I Am The Swarm

Fifteen years after Bular’s departure, a larger diplomatic delegation from the Troi Civilization finally arrived in the Genesis System, much later than Luo Wen had anticipated.

Based on calculations, Bular would have completed his initial negotiations and reported the situation back to his civilization. With their Quantum Communication System, there would have been no delay in transmitting information. It should have taken no more than five years for a more professional diplomatic team to assemble and arrive via ships equipped with Warp Drive.

Could the Troi fleet assemble a professional diplomatic delegation? With over 200,000 warships and an estimated population of hundreds of millions aboard, finding the necessary personnel should not have been an issue. Moreover, given their intent for peaceful negotiations, such a delegation should have been prepared before they even set out.

As for ships equipped with warp drives? That should have been even less of a problem. Even if only 20% of their fleet had warp capability, this would amount to 40,000 ships—easily sufficient to assemble a visiting fleet of a few hundred vessels.

So what caused the delay? Considering the available intelligence, the Swarm’s intelligent entities speculated that the Troi Civilization had likely been waiting for Ji personnel. After all, joining the Interstellar Technological Confederation required the presence of at least a nominal representative of the Confederation’s leader, the New Ji.

As it turned out, the Swarm’s hypothesis was correct. The newly arrived Troi fleet announced its personnel upon entering Swarm territory. According to the report, this diplomatic team not only included nearly 10,000 personnel but also over a dozen Ji representatives.

Luo Wen and several intelligent entities watched the Troi fleet’s slow advance, accompanied by an escort of Primordial bodies, deep in thought.

“Overlord,” said Morgan, his tone tinged with concern, “according to the Troi Civilization, the Ji’s nearest garrison point is about 100 light-years away. If they departed fifteen years ago, right after Bular left, then their warp drive technology must allow for speeds of at least seven light-years per year.”

Morgan, who had been responsible for Swarm research and rarely participated in military operations, was present now due to the need for analytical insights rather than combat. In addition to the Blades, several research-oriented intelligent entities were also in attendance.

The implications of such technological advancements were alarming. For comparison, the Troi fleet’s fastest warships could only reach speeds of about two light-years per year. A speed advantage of nearly three times would be magnified exponentially in an interstellar war.

In a single star system, such mobility might not significantly impact the outcome. But in wars spanning multiple or even dozens of star systems, this mobility advantage would allow the Ji to consistently outmaneuver and outnumber their opponents in localized engagements, even if weaponry and radar technology were similar.

The Swarm’s current propulsion technology lagged far behind the Ji. If the Ji were to take direct action, it would only be a matter of time before the Swarm, no matter how many star systems it controlled, was annihilated.

“Overlord, perhaps the situation isn’t as dire as it seems,” said Covi, a propulsion expert who had overseen the development of the rocket engines that first launched Luo Wen into space.

“Oh? What’s your reasoning?” Luo Wen asked with interest. Maintaining the individuality of each intelligent entity was precisely to gather diverse perspectives in such situations.

“Overlord, if the Ji truly arrived on their own ships, why didn’t they assemble directly outside our territory? Why first rendezvous with the Troi fleet before coming here?” Covi pointed out.

Luo Wen nodded, understanding Covi’s reasoning. While many civilizations within the Interstellar Technological Confederation were initially influenced by Ji ship designs, significant differences in ship aesthetics had developed over time. Each civilization’s fleet typically exhibited distinctive designs.

However, the Troi fleet currently in Swarm territory lacked any such individuality. Its ships were uniform in appearance, and no vessels displayed the characteristic style of Ji ships—something the Swarm was somewhat familiar with.

This suggested that the Ji personnel had not arrived in their own ships but had traveled alongside the Troi fleet.

There were several possible explanations for this. One was the earlier hypothesis that when Bular reported back, the Ji representatives had departed from their garrison point. For reasons unknown, they first traveled to the Troi fleet’s location before accompanying them on this diplomatic mission.

The second possibility was that when Bular departed from the Troi fleet—or perhaps even while the Troi fleet was still en route to Swarm territory—the Ji had already begun their journey to rendezvous at a predetermined assembly point. ℞âŊȱᛒЕᶊ

Although this hypothesis differed from the first in terms of timing, the implications were vastly different. If the second hypothesis were true, the Ji’s technological capabilities might not be as advanced as previously imagined.

Of course, there was yet another possibility: that the Ji representatives had been part of the Troi fleet from the very beginning, accompanying them from their point of departure. This scenario could not be ruled out either.

“It seems we’ll have to rely on Danton to probe them,” Luo Wen concluded.

The process of the Swarm joining the Interstellar Technological Confederation, along with finalizing agreements with the Troi Civilization, turned out to be far more complex than expected. During the initial negotiations, Bular had suggested leaving behind a small team to begin drafting less controversial clauses for efficiency’s sake.

However, the Swarm had no interest in saving time. Luo Wen, in fact, preferred to delay the process as much as possible.

Using excuses such as the Swarm’s limited personnel and inability to host long-term visitors, as well as requesting that the Troi Civilization send higher-ranking representatives as a sign of respect, Luo Wen rejected Bular’s proposal.

Bular realized that unless he himself stayed behind, the warship equipped with Quantum Communication Systems would have to leave, rendering any discussion by remaining personnel largely pointless.

Furthermore, if he were to stay, his limited authority would require him to relay messages back and forth—a tiring process that would not only hinder his ability to report his success but also delay his recognition back home. Ultimately, he decided not to press the matter further.

The result was favorable for the Swarm. The delay far exceeded Luo Wen’s expectations, and during the fifteen years since, the Swarm had launched countless biological seed pods into space. These pods drifted in the void, waiting to be captured by gravitational sources, where they could root and grow.

At the same time, two more star systems in the Outer-ring had become home to Swarm entities basking in the stellar energy of their suns. Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

For now, all Luo Wen needed was time—the more, the better.

As the Confederation diplomatic team disembarked from their ships, Luo Wen observed a group of towering, 300-pound individuals escorting a few humanoid aliens of varying shapes. These, he surmised, were representatives of the so-called New Ji Race.

“Hmph, so this is the Swarm? How utterly primitive!” remarked one of the humanoids, whose pale blue skin and height bore some resemblance to the Rikens.

However, unlike the Rikens, this being had a rounded head, gill-like plates on the sides of his cheeks, and webbed fingers, giving him the appearance of an evolved mackerel.

“Kant, stop complaining. Didn’t you review the files before we came? The Swarm has always been like this,” another member of the delegation responded with mild exasperation.

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