I Am The Swarm

Major Camis considered the situation and agreed: far from their homeworld, with only the 1,800 crew aboard the Cat’s Ear Spaceship, there were no oversight officials to dictate otherwise. If they succeeded, they could frame the narrative however they wished.

With renewed resolve, he refocused on commanding the battle.

However, his options were limited. The violent energy cannons (VECs) were already the most powerful conventional weapons the ship carried.

It wasn’t that the Riken lacked more potent weaponry—rather, the Cat’s Ear Spaceship simply didn’t have the capacity to carry them. Bringing ten cannons was already a logistical stretch.

When they embarked, the mission’s focus had been reconnaissance, not high-intensity combat. Naturally, they had not packed many heavy weapons.

But now, even the VECs were ineffective against Godzilla. Camis was at a loss and reported the predicament to Reggie and Lute. The two looked equally grim. The treasure stood before them, unclaimed, yet they lacked the means to seize it.

“Should we try tactical nukes?” Reggie suggested. “What do you think, Lute?”

“Let’s give it a shot. The creature must have strong resistance to nuclear radiation. We can only hope the intense heat will kill it.” Lute turned to Camis.

“It’s our best chance,” Camis replied, issuing orders via his communicator.

Godzilla retaliated, firing two nuclear breaths toward the artillery positions. However, the attack dissipated significantly over distance, its maximum effective range capped at 15 kilometers, leaving the artillery, situated 20 kilometers away, unscathed.

The VECs, though barely scratching Godzilla’s thick hide, slowly chipped away at it. Yet the process was excruciatingly slow, requiring an inordinate amount of time.

Frustrated, Godzilla redirected its fury toward the mobile gunboats in the sky, unleashing several nuclear breaths. When these too failed to produce results, it seemed to reconsider its priorities.

Looking toward the direction of the nuclear explosion—where Hasmu’s squad had detonated the bomb—Godzilla hesitated. After deliberation, it chose self-preservation over curiosity, turning back toward the sea.

Weakened by its earlier outbursts, its dorsal fins dimmed slightly, evidence of depleted energy reserves.

The VECs wouldn’t be able to kill or critically injure Godzilla before it reached the ocean.

“Commander, we have authorization to deploy Engineer Type II tactical nuclear missiles.”

Onboard the transport ship, the three squads evacuated earlier had been idle spectators for some time. Surviving by sheer luck in a five-to-two lottery, they had avoided their comrades’ grim fate.

The deaths of their fellow soldiers filled them with frustration and a sense of powerlessness.

Now, they had a chance to fight back, and their spirits surged with determination.

Several transport ships carefully approached, landing just outside Godzilla’s range.

Simplistic launch platforms were quickly assembled.

The Engineer Type II tactical nukes offered versatile deployment options: close-range launch via specialized tubes, medium-to-long-range launches from platforms, or gyro-equipped air drops from ships.

The escort forces chose platform launches. Though slightly less accurate, Godzilla’s massive size left little room for error.

Each 50-member squad carried two tactical nukes. To maximize the attack’s impact, Camis ordered them fired simultaneously.

Six missiles streaked toward Godzilla, leaving white contrails in their wake. The 20-kilometer journey took mere moments. Godzilla, oblivious to the approaching danger, ignored the smoking projectiles.

BOOM x6!

The six nuclear detonations merged into a single massive mushroom cloud. The resulting shockwave scoured layers off the plains, sending sand and debris billowing skyward.

“Did we get it?” someone asked.

“Unclear. Visibility is zero.”

“What about sensor readings?”

“There’s still a biological signal. It’s not dead. In fact, its energy levels haven’t even dropped significantly.”

“No… wait. They’re increasing!”

“Brace yourselves! Detecting a massive energy surge. It’s about to attack!”

Amid the swirling dust, a growing hum resonated, building in intensity. Then, a colossal energy beam—far larger than the earlier nuclear breaths—erupted from the cloud.

The fiery-red beam tore through the air, aimed at the artillery positions 20 kilometers away. Though it fell just short of reaching its target, it exploded two kilometers shy, unleashing a devastating shockwave.

The blast tossed the VECs into the air and sent the lighter escort troops flying.

While their suits offered some protection against radiation and minor physical damage, they were woefully insufficient under such conditions.

“This creature can directly absorb energy from nuclear explosions to recharge itself? And it can weaponize the radiation to enhance its attacks?” Lute exclaimed in disbelief from the Cat’s Ear Spaceship’s bridge.

“What do we do now?” Reggie demanded. “Major Camis?”

“With the artillery compromised, we lack the means to contain it. To prevent further losses, I’m ordering the escort teams to retreat,” Camis replied grimly.

“Don’t we have the ship’s main cannon?” Lute asked.

“That’s designed for space combat, mainly to target meteors. By the time its energy passes through the atmosphere, its power will be significantly diminished—probably weaker than a single VEC shot,” Reggie explained.

A heavy silence fell. Camis turned to issue evacuation orders.

Under gunboat cover, transport ships launched emergency rescue missions. From the earlier explosion, the two artillery-operating squads suffered nine confirmed deaths, thirteen critical injuries, and five missing soldiers. The rest sustained fractures or minor injuries.

Of the nine fatalities, three died from impalement by debris hurled by the shockwave. The remaining six suffocated due to damaged face shields or were buried under rubble, preventing timely rescue.

Remarkably, none were directly killed by the explosion itself.

“This is beyond our capabilities. We’ll need to report this to the homeworld,” Reggie admitted, his face dark with frustration.

“Such a bitter defeat,” Lute sighed.

Camis, his expression even grimmer, remained silent. Unlike Reggie and Lute, who would retain some credit as the mission’s administrators and researchers, Camis faced scrutiny for his tactical errors. At best, he could hope for his merits to offset his failures.

“How many years will we need to stay here?” Lute asked.

“That depends on the homeworld’s response,” Reggie replied thoughtfully.

“Should we enter stasis?” Communicating with the homeworld would take a significant amount of time. Without other pressing tasks, stasis was the best way to preserve lifespan during the wait.

“We can put some personnel into stasis. Do you have other suggestions?”

“Yes,” Lute replied. “I’m still intrigued by what happened to Hasmu’s squad. The ecosystem here defies understanding. If creatures can manipulate magnetic fields and harness fusion energy, could some even reach space?”

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