I Am The Swarm

The Riken Star System had its primary planet, the fourth one, designated as the Riken homeworld. The fifth planet was named Riven, and the sixth, Riwu.

One stood for civility, the other for strength—together, they guarded the homeworld.

The returning expedition fleet began disbanding upon reaching Riwu’s orbit. A portion of the fleet remained stationed there for repairs and upgrades, while the rest continued to Riven’s orbit, where they were entirely stationed.

The captains, officers, and staff of the ships traveled to Riken aboard small transport vessels, relinquishing their military authority in a peaceful transfer before returning home.

For defeated soldiers, no grand welcoming ceremony awaited them. President Antonio met them discreetly.

The endless expanse of space, while awe-inspiring and beautiful, can grow tiresome after years or even decades of unchanging scenery.

As a result, casual chatter became the best way to pass the time.

However, onboard, either people were in hibernation, or everyone was similarly cut off from external information for decades, leading to high redundancy in conversations.

No secret could remain hidden for long in such a closed environment.

Take the Longevity Plant as an example. Originally known only to the top command and research teams, the knowledge of it somehow leaked. Within a few years, this top-secret information became common gossip.

Even the reclusive engineering and maintenance teams on the ships had enough details to voice their opinions on the matter.

Thus, communications with the homeworld became the sole source of new conversational material for the expedition fleet.

As the fleet drew closer to Riken, communication delays shortened, and energy costs lessened, leading to increasingly frequent “chats” between the two sides.

The fleet had spent nearly 30 years traveling to the T85 Star System, only to stay less than a year before being driven out. They then spent another 20-plus years traveling back through the void.

This meant their information reserves were scarce, and after a few exchanges, the topics ran dry. For the most part, it was the homeworld providing them with a one-sided stream of updates.

This saved significant time in President Antonio’s discussions with General Masai and other returning officers.

The meeting ended quickly, and its contents were undisclosed. Shortly afterward, Dr. Balt was carefully escorted from Riven’s orbit to Riken’s surface.

During the more than two decades of travel, Dr. Balt’s team had not rested. They were dedicated to researching the Longevity Plant.

However, most of the advanced equipment initially carried by the expedition fleet had been transported to the T853 Planet base. When the retreat came, the equipment had to be hastily destroyed to prevent enemy capture.

As a result, there were no suitable replacements on board. This made the already rudimentary research environment even worse. Although they managed to bring back relatively portable samples of the Longevity Plant during the retreat, providing ample experimental materials, their progress over more than two decades was unimpressive.

Dr. Balt’s team included many members who were neither specialists in the relevant fields nor enthusiastic about conducting research without proper equipment. Even Dr. Balt himself was, strictly speaking, an outsider to the field.

Dr. Balt had raised these concerns with General Masai, but amidst the competing interests, their opinions were ultimately ignored. The team was still forbidden from entering hibernation and was assigned research tasks under duress.

This led to dissatisfaction and resistance among many team members. Some even deliberately wasted experimental materials out of spite.

Over 20 years, the original stockpile of over 20 tons of Longevity Plants, including roots and fruit, had dwindled to less than 2 tons.

General Masai, who not only lost the war but also allowed critical resources to be squandered, was relieved of his military duties after his meeting with the President. Thanks to backing from his allies, he avoided a court-martial.

The Longevity Plants were handed over to President Antonio’s faction. After completing a handover and having all their research data extracted, Dr. Balt and his team were promptly removed from the project.

A new team, comprised of more specialized personnel, was formed. With over 3,000 members, this team was better funded and equipped with precision instruments as needed.

It was said that several senior professors in the new team fainted with excitement after reviewing the Longevity Plant data. When they learned that the original experimental stock was more than ten times what remained, wasted by Dr. Balt’s team, they fainted again.

Upon regaining consciousness, the professors managed to compose themselves. Had Dr. Balt’s team not already been reassigned, there might have been severe consequences.

The new team was exceptionally efficient. They quickly assimilated the research results from Dr. Balt’s 20-plus years of work and began making significant advancements.

It was believed that tangible breakthroughs would soon be achieved.

Meanwhile, of the more than 2 million personnel returning with the fleet, all but the heavy criminals and death-row convicts from the initial crew were gradually sent back to Riken in batches.

These individuals, though defeated, had endured decades of hardship and were not without merit. Additionally, they were connected to complex power networks. Even the rank-and-file soldiers had families who had eagerly awaited their return.

Any mistreatment of these individuals might have caused internal collapse before any external alien threat could arrive.

“Foolish little sister, you’ve finally returned. I heard you encountered some mishaps this time? Almost got eaten by a beast? Hopefully, this experience has helped you mature a little.” The elder sister, though worried about her sibling’s ordeal, had initially considered hijacking a warship to rush to the T85 Star System. Yet, when it came to expressing her concern, the words took a different turn.

“Eh? Are you mom’s sister? I don’t think we’ve ever met. You look at least 50 years older than me!” The younger sister’s sharp response immediately made the elder sister wish the beast had finished the job.

Despite this exchange, both smiled, and the five-decade gap between them melted away.

“Though you remain as annoying as ever, seeing you like this puts my mind at ease. It seems you’ve indeed grown.”

“Ah, it was an unforgettable experience,” the younger sister said, her eyes filled with reminiscence, as if recalling a great being. She emphasized again, “An experience you absolutely cannot imagine.”

Though the elder sister looked intrigued, Lieutenant Colonel Cross wasn’t inclined to elaborate further. Instead, she said:

“Old woman, despite our rough return, we brought back some good stuff.” She spoke about the Longevity Plant: “You better seize this opportunity. I hear the materials are running out. To stay my sister, you’ll need to look even younger.”

“If you’d change how you address me, I might like you more. But for now, you should rest. Leave the rest to me.”

“And how about your research? Have you reverse-engineered anything good over the years?” Cross asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“It’s a secret!” came the usual answer.

“Meh.”

The sisters chatted for a while longer before the elder sibling hurried off, clearly still busy. Even visiting her sister had been squeezed into her packed schedule.

Watching her leave, Cross’s gaze turned playful. “Foolish ‘sister,’ how could two species truly become siblings? I can’t wait for the day you once again become my ‘sister.’ Then you’ll understand just how wonderful this world truly is.”

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