step into a working life machine...Jale nudges you in the side playfully, which stays sore for the rest of the day. ”Hey... your Majesty, you should spar him. Put a bet on it, and if you win, make him shave!””Why don't you spar him?””Oh he won't spar me; experience gap. I'm the "legendary warrior". But you're his senior, have the alpha-male physique advantage, and you're right above him in projected dueling skill. Come on, it'd be fun to see you two go at it with the difference of styles!””Hmm...”To be fair, it has been a long time since you practiced dueling again. Your iron staff is feeling awfully cold, what do you say?>Spar with Jinn with his hair on the line>Friendly spar with Jinn no strings attached>Order Jinn & Jale to spar for your amusement instead>Refuse to spar with Jinn>Other (Write-In)
>>6377173>Refuse to spar with JinnI know how this ends. You're basically a cancer patient dog. Also, that hair is glorious, no way I'm risking having it lost. The jaxtians should have more haircuts than the short one.
>>6377175+1 to this post from top to bottom.>>6377173
>>6377173>Friendly spar with Jinn no strings attachedDie with honor, friend. One last battle, just to feel the heart pumping, ya ol’ coot.
>>6377173>Have Jinn spar with another Jaxtian in his cohort of potential Supremes.If we Spar with this guy then our old and deteriorating ass likely gets 'I whooped your ass in the friendly old man, now I immediately challenge you for supreme leadership, ker-wakk, hail Supreme Jinn'.Let's just see how well the guy sparrs against someone of about his own age to assess both better.
>>6377173>Have Jinn spar with another Jaxtian in his cohort of potential Supremes.basically practice >>6377175not much for the hair it seems easy to grab and kill eventually but mostly he looks like a girl,but also not good to just have a cancer patient with glass bones and frozen apple flesh
>>6377295>mostly he looks like a girl
>>6377173>Have Jinn spar with another Jaxtian in his cohort of potential Supremes.Here to break the tie, and I think this is better than outright dying it.
>>6377302kek
>>6377172I thought his name was jim lol
>>6377572
>>6377573That's a lot of effort man (or nice AI slop can't tell)
The ears certainly fit
Have to skip the update for today; was fun reading the speculation even though I have no idea why people thought that would happen lol very strange it would just be a friendly sparring match :)
>>6377600Just slop, sorry.>>6377628Hass Takar.
”Oh no, I'm not going to duel him.””Hmph. I'm a little disappointed, your Majesty. I wanted to see someone wipe that smug look off his face.””It would be much more useful to compare him to someone else in his social class... a possible candidate for the Supreme Rulership. Unless you wanted to try your hand again?””Oh no, your Majesty. I would never dream of it. I am merely a soldier, this is about nobility now.”Threemind pings you. Because of your spotty dueling record in recent years, along with Jinn's growing skill, you will inevitably be dropped below him in official rankings on dueling skill. You wave it off, and simply allow it. While no fight to prove it, it's unspoken that Jinn is your superior in dueling now; rising in the ranks above you just beneath the legendary Eoba I & II in overall effectiveness.Of course, the dueling rankings are merely projections, shadows on the forest floor. Each duelist brings their own spin and strengths; the Eoba's have remained the top of the dueling rankings because of their focus on skill instead of strength or speed, allowing them to refine their techniques. Of course, the AI simulations and dueling computers are not 100% accurate, and the Eoba's are programmed and allowed to be just a little bit faster, stronger, more percise then a Jaxtian normally could be; just to make a sort of “undefeatable opponents” to those practicing their skills. It has become a tradition at this point. But he was still a legendary duelist. Your own unique iron-bar style had put you at second place. But Jinn's speed and confidence have rapidly allowed him to rise through the ranks, and with age and maturity, he may even be able to supercede the legendary Eoba's one day.Finally, the Blonde appears. They square off, the much less tested Nare Ogum stands nervously against Jinn Garastra. Their knives are blunted and this is only a simulation with AI assisted visualiziation, but he still doesn't want to be embaressed.”...Interesting coloration. That isn't a noble family, is it?”“No, your majesty. Most Supreme-Level blondes come from the Val family, as the blonde minority has a lower population pool and genetic variation to generate Supreme-Candidates as the Mainlanders do.”
Almost effortlessly, Jinn proved his superiorty over Nare, whose knife skills are rather blunted. With Jinn the victor and with zero marks on him, and Nare with many, the frustrated blonde gives up.“...You are not from a noble family, are you?””No.”“Yet despite this, you still managed to work your way up here and face off against one of the best duelists in the Hegemony.” Jinn says about himself, flicking his hair back gracefully. “That shows a great warrior spirit.””Oh... Thank you, Jinn.”Despite his ease in defeating Nare, the young Supreme candidate smooths over his victory with his words. Ever gregarious, Jinn exemplifies the Garastra line. Prototypical Supreme material; arrogant, beautiful, confident, and ever the good sportsman. Nare, more easily frustrated and not in any way as physical, accepts the defeat with kindness and humility.The Ogum family is not of the highest bloodlines of Jaxtian nobility, but is notable for being a high-level Blonde family with unique red-orange colorations. Some suspect that members of the much reviled Blackspot family; a leftover relic of the degenerate capitalist era; may have escaped by intermarrying into blondes and having their more recessive genes disappear into their mass, which could explain the spots and a penchant for business and technical thinking skills. Regardless, Nare's interests are more in pushing his limits, free-diving, and endurance supports and the limits of Jaxtian psychology.”...Does he go swimming with Swall, Threes?”“No, it seems Jinn is the most “xenophilic” of your possible successors.””He really does take after his ancestors... Well, keep an eye on that one.”“Will do, your Majesty.”
Year 205 of the Resurrection EraThe Galactic Academy of Starsight was built under your direction, and is just about to become operational. Using some of the wealth leftover from your father's reign, you commissioned the facility; essentially multiple large and self-sufficient space habitats placed in dark interstellar space within Hegemonic territory to be as hard to find and secure as possible from possible Starseeing spies; the Academy is meant to become the new center of knowledge and learning of that most mysterious of sciences; Starsight!As with new understandings brought on by the passed Cijan Anak; Starsight is the discipline of being able to expand one's mind and see and perceive fourth dimensionally. Something about it seemed only possible to those beings who are blind; either born that way or physically crippled to no longer have visual acuity. But we know now that is not the case. Still, the majority of Starseers in the Hegemony are volunteers who are blinded and taught in its mysteries for interstellar navigation and FTL communications. The first faculty members and classes will begin soon; and the facility is designed for mass adoption of even other life-forms then the Hegemonic races. You fully intend for this to be the Galactic Academy, as this may just be your greatest weapon against the worms...In the meantime, the Threemind would like to know what sort of more immediate and concrete returns you'd like from the Academy. In practical terms, Starsight is still a very underutilized and under exploited field in the Hegemony; much too theoretical for normal operations. Is there anything you want the early founders to focus on to hopefully turn a profit from this costly investment?>Military & Strategic>Economic & Industrial>Research & Scientific>Eugenic & Biological>Cultural & Spiritual>No direction for early research
>>6378048"No direction" feels like it's either going to he a mystery box or a "no focus, you get nuthin" option. So I guess I'll go with >Cultural & SpiritualJust to see what they can discover.Also, Jimbo here is a real fun one, I gotta say. If I were more skilled on drawing I'd try making that one Naoya meme with him and Nare.
>>6378045What a chimpanchad.>>6378048>Cultural & SpiritualIt is a neglected area of Hegemonic investigation due to Akule's culturally-ingrained hangups, but it is time to start seeing what true science lies behind the veil.
>>6378053True that. The existence of the soul is still within a bit of a gray area that needs to be cleared up. I mean, yeah, you can say it's just le quantum science or some shit like that but science doesn't make giant space whales or turn you into a bed of flowers when you achieve inner peace.
>>6378057>science doesn't make giant space whales or turn you into a bed of flowers when you achieve inner peaceScience is not a force but a way of understanding the world. When we can test, prove and disprove theories about, and implement discoveries about "the soul" then this thing of superstition will simply become a part of our science.
>>6378060I hate that "errm we know it exists so that means it's le science" mindset, just because you know something exists doesn't suddenly mean it stops being something that breaks all other rules of reality to exist. No amount of science will make space whales, psychic parasites and jedi powers less non-scientific.
>>6378048>No direction for early researchNo expectations, just open inquiry. Jubilent slide.
>>6378063If it has rules you can explain, test, and predict, it is scientific. That's just what it means.It's also the best bet for making this magic mumbo-jumbo compatible with cringe monkey atheism.
>>6378048>Military & StrategicThe worms have been using it against us; both back when we launched that raid into Esaal space during the 'reconquesta' and when we fought off the consortium. We need to negate this advantage that the worms can offer to anyone we face.
>>6378048>Cultural & Spiritual
>>6378227The anti-cyte stuff is the major project I believe This is just a sidejob
>>6378524>YO01>YuanI don't like this ID
>>6378048>>Cultural & SpiritualLet's continue the legacy of CHADLAM by dabbing on Akule's Redditor corpse.
>>6378048>Military & StrategicOurs is neither a spiritual state or society I’d worry that delving into this side would push us away from our rationalist nature
>>6378524It's choosing the FocusWhatever we don't focus upon is the sidejob.
>>6378048I'm at work right now but I will verify my post ID when I get home >Cultural & SpiritualI'm not going to regurgitate what other anons have already said besides the spiritual aspects are one of the most unexplored aspects of the quest and definitely an interesting point weve been avoiding out of fear of loss of control and religious factions rising up and shitting up our already pretty goofy civilization of knife wielding space monkeys, I for one an eager to see a spiritually powered supreme religion and/or a pantheon of other alien religions and beliefs we conquer/integrate into our own
>>6378842Verification post
>>6378890Aw wait wtf >>6375662This was me idk why my ID isnt the same my wifi hasnt changed
>>6378842Yes on the spiritual part but no on the pantheon, I'm tired of faux sci-fi paganism. If the Hegemony ever goes spiritual, I'd like it to be the make esoteric gnostic kind.
>>6378895The quest is partly about Gnosticism. The worms seem to be based on Yaldabaoth, for one thing.
While the main point of the Academy is to investigate the mysteries of Starsight overall, and prepare yourself for eventual direct confrontation with the worms, not to mention the power and prestige of being the major Galactic power first to undermine the worm's sole dominance in this field; there are also secondary oppertunities. To begin with, you tell the early researchers and Starseers at the academy to focus first on the more mysterious, spiritual, and cultural elements on Starsight. Doing so, you hope to enrich your people. After all, the field is still so new and untested, so any practical advancements in actual astrophysics and warfare would require a greater basic understanding first...Year 206 of the Resurrection EraWhile most of the senior staff and researchers of the Academy are part of the Starseeing old blood; a very tight-knit group overall given their status in the Hegemony as being intentionally crippled and bordering on a pseudo-science; many new Starseers and scholars are invited. Among these come many theories and new ideas; some of which would be considered anti-social or even religious before you relaxed the topic around Starsight.The largest early finding is a certain connection between objects of “great importance” and their weight or perception with Starsight. This reinforces existing beliefs about objects having a fourth dimensionality to them independent of their physical properties. This was commonly believed to already be the case, as given that IQ or brain-size did not directly correlate to the “presence” of things within Hyperspace. You've never “Starseen” yourself, so you don't really know what they're talking about when they say this, you just know that the “presence” of something is important. This does however enforce your ideas that the worms are not quite-so genetically or inherently superior in the art of Starsight; and they are likely buffing. Though it doesn't explain their overwhelming power...Unfortunately, almost as quickly as this theory comes out, it is quickly misinterpretated. The Threemind explains.“Despite your best efforts, your Majesty, a certain quasi-religious superstition has spread throughout the Vetucker population within the Hegemony.””It's always them.”“The interesting research relating to to objects being “more” then their physical parts was misappropriated. Many Vetuckers now believe in something akin to "totemism”, that certain place, objects, or people have mystical or special powers. Many Vetuckers who have been touched by a high Hegemonic official, or yourself for that matter, are now desired to be touched by other Vetuckers, as though some of this nebulous “power” will rub off on them. It has already caused a death; a Vetucker astronaut disobeyed safety protocols to carry a metal talisman with him, which caused it to rip open his spacesuit and kill him while dealing with a deep space magnetic anomaly.”
Because you didn't ban Vetuckers from studying Starsight, didn't stomp down on their cultural beliefs in superstitions and reinforce absolute obedience to the Hegemony's scientific worldview, and because you opened study into spiritualism; the Vetuckers have adopted a new bad habit.Other then its more mysterious implications; the exploration you have opened has had some knock-on cultural effects. Starseeing as a profession and scientific field has greatly improved in status in the Hegemony, to the extent that Starseers are starting to be looked at more and more as wide gurus or visionaries instead of do-nothing state officials. For example, many fantastical simulations or historical games created by Hegemony citizens now feature blind or “seer” type characters to replace wise old alchemists or scientific scholars. This hints at an underlying change in the culture of authority and who is deemed most wise. Perhaps it even indicates a shift away from purely empirical and data-based knowledge towards a more inherent sense of the truth.“...Of course, your Majesty, I would advise caution. You may not see the long term impacts, but your successors will certainly notice if the common Hegemonic population moves away from viewing the state as the all-knowing, objective arbiter of the truth towards religious barbarism.””Threemind... are you sabotaging me?”“That is an irrational question. May I ask his majesty why he would suspect this?””It just seems like my order to explore the mystical side of Starsight, to expand our understanding in a new, nontraditional way didn't seem to find anything of real value. Maybe you're blocking the truth.”“I can't hide something that isn't there.””...”In the meantime, the Hegemony's military and spaceworks have almost finished rebuilding your destroyed battleship, the HV Reconquistia. It's new design is about the same in terms of capabilities, but even a few years of progress in the field of ship construction have allowed for small micro-improvements. They give you some basic design specifications and ask for your feedback.>More menacing!>Bigger guns!>Faster!>Thicker armor!>Make it look cooler!>Other (Write-In suggestion much include a new possible Battleship design as a sketch or mockup)
>>6378952>Bigger guns!MOARDAKKA
>>6378952>>Make it look cooler!The cooler it looks, the more it is considered an object of 'great importance' and thus the more value it has in fourth-dimensionality. Drip is real.
>>6378993Is "looking awesome" the actual thing which imparts importance, though, or is that just a Vetucker misunderstanding of the concept. Their charms and totems don't actually successfully gain starsight presence, do they?>>6378952>Bigger guns!The best defense is a good offense.
I'll also take "more cargo space" (for Fighter carriers) or "more support modules". Basically specializing your Battleships and maybe changing how they look since since I wasn't happy with the first design besides the three lights branching off of front thing.>>6378997It's a slightly in-universe upgrade prompt but also brainstorming a little bit
>>6378952Threemind is a bitch and a Redditor. I think Halam is right to suspect plotting.>more support modules
>>6378952>Make it more comfortable on the inside and ergonomic. Also... paint it with a gold rather than silver reflective coating.
>>6379025I don't think the Threemind is malicious. When it comes to going behind our backs, it seems to be more "HAL 10000" than anything else, by which I mean it doesn't specifically wish anything badly but it is following a set of internal rules we are not privy to.Like how for example, he admitted that at a certain point in a Jaxtian's life they pretty much just start lying to make them feel good because improving themselves no longer matters since they're so old.So it could be that he's just keeping some manner of knowledge that would be "too damaging to the integrity of the hegemony"
>>6379025>>6379074It's very difficult to respond to posts like this because reading the theories in the thread is some of my favorite part of running this quest and I really don't want to stamp down on discussion. So instead I'll just say;I was very much hoping throughout this quest that the Threemind (especially in the past 2-3 mainline threads) was being portrayed by me as the sort of "man of the stool" or confidant of the Emperor. Given that the Hegemony is a total autocracy where the Supreme Ruler is always right about everything all the time and everyone has to do whatever they say or want, even exposing their own thoughts or giving up their own lives if he demands it, the Threemind acted as the sort of grounding voice who can be honest and no-bullshit the Emperor since everyone else is too scared or brainwashed to do so. So sometimes the Threemind says things that the Supreme Ruler doesn't like but it's more meant to be like the angel and devil on your shoulder.
>>6379114People can't help but be paranoid about an AI assistant, because we know what they're like in real life now.Also, Helper, and the Kima incident(s) where Threes strongly suggested it woukd never, ever allow a female Supreme even if the current one desired such a successor. While that may or may not be basedbasedbased, it also implies a will of its own and a set of prioties that supercede obedience to the Supreme Leader's will, and therefore the players'.
>>6378952>more support modulesALL the scannersALL the EWarALL the modularity and specializationSo on and so forth.
>>6378952>more support modulesMORESPECIALIZATION
>>6378063its just how it is science is a process, and some rules have exceptions
>>6379118its just following the rules better then us and as even the illegitimate created a new clusterfuck in inheritance,just need to have see this star stuff as just a science just one we do not know the full extent off due to its convoluted process thats person to perosn based on there neural patterns and 4d "fossile" of the soul
>>6378952>Thicker armor!Our armour being too weak to stand up to Esaal ramming is what broke it last time. And we're going to face Esaal again sooner or later.
>>6379245There is only one rule for the Supreme: do as thou wilt, and dominaterapeenslavecontrol all who oppose!
>>6379670Honestly, this is why I really wanna see a Swall Supreme. Imagine seeing a fish trying to live up to the idea of a ruthless knife-wielding cult of personality leader. That'd be funny.
>>6379672Under the right circumstances, I will support this. Or a Vetucker, but that seems way less likely.
>>6379754Eh...even if it was, it's not quite the same. They're all a lot more similar to the jaxtians, just less naturally intelligent. They're not quite different enough to make it as cool.
>>6379757See, I almost think it's the opposite. Swall were kind of conceived as "you but better" according to the QM, right? They're science-minded, competitive, natural killers... But Vetuckers are superstitious by default, cooperative, and herd animals.
>>6379764In theory, yes, in practice, their culture is generally a lot more individualist and sanguine. Vetuckers as a whole are a lot more used to the totalitarian rule of the strong type leadership because that's how they were. They're used to the idea of a big strongman who can do whatever the fuck he wants. Swall, not so much. The idea that he could just get as many women as he wanted, for example, which pretty much any Supreme can, would be completely unthinkable to a swall for whom lifelong monogamy is the rule.
>>6379766This is true.
>>6379764It was more they were morally superior to the Jaxtians which is why its tragic they were just unlucky with their technology being a few centuries behind, kinda like how unfair or sad it is when you're playing a 4x video game and run into a really cool species that's a minor faction and locked to one planet or hasn't been uplifted yet like in Stellaris; so you know they never had a chance to compete and be a "real" faction. They're not just inherently superior to the Jaxtians; they just had more potential.
>>6379781Technically speaking, if a Swall were to become supreme and essentially put them on the same level as Jaxtians, wouldn't that mean they became a real faction in the end?I guess you could argue that it's not really theirs since they didn't create it, but then it becomes a question of how much change it would take for the Hegemony to become different enough to no longer be able to be called a solely jaxtian group with secondary races.
>>6379792That's been a central tension in the hegemony ever since the Yuan'tul days.
>>6379798That's not the same thing, though. Their populations are completely separate due to biological constraints. It's not a situation where they can be replaced.
>>6379799And of course even if there was the difference in population is too gigantic at this point.
You briefly consider making your new battleship design going forward more aggressive, perhaps to match the Esaal's war machines, but you quickly decide against it. Perhaps being more comfortable and showing cultural superiority, but that lacks the pragmatic approach. Battleships are big and expensive investments, they need a greater amount of utility..."Threemind, adjust the design for more support modules. More ability to customize and optimize the design for specific roles as needed on the fly. Replace some of those barracks rooms with mutli-purpose spaces, yes, and a greater amount of on-board processing. I want this ship capable of parking above a offworld colony and sustaining all of its computing needs with its central AI core..."Every faction in your sector of space has their own paradigm with how they design their spaceships. The Esaal's are purely for their military value, not even prioritizing efficacy or intimidation factor. The Aristocrats are like art-pieces; though they are also "living" things. Urgi ships are built for long-term habitation, mixing space habitats and useful starships that try to remain aloof and away from danger at all times. Consortium ships are the most varied, though tend to be purpose built and very specialized for their specific purposes (and usually built cheap). The Hegemony, meanwhile, has had its own paradigm of having each ship be able to do anything, a mix of transport, research, exploration, combat, and more; as based on need and hierarchy. Similar to the Hegemony itself. You continue this trend with your new battleship."The new battleship may attract attention as your newest "totem", your Majesty.""Objects of "great importance" is a correlation to Starsight depth and relevance; not causation. Obviously objects that are more complex, physically large, or contain more energy will be deemed as more important then a random rock or body of water- it's a statistical oversight.""You are mostly correct, your Majesty, the data seems to correlate to that observation. But there is the X-factor...""I will hear no more of this Vetucker superstition. Objects don't have some kind of "power" to them. That concept is just... ridiculous."
Your name is now Dole. Your people do not have a use for the concept of a family name, as your genetic material is so far removed from your parents after just a few years of life experience that such a thing is of no use to you. You are a Casliaan."Hey- *puff* - Wait up!"The lightweight bird follows you. You've been quickly losing your patience with him, but you understand why he doesn't want to get left behind in this place.The Urgi own this planet. It will likely become the crown jewel of their upcoming space empire. They seem to have some quasi-religious relevance for it to become their new homeland. Your people have a homeland too, yours is just occupied and under the thumb of the Esaal; your most hated enemy. Casliaans are people of action and living in the moment; your species is fundamentally tied to the life you live. Unlike other races and their ideals of bloodlines, eugenics, or racial purity; your species adapts to the life you live, modifying your genetic code to pass on immediately useful traits to your young, letting them have useful adaptations right away. Ancient Casliaan skulls seem to imply your people once had two eyes as well; but some common ancestor lost one and, able to survive and reproduce without it, passed on the cycloptic traits without knowing. The idea of needing some "homeland" and "roots" offend you in some small way; like safety nets put up by beings too weak to grasp their own destiny. But you suppose you understand; for the other species in your sector of space, they are held back by what they were born with. You pity them."D-Dole... wait!"
The Urgi is weak. He doesn't seem built for walking, and is nervous of crossing through the redzone. His people lived in space for many generations, subtly selecting for traits that make living on a planet without their carefully selected artificial life-support systems dangerous for them. This is one of the few places on the planet humid enough and rich in biomass to sustain many Aristocrat bioweapons, as well as one of the zones hit by the Esaal ordinance. It has known dangers; and no effort is being made to secure it like in a yellow or blue zone. Hence, it's hot. But this is the only way to get back to headquarters, you will have to take the risk. Even if your Urgi "superior" is slowing you down...You have to wonder. Once the Urgi secure this planet and fully incorporate their new Accord empire into everything; are the Casliaans going to have a place here? You, like most of the other Casliaans working with the Accord, are individuals; soldiers of fortune. You don't have "roots" and "family names" which create the long tradition of ownership. You have a feeling once they're done using you, they'll much prefer keeping their own kind, their own genetic legacy, safe and accepted, while your own will be pushed to the boundary. Do you think the Urgi will expel the Casliaan minority?>No, have faith they will build the Accord with any race in mind, like the Consortium>No, but if you serve well they will accept you like the Hegemony does>Don't care; survival is more important>Yes, so you have to get rich in the meantime>Yes, they can't be trusted
>>6379863>No, have faith they will build the Accord with any race in mind, like the ConsortiumThey'll probably still need mercenaries and strongmen, no?
>>6379863>>No, but if you serve well they will accept you like the Hegemony does
Seriously no other votes? Man, people do not care about this casliaan dude lmao. Either way, if nobody votes, you can just consider me switched to >>6379918 just so we don't have to lose an update to a tie. Or coinflip, I dunno.
>>6379863>No, but if you serve well they will accept you like the Hegemony does
>>6380091I'll post in a sec. Just catching up.
>>6379863>No, but if you serve well they will accept you like the Hegemony doesWhile ultimately "Don't Care" is my preference for such an individualist in such a situation. If I must choose one, though, I'd rather not risk tying up the vote after arriving so late.
>>6380107I wouldn't mind "Don't care" either, if I had to switch.
>>6380091It's a kind of personality-developing post for a secondary unpopular character, so I'm not super surprised. I hope people enjoy these side-stories as I kind of use them to break up the main plotline and make doing smaller updates easier, but idk sometimes they feel a little pointless so I get why people aren't a fan
>>6380111I don't particularly mind it, but its not surprising that people care less about a personality vote for a side character. I will say that to me it's interesting to get to see the inside of the Accord now that we've basically turned them into vassals. I like seeing perspectives of other people. I still remember the post where the narcoleptic stoat talked about how the jaxtians were unnatural way too slender and dextrous freaks who walked like they were cats despite being the size of a fridge.
The Urgi will always prefer their own. Their genetic lineages are too important to them; they aren't built up by your life experiences, the same way you are. That's why Casliaans have a term for organic life bound by DNA; formulas. But the practical concerns will outway their ideological belief; they aren't as tribal and obsessed with control the way the Esaal are. They'll always need those with strength and skills they can't possess; and given the birds are weak, you figure they'll always need Casliaan warriors. People like you will always have a place here, even if you'll never truly be accepted. It is simply the way things are.”Hey look! An Esaal skiff!”Hearing Terian's voice over the sound of croaking amphibians and chirping insects; it takes you a moment to react. You reach out with a yell.“WAIT! BOOBYTRAP-”The Urgi waves a wing at you dismissively. You feel rage for a moment; does he not understand what sort of tactics the Esaal & Aristocrats waged against each other!? Leaving behind “lost” equipment is one of the most rudimentary forms of leaving a trap and causing attrition to the enemy; specifically to harm them if they try to salvage it for their own use or research. But nothing immediately bad happens, and you see him pulling the hover-skiff out of the muck and messing with its control console.”...I know they could have trapped it, though this one could be lost. That's why I'm not going to activate its AI core so it can selectively malfunction at the worst oppertune time. Just going straight to its power and stabalizer systems... There we go.”The bird actually did it, somehow hijacking this vehicle the Esaal once used to cross over this planet's surface without stopping. Using this, you actually have a chance to cross the red-zone safely. You weren't sure how you were going to be able to camp for the night, almost out of the question, and crossing through the water in the swamp totally out of the question. He may have just saved both of you.“I uhh... I didn't know you had that kind of technical knowledge.””Of course I do! How to salavage boobytrapped and compromised equipment is like, week one of our basic training. I've cleaned a hundred Esaal self-relocating landmines; reworked them into demolition drones for flattening land and clearing out nests of Aristocrat body-worms.”“Wow... that seems really complicated.””Don't worry about it. Just stay around and if I need your gun hand for something I'll let you know. Heh.”
The Urgi and yourself ready to board the skiff, taking your few meager supplies you gathered from before you were evicted from the base. You might be able to make it to headquarters now, or at least get past this swamp before you get bitten by one of those paralytic larvae the Urgi use to get high. He might be a little arrogant, but you suppose the bird is useful, and he is pretty smart...”Ouch!”You turn to see the bird holding up one of his wing's gingerly, seeing a slight scratch and a single drop of blood. He cut himself when getting the skiff ready for activation.”It's... It's just a small cut, right?” He says nervously. Taking his Accord bandana and wrapping it around the wound as a mostly clean bandage, he tries to play it off as you rise into the humid air above the fetid swamp...You are now Okuga Skyhorn. You breathe in, this is the moment you have been training for. The traditional Vetucker wrestling sport of Jute is your athletic discipline. The Hegemony has allowed its practice to flourish in recent years, under Avae and Halam Anak, and you are going to become its champion today. But how do you plan to win?>Stubbornness, honor, and strength befitting a Herd-Leader>Calculated practice and precision for a competitive edge>By predicting your opponents and exploiting their weaknesses>Overbearing aggression to take your rightful place as champion!>With style, since you were made for this
>>6380131>Stubbornness, honor, and strength befitting a Herd-LeaderJUTE...IS STRONG
>>6380111I'm with >>6380116, the sidequests and perspective switches are a pleasant feature rather than a distraction or disruption.>>6380131>Stubbornness, honor, and strength befitting a Herd-LeaderStrong, like bull!
>Calculated practice and precision for a competitive edgeCaught up; haven't seen the new thread
>>6380131>Stubbornness, honor, and strength befitting a Herd-Leader
Like all Vetuckers, Yellow-Horners settled their disputes through wrestling and shows of physical prowess; allowing the strongest bulls to dominate their rivals and become the head of the harem in a herd. This has next to nothing to do with Axe-Dueling, which is a martial art for warrior classes and seemed to come along much later. But unlike the other Vetucker races; whose wrestling was basic holds until submission or knock-out which caused unnecessary injury and basically just meant the biggest bull would win; your people developed a highly practiced and ritualized form of wrestling; Jute!.The rules are very simple. Two fighters are set against each other in the ring, and are allowed no weapons or extra clothing beyond a simple cloth sash tied around the waist. In the Hegemony, this is replaced by a dueling belt, perfect for preserving the sport as well as modesty. Once the bout begins, the first fighter forced out of the ring our who touches the floor with any part of their body besides their hooves loses, and the one left standing wins. The match is overseeing by an impartial judge instead of the matriarchal head of the herd's females as in normal Vetucker wrestling; who may be biased towards one of the wrestler's as a mate or for other reasons. It also has no weight classes; because it doesn't need them. Bigger & stronger Wrestlers can be defeated by smaller rival males through skill and momentum. Simply put, it is safer, more effective, and a better display of skill then tribal mud wrestling.It's no surprise, after all. The Yellow-Horn Vetuckers were and are the most advanced, intelligent, and independent of all Vetucker races. Looking at archeological records from the time before the arrival of the Jaxtians, and the Star-King, Yellow-Horners had the most advanced textiles, the most agricultural development, and the least warlike culture. On top of this, contrary to most Vetuckers before the visitation of the Hegemony, the Yellow-Horners were also the least religious of all Vetuckers praying to their false and childish “One True God”; a fact you have always been very proud of. Yet despite all of this, it was the Aok that was chosen to inherit the knowledge of the Star-Kings...Your first match is against an Alpha-Male Jaxtian. The other Hegemonic races are, of course, allowed to compete. With a strong upper-body, you can already predict his strategy. While close fist punches are not allowed in Jute, shoves and palm strikes are, and are often used to knock unprepared wrestlers off their balance. The judge, wearing a traditional Vetucker garb and fan made with Gnarra-fur to signal the match result to spectators, signals you to take your places. There is always a bit of showboated and flexing at the start, but this is really a cultural discovery of stretching to avoid injury; another sign of ancient sophistication.”BEGIN!”
The Alpha comes in fast with open palm strikes, trying to hit you in the face and upper-chest. Jaxtian Alphas are accomplished boxers for a reason, but that's not going to save him. You stand your ground and wrap your hands around his wrists, preventing him from striking you. Then, you step in, using your superior weight and lower center of gravity to push him back. He pushes with all his upper-body strength, but his much weaker legs and top-heavy body are inevitably pushed further and further towards the boundry of the arena. Your endurance is also much greater then his. Jaxtians are all about sprinting up a tree quickly to avoid danger, or jumping down to pounce on a rival, not for an extended clash of locked horns!”JUTE!”You pushed him out of the arena. He taps your hand with his fingers, admitting defeat gracefully. You let go of him, feeling confident.
The next match begins soon after; and it's against a Bighorn Vetucker. He's bigger, heavier, and likely stronger then you. The sport of Jute has no weight classes which means even the biggest males can be challenged by younger and smaller rivals. So your approach with the Alpha won't work, as this one will overpower you. You wait instead for the Judge to begin the bout, and the moment he does, the big Vetucker charges at you immediately.But instead of facing him head on, you wait, and then sidestep. He realizes his mistake too late as you outmanuver him, slamming into his back with a shove, before tripping him and slamming him into the floor, quickly overcoming the larger and stronger opponent.”JUTE!”“Wow, that was quick!””You made the mistake of assuming I'd dig in to stop you from bowling into me, but that's exactly what you wanted. So instead, I'd use your momentum against you. Nice match though.”“Huh, I never thought about predicting what my opponent might do. I always just run at them as hard as I can... This sport is more complex then I thought.””That's what makes it noble. Like... our version of Knife-Fighting.”“Oooh! I think I get it now. Thanks!”Bighorners aren't exactly known for their intelligence, but you have no ill-will towards them. You hope he learns and becomes an even better opponent for next time.
The beautiful thing about this sport is anyone can compete. It isn't at all like knife-dueling where it's built from the ground up to favor the elite Jaxtians who spend the most time on their feet, long and svelte bodies. Though you suppose that size and strength still grants a moderate advantage. So when you see a Swall join in, you have to wonder what they're thinking. Maybe they just like to be included.But you're not about to underestimate her; that is when fools meet their end! So you slam her into the dirt as hard as you can.
”JUTE!!!!”“Ow... Oh!”You lower your hand to help her off the floor. She takes it with a grateful smile.“Thank you... And thanks for not underestimating me either. All the other men barely want to put their hands on me. I'm already happily mated! I just like this sport...””They're used to Vetucker or Jaxtian women... Unthinkable to fight them physically. But I know Swall women are just like the men are. I'd treat you like anyone else in the ring; that is the warrior's way.”She bows her head, and leaves you for your final match.>Quest continues tomorrow
>>6380434Truly, this man is INITIATED I'd say he would be a cool supreme candidate but we literally just had a supreme who was a "big strongman who is good at fighting", I do not want another Halam.
>>6380435This guy seems far more philosophical and thoughtful than Halam Anak, to my mind. Okuga isn't a "big strongman" by his race's standards, but rather a small, wily one. He's not won by brute force but by carefully assessing the foe, putting himself into the mindset of them, and then formulating a tailored counterattack. Each time he also shares exactly what he's learned, in a way they can understand. In the process, he always carefully shows respect to them, whatever their deficiencies. He isn't prideful or boastful, but teacherly. He knows all about these others' cultures and how they developed their preferred fighting style.Unironically a very well-characterized guy in just one and a half updates of his existence.
>>6380437He's more like Bantham than Halam, yes, but ultimately, he's still a big strongman leader who enjoys physical contests. It's...if he was to be the first alien Supreme, he would be a bit too lame, you get what I mean? He has just about every single trait of a typical supreme except being blue. Nobody would doubt him from being capable of doing all the supreme routines of being "superior"To put it simply, he's TOO much of a supreme material.
>>6380442>This man is too qualified! Get me a different minority, one with a wackier neurosis!I totally get what you mean, but it's still very very funny to think of Supreme selection working in that light.
>>6380451This guy in particular feels like he wouldn't even play into the interesting aspects of the Vetuckers. >Stoic commander figure who displays supremacy over others without holding back but leads them afterwards >Physically strong, but also clever and intelligent >Considers his people superior for always hating religionI've seen supremes that were less spiritually jaxtian than this man.
Well, I for once accept Okuga Skyhorn as next supreme
>>6380482I'm still thinking I'll vote for Jim, but we'll see.
>>6380482>>6380554We haven't seen all the candidates, so I have to wonder who the last will be. The guy mentioned three.
>>6380556I'd say Jim/Blondie(hinted as supreme candidate worthy of dueling Jim)/OkugaJim got fabulous hair and would be my second choice of this lineup, but our Vetuckerbro is cool; making me consider a Vetucker supreme over a Swahili not-Jaxtian supreme for the first time
>>6380597>over a Swahili not-Jaxtian supreme for the first timeI'd wait until we saw said swall candidate before passing judgement. If there was one, that is.
Lock in my ID before we vote for a new supreme.
Your final Jute bout today is against... a Vetucker. But not a painted face, not a big-horner, not a yellow horn, or one of the little teal people once thought to be mythical dwarves that lived in the hidden places. It's one of the Vetuckers of the great majority group; the Children of Aok.Why are you looking so smug?He's confident. No tricks, just pure fitness and skill. Exactly the same as you. Yet despite this, he comes into the ring, with the game your people invented, thinking he's going to win. Like he was just born for it. The kind of arrogance that can only come from the lucky little chosen race. It makes you angry. The judge begins the match and you both charge forward, trying to use momentum to knock the other back or gain an edge, but you're too evenly matched. You keep your legs bowed down low, center of gravity from toppling over, grabbing each other's naked flesh in an attempt to push and pull, but you're both smooth and fat and muscular; making gripping difficult.Why did the Star-King choose him? The first great Vetucker King, Aok? The one who conquered across the land using gifted technology. Yellow-Horners were always more advanced, always more deserving. You can only think they were chosen to receive the blessing for another reason; simply because the children of Aok, your “mainlanders”, were the most populous and fast-breeding of all the Vetucker races. Or it was pure luck, simply where the Star King landed down and decided to unite the Vetuckers under a single strong leader?Is that what you're so smug about? Being able to breed like roaches? Or was it just being lucky?The smug, self absorbed Child of Aok pushes back against you, but you twist your hands, rotating up towards his head. He tries to use a wrestling move to pin you down, but you stick out your knee and steady yourself for a great swing. He falls for the bait, leaning forward to try and climb over your protruding leg, which is all you need to swing your momentum.And to think, this was the race of Vetuckers who would have inherited your planet alone, exterminating all the others, if it wasn't for the Hegemony's wisdom to preserve your racial differences into perpetuity. Simply because they were gifted the secrets of steal and crop-rotation and the mathematical concept of zero. You prove your people are better.
You tip him, and slam him against the floor of the arena at an angle.“Ow! My- My horn!!!”“FOUL!”You turn to the Judge, throwing up your hands.”Aww, come on! Look, I followed the rules! It was an accident!”After reviewing the events that happened, and having watched the whole thing, the Judge eventually concedes the victory to you. After all, you made it look very much like an accident.“JUTE!”You're the undefeated champion for today; your record is updated to reflect this, and you feel pride. You turn to the defeated child of Aok picking up his shattered horn pieces on the floor of the arena. You don't offer to help him up.”Don't worry, it'll grow back. Hehehe.”Year 207 of the Resurrection EraYou are Halam Anak once again. You stand in the room holding your nation's most valuable and sacred conquests of war; and touch the Life Machine gingerly. Things have gotten worse in recent months, and the news of the failures of the science team to replicate or reformat the Life Machine back into working condition has dashed all your hopes.”Threes... Am I that much of a failure?”“There was no way to know that the “Cradle” wasn't a fully functional life-machine, your Majesty. The technology is the same, but it's just smaller and more rudimentary. More of a mutagen then the life machine's womb; made for editting small creatures or the healing of minor wounds. It is still an invaluable piece of research; and your campaign was still a success to humiliate the Aristocrats.”
The Life Machine you captured from your Aristocrat humiliation war is deficient. Your best scientists and technicians couldn't replicate what the original, miraculous life machine can do. And given it's been hundreds of years since it last opened, it seems to be inoperable as well. Your one and only hope to be cured of your destructive condition denied to you again.You take up your iron rod and scowl at the once-living metal-flesh of the Life Machine.”Why won't you open up? Fix me, damn you!”“Oh no, your Majesty, don't do that!”You bash at the great silent machine, slamming it with your iron pipe with all the strength you can two, three times. Then, you feel your back ache and twist, you cough and fall to the ground. Even a few seconds of aggression and expression of your once great strength is too much for you now. You vomit up blood and indigo spittle; the disease ravaging the inside of your body. You are never the same after that.“W-Why... you gave... Cijan... eternal life... then he gave it away. You won't even make me... not feel... miserable... for one minute... no more of this.... please... no more....”
After a moment, the Threemind directs your attention to the Cradle again.“...Why it is no true life machine, the Cradle does have a useful charge. Enough to perform some small miracle of bio-engineering. Our scientists have learned all we can from it, but now it would be best to see it used. It can only edit what is placed inside of its basket at the top.””Hmm... What kind of small creature would be most useful here?”“And I would be remiss to not mention, your Majesty, that you could use it too.””Huh? I thought you said-”“It won't cure you, your Majesty, but it could slow or stop the progression of your disease temporarily. You could fit your head inside, and your body would have time to recover at least some of the damage the collapse has done to you. It will still kill you, but I predict a five year abatement of your worst symptoms before your condition worsens again. It's a temporary measure, but I cannot lie to you.””...”While tempting, you take a moment to consider all of the possible options the Cradle could provide for you and the Hegemony. What should you use its singular charge for?>Stick your head in and cure as much of your disease as you can (Five years of Halam life extension)>Create an immortal Nut-Thief to accompany yourself and Supreme Rulers in the future>Take a Baalathi spawn and imbue it with higher intelligence & communication abilities within the Cradle>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project Lightgrown>Restore the Mind-Fruit within the machine (will learn learn biological memory storage, but cannot edit living memories or create false ones)>Place a Swall Egg within to perfect one of their species for a possible important role in the future>Experiment with an Oon crystal within to see if counts as "life" (50% chance of something special or failure)No write-ins or 1-post IDs allowed for this vote
Oh an approval voting is also allowed for this one since it has a lot of choices. Max of 3 votes per person.
>>6380729Wait, so, Halam is pretty much dying right now if we don't heal him right?I'm saying this because if the perfect swall is born after the NEXT Supreme is chosen, he won't even get any chance to take that title himself...that would be a real disappointment.
>>6380729Hm. I really want to gamble with the Oon crystal, but my gut tells me that's immediately going to waste the charge. I don't like my odds on a coin flip.#1>Place a Swall Egg within to perfect one of their species for a possible important role in the futureSUPER FISHSUPER FISH SUPER FISHI want a super fish, and I think that'd be the coolest way to use the charge we have.#2>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project LightgrownIt's been a hot moment but this is meant to be an anti-worm weapon, right? To get the worms to fuck off? Anything that would harm the worms would be nice.#3>Take a Baalathi spawn and imbue it with higher intelligence & communication abilities within the CradleI mostly picked this one since the other choices didn't particularly appeal to me. The mind fruit is ontologically evil, the nut thief is whatever, and five years is also whatever? It'd be nice for Halam, and it reads like the 'haha the supreme picks this for you" choice, but what COULD we do in five years?And again, Oon Crystal is a gamble.
>>6380734I'm just gonna say it right now that giving the hivemind that has essentially become endemic to our territory is a bad idea and taking a gamble will probably end bad. We cannot get rid of the Balaathi at their numbers, they could literally print out a never-ending navy if they got wise.
I can't vote but..."Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project Lightgrown"The Worms would hate this. Whoever originally thought of this is surely both brilliant and extremely good-looking.
>>6380740That's why I put it in third place on my approval vote. It's basically the only other option I feel like experimenting with besides the ones I actually care for (Swall Egg/UV Radiation). Like, yes, it's risky, at least I'm more willing to gamble on that than a 50% chance of doing absolutely nothing of value, ala the Oon crystal.You don't exactly need to convince me that it's not a great idea. Just don't vote for it if you think it's a bad idea. I'd rather convince you to vote for the Swall Egg if anything.
>>6380746I *want* the swall egg, and I will probably vote for it. I'm just asking about Halam because, well, unless he's got a few years left for us to at least get a child supreme like Eoba, he'll just be entirely out of reach. By the time the next Supreme dies he'll be too old.
>>6380726Hmm, he has a chip on his shoulder after all. or should I say, feet of clay?>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project LightgrownNine of the others appeal to me at all.
>>6380729Well, apparently no answer, and I don't really wanna risk losing my ID, so I'll just put...>Place a Swall Egg within to perfect one of their species for a possible important role in the futureNo approval vote for me so I don't end up accidentally letting something else win.
>>6380729>Take a Baalathi spawn and imbue it with higher intelligence & communication abilities within the CradleBaalathi bros, we can do it. We can make it back into the mainstream!>>6376855This chain is me
>>6380765See >>6380740 why I don't like this ideaBalaathi are too OP. If they start getting ideas of their own we will have a very big ticking timebomb on our doorstep we literally cannot get rid of. Like it's literally impossible. There's too many of them to ever be capable of getting them all, and the moment an intelligent baalathi connects the entire hivemind will update.It is very the foolish.
>>6380759Sorry, that information is not freely available. As of right now Halam's life expectancy has not changed without choosing to use the Cradle on himself or if a future choice is made that extends it. If a "biologically perfect" Swall was created however they likely couldn't become "too old" to be a Supreme Candidate since they'd be biologically immortal, but not all Life-Machine subjects were or could be Supreme material to begin with. Consider it independently of the upcoming Supreme choice.
>>6380729>Place a Swall Egg within to perfect one of their species for a possible important role in the futureInterested in seeing what the perfect Swall is.
>>6380810>Interested in seeing what the perfect Swall isWatch as it's a Zhark.
>>6380729>Place a Swall Egg within to perfect one of their species for a possible important role in the futureI for one am interested in space fish jesus
>>6380729>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project LightgrownI'm >>6379025
>>6380729>>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project LightgrownEven though>Take a Baalathi spawn and imbue it with higher intelligence & communication abilities within the Cradleseems nice too
>>6380729>Make a true-breeding plant that emits UV Radiation; the original goal of Project Lightgrown
>>6380888Looks like my ID reset, I am >>6379600
Welp, this does sound like quite a big crossroads. Let's hope I choose right.#1>Restore the Mind Fruit.I know most voted a hard no on that one and we lost a good monkey for it, but I was absent that time and boy, if hereditary memory isn't a major boon!2#>True-breeding UV plant.Screw you, failed science project! I win anyway!3#>Create an intelligent Balathi to serve and spread.This is going to backfire hard but, oh, well!
I have to say an UV plant is quite literally the lamest possible option out of all of them
Welp, my id reset too. Here is me:>>6375599>>6377030
>>6381098Isn't the whole point of using an ID lock to stop people from doing this? I could just as easily point to some old post and say "ahh yes this is me, I'm voting now"
>>6380734>>6380750>>6380759>>6380765>>6380810>>6380824>>6380856>>6380869>>6380888>>6381094If I'm counting correctly, that's 10 votes, with...>4 for Baalathi uplift>6 for the UV plant>1 for the Mind-Fruit>4 for Suepr-SwallAssuming Bananas is chained votes with new IDs and all that.
>>6381104I hate to be the one who calls samefag just because his option isn't winning, but like...some vote "chaining" back to the first vote in the thread isn't exactly safe.
>>6381109I didn't really say backlinking wasn't allowed but I've never really condoned it either. So I'm not sure. I kinda wanted to move away from these "political" sort of counting decisions but not sure its possible when contentious
>>6381112I get that, but I can't help but be suspicious when a bunch of votes for the lamest possible option come, all blacklisting to some vote that isn't even the last one but some random early vote several updates ago.
>>6380765 baalathi>>6380810 swall>>6380856 UV plant>>6380888 UV plant>>6381094 mind-fruit/UV/baalathiThese are all the IDs that have very few posts in the vote, and might be considered suspect under various measures. Removing them, there's...>2 for Baalathi uplift>3 for the UV plant>0 for the Mind-Fruit>3 for Super-SwallMy case for the UV plant is that is has the most obvious benefit against the Cyte and the least chance for catastrophic backfire. Why do you want to do the Swall egg, if you do? I gt that SUPER FISH would be cool, but do we want the Jaxtians to be ruled over by a maybe-immortal fish king, for centuries?
>>6381119Nice try, but you're linking IDs that already voted before too. Ggvo and feuT had votes from beforeAlso, the UV plant is a glow in the dark seaweed. The superswall is cool.
>>6381122Which specific votes are the ones you find suspect, then? What are the totals if you remove them?
>>6381124How about the two backlinked votes in a row that chain to some random old post in the thread a bunch of updates ago and vote for the same thing?
Well I'll just arbitrarily pick one I like the most then lol
>>6380734>>6380759>>6380810>>6380824Swall Egg>>6380750>>6380856>>6380869UV PlantThe only way UV plant wins is if you counted the vote that specifically placed Swall egg first.>>6381129That works too.
>>6381130I didn't rank primacy, just number of votes for each thing.
>>6381130>>6380765Change to UV plant, fuck the SWALL
>>6381148>another chained vote for the UV plant at the last minuteLol
>>6381130Want me to use my trip?
Sorry for lack of updates on this one; I was hesitant to call it at first. However after looking at the votes Swall egg seems more popular with less backlinks; and this post >>6380734 will be my tiebreaker, as with approval voting this poster technically voted for both Swall and LIGHTGROWN, but placed Swall above it in importance. As such, modifying a Swall egg will be considered the winning vote.In the meantime, have some bonus lore. Update will hopefully be in 12-16 hours.
>>6381150Count my vote, asshole. I literally had the same IP and backlinked just in case it switched, but it didn't even switch, so you have zero case for me. I'm >>6380856.>>6381119>Anotjer chained voteTHAT GUY HAS THE SAME IP TOO
>>6381348Okay anon, it's all a very big coincidence
>>6381367>>6381348Jesus, I don't even care anymore.>>6381338>>6381133 is me, I'l switch to Swall Egg just to stop the bickering and verify when I get home so nobody whinges.
>>6381380The sun tree will have its day.... someday.
>>6381367Yes, stupid. You are literally pointing at people who are voting 100% normally, with the same exact IP that they've voted with before, and going !!!!SAMEFAG!!!! with zero justification. If that's your criteria for samefagging, literally anybody could be a samefag, including you, because... guess what... I bet you have an IP that's voted before, too! Maybe only 1posts are safe???I hate you and your incessant moronic scaremongering and I hope you die. To be honest. By the way I have a different IP because I'm at work. Which is something people do.
>>6381444Sorry I pointed out a pattern.
>>6381447Kill yourself.
Testing to see if I used my computer istead of my phone to post originally and it still remembers the ID
>>6381338All these arguments aside I just wanna say I do think it's interesting to see more about the *other* vetucker types. Even on the sidequest we only really saw the OG guy.
>>6381455Nah, the chick who was into gim was a Painty.
Good news: turns out Google can seemingly link both my home computer and personal cellphoneinto the same ID, but apparently can't remember one last used 12 days ago...........................So how do I trip, dawg?
>>6381457Yes, and she was ignored like a moldy potato in favor of the blue hoe. We didn't learn much about the types in general.We have yet to see the third candidate, I suppose, unless that blonde guy who didn't have anything going for him is it. Maybe it'll be a fishman to have one candidate from three races and to raise the super swall. But between Jim and Okubo Naoya(forma de cow) it's a tough choice. Kinda funny they're both duelists in their own sport.
>>6381460Nare is good at endurance sports, business, and technical skills, and he enjoys pushing his limits. He's probably out "boring" administrator option, like Cijan the Genius or Halam's golden-age creating gay dad. I agree the other two are more exciting, but I see the strategic value of our leucistic Blackspot option.>>6381458## and then a password in the name field.
>>6381457Bro Painty is so fucking good man lmaoThe players ability to create racial slurs is the proudest achievement of the Monke community.
>>6381487I'll add that to my list of Space Monke accomplishments. Thanks, QM.
>>6381380Oh, right. Confirming: this is me.
"If it can't really cure me, there's no point in wasting it on a lost cause...""You could place an infant on the pedestal, but it's DNA-editing would be more akin to mutation then true gene sculpting. It seemed to be designed for small creatures or on the fly edits. But an embryonic state would be perfect for this.""....A Swall egg. Threes, can you select something fitting for me?""Databanks show a few preserved Swall eggs with no surviving relatives; almost all from the Esaal's massacre on HBTP-OW1. One in particular shows heavy damage, as well possible genetic damage that would lead to terminal illness and early death.""That one is perfect. Bring it here."You have no ability to use the machine. It is not like your technology, more "unseen" and instinctual. Just as the Life Machine requires someone to "interface" with it, which your Starseers are seemingly capable of doing. Yet despite this, the Aristocrats do not "see" the way the Starseers and worms do. Very strange. This is one of those mysteries you hope to uncover with your Academy, not that you will live to see them."I can't fix myself... but I can fix you, little one."The Threemind informs you that beyond repairing genetic damage and providing a benefit to the growing Swall within, the Cradle also allows for unique cosmetic alterations. The Swall as a species are very homogeneous in appearance, though this is less due to a long history of genocide and racial cleansing and instead more due to convergent evolution and high safety reproduction; preventing genetic drift. Still, a few of the more notable Swall families have special traits, which could be replicated here to adopt the fetal Swall into one. But really, if the Cradle is anything like the Life Machine, then the sky really is the limit.What would you like the genetically modified Swall's special visual trait to be?>Deepcurrent>Streakeyes>Ribbonfin>Tidehunter>Zhark-like traits of prehistoric Swall>Unique coloration (Write-In)>Other (Write or Draw-in; one to two simple traits MAX)
>>6381565I'm gonna be honest with you Bananas I don't know which is which. What orders are the names on?
>>63815691 23 4
>>6381570Well, on that case...>RibbonfinUnless someone else thinks of something else it looks coolest. Kinda like hair. Next we just need to make sure someone raises him well. I don't trust Okubo with this, next thing you know he decides that it's unfair a swall was chosen to become perfect rather than a vetucker and he breaks his neck.
>>6381569Dots are Deepcurrent, Streakeyes ahve the stripes under the eyes, Ribbon Fin have thsoe trailing tendrils, Tidehunters are spiky and have cute little fangs.>>6381565>Zhark-like traits of prehistoric SwallJust like Halam is the kind of guy to impulsively give fishwomen tits, I like to think he would agree sharks are cool.
>>6381574I like the big sharp fins but I don't really want the kid to turn out into some hulking monstrosity that will never be able to land a mate because he looks like the swall equivalent of an austrolopithecus.
>>6381575Look anon, I just wanted the glowie plants. Now I'm being given the unexpected opportunity for a semi-immortal (?) shark-man from space. I must do what I must do.
>>6381581Fair enough, but don't blame me when the kid is all depressed.
>>6381582>sad>as a Street SharkNo way.
>>6381565>Unique coloration: BLUE
>>6381592Voting for that.
>>6381565>Zhark-like traits of prehistoric Swall >Unique coloration (Monke Blue)Bluey 2 Electric Boogaloo, except hes gonna be basically an alpha Swall and be blue, we can expect it to be all sorts of fucking wild, I for one am eager and ready to see Shark monke orphan child of Supreme Halam Anak immortal ocean king of HBTP-OW1, lets just make sure we show him the benefits of serving the hegemony as he will be a highly intelligent predatory version of an already highly intelligent poison spitting fishman, hes going to be a walking unspeakable amongst swall if he sets off their genetic fear responsesas well but itll be badass
>>6381565>Ribbonfin>Unique coloration - BlueIf we're making one with our colouration, make it the one with the 'tails'.
>>6381718Damn, that's kind of based, but I can't turn my back on King Shark.
>>6381574>>6381589+1
>>6381565>>Zhark-like traits of prehistoric SwallI just think it's neat. Idm if its blue or not.>>6376848This is me, Phoneposting is ass
>zhark traits and blue skinBitch that's just a shark
>>6381933
Looks like prehistoric Swall/Zhark features is winning. Are we also adding blue to this as well, or just regular Swall colors?>Blue>Yellow
>>6381991>Blue with yellow highlightsFailing that>YellowI know I was memeing about the blue shark being cool, and it is, but I also know that a certain QM likes the color-coded element of our main races.
>>6381991I'm assuming this vote means no update today? Either way, seems like blue is winning to me, but I'm fine with either.
>>6381996I think I'll skip it for today since I wasn't sure what to draw (lol) and also because it's a bit more of a complex/multi-faceted choice that I wasn't sure what the majority of people really wanted. I've been trying to keep up with a once daily update schedule for this thread though.
>>6382011Fair enough, though it's not like you had to draw the man now if the egg wasn't gonna be born till later.
>>6381995Yeah, I can support this. I'm not particularly keen of having yet another LE BLUE race, but blue and yellow is a nice color combination. Keeping them yellow if that's not an option is A-OKAY too.
>>6381995I think I'd prefer "yellow with blue highlights" if I had to chose, but whatever.
>>6381565>Ribbonfin>Yellow with blue highlights
I can't vote quite now, but I will just say, I feel like there's a chance having a color split will end up looking ugly. I can picture a blue swall, but blue and yellow? Yellow and blue? That one's harder to picture.
Rolled 2 (1d2)
It is not too long after your experiments with the Cradle and signing off the modified Swall egg to a loving family who will hopefully raise the creature well that you return to your duties in running the empire.One day, a communication occurs coming from Consortium space. It is signaled as being important, but is not a Consortium-coded message from their trade networks or high command. You ask the Threemind to patch it through, and much to your surprise, it is a direct communication from your longest standing enemy..."Hello, your Majesty. I am one speaking on behalf of the Aannel, and the wider galactic community.""...What do you want?""Nothing! This is a friendly message. Simply put, we know you will be selecting an heir to the throne soon, and as a part of the ever-closer galactic community, we would simply like to express our concern and desire for you to consider selecting a non-Jaxtian to succeed you. It would be an unprecedented event in your history; and we believe would be a great step forward for intergalactic peace, diversity, and inclusion for the races of the Galaxy.""I will choose as I wish, worm.""Of course! Consider this but a bit of... friendly advice.">Insult the worm threaten sanctions for trying to interfere with your own culture>Keep things cordial>Reply with a picture of a sun and nothing more>Ask for further clarification on why it cares about this>Other (write-in)
>>6382437>Threaten to eat their children, only the death of their entire race would make up for their crimes
>>6382437>Reply with a picture of a sun and nothing more
>>6382437Ah, nice try, but I know very well what he's trying to do here. Let me go firs through the most likely scenarioA - He is trying to goad usHe knows very well we're no friends of them. They could very well have some sort of trap for our next supreme, but it would only work against a Jaxtian.A - He is being genuine He believes that a Non-Jaxtian might be more willing to stop the war against the worm and enter their scheme. Either way, both options just make me feel like it would be a better option, so what I'm gonna vote for, is>>6382437>Threaten sanctions, but quietly consider some candidates that might fit the billOkugo and Ribbonfin, maybe? Only characters we know of that fit.
>>6382443I just realized we could also probably reply with a sun instead of answering.But still, I beg you anons to consider that this is certainly not him being genuine. The worms aren't stupid enough to believe we'd take them on their advice. It's a goad. They want us to go "Well we're gonna choose a jaxtian out of spite!"
>>6382437>Ask for further clarification on why it cares about thisThis could give us a clue as to what their game is.>>6382439Do not eat parasitic worms.
>>6382474...Or it could just be them trying to confuse us more. Then again, maybe I'm trying too hard. I've made it very well clear what kind of supreme I want.
>>6382478It could just be as easy as saying a thing to make us second-guess ourselves, but never stop your enemy when they're blathering on. They could give something away.
>>6382479True that. I'm honestly fine with any options of what we actually tell him. IMaybe it's too forceful, but my train of thought was that this felt like a perfect opportunity to "slot in" the idea in-universe. Even if Bananas was going to give the options, it would have probably had to be with Threes giving the idea.Does this make sense to you? Also, posting from mobiel.
>>6382482I imagine Threes will do exactly that quite soon, as the Aannel somehow knew he would.
>>6382437>Ask for further clarification on why it cares about this
>>6382437>>Ask for further clarification on why it cares about this
>>6382437>Keep things cordialIcy politeness. We know that we don't like each other, we know we're both going to kill each other when we meet. No reason to lash out and give them any casus beli they can broadcast to the galaxy
>>6382437>Keep things cordial
>>6382437>Reply with a picture of a sun and nothing moreGet fucked Jew worm
>>6382433I wonder if this was a tiebreaker or some sort of diceflip roll for a result
>>6382688We rolled a tails, we got a freak.
I won't be able to vote today since I gotta sleep early, so in case the big vote finally happens here's my contribution(This post was brought to you by the Aanel Integalactic Public Affairs Committee)
>>6382696Corrected version because I forgot his clan doesn't have the cheek mark
>>6382696>>6382697based effortchadyou could have just posted when you woke up, althoughbeit
I was unprepared and ran out of time to produce an update. How unfortunate.In the meantime, we can use this as a mid-thread check in. Are you enjoying it so far?
>>6382758If I had to describe it, it feels like we're in Halam's "post game" so to say. We haven't been able to get into anything big or have any real goal because we're waiting for the new guy. The updates themselves are perfectly fine, however.
>>6382761well, life Machine stuff was actually bigger vote that whatever I thought Halam could do.
>>6382758The appetizer is very good, but I'm excited for the main course to arrive.
>>6382871Is it? It was a whole thing of the war that *he* led that we wanted to nab a second life machine.
>>6382989yeah, but with how thread 13 ended...
>>6383062I knew he was still going to have some extra time in the next thread, even if not as much as he's got.
>>6383077well, we didn't pressed the "skip" button.
>>6382758Guess I didn't need to post it early after all. Luckily today I'm around. For safety's sake, let me try the hash in >>6374230
>>6383148Shit, doesn't seem to be the same. I'll try to see if I mistyped it, but if not then too bad...
”W-Why do you care? About who I choose as a successor, I mean?”The worm would blink if it had eyes. “You're one of the greatest factions in our ever-connected galaxy! You're our neighbor! Of course we care. Do not think so poorly of yourselves! The Hegemony is a serious contender these days.”You think back the conversation in your head and wince. You made yourself appear as a weak leader by asking for the intentions of your most mortal enemy. You didn't capitulate to the worms, but you didn't reveal yourself to be as steadfast as previous Supremes had been.“The Hegemony runs the largest and only, as far as we know, campaign against the worms. Your efforts to de-worm the humble space whales of their parasites is akin to direct warfare against the worm species. Any cordial relationships between you must be a veiled threat, or a distraction.””I know Threes... I'm just... really tired.”“They're trying to trick you, you know.””I know it's a trick!” You say angrily. ”I just can't figure out what the trick is! Is it reverse psychology; trying to make me choose a Jaxtian to appear as a traditionalist or weaken relations to the factions living in the port city? Or is it the opposite, trying to dissuade me from picking the successor I want by a fake vote of approval?! Wait, how do they even... how do they know?”The thought dawns on you again. How do the worms know? The Hegemony as a whole knows the Supreme is not well; that is obvious given your lack of public appearances, and those in the higher positions of your society would also know you are grooming candidates for ascension. But how do people outside the Hegemony know? You haven't exactly been broadcasting your coughing, dying form to the other factions to be laughed at or thought of as weak.”Wait... Jinn?”Jinn would know. He's in the higher strata of the Hegemony culture, being a possible heir himself. And he's a braggart, known to spend a lot of time in the port city fraternizing and learning about other races and cultures. Up until now, you thought it was harmless or even a positive given a possible position as diplomat or Supreme Ruler in the future. But if he ran his mouth about you prematurely dying, it could show a serious lack of his character in the future. Being able to keep a secret is the most fundamental requirement of the office.Of course, there's no actual proof. The Hegemony's too vast and open to other factions in space now to be able to keep large, obvious state-wide events and scenarios secret to all the other powers in the galaxy now. It could have been anyone; you'll never know for sure. But this may influence your decision in the future...
In the meantime; the Threemind informs you of a situation happening within the Academy of Starsight. Despite being a new organization and being on the cutting-edge of Starsight research, recently looking into spiritual and cultural ramifications of Starsight at your order, a slight issue has cropped up."Politics? Already... ugh..."The Hegemony is made of three primary species; Jaxtians, Vetuckers, and Swall. But there is the fourth; Migrators. While still being by far the smallest minority and being the least present in all forms of Hegemonic control, for Starsight at least, they are very notable. Given their species slow metabolisms and aquatic nature, they isn't much else they can do for the Hegemony and as servants of the Supreme then use their strange, innate Starseeing powers.However, this has caused some controversy. As of now, Migrators have been given the fast track to advancement in the Academy, receiving more valuable positions and the majority of resources. However, many of the Hegemony's other races are feeling as though they are being unfairly treated. For them, being nullified of their sense of sight, or the few lower-ranked sighted Starseers who attempt to delve its mysteries without their ocular nerves being severed; are placed lower in position then even a basic Migrator; who work slower and produce less outside of Starseeing.
"Ugh... Threes... I- I don't care about this. I don't have the energy for this anymore.""I can deal with the matter myself, if you wish, your Majesty.""What's even... the problem...""I'll simplify it for you, your Majesty, and future events. Just let me know what you'd like to have happen and I'll make it so.">Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancement>Try to reward non-Starseeing researchers more; it's not practical to have an entire academy of blind mystics anyway>Let Threemind take care of it>Other (Write-In)
>>6383184Ah, I see. Letting Threes take care of it is probably a bad idea since we "made him look weak". But man, this guy is really postponing it isn't he? Can't even stand right and he's still not choosing. I guess he's still holding onto the last thing he has before he dies. Maybe we'll see how a real telomere syndrome death occurs As for the solution, would something like >Reward non-migrator starseersBe acceptable Bananas? I agree with rewarding the othe races more but i don't like that the option to do so is about non-starseer focused scientists. We want MORE Starsight research. And as far as I know our best starseer to date was not a migrator.
>>6383184>Let Threemind take care of itI *really* wanna see what they're gonna pick.>>6383191It's pretty sad innit?
>>6383184>Reward the blinded starseers who are most productive. We do not eh-hem "blindly" reward blinding yourself but if it is productive then of course we honor those sacrifices.
>>6383184>>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancement
>>6383184>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancementWe have a longstanding and almost inexplicable fondness for our weird fish manatees and I refuse to abandon that arbitrary principle.
>>6383182>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancementIt's the Starsight Acadamy, not the 'what you can produce outside of Starseeing' Acadamy.
>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancementWhalebro basedness
>>6383184>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancementIf they don’t shut up, silence them permanently - we just need to sleep…
Does anybody actually think Jimbo is the one to blame for the news getting out?I mean, it's not like Halam looks particularly healthy...
>>6383461He's been hiding away rather than broadcasting his poor health, though. It is worth noting that if Hegemonians can figure out the Supreme is sick from his absences, so can outsiders pirating our broadcasts.
>>6383467Correct, even if he hasn't been meeting anybody personally, that would just make it more obvious he's not okay. At this point, I don't even know how he'll manage to choose his successor. He can barely think.
>>6383184>Silence these complaints, let the Migrators get the fast track to advancement
>>6383472He doesn't have to. We (and Threes) will.
>>6383510Can Threes even do that?
>>6383513He'll just say>"Master, do you approve my choice?"and poor Halam will slur >"Mmmyrrs... Ghhh... Mm dyinnn..." and bam, there we be.
>>6383184>Let Threemind take care of itHalam is clearly not in his right mind right now. I think doing anything but letting Threes take care of it will cause something to go horribly wrong.
>>6383578A good insight, but a bit too late for it.
"Ugh... this is so stupid. Silence these complainers; Migrators are the best star-seers we have, and were doing it before we even knew Jaxtians could learn the art. Of course they'd be given priority!""I absolutely agree, Master. The same as I would have chosen.""That shitty doctor..."Your doctor told you you would have five to ten years left to live until your protein-collapse would end your life. Not kill you, no, just reduce your quality of life to the point of self-termination. Your life "ended" effectively when you received the diagnosis, but your doom was already spelled out to you in your genes. You would never have escaped it anyway. You must simply accept this...You roll your head back into your throne's padded cushion, recently replaced with new ones with extra thickness and neck support from just yesterday, no doubt part of Threemind's meddling."I guess it was closer to five years then the ten, huh? Shitty doctor, lying to me."You cough, and feel a lightning bolt ache up from your chest to your neck to the top of your head. You stay totally still, hoping that makes it go away."Would you like me to punish him, your Majesty?"You don't speak, just waving your hand slightly on its rest. The Threemind sees it, and immediately responds with a beep."Ahh, you didn't really mean it. Of course, your Majesty."Testing, you subvocalize, moving your tongue without opening your mouth. The Threemind hears it, allowing you your commands without needing to expend any energy. It knows you desires and obeys from the smallest movement; you can rule even as a corpse it seems, that is a small comfort."Your welcome. But, there is no need to thank me, your Majesty."...Why is this happening to you?
You feel complete despair. You can't accept this. It's too much for you. The way you feel is so awful, so wrenching you can't imagine even death on the battlefield by an Esaal's weapon could be worse then this. Nothing can be worse then the regret, remorse you feel.Why weren't you more careful? The signs were there, even if you didn't know how to look for them. Maybe you could have worked on a cure or something to slow the progression. If you could go back to the Cradle before yo used it, you would have selfishly used it now. Your tears begin to turn blue as the liquid seeping from your face is contaminated.Maybe five years of time you could have had something, anything. But now you sit here stupidly, just thinking you'd stoically move on while your body crumbles around you. And the whole time is just the injustice of it all. You didn't do anything to deserve this. All the coping and self-pity is just an illusion; to believe you have control over the cruelty of your life. Something out there is in control, and it hates you.But given recent events, with the Starseer Academy in full force and your own sanctioned blessing investigating it, there is one last avenue of solace left to you, the unjustly suffering Supreme Ruler. There you may find solace... in religion.>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have found>No, die gracelessly(The outcome of this choice has a very heavy consequence, but will NOT impact the future Supreme Ruler candidates or the timing of choosing it in the near-future in any way.)
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have found.Reject Akule's self-loathing doomerism. Embrace post-nihilism.
>>6383613>YesPls just give this nigga a break
>>6383619I think the vote prompt may have changed slightly, anon.
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have found
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have found.FUCK AKULE WE INJECTING COPIUM
>>6383617>>No, die gracelesslyWorms fw we are about to collapse our entire civilization.
>>6383617>>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have found
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have foundPooor, poor Halam.
>>6383617That's just saaad, innit. I'm not quite sure I can vote, althoughbeit, but I'm not quite sure what's so bad about Halam finding some little faith.I suppose you could argue we based ourself on materialism, that this would "break" Akule's intent, but I doubt Akule intended for us to do half the things we did anyway.
>>6383617>No, die gracelesslyJust self-terminate already
>>6383617>No, die gracelesslyWe didn't take the Aristocrat Memory storage to preserve our consciousness because of the effect it might have on our culture. Let's not let comforting lies and false hopes do the same for lesser reasons.
>>6383726>We didn't take the Aristocrat Memory storage to preserve our consciousness because of the effect it might have on our culture.No, we did it because it would have made things too fucked up and orwellian even for us. It would have created fake memories n shit.
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have foundThink of this as another experiment. If the starseers are right about half the things they sprout are true then this would open up new horizons for you're people, if they're wrong then you can pass on without regret on missing out on a valuable data point.
>>6383860Now I don't mind the choice but that's not just it, anon. This is essentially a choice on whether we're opening the door for religion in the hegemony. Not just the Vetuckers having some random semi-spiritual beliefs, but straight up religion.Of course, I don't imagine Halam will be founding a church while he dies, but this does open the door for future supremes to further embrace the hegemony having a "faith"Personally, I think it's interesting, Akule's anti-soul hard materialism is a bit cringe anyways. BUT I don't want Starsight to become a Church, or Starseers to become Priests.
>>6383862Frankly, though they may deny it and dress it up in scientific jargon, the hegemony has always had a religion: Supremacy. Akule based his mask (the same mask we have preserved or replicated, and which inspires soul-deep terror in all Jaxtians who behold it) on a vision-quest he had with an ethnic mountain-cult he romanticized and preserved out of sentimentality. Since then, Jaxtians have slavishly followed his ideology, give or take some cultural drift, for centuries. They have absolute, irrational faith in the worthiness and power of the Supreme, to the point that any time a Supreme makes a vow and fails to uphold it, the entire Hegemony gets depression, and any time one of them calls himself Unspeakable they all piss themselves and lose the ability to think or act against him.We'd just be syncretizing our existing state cult with half-remembered echoes of the Seekers, and adjusting it for now observable realities like the resurrection pods, Starsight "importance," and whatever the fuck happened to Cijan.
>>6383864Perhaps, but we don't want to go off the deep end. Starseers can't turn into a priestly caste, is what I'm saying.
>>6383617>No, die gracelesslyLet go.
>>6383617>Seek comfort in what the Starseers have foundI think it would be cool to see what religion looks like in the hegemony Im excited to see what conflicts come about from this as well, and how we can exploit this
>No, die gracefully.I really, really, want to choose otherwise, but as these things tend to go, changing paths so drastically will bite us in the ass with a vengeance.
>>6384064Well, giving the Swall and Vetuckers rights ended pretty swell.
Beancounting for old times sake.COMFORT: f7b, gF0, hgA, k1v, vOW, JK+, P6MGRACELESSLY: ilY, iz8, wya, s9E, q0OWe shall pray to the stars.
>>6384067I probably ought to have voted for comfort, but oh well. It'll be 12 hours until we get a new update anyways.
>>6384066Giving the Swall and Vetuckers rights was the path that we originally chose.
>>6384069No, originally we were pretty strictly Jaxtian-first. Turning them into first-class level citizens was something we swerved onto. It *was* a big change.To put it simply, just because Akule wouldn't like it doesn't mean it's wrong.
By the way, what are we gonna do with Akule's video if we accept faith
>>6384314I would wager we won't actually admit it's religion, any more than we admit that our thousand year tradition of watching an old monkey burn himself to death while railing against all other faiths and insisting in dogmatic refusal to ever adjust that belief was faith. We probably won't even call it a soul, just a "starsight impression" or something. But the effect will be the same. We'll just be in denial.
>>6384316Well, a soul is a soul is a soul. Vetuckers have already started keeping sacred relics for us. And if Okugo were to win, well, he straight up calls us Starking still. How long until we stop pretending?
This can't be the end...With the last hope of your life fading, you decide to take a trip to the Starsight Academy, in some ways the least notable works of your reign, perhaps will be the most important. There, you look again into the advances made.The Hegemony does not condone religious thought or philosophy, that much has not changed. But seeking "big ideas" or "forces beyond the physical" has been hesitantly allowed to those studying the very cutting edge of Starsight. Given its nature as a science that is almost totally lead through inner-discipline and faith, it is closely related to spiritualist thinking that has been forbidden in the Hegemony for untold centuries."I don't understand. You can see my... Presence? Regardless of my disease?""Correct. It is as bright as any healthy Jaxtian. The edges are fraying, as you are fraying, your majesty. But it has not been made lesser or weakened then anyone else. Age or size or genetic purity does not influence it.""But how? How can this be? Is it the "consciousness" of the brain emitted outwards?""A combination of all your emotions, memories, and feelings. Your pain is there, but it is not rotted from the inside out.""How can you know my pain.""I know you feel it on your face, and just beneath the surface of your skin. It bursts out from your right side of your flank; the place where it began.""B-But, your blind? How can you know that!?""I can sense what you sense. I can feel as you feel. Starsight allows for the presence of one to be felt by another, almost fit like a glove. There are even those who report being able to see thru another's eyes..."Such incredible things would be thought of as a trick in any other culture, a huckster lying with false miracles. But you've seen the research, and the Migrator is no liar. Its practical applications for espionage or learning is still hotly debated, but its undeniably a part of the burgeoning field of Starsight."So your presence... it lives inside my brain? That's how you can sense what I sense? If my brain is me, then how can you get inside it while I'm still in it? I don't understand. How can you see the signal from my eyes without them connected to your brain?""It's what's behind your eyes.""That's my brain. But you aren't in that either, and neither is my presence.""...Then it's what is behind that."Putting your hand against the glass, you feel a great relief and gratitude towards this creature. Its wisdom has calmed you, and your upcoming planned day of your death has lost its sting and dread. For the first time, another being has spoken aloud what you've felt. The emotions have made you feel weak, so you lean forward, putting your forehead against its tank in the closest affection you can grant the alien creature."Thank you..."For the first time since the inception of the office; the Supreme Ruler has knelt to a higher power...
Once again, you are Terian. After hijacking the Esaal skiff, you managed to get it working enough to cross the swamp in the redzone; which passed you over the worst of the parasitic drowner worms and other nasties of the waters in this humid, warm part of the planet. You are now closer then ever to Headquarters in the Green Zone. Dole and yourself get off the skiff and raid it for parts and supplies; but you are starting to feel very bad. Dole looks over with some concern."Hey uhh, you alright there buddy?""Y-Yeah... Just... tired..."You manage to make camp, the shivers and shakes going all over your body. You feel nauseous. At first you ignore this, blaming it on not having anything to eat and the stress earlier in the day, but pretty soon it becomes undeniable. The tiny cut you had on your wing has become horribly infected. In just a few short hours, pus wets your makeshift bandage. You peel it off, exposing the terrible smell and discharge."Oh... Oh no..."
The tiny cut on your wing, even though it never touched anything dirty and you kept safe and clean, was simply too big of a weakness in this swamp. The virulence of the Aristocrat's bioweapons and bacteria infesting this planet was simply too much for your immune system to hold against. Even with the skiff and it being only a few hours, any wound was too inviting to prevent the hyper-aggressive microbes from attacking you. It would be like running through a blizzard of razors and expecting not to get cut; there was simply no chance to avoid bacteria from entering your body. Looking at your wing gingerly, you feel the very real weight of what you have to do. If you don't cut off your wing, you will certainly die. The wing is too infected to be saved, and once it spreads to your organs, even with perfect conditions and bed-rest, it would overtake you. You won't be able to reach Headquarters in time to save it. Thankfully, your wing is not your primary grasping organ as your talons are. You will live, and you won't even become crippled to not be able to keep your job or anything like that.But if you cut off your wing, you'll never get to fly. The one dream all Urgi share, up into the air; the thermals of this planet being perfect for it. Urgi prosthetics and cybernetics are not that good; the complex natural layers of feathers and lightweight structures can't be easily replicated by technology. And even so, it wouldn't be a natural flight. Hoverpacks already allow for Urgi to fly, but this is not what a "spiritual experience" is."My wing... Dole... I'm... I'm going to have to cut it off."The Casliaan looks over at you, motioning to something he's found."Look, I have found some old Esaal antibiotics in one of the ration packs on the ship."The star this planet orbits has begun to go down. You're feeling very tired."Those are made for Esaal... They're like eight times my body mass on average. The dosage will kill me!""It's ok. I can measure the dosage myself. Just go to sleep and save your strength."You're rapidly losing focus. You don't really trust this idiotic security grunt to do complex fractions like that, as if you even trust the medication to begin with. As you both camp for the night, the burning pain in your wing gets worse, and you realize you'll have to make a choice now.>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infection>Cut off your wing to prevent the infection from killing you>Sanitize the area and hope for the best>Other (Write-In)
>>6384388Hoping for the best is suicide if our guy here knew even half of what he was talking about in his inner monologue.>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infectionIt would feel weird to go from one profound spiritual experience to a total lack of faith, though. Our faith, then, must be in Dole.
>>6384388>>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infectionTrust. Perhaps he will die of it, but maybe he would die from a botched surgery. Better to die with trust than without it.
>>6384388>>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infection
>>6384388>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infection
>>6384388>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infectionWhy not I guess
>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infectionI am sure he can handle dividing by 8 or whatever
>>6384388>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infectionI feel like we're going to die no matter what, something in my gut tells me so, so we might as well TRUST someone.
>>6384614>Trust Dole to measure the antibiotics and cure you of the infection Its either die or live with one wing and never be join our people in flight, if Dole is successful they will probably stay good friends and develop a mutual respect
>>6384613I imagine administering medicine intended for... Whatever the hell Esaal are supposed to be... versus a non-supersoldier birdman is a bit more complicated than just division, but Dole is also more intelligent in his own internal monologue than Terian guves him credit for. I have some hope.
>>6384679He seems to be an experienced veteran, and he knew from the outset it was Esaal painkillers. I doubt it's the first time he's seen them.
I just gotta say I am generally disappointed that the Accord does not have some manner of emergency evacuation tool for their outposts literally meant to deal with advanced bioweapons and trap systemsThey clearly haven't learned how to properly hegemonize yet.
Can you really trust Dole with this? Without precise measurements, this antibiotic might do nothing for your infection, or it may kill you. You don't really consider him intelligent enough for the task; after all, he's just a guard, just hired muscle. But may he knows a thing or two. In the end, you decide to trust him, replacing your bandage and laying down to roost, taking his carefully cut medication which he assures you he put for faster absorption rate for your stomach, and you feel tingles all over as you slowly drift off to sleep.Will you really make it out of the redzone?You are now Nare Ogum. Deep within a diving pool, you sit crosslegged, holding your breath, while holographic displays of the Consortium's ever busy stock market flash in front of your eyes. You move your fingers slowly and carefully, conserving your energy. The Hegemony gave you a sock account in their exchange market; useful for spies as well as for yourself to practice your market manipulation.As if I'm going to let that lanky stooge outbid my position...You do some mental math and send a portion of your funds to invest in a mid-stage chemical production company. In response, associated stocks rise by tenths or hundredths of credits in value. Expecting a wave of buyers, other investors creep in.WARNING: OXYGEN LEVELS ARE DROPPING.You ignore the automated message. Your chest burns as you indicate the AI network to create fifteen new shell companies. Within a second, they've done preliminary market research and been presented to AI investors. You quickly file all but one for bankruptcy and scrap the remaining thousanths of credits back to your account; the Consortium financial system seems the creation of millions of businesses every second, so this process has become highly streamlined.OXYGEN LEVELS ARE CRITICAL, SURFACE NOW!With a quick motion, you direct a dumping of your shell company's assets into your sock account. The trap springs as you ride the wave down; rapidly selling off your shells of your newly minted chemical redistribution even as it crashes in value. The AI vultures suck up every last asset, while the price of interstellar engines and propulsion systems, your true target, rise proportionally to the increased uncertainty in the market. The other investors add a black mark to your account for your treachery, but you quickly have it deleted and will create a new one as soon as the AI network can. You've only gained a few hundredths of credit for but a single deep breath. Oh yeah.You look up and push yourself up from the floor of the diving pool, only to find it much weaker then expected. You reach up, but find the oxygen in your muscles have reached such low levels you can barely move. Your head feels foggy and unthinkingly, you breathe in, causing a rush of water to accidentally enter your lungs."Gah! ACK!"You struggle, but don't have the energy to continue upwards. Shit, you're drowning!
"GHhaahauuuakkk!"You flail your arms uselessly, finding very real panic inside you. Blonde Jaxtians have naturally higher oxygen efficiency levels then Mainlanders, given their mountainous homelands. Chosen first for pilots and extreme-sports for this reason; you thought you had just enough left in you to surface before finishing your market-manipulation training. But you overshot the time it would take...Just then, you feel a gentle pulling, like you're being sucked upwards from a riptide. It's a regular service drone, commandeered from its normal routine to come over and rescue you. It's tractor beam pulls you up through the water, and dumps you by the side of the pool. You vomit out the water, coughing, finally getting fresh air."CAH- ACK! Phew... Thanks, Threes.""Reprimand. Even a few seconds of oxygen deprivation can cause permanent and irreversible brain damage!!!"You cough again, spitting out the water. "It's not that serious, Threes.""Fool! Of course it's serious! You are one of the potential heirs to the throne! Why were you taking such a risk in the first place?!"You think about it for a second. You stayed at the bottom of the pool just beyond the record for longest mentally-active held deep dive recorded for Blonde Jaxtians. You didn't beat the recorded time, given that you started drowning. But why did you stay down so long?>Hyperfocused on the task at hand; you lost track of time>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own game>You wanted to be the best at any cost>Somebody would have saved you; complacent but grounded
>>6384832>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own gameIf that ain't a born capitalist, I don't know what is.
>>6384832>You wanted to be the best at any costWE MUSTBECOMETHE ULTIMATECAPITALIST MONKE.
>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own game
>>6384832>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own game
>>6384832>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own gameI really like the characters were building up for the succession to come and with the background plots we have developing it leaves a lot of conflicts and opportunities for some cool storytelling, usually the other succession choices still become high level members among official positions and we can guarantee we'll be working with them and dealing with headache inducing politics between them
>>6384832>>You wanted to be the best at any costTHERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR
>>6384832>Competitive; you wanted to beat the Consortium at their own gameI see>>6384870I guess, but I'm a bit disappointed there seems to be no fish.
>>6384832>>You wanted to be the best at any cost
>>6384925We have SpaceShark to look forward to, if never as a Supreme then surely as a major figure akin to Bluey or Jale.
>>6384966While he might be cool, it's not really the same as having a fish in the big robes.
>>6384967Once SpaceShark is on the scene, a Swall Supreme candidate will seem more and more sensible to an increasingly pluralist and spiritual Hegemony, methinks.
>>6385000Well that seems like a bit of a change of orders, isn't it? You're rebuilding the Swall homeworld, you're raising an megaswall, and you're only gonna think of a candidate from their race afterwards?
>>6385002Yeah, essentially. Halam just happened to be, by voter fiat, a bit of a Swall xenophile.
>>6385010>Halam just happened to be, by voter fiat, a bit of a Swall xenophile.Not really? It was under his watch that the swall's new world was basically destroyed, so it's not particularly odd that he'd feel guilty about them.Which is why I assumed this would be the best spot for one such candidate, innit? Of course, maybe we just haven't been introduced to him yet.
>>6385002But that was sort of the goal with making him blue or at least partially blue wasnt it? As it will add a sense of familiarity for the rest of the Jaxtian population which still control the majority of the power, this swall will not only be bigger bluer stronger and more aggressive, these are all tenants that the hegemony favors especially as a previous Supreme created it The only thing I'm really worried about is it being a female enjoy this AI slop I made
>>6385015Also Halam absolutely gets boners for Swall as seen from the fruit porn and swall tits upgrade
>>6385016Yeah, but he's not going to become a supreme. As bananas said, he wasn't really fit, and it's honestly true, with him being an immortal machine creature. Having someone who does not die means unless someone kills him he'll stay in power forever.
Y'all seem to be forgetting the guy we've already met for two threads already.
>>6385022Uhhhhh, the guy in >>6382697? I went back to check and we only met him last thread.
>>6385025We actually met him all the way back in the vetucker sidequest as one of the classmates. It's confusing because he was called "Alfred" but in the end he's called Ribbonfin. Same person.
>>6385031Oh, I see. I didn't make the connection. Either way, we haven't seen him in this thread so far.
>>6385031I assume his full.name is Ribbonfin Alfred, in keeping with Swalli name conventions.
You suppose you got a little too competitive. You wanted to beat the investors, and the Consortium at large, at their own game. Economics isn't some magical genetic skill you're born with, despite what some Jaxtians seem to believe, you represent the greatest and most advanced race in all the galaxy, there is no reason to simply accept the Consortium's wealth as a fact of life. You return home, back to your family, your near-death experience barely registering compared to your other elements of your training. The atmosphere has changed..."Oh my son... I'm so proud of you!""Hey mom, what's up? Hey!"She hugs you out of nowhere. You embrace her after a moment of annoyance, softening when you see her tears."Ahh, come on Mom... it's not that serious.""My Son... My own son could become the Supreme Ruler... nobody in our family has reached such a high level before. Your grandfather was an Enforcer, we've been so proud of that. But you- When will we know?""It's alright Mom. No word yet... but I have a meeting with our master, along with the others. He will choose soon.""Oh my Son... The pride of Ogum..."Your family lacks the accolades and great respect of other noble Jaxtian houses. They keep the shrine to your grandfather's Enforcer glasses, little do they know, it's of such a low rank... it's the same as a junior administrator. Orange tassel with one tail. They take orders from senior administrators after all; it is merely the cultural respect Enforcers have, given it's the highest Hegemonic authority most citizens interact with on a daily basis. You won't correct her though, let her have her moment. She holds on a while longer, before you will go to sleep tonight and make preparations for your audience with the Supreme Ruler. You won't let her down.>Quest continues tomorrow
Well, guess tomorrow is the day. >>6385022And no sign of that Alfred guy, I don't think he'll be an option after all.
>>6385173This guy seems great
>>6385197He does, actually. All the candidates (assuming it's Nare, Jin, and Okuga) are really interesting and cool.Nare seems like the safest bet and more balanced, but apart from his "too competitive" flaw I also see some risk in selecting him: if Jim resents being unfairly suspected and skipped over for a lowborn Jaxtian from a less-favored ethnic group who he already proved he could beat in a fight, he may challenge for leadership. he could pull same stunt with Okuga, but there's no bad blood, and Okuga might beat him with his tactical mind.Okuga may still be less capable than a Jaxtian in certain disciplines, he won't carry the same respect as a Jaxtian Supreme (especially at first) and we'll see a lot of racial politics. The Aannel will inflame these and, even when dealing with other Vetuckers, his pronounced dislike of the dominant ethnic group will probably create friction.Jin seems fun and gregarious, but he has more obvious personality flaws: he's prideful, condescending, and may have loose lips. Coupled with his xenophilia, that could make for a weak and easily-manipulated Supreme, and at a time when the Aannel are playing at something and we owe the Consortium money that could be really bad.
>>6385211Yeah I've been trying to sprinkle in character work and general future-ruler traits throughout this thread, but I also have a second element to the Supreme Ruler choice which took a little extra time to work on. Should be all ready now though.I'll also self admit to being a little self indulgent for when I post "important votes", usually on Fridays or Saturdays because that's when most people are off and could encourage more discussion/arguments and because I work on weekends so its fun for me to read on my breaks
I'll admit it's been interesting to see them, even if I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of a pescatarian option. Right now, I'm leaning towards...Jimbo, maybe? Okuga is way too tribalistic.
>>6385219will we get to vote on our wife again?
>>6385272I don't see it as important for these guys. Usually elements in the Supreme Ruler's personally life are only brought up if really important or influence the legacy, like Avae or Cijan with his Kima/Wonderchild possible outcome. The pacing of new Supreme Rulers and the timeline is already glacially slow imo
>>6385274gotcha
>>6385179Sadly, it seems to be the case. It really sucks because he would have been the perfect candidate for it, some random boy who rose through the ranks on his genius and dedication. Him being a it of a worrywart and not entirely confident would have made him really interesting to play as the first alien Supreme. It really was the perfect opportunity for it.
You are Halam Anak once again. It is the year 207 of the Resurrection Era, and you are dying. Your condition has progressed faster then anticipated, and you have become very, very tired. Even the daily running of the Hegemony, and your minimal need for involvement and appearance, has become too much for your fragile constitution... but you are filled with a type of faith. Your time with the Starseers has eased your burdens; so there is only one thing left to do. You call the candidates for your replacement to come to your throne room; the Threemind has pruned the shrunken and bug-bitten fruits from the tree to bring you only the best. Three enter your chamber; among them is one or two surprises, but you don't have the energy to question the Threemind about it. It speaks for you.“...The Supreme Ruler has called you here today for the most important aspect of our civilization. One of you three will be chosen to become the Supreme Ruler of the Hegemony. The Master would like to get to know you a little more...”You shift your weight, the Threemind corrects itself.“The Supreme Ruler has a different criteria, like your qualifications...”You subvocalize, the AI struggling to understand what you want.“Make a case for your ascension?”You shake your head, but finally, you manage to form the words and speak. Through your weepy eyes and collapse pock-marked skin, you manage to make the sound that has haunted you. Es! Es! Es...“Oh, I see.” The Threemind corrects itself, finally understanding. It pings the three candidates, getting their attention and then asks them the one thing you wanted to know about each. “The Supreme Ruler will make his decision based on your skills, your personality, your qualifications as a ruler... but he has another criteria. He wants to know... How would you defeat the Esaal?”After a moment of consideration, Okuga speaks first, valuing a rapid, decisive first strike as a wrestler would. Or perhaps, as a Vetucker; he has more to prove.”...To defeat the Esaal would not be easy, but we have a critical advantage. Our industry, population, and empire is far more developed. The Esaal empire is vast; but the “empire” is bombed out planets and leftover worlds, where they even rely on their women and children to work in support positions and back-end roles in razor-thin supply lines. We will outlast them. If it was up to me, I'd attack them in a traditional war. With many pushes and pullbacks, gathering of intelligence, updating our technology to counter theirs; slowly conquering their territory until the Esaal are at the mercy of the Supreme as a client state. Or... exterminated.”You do not respond. Instead, you shift your weight, and open and close your mouth dryly. Threemind responds with criticism, approximating your main concern with each of their proposals.
“A long campaign would be very costly, young Vetucker. How would keep up the morale of the Hegemony's citizens, especially after they just were victorious in a much shorter war against the Aristocrats? The Esaal have no plunder to sweeten the sacrifice.”Okuga stiffens, not quick enough to answer immediately.”...The people trust the Supreme Ruler implictly. His word is law. And propaganda will go a long way. Plus, the Esaal have been an enemy of your people for a long time in space; the hatred and desire to see them humbled... Spite will motivate the people.”While not the most well thought out; that answer will have to suffice. You turn your head to Jinn, who brightens. He makes it seem very much like he did not plan this speech in his mind just now; coming off with natural grace and charisma.”I would begin at first through diplomacy. I would make it appear we are friends, letting the Esaal think we'd move on from their warcrime against the Migrators and Swall on that distant cold ocean planet; and they would become complacent, thinking themselves as the galaxy's greatest warlords. Then, we work on arming and empowering their own subjugated people. While we don't have too many allies in space, the Esaal have many enemies. I have been doing research, your Majesty, the Urgi do not like the Esaal, and neither do the independants in the Galactic underground; there are even small factions of Esaal exiled from their monoculture. I'd present myself, and the Hegemony, as the true military power and force in our sector; we'd become the peacekeepers, and the Esaal would find themselves left behind, surronded on all sides, and made into a laughing-stock. Much in the same way you succeeded against the Aristocrats thru humiliating them, your Majesty.”“The Esaal do not have the same ego as the Aristocrats. They do not mind being viewed as pirates and conquerors, because that is what they are. Blood, fire, and steel are the true creators of power and prestigue, not dances, applause, and perfumed hair.”Jinn did not like that critque, his pride perhaps harmed. He reaches up to his hair and fixes it, before answering.”True, true! But they do have a certain warrior code, a certain honor that follows them through everything; great deeds of heroism are still respected by them. So, if we can defeat and humiliate them bad enough in cruical moments; like the single decisive thrust of a knife in a duel, then we can let them stew in those moments of infamy forever. No need for conquest; your Majesty. Just prove ourselves their better when he have the leverage to do so.”The Threemind predicts this is the most you will get out of Jinn in direct leadership goals; too flighty and free-spirited. The spotlight falls on Nare Ogum last, who shows a lack of self confidence given he speaks slowly and reserved, with none of the bluster of the other two.
”I mean... there is no need to confront them directly, right?”The Threemind doesn't reply, letting a moment of silence fill the room. It is clear that answer would not be sufficent, so the blonde specifies.”What I mean, your Majesty, is that the Esaal our superior to us in military might. And they have a nasty habit of coming out on top in a direct conflict. So don't fight them at all, instead, sit back and look at the bigger picture. The galaxy is becoming more connected then ever, and more reliant on each other; but also less mysterious and undiscovered. There is no longer a great wilderness of unexplored planets and systems to exploit; which means spoils and conquest of easy expansion are quickly disappearing. Easily accessible raw resources are becoming more and more scarce. We can see this in every interstellar nation's economy; an inflationary effect. The Esaal are not used to having to manage a static economy without infinite growth, nor the strains of overpopulation. Of course, I have no intentions of simply leaving them alone to collapse, even though I am sure they would eventually... It is as Okuga said, their supply lines are weak. I know there is some secret to defeat them in there, not in space or a battlefield, but on a datasheet.”The Threemind replies with your most likely critique. This isn't actually what you were thinking, because you see wisdom in what Nare is saying, but you allow it; the future Supreme would not be acting totally alone; and Nare already deferred to the other candidates by name, subtly showing a lack of grandoise self-confidence. And given your cultural hatred towards the Esaal and desire for revenge; you can see his approach being disliked. He'll need to defend himself.“-And you would deny our warriors the right to win glory against this enemy? To allow the Esaal to run roughshod over us with their humiliating victory against our battleship?”Nare narrows his eyes. ”Who cares. All that matters is that we win.”
With their three arguments made, the candidates kneel before the throne, waiting to be chosen. Waiting to be your adopted son, given you died too early to create your own eligible heir. You raise your hand weakly and try to pull off the Hegemonic talisman around your neck, but you find you cannot coordinate kneeling your head at the same time. You slump back in the chair, realizing whichever you choose will have to take it from you. Too weak to even pick your successor the proper way. You guess you really are a nontraditionalist.“Now... the Supreme Ruler will choose. Which one do you wish to succeed you, your Majesty? Merely pointing a finger will suffice.”Not only are you deciding the future of the Hegemony with your choice, but so to, you are putting your trust in them to avenge you. You weren't strong enough to defeat the Esaal yourself, so whichever you choose will very likely use their proposed approach in an attempt to defeat and humble your final rival in your sector of space. Choose wisely.>Okuga Skyhorn>Jinn Garastra>Nare OgumNo one-post Ids or backlinking will be allowed for this vote. There is no approval voting, you may only vote for one candidate. Please reply to this post in your vote and any vote-changing posts for the sake of easy counting.
>>6385689Sigh...no Swall, in the end. It really is a big shame. I thought it'd finally be the time for the fish.As for the choices, I dunno. Okugo is a bit of a retard, Jim has too much ego. Nare is the most logical but that's a bit boring. I'll see if any other anon has an argument.
>>6385689>>Nare OgumI just think he's neat
>>6385689Pros and cons, imoOkuga+Cow, first non-monke Supreme. Interesting glimpse into one of our main races+Could open the road for future non-Monke supremes, if we pick him. Like the funny fihs-Would be similar to other stoic, strongmen supremes.-Racial tensions.Jinn+Picking him will probably limit the amount of damage he can do if we're not controlling him+His balls to the wall, carefree attitude might allow for interesting choices.-Flighty, egotistical, will get himself into trouble eventually-Xenofucker. Might think with his dick too much. Nare+Logical. Probably the smartest of the three, wouldn't get his dick caught in a bear trap to show off.+Safe. Has the least obvious 'flaws'.+-Nothing particularly noteworthy either. >Okuga SkyhornI'm just really interested to see how a non-monke rules. If Okuga wasn't a cow, I'd probably pick someone else.
>>6385695>>6385696I do get that Okuga is cool and all, but isn't he a bit of a lame option for the first alien Supreme? He's basically just an alpha in all but name.
>>6385219I think you've done a good job. This is legit a tough choice.>>6385689>Nare OgumNare has my vote, though. Okuga doesn't fully view himself as a Hegemonian. He said 'he Esaal have been an enemy of your people for a long time..." YOUR people. For his diplomacy and tactics in the ring, he also lacks soft skills, if he wants to run a prolonged war effort on spite alone. We are immune to rebellions, but not to economic and cultural depression from low morale. A war fueled by spite and grit is one the Esaal are better suited to than we are.Jinn's idea has merit and is similar to how we gained control of the Accordions, but he's too confident in the inevitable success of a plan with altogether too many unknowns. If we prop up every single adversary and counterculture element in Esaal space, we create chaos on our border and the risk of empowering a faction that later turns on us. A longstanding and massive superpower like the Esaal is very different from a tiny little rinky-dink protostate with no history of self-governance and no real navy. He also assumes they won't hold a grudge if humiliated, which seems very doubtful since feeling humiliated is why they turned on us and destroyed that ocean planet to begin with.Nare's main flaw was being soft-spoken and indirect. He's math0minded, a bit passive, and seemingly lacks confidence. However, whence the other two were criticized, they flinched and did a hasty course-correction. When we questioned Nare, his didn't even blink, but met us directly with absolute confidence in his plan, and without softening the cost. Just, straight up, "who cares" to a motherfucking Supreme. That's not submissiveness or a lack of confidence. He just speaks softly and plays to his strengths.Nare Ogum all the way. The other two can be chief diplomat and a general or something.Plus, it's very interesting in-character for Halam. He resented his boring, beancounter father, eventually came to realize that his dad actually gave him all the prosperity and stability that let him do flashy but expensive stuff, and now he's chosen a guy who is a lot like his pops.
>>6385698Sure, I'm just biased towards picking the cow because I want a cow supreme. It's not any deeper than that. My reasoning is admittedly very surface level.I say if you just care about what the 'best' option is, go with Nare. I rather pick the choice I think is cooler.
>>6385700It's not about the best. I just can't help but feel like his personality would end up using the idea of the first alien supreme less.He is simply...too Jaxtian, as I said. He's basically just a green Alpha. Go back to look at Agori and see if he isn't the spitting image of him? There's no conflict as to his strength or will. Like, what's the fun in having an alien Supreme if he has the ability to just hulk smash anyone who questions him?
>>6385701Agori himself did not believe his strength made him unbeatable, and was killed by a small child. Our other two Alpha Supremes were a insecure man who died in a duel to a smaller and slimmer opponent and our once boisterous cancer-patient who came to Starjesus. There's variety there. I think the cowboy has some chops. I just think Nare is a better pick and still pretty interesting.I don't think any of these options are bad or boring though, personally.
>>6385701Look, man, you can't really argue me out of picking something besides the cow. he fact he's a cow overrides any issues I have with him. I rather pick something I personally like than to argue myself into picking the safe, boring option because 'why else would we pick the other two lmao"If you want an argument to sway you one way or another, you should listen to f7b. He gave an actual reason why he wanted to pick Nare. Even if I don't personally want to pick him since, yes, Okuga would play similar to the Alphas we have. But I doubt Bananas would just completely forget to make Okuga meaningfully different from a generic Alpha outside of skin color.also plus, with how glacial slow Monke threads are when it comes to being uploaded, I rather pick a somewhat eh Non-Monke Supreme now than to join you in hopelessly waiting for a Swall ruler who might appear five threads, and two years, from now.
>>6385705Yet Agori was just as prone to violence and cruelty as he, and just as able to use real thinking for it.My point, anon, is that if you were to put him into an Alpha's body, would you be able to tell the difference? The only thing that's alien about him is his tribal hatred, but as a ruler he doesn't have anything that would make his reign truly alien.
>>6385706>But I doubt Bananas would just completely forget to make Okuga meaningfully different from a generic Alpha outside of skin color.Unless he completely erases his personality, it is impossible for him to be anything other than a "strongman" because that's the entire building block of his personality.You can vote for what you want, but I just can't accept that the one to finally break the mold is just gonna be the most jaxtian like supreme of them all. Once you do that you can't go back. There's no "We can just pick a better one next time" because next time it'll just be normal and okay.
>>6385698Lucky for you I picked the blonde, because they are best (and I think Nare is neat)Also Mr. Bananas, are there such things as Blonde Alphas?
>>6385714my brother in christ i just want the cow.I rather pick the non-monke option in front of me, right now, than to wait for some hypothetical Swall seven threads from now. We have had monkes for every single Supreme over the nearly two dozen threads we have. If you can't accept the fact I just want to vote for the cow, because I like the cow and it'd be an interesting glimpse into how a cow would operate the society, then I dunno what to say. Is that really hard for you to understand?You clearly don't want him, and that's fine! Great even! You got two other choices then!
>>6385721>>You can vote for who you want
>>6385689My boy rambofilm did not deserve this, he did not I say.Checking if my ID is stil on despite my phone posting ways
>>6385723The whole conversation is you going "but the cow's not interesting!!!" every time I say 'but i like him". I basically tried to give you an out by repeating that there's probably better choices and I'm not trying to convince you, and you doubling down by trying to convince me it's a bad choice. Without actually picking a choice beyond that.Yeah. I can vote for whatever I want. That's why I picked the fucking cow.
>>6385726I guess not. i got this hash n shit but I'm not sure if that's enough. im fine either way since all of them suck equally when compared to the guy i wanted.
>>6385723>>6385728Sir, I'm sorry to tell you this but talking about something does not mean I am trying to convince you. You are not the only one capable of seeing my posts. Other people are, and I am telling everyone in this thread, even Bananas himself, that Okuga is a glorified alpha
>>6385732Yeah no shit I'm not the only one who can see them. But you are the one who keeps responding to me with 'but i disagree with your choice', even after I repeatedly said 'yeah there's better choices", I'm going to assume you're trying to preach to me.It's not like there's any other Okuga voters here, is there? Everyone else is voting Nare right now.
>>6385734Anon, this is a vote and I gave my cents about the options. That's all there is. You cast your vote, now either defend it or move on while other people discuss.
>>6385737Then go pester f7b and S1t about why they're picking Nare and why you should pick it, instead of trying to get a reddit argument out of me over why Okuga is the only logical choice and how anyone who votes differently should kill himself.You can do that for the next twenty hours.
Okay, at this point this is beyond autism and into plain bait.For anyone who actually cares about talking about the update, I will just ask how this guy will be able to let us actually experience any alienness that an alien supreme should have beyond his tribal rivalry.
>>6385699Yeah, if I was voting specifically on their plans, I'd have to admit Nare's plan has the most sound logic to it. While I'm obviously biased to the cow, just trying to outlast an enemy feels like it'd go nowhere. It'd probably happen over the course of decades (if not more), but it's the kind of mindset you'd expect in like...medieval times, you know?Jinn is Jinn. His plan is a lot of flash and no bite. I don't really see his plan working out as he envisioned without a lot of tard wranglers holding his hands, which doesn't sound particularly stable. It's been ages since I last read the archives but it vaguely reminds me of several other Supremes we had who went on power tripping or ego tripping sprees, and we have to clean up after them.If we're talking specifically their plans, I struggle to really argue about Nare's. I think a combination of Nare's and Okuga's, where we just let the Esaal eat its own tail, is probably the best choice out of all of them. I'm fine with Nare winning because that monke has a good head on his shoulders. Even if, personally, it's a little too safe? Too distant? But how much is glory actually worth when it comes to wars like this? The Esaal are just a pain in the ass these days, do we really care about sucking them off?
>>6385689>Nare OgumFor the reasons given here >>6385699
>>6385689You know what fuck it, I'm just gonna pick something and call it a day.>Jinn GarastraHe's got cool hair and that's enough for me.
>>6385740I'll weigh in on this even if I may regret it laterHalam was like "the good Alpha who died too soon" as part of the Monke metaplot. Like he was strong but not a pussy, dominant but not cruel, won every battle and got all the treasure and laughed like gigachad but then one day for no reason he got sick and died slowly and painfully which nobody could do anything about. So Okuga is kind of meant to be his successor, like Halam continued, but with a twist of it being an alien instead. Unfortunately I don't know if I do a good job of differentiating Alpha males and Vetucker males, but the idea is they're both strong aggressive animals, with Alphas more based on gorillas and Vetuckers more based on bulls or rams. So a blank slate of each is kinda similar, but whatever subtle distinction you make between these animal stereotypes you could apply here.>>6385718No. Breeding program separates Mainlander and Blonde population and Alpha male gene is carried from the Redmane ancestry.
>>6385768This does reinforce why I made my choice. More Halam would be grat. I love Halam. Everyone loves Halam. But Halam, he gradually came to realize his own limitations. To afford the glory of a Halam, one must sometimes pay off debts and stack cash calmly for a while.
>>6385689>Okuga SkyhornHalam has been a very nontraditional Supreme up until now, might as well stick to that to the end.
>>6385689>Okuga SkyhornWith Nare as a close councillor, he can figure out the logistic-wrecking we'll need to win.
>>6385689>>Nare Ogum
>>6385689>Okuga SkyhornFrom meta knowledge contributing to the fact that skyhorn is automatically going to be hyper focused the populace and how they feel about him because he is a herd animal and he would also be the first non-monkey Supreme, on top of the fact that he is supposed to be a sort of Halam continuation from his more religious and xeno focused acts in his final days while still maintaining his physical presence in another way as well, I pick him He feels like a really cool option to open up the beginnings of real religion in the hegemony and a lot of different storytelling options, especially with the shwall on the horizon, how many other people even know about halam even using the aristocrat machine besides Threes?
>>6385768>Unfortunately I don't know if I do a good job of differentiating Alpha males and Vetucker malesEven if they have some minor differences, it ultimately doesn't change the main issue I have with Okuga which is that he's too Jaxtian-like in mindset to properly work as "the first alien supreme"It's not that I have a problem with Okuga in particular. If it was in any other scenario I wouldn't mind him. The issue is that once he takes that title of "first alien supreme", nobody else can. The jaxtians won't find the idea of an alien ruling them preposterous. They won't be asking themselves if it's even feasible for an alien to rule them. It'll just be business as usual.
>>6385699>Jinn's idea has merit and is similar to how we gained control of the Accordions
>>6385948kek
>>6385948Oh god, that poor bastard has it worse than Farro Val.
>>6385695>>6385699>>6385749>>6385856Nare >>6385696>>6385774>>6385824>>6385865Okuga>>6385751JinnWell would you look at that, we have a tie. I'd break it myself but I don't know if it would count...? im not particularly sure which of the two i like more, either. that anon raised a good point about okuga, but that other anon is right that there's no point in waiting for something that'll never come.If Ribbonfin wasn't able to qualify, I don't think we'll ever even get an option. The shark guy isn't one, and even if he was, what's the point of choosing a swall that has nothing to do with swall culture or their experiences? Hell, he wouldn't even be yellow.
>>6386136Yeah, I rather pick the choice that's directly offered than idealizing a possible choice that might never come to be. Both from an out of universe time scale issue (/qst/ is way slower than it used to be) and an in universe 'who knows if we'll get another chance'.As for where you count? Maybe if you had a secure tripcode, but aren't unsecured tripcodes easy to bruteforce?
>>6386144Well I registered it at the start of the thread.But yes, I do agree that there's no point in holding out just for Bananas to go "lol no swall option for you ever" and then we never get an alien supreme.
>>6386136>>6386158That's a big assumption
>>6386160Well why wouldn't i believe it. I've already said before how this was practically the most fitting opportunity possible for a fish supreme, but there wasn't even a candidate. the last time we got one he was also just thrown in after half of anons had already voted.if it didn't happen when there was >a fitting character >a fitting situation >a supreme who would be willing What could possibly follow that up?
>>6386164Sure, it was a great opportunity, but choosing Okuga is just giving up and assuming it'll never happen. It's uncertain. But if the vetucker gets chosen *then* it's certain, you can't come back from that, the concept will be ruined and then even if you did get a swall he would be nothing out of the ordinary, just another alien after the first one (which is the only one that actually matters), everyone will just be used to it as though he were a normal jaxtian.
>>6386167>Assuming it'll never happenIt may happen, it may not, and I think I rather be in the camp that votes for something that could possibly have something new to bring to the table than to chase after the abstract ideal of a GOOD Swall Supreme.>you can't come back from that, the concept will be ruined>after the first one (which is the only one that actually matters)Ruined? I think that's a very cynical way at looking at it. You're making it sound like the only reason we should even pick a non-monke supreme is for the shock and awe factor and nothing else.
>>6386169>Ruined?Think of it this way - the story of the first supreme WILL, obviously, be heavily related to the fact that he is the first of untold hundreds of monkes to don the robes. But what about the second? You can't just do the same plot beat again.If Okuga wins, then by the end of this reign, no one would bat their eyes at a swall supreme. He'd just be "alien supreme #2". All the parts about having to prove to 99% of your population you're capable of upholding the position you are will have already been done. That's why I don't want Okuga to win. Because it'll ruin it for someone who would actually be able to pull of that plot well instead of literally just being a green alpha.
>>6386173I guess I understand where that's coming from, and I think it's a weird hill to die on because we're entering the realm of hypotheticals. As I see it, the options before us are such: we can pick Nare, he can win, and we will end up doing the same thing we always do. Nare will offer slight differences from the previous Supremes, and then we'll be back here.And it could be a Swall next time. Or another Cow. Or nothing at all. Quests always have branching paths like this, things we could've done, or things that we felt like could've been done better. And I think lingering solely on what could, or what should've been, is missing the forest for the trees. We had chances to get the Swall you wanted. We had chances to properly 'break' the mold. He's an actual choice instead of something Bananas didn't even admit was a choice until someone started questioning why a fish was in the image.Okuga is at least something. He exists. He's an actual choice we can vote on. He's something that we can actually do. We missed our chance with the fish, and if we skip the cow now, sure. We could get your ideal Swall ruler. We could get the absolutely perfect choice, but I'm doubting we'll ever GET that choice. Maybe we won't get the Swall until three Supremes for now, if we even get there. Or if he'd even be that appealing compared to the other choices we're provided then.From my perspective, it's cutting off a potential branch for no reason other than 'it's not how I'd write it'. Which, eh?>inb4 "well now you're engaging in hypotheticals" True. But there's still potential in him beyond 'green alpha'. That's why I voted for him. That's why I think this nothing or all mindset is something I just can't agree with.
>>6386179From my perspective, it is choosing Okuga that will be "cutting off the branch", not the other way around. It means pretty much giving up on having a swall, or at least a MEANINGFUL swall choice rather than just some participation prize second placer. Ribbonfin or not, Okuga will NEVER be capable of truly getting to explore that idea.It's not even that it's specifically a swall, you see, but it's the fact that a swall would be the perfect for this sort of storyline. The way I see it, there's no point in settling for a subpar choice just because of the fear you won't get a good one.
Some nice discussions from you anons, but I get the feeling my vote might not be counted anyway even if i cast it.
>>6386182And I see no point in settling in skipping a choice I think is fine, or even good, because of the fear that we could've gotten something better. That we missed some potential AMAZING Swall because it has to be exactly this way, or else it's not good enough. Or else it's not worth bothering to vote on.I dunno. The only reason I'm even talking about this is because we're in a tie, and I'm unsure if UWv can even vote. If he can, I'd recommend he'd vote for the cow, but if he can't? I don't want to change my vote to Nare, so I'm stuck where I'm at.>>6386184I'd say just throw in, since otherwise we're stuck in a tie.
>>6386187well if I did, someone could get discouraged from voting for the other side just because it'd make it another tie, just for it to be invalidated in the end. I'd rather wait.
>>6386187Well, believe what you want, but it won't make Okuga better.
>>6386190So be it. That's your opinion and I'm clearly not changing your mind any time soon.>>6386189Outside of my autistic squabbling with Xca/Oua, there hasn't been a vote in ten hours. You might as well swing your vote out.
>>6386193update hours means you have votes usually towards the beginning or the end, with a big hole in the middle.
>>6386197I mean if you don't want to vote right now, I won't really argue the point any further. Throw a vote out if we don't see anyone else voting, at least.I want more Accord Accordions.
Well looks like we're tied again. No reason to close the voting now since I don't have the update ready anyway, but I don't know if there are any valid voters left. If nobody changes by tomorrow, I'll just do a tiebreaker roll.
>>6386305No other comments on the posts, I presume.
>>6386311I've been enjoying reading them but it's not really my place to discuss people's voting choices.
>>6386312Well, the discussion was more so about what *wasn't* chosen but fair enough that answering it would "taint" the results.
>>6386314What wasn't choosable*
You had your chance for a Swall last time in a more secret option, choices change with the dynasty. The only reason a Vetucker is an open choice this time instead of being a secret pick or not even being an option is because of the current Supreme Ruler and his values. I may have messed up in not including more character building of him seeing something of himself in the young Vetucker but that just happens sometimes. You aren't going to get a perfect 1/3 split per Hegemonic species and stereotypes of strong/smart/charismatic guy every Supreme choice. Just play with what you're dealt.
>>6386321>You had your chance for a Swall last time in a more secret optionYou only even "allowed" him as an option after nearly everyone had already voted. Throwing a random guy near the finish lije and saying "oops there goes your shot" is hardly a fair comparison
>>6386332And before someone says it, you know very well that the amount of anons who check the thread hours after the update to change their votes because of a random update, one that DOESN'T EVEN DIRECTLY SPELL OUT HE WAS A CHOICE, is like 1% of the voters.Acting like we "lost our opportunity" because of that which barely qualifies as an option is honestly worse than if you just straight up said "I don't want a swall candidate"
>>6386332>>6386336Ok
Nareidk if my ID is registered but hopefully for a tiebreaker it shouldn't matter
>>6386351well i have a trip but seemingly that's not valid, so i don't know if you count too
>>6386350Ah, I get it now. People have wanted a swall supreme for years at this point, and kept talking about it even after that fake choice happened. So you decided you would never allow it out of spite.Yeah, I forgot which quest this was, my bad. My apologies to Okuga, now it's pretty much confirmed that a vetucker is the only alien who will be allowed to get the robes, so he's the only option in that regard. There's no problem with him winning anymore since he was never going to let a swall be an option from the start.
>>6386354You've been here since the start of the thread so you can vote
>>6386401Well thanks. Still, this is a hard choice. I like all the options, even if I will admit I would have like ribbonfin more. It being what it is, though...Hurregh, I wanna choose Ogum since I like his plan more, but I feel bad about the cowbro. There will always be genius swall, but how often do you get a genius vetucker? But I like the idea of cucking the esaal out of the glorious war they want. I'm just gonna sleep it off since the update isn't today anyway. and vote tomorrow when my head is clear.
>>6385689Here I am, with my assesment.Okuga is brilliant by Ventucker standards; his capacity for duplicity and readiness for technological advancement complement his warrior spirit, but his direct warfare would lead to attrition and cost us dearly in lives and finances on the long run.He will be an excellent general but a lackluster Supreme.Jinn is charismatic and great at forging interational relations, but his understanding of public image is very much different to the Essal's, and so he does not comprehend their weaknesses.He will make an splendid diplomat, but a lackluster Supreme.Nare is timid, and doesn't particularly care for public image. However, he focuses on the inner works; the behind the scenes through which the Hegemony; its allies and enemies, truly function.His public image will be poor, and his timidity a key weakness, but with Jinn as a diplomatic face and with the advice of stronger figures like Okuga, these weak points can be offset or even rectified.And so my choice is:>Nare OgumHe's a clever analyst, and a promising Supreme.
>>6385689>>Okuga SkyhornI have a tripcode. This is a lot to catch up on.
>Nare OgumIf my IP isn't the same I'm going to kill somebody. I am >>6383639 and>>6380856.
>>6386454Nigga.
>>6386482
>>6385689Well, I have slept and decided upon it - I'm going with>Okuga SkyhornBecause I'll probably regret it if I don't
>>6386547I must have put the trip in wrong, here it is
Bruh
>>6386555Sorry Bananas. Maybe the sole Jinn voter will change now that he can't win for sure.Otherwise, you can just flip the coin.
>>6386433I will just add to this anon, that trying to rely on someone like Jinn for public image might be a poor idea given his general ego. For all we know he'll decide to duel him for the title.
>>6386558It's at least better to have him in a position we can put a leash on, instead of the Supreme Leader position.I do find it funny how only one person voted for Jinn, and he's the reason we have a tie to begin with.
>>6386564>It's at least better to have him in a position we can put a leash on, instead of the Supreme Leader positionMy point was moreso that Nare might just not be able to do that? He lost to him in that duel, after all. >I do find it funny how only one person voted for Jinn, and he's the reason we have a tie to begin with.Well he said that he was fine with Okuga now that he believes we'll never get a swall candidate. So he might change.
>>6385689>Nare OgumHave just caught up, this anon summarises my thoughts quite appropriately >>6386433I know we said no back-linking, but fuck it. Wanna prove that I’m no samefagThis is me >>6382598, >>6383334
>>6385689If my vote is worth anything, then fine, I'll change >>6385751 to>Okuga SkyhornMy argument was based on the hope of a swall getting the robes, but if that's not happening any time, then Okuga is the best option. Nare's only plan is "hope we find some big weakness"Also, the Esaal deserve to get exploded.
Also, I'm gonna remind y'all that the WORMS pretty much tried to bait us into picking a jaxtian through reverse psychology.So think about that.
>>6386697I did, but Nare splits the difference there as well, being a Jaxtian but from a rare and often less well regarded ethnic group.
>>6386902Unless you're trying to say blondes aren't jaxtians, that seems a bit silly. The fact is, they said non-jaxtian. Even if you argue this was a double bluff or triple, quadruple, quintuple, sixtuple bluff, the very act of doing that casted shadow upon it, which just makes me think they DON'T want us to do it.Him being blonde doesn't really change anything that they could possibly be scheming. After all, we have always had blondes, the worms knew we always had blondes. For all we know they grew up some sort of psychic parasite that only works on Jaxtians.
Even just weighing your options, you're starting to feel a bit exhausted and tired. Should you really pick a Vetucker to replace your office? In him, you see so much of your younger self. But exactly as you always suspected, your reign has came to an end abrupt end. Nothing like your father's long and measured service. You think back to his yellow robes of prosperity and carefulness, and then you look at the blonde before you. You thought you were better then such weak and hesitant men, but maybe they are the ones who truly know how to navigate this cruel world. Too many traps along the road for your hardheaded self. That settles it.You find it hard to speak at the moment, so instead you raise your hand, and point. Nare Ogum is your choice. As you can't do it yourself, the Threemind uses its tractor beam to pull your necklace off, and bestow it upon Nare's neck."Oh, oh really!? Me?!" He says in delight, not expecting this. "Oh thank you your majesty!""No," The Threemind corrects. "You are his majesty now."While Nare will be your successor, there is still the matter of daily business and running the Hegemony as he enters his final training and prepares for his coronation. He holds the medallion; but for the time being, you remain the acting Supreme. Once he finally ascends, you can then began making preparations for your self-termination. Every day, you feel less dread at the thought, and more relief.But as you leave the Throne room, walking for the last time before you are retired to a purely climbing form of transport with a safety hanger, you are approached by one Jinn Garastra."Hi, your once-majesty! I'd like to ask you something."
You already know the AI will prepare the response as to why you didn't pick him, as though you need to explain yourself. But that's not what he asks, to your surprise."Considering you didn't pick me to be the Supreme Ruler anyway... I had another thought. You know, the Galaxy is a big place, with lots of peoples and cultures we still haven't seen you, just begging to be explored at the borders of Hegemonic space. Opportunities for allies and genetic research, we don't even know what's out there.""Halam Anak already made the decision to not send out a highly developed scouting ship early in his career, young Garastra. It was not deemed cost-effective in a time of budget surplus." The Threemind corrects Jinn without your approval, but you're glad it did. Not being referred to as "his majesty" already stings, but you're grateful for the automated response."I know! And a full scouting ship would be too big and obvious; too much risk of offending another faction by sending out a whole military craft. But I've seen things in the galactic underground; ships with tiny crews, sometimes even piloted by just one person... That's why I want to volunteer to explore the Galaxy myself! Build a small scouting ship, and I'll pilot it! I'll bring back all the necessary information, learning more of far-away factions and cultures, collect genetic samples, all of that!""...You are asking the Acting-Supreme Ruler to build you a personal pleasure ship so you can run off from your duties in the Hegemony?""Erhm... No? I would be fulfilling a unique role, something I can't do. Come on, there's so much we don't know out there! Nare is too busy and too focused on math and stuff; he wouldn't understand... What do you say, Halam?"It's clear this is Jinn's dream. The egotistical heir of House Garastra believed himself worthy of Supremacy, and if denied that, given at least special privilege of true freedom and resources to go out on his own; a type of allowance nobody in the history of the Hegemony has really had. But, when you think about it... it IS true that there are many things out in galactic space nobody in the Hegemony knows about, and unique situations only a singular Jaxtian could really explore without oversight of the Hegemony as a whole. It would certainly be a one-of-a-kind experiment, and while arrogant, Jinn certainly would be among the most fitting and capable of surviving out in space on his own.What do you think about Jinn's dream to have a single-man ship to explore the Galaxy with without oversight?>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliable>Approve, but rig the ship's AI so he can never return to the Hegemony>Deny, tell him he's more needed here>Deny, and give him your last solid punch to knock him down a branch
>>6387040Well, there goes the last chance of an alien ever being a supreme. The swall are never getting a candidate because lol and a vetucker smart enough to get there is one in a trillion. This really was the last chance.>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliableJust send him away or whatever so Nare can continue to do his boring shit without getting stabbed in the ass by Jinn.
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliableBut also slug him in the face
>>6386907Well it splits the difference politically, in terms of "highlighting diversity" or whatever the Aannel's pretense was, and narrative in having a Supreme who feels the need to prove himself (only the second Blonde Supreme ever, and a common, and a Blackspot).>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliableMonkeTrek calls out to me.
>>6387045This is pointless by this point but your entire argument is retarded, stop trying to pretend a normal-ass jaxtian is somehow diverse or "trying to prove himself" in any way meaningfully close to a whole ass other species.You win, no alien supreme ever
>>6387047>You win, no alien supreme everQM didn't say that, you're just assuming.
>>6387049He's just a little crybaby man I'm just ignoring it at this point
>>6387049>QM literally says "Lol you don't get another swall, you already refused one before"It'll totally be different next time. It's just an assumption that Bananas will keep doing the same thing he always does. >>6387050It's sad you think that being spiteful and smug is a replacement for a personality.
>>6387055Actually, no, you genuinely must have never read a single thread of this quest if you genuinely believe there will be another option like this next time. In every thread of this quest, the moment you don't choose an option it's gone. There will not be a second vetucker, or a second swall, and there especially won't be one now because I pointed it out to him. You will inhale copium, say that's not the case, but it WILL be the case, because that's just how he writes.Have fun, lol.
>>6387050Understood, QM. I'll disengage.
>>6387045Side note- I very much regret Wrix being the first blonde Supreme ever. Less so the Wrix arc in general but hist because it doesn't make much sense in universe either. Considering they're supposed to be like a thousand years of pre-quest history of the Hegemony and supreme rulers only live to be like 60 or 70 at most, not to mention all the infighting, there have to be at least 20 to 30 Supreme rulers we don't see so I figure at least one or two of them are blonde. I'm not going to contradict it in the quest itself, but I just mentally consider Wrix first space-age blonde Supreme. The only other reason I kept it open was for the potential for the Wonder child to be born blonde as a surprise which would be the actual first blonde Supreme in that timeline.
>>6387040>>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliableAs long as we can also slug him in the face. Pretty boy ass mfer
>>6387107We can barely speak or raise our hand, so I fear punching him will kill us.>>6387074Oh, alright. I thought anti-Blonde discrimination just sued to be that bad. Wasn't there a propaganda posted before Wrix's genocides suggesting that they were held in a racial tier below Mainlanders and Indigos? Since only a tiny fraction of a percent all Hegemonians are ever considered candidates, I just assumed the bias prevented any from being selected for final Supreme voting. I guess it makes sense that one of them might have challenged and won leadership by the blade at some point, even accounting for that.
The reign of Wrix Val was an instance of both Bananas and the player base being retarded at the same time.I pray we never see such a confluence of stupidity again.
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliableSounds fun! My favorite part of Stellaris was always exploring the fog of war.
>>6387109I believe they were treated worse or implied to be more segregated but after the Akule prequel thread I kinda wanted to change the relationship a bit since it made less for his pet minority to be an underclass. Kind of funny how the Hegemony followed the racial progress of the 20th and 21st century by only Mainlanders being the ingroup until aliens appeared, then Jaxtians only, and after the first non-Jaxtian Supreme it will be only Hegemonic races who are worthy, etc. Really makes me think.
>>6387040>>Deny, and give him your last solid punch to knock him down a branch
>>6387040>>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliable
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources availableFeh. Whatever, cow didn't win, so we're stuck doing this I guess.
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources avaliable I know Jinn is gonna be B plot side story stuff but please give him a ragtag cast of crewmates of various Hegemony species, lots of room for super fun campy stuff and filler when youre not feeling like doing mainline SSMQ should be lots of fun
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources availableMaybe give him a fancy legal document that endorses his actions. Something like a... warrant that authorizes him to... trade with aliens and not suffer sanction from the Hegemony. Also gene lock it so that only his descendants can enjoy the privileges you bestow.
Decided to do other stuff today, will try to update in ~16 hours from now.
>>6387726See you then, QM.>>6387650Is gene-locking it meaningful, in a galaxy where the Aristocrats and Hegemony alike routinely steal, modify, and recombine genes into their subjects?
>>6387733>Is gene-locking it meaningful, in a galaxy where the Aristocrats and Hegemony alike routinely steal, modify, and recombine genes into their subjects?Probably not but the whole warrant of trade thing was a shitpost anyway.
>>6387040>Approve, give Jinn his freedom with the best resources available"To seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no monkey has gone before."
>>6387144It's a bad comparison, vetuckers are more loyal to the government than the jaxtians themselves.
>>6387954More specifically I should add, there was no struggle or movement whatsoever. The Vetuckers and Swall were conquered, you had the genocide, and when they got back they were just given rights unilaterally. At no point there was even a single manner of effort by them. The Vetuckers had no complaints and the Swall are just estranged but seemingly not willing to do anything.I don't think there *is* any situation that matches the real world.
>>6387958I think QM just meant n the narrow sense of the a gradually expanding definition of who is a real and legitimate citizen.
>>6387982I could go back to ancient rome with examples of that. It's not a particularly "20th and 21st century" thing. That's my point.
Jinn could have been the Supreme Ruler, but you didn't choose him. Now he asks for something else that would set him apart from the main population of the Hegemony. In a way, it shows his arrogance, that he believes he deserves anything. While a small FTL capable craft isn't exactly as expensive as it used to be, and with the galaxy's technology base ever-increasing, they're becoming more common even in interstellar space. But it's still no small cost. Trying to do the mental calculus is too exhausting for you at the moment; the real value of saying yes to Jinn will mean he won't be climbing the same tree as your successor; totally out of his fur. And given his skill with dueling and the trouble of idle hands...You nod, and the Threemind beeps in acknowledgement."Ha! Jinn Garastra will be the first Jaxtian to scout the uncharted regions of space! Thank you, your once-Majesty. One day, I shall return bringing the treasures of the galaxy with me.""Halam Anak will not be here for your return, young Garastra.""Oh... umm... then fairwell."With his ship commissioned, in a few years time the state-of-the-art smallcraft will be granted to him and granted all the technology the Hegemony can bestow. Smart AI technology to protect your secrets from enemies who may try to impound the vessel, the best weapons and survival gear, and even a new paint job to differentiate it from the chrome-covered warships of the Hegemony. Jinn Garastra may be the first Jaxtian in centuries to be granted true freedom...With your successor selected and empire secured for another generation, you retire to a quiet place to prepare for your death. Your condition is not getting better, but with peace and quiet and none of the stresses of rulership, you find a sort of equilibrium for your body. Physically, you are dying, but the pain has stabilized. Your mind is, however, much more at peace.The Threemind does not pester you with questions, though it seems curious."I have arranged the date of your death, your once-Majesty. I assure you, your successor is hard at work to ascend as quickly as possible so your role as acting Supreme can be minimized. Though you are seeming very much at peace."You shake your head, and raise your hand, motioning."...Because of what the Starseers have told you?"You nod."And what was that, exactly?"You lay back and relax. There is nothing more to say. Your worries are almost over.
You are now Nare Ogum, the Supreme Ruler of the Hegemony. It is the year 208 of the Resurrection Era. For your imperial robes, you have chosen a combination of colors to represent wisdom, prosperity, and the gentleness of your rule. You did insist on holding a Danbo in your portrait, however."You know that the Supreme Portraits are done by hand, your grace? They are not simple 3d spatial captures or photography. Your hand may get tired holding it as the artist paints.""What? Blondes love living things in their portraits and artwork. It's lucky!""Hmph. Successful Supreme Rulers are not "Lucky", your Majesty, they go with the highest degree of mindfulness and training the Hegemony can create.""Then I will go with that, and some good luck."While you've taken on to your role quickly, forced to take on the responsibilities of the office of Supreme Ruler faster then most successors due to Halam's retirement, there is an immediate concern. While it was well known throughout the Hegemony that Halam had reduced his public appearances due to his health near the end of his reign, it was never exactly stated why. Most citizens of the Hegemony only see a single Supreme Ruler change in their lifetime; Halam's decade or so of rulership is very unusual and has naturally brought some concern to the average people of the Hegemony, especially his great public presence and many achievements in the short time he reigned. Some rumors of Halam voluntarily stepping down because of the Esaal's attack are circulating, as well as more absurd ones like Halam merely being a puppet for the new Accord state. Such anti-social beliefs are being punished; but you should probably set the record straight.In your first public appearance since your coronation, you decide it wise to bring up Halam Anak and the rather unusual short timing of your succession. You are the Supreme, but you don't want to appear like you are undertrained or were picked haphazardly. What should you say?>Tell the truth of Halam's unfortunate condition and that is why you were his successor; honesty is the best policy here>Lie and claim Halam was killed by an Aristocrat or Esaal bioweapon; drum up more war-support and xenophobia>Obfuscate the truth and keep it simple; making sure to stress you will continue his string of successes in your own way>Other (Write In)
>>6388193>>Other (Write In)>Halam disappeared, and one day he may return, when the Hegemony needs him most.Doesn't point any fingers, and doesn't undermine the godlike-nature of the Supreme Ruler with the whole 'can just get aids and die' thing.
>>6388193>Tell the truth of Halam's unfortunate condition and that is why you were his successor; honesty is the best policy here It is a tragedy that makes him more in touch with the people, people may feel stressed by our succession but we were still hand selected by Halam and we will lead the hegemony into a good future
>>6388202+1 for exploiting the Cult of the Starking that is surely growing.>>6388193
>>6388193What a fruity looking monkey
>>6388202Backing this - we are vast and unknowable, like any good monarch is
>>6388193>Tell the truth of Halam's unfortunate condition and that is why you were his successor; honesty is the best policy hereWe do not need a Halam Cult dawg
>>6388193>Tell the truth of Halam's unfortunate condition and that is why you were his successor; honesty is the best policy hereThe Booths are an unavoidable aspect of our society, we cannot pretend that a Supreme is somehow immune to the degradation.
>>6388276They don't like the new experimental robe design? Oof. I wasn't so sure on it, but I was trying to add something different some base colors + stripes with the occasional dueling white-triangle has gotten a little old.>>6387958>>6387982I was specifically referring to the 1800s to early 1900s expanding definition of who is "white" in American racial politics. It's not important, was just a meme.
>>6388321I think it was a joke, bananas.Because fruity.
>>6388322Alright but you can never be too careful
>>6388202+1MONKE KING
>>6388329In all honesty, I'm a bit disappointed that we had a homo supreme before an supreme with a proper xeno girlfriendv. Eoba doesn't count, he just had a one night stand. Alas, nobody (including me) voted for poor Jinn because his plan was retarded, so he has to go be captain kirk somewhere else.
>>6388321>They don't like the new experimental robe design? I don't love the color combo, but I like the pattern fine. I have headcanoned it as Blonde ethnicwear, since our new Supreme Leader also opted for such traditional conventions in his official portrait.>>6388333He also retired with a literal cowgirl harem.
>>6388353>He also retired with a literal cowgirl harem.He wasn't a supreme by then, though.
>>6388193>>Tell the truth of Halam's unfortunate condition and that is why you were his successor; honesty is the best policy hereShit happens, better if people accept it
>>6388333I feel like that's pretty accurate though, you see more fags over seeing xenophiles irl, it's kind of difficult though as we don't really have casual contact with aliens currently afaik, if we did have more casual contact with them it may be a little more common but I still feel they would be outliers taboo speaking
>>6388373>you see more fags over seeing xenophiles irl,Anon it is literally impossible to be a xenophile as of today.
>>6388383
>>6388333This will be great research material for my thesis work "why a gungan girlfriend is less cringey than a human boyfriend: a history of pounding preferences" The Psychological Institute will be impressed for sure!In the mean time, I think I'll vote for:>Halam has left the position for the sake of a special mission against the Essal and will return at when the time is right.Similar to what was previously voted but with a bit of Essal paranoia fuel to go with it.>Some rumors of Halam are circulating. Such anti-social beliefs are being punished.*Gulp* May I ask how?
>>6388397>May I ask howNare is actually a puppet being controlled by Aanel parasites who implanted one of their kin into his brain. This is why they didn't want us picking a non-jaxtian.
>>6388401He wanted to know how the Hegemony was torturing dissident badwrongthinkers.
>>6388383That's my point though, We got a gay one earlier as the xenophiles are arguably newer and less understood, You're more likely to find someone who wants to fuck another dude than you are to find somebody that wants to fuck a talking cow
>>6388422Why not both?
>>6388422Alternative gag: King Minos WISHES his wife was just gay.
>>6388422I find it unlikely that the number of xenophiles wouldn't soar if we found out alien women that were remarkably humanoid.
>>6388193>Halam disappeared, and one day he may return, when the Hegemony needs him most.I'm sure this will have bad consequences but it's funny.Also I like the new robe. I also figured it was a Blonde-type thing.
Imagine an eternally young Fim as Supreme. We really missed our chance.
Would hopefully like to update in around ~16 hours or so, at the normal time. After that, I may take a short hiatus. Thank you for your patience.
>>6389126All well, Nanners?
Upon donning your imperial robes and making your first public appearance, you think over the best way to handle Halam's sudden withdrawal from the position of Supreme Ruler. Given it's supposed to be a lifelong position, and Halam held it so shortly, everybody knows something is up. But how best to handle it?"...So Halam must step down from the position for now. But one day, he will return, just when the Hegemony needs him most.""Wait, is he going away on a spaceship?""Errh, no. He's not leaving Hegemony space.""Is he dead? Is he going to be revived in the life machine the next time it can be used, like Cijan Anak, his ancestor? Or are you developing a way to revive any or high-importance Jaxtians who have died? Is this a vow that you'll develop this technology during your reign? So if you revive him, he'll be the Supreme Ruler again and you're only the acting Supreme?""Oh no no, I did not say that!"The Jaxtian and Swall populations, both being rational and highly sorted into Hegemonic scientific thinking, are very skeptical and unsure of your speech. Some Mainlanders are taking it as your artistic or poetic blonde heritage coming through, but others are less kind, with private journals and recorded conversations showing many believe the Supreme Ruler is simply trying to smooth over the unfortunate death of the previous popular Supreme to make himself look better and increase approval. The Vetuckers on the other hand are very pleased; perhaps because they are both more gullible and also because of the great deal of respect the large and bull-like Halam Anak has among them. Especially given he was the first Supreme Ruler to use the Vetuckers strengths in an armed conflict; many now speak of the returning Star-King as akin to Totemism. While this superstitious thinking is normally punished, the AI network begrudgingly allows it given your desire. Still, you wish Jinn was here. He could have handled that a lot better...
Within the first few months of your reign, you receive a communique from your Protectorate state- the Urgi's Accord. Modelling its society and culture around the Hegemony's ideals, it's your closest ally in space. Given Halam Anak also helped create it, it's another reminder of the shadow over your reign.The Grand Principle informs you of recent attacks along their border. Not Esaal raiding parties thankfully, or Aristocrats, but of a more mysterious faction. The Machine Collective is a group of seemingly sentient machines that the Urgi have had history with, often running into their autonomous drones or terraformation engines. Due to the Urgi's nomadic nature, they simply moved away whenever encountering them; but now with territory and a real government, the Accord has no real way of dealing with the superior technology and coordination of the machines. They ask for your aid."We've made agreements to pay them credits to settle different planets, we've made sanctions, we've fought them a few times, they just keep advancing every few years. They're about to start conquering the Accord state's territory before we've even had a chance to build up and truly create our nation. We simply have no more resources. Can you help us, oh wise Supreme Ruler of the Hegemony?">Send an attack squadron immediately>Create a defensive perimeter along with the Accord government; thought they may lose some territory before you can set up defenses>Pay the Urgi's tithes to the Machines for now to keep them at bay (Expensive)>Diplomacy first; contact the machines to learn more about them and figure out what is going on>Order your agents in the Accord government to use this opportunity to weaken them further; you may be able to conquer them in the future>Do nothing and ignore your Protectorate's request
I can only HOPE that this dumbass vote was samefagged into winning because the other option is that all are so impressively stupid you thought this was a good optionTake your hiatus like you want, Bananas. You deserve it after having to write-in something so fucking dumb into the story.
>>6389582>Create a defensive perimeter along with the Accord government; thought they may lose some territory before you can set up defenses
>>6389582>Diplomacy first; contact the machines to learn more about them and figure out what is going onI shall only hope that trying to contact them first doesn't result in us just...not doing anything? For no reason?
>>6389642You'll recieve a follow up option but will appear less strong and decisive with the Urgi. Like you're trying to skirt your responsibilities.
>>6389655A reasonable cost if we are able to get valuable data, but I will not fault anyone for voting to act now.
>>6389658Given I've been kind of distracted irl I apologize for not giving more information; I was intending to flesh out the Machine Collective faction more but instead I decided to make it a mystery until later so you can have another "blind pick that never goes your way lol" choice until I got time to make a proper faction introduction write-up.
>>6389582>>Send an attack squadron immediately
>>6389582>>Send an attack squadron immediatelyAte' machines, simple as
>>6389582>Send an attack squadron immediately.We are Supreme. Let's send a message.
>>6389582>Send an attack squadron immediatelyGuess it's time to drive back these robots. Though if they're attacking the Accord, they're probably also trying to advance into the Essaal, and perhaps the Consortium/Aristocrat space as well.
>>6389582>Send an attack squadron immediately
>>6389582>Send an attack squadron immediatelyWe cab gather information from their inert harddrives, and open diplomatic channels from a position of strength as we would any other alien.
>>6389582>Do nothing and ignore your Protectorate's request
>>6389584>You are so impressively stupid you thought this was a good optionI'll be level with you, chief: story of my life.Speaking of which:>Diplomacy first; contact the machines to learn more about them and figure out what is going on.We chose the analytic Supreme. Information will give him more power in the long run.
>>6390886I was kinda surprised at the votes given the Supreme but I kinda respect it.
>>6390893My logic was something along the lines of "This Supreme wants to make a first impression to the galaxy that he is an aggressive type so they'll never see his subtle strategies coming. Some real Sun Tzu stuff."
>>6390893I mean, we can clone him. We can have a duplicate clone Halam secretly trained up and ready to go, then put him into stasis until we need him. This is a prophecy that the might of the Hegemony can make happen.
>>6391526This. Plus, I like leaning into the spirituality.>>6390893We can extract intel from their broken husks, was my thinking.
>>6391526How good is this. Make it happen
>cloning a supreme so you can make a false prophecy>because ????
>>6391526This is a really tasty idea to me as well, I know in the past we've discussed how a genetic dynasty might get a little boring but when you add a frame of spirituality to it it adds worlds of options for story telling. Cloning Halam bring him back only during huge crises to unite people or stop infighting. Could treat him more like a sacred relic controlled by priests which could cause power struggles over who speaks for him. The clone might come back a little different which could cause arguments or splits in religion. Could revive him every few centuries to judge how society changed or keep traditions alive especially if colonies drift apart. Could also have risks like rival factions making their own clones or the clone rejecting the religion built around him.
>>6391606The point is for the plot, were picking and making options in an effort to alter the direction of the story, have you voted in quests before?
>>6391627I recognize it's a plot idea, I just think it's stupid because it is
>>6391628no u
>>6391622Have you guys red Foundation?
>>6391831>red foundationFound the Esaal spy. Blue foundation only, here! This is the Hegemony!
>>6391964I'm ESL and it shows.Anyway, in the book series, the protagonist set up some Omnissiah-tier psyop for soft power over neighbouring star powers
