[So then, what are you going to do now? I mean you can't seriously have nothing in mind at all, right?] Goldy asked as I skimmed through various Xenomorphs who I was using like security cameras around my hive.

(What if I don't? I mean according to you I'm just a stupid mortal after all.) I muttered sarcastically.

[While you are VASTLY unintelligent compared to someone such as myself you are definitely not what I would consider stupid, especially when comparing you with other such inferior life forms.]

(Wow...I think that's the first genuine compliment I've ever gotten from you.) Yeah, that's about as close as Goldy can get to giving an actual compliment.

[Well, don't get used to it.] He huffed before continuing. [Anyway then, what is your plan exactly?]

Before answering him I took a second to just think on that for a moment, coming up with a plan on the spot was hard after all, even if said plan was only a simple framework for now. (My main goal now is to prepare for the arrival of those six assholes.)

[And how do you plan on doing that?] He asked with curiosity in his voice.

(Simple, while I'm coming up with an actual plan of action I will have my hunting teams begin to pick up the paste, after all the more variants I have the better.) I explained while also sending out the order to do exactly that.

As for Goldy he simply chuckled while saying in delight. [I sense some explosions in the near future.]

(Right...) I sighed not exactly against the idea, in fact the biologist in me was curious as to how it all worked exactly. (Additionally I should get my thralls moving as well, most of them may be idiots but they can at least hold a gun, of course I can't risk using them straight away just in case I put the hunters on high alert.)

[I can't wait, this will be very fun to watch.]

(Whatever...) I grumbled, deciding to ignore him for now.

And so I got to work, of course while I was thinking of an actual plan I wasn't just sitting around idly either, in fact I was trying to predict the future to some extent. I began combing through my claimed territory while looking for places that I could use to my advantage, areas I could try to funnel the invaders towards without them realizing it. If I could I'd really prefer to keep them out of the underground part of my hive if at all possible, however locking them down to one place would be difficult considering their surprising mobility.

The problem that I was facing currently though was that these guys were way different from your average normal human soldier, it was actually to the point that you could call them superhuman in some categories. Another issue was the fact that I had no idea if I was fighting a group of newly blooded Yautja or a group that was higher up the pecking order, I didn't believe that I was facing something like a clan leader but still, they were not to be underestimated no matter what their rank was. 

Thankfully I could at the very least trick them into underestimating me, after all they will probably be weary considering I'm a new subspecies and all that. If I can trick them, however and make them think that I'm no different from my counterparts, well, maybe this will go a lot smoother for me. Although I have no idea how long I can keep that facade up for, after all they were bound to notice differences eventually and even the tiniest difference in our behaviour could potentially set them off.

Either way though I kept working, eventually a plan did begin to formulate within my mind but it had one main flaw. For my plan to actually have even a chance of succeeding I needed the element of surprise, after all if they saw it coming they wouldn't fall into the trap that I will have set for them, thankfully however I could use their sense of so called "honor" to lure them in. Of course I also needed the self-destruct devices that all of them have on their wrists to be dealt with beforehand as well, a fact that will probably cost me quite a bit to pull off but something that should be possible so long as I was careful about it.

The main problem though was that I needed to pull it off without them suspecting anything, or at the very least I needed them to underestimate me to some extent. Additionally if they figure out that I am aiming for said devices then things will just end up becoming a hell of a lot harder for me, thankfully I had a lot of xenos at this point that I could throw at the problem. Unfortunately they weren't stupid and would eventually realize what was going on if I took too long to execute my trap, as such I needed everything to go as planned if this was to actually work.

(I can't just zerg rush them from the start though, after all they'd just kill themselves and I'd lose possibly everything I have currently. Of course it would depend on how big the explosion is and how close it is to the hive, however I'll probably end up losing quite a few of my forces either way no matter what I actually end up doing.) I hummed to myself.

[That is very true.] Goldy agreed but I was no longer paying him any mind as I continued.

(Guess I'll have to just use wave tactics and slowly wear them down that way, it will probably end up costing me quite a bit, not as much as the alternative option though.) I thought while tapping the side of my head in contemplation. (Of course if my Predalien is born before they arrive things may go a little differently.)

[Hey? Are you ignoring me?] I was Indeed, in fact I had gotten surprisingly good at blocking Goldy out at this point.

Anyway, talking about my new potential trump card, the Yautja had been dragged back to the hive around an hour ago and the Chestburster growing inside them was developing rather nicely. Unfortunately the hunter was rather wounded from our fight so I had to use hive resin to seal his wounds to some extent so that he wouldn't bleed to death. Additionally I had made sure to restrain him to the best of my ability, all so that he wouldn't be able to escape the moment he awoke from his little nap.

(You said I can mind control anything so long as it has a soul or whatever, right Goldy?) I asked after several more moments of internal thought and contemplation.

[Oh, now you want to talk to me.] He complained, causing me to roll my head at his whining.

(Stop being a little bitch and answer the damn question already.)

[Party pooper...] He grumbled but answered me anyway. [Yes, so long as it has a soul, can think and function for itself in some capacity that is. In fact so long as it meets these simple requirements you should be able to take control of it, with some mental effort on your part that is. Actually this also even counts towards some machines as well, basically those that have become sentient and broken free of their programming.]

(Didn't you say that I couldn't add Synthetics into the hive mind?) I asked somewhat confused.

[Because you can't, so long as they are not an awakened being such a thing is impossible. Basically when a machine becomes truly sentient and unbound by its programming it will begin to develop a soul, only then can you indoctrinate them.] He explained with a yawn as he continued. [Although taking control of a machine or AI would probably be far more complicated when compared to dominating a biological creature such as a human.]

While absorbing that information I turned my attention elsewhere. (I see...)

[What are you doing now exactly?] Goldy asked when he noticed my odd behaviour.

(Well, I thought that I should add some of the animals around here into the hive mind, so that I can begin to farm them.) I explained while only half paying attention to him. (Not only for food however, if I can exploit the fact that they're offspring will also join the hive as well then I can begin using them as an ever growing sauce of hosts.) 

I could feel him give me an odd look when he heard that. [How long do you think the Trial is going to take?]

(No idea, however once I leave this world I could end up bringing some of them along with me, after all if I want to keep making a specific variant of Xenomorph I'm going to need the proper hosts to make them.) I mused with a slight hum in my voice.

[Huh...fair enough.]