Ocean Diver
Hunger. Darkness. Cold. Sensations were important, these things were important.
Prey. Predator. Infection. These were the important things to find in the deep.
Schemes. Magic. Plots. These were unimportant aspects of life that the other Collectives cared for.
Ocean Diver did not care for these things. it was a child of the water and in the water, things were eminently simpler than the matters on land. Search the deep, infect what one could, eat, hide, emerge, and repeat.
It was all that swam and crawled in the sea, the plants were forming their own fungal-floral network and as such were outside of its concerns and domain. Ocean Diver infected plants and left them to be picked up by the massive collective who managed such things.
Ocean Diver explored, hunted, and spread themselves through the water. Slowly, subtly as the predator king wished, but it still moved through the sea, rivers, and lakes that it had Units in.
No true Subjects yet, it had learned about potential candidates in the seas. There were people living down under the surface. Ocean Diver had largely avoided them, the predator king had made it clear that they were not ready to fight a war for the seas...yet.
It existed as a failsafe, a contingency in case the Swarm lost the surface and risked true death. Ocean Diver had missions beyond this of course, but that was the main purpose it had been made for.
The great monsters and beasts of the sea and lakes were the goal it was seeking out. Whales, sharks, giant squids...and those were just the non-magical options. Ocean Diver truly wanted to find a kraken or a greater sea serpent and convert it. When that happened Ocean Diver would not just explore the sea, it would become the great hunter of all that was beneath the waves.
Patience. Ocean Diver knew of such things. Crabs hiding in the sand while swimming overhead, fish waiting patiently as those above the water came close enough. Clams and other shells patiently waiting for sustenance, for the potential dangers.
In the sea, danger was always there. Enemies behind every rock, under the sand, above you in the water. Ocean Diver understood these things, it learned from the experiences it could sense among the units it had.
The others were lost in their grand plots and duties, and not focused enough on knowing themselves. It was close to a philosophical thought that Ocean Diver could have. Like a lot of Collectives, it was a creature of focus.
Finding food, infection, and swimming was the focus it was dedicated to. The great oceanic being that was its mental projection grinned with a maw full of teeth. One of the Oceanic Crawlers had been sent to investigate a particular memory from a cod. The memory of a reef of white cold-water coral.
Ripe for infection and it had found it. Ocean Diver sent steams of smaller fish out through the water to find and infect all that lived along the reef. It would keep the reef for itself, the reef was an animal after all. Fungal-Floral Network watched it and it felt the greater power pushing down to make it yield the coral after the infection was over.
A wordless struggle between one of the greater Collectives and one of the lesser. But, Ocean Diver knew patience, it also knew another simple fact. If you were hunted by a predator, find an even greater one to hunt it. So as it felt the massive will of the Fungal-Floral Network push down on it trying to seize the slowly converting coral by force. There was no contest, the larger Collective could subsume Ocean Diver if it willed it and the predator king would probably not even notice before a great deal of time passed.
Ocean Diver called out to see who might come. A keening sound reverberated through the Swarm and the call was answered.
The machine, the one who distributed energy, the largest Collective of all answered. They appeared and gently plucked Ocean Diver free from the grasp of the Fungal-Floral Network. It sensed that the two were speaking in words, Ocean Diver had no time for such things. Words were not for beings like it, actions were, however.
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Hor
Hor felt the argument growing again between the two strongest. Fungal-Floral Network and Logistics-Collective were in a quarrel of some kind, if the grand architect had not been busy with other matters. Hor would have expected them to intervene, but in their place the town that would become a city approached their colleagues.
"You can't just assault one of the Collectives to pry free Units that are being incorporated into them."
"Plants are mine! That which grows from the earth and stretches out is my domain, my responsibility. That impudent little gnat was stealing from me!"
The two titans argued and the town was weaker, but it stepped between them.
"You must stop! The grand architect is occupied and cannot afford to be distracted at this delicate stage."
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!"
"Please desist from interfering in this discussion."
Plants shouted and the machine answered calmly before they turned to resume their discussion. The city saw and it was the people and the buildings, so they reached out and called to those who could help. First, they sensed a predator from the deep swimming through the connection to watch the fight between the titans. An infiltrator snuck out of the shadows and appeared besides them. Magic formed a shimmering cloud. An Adventurer stepped proudly out onto the field, sword in hand and without a helmet. The fortress rose up to stand vigil.
"None of them can truly do anything, even together."
But before Hor could despair at the weaklings that had come to aid them, he came. The General marched through the connection and while he was weakened he was the second oldest and he was favored for his bravery and sacrifices.
"STOP THIS MADNESS, NOW!"
The Antmite General clicked out as he snapped his mandibles in the direction of the two arguing Collectives. He charged into the Fungal-Floral Network and pushed against them to pull them away. Buildings grew up to block the Logistics-Collective from pursuit, and the lesser collectives spread out to help the two greater ones pull the arguing titans apart.
It all ended when a presence turned to look down at them. Every Collective felt them in that moment. Each of them saw the Sovereign in a different way, limited by their natures. They were the greatest predator in the deep, the source of power, the grand architect, and many more things besides. And they were incensed.
Unlike the Collectives they had no form in this place, there was no need to have one. They were the link, the fragments, and every Collective embodied. So, when Mar spoke it was the voice of every single speck of the entire Swarm. From the lowliest insect to the greatest Subject.
"Stop. It. You are disrupting my mind and that is not something I will tolerate."
Recrimination and fury radiated through the Swarm as the mind of Mar focused down on the cowering Collectives. Their displeasure was enough to end all thoughts of conflict between the various aspects of the Swarm.
"Go. Back. To. Work. If this happens again while I am occupied with something important, there will be no chances given. I will disband the troublesome parts and remake them if necessary."
Mar turned their mind towards other matters and left the Collectives alone. None of them dared stay to socialize further and retreated to engage with their various duties. Great and small alike.
Hor turned back to the growing town and began effortlessly managing the infrastructure being built, energy pylons connected to new production facilities were already in the works and soon the massive complexes that would house Subjects and Units alike would stand ready. The town would truly become a city, and for that they smiled.
"I will grow beyond those two...in time."
The would-be city promised themselves as they began allocating available workers to begin building a proper wall. A city needed a stone wall after all, that was basic information.