Relatively Speaking, I believe the Volviti may be our best choice, though likely our most difficult one as well. I'm always one for a challenge, eh? Allow me to extrapolate.

Considering the lack of thermal extremes in most planetary systems, the choice of an Ignole would almost certainly result in them consistently taking the more condensed form (assuming the hot season is closer to the thousand degree subsection.) which would therefore lead us with the creation of a dimwitted, sluggish, and overall much smaller organism. Additionally, their nly means of non automated offense is physical combat. As much as superheating one's claws would be useful, it is ultimately pointless if they do not make contact with the intended target.

Normally, I would highly advocate for the creation of a Luminoth (And in fact, suggest the creation of one later for seperate testing into suborgan interaction and the potential to integrate such into space pirate physiology), However, as you stated before, due to a recent war, their numbers are few, and they just began interacting with the Federation at large. It would not be a far leap of logic to assume that the Federation would wish to keep an eye on all of the Luminoth that are seen, which would make any and all subterfuge completely null, defeating the point of choosing an other alien shell in the first place. Additionally, I have heard rumor of the Hunter interacting with such beings extensively, which may mean she may have filed a report on their general workings, attitude, and so on to the Federation, making blending in around the people that count even harder.

A Volviti, hooked up to an electrical system, can easily be played off as an explorer that doesn't know how things work. Additionally, their deceptive strength, ability to change their overall shape at will, and (most importantly) integrated emergency RANGED weaponry makes them the best choice for this SPECIFIC endeavor.

Hm... I believe that the Volviti are likely the optimal choice.

The Ignole are useful, but their physiology would make it difficult to apply the power armor addition later.

Luminoth, as stated, would undoubtedly be under increased scrutiny, which would rather defeat the point of of the Stealth Trooper. I second performing tests on their sub-organs as a project later.

Volviti would take to the Power Armor remarkably well actually. It would work perfectly to supply energy for sustenance and could augment and further improve its natural railgun! In fact we may want to look into making a standardized beam weapon with such qualities for Commando use regardless of our choice...

>>814053
It should be noted that only "Extreme Cold" causes Ignoles to become so sluggish. Regardless the Ignole are still suboptimal due to the increasing standardization of cryo weaponry that had been made to counter Metroid organisms. As a side note, did we manage to retain viable samples from the organism Gandrayda? If so we may wish to consider adding that to the list of potential species.

>>814050
Ignole for sure. When in doubt, expand jigglejogglers.

>>814057

You have a fair point! I would also like to recommend the reuse of at least some of Project Titan. While the use of Phazon was an astounding success, I personally was more interested in the organism's use of magnetic fields to manipulate it's own body, or at least something similar. Perhaps this could be integrated into a Power Suit formulated for a Volviti? Magnetic Fields and Electrical fields cannot be TOO different...

>>814047
>>814059
*sigh* Just to check, is a Volviti's shape altering abilities capable enough for them to appear similar to a mammalian female?

Volviti. Because biological railgun.

>>814049
Ignoles sound useful.

Regeneration, heat claws, size changing, and potential to distract humans!

Just make sure the brain we put in there isn't from one of the space pirates that have a fascination with chesticles. The last thing we need is for our Secret Trooper to spend all of their time playing with them instead of actually doing what we told them to do!

personally I kinda like the idea of making a power suit that both plays off of and aids an Ignoles biology and while the form change could be a problem if we don't have much control over it. If we could develop a suit that would let the user shift between both forms with ease it could be beneficial since they only start to slow down when exposed to extreme cold so having a agent that can somewhat shape shift could help them move around a bit more unnoticed and we could maybe take a page from the hunter's morph ball and let our agent move through areas and passages that otherwise wouldn't be possible or severely limit movement.

I'm a bit hesitant with the Volviti since their low stamina makes me worry seeing as they will be away from base for long periods of time to gather us resources and they seem more like a race that isn't built for long drawn out missions, seem better suited for a strike team or something. On the other hand I'm sure we could overcome this with the power suit we'd be making for them.

Lastly is the Luminoth. Part of me really wants to go with this since it would do wonders for our research on their kind and if we can somehow infiltrate a Luminoth habitat we could learn much from studying their technology. But the more practical part of me realize that it's probably not the best idea to send our base's sole savior out in a experimental body for the sole purpose of field testing it to see what does and doesn't work. Maybe some other time when resources aren't nearly as scarce as they are now.

So yeah in short, I pick the Ignoles since I feel they are the best suited for the task but I feel like we could make this work with any of the races since we will be giving them some power armor to shore up their weaknesses.

>>814044
>>814050
Never not moth.

They aren't quite as exciting or as curvaceous as the other options, but they have good physical traits, psychic options, and no great weaknesses or odd requirements (where the others require electricity and heat).

And like, why have a biological railgun when we can just have them carry a regular railgun? Why have regeneration when we have superior pirate cybernetic replacements?

>>814078
Oh, and it's easier to armor a moth.

Volviti have both magnetic and electrical concerns when it comes to any kind of armor, with extra difficulty if that armor is powered or otherwise mounts electronics.

Ignoles, on the other hand, have the expansion problem; a suit of armor will only really work for one size or the other. And, of course, there'd be problems if external temperatures forced a change while the armor was in use.

Luminoth don't care. You can strap just about whatever onto 'em and it won't interfere with any biology (or receive interference from biology).

Voring Luminoth.

>>814083
Excuse me?! We do not have the supplies to put Luminoth on the menu!


>>814077
We'd have to take what little we'd learned from the *shudder* Morph Ball project to have any hope of making functional power armor for the Ignole, and some of us still have problems with that, even though the mindwipes!

>>814080
You seem to be forgetting that the armor can cancel out external temperature changes!

I mean, that's how that damn Hunter can chase us through subzero environments and planets that are entirely made of volcanoes! Hell, she can even walk around in fucking lava and literally not break a sweat!

If her armor can do that, then we can do it with our armor too!

Ignole.
We can use the old Morph Ball data for the armor size-change, just skip the internal compression bit as the Ignole can do that already.
For temperature concerns, surely we can put a heater/cooler into the armor.

Most importantly, smol Ignole can fit in tubes.

I'm back! The ventral airlock's malfunctioning. Good thing you tested it before trying to shoot anyone out of it!
Volviti are, according to my highly scientific analysis, CUTE! This is, of course, unacceptable for a Trooper, secret or not.
Ignole show great promise, able to adopt two extremes of stature and temperature resistance. Also, they're pretty tall. Make sure the brain we put in there is from one of the space pirates that have a fascination with knockers- this will surely motivate the trooper to perform better.

>>814080

You pose an interesting option there, but I would like to reiterate that while I would normally be all for the Luminoth for the reasons you have listed, They would be under far heavier scrutiny by the Federation, which, once again, defeats the purpose of choosing a separate race entirely. If we simply wished for something in an incredibly powerful suit, It would be simple enough to augment a Space Pirate. Additionally, A Hunter suit could be made to counteract the weaknesses of both races. Overall, in a location of extreme duress, where the power suit is no longer functional and it is simply the species, It is better to have a reliable, ranged, and efficient defense. Again, I would highly suggest the Luminoth in a situation where at least some degree of stealth is not required. But in this case it is needed, and thusly the Luminoth will not do.
>>814077

You offer up interesting potential creation for the suit, specifically one based off of both shapes. This could be radicalized in the suit created for the Volviti, allowing you to still create your shape changing suit while continuing with the most practical contender. On your concern with Stamina; it is clearly stated that the use of their internal capacitors is only used when they're subject to a continuous, high stress situation. If we're relying on species alone, I recommend highly avoiding these situations, to the point that tactical retreat should be considered. There is more data to be gained from a living test subject than a dead one, after all. ...Mostly because a living test subject can still die and then be studied further. In such situations, the Luminoth would do admirably, and I expect it's durability might even allow it to escape, coupled with flight... However, the Ignole would be left with very few escape options, and likely would (while still admirably) fight until it's regeneration and the opponent had completely destroyed it, rendering all knowledge potentially gained from a corpse useless. Both the Volviti and the Luminoth have more viable escapes, the former in the form of magnetic field gliding, and the later in straight flight.

My Vote is with the Volviti, Still. However, if it proves to be less than up to snuff, my secondary vote goes to the Luminoth, if only due to their hardier nature and built in escape potential for data recovery.

Also, we're Scientists, not idiots. Get your minds out of the proverbial gutters and focus on Efficiency, not the size of something's chest. Half of us aren't even capable of reproduction you mongrels.

>>814092
I nominate him for testing the morph function of the Ignole Power Armor!

>Also, we're Scientists, not idiots. Get your minds out of the proverbial gutters and focus on Efficiency, not the size of something's chest. Half of us aren't even capable of reproduction you mongrels.
it has less to do with what's on their chest and more to do with the fact that I like to burn things. It's what started me on my path to becoming a scientist after all.

>>814098
We're leaving the squishing part out, Ignoles don't need it.
What kind of Science are you playing at, to deny our Trooper proper access to the tubes?

I've got a history with electric plants. Just have to vote for Volviti.

Can I just point out here that the volviti is small enough for a ball form as well?

>>814105
Not at all! Between the size of the Volviti and their shape altering abilities it'd in fact be easier to make a miniaturized form for the armor!

clone fire titty-mm-bop-bop-tittays

As of this post, the results so far are:

5 for Volviti.

6 for Ignole.

1 for Luminoth.

And 1 for eating a Luminoth for some strange reason?

If I missed any votes, thats because I couldn't for sure tell what someone was voting for.

I'm also not counting anyone that said anything like, "My secondary vote goes to this." I'm only counting primary votes here!

Volviti all the way. Their only significant weakness is lack of stamina, which could be trivially compensated for by hooking the armor's main power supply to induction coils wrapped around the torso. This is supposed to be a covert mission, and luminoth or ignole would attract far too much attention.

Volviti for electric powers

I'd vote Ignole! As we'll be giving them a space pirate brain, becoming slow witted in low temperatures should not be so much of a problem, and can be compensated for with the suit anyway. Maybe even a little cybernetic enhancement? More than that, being able to take a smaller form will give them an ability with much of the same benefits as the Hunter's blasted morph ball!

Volviti, simply because if it turns out to be a bad bountyhunter, we can still use it as battery

I vote Ignole, they seem like they'd need the least work to be made a viable agent, and should be viable in or out of the forthcoming armor. WITH the armor, there should be several options that will make them even more viable!

>>814127
Update:

8 for Volviti.

8 for Ignole.

Luminoth remains at 2.

Oh, forgot to mention - The Varia Suit technology should ensure that our Ignole trooper is always precisely the temperature they want to be.

Voting Ignole, they have a similar limb structure to space pirates which should allow our trooper to adapt to their new body more easily.

Voting volviti.

>>814194
>Taking the easy way
are you even a space pirate

Luminoth is fallen by the wayside, so I'll vote fire lizard.

>>814050
Why in Kraid's name would we take anything but the giant moth people? Luminoth!

Besides, he'll be in power armor.

REMEMBER GUYS, HE'LL BE IN POWER ARMOR. Heat pits are useless when you are wearing a helmet.

>>814183
Update:

9 for Volviti.

10 for Ignole.

1 for Luminoth.

Luminoth lost a vote because someone changed their vote to Ignole.

Again I'd like to remind you, these are what I think the votes are. Please feel free to double check and correct me if you think I'm wrong. Because I probably am wrong!

>>814250
Oops! Another vote snuck in while I was typing!

It's now:

9 for Volviti.

10 for Ignole.

2 for Luminoth.

>>814245
>Heat pits are useless when you are wearing a helmet
Useless and redundant! If heat vision and melee weapons are likely to be important while out of the armor, a Volviti could simply be equipped with IR cameras and some sort of concealed laser sword as cybernetics, either powered by the electrical metabolism or with an integral RTG - which wouldn't even need to be shielded, apart from armoring the braincase, thanks to volviti radiation tolerance! Conversely, Ignole-compatible implants would need to accommodate the size-shifting.

Given that this is such a close race, and the likelyhood that multiple prototypes will be required before a functional agent is ready to be sent out, would it be possible to start development on both Volviti and Ignole models in parallel, and simply deploy whichever becomes ready first? Competition might help the Science Team stay focused on mission-critical features rather than getting sidetracked into impracticality.

>>814046
Electro-plant best plant!

Volviti sound like they integrate well with a hard suit. Servos and external batteries offset their weaknesses, and we don't need to shield the suit against certain energy fields that are beneficial to them.

Ignoles seem less than ideal. Changing form at the wrong time or with a damaged suit could be catastrophic. And if the suit is breached at any time, that's what is going to happen.

Just no to the Luminoth. Our gear won't match theirs, and if our agent should bump into any of their assets we attract needless scrutiny.

>>814254
Update:

11 for Volviti.

10 for Ignole.

2 for Luminoth.

I've gotta say, I'm disappointed the Volviti is winning. It's just basically a repeat character type we've had in Arhra's previous quests.

Shapeshifting? [Default] from Nanogoo.

Plant based? Alice Dietrich from Bloom.

Unbelievably adorable looking without even needing to try? Alkaline from Dungeoneer.

I picked Ignole because I honestly think we can make it work if we give it a chance! And, to me, the Volviti sound like taking the easy way out by voting for a character type that we're all familiar with.

But, I literally can't force anyone to change their votes, so I guess everyone keep voting until Arhra's next update to decide the winner!

Hm... Thinking on it some more, it might actually be easier than I thought to make an adaptable Power Armor for Ignole, if we use the data from their own shells in the making for it.

I suppose in the interest of working with the limited materials we have the Ignole would be the best option.

As much as I'd like to use the Volviti for our Stealth Trooper it's too fragile on its own, and the high energy requirements necessary for it's survival is less than ideal considering our limited resources. If we weren't in such dire straits, then the Volviti would be better, but needs must. On the upside since the Ignole are a more predatory species it'll require less conditioning for it to maintain character.

(You make a fair point Vote Counter. Changing my vote to Ignole.)

Voting Ignole
Though.. would an implanted brain be able to fully withstand the body's limits?

I'm voting for Ignole

A point I have not yet seen made, if we do obtain the body-jacking upgrade it would be beneficial to be a giant walking taser. My vote is for the Volviti.

Volviti approved. Suggest incorporating electrical feeding capacity into armour and registering it as a form of life-support. It should be required only periodically, but inferior Federation Taxonomy science shall prevent the separation of a being from its life-support equipment. Permanent use of armour should enhance identity obfuscation and ability to avoid identification when separated from armour. Additionally, armour should be able to negate the stamina issues by providing additional charge at a rapid rate.

Addendum: extreme cuteness quotient indicates that he subject will be trustworthy. All attempts at speculation of traitorous intent returned a null mental process.

>>814393
Update:

12 for Volviti.

13 for Ignole.

2 for Luminoth.

Further assessment:
>>814393 Plant based? Alice Dietrich from Bloom.
Theory: Alice donors nonfloral. Donors Human, Xotl, Species code "ftaghn ftaghn ftaghn ftaghn ftaghn ia ftaghn".
Reassessment of voltini:
Adjustment of outer shell. Adjustment of internal structure. Abundant nonvital organs.
Amorph quotient: 7
Eats forces of planetary stability.
Devouring of cosmic will quotient: 7
Prose: "With thunder as from the gods and a brilliance that consumed all sight the subject of its ill intent was rent from existence"
Wields power of gods quotient: 5
Taxonomy: Volviti reassessed from "flora" to "[translation error]".

IMO Unit-02 2017/07/10(Mon)06:09 No. 814522 ID: b27cac
File 149969215060.png - (38.95KB , 800x550 , i_am_going_to_science_the_shit_out_of_that.png )

Stalemate detected.

>Given that this is such a close race, and the likelihood that multiple prototypes will be required before a functional agent is ready to be sent out, would it be possible to start development on both Volviti and Ignole models in parallel, and simply deploy whichever becomes ready first? Competition might help the Science Team stay focused on mission-critical features rather than getting sidetracked into impracticality.
Excellent proposal Science Team. This stalemate resolution procedure will be used. Through competition, excellence will be achieved.

The Secret Trooper project will be forked into two development teams: Boiler Team will work on a Ignole clone and Garden Team will work on a Volviti clone.

Project Boiler will be conducted here.
https://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/814518.html

Project Garden will be conducted here.
https://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/814520.html

Risk means progress!

END CHAPTER 1