*000000*

So…. I now control a not-insignificant chunk of Australia. True, that had been an inevitable event sooner or later, but I'd figured that it would come about as a long and brutal slaughter where I chewed my way through the countries heroes and military. Literally.

The heroes part certainly happened, the military just… performed an organized retreat before my expanding forces, only offering a token resistance to attempt a rushed evacuation of the many civilian centers along the way.

I wasn't even paying attention! By the time I finished dealing with the fallout of "The Frenchman", securing the bunker, throughly and repeatedly checking it for surprises and traps of the explosive variety… Nearly twelve hours of steady advancement had occurred.

Zerglings can move fast, and with the countries defenders pulling back, there was no need to wait for the slower Roaches to harden the leading edge of my swarm. With no oversight and little resistance, the border of my territory has expanded massively. It's… kind of too much in fact, my forces are spread far too thin for their numbers. Vast portions of the landscape that are 'within' my territory might have only a couple of patrolling Zerglings and a handful of Ratling scavengers.

The lack of proper control over the new terriorty could be a problem if — when — my enemies realize. Good thing I have all this open land to rapidly expand my forces now! The amount of nutrients and resources I can produce with all this space will be essential for keeping it. Especially if this development brings attention from the international community.

A bit of intent and will is all it takes for Larvae to crawl out of the bunker into the bright morning sun, where they are scooped up by Mutalisks and carried out of Canberra into the surrounding landscape. Rocky cliffs, tight ravines, even the many abandoned buildings become targets for new hatcheries, the concentrated Creep spores they carry spreading aggressively into the surrounding landscape.

I wonder if the creep growth will be visible from orbit?

​

I — through Face — am having a drink with Hewson in his office again.

"The Enclave meeting could have gone worse," Hewson is saying. "But it could have certainly gone better. That little argument with the priest wasn't ideal, and the church getting massacred right after…"

"I'm willing to let humans be, but only as long as they aren't acting against my interests. How… bad is the fallout?"

"Manageable. Fortunately most of those that have risen to lead the Enclaves have had some dealing in politics before, we're all quite aware of just how much… wiggle room military might gives a person. Most of us have also had to deal with capes and their… tendencies at one point or another. Uh no offense to your boss."

"Our boss." I correct him before taking a sip of the liquor, and not so subtly changing the subject. "Are you aware of the events of the last night to this morning?"

"Did I miss the assault, and the way every damn cellar and sewer boiled over with Abzu's creations? No, I entirely missed that." Hewson shakes his head. "I'd gotten the reports from my people of how every underground space was getting increasingly filled with sleeping forms, but I still wasn't quite prepared for how many there was when they came out. How… is Abzu accomplishing that? I've yet to hear someone mentioning coming across two of the creatures rooting."

I stare at him blankly for a moment to figure out what he means. "You mean fucking? No, for the most part, individual reproduction is much too slow and inefficient. Mass production is much better."

"Ah."

"But no, I wasn't talking about the attack from government affiliated capes. I meant the fact that attack was repelled with… extreme prejudice. And violence. In short, you may consider the quarantine lifted, on account of their being nobody left to enforce it within roughly a hundred kilometers of the Canbera. I'm sure there will be some effort into reimplementing the quarantine along the new border, but that's a lot of terrain to cover, and their forces seem to be as stretched thin as my own.

"We could leave…? Reconnect with our families… friends?" He's got a far away look in his eyes.

"Theoretically. I can't make any promises on what or how the Australian government is handling the situation. Thinkers might be able to find some way to sort who was in Canberra and who wasn't. But Abzu will not prevent anyone that wants to risk it from trying. That said… Abzu doesn't want to rule. If someone trustworthy were to step up and take charge of the new non-government territory with the intent of developing it into a prosperous and independent region… A region that would show the world that coexistence is possible."

Hewson places his — empty — glass down and leans back in his chair, his eyes locking on the ceiling for a bit. He smells…. Conflicted. Also a little drunk. "Are you suggesting I take that role? Prime Minister? President? Governor?"

"You have a good track record. How would you like to be the President… or Prime Minister, hell King for all I care of… the humans in this part of the continent? Or hold elections and let someone else do it, as long as they are competent."

Hewson lifts an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. "Complete control?" He asks.

"Oh make no mistake, Abzu is still indubitably at the top of the system. But he also doesn't care what the humans do too much, as long as they don't act against his interests and their leaders aren't complete shitheads."

I know it's a big thing I'm offering Hewson, but I think like I've come to know the man a little over the past weeks. He had mentioned previously that he'd been a low level political functionary before. Which of course makes him completely untrustworthy by definition, but I suspect the main reason he never managed to claw his way to higher station was because he still had some common decency, rather then just being bad at his job. Not that one would negate the other, and in fact being decent means he certainly is bad at being a politician. Well if he accepts I'll be keeping a close eye on him to make sure he isn't preparing to stab me in the back. Or abusing the position to an unreasonable level.

"You keep saying 'humans'. Do you not consider yourself human?" Hewson asks in a nonsequiter.

"Hmm? Oh…" One of my hand touches against the fabric hiding Face. "Who ever said I was to begin with."

"So Benjamin was right… And Abzu? Does he not consider himself human?"

I shrug. "Like I said, he isn't hostile to humans and would prefer they continue to be around."

"Show that co-existence is possible…" Hewson repeats my words from a few moments ago. "Abzu is using us as a shield isn't he. With the number of creatures he can produce, he's worried about Australia or the other nations responding with weapons of mass destruction."

I can't deny that, it's entirely true. I nod.

"But what happens after? Once Abzu has built up enough that he no longer fears nations? Are we to be a temporary shield or permanent? Will he then consume the world to produce a new race of his own creation?"

"No. No he will not."

"Why?"

Oh dear Ziz, why does he have to keep asking hard questions. "Maybe he still cares for his species even if he doesn't really consider himself part of them anymore? Maybe he read too much science fiction and still believes in that bright future that was promised to humanity. It's not really my place to dig into his deeper motives. I'm just… Face."

"I see. And what would he expect of me if I were to take this role? The… Figurehead?"

"Rebuild, prosper, thrive. Break down the various Enclaves and other dissociated groups, rebuild a unified society. Integrate those caught in the expansion. Reconnect with the outside world. With the quarantine down, it should be possible to connect to the Internet and worldwide communication networks again, right?"

He grimaces at the last one. "It would be, if that Creep hadn't eaten all the servers and infrastructure."

"…Oh. Uh… right. Well… do the best, scavenge outside the city to rebuild? In general just… don't betray m-Abzu, and keep the civilians from doing something stupid out of fear. Look, the world has enough power mad gang leaders and warlords making life miserable for everyone. And I'm not talking just about the criminals here. Just… make Abzu's territory better then those, a place people might even choose to live one day, who knows."

Hewson is quite for a long time before he speaks again, his gaze unfocused. "Very well, I'll take the job, but tell Abzu not to expect miracles! If I'm going to be held responsible for failing to accomplish impossible goals." He drifts off uncertain. "What are we calling the place? Abzuland?"

"Ah… sounds like a great thing for your new administration to start working on. As for your concerns, have no fear. Abzu will be reasonable in his expectations." I will, while all I described would be nice, as long as he manages to keep my human population out of my hair while keeping their quality of life decent enough to not give my enemies extra ammunition, I'll be happy. Everything else is a bonus, really.

I wish that was it, I could wash my hands and focus on more important things, like Antarctica, North America, tinkering, Emily… instead we spend hours debating the finer details. At least I manage to get in a question on that light-tinker that was operating in the city when I first awoke, Doctor Solaris. Unfortunately, Hewson hasn't heard from him since before the first battle of Parliament. Either laying low or killed in some unmarked event?

​

Only half the dog team in Antarctica remains, another one died during the night, and I doubt any except maybe the leader will survive the next, even with food provided. Fortunately, my Essence gatherer has finally finished evolving — both here and at the South American hive — so I can really get to work… gathering all that Essence that has been collecting.

The Essence Gatherer… it was a rushed project, and untested before being deployed which is a horrible idea. The core idea was a centauroid, vaguely human-lizard creature with a proboscis-like tongue, ending in a sharp bone spur. Theoretically the Essences I compiled it from — mostly from my Overmind form and the faded Essences — should allow it to… well… gather Essence the same way my tentacles do. Hence the name. Hopefully there won't be any difference between it having the Essence and me having the Essence. We are after all, the same mind. Ziz, I hope it works, I don't want to have to fly samples back to myself from all over the world. That would certainly get noticed fast. I really need a teleportation cape to fall off a truck so I can grab him. But I'll be happy to mug one too.

Unfortunately it turns out that being frozen is just as bad for collecting Essence as rotting is. A minor setback, my stockpiles end up getting fed to the hatchery, since it doesn't care about the state of nutrients fed into it.

A short fishing trip later… The Essence of a young Orca is added to my collection. Oh that sweet blubber, that bone structure, that oxygen capacity! Okay, the last one is definitely out-performed by the purple blood all my organisms use, but I think there may be some future in integrating the two designs together for a multiplicative effect.

There is also unanticipated feature, much like I can 'push' Essence into a creature with my tentacles, I can do so with the Essence Gatherer! Not that I really need to, since my larvae seem to be able to take on any Essence I desire, regardless of distance, but it's a nice bonus, and gives me an idea or two.

Antarctica is not wealthy on Essence. I re-gather samples of the fauna — mostly birds and fish — and few hardy exemplars of flora — mostly lichens laying dormant under the shores snow, waiting for a short summer growth season. I wonder if there's any truth to the theory that Antarctica used to be a much warmer place once? Might be worth it to eventually do some deep digs under the thicker continental ice… oh wait, frozen Essence is worthless. Idle curiosity then.

The South American hive will give me a much broader spectrum of results to work with. First though… I try to be gentle when the Essence Gatherer probes the four dogs, sampling their Essence for me. Only the leader manages to put up limited resistance and one of the others dies despite my care.

I bend my mind to re-working the Essence I collected from them, integrating parts of my own, various previous projects, and even once more diving into those faded Essences for useful bits and pieces.

​

My Mutalisk is circling in the dark clouds above the illuminated cityscape of Boston as I look down on it. I'd come here after finding Elisburg to be a no go… but what I wanted at Elisburg was Nilbog's nuclear deterrent. My secondary plan had been to check with the other major biotinker I am aware off but… it occurs to me that Blasto just keeps his head down and doesn't rock the boat to keep himself safe. That and lives in a large, populated city and has a secret identity. None of which apply to me.

Do I… actually need to try and find him? He could have been useful for splicing parahumans with my creatures to give them powers, but now that I can apparently gather some form of Essence from a parahumans shard connection… That's no longer a priority.

Offer him a place in my territory, where he doesn't have to worry about a kill order? Why? Ah, there is one thing he has that I want… but there's no way he's going to give her up. If he even has her yet. I… don't remember how the timeline around Blasto worked out. Maybe I should gather some more information on him before I just show up and start making deals or looting his lab for interesting Essence samples.

Also… I'm suddenly feeling a bit territorial… and… skittish about making official contact with another biotinker.

What a waste of time. I sigh and take off to the northwest. Might as well check on Brockton Bay while in the vicinity Its not like I can't always revisit Boston and the Blasto issue later, once I am established locally.

While my Mutalisk is cruising towards Brockton Bay — I refocus on myself and spend a bit of time tinkering with Essences.

No, that's a lie. I spend it with Emily, who wants to explore outside the city. Transportation is an issue, Roaches are slow while zerglings are really not built to be mounts. In the end I focus on a Mutalisk and carry her in it's legs.

I don't think it would be a comfortable way to travel but…

"Weeeeee! Fly higher! Faster! That way!" Apparently Emily disagrees. She keeps wiggling in my grip in her excitement. I pick up the speed a bit, the air rips her jubilant shouts away nearly as soon as they leave her mouth.

After a while of flying around in rather erratic patterns above the landscape, I slow down at Emily's prodding. She wiggles and tilts her head down towards the ground. "Hey! There's the Big Splash park! I wonder if it's still open?"

The answer is no, it is not open. Even if the people in my new territory felt like going to work, the park was too close to the quarantine zone to begin with and it's been shut down for a while, probably ever since the Simurgh came by.

"Aww. It wouldn't be fun without other people around anyways…" Emily pouts.

​

An organism for Emily, a war form for Abzu — not that I intend to ever need it, but seeing as it would have come in useful twice already… At least I can check off my project in Antarctica, as the three surviving dogs are safely cocooned up. Ah yes, and that Essence… pseudo-Essence? That I picked up from the Howitzer experiment… I'm going to call that particular organism a Shard-Tree.

The Essences are weird, ultra sharp and yet sort of… fuzzy at the same time. I pick through the options, and try to decide what sort of organism to make. What do I expect to need next… The capes have been pleasantly short range, rather then what I was afraid of, but I don't want to count on that. So some sort of long range barrage organism? Artillery? Howitzers shard is very well equipped for that particular role. Still not entirely sure on if a nuclear strike is something to worry about or not. I think my existing organisms could take care of a plane carrying a bomb, but something to function as a missile shield would be a good start…

I absently send the Brockton Bay Mutalisk to set up a small burrow in the forests well outside the city, and dump it's cargo of eggs there. A larva egg is triggered to begin growing a hatchery. It'll be a small base… more of an observation outpost then anything else. Then I return to working on my next few organisms. Ah, I'll need aquatic forms too at some point, fortunately the Antarctic Hive has been rather fruitful in that, as has the South American one.

The remnants of a pony farm southeast of Canberra reminds me that the people now living in my territory are going to need some way to get around, and it's unlikely Hewson will be able to get gasoline deliveries from the rest of Australia. I don't want to have to handle transportation myself, and as much as Emily enjoyed being carried by a Mutalisk, I don't see many civilians being as enthusiastic about the prospect.

Which means it's the perfect goal to experiment with independent organisms capable of being trained and bred by humans. And if they have a bit more carapace, claws, and teeth then a traditional horse… eh I'm sure people will get used to it.

​

The next few days pass in… relative peace. The exact perimeter of my territory swings back and forth a bit, as military forces and my swarm conduct minor skirmishes. It quickly becomes obvious the military objective is moving the border to more defensible and natural barriers.

Usually they try to make small pushes inward, rarely in any large numbers, and they quickly retreat if the resistance gets too aggressive. I think they're afraid of provoking another…. Expansion? Swarming?

I mostly allow it, though when they try to push for the city of Cooma to the south, I reciprocate by pushing east into the Deua River Valley towards the coastline. They lay off pretty fast after that, only managing to claim the village of Pine Valley for their troubles.

By the third day, creep is visibly and rapidly spreading across the landscape, feeding into forty hatcheries throughout the non-Canberra region. As more organisms hatch — still mostly Zerglings as I am pushing for unity numbers first, the border begins to stabilize. In the north it's a rather arbitrary arch sweeping past the M31, to the west it mostly follows the B72 through the mountains. The eastern border remains mostly where it was, as I focus forces to prevent any loss of territory that would push me further from the coast, and the military is equally obstinate in not being pushed out of the region, and quite intent on keeping me from that same coast. I finally see a change in their members too though. The Australian uniforms are joined by limited uniforms of other nations. India. Canada. United States. They are not many, but the fact they are present at all tells me the larger stage has been set.

I'm sure the unspoken and uneasy ceasefire — if it can even be called that — won't last. They must be aware of how quickly my forces are growing, they can't afford to sit on their heals. I'm not sure I can either, now that other nations are becoming involved.