Re: Poisoning the Savasku

I played Tyranids in WH40K (which I am looking to sell, BTW) and it's
easy for me to imagine that the Tyranids and the SaVasku are inimcal to
each other.  They both have a biology based tech-base but the Tyranids
use and develop that tech on an instinctive, animal level while the SV
do it volitionally.

I can easily see the Tyranids (or similar bio-tech race) developing
diseases/poisons/parasite swarms as weapons against the SV before anyone
else.  Likewise the SV will do so for the Tyranids.  The difference here
is that the Tyranids don't communicate with "others" (having a complete
hive mind), so those weapons are unlikely to be used by anyone BUT the
Tyranids against the SV.

The SV, on the other hand, would be only too happy to share the "How to
Kill Tyranids" secrets with other races whenever they found that it
would be advantageous to them.

As a matter of fact, such a situation (a real threat from outside the
SV's realm or control) could be the only thing that would move the SV to
treat the youngling races as something more of allies than pawns to keep
at each other's throats... at least until the external threat was
removed.

--Flak

On Fri, 2002-06-28 at 12:05, KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de wrote:
> John Atkinson schrieb:
> > How long after we start dissecting Savasku corpses
> > will it be before we cook up some equivelant of bug
> > spray?  
> 
> Good question. It's rather hard to test a poison on a dead body. 
> 
> If you can keep Savasku cells or organs alive in a lab, you could
start
> testing substance against it. But just culturing Savasku cells may be
> hard.
> 
> And something that works in the lab may not work on a living animal -
a
> common problem in testing medicines.
> 
> You can use some brute-force poison in large quantities. But for your
> purpose you need something more sophisticated that kills quickly in
> small doses. A Nerve Agent or similar.
> 
> Comparing present-day research progress, I would say something around
a
> decade or two.
> 
> > It seems to me that Mr. Organic Spaceships
> > could be sucking if we get a decent delivery system. 
> 
> Another problem. A 'spray can' against spaceships ? The outer skin
will
> be pretty impermeable. After all, it operates in a vacuum. 
> 
> Another question is how the poison will propagate in the body. Can
> sections be isolated so that only a small part is killed ?
> 
> > Of course for boarding usage, just round up a bunch of
> > those tranq guns that biologist types use on large
> > mammals.  
> 
> Probably also a good idea against the spaceships. A shell that
> penetrates the armour and sprays the poison inside.
> 
> Not so sure of it as an infantry weapon. It would have to be a very
> quick-acting poison. Or a bullet with good ballistic stopping power
> that also carries the poison.
> 
> > If their biology is alien enough, it might
> > even be something that's completely non-toxic to
> > humans.  
> 
> A lot of stuff that poisons other terran organisms is quite harmless
to
> humans. On the other hand, there are some biocides that will kill
> anything.
> 
> Greetings
> Karl Heinz
> 
-- 

--Flak Magnet
Hive Fleet Jaegernaught