*D*I*S*P*E*R*S*A*L*
Using its most recent avatar-replica, Inara, the One Self helped a clan of Cetra load luggage, furniture, and supplies onto a chocobo-drawn cart.
"It's a shame we're leaving so soon," Inara commented as she helped Malkkom-Cetra—no, just Malkkom. After much experience, the One Self understood that the Cetra didn't qualify their identifying names that way. The One Self needed to blend better with its prey even in its own thoughts. It would avoid using the suffix.
Together, Inara and Malkkom hefted a heavy chest onto the cart, where it rested among the other trunks, barrels, and disassembled, portable furniture the Cetra had carried with them to the capital city.
"You were at the Planet Reading last week," Malkkom replied. He jumped onto the cart and worked to maneuver its contents into a more efficient arrangement. "The Planet says leave, we leave. No questions asked. Its word is good enough for me."
"Don't cram too much in there," another man—Hoban—called. "Don't want to overburden the chocobos."
"It'll be fine. They got it all here before, didn't they?"
"Just take it easy on them. We have more wagons. No need to load everything on just that one." Hoban finished wrapping rope around an overstuffed box to hold the lid on.
Inara laughed easily at the banter and went into the soon to be abandoned dwelling to retrieve more packed luggage. The Planet had been unexpectedly cooperative by encouraging the Cetra to depart. While thousands were currently present on the north continent, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps even more, were scattered about the rest of the world.
Most Cetra clans were migratory by nature. They moved from place to place, setting up temporary dwellings and cultivating life where their guidance was needed. Cities were rare. It might have taken the One Self centuries to find and exterminate most of the Cetra. But now? Their own Planet had ordered them to leave the north continent and return to their normal lives.
They would carry the virus with them, the very infectious virus that mutated them, sterilized them, and limited their lifespan. The infected ones would spread it far and wide among their people. Only the most isolated groups would be spared for long. Sooner or later, all would be infected.
This entire clan was infected. The three other Cetra groups that had already departed had also been heavily infected and, of course, had some of the One Self's replicas among them.
How easy and simple a thing it was for the One Self to spread itself and its tailored virus across this world. Its enemies were doing all the work to bring about their own extinction just by following the instructions of their beloved Planet. Through its remote appendages like Inara, the One Self could observe the Cetra no matter where they wandered, feed on them no matter where they sought refuge, destroy them from within no matter how hard they fought. In a few of this world's years, the entire Cetra race would be gone, and, their threat removed, the One Self could consume freely, grow, and finally, summon a new meteor to once again spawn and scatter itself across the cosmos.
"I hate airships," another Cetra, Kaylee, complained. She heaved a disgusted breath. "I wish this were a sea voyage."
"I hate ocean ships more," said Hoban.
"That's because you get seasick," Kaylee jeered. "You always spend most of the voyage leaning over the rail and feeding the fishes with your vomit."
"Stop complaining, you two," said a third man, Jayne, carrying luggage out of the next dwelling over. "It's not that far, either way. It's not like we're going all the way to the southernmost ends of the Planet."
"Any ocean voyage is too long," Hoban stated indignantly.
"Good thing this is an airship passage, then."
"Ugh. Dragging recalcitrant chocobos onto airships is worse than getting them onto ocean ships."
"Gotta have our chocobos when we get back."
Inara loaded another crate onto the cart. "Is everyone coming back with us?"
"No, I guess a few are staying here, mostly just our clan's council representatives and some support people," said Malkkom.
"Just as well," Hoban remarked, waggling his eyebrows. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on those wild Elders. Who knows what crazy nonsense they'll get up to if left to their own devices?"
"Yeah, those wild and crazy Elders!" Kaylee crowed. "I bet the council chambers hide all kinds of weird sins!"
Inara joined in with the group laughter and ridicule of their council as they all continued loading the cart.