–We interrupt your entertainment to notify you of a minor atmospheric disturbance– The HLN chimed in a small warning window that had popped up next to the movie Larkin had been watching. –The outside presence has been deactivated for your own safety. Thank you for your patronage.--

Larkin dismissed the window and returned his hazy attention to the movie, swallowing the constant, high pressure flow of piquant and delicious foodstuffs he had ordered. Lately it was easy to just get into a feeding vibe, losing track of the sun and moon moving across the sky as he slipped into the gentle euphoria of eating, growing and sleeping. His own body was the most comfortable pillow on earth and he was more than willing to share. The fellow flesh-mountains that he had once called his neighbours were now closer to his tenants. As he had continued to pursue further sizes, the Vestimyr’s own ambitious bulk had overtaken those surrounding him, and so the HLN had relocated them to the slopes of his own gravid enormity. As big as they were, it had seemed trivial for the armies of drones to simply reduce gravity’s hold on them and lift them into their new roosts. He could feel them, each one a great, formless mass, their weight sinking slightly into areas of his belly. Larkin found it delightfully intimate, recalling when he had once considered them mountainous.

Among his various guests, the living continent could also feel the pleasant warmth of a dozen different processing facilities dotting his acreage. His demands of continuous input had grown with him to the point that even the HLN’s ability to synthesise matter from energy had been strained to the point that several dedicated power plants had been builts right on top of him, to generate enough continuous food. They hummed and vibrated against his softness like little personal massagers. Larkin let the feeding tube withdraw for a moment, drinking in this rare moment of lucidity, enjoying it. He could feel the forest of fur covering the cliff sides formed by his rear sway and tickle in the breeze, magnified a thousandfold. The stars overhead felt closer now. As much as he had generally gained in width, his sheer bulk had also risen his head upwards into the heavens. It was a beautiful sight, somehow magnified by the fact that he was gazing at the starry sky from the bottom of the vast canyon that his cheeks formed, each one a mountain in its own right. Wade was fairly certain he had heard something about extending the atmosphere of the planet, as he was beginning to arise beyond it.

Then, somewhere miles away and halfway down his eastern slope, the vast blob felt a little pinch. It was the closest thing to discomfort he could remember ever feeling. Curiously, he requested a camera drone to inspect the issue, getting a small thrill as he watched its perspective swooping over the swells and folds of his body. Finally, it gained a vantage point on a small, smoldering spacecraft resting in a small depression on his side. People were there. Four or so. Actual, ambulatory people with arms and legs and everything. He tried to focus hard enough to see if he could feel their tiny footprints on his flesh, but they were so impossibly small compared to him. With a slow, bubbling burst of realisation, the former surveyor recognized the logo of the Wayfinder company on the side of the craft. They must have been the ones sent to rescue him. He tried to briefly calculate how long it had taken to actually register his absence and send a team out here, eventually giving up and settling on “a few months”. He couldn’t wait to show them how much he had grown in that time.

Larkin pondered how long it would be before he could properly say hello to those four on vid call. Maybe he could recommend sending a few Hunter-Filler drones their way as part of a proper welcome. They’d warm up to the concept after their first few thousand pounds.

Before bringing his own entertainment windows back up, Larkin’s eyes drifted to the night sky above. He could see the moon just cresting over the horizon of his right cheek. Apparently, there was talk that the moon would be stripped of raw atomic mass to be repurposed for more infrastructure soon if the Vestimyr kept his growth rate up.
“Well” He pondered “Maybe I can offer to fill in as a replacement.” He let the feeding tube find its way back into his mouth and enjoyed his next, delicious meal.

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And so we reach the end. Thanks all who joined us in the journey, and special thanks to  roundwombo for all his wonderful art to accompany this saga. Hope you all enjoyed the ride, and let the HLN know if you'd like your planet to join the network!