Liber Milia Verborum - Adapt and Evolve

[Erasus]

Just my thoughts on GW's explanation of how the Tyranids evolve

 

 

 

Adapt and Evolve

 

 

“Not at all; the Tyranid race does not assimilate the DNA coding of other species, instead it breaks all the organic matter it collects down to the most basic building blocks and then rebuilds it all to its own will. The dangerous thing about this however, is that from each engagement the Hive Fleet learns and can pass that on.

Take the Tyrant Guard as you know them, they are a recent biological development in the Hive Fleets. Many Genetors, incorrectly, surmise that they are the result of Astartes DNA being assimilated into the Hive’s gene pool. This is nonsense; the creation of the Guard is a reaction to fighting the Astartes not absorbing them. Master Theokritos, please tell me what a Strike Force would first aim to achieve against the Tyranids on the ground.”

 

Theokritos grinned and rubbed the beard on his chin, “cut off its head.”

 

Magos Thace spread his hands, “exactly! Astartes will, most of the time, aim for the command structure of the enemy. The Tyranids were not blind to this; they created a force that could protect its precious synapse beasts from the Astartes. The Guard are heavily protected in carapace armour; this is to defend them from the powerful weaponry of their enemies. The Guard is strong, for so are the Astartes. The Guard stays close to the leader beasts of the horde, for its enemies will strike there first. The Hive Fleet reacted to Astartes combat doctrine not their DNA, and for any Genetor to claim the xenos has made use of the Emperor’s genetic code is pure heresy.”

 

“Then why are there so many who worry for the conflict in the Octavian system?” Captain Sejanus ventured. His expression showed he was genuinely

curious and not just trying to antagonise the Magos.

 

“Because of the experience, Captain; Orks are a very hardy breed and capable of launching devastating wars in massive numbers, they give off spores to repopulate and so orks tend to reappear in the area for years, even decades after the initial conflict.

This provides the Hive Mind a very willing training partner. Not only do the orks have incredibly large numbers, and therefore genetic material, they also utilise a stunning variety of weaponry and whimsical tactics. The Hive Fleet can learn an immense amount of knowledge in that system; it can practise new techniques, breed new species, and counter the odd decisions orks commonly make. When the Fleet leaves this system it will have refined itself a thousand fold. In its ranks will be monsters capable of slaughtering thousands of a species much hardier and durable than our own. It will have learnt the answers to a wide number of tactical solutions, making it supremely hard to catch off guard while we are forced into constantly fighting off the new techniques it will deploy itself. This is why it is so dangerous.”

 

“I noticed you said ‘when’ not ‘if’ they leave the system” Sejanus pointed out.

 

“Indeed, the orks will hold the Tyranids in their system for a long time, but that is all they will do. Experience is the key element to the Hive Fleet’s capability. Just look at all the new species created since they came into contact with the forces of this galaxy; Tyrant Guards to counter Astartes advances, Trygons and Mawlocs to tunnel beneath the walls and fortresses mankind is so fond of, new subspecies of Zoanthropes to counter Eldar witches, and tell me where the genetic material came from to create the monstrous Bio-Titans that are bred to battle against our own mechanical ones. They do not copy what already exists, they adapt and evolve. The orks will lose, in time.

Hive Fleets have encroached upon our galaxy from several points, covering half of the galaxy’s perimeter. That is a disturbing number of neighbouring galaxies they seem to have come from, think of all the genetic variety they must have culled from them. And yet, we see the same species of organisms in each Fleet. Like I said this is because they are created to adapt to threats, not created to bear their likeness. It would defeat the point if they became like the organisms they defeated. The Imperium now faces its biggest threat ever known, and it has not even truly begun.”

 

The room fell silent as that statement sank in. Whole galaxies had fallen. Galaxies. That was a hard concept to truly comprehend. Sejanus clenched his jaw as he thought of the Tyranids; the Magos was correct in that the Imperium now faced the greatest xenos threat it had ever known, they could not forget about the insidious taint of Chaos, but they must not ignore the growing threat of extinction the Tyranids represented.

 

“I believe we should start facing this threat by carrying out our mission here,” Chapter Master Aeolianus stated, his eyes meeting everyone in the room, “unless we have any other suggestions.” It wasn’t a question, it was courtesy of etiquette.

 

“I shall have my Cerberus Marines redeployed to your suggested format Master Aeolianus.” Master Theokritos said with a nod before gathering his men and leaving the room. That left only the Magos and the Sacred Brethren.

 

As Master Aeolianus and the other Captains began making preparations using the holo-display, Sejanus turned to look at Thace and thought of something that had been bothering him, “Magos, you said the Fleets learn from experience. Is it not passed onto the race as a whole?”

 

Thace smiled, “I like your curiosity Captain. No, only if the Fleet consumes another will it learn all the knowledge the other has fought to gain. If a splinter fleet of Kraken was consumed by Leviathan for example; we would have a new Fleet that has earned an advantage over humans, eldar and orks. This wealth of experience is diverse and well tested enough to allow them to not just regularly defeat those three races but also tackle many other species such as those in the Tau Empire and the Necron Dynasties.”

 

“Has that ever happened?”

 

“It nearly happened once, thankfully other forces were at work as well, or else we would not be here.”

 

“You seem to know a lot about the xenos, Magos”

 

The Magos smiled even wider, “it is my job, Captain.”

 

 

 

wc = 1,048

[EesiOh]

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