In the background - and possibly getting in the way of the group - will be fights of the US/THEM variety as people fight over resources. Never mind the octopi. Humans are doing the job of killing humans for them.
At this stage of the game, humans still have the numerical advantage. And they have the interior of the continents. Only coastal areas are threatened. On top of that, the EDS have limited numbers. Let's say they number a million. Earth is a really big place. And the EDS can only move so fast. However, if the EDS are allowed to breed and get their numbers up ...
Folks will have to figure out just what they are dealing with.