Re: [Epic] Tyranids vs Tyranids

From: Aaron P Teske <Mithramuse+_at_...>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 01:04:21 -0400 (EDT)

Excerpts from Epic: 28-Aug-97 RE: [Epic] Tyranids vs Tyra.. by "Miller,
Chris"_at_uniden.c
> >Actually I was speaking more of the hive mind itself being corrupted.
> >There is a consiousness there, allright a collective one nonetheless. I
> >know you cannot corrupt the bugs themselves. Using your example its more
> >of turning the queen ant to chaos and then the queen directs the peons to
> >act out in ways that would appease the chaos gods, khorne for example
> >doesnt care whos blood he gets or who spilt it, okay he really likes it
> >when you go traitor to some one but thats a different story.

Doubt it. Genestealer cults are corruptable because the basic stock,
and the leader behind them, tend to be close to human... way back in
there, they'll still have emotions. The Hive Mind is just hungry, which
is not something Chaos can survive on... in fact, I'd say that Chaos can
make a *very* tasty meal for the Hive Mind. Lots of spice in the food.
(One of my pet theories is that, in the end, Chaos and the Imperium ally
to try and stop the advance of the Hive Mind....)

> -----> This might be an interesting idea...in the Dark Ages of Rogue
> Trader, almost any creature could be possessed and they gave stats etc for
> doing it. Now the nids weren't around in their present form then,

Well, they were close. They were not as well detailed, certainly, but
the background is still there... they didn't have the Dom or Bio-Titans
at that time (Hive Tyrant was The Big Critter then), but that was when
there were thirteen fleets heading east....

>but what if...The Hive mind should be a big conciousness, but I imagine the
> big Chaos powers could still overcome it. Imagine "Hive Fleet Slaanesh".

Doubt it. The Hive Mind is a Warp Presence, just like Gork & Mork, just
like the Emperor. The Eldar Gods were too attached to their people,
vibrating on the thread of their emotions, and falling when it snapped;
no other race is so close to its deities. Since the creatures of the
Hive Mind lack emotion, there is no power for Chaos... if the Tyranids
should absorb the Imperium, Chaos would lose an incredible amount of
power.

> Remember the Stealer cults could be corrupted...

See above. They're too human.

> >Well as soon as she
> >injests this alien biochemistry she's pretty well screwed, as in dead
> >finite gone. past the point of no return. So all we have to do is create
> >some alien life (with different biochemistry) shove it into a ship the
> >mother injests it and shes done for no more tyranids
> >
> ------> I'm thinkin' that if the 'nids have evolved to survive off of
> stripping all life from a planet and have these rapid mutational &
> evolutionary abilities, that a little matter of alien biochemistry is no big
> deal as either a) they don't recognize it as "organic material" (Question -
> do they eat robots?) or b) they store undigestible but obviously organic
> material in a "side pouch" until they can analyze it and evolve a way to use
> it.

I agree... the smaller critters (or some specialized critter) may be
sent down to a planet to 'analyze' the available goodies, and if it
can't digest some then a new critter is developed. I don't see odd
enzymes (or whatever) stopping the Hive Mind for long, and certainly not
killing 'em off. If nothing else, they can break down the materials
into component atoms and then reassemble them. Given that the Tyranids
have organic Warp Drives, I don't think that's too far a stretch....

Later,

                    Aaron Teske
                    Mithramuse+_at_...
Received on Fri Aug 29 1997 - 05:04:21 UTC