On the Blood of Gods and Men (6/6)

[Note: At this time, the contents of this document are subject to restricted access, in accordance with Olympus Protocol 2L-K: VIX. Viewing this document without necessary permissions is a crime of heresy, punishable by death and/or damnation, at the will of our regent, Zeus.]

Further Considerations and Indigenous Biodiversity

My account has thus far described the adaptation of an invasive, alien species (my own) to this world, but it is based only on the accounts of titans that have remained within general close proximity to the Tartarus. When the ship first arrived on earth, many of its crew members decided to seek out living spaces elsewhere. Old political ideologies and philosophical beliefs from their home world continued to divide my ancestors even after their arrival here, leading to the formation and ultimately the voluntary separation of intraspecies factions. Communication with our dispersed cousins was never given great priority, and the Earth is large, even for beings such as ourselves, so the fate of these titans in diaspora is largely unknown. They have likely encountered their own challenges and pursued their own solutions, begetting yet more divisions within our species.

Another important point is that, as shape-shifters, we titans are capable of an incredible degree of cross breeding. This has resulted in several populations of partial-titans within our realm. These hybrids typically lack our shape-shifting abilities, but often inherit other traits and abilities from the specific titans which they have descended from. Many of these populations have separated off to form semi-independent ethnic communities, carving out their own fiefdoms and poleis within our kingdom. 

Embarrassingly, I can also recount a number of nonsentient subspecies which have been created as a result of my kin engaging in base sexual relations with terrestrial wildlife and domesticated animals. Of course, while this practice may be even more socially repugnant than crossbreeding with the humans, the products of such unions are often powerful and useful; the stables of Olympus are stocked exclusively with horses that have titan bloodlines.

Furthermore, it should be considered that indigenous life may be more diverse than is readily apparent. When my ancestors first arrived on earth, there were a multitude of animal species which met or exceeded our criteria for sentience, and several of the hominid species exhibited the beginnings of cultural development - the development of agriculture, technology, and artistic communication. The field has narrowed considerably since our ancestors' arrival, such that Homo sapiens are now the dominant indigenous species, their population numbering in the millions and growing rapidly, but relict organisms almost certainly exist in the far corners and deep wildernesses of this world. 

The population of Homo sapiens also hosts variants too numerous to describe here. Most of these variations are racial differences which can, for all practical purposes, be described as purely aesthetic, and far less remarkable than the interindividual differences evident among titans. However, there are abundant examples of individuals capable of extranormal feats, or possessed of unlikely knowledge. Many of these cases can be attributed to interbreeding with titans, but some of the variant humans I've dissected in my lab have shown no indications of this.

Finally, it's worth noting that there may be more to this world than any of us have directly observed. The Tartarus's logs indicate that the Earth stood out among many candidates for its implausibly perfect conditions; its mass, its elemental makeup, its position within the solar system, etc. are all close to ideal for comfortable habitation. Some of the Tartarus's original crew speculated that the planet was not wholly the product of random cosmic chance, but rather the result of intelligent design. Although this seems far-fetched, if there is any truth to it, the makers or shapers of this world - advanced even by the standards of my species - may still exist somewhere on or within the planet Earth.