[Empire] 17 – An Offer For Change

[1,703 Words]

[A/N: The next chapter will be the second part of chapter 16's A Decision To Be Made]

[6 Months Since Zerg’s Arrival. 6 Months remaining until Humanity’s decision]

Time was a…fleeting concept to most Zerg due to their unique biology, allowing them to live forever as they evolved and changed essentially. 

A single Zerg could theoretically live until the end of time itself if it had the necessary biomass, Essence, and will, with such a Zerg possibly containing the essence of countless species, races, flora, and fauna. If you added Psionics into the mix, such a Zerg could potentially even become a natural Xel’naga at the end of time and have the power to start a new universal cycle.

Humanity, on the other hand, was short-lived, frail, and weak by Zerg standards. In the past four months, many nations faced revolutions, civil unrest, and even governmental collapses. New nations rose and old nations fell. The shifting political landscape of Earth has undergone massive changes since the Zerg's arrival, with many blaming them for the chaos and countless deaths. 

The Zerg, however, claimed neutrality, claiming that Humanity’s affairs were its own and even claimed that it was willing to act as a neutral party for any nation that wished to come to the table and negotiate with one another, and as of yet, no country or organization outside of one had taken up the Zerg’s offer. 

Specifically, the World Wildlife Fund, in partnership with several other Nature Conservation organizations, approached the Zerg with the possibility of reviving species near extinction.

It was in that very meeting that the Envoy decided to take the lead, rather than the typical Zerg Brood Mother. 

…

The Envoy, to most, was the most intimidating of Zerg bioforms known to Humanity. This was due to three reasons. Firstly, the Envoy, unlike other Zerg, lacked a will of its own and was directly piloted by the Zerg’s Overmind, their Queen. 

An entity that all Zerg revered as their leader, and while not accurate, their God. If any aggression were directed towards the Envoy, many realized that they could very well anger a sleeping dragon, given what happened to North Korea. 

The second reason why the Envoy unnerved anyone who met it was due to the Envoy’s near mechanical and doll-like appearance and movement. It did not breathe; it did not move unless directly controlled to do so. It lacked a face, yet it gave off the feeling of always being watched, regardless of the number of people in the room or the direction of the gaze. 

The last and most important reason was the Envoy’s everyday use of what many called ‘Space Magic,’ though the Zerg named it Psionics. 

It could control the elements with a wave of its hand, telekinetically float items, objects, and, in one situation, people. Some even theorized that the Envoy could sense the emotions and read the minds of others, though. At the same time, the first may have some truth to it, the second was more because of just how much more perceptive the Envoy was, easily able to read a Human's body language due to its vessel’s enhanced visual senses. 

 And that same Envoy now sat before the small group of humans representing their respective organizations with two Brood Mothers standing on guard behind her.

“What do you wish to propose to the Zerg?” The Envoy asked straightforwardly, its voice distinctly neither masculine nor feminine, yet giving off the feeling of sounding regal. 

Much to the Envoy’s silent surprise, the leading male, and the oldest of the group, was the first to speak. They spoke with a strange calmness, “We have reports, data, and eyewitness accounts showing that the Zerg were the primary reason for the notable increase and revival of the local Ecosystems surrounding the…Enclave.”

“What about it?” The Envoy jumped in, taking control of the conversation.

The elderly human man looked the Envoy in its ‘eyes’ and sighed.

“I have lived on this Earth for nearly eighty years now. I remember when I was a child, how vibrant and full of life the world once was. I remember the forest behind my home being torn down and replaced by more housing. I remember the river flowing through our town, its crystal blue color eventually turning a sickly brown and green. I love this planet, and I love humanity, but we are destroying the planet; eventually, if nothing is done, nothing of what I remember from my childhood will remain on Earth. I beg of you, help us heal our planet before it is too late,” the old human male bowed to the Envoy, much to its surprise. 

“While the damage done to your planet over the last few centuries has slowly risen, your planet still has at most two or three more centuries before it becomes too late. Why are you so desperate to heal this world, and why seek out the Zerg specifically instead of learning how to do it yourselves?” The Envoy suddenly asked, its voice sounding curious but also indifferent.

“Because I fear within the next century no one will care enough to save our planet anymore,” The elderly human answered with a strange yet sad smile on their face. 

“How so?” The Envoy inquired, sounding curious.

“The younger generations are too focused on the now than they are on the future; they spend more time in their digital worlds and in their jobs than they do with Mother Nature nowadays. They are mostly content with the way things are, not having been alive to see what the world was like when it was better.” The elderly man complained, but in his posture, the Envoy could see the toll of a life filled with back-breaking work. To the Envoy, the elderly man seemed tired, exhausted. 

“Then why not teach them better?” The Envoy questioned with a tilt of its head.

“Because they don’t care. The few that do are so far down in the minority that our voice won’t ever reach the other side of the room, not anymore,” The elderly man cryptically explained to the Envoy, though even sensing a story behind the old human’s words, didn’t speak.

“Besides…the technology? It just doesn’t exist. We have nature preserves, but they shrink every year due to pollution and the government’s increasing need for resources. At the moment, you are our best bet in restoring nature around the world,” the elderly man spoke with what sounded a bit like hesitation, clearly not liking having to put faith in something they did not understand.

"We must refuse," The Envoy finally answered.

"What?! Why?" The elderly human demanded.

"Because we do not wish to accidentally uplift humanity in ways it is not ready for," The Envoy answered straightforwardly.

"How would your help us uplift ourselves in any way?!" One of the younger, more passionate humans shouted.

The Envoy specifically focused on the human who shouted.

"What Humanity may glean from watching our work could very well advance Humanity to a level it is not prepared, nor ready for. Even now, what you have glimpsed has changed the course of Humanity's natural development and advancement," The Envoy explained patiently, its voice loud enough that it echoed across the chamber.

The Envoy gestured to the distant landscape visible through the crystal-like material the Zerg used in place of glass.

"Our mere presence on Earth has irreversibly changed the path of Humanity, but Humanity is not the Zerg; it cannot follow our path, it must forge its own, which is why I must deny your request. Instead, I offer this: send your scientists here, we shall deliver the resources and materials you need, and while we cannot, we will not guide you; we will give you what you need to try, try, and try again. We cannot give you the answers, but with time, you can discover your own," The Envoy offered, before adding, "Do not worry about wasting any materials. We can replicate whatever you may need using whatever samples you have to offer, whether they be DNA, biomass, living or dead flora and fauna, so long as you have even a small part of the whole."

While it was clear some of the Humans in the room did not understand what precisely the Envoy had to offer, the elderly human did. His shock was apparent, "You are capable of such advanced Genetic Engineering? Are you capable of bringing back extinct species?" 

"We are capable of terraforming a planet of the same composition as your Mars and changing it into a Garden World similar to Earth within a century without any 'technology.' Genetic engineering available samples and bringing back extinct species long gone is relatively simple in comparison," The Envoy explained without any hesitation, making it clear to all of the Humans gathered that while they could solve all of their problems with little to no effort, they wanted Humanity to do it themselves, offering nothing but more materials to try and try again.

"That's...but..." The elderly human went silent.

"Discuss amongst yourselves, while we may not be able to provide you with the technology, we can offer the raw resources and space to learn and experiment without the interference of the Human nations of Earth. We offer sanctuary," The Envoy made clear what it was offering.

To many, the offer was as appealing as it was appalling. The Zerg were essentially offering sanctuary to perform what was essentially illegal genetic and possibly cloning experimentation, two topics that were highly debated, and the research was prohibited in most First World countries, if not outright forbidden. 

To even consider the Zerg's offer meant possible imprisonment, heavy fines, or even the death penalty, as was the case with a few European Countries, but for some of the people in the room, they couldn't deny the opportunity before them, nor could they deny that the opportunity before them was tempting not only due to what the Zerg potentially offered, but because if they could even get some of the Zerg's secrets in regards to their claims of being capable of terraforming feats, they could do a lot more than just restoring the Earth's biosphere.