Hive Queen Quest: Hive Technology

Technology

Superluminal Drives
Includes all technology directly responsible for reaching a destination faster than the light speed barrier would otherwise allow.

Blink Drive – Default FTL drive of all space-faring drones. The Blink Drive bombards a supply of Tritium gas with high levels of radiation to produce tachyons, which are then condensed and wrapped around the drone into a bubble. The drone does not move, but the bubble accelerates to potentially infinite speed and drops the drone at, or at least close to, the target destination. Extremely complex calculations are required to perform an accurate blink maneuver, and even the smallest miscalculation could result in overshooting the target by many light-years, or even appearing within the target planet or star itself. At least one thinker is needed to calculate a blink maneuver, and extensive sensor systems are required to safely plot a course. More thinkers or higher quality sensors will increase the range, while dense star clusters and high levels of gravitation will hinder it. The drive must be spooled up prior to activation, during which the drone is unable perform any other action.

Slip Drive – Default FTL drive of all Ceph vessels. The slip drive uses the mysterious Void Crystal to shape local spacetime into a malleable, four dimensional object, creating a gateway into what is commonly translated as No Space, and literally translated as “Waters of Creation”. It is unknown where the Ceph obtain these crystals, or how they are manufactured, or even if they are manufactured at all or simply a natural resource. When subjected to large amounts of energy, the Void Crystal will rapidly expand and amplify the energy in a manner that would at first seem to be in violation of physics. It is believed that the energy produced by the crystal in response to the energy sent into it emanates from No Space, although it is unclear how. When deployed, the Slip Drive can serve as a highly efficient maneuvering system in addition to its FTL function.

Warp Drive – Default FTL drive of Human vessels. The Warp Drive uses a ring of exotic matter to bend spacetime around the ship into a tight bubble. The ship itself never breaks light speed, but the encompassing warp bubble expands and contracts faster than light, carrying the ship with it. To construct a warp drive requires a form of exotic matter with negative mass capable of projecting the required warp effect, and a sizable amount of power. The material known as Canderon is unique in that it is the only known form of exotic matter that can be contained and controlled with relative ease, because of this it is the only known method of fueling a Warp Drive. To supply the immense power required to form a warp bubble, most Warp Drives include the highly unstable but nearly limitless Quantum power tap, a device capable of drawing power from vacuum using a pair of micro singularities orbiting each other at near light speed. The Power tap is, obviously, extremely dangerous, but without it a Warp Drive would be capable of little more than a light year per day or less using more conventional power generation.

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Subluminal drives
Includes all manner of interplanetary travel and maneuvering systems

Chemical thrusters – Incredibly primitive, but effective method of propulsion that uses a cheap reaction mass to alter the drone’s course by jettisoning the mass at a controlled rate through a gimbaled nozzle. Chemical thrusters are typically only used for minor corrections during docking, or to orient oneself in space as opposed to actually accelerating.

Ion thrusters - Highly efficient and compact thrusters that offer immense efficiency at the cost of lower pure propulsion strength. Despite its decrease in thrust, the ion thrusters require far less mass and far less fuel, allowing ships to cut down on mass otherwise taken up by heavy tanks of reaction mass, leading to a net gain in maneuverability over chemical thrusters. In addition to this, small craft that once were unable to maneuver within an atmosphere due to mass constraints such as the space pod, are now fully capable of powered flight by utilizing the atmosphere itself as fuel. [Replaces chemical thrusters]

Skid Drive – Using a tiny amount of tachyons released around the drone in a loose cloud, the drone can accelerate towards or away from any large source of gravity in a system. Neither the drone nor any crew or passengers will undergo the effects of acceleration. The Skid Drive can only accelerate along a straight line with a large source of gravity along one end. This means it cannot be used for combat maneuvers, but is highly efficient method of interplanetary flight.

Gravity Drive – By projecting an artificial singularity a short distance from the hull, a ship can create a continuous gravitational pull and effectively fall forward through space. Because the gravitational pull affects the entire ship at once, there is no detectable inertial force from acceleration, meaning the ship can accelerate in nearly any direction without fear of injury or death of the crew.

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Weapons
All weapons are designed to impart energy to a target in some way, be it as simple as bludgeoning it with a club, or as complex as disrupting the target’s molecular cohesion. The different methods of this energy transfer can determine what kind of damage is done to the target and what kinds of defenses are most useful to mitigate it.

Kinetic: Whenever a physical object impacts another it imparts kinetic force. Kinetic damage includes any direct physical damage, including slashing, stabbing, or projectile impacts.

Explosive: No matter what causes it, the shockwave of a powerful enough explosion can tear though nearly anything. It is most effective when combined with other damage types, such as using the shockwave to disperse shrapnel, or a deadly acid.

Energy: Directed energy weapons send rapid pulses or beams of energy, charged plasma, or sub-atomic particles to melt, vaporize or otherwise destroy the target.

Chemical: Creating volatile chemical reactions in the target to cause sustained damage. Acid, forge bile, or direct contact with fire spray all cause chemical burns that can eat through almost anything if given enough time.

Thermal: The gradual buildup of heat within a device or weapon to destroy it or its operator. Some weapons can damage themselves with heat buildup, while other weapons rely on it to burn away the target. This damage type is usually dealt as a secondary effect, such as a laser heating an armor plate, or a chemical reaction igniting a target.
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Ammo Types: All ballistic weapons fire Armor Piercing ammunition by default, and have room to store a limited amount of alternate ammunition. Alternate ammunition is far more limited, but will regenerate when not in combat. When equipping weapon grafts a single alternate ammunition type can be given to each drone, granting it the option to use that ammunition as special options during combat.

Armor Piercing: Standard solid chitin slug deals raw kinetic damage.

Hollow Point: A copy of the human ‘Hollow Point’, this slug expands and shatters in the wound, causing massive lacerations against unarmored targets, but is incapable of penetrating armor.

Acid: Hollow slug filled with acid bursts on contact, coating the target in caustic acid to burn through armor and skin. Reduces target’s armor effectiveness and causes lasting chemical damage.

Incendiary: Hollow slug filled with volatile chemicals that ignite on impact, coating the target with a burning adhesive jelly. Ignites the target and does lasting thermal damage, but has little penetrating power.

Explosive: Grape Shot slugs explode on impact, causing explosive damage to the target and hitting adjacent targets with high impact shrapnel. Melee range AOE that causes heavy kinetic damage to unarmored or lightly armored targets.

Dart: Small hollow darts tipped with small, razor sharp stingers designed to pierce the skin and inject a substance of some form in the target. While it cannot puncture armor it can be fired relatively quietly at a target from a distance and can be loaded with all manner of biological or chemical weapons.

Non-lethal: This cellophane slug is too large to be fired from anything but a Thorn Launcher. Upon hitting the target the slug bursts open, ensnaring the target in a half-liquid membrane that quickly hardens into a cocoon, rendering the target immobile.
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Weapon Grafts
Weapons manufactured independent of a drone and subsequently and temporarily attached to one.

Thorn Launcher – Powerful single shot projectile weapon that fires a high caliber chitin slug at high velocity, dealing large amounts of damage to a single target. Highly effective long range weapon, the only major drawback is its low rate of fire. Ammunition is naturally replenished over time as the warrior grows more chitin, and holds a medium amount of ammunition.
Size: M
Dmg: Medium Kinetic
RoF: Low
Rng: Long
Acc: High

Thorn Cannon – large, long range artillery cannon that fires a single high caliber projectile at long range, dealing massive amounts of damage to a single target and adjacent targets. Most effective as a long range support weapon, firing arcing salvos from long range, but can be used as a direct fire weapon. Any target hit directly will take tremendous amounts of damage as well as any adjacent target, however attempt to fire directly suffer a large accuracy penalty due to the difficulty in tracking targets with the massive weapon. This weapon can only be equipped to large size drones, and due to its unwieldy nature is placed along the top of the abdomen along the drone’s center of gravity.
Size: L
Dmg: Very High Kinetic/explosive
RoF: Very Low
Rng: Very Long
Acc: Medium
Special: Arcing shot – With the use of a spotter, or by simple luck, the Thorn Cannon can fire onto an enemy position without ever laying eyes on it. In large numbers, a bombardment of artillery can remove entire enemy positions off the map in moments without them ever knowing what hit them.

Heavy Thumper - An advanced version of the thumper grenade launcher, this version fills the ranged weapon slot and is in many ways a more robust, higher caliber Thorn Launcher that fires self-propelled chitin warheads capable of dispersing shrapnel after penetrating a target’s armor or cover. Because the weapon uses complex ammunition, the drone’s weapon cannot quickly or easily regenerate additional munitions in the field, forcing the drone to carry a larger supply at once. Because of this, the Heavy Thumper occupies both the weapon graft slot and the drone’s blade slot for that arm, reducing its melee capabilities. A drone with a Honey Pot does not suffer this drawback, as ammo can be stored in the Honey Pot and fed to the weapon as needed. The micro-rockets can be made to hold chemical, biological, thermal, or other similar ammo types in the same way as the normal Thumper. Each rocket deals a small amount of splash damage to any adjacent units upon detonation.
Size: M
Dmg: [Special] High explosive
RoF: Low
Rng: Long
Acc: Medium
Special: The micro-rockets fired from the Heavy Thumper continue to accelerate after they are launched, improving the damage potential of each rocket as it moves. At short range, the rocket does not have enough velocity to penetrate most forms of armor or cover, and imparts no kinetic damage to targets. For every range value past short, it increases its kinetic damage value but decreases its accuracy. The weapon ignores armor at long range.


Sting Caster – Rapidly fires small caliber chitin slugs at high velocity, shredding unarmored targets with a hail of low damage rounds. Poor accuracy limits effective range, and the high rate of fire can burn through the built-in ammo supply quickly if not rationed.
Size: M
Dmg: Low Kinetic
RoF: High
Rng: Medium
Acc: Low

Rotary Stinger – Rapidly fires high velocity chitin slugs from a rotating set of connected barrels to increase rate of fire without suffering from overheating. Most useful as a suppressing weapon, this powerful rotary can shred lightly armored targets and opposing cover alike. Its heavy recoil and poor accuracy mean that it cannot effectively target a single enemy, but instead blankets a small area of effect with heavy fire. This weapon can only be equipped to large sized drones, and due to its unwieldy nature is placed just beneath the mandibles, or just above the abdomen.
Size: L
Dmg: High Kinetic
Rof: Very High
Rng: Medium
Acc: Very Low
Special: Suppression fire – While your drones will happily lay down their lives for you, many of the aliens you have seen hold much greater value in their own lives. This weapon is just as destructive to enemy morale as it is to the enemy themselves, and is a strong argument for them to keep their heads buried in cover.

Plasma Cannon - A hybrid of slug thrower and energy weapon, this weapon utilizes a magnetically charged bullet to contain a payload of super-heated plasma, permitting a drastic increase in range over other plasma based weapons. It is bulky and unwieldly in combat, and any drone not equipped with a heavy carapace cannot move while firing the weapon. While it is perfectly adept at obliterating soft targets, it is designed to be most effective against heavy armor, and is considered a support weapon, fired from fixed positions, heavy drones, or from the backs or tails of large drones. While its raw damage and accuracy are not impressive alone, it is able to penetrate armor, rendering all but the heaviest of defenses useless.
Size: M
Dmg: Medium
RoF: High
Rng: Medium
Acc: Low
Special: Armor Piercing – Attacks with this weapon ignore unit armor. Does not apply to ships or buildings.

Plasma Assault Cannon – This devastating siege weapon collects plasma into a large magnetized field and fires it at a target. The resulting bubble of plasma bursts on contact, burning and obliterating anything near the target with a blast comparable to a low yield strategic strike, devastating anything from buildings to armored vehicles. The amount of thermal energy stored within a single blast of the weapon is too great to be contained for any extended period of time, forcing the drone to charge each shot just prior to firing. The result is a highly telegraphed attack that is so destructive no warning would matter. The weapon can fire before being fully charged in order to attack mobile targets, but it is most effective against stationary targets, such as buildings, docked ships, or bunkers. Like the Thorn Cannon, it is forced to be equipped in a specific way due to its design, forcing it to be equipped to a large drone’s forward facing weapon graft. Ventilation tubes and plasma condensers are implanted along the sides and abdomen of the drone, resulting in collected plasma to glow from beneath the armored carapace as it charges an attack, and causing thermal damage to anything nearby from the venting heat after a shot is fired.
Size: L
Dmg: Very high Thermal/Energy
RoF: Very low
Rng: Medium
Acc: Low
Special: Plasma charge – The assault cannon is inert by default and must spool up before firing. The weapon is incapable of holding a charge for more than 30 seconds, and must either fire or expel the built up plasma and lose the charge. The weapon requires a minimum of 5 seconds of charging to fire, resulting in a single bolt that detonates on contact in a thermobaric explosion, creating a fireball that serves as an effective anti-infantry and anti-vehicle weapon. After 15 seconds, the weapon fires a single bolt capable of flash-melting heavy armor and devastating most freestanding structures, allowing it to level most buildings with a single shot. At 30 seconds the weapon has reached its full charge, and fires a single bolt of plasma that detonates with the force of roughly 20 tons of TNT, and is capable of outright vaporizing most forms of armor or protective barriers, with only starship shielding offering any reliable resistance. When venting the built up heat, the drone expels superheated gas and flames from several exhaust tubes along the side of the drone’s head and abdomen, causing thermal damage to anything nearby.


Fire Spray – Sprays a highly volatile chemical compound from a pressurized nozzle, igniting any surface the compound encounters with flame. The substance itself does not burn, but reacts violently to other materials by dissipating rapidly and emanating large amounts of heat, igniting the target in the process. Causes severe chemical burns on anything it touches and ignites any flammable material immediately. The ammunition is stored under pressure, and will explode if damage is dealt directly to the weapon or its ammo storage. Ammunition can be very quickly consumed if not rationed properly, and fires can quickly spread to unintended areas, making it almost as dangerous for the user as it is for the intended target.
Size: M
Dmg: High Thermal/Chemical
RoF: Very high
Rng: short
Acc: Medium
Special: Area denial - can be used to set fire to terrain, preventing or hindering ground based movement.
Alt fire: This weapon can be equipped to fire a concentrated super cooled substance to flash-freeze targets, causing soft targets to freeze and shatter and armor to become brittle, making it more vulnerable to damage.

Plasma Spray – A scaled up Fire Spray, this large nozzle releases a large amount of pressurized liquid fire. The Plasma spray does not use plasma in the scientific sense, but in the biological sense, with a highly viscous and caustic substance that is naturally produced within the drone. The liquid ignites upon leaving the drone and will continue to burn even without oxygen, sticking to anything and everything it touches and promptly burning it to ashes. Like the fire spray but to a greater extent, the plasma spray will ignite anything it touches and continue to burn long after the fight is over. Liberal use may cause more harm than good, and very well may be more dangerous to your drones than to the enemy. Damage done directly to the plasma storage may cause the drone to explode, sending liquid fire cascading in all directions. The Plasma spray can only be equipped to large sized drones, and due to its unwieldy nature must be placed just under the mandibles or just above the abdomen.
Size: L
Dmg: Very High Thermal/Chemical
RoF: Very High
Rng: Medium
Acc: Low
Special: Scorched Earth – The thick liquid fire of the Plasma Spray burns until there is nothing left to burn, not only denying the use of cover or terrain in the moment, but removing the terrain feature altogether. Turns the effected terrain into barren ash and removes all but the most durable of buildings.
Alt fire: This weapon can be equipped to fire a concentrated super cooled substance to flash-freeze targets, causing soft targets to freeze and shatter and armor to become brittle, making it more vulnerable to damage.

Cryo Spray - An alternate to the plasma or fire spray, either of the weapons can be set to serve as a medium or large cryo spray if designated prior to combat at not additional cost. Instead of projecting a spray of caustic flammable jelly, the cryo spray releases a spray of liquid nitrogen, flash freezing objects and targets as the nitrogen quickly dissipates to gas. While it deals no damage over time, cryo sprays cause armor to become brittle and is highly lethal to soft targets. Any target hit by the cryo spray is highly vulnerable to kinetic and thermal damage.
The cryo spray possessed the same statistics of the fire and plasma spray, and is considered an alternate ammo option to them.

Acid Spray - This alternate version to the fire and plasma spray spews a stream of caustic molecular acid over its foes, causing horrific chemical burns and melting through armor. Decreases the effectiveness of a target's armor and causes chemical damage over time, but otherwise holds the same statistics as the fire and plasma spray.

Cyclotron Particle Beam – The cyclotron is a ring of powerful superconductors that sends a bolt of particles around in a circle, accelerating it to near light speeds before being directed at a target. The weapon requires a short but noticeable pause between each shot to accelerate the next bolt to sufficient velocity and is prone to overheating in prolonged engagements. The cyclotron is quite fragile, and becomes worthless if damaged and misaligned, as the particles require a perfectly calibrated ring to be properly accelerated.
Size: M
Dmg: High Energy
RoF: Very Slow
Rng: Long
Acc: Very High

Particle Cannon – Similar to the method used in the drones of the Unity, this weapon holds a number of cyclotrons held in a tight stack, feeding into a set of quad-linked particle beams built on pivoting joints to automatically train in on a single target, and capable of staggered fire to offer increased rate of fire, or firing in single burst shots to break through heavier armored targets. Each cannon itself is similar to a tiny linear accelerator, which while too small to deal damage on its own, offers an added boost to the cyclotrons themselves. The weapon is incredibly powerful, offering the accuracy, range, and damage of the standard model, but bolstering its rate of fire by staggering its shots among the individual accelerators, allowing it to serve as an effective all-purpose weapon, equally effective against air or land targets. Its only major weakness is that it can be prone to overheating, and if not properly maintained can damage itself and even the drone it is equipped to. The Particle Cannon can only be equipped to large drones mounted on the back, or beneath the mandibles.
Size: L
Dmg: High Energy
RoF: Medium
Rng: Long
Acc Very High
Special: Alpha Strike – By firing all four accelerators at once, the Particle Cannon can overcome even the most durable of armor, dealing a massive amount of damage with an incredibly accurate and long ranged shot. Doing so will overheat the weapon, forcing the drone to hold its fire for a short time to cool or risk damage. (Radiator tubes will mitigate this effect, but not remove it.)

Lightning gun – The lightning gun is capable of building up a powerful charge of ionized plasma before releasing it at a designated target in a similar manner to a natural lightning strike. The weapon itself is highly situational, with accuracy that depends largely on the environment in which it is used. It requires several seconds to charge between shots, and in densely packed areas such as forests or enclosed spaces the arc of energy can be attracted to unintended targets, making it more accurate in wide open areas, or in aerial combat.
Size: M
Dmg: High energy
RoF: Slow
Rng: Medium
Acc: Medium
Special: static buildup – Every time a target is hit with the lightning gun, the accuracy of all lightning guns and lightning cannons against that target increases.

Lightning Cannon – This scaled up lightning gun is volatile, unpredictable, and incredibly deadly. A force of nature held in a can, it is not aimed, so much as pointed in a general direction and letting it act on its own. When mounted to a large drone, the Lightning Cannon can be swept across the battlefield like a tempest of destruction, sending arcing bolts of plasma in all directions to destroy indiscriminately anything with the misfortune of being within range. Where it excels in outright damage, it lacks in most other respects. Its range is lackluster for such a large weapon, and its accuracy is morbid at best, as it is just as likely to obliterate nearby drones as it is to hit the enemy. Despite these drawbacks, its raw destructive force is considerable, and many of its disadvantages can be mitigated to some degree by the static buildup effect of the smaller Lightning Gun. This weapon can only be mounted on large drones.
Size: L
Dmg: Very high energy
RoF: Very high
Rng: Very short
Acc: Low (semi-variable cone)
Special: Power surge – Successful attacks with this weapon can disrupt the function of electrical equipment, even without a direct hit, potentially knocking out power, stalling machinery, or causing low flying aircraft to fall from the sky. Critical hits permanently fry the target’s circuitry. This weapon's accuracy also benefits from the Static Buildup special ability of the lightning gun, but does not apply it.

Photonic Blaster – The blaster utilizes an intense multi-frequency laser to produce a powerful beam of light that is then focused through a series of carefully calibrated lenses and electromagnetic fields to slow down the stream of light in intervals, forcing the photons to bump into one another and join into a molecule that is capable of interaction with matter, and then fired as a bolt of light. The photonic molecule acts as if it holds mass, and breaks apart back into individual photons upon contact, creating a burst of intense radiation that causes severe burns to the target as it super heats the air directly around it, causing a small shock wave that can rupture armor and soft targets alike. The weapon itself is highly stable, and is capable of firing continuously with little heat buildup and little to no recoil. The bolt can slowly loose photons as it travels, and moves much slower than light speed, which limits its effective range, but not by much. While the weapon has no outstanding features about it, it is a reliable weapon for many different uses that is never the perfect tool for the job, but is always an acceptable choice for just about any situation and improves in effectiveness the more it is used.
Size: M
Dmg: Medium Energy/Thermal
RoF: Medium
Rng: Long
Acc: Medium
Special: Quantity is a quality – If more than one blaster is attacking a single target, its armor becomes less effective at blocking blaster fire with every shot as they slowly impart more and more heat to the target and slowly blast layers of it away. This effect cannot totally remove armor, but can temporally reduce its effectiveness to nothing, depending on the armor type and the number of blasters used. A single blaster cannot benefit from this. Drones with blasters will focus fire by default as much as possible when targeting armored units.

Blaster Cannon - A scaled up blaster that offers large drones a heavy direct fire weapon system capable of targeting a large variety of hostiles at nearly any range. Due to the increased size, it requires more time between shots to assemble a photonic particle, but it is still capable of continuous fire with little recoil or heat buildup.
Dmg: High Energy/Thermal
RoF: Low
Rng: Very Long
Acc: Medium
Special: Intensive forward firepower - The blaster cannon, like the blaster, does not impart damage by the force of impact, but by the force of the particle dispersing. The cannon is large enough for this force to cause a small 5 meter area of effect upon impact, pushing infantry away, knocking them down, and potentially causing damage to any one or thing nearby.
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Utility weapons
Weapons designed to assist in combat, or harass as opposed to serving as the main source of damage.

Seekers - Genetically altered Berry Birds, these small winged balls are capable of seeking out any species by their chemical trail in the same way that the Berry Birds seek a mate. Once the Seeker has found its target it can deliver a wide range of weapon payloads to the target. Has a short flight range, but can quickly change direction to track a target's movement. It will automatically seek out the first target that matches the pre-set pheromone and can be loaded with Acid, Explosive, Incendiary or Biochemical charges.

Grenades – These small explosive devices are designed to be launched from a Thumper, but can be thrown by hand if needed. The cost of a Thumper includes the cost of ten grenades, which are replaced when the drone next has access to the hive. They come in several varieties, which can be designated upon restocking or laying the equipped drone.
Fragmentation – A simple anti-personnel grenade sends shrapnel in all directions, dealing kinetic damage.
Plasma – A charged plasma charge causes a plume of white-hot gas to expand in all direction, incinerating nearby objects and causing thermal damage.
Incendiary – A sac of flammable napalm-like fluids bursts open with a small charge, spraying burning jelly in all directions and setting fire to its surroundings to deal thermal damage over time and spreading fires.
Acid - A sac of acid detonates to send caustic fluids in all directions, burning armor and skin alike, dealing damage over time to soft targets and reducing the effectiveness of armor on armored targets.
EMP – A small charge detonates a highly charged static bomb, releasing a burst of electromagnetic radiation that can short out electronics, blow fuses, and confuse sensors, as well as dealing moderate energy damage in a short range around itself.
Chemical – A small charge detonates a sac of chemicals, dousing the air with spores and spreading gas in the surrounding area. Deals no damage but can be used as a delivery method for spore or gas based chemicals.
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Bioweapons
Chemicals and toxins designed to cause large amounts of damage to anyone or thing caught without sufficient protection.

Tetrochlorotoxin: A potent, fast acting, and highly lethal neurotoxin that, while potentially curable, often acts too fast for medicine to be of use. Causes paralysis to the area of injection in ten seconds on average, which quickly spreads, followed by intense muscle cramping, a burning pain, and loss of consciousness and minor seizures within thirty seconds. Total cardiovascular failure leads to death, usually within a minuet. The toxin can be injected directly for the most potent results, but can also be administered through skin contact. If administered through skin contact, it can cause immediate blindness if in the eyes, as well as severe burning at the point of contact. If absorbed through the mouth, such as if used to lace food or water, it causes severe swelling of the throat that can lead to death by asphyxiation even before the onset of additional symptoms.

Poison gas - A basic but fast acting gas designed to cause rapid neurological failure in the target, resulting in respiratory failure and death. The gas quickly dissipates but can be deadly even in low concentrations. Due to its short period of effectiveness it is most  useful in cramped areas such as enclosed buildings, ship corridors, or hive tunnels.

Fast acting spore strain - An enhanced strain of the ocean spores native to your world. The spores have been modified to be more rapid in their infection, more infectious, and more resilient. Due to its accelerated life cycle it cannot last as long as the native strain, and will quickly die without a host, meaning the likelihood of the infection spreading beyond the initial infection area is low.
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Non-lethal
Various chemicals and substances that are able to serve functions other than causing direct harm.

Sedative pheromone - This mild mind altering substance is designed to block the chemical impulses that often result in a violent fight-or-flight response, easing panic and helping to calm the subject. While it is most effective on humans, it should show some limited effect in other life forms, although it remains untested. Symptoms include fatigue, drowsiness, increased gullibility and bloodshot eyes.

Panic gas - This potent gas directly triggers a sense of overwhelming danger and dread in the subject to create a mind numbing desire to flee the area as quickly as possible. While your current research shows that it should be quite effective against a variety of life forms, you are unsure exactly how they would respond without first hand field testing. Results may vary widely depending on the targets state of mind, psychology, or training.

Hallucinogenic spores - This fungus is similar in nature to the deadly sea spores, but is far less lethal. While there may be some danger in overdose, the spores seem to cause a variety of vivid hallucinations from visions of nightmarish horrors to perceived visions of the future and everything in between. The spores are short lived, but are small enough to be invisible to the vision of most creatures, or appear as little more than dust. The spores can be either inhaled or consumed in food.

Paralytic venom - The powerful toxin of this flower is fired from a small barb like a dart gun. While the barb itself is useless against even basic protection, the toxin can be loaded into a projectile or hypodermic blade with ease. The toxin itself is fast acting and long lasting, knocking out the victim long enough for the plant to digest the prey, or in the case of your hive, long enough to retrieve and capture safely. The toxin is a venom, and must be injected directly into the bloodstream for it to have any effect.

Nepenthe – This drug is the result of fermenting the root of a local plant, mixed with an animal’s venom. According to the logs found with the samples, it was found covering the side of a tree. Now that you have had the chance to witness the locals, you now realize it is produced and used by them in religious ceremonies, claiming it brings clarity of purpose and visions of wisdom in some vain effort to reach the state of mind that your drones poses, which they hold in high regard. It inhibits the formation of memory, causing the subject to forget recent events and preventing them from memorizing new events until the toxin wears off. While the subject is under the effects they are unable to recall even basic knowledge or memories, and will accept nearly anything as truth. Once it wears off long term memory returns, although there is a gap from shortly before inhalation to when it finally wears off. It is a fine dusty powder that must be inhaled to take effect. It can be carried in the air, but not far.

Adrenaline booster – This potent substance is remarkably similar to natural adrenaline, and is produced within the seed of a large tree. The substance causes a temporary increase in physical and mental performance, but results in a wave of fatigue shortly after it wears off. It does not allow for a person to pass their body’s physical limitations, but instead removes the self-imposed limitations that humans and many other sentient creatures possess to prevent injury. The booster must be injected directly into the bloodstream to take effect.

Neural inhibitor – A simple but potent substance secreted from an incredibly popular flower, processed and concentrated in a more pure form. The substance inhibits the activity of the nervous system, causing sluggishness in both thought and action, as well as temporarily and drastically lowering the apparent intelligence of the subject. The substance does not directly affect suggestibility or memory, but either or both may altered as a side effect, as well as clumsiness, poor motor skills, a lack of proprioception, and numbness. The substance is a clear liquid with the viscosity of saline and a slight bitter taste. It must be either injected into the blood directly or ingested to take effect, either by drinking or eating food laced with it.

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Missiles – While obviously a type of weapon, missiles are unique enough to warrant their own section.

Missile types – Expensive but highly effective weapons designed to be used sparingly to great effect. If used at just the right moment, they have the potential to turn the tide of a battle. A missile must be launched from a launcher designed to fit it, and its manufacture cost is paid upon launch. It is assumed that any spent missiles are replaced after combat, if possible, using the same warhead type that was expended. By mixing different warhead types with missile sizes, a wide range of weapon systems are possible. See ammo types for warhead details.

All three of the main missile types can be launched via the drone or ship adaptation of appropriate type.

Swarm missile – A small, short range and low yield missile. What it lacks in range and payload it makes up for in maneuverability and numbers. Because of the large number of missiles that can be carried at once, they make for an excellent method of bio-weapon delivery, as well as an anti-personnel weapon for drones, or an anti-strike craft weapon for ships. They are not effective against armored targets, but they make for an effective method of overwhelming enemy point defense to cover more powerful missiles or strike craft.

Sting missile – A medium ranged guided missile with a moderate payload. It is effective against small armored targets, such as light vehicles and is capable of intercepting slow, low flying aircraft such as landing shuttles or low flying attack craft when launched from a drone. In space it makes for a powerful and balanced ship to ship weapon, and is the go-to missile for use in most engagements.

Cruise missile – A long ranged guided missile with a heavy payload. The missile is not at all maneuverable, but is capable of effectively engaging heavy targets at long range, and is capable of serving as an effective anti-air weapon when fired from a drone. In space it is a powerful interplanetary missile capable of effectively taking down capital ships in short order, but they lack the rate of acceleration needed to track smaller sub capital ships effectively, although if they do hit there is little that can survive.
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Warhead types: All missiles contain a warhead of some kind which determines the general effect of the missile itself. The price of a missile is based on its size and warhead. All prices are listed as the cost of a Stinger, with Cruise missiles costing 2x and Swarm missiles costing .25 of listed price. If the warhead is available for both ships and drones, the prices are listed for each.

Kinetic: The missile contains a solid metal shell, impacting the hull or armor of the target before detonating a small payload of acid, plasma, or shrapnel. Deals large amounts of extra damage and is highly effective at penetrating all but the most effective of armor, but is much more difficult to hit with.
[Critical hit effect] Bunker Buster: On a critical hit, the missile penetrates the target’s hull or armor and detonates from within, causing immense amounts of damage.
(20M[Drone]/40M[Ship])

Proximity: The most straightforward warhead type, the Proximity warhead detects the range to its target, and detonates at a distance for maximum effect, offering the best balance of accuracy and damage.
(20M[Drone]/40M[Ship])
[Critical hit effect] Direct Impact: The missile, through chance, skill, or both, impacts the target directly as it detonates, dealing extra damage as if it were the Kinetic warhead type without the aim penalty.

Cluster: This warhead contains a multi-stage device that, at a pre-set time or distance, or within proximity to a target, will detonate into a large number of independent explosive projectiles. The result is the creation of a wall of explosive force in space that deals little damage to armored targets, but can quickly destroy small ships and strike craft, dramatically increasing the missile’s accuracy and effective blast radius at the cost of overall damage. It is intended as primarily a ship-to-ship weapon, but can be used as a cluster bomb within an atmosphere, although the independent explosives within are not guided. It can be loaded with acid, plasma, or shrapnel charges.
[Critical hit effect] Kessler Syndrome: The debris from the warhead and those destroyed within its radius add to the shrapnel, causing bonus damage and increasing its effective damaging radius for every unit killed.
(30M[Drone]/60M[Ship])

Air burst: Air burst warheads detonate within an atmosphere above the ground, spreading the contents of its warhead over a wide area. Deals very little direct damage, if any, but makes for a very effective delivery system for chemical payloads, raining anything from poison gas to molecular acid down upon the battlefield. While it can be loaded onto ship missiles as a bombardment weapon, it has no effect against other space craft. The warhead can be fitted with acid, plasma, or any airborne biological agent.
[Critical effect] Ignition: Due to fortunate weather circumstances the payload of the warhead is carried far and wide, spreading chemicals, plasma, or acid over a much wider area and to a much greater effect than normal.
(30M[drone]/60M[Ship])

Atomic: A multi-kiloton thermonuclear device, the exact payload depends upon the size of the missile. These can only be launched from ships or from silos. The warhead detonates when within proximity of the target and deals tremendous amounts of thermal and explosive damage within its blast radius, and a moderate amount of energy damage to anything in a much wider radius, disrupting sensors and exposed electronics with a powerful EMP that can travel for several million kilometers before dispersing. Detonating over a planet can cause ion storms, dealing damage to exposed infrastructure, while bombarding a planet will douse the impact area with radiation, causing long term damage to the local ecosystem. (100N 100M)

>Molecular disassembler warhead
This ship exclusive warhead disperses a cloud of nano-disassemblers that promptly utilize all sources of metals and nutrients to replicate more disassemblers, which do the same. The process quickly reduces any infrastructure, ships, and life to dust in a chain reaction that can spread across entire cities. The nanomachines require a minimum amount to reach a critical mass before they begin to deactivate, but even a small warhead can potentially spread across a wide area.
(500N 500M)

>Immolator warhead
This devastating and highly unstable warhead is capable of destabilizing the surface of a planet to cause planet wide destruction, triggering violent geothermal activity and weather patterns and rapidly turning the planet’s surface to molten slag and rendering it totally uninhabitable. The production of the weapon itself requires a lengthy and highly expensive process of condensing highly unstable exotic matter that is far too volatile for productive use and encasing it within a powerful magnetic field held within a shielded canister. Upon detonation, the canister releases the supply of anti-matter within the planet’s crust, causing a chain reaction of matter-anti-matter annihilation that ignites any atmosphere, immolates the surface, and obliterates any sign of infrastructure that may have existed. This warhead can only be fired from a ship board cruise launcher.
(500,000N 500,000M)

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Cybernetics
These biomechanical implants and prosthetics are capable of extensively altering the appearance and design of both drones and alien life. Each alteration requires surgery within a medical pod to complete; time spent in the pod, both during the procedure and recovering, increases with each procedure. Your drones are far more durable to the stress of augmentation, meaning procedures can be done simultaneously, and recovery time is always 1 day for drones. Non-drones undergoing augmentation require more delicate care, making recovery times longer in some cases, although recent advancements in medical technology allows for simultaneous procedures.

The augments themselves are custom built for each race you are capable of augmenting. When augmenting a drone, select a new adaptation from the drone builder. For every adaptation that is added, you must pay the upfront cost of that adaptation to manufacture it. After it is implanted in the drone the drone assumes the upkeep cost of its new design. For augmenting non-drones, see below. Alternatively, drones and Chimeras can perform a metamorphosis to change their adaptation configuration without the need for surgery and the use of a pod. This process takes 1 day during which the subject is cocooned. The drone or Chimera immediately assumes its new upkeep cost, and operates at double its cost for the day before assuming its normal new cost after emerging from its cocoon.
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Biomechanical prosthetic – This basic limb replacement can be used to change the type of arm, leg, tool, or wing adaptations your drones have through surgery, or replace the limb of another creature with a biomechanical version. Compared to human limbs, your biomechanical augments far exceed natural human strength, speed, and endurance. In non-drones this serves as a base model upon which additional augmentations can be built. (Procedure time: 1 day.)
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Lifter – These humanoid arms are built using the standard biology of your drones, with a dense bone within armored with layers of metallic chitin. The synthetic muscles are far in excess of what a normal human would be capable of, and is capable of feats of strength any warrior drone would be proud of. With a maximum lift of over 2,000 kilograms, these powerful augmentations offer unparalleled upper body strength and must often be limited to avoid excessive strain to the rest of the body. The arms themselves are a slick black in color with a metallic sheen along the metallic chitinous plates of armor. They are capable of withstanding small arms fire and are capable of rapid self-repair when damaged. (10N 10M)

Reacher – These humanoid arms are composed of a tightly woven bundle of powerful, yet graceful synthetic muscles woven around a loosely arranged endoskeleton similar to a human spine, or tail adaptation. Under normal circumstances the bones lock into a pre-set arrangement to mimic the human arm, but they can unlock at a moment’s notice to allow the arm an unparalleled range of motion, flexibility, and elasticity. While unlocked, the arms are capable of briefly stretching outwards by several feet for rapid strikes, and articulating in any direction to wrap around objects or grapple enemies. What it lacks in raw strength and durability it makes up for in speed and precision. In appearance, the reflex arms are a dark green weave of dense fibers, as if lacking skin or made from woven vines. (15N 5M)

Leaper – These legs are especially designed for athletic feats far beyond what any normal human would be capable of, with a maximum run speed of 60 miles per hour, and a standing leap of over 4 meters, there are few things it cannot out run or out maneuver. In addition to their incredible power, the leaper legs are armored for additional protection from falls or combat damage. In appearance, they are black with a sleek metallic sheen. Interlacing metal chitin covers most of the legs, with the shins and knees covered in solid plates for maximum protection. (10N 10M)

Strider – Built for maximum maneuverability and flexibility, these legs are capable of adjusting to any terrain, be it slick roads, a crumbling mountain side, or a sheer cliff face, with equal ease. Designed to incorporate the somewhat prehensile claws of your drones, they are capable of easily climbing otherwise impossible terrain, or maintaining balance in the most precarious of circumstances. While less impressive in a straight sprint or standing leap, they are capable of changing direction or quickly jumping from place to place with an almost unnatural grace. In appearance, they are a dark green bundle of muscular fibers with curving bars of chitinous, metallic bone reinforcing the joints and shins. (12N 10M)
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Internal augmentations – A wide range of biomechanical implants capable of adding or altering a subject’s capabilities, ranging from enhanced sight and hearing, to redundant organs. In your drones, this lets you alter sensory or utility adaptations with surgery. In other creatures it allows you to implant a variety of augmentations. (Procedure time: 1 day)

Second heart – Humans only have one heart, a critical evolutionary flaw to your perspective. With this simple procedure that flaw can be fixed, and the human in question can take a bullet to the chest and live to see another day. Makes the subject resistant to critical damage and increases the odds of surviving mortal wounds. (4N)

Reactive pupils – Your own eyes are naturally highly capable even in darkness. While you cannot outright copy your drones’ eyes, you can improve upon the human eye to bring it close to your own. Grants vision in near total darkness as if using a night vision visor. The irises themselves are light yellow in color, with slight green discoloration along the edges of the eye itself. (2N)

Thermal pits – A highly sensitive cluster of thermal receptors placed just beneath the eyes allow the subject to visualize heat as if wearing a thermal visor. This does not overwrite or hamper their default eyesight. The vision does not have the coverage of your drones’ compound vision, but instead holds the same field of vision as standard human eyes. The receptors are hidden beneath the skin, giving the appearance of deep bags under the eyes tinted a blueish green. (2N)

Echolocation – An enhanced sound processing organ replaces the inner ear, granting a vast increase in the perception and identifying of sounds and their source location. (2N)

Bio-digital interface – An extendable umbilical made of an elastic strand of nerve tissue on the back of the neck. Visibly, it appears similar to commercial Union cybernetic interfaces often used to provide updates to any implanted cybernetics without relying on wireless networking. The user can pull the elastic fiber from the port, where it can extend to a total of half a meter, and can plug into standard Union data ports to allow quick and efficient data transfer. Best results are obtained when the subject is in direct connection to the hive network. (1N)

Arm blades – These retractable blades sit hidden within the forearm in a sheath of cartilage. At will, the user can extend the blades, unfolding them to a foot in length. The sheath runs the length of the forearm, and can extend the blades from either the elbow or wrist. While sheathed, the blades regenerate from damage, with small bones within the arm serving as grind stones to maintain a cutting edge. Due to design limitations, this is only available for the Lifter arms. (6N 10M)

Pistol sledge – The incredibly powerful sonic sledge is a bulky and heavy duty weapon. With many modifications and some slight decrease in its power, a less potent but more compact version can be built into the Lifter arms, and the sledge itself can even be built around a set of arm blades, however due to its power there can be no other cybernetic in the arm or hands, as firing the sledge would potentially damage or destroy them. In the center of the arm, the heavy bone used to reinforce the forearm is replaced with a powerful piston capable of extending from the elbow, and firing back to create a shockwave that extends out from the open palm of the user, knocking back individuals and causing extensive damage to solid matter and soft tissue alike. The resulting shockwave is nonlethal if the palm is not in direct contact with the target, and can knock individuals back or prone. When the palm is in direct contact with the target, the shockwave can shatter doors and walls, rupture organs, and pulverize bone in an instant, creating a loud thunderous boom in the process akin to a small explosion. (8N 15M)

Sting whip - A pair of two powerful, semi-autonomous whips covered in micro-barbs capable of sticking to organic matter and injecting different kinds of substances. Each whip, which is identical in function to the adaptation version, is housed in the forearm and emerges from a gland at the base of the wrist beneath the palm of the hand. The whip is a meter in length, can be detached and regrown, and can coat itself in a coating of chemicals in addition to injecting them directly, allowing it to melt armor or flesh on contact with acid, ignite itself with a napalm-like jelly, or disperse gas in addition to administering poisons on a hit. The user is immune to the whip's effects and cannot be poisoned, burned, or stung by it, although the user is not granted immunity to such effects. Cannot be equipped with the Arm blades. Reacher arms gain a bonus when using this graft. (7N)

Sting fingers – Small retractable hypodermic claws embedded within the cuticles of the fingers. Upon a successful melee strike the target takes additional slashing damage, and if the user chooses is injected with whatever material was loaded within the claws. The claws do not produce any toxin, but can be loaded either by absorbing the material through the claws, or by injecting it into a small compartment sack within the back of the hand. (6N 10M)

Chemical fabricator - A small gland held near the digestive tract that utilizes consumed substances to produce a variety of powerful venom, poison, and other such chemicals of both lethal and non-lethal nature. The user gains the ability to spit or breathe a small amount of chemical toxin of the user's choice, and is immune to the effects of toxins they produce. In addition, if the user has other toxin based augmentations, the gland will fill them with any desired and applicable bio-weapon. The gland can also produce acid or bio-plasma, allowing the use to spit acid or plasma in small amounts, or breathe out a short cone of fire or cloud of corrosive, non-lethal gas that causes burning, temporary blindness, and intense skin irritation. (8N)

Chemical dependent acid glands – Even with the use of parasites, it is not always a total guarantee that you will always be in contact with a clone or agent. Similar to the acid glands of your drones, this implant will, if triggered, quickly kill and dissolve the subject to prevent capture or study. Unlike your drone version, these are not centralized in a number of pre-filled sacs. A number of small chemical dependent organs are implanted throughout the body which remain inert while being administered a chemical of hive design, like a chemical based key code. If the clone or agent is captured, or attempts to flee, the lack of the chemical key will trigger a rapid deterioration of the subject. The subject will feel the effects of the physical dependence on the chemical after a 24 hour period, offering ample warning to return to a hive. After another day, the activated glands will begin to produce and fill themselves with corrosive acid, and the subject will suffer extensive debilitating physical symptoms. On the third day, the subject will enter a comatose state, and the glands will burst, dissolving the body in moments to leave nothing but base protein chains and amino acids from which no DNA samples can be extracted. Any drone with a bio interface or hypodermic blade, or any clone with a chemical fabricator and a method of injection that is connected to the hive network can make and administer the chemical key. (2N)
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Extensive reconstruction - These drastic procedures involve a tremendous amount of surgery, replacing much of the external tissue or skin with enhanced components. In your drones, this lets you change carapace and mandible adaptations through surgery. In other creatures it allows you to replace weak or damaged organs with enhanced versions, perform facial reconstruction or other appearance altering procedures, or replace skin and soft tissue with durable armor. (Procedure time: 2 days)

Facial reconstruction – A mix of implants and procedures to alter the appearance of a person’s non augmented parts. Can be used to change face structure, skin tone, height and weight, hair color, and voice pattern. Has no upkeep cost. (50N)

Fermentation gut – Another method of jury rigging your own drones’ physical superiority into the human form, this second stomach screens the body for toxins, absorbing and isolating them as quickly and effectively as possible. Includes a small secondary liver to both screen the bloodstream as well as ingested food, and to slowly expel contained toxins without risk to the body. It is not completely immune to toxins, but what little it is unable to stop it at least stalls, buying precious time to find medical aid. (14N 5M)

Skin graft – A layer of vat-grown skin and fat cells made from a sample of the user’s DNA and grafted over an existing augmentation. Once the graft is complete it is capable of providing a full range of senses as well as healing and repairing, albeit at a stunted rate. The skin layer itself is frail and easily damaged; it is not capable of withstanding the ware and tare that many of the available augmentations are capable of causing, and so will frequently require repair after combat or strenuous activity. Damage to the skin appears on the surface as a bloody wound but poses no health risk and can be left open if there is no time to attend to it. While it will eventually heal most damage on its own over time, it can quickly be maintained and repaired using a medical pod, human designed medical tank, or any other form of medical attention. (4N)

Mimic skin – A layer of chromatohpores are placed throughout the skin allowing the user to adapt his or her skin tone to match the environment. The change in color takes several seconds to shift, and can match most patterns or shapes needed, but are not as effective as drone or Ceph versions. While it is not a part of the cybernetic, the hive can construct a basic skin suit that can interface with the user’s own skin pigment chances to match, improving the camouflage effect. The skin suit is made of a knife and fire resistant fiber weave designed for stealth and survival activities, but offers little protection in combat. The suit is offered with the augmentation at no cost. It will not function for other beings, as it is controlled directly through alterations in the implanted chromatophores. (2N)

Semi-fluid tissue – Painful to use, and difficult to master, this complex and drastic procedure uses a number of implants and genetic mutations to allow the user to soften their bone structure. This process takes several minutes and may cause severe aches and pains, after which micro muscles implanted throughout the body allow the user to alter their physical bone structure to a limited extent, especially the face, allowing the user to adjust facial structure, height up to several inches, alter should width, and other factors. In addition to this, the tissue of the skin is made especially malleable, allowing the user to alter or remove their own fingerprints, alter, remove, or create wrinkles and skin deformations, increase or lower voice pitch, as well as adjust iris color and shape, although the alterations are not perfect enough to mimic existing individuals with absolute confidence. To mimic an existing individual, you must know all applicable biometric data, and have at least one day for the user to alter and perfect his or her physical appearance. The disguise will be sufficient to fool all but the most closely known individuals, and may fool some or most biometric security systems, although it is not guaranteed. Does not affect blood samples or other DNA based testing. (8N 5M)

Electrostatic muscle grafts – A number of tense muscles and redundant nerves are placed throughout the body to create an easily manipulated circuit. The subject becomes highly resistant to electrical shocks, and can feed any such electrical shocks into a number of organic capacitors. These capacitors can be discharged at will, directing the stored energy into a limb or touched object. The user can choose to discharge all, some, or just one of the capacitors, giving a measure of control over the lethality of the shock given. If the user also has a sting whip, the whip can be used to administer the shock. (8N 15M)

Metal skin – Drastic as it may be, the results are certainly worth noting. While humans have spent countless eons developing new things to cover themselves with to serve as armor, they have always been exceptionally squishy. This solves that problem by removing most, if not all, of the natural skin and soft flesh and replacing it with a dense graft of interlaced metallic chitin plates. The plates are lightweight and flexible enough to avoid getting in the way of clothing or most forms of human armor, while offering an additional layer of protection on par with your warriors. The graft is incredibly obvious, covering the body in a layer of sleek black metallic plates. Non-flexible areas such as the skull, forearms, shins, and others are covered in a solid layer of chitin, while flexible areas are given a layer of thick scale-like hide of tightly interwoven fibers. The face suffers from a great deal of rigidness, removing most recognizable facial features, and inhibiting speech and facial expressions. The spine is reinforced with a row of interlaced plates and a fiber weave to prevent injury, and the muscles are enhanced to allow for the easy carrying of the additional weight. At first sight, it appears to be a suit of armor itself; however, with the placement of nerves throughout the plates, it lacks the drawbacks of human armor, granting the user complete situational awareness. (30N 100M)

Endoskeletal plating – This painful and invasive procedure reinforces many of the most critical bones of the body, specifically the rib cage, with a thin layer of carbon nanoweave fiber, sealing the chest cavity in a flexible yet durable solid plate that is both stab resistant and effective at stopping small arms fire. The plate acts as a cast in the event of a broken rib. While the augmentation itself is contained beneath the skin, there is a slight dark discoloration of the sternum and ribs where the reinforcing is closest to the skin. (5N 20M)

Weaver graft – While the shape and weight of the human body removes the possibility of useful wings, by utilizing and altering the genetic code used to make them results in the possibility to add additional arms to a human subject. Chittinous reinforcements are grafted to the spine, and a number of bone plates are added using a mixture of genetic modification and aggressive surgery, adding a total of six slender chitin covered auxiliary limbs along the back. The ends of these limbs have no hands, but instead end in sharp spear like points and move naturally with the aid of a built-in sub brain that allows the user to quickly adapt to the drastic change. Each arm is strong enough to support a medium sized weapon graft, although only one can be used at a time with any effectiveness, and together they are capable of manipulating or holding objects. At rest, they conceal themselves by wrapping around the subject’s ribs, but can unfold themselves at will. They are strong enough to support the subject’s weight briefly, allowing them to assist in climbing, jumping, or moving over rough terrain, and can serve as a highly effective melee weapon. The pointed ends of the limbs are sharp enough to puncture some light armors, and can function as hypodermic blades that can administer toxins if the user has a chemical fabricator. (20N 10M)

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Cloning
Clones are by their nature a regimented and standardized form of life, designed for purpose instead of allowing the chaos of natural evolution to create an often less than optimal solution. All drones within a hive are by their nature clones, with all drones of any one design being genetically identical. Cloning non-hive life is possible, but often is less than optimal due to their more randomized and non-standardized genetic variations. While the Hive has developed methods of better standardizing this process, there is still a cost to clone use, as these genetic variations and sub-optimal mutations and recombinations are ironically to the benefit of these life forms. Clones can not become Elite Agents, regardless of their training, and will never reach the same level of mastery in their specialization as the life forms from whose genetic profiles they were made. While Hive clones enjoy a much higher baseline of competence, they cannot reach the same apex of specialization that comes with the random trial and error of millions and billions of random genetic recombination found in the populations centers of the single-minded. The only exception to this is when imprinting the full consciousness of an Elite Agent whose mind has already been archived by the Hive network. Any specialization made for mass imprintation will be unable to fully reach the same level of exceptionalism without reducing quality control effeciciency.

Hive thinker hubs will automatically maintain a constant supply of mentally blank clone bodies, ready for neural imprintation and activation as needed. Smaller hives, such as espionage hives, will produce a smaller number as defined by their size and level, with production constrained by their size and resource access. Such clone collections will be made in all shapes, sizes, and species according to what the local thinkers require, although clones can be made to order on the whims of the Queen, though in most cases such orders are fulfilled through modification of existing clone shell bodies.
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Clone Replacement
A clone in its most standard definition is an exact replica of another individual. While the Hive can use artificial recombination to generate a nearly unlimited amount of variation, for purposes of infiltration or recovery it is also possible to reproduce an exact replica of an existing living body. Such a clone will have no memories of its original form, but such information can be implanted and in some cases, even modified. An infiltrating clone agent will have all the memories and personality traits of the person it replaced, but with the addition of hidden thoughts capable of activation or being triggered through its mission. Likewise, other clones can be made to replace those who have died, or serve as second vessels for the dying through similar memory transfers. Using advanced memory storage technology taken from the Skyl and their dark masters, the minds of Elite Agents and high profile Hive citizens can be preserved in almost perfect condition after death, allowing for it to be imprinted upon a new body, as a result, Elite Agents who die in the field will recover after several days, so long as the crystal memory implant from their brain is recovered.
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Skill Imprinting

Once a blank clone body is in need of activation, it will be imprinted with a collection of fabricated memories designed to provide the clone with a mixture of loyalty towards the hive, as well as context to form an understanding of its world, its own purpose in it, and its relation to other clones and Hive allies. This imprint does not necessarily need to, but often does also contain a specialized skillset allowing the clone to be flash-trained in a particular field of expertise. A clone can only receive a single skillset, and skillsets in clones will be limited in nature to a more standardized level of competence, although a level that is often above the typical average individual, it will still not match the level shown by Elite Agents.

General skill sets: These skills can be uploaded to any species of clone.

Sharpshooter - This clone will be an adept marksman capable of utilizing and maintaining a wide range of rifles and sidearms, especially slug throwers, handguns, or long rifles.

Brawler - This clone will be adept at utilizing short ranged or melee weapons, and is an expert at disarming and incapacitating opponents in close quarters. Especially useful with shotguns, CIP weapons, vibro-blades, or thermal cutters.

Tech - This clone is highly skilled with human networking technology, and can infiltrate and disable security systems, pick electronic locks, falsify credentials, and erase or retrieve data from public or private networks.

Engineer - This clone will know the ins and outs of every conceivable mechanical device known in Union space, from power armor to ship engines and more.

Survivalist - This clone will know the various necessary skills to survive in a wild, hostile environment, even one that is unknown in nature. This includes testing for toxins in wild life and plants, skills in foraging, hunting, skinning, and cooking in the wild, crafting tools from foraged items, basic first aid using improvised items, and navigation utilizing natural features of a planet. Despite the skill set being intended for wilderness survival, it is equally effective in urban environments.

Spin Doctor - This clone understands the intricacies of communication, and manipulation is his first language. No matter if it is manipulating political rivals, negotiating a one-sided business deal, or simply extracting information without anyone knowing they said anything, the only tools a Spin Doctor needs is a smile and his wits. In areas of manipulation, be it above board or in the shadows, this clone is specialized in dealing with social matters and personal interaction with all species and social classes. The Spin Doctor understands the meaning of and controls every twitch of the face, every posture the body takes, and is resistant to mental reading and psionic probing. A clone with this skill set can function expertly both in official capacities as diplomats, public relations experts, propagandists, and business representatives as well as undercover as news casters, corporate moles, diplomatic spies, or a charismatic manchurian candidate and beyond. Though their physical abilities are limited, a Spin Doctor can talk their way out of nearly any situation.

Tactician - An expert in rapid analysis and manipulation of battle conditions, this clone is capable of maintaining coordination between units on the battlefield, as well as preparing and planning for offensive or defensive actions. In most cases, such a clone receives a bonus when commanding clones or agents of its own species, and drones and thinker nodes left cut off from the Queen will look to this clone for guidance. Despite the name, the Tactician is no stranger to larger scale strategy, and even outside of combat is able to connect cause and effect logic in ways most would not perceive, allowing the clone to predict, anticipate, and prepare for eventualities that would catch most people off guard, as well as arrange for events to unfold in the Tactician's favor and set the stage for an advantageous conflict. This skill has no direct relation to the social aspects of leadership, and while some naturally developed individuals with this skillset also hold the charisma to maintain morale, the Tactician skillset itself does not include this practical application of emotional manipulation.

Psion: While any agent can be implanted with the capacity to use psionic abilities, it takes a great deal of discipline and mental training to properly master these abilities and use them to their full potential. While no recruit will be inherently a psion, some individuals show more promise to the mental traits needed to properly control such powers, and thus some recruits hold greater psionic potential than others. Such individuals with a great capacity for mental discipline and willpower are able to devote themselves to the mastery of psionics their implants grant them, allowing for the use of abilities that less advanced species can only describe as magic, such as telekinesis, thermokinesis, energy conduction, and telepathy.

Human exclusive: These skills require the unique biology of a human to function.

Void Crafter: While implantation of certain advanced technology could allow anyone to perform the basic actions of a Void Crafter, only the human mind is capable of functioning in total psionic darkness, moving from shadow to shadow unseen within the Void. Even species devoted to using psionics to conceal themselves leave a trail of shifted thought behind. This unique advantage allows a Void Crafter to not only move through the Void, but also perceive events and locations in spacetime as seen within the Void, as well as other powerful abilities still not fully understood.

Phantom exclusive: These skills require the unique biology of a Phantom to function.

Huntress - Combining stealth and ambush combat, the Phantom Huntress is a master of hit and run attacks and silent lethal takedowns, able to kill from a distance, or swoop in close and strike in silence before departing without a sound or witness. Most effective in locations with lots of open space in which to hide and move unseen, the Huntress uses a combination of natural stealth abilities and trained techniques in stalking prey unheard and unseen to wait for a prime moment to strike. While less effective in open combat, the Huntress is capable of adapting to nearly any environment in order to take down an assassination target unheard, unseen, and with no trace of its activity left behind.

Ralighan exclusive: Theses skills require the unique biology of a Ralighan to function.

Spiral Warrior - The clone has a mastery of the ancient martial art the Bladed Spiral, which utilizes the Ralighan biology to turn the individual into a spinning ball of knives and throwing weapons, utilizing slings and atlatls by tradition, but also other throwing weapons. It is most effective in an area with lots of vertical space, where the clone can utilize its adept climbing abilities to its advantage. This martial art is nearly unstoppable in close combat, especially in low or zero gravity.

Taidaren Exclusive: These skills require the unique biology of a Taidaren to function.

Filth Monger - This clone(s) has the typically undersold capacity to discern uses from virtually any and every item, be it organic, synthetic, found in nature or salvaged from a trash heap. In effect, this skillset functions similarly to the Survivalist, but to a far greater effect, combining standard survival abilities with Taidaren resilience, as well as using stealth, cunning, and deliberately reinforced stereotypes to be consistently underestimated by potential enemies. No matter if you need to gather information, steal something important, escape the local authorities, or simply skim some extra credits or resources, the humble local Filth Monger always has a solution, for a price.

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Types of clones
Your drones draw their strength from numbers and unyielding loyalty, willingly charging into certain death to grant their brothers an advantage. Other races and humans especially draw strength from their individuality, making instinctive split second decisions in the heat of the moment and using their wits to outmaneuver their opponent. They have spent countless millennia perfecting detailed techniques and technologies to overcome their physical shortcomings. Because of this, while a natural, unarmed and unskilled human is inferior to your drones, a highly skilled and well equipped one can be devastatingly effective. There are three kinds of clones you can produce. The difference between them is primarily physical, and both hold a similar level of individuality and skill potential as their natural originals.

Replicant – A simple copy with no alterations or tampering with the genetic structure. It is a normal member of its species with the physical and mental traits that come with it. Replicants made within an espionage hive will often be made to appear identical to existing individuals, or assume the identity of recently deceased citizens of the infiltrated world, while mass produced replicants intended for field operations will be made from semi-random genetic recombination.

Hybrid – A clone that has been altered using your own genetics to improve upon certain areas. A hybrid is physically superior to an average member of its own species, although not as much as cybernetics are capable of. On the surface they appear identical, but they are not a genetic match to their original, and are not technically the same species. A hybrid’s brain has been altered to be psionically sensitive and is highly susceptible to mental suggestion, perceiving commands as sudden obsessive compulsions. Unlike your drones, a hybrid’s mind is still highly developed and independent, and can hold a highly detailed and complex series of orders. If the hybrid leaves your psionic range, these orders will remain until it completes them or they become impossible. Once complete the hybrid will naturally feel an obsessive urge to return to the hive. These obsessive urges are present even if the hybrid believes himself to be a natural human with the memories to prove it, and may cause delusions to form to justify them.

Chimera – A clone that has been heavily altered using drone genetic traits. It is visibly not normal, failing even a cursory inspection. While they have the mental capacities of a hybrid, they are fully capable of being given any adaptation from the drone adaptation list, and may have some free adaptations granted from the genetics of the original species, as well as general differences in appearance. They will have the same general body structure as the original species, including number and general arrangement of limbs. If a hybrid receives a free adaptation from its original species, it can be swapped out for another. Skyll receive Moderate Wings and combat blades, Taidaren receive Advanced Acoustics and a specialized mouth type that counts as a Hypodermic Blade, Valen receive Gills and are considered large in size, Scavengers receive Thermal Pits and Moderate Acoustics, Ceph receive Mimetic Skin, Adaptive Camouflage, and Gills, Ralighans receive Advanced Acoustics and have ten limbs that each count as both Sprint legs and Dexterity arms, and Humans receive endurance legs, and the benefits of both Dexterity and Strength arms. By default a Chimera also possesses the speaking organs of its original species. Even after a Chimera is complete, it can be forced to pupate like a drone to grow or shed new adaptations, and does not require a parasite to perform a metamorphosis in this way, although it does require one to mutate into a new clone type. Due to the increased efficiency in biology that a Chimera benefits from, many adaptations can be internalized in locations that once held an organ, such as small egg layers, or miniaturized honey pots capable of storing up to 5 small drones. In addition to adaptations, a Chimera can be augmented with cybernetics. The mind of a Chimera is far more instinctive then that of other clone types, interpreting the commands of the queen as an overwhelming drive that will block out other thoughts, although they are fully capable of thinking creatively and using individuality to fulfill such commands. On an individual level a Chimera thinks in a similar manner to its original species, but has gained traits of your drones, and is more willing to perform sacrificial actions to fulfill its objectives, but will still hesitate far more than your drones would and will always look for alternatives. When working in numbers, they are capable of using psionic tactics to strategize on the fly, and will obey any clone with the greatest skills in the relevant field of expertise without question, making them excellent in the area of special operations, espionage, and general support where individual thinking is more important than numbers and large scale tactics.
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Mutation and Metamorphosis
Any non-hive life, clone or natural, that is implanted with a parasite and is connected to your hive network can be made to mutate into another type of clone. Natural creatures count as a Replicant statistically. Chimeras can pupate to grow or shed adaptations without a parasite, but cannot mutate into a new clone type unless implanted. The mutation takes a single day during which the clone’s upkeep is doubled. A Replicant can mutate into a Hybrid, a Hybrid into either a Repicant or a Chimera, and a Chimera can mutate into a Hybrid, or alter its adaptations. When mutating from Hybrid to Chimera it cannot adjust adaptations, however you can elect to have it continue its mutation for an additional day to give it the time to grow new adaptations. The mutation itself is different depending on the nature of the mutation.

Replicant/Hybrid – The subject becomes ravenously hungry, gorging on any and all edible food. Once the subject has consumed double its needed nutrient intake for the day, it will begin to suffer from high fever, fatigue, and minor illusions. The subject will begin to feel the urge to sleep, during which the subject will suffer from various fever dreams caused by the alterations of its brain, and the incorporation of psionic sensitivity, such fever dreams may include vague images of hive activity, images of the queen, and potentially thoughts from nearby drones or clones. The subject will awaken the next day with minor short term memory loss and temporary disorientation, as well as the sensation of whispering voices and involuntary muscle spasms caused by the mind acclimating to its new direct connection to the hive network. If mutating from Hybrid to Replicant, the process is identical, but afterwards the subject will suffer gaps in memory, severe headache and migraines, and frequent sensations of déjà vu and fragmented, false memories, which may be attributed to severe illness, drug use, head injury, or excessive social activity the night before. Dreams of hive activity may continue for several weeks, and the subject may feel uncomfortable in silent rooms.

Hybrid/Chimera – The subject quickly becomes visibly ill and ravenously hungry, obsessively consuming any even remotely edible source of nutrients it can find. The subject’s standards are severely lowered, and will be willing to consume foods normally considered inedible without hesitation. The skin becomes clammy and sweaty, and as the day continues the sweat becomes a thick mucus which slowly covers the subject as the skin becomes discolored and bruised, as well as hair loss and chronic itching across the body and the eyes become discolored. The skin will become weaker over time, and eventually begin to tear, revealing layers of crusty chitin beneath, and the teeth and nails will begin to fall out over time. Eventually the subject will be driven to find a secluded and humid location, and will enter a catatonic state during which the mucus of the skin hardens into a cocoon. By the start of the next day the subject will emerge as a Chimera, gaining a second set of compound eyes, chitinous skin, mandibles formed from the lower jaw bone, as well as various other features dependent on species and adaptations. The subject will keep any cybernetics it had previously. If the mutation is Chimera to Hybrid, the process is identical but reversed, and results in the loss of any adaptations, and the subject will awaken with severe amnesia of its activity as a Chimera, remembering only flashes at best.

Adaptation mutation – The Chimera will seek a secluded area, preferably in a hive controlled location, and will cocoon itself for a day, after which it will change its upkeep cost and statistics with the new adaptations. If you mutate a Hybrid to a Chimera, you can choose to have it remain in its cocoon for an additional day to develop additional adaptations. In addition you can perform the same mutations with drones to allow them to alter their composition when outside the reach of the hive. So long as a drone is within your mental range, you can order it to pupate into any other drone type.

Hibernation - A drone or clone does not need to exit its cocoon immediately, nor does it need to mutate to enter one. In hard times or areas poor in nutrients, your children can use a mixture of nanomachine-based regulatory cells and preservative enzymes to enter a state of suspended animation. The drone or clone will seek out an isolated location and cocoon itself, then its critical body functions will gradually slow until they are nearly nonexistent. It takes one day of normal upkeep for a drone or clone to cocoon itself, after which it no longer will have a nutrient upkeep. There is no practical limit to the time a clone or drone can spend hibernating in this way, as the body is effectively dead but preserved, with only the psionic receiver within the brain still active, but if left over a period of many years the subject may die. Once commanded to awaken a drone or clone requires one day to become active again, but its upkeep returns to normal immediately. This time represents the time spent recovering from its weakened state of hibernation, and it will be weaker, slower, and of poor quality until it has fully recovered. A drone or clone in a hive will spend this day idle to rest, while outside of your hive it will spend this time scavenging for easy nutrients if none are available, but will seem sluggish and appear starved until it has recovered, with a thin and discolored carapace and weakened limbs.

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Nanotechnology
Various applications of nanomachines capable of a wide range of uses ranging from construction to weapons and more.

Nano-constructors - These pre-programmed bio-mechanical nanomachines provide a wide range of services to the hive, not the least of which is rapidly healing wounded drones and ships. Any drone or ship will heal from damage in 1 day, provided in has access to a docking pylon or takes shelter within the hive. While your current nano-constructors are too simple in design to assist in constructing from scratch, further research may lead to even greater uses.

Hive creep - The so-called creep is the product of large amounts of nano-constructors fed through the veins and arteries of the hive's infrastructure, and secreted as a thick slime along the edges of the hive, where it quickly assembles into new layers and components while breaking down the old outer layer to expand the hive's borders on a planet without the need for workers to build or maintain it. The hive can use this method to expand passively without the need for other drones to tend to it, and allows a hive to be "seeded" through a single egg layer or one-time construction project in an area without a hive.

Overharvest - This ability uses the ravenous potential of nanomachines and the hive creep to not only spread through a world, but to devour the world itself in the process. Plants, animals, and natural resources are all slowly consumed by the hive to offer an outstanding boost to nutrient income as the surface of the world is stripped bare of its biosphere. Nutrient gain is exponential, increasing each day and peaking once the planet is 50% consumed, and then decreasing until the entire planet is covered in the hive's structure. Once complete, the world holds no natural life, and requires the use of weather spires to support any life on the surface as the atmosphere quickly becomes devoid of oxygen, water, and non-hive life down to even microbes. The process ranges in time required, but typically takes several weeks at the least, depending on the size of the planet and the amount of life it holds. Only planets with native life can be overharvested.

Planet seeders - Essentially a Hive Creep in reverse, these layers of nanomachines are placed the surface of a dead world, growing over rock and barren surfaces during the terraforming process. The resulting carpet of hive material churns the stone and drives roots kilometers into the crust of the planet, breaking it into loose soil and infusing it with nutrients, nitrates, carbon compounds, water, and other life supporting materials to make the ground fertile for life. The process looks very similar to Overharvesting, but in reverse, with the result a vibrantly fertile planet ready to be seeded with life from the Hive's own genetic archive of studied flora and fauna. This process does not effect the atmosphere in any way, and life may still require alterations to the air quality, or lack thereof before a proper biosphere can take hold, requiring the use of a network of weather spires. A typical habitable planet would require a week for a weather spire network to produce a habitable atmosphere, and would need to be maintained until the planet's surface was made self-sustaining. The cost of deploying planet seeders is 10,000N 10,000M, and doubles exponentially every day for a week as the seeders spread across the planet, and then divide by half each day for another week. By the end of the 14 day period the planet is host to the first stage of a self-sustaining biosphere, holding fields of adaptable grass, moss, and small simple creatures designed to perpetuate the biosphere through natural means. The resulting biosphere will not contain any adaptations to study, but can benefit from any adaptations known to the hive, and may create life that mimics or is similar to life studied on other worlds. Once the process is complete the biosphere can be altered and added to to create more elaborate or distinctive creatures.

Nutrient-metal conversion - Using advanced nano-constructors you can rearrange the atomic structure of nutrients to grow metals in a manner not unlike plants as crystalline carbon structures sprout from nanomachine-laced vats. The growth of the metal structures is very rapid, but highly nutrient intensive, requiring 2N per 1M produced.

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Equipment
Tools and devices produced by hive infrastructure for use by non-hive life forms such as clones, agents, or allies. These are wearable or useable devices built to mimic existing non-hive tech, impart the benefits of hive adaptations to others, further enhance augmentations, or some combination. The items in this list are not active drones or constantly feeding organisms, but biologically constructed devices that remain dormant when not in use. Any nutrient costs represent the energy and bio-matter consumed to produce them and they hold no or negligible upkeep costs typically taken from the user during the item’s operation.

Skin suit – While the individual planets of the Union all have a variety of fashions and styles, interstellar life has forced the modern attire of professionals and the wealthy to take a more utilitarian turn, leading to the rise in popularity of the form-fitting skin suit. Typically an undergarment but still a fully acceptable outfit itself, it offers both comfort and health benefits in zero gravity, and can be either worn beneath armor or clothing, or be used as the base for more elaborate dress. Options for utility systems for pilots, military, or vacuum workers such as waste management, auto-casting in the event of bone fractures, thermal insulation, and hyper absorbent fibers that remove sweat while automatically cleaning bleeding wounds and applying pressure make the suit a mainstay in Union society, from basic form-fitting business suits to complex pilot suits and anything in between. The skin suit offers do damage protection, and can be manufactured at a negligible by the hive, and can be decorated with a variety of accessories and styles.

Stealth suit – A specialized skin suit coated in a chromatophore film that is connected to receptors along the inside layer, changing color and texture according to the thoughts of the user. The suit includes a layer of simple photoreceptors that are capable of matching colors with nearby surfaces, allowing it to adapt to changes in colors without much conscious effort from the user. The suit requires the user to have the Mimic skin augment to control the chromatophore film coating the suit. Like a normal skin suit, the stealth suit has a negligible cost, and is freely available to any clone that holds a Mimic skin augmentation. Any skin suit the hive produces for such a clone or agent will hold this ability by default.

Light Carapace – A skin suit with the addition of flexible synthetic fiber weave armor and strategically placed chitin armor plating. The Light Carapace is a basic combat hard suit that offers limited protection at a limited cost built to mimic the standard hard suit most common among human combatants. It offers some protection against most small arms, with shock absorbent materials designed to help against explosives and shrapnel. The helmet is covered in a number of micro-sensors that alert the user of potential threats, as well as an external eye cluster that offers increased protection. The suit is vacuum sealed, with a five minute emergency air supply and a built in rebreather. The suit is partially biological, but not enough to require any major upkeep or nutrient expense, and is powered by the user’s movements. When not in use, it becomes dormant. The suit can be built for free if the hive consumes the materials of an existing human made combat hard suit to build it. (15M)

Medium Carapace – Part armor and part drone, the medium carapace utilizes the advanced biological technology of the hive to miniaturize and perfect many technologies already used to excellent effect across human space. The suit is composed of many overlapping chitin armor layers and fiber weave that offer excellent resistance to small arms and other man-fired weapons while also including space for additional muscle grafts within that move with the user to enhance strength, speed, and stamina. The added bulk means the suit is larger than a natural human, but it is still many magnitudes more compact then a drop suit, adding only 20 to 30 centimeters to the overall height of the user. The suit uses a bio-interface along the spine to interface with the user’s nervous system to more perfectly match its muscles to the user’s movements and intentions, as well as to help filter blood, administer needed drugs, monitor the user’s health, and feed the suit itself. The suit’s helmet is similar to the Light Carapace but with additional protection and the inclusion of more potent sensor systems in the form of a rigid set of antennae similar to a warrior drone, and a set of small compound sensors set along the helmet to offer a greater level of situational awareness. The suit is vacuum sealed, with a built in oxygen recycler unit and a number of micro-jets that can fire portions of the emergency air supply to help maneuver in zero gravity. The suit includes accommodations for all hive augmentations, allowing the user to make full use of implants without the loss of the suit’s protection or environmental seal, and the helmet includes a set of small mandibles that allow the helmet to open itself at will for the user to eat, speak, or make use of a chemical fabricator. The suit in general is akin to a more slimed and compact drop suit, offering improved agility and speed, but reducing the amount of payload that can be carried, as well as slightly reducing the damage protection. It is most effective when combined with the Metal Skin adaptation. (10N 40M)

Heavy Carapace – A fully functional exoskeletal drop suit constructed using hive bio-technology, it is very nearly a drone in itself and counts as a heavy drone for statistical purposes. Unlike other versions of the carapace armor, the Heavy Carapace is itself a weapon as much as it is a suit, with multiple platforms with which to mount weapons and utility options of all kinds. It is nearly impervious to most small arms and anti-infantry weapons, with only dedicated anti-armor or anti-vehicle weapons posing any real threat. Muscle grafts within the suit impart unparalleled strength and stamina, as well as surprising speed and agility for such a large and bulky appearance. The suit holds a weapon graft for one ranged and one melee weapon on each arm, as well as room for a missile or utility weapon mount on each shoulder. It comes equipped with moderate wings capable of serving as a jump pack for short ranged flight and maneuvering, but can be replaced with Gravity foils if needed. The user must be augmented with bio-interface ports or have hive-made augments in all four limbs to properly use the suit, in addition to the suit’s own bio-interface that connects to the user’s spine and bloodstream. The suit itself is vacuum sealed and holds a built in rebreather and oxygen recycler, and is equipped with rudimentary maneuvering thrusters for zero gravity combat, as well as graspers along the feet to hold the user to nearly any surface while in micro gravity environments. The helmet holds an advanced targeting system that helps the user to quickly locate and identify threats, and a small micro-brain that helps the user to micro manage multiple threats and situations at once. The suit accommodates nearly all hive-made augmentations, although its bulky armor and auxiliary systems prevent the full use of reacher or strider augmentations. (50N 75M)

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Other
Various technologies discovered in various ways that don't quite fit any other category, and are not integrated into the hive enough to be considered an adaptation.

Holo-projector – This device can be built to fit any room and serve a variety of purposes. To the trained eye the difference between a real object and a holographic one is rather obvious due to the slight glow and diffuse nature of the image, but it is still quite realistic in nature. A projector contains both the imaging system, and a shaped sound projector capable of creating the illusion of accurate sound direction. The device itself is surprisingly cheap to maintain and build.

Data Cube - A cube containing a delicately aligned matrix of crystalline formations suspended within a semi-solid solution slows light and captures photons to create a recording that can only be viewed once. By locking the photons in place in a manner similar to quantum computing, the data cube can hold an effectively limitless amount of data on any subject, but viewing the data requires the photons be released from suspension, irreparably destroying the data as it is viewed without destroying the storage device itself.

Memory Crystal - A crystalline computer system that utilizes fluctuating quantum states to store tachyonic particles in the same way Skyl technology stores photons. The result is a device capable of storing thoughts and emotions without the need for it to be translated into digital formats. The crystal itself is compatible with Skyl computer technology, and appears to have been used in the past as a method of communication. Experiments regarding their design seem to be common among the older hives of the past, and the extent to which it interacts with psionic signals is still being researched, with more advanced models being capable of being implanted into a drone. The crystal itself is capable of storing a vast amount of data, but like a data cube, retrieving the data stored with in will tamper with it, altering or removing the memories as they are viewed. (50N 10M)

Metal-nutrient conversion – Using a mutated strain of microorganism held within the processing tanks of your nutrient vats, you can now break down metals into edible nutrients at a ratio of 2M to 1N. While not the most efficient method of gaining nutrients, it does offer a useful method of turning unneeded or excess metals into useful materials quickly.
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 Quantum Communications – Using entangled particles to create a direct link between two devices, you can create a secure method of FTL communication that cannot be overheard, disrupted, or tampered with. The downside to this is that each device can only communicate with one other device. They come in a range of capabilities, ranging from cheap but ineffective, to high performance and incredibly expensive. Relays must be built in pairs, and the destruction of one renders the other useless. They come in four general levels of quality ranging from A to D, with D class relays being small and capable of fitting in most spaces with ease, while more advanced relays require more and more space to house the complex and sensitive devices used to send data, with A class relays often taking up the space of a large room. They can be fitted to ships, hive infrastructure, or large drones. The costs represent the cost of a pair of connected relays.

D Class – Can transmit text at a rate of 1 bit per second in one direction. Cannot transmit and receive at the same time. (50N 100M)
C Class – Can transmit visual images or auditory data in one direction at a time, or live text communication. Transmitting or receiving still images or sound may require several minutes, during which it cannot receive or transmit other data. (100N 150M)
B Class – Can send video, auditory, and visual data in one direction, or live text chat. Transmitting sounds or images require only seconds, although video may require several minutes. (200N 200M)
A Class – Can send and receive audio-video data live. (400N 250M)
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Disposable pods

Drop pods - a simple and cheap heat shield and microthruster system built to carry a drone from orbit to the surface of a planet without the use of a shuttle. Allows a faster response compared to shuttles or other landing craft, and is more difficult to intercept with enemy strike craft or anti-air weapons, in addition to being more difficult to detect by sensors.

Boarding pods - a pod filled with complex microthrusters and gyros and armored with a powerful ram that is capable of penetrating a ship's hull, then opening to peel back the breach and seal any gaps to allow the drones within the enter an enemy ship. Complex in design, but simple in its function, it makes boarding and capturing enemy ships far more simple then it would otherwise be, but the pods must still be fired at a painfully low relative speed to avoid liquefying the drones within, making scoring a hit rather difficult. The pods are also incapable of breaching shields, and have limited maneuverability.

Spore pod - a large sized drop pod that contains the necessary components for starting a hive's infrastructure. Upon landing, the Spore pod will penetrate the ground and begin to sprout roots, quickly using its contained materials to jump start a growing industry of hive creep that then rapidly spreads out in all directions, pulling back all found resources to produce more infrastructure. A single spore, if left totally alone, will eventually consume an entire planet. The spore pod is capable of commanding creep outside of its psionic range so long as there is a continuous physical connection, and can connect to other pods in the same way. If left to its own devices, the pod will construct a basic hive structure and await for the hive to return and connect it to the hive network, and then begin teleporting gathered resources. A spore pod can also construct over the pod's crash site any single hive construction project including a capillary tower if the pod is in the correct location on the planet. The pod can also be programmed to construct an advanced relay to connect to the other pods and yourself, but will not by default. The creep produced by the pod will defend itself and work to consume the target planet's biosphere, but is not equipped to defeat armed or organized resistance, and cannot produce or control drones or make decisions like a thinker or queen, but simply executes its pre-programmed order to consume, gather, and spread across the target planet as a means of mining and gathering resources.