I Am The Swarm

“T81 Star System—the Riken designation for the Swarm’s origin system—shows a steady dimming of its star’s brightness. Each year, the luminosity decreases by approximately 0.26%. Could this indicate the presence of a highly advanced civilization constructing a Dyson Sphere to harness stellar energy?” A Riken official exclaimed in shock as he reviewed the data. “This change has been ongoing for decades?”

“Their progress is far ahead of ours!” The Riken had only just begun experimenting with similar structures, and even those efforts were in their infancy. By contrast, the technology employed by the other side appeared far more advanced and mature.

“The T81 Star System is roughly five light-years from T85, about the same distance as ours.”

“It’s nine light-years away from us. Luckily, the T85 Star System acts as a buffer. Otherwise, we’d be in serious trouble. It seems their technological level is slightly higher than ours…”

“For them to reach us, they’d first have to get through the Swarm. Why haven’t they attacked the T85 Star System? Doing so might force the Swarm to withdraw. Maybe we should consider sending an envoy to this civilization. There’s a chance we could form an alliance against the Swarm.”

“Did you forget what President Antonio just said? Haven’t you considered the possibility that the civilization in the T81 Star System might also be part of the Swarm?” Ricard could no longer restrain himself.

At Ricard’s words, the room fell into stunned silence.

If the T81 Star System was indeed under Swarm control, the implications were dire. This would suggest the Swarm had already conquered two or more star systems, exponentially increasing their access to strategic resources and introducing countless new variables into the equation.

Currently, the Swarm forces assaulting the Riken Star System were only from the T85 Star System. If the Swarm controlled multiple systems, it was likely other forces from additional systems were en route, hindered only by the vast distances involved.

The Rikens were already struggling to contend with forces from a single Swarm-occupied system. If reinforcements from additional systems arrived, surrender might become their only option.

This was no idle alarmism but a genuine crisis staring the Rikens in the face. According to projections from the General Staff, if reinforcements were indeed coming from the T81 Star System, the Swarm’s highest demonstrated travel speeds suggested they would require about 50 years to reach the Riken Star System.

Since the Riken Expeditionary Force’s defeat in the T85 Star System, over 40 years had passed. This meant that if the Swarm occupied the T81 Star System, reinforcements from there could arrive within just a few years.

Such a scenario rendered the previously discussed delay tactics laughable. The T81 Star System had likely been under Swarm occupation for a considerable duration.

Judging by the changes in the star’s luminosity, it could be inferred that the Swarm had been consolidating its power there for a long time. Any reinforcements from the T81 system would likely dwarf the forces currently attacking from T85.

If the Swarm forces from both systems encircled the Rikens, their defenses would collapse in no time.

The only slight consolation was that, apart from the T81 Star System, the other systems in the T85 region were over ten light-years away from the Riken Star System. Even if those systems had also fallen to the Swarm, any dispatched forces would not arrive in the Riken Star System for quite some time.

This meant the Rikens might face attacks from only two Swarm-occupied systems in the short term—a grim prospect but, compared to earlier fears, perhaps a faint silver lining.

“It seems we have no choice now.”

Though the Rikens had resolved to take decisive action, the Swarm was displaying exceptional caution. A massive number of Mature Bodies and Larval Bodies had been deployed, but the Primordial bodies remained lurking hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from Planet Izumo.

“This distance is already beyond what can be considered safe. I think it’s time to activate.”

“I believe we can wait a little longer. At their current position, if they retreat in time, their losses won’t be significant.”

“That’s not guaranteed. There are too many unpredictable factors in this plan, and even we don’t know the exact extent of its effects.”

“Do you think our plan has been leaked?”

“How could that be? After all, they’ve already ventured deep into our territory. It’s natural for them to act cautiously.”

“Then let’s wait a bit longer. Our preparations shouldn’t be so easily discovered.”

—

“Are we being too cautious? This doesn’t quite align with our usual style,” Sarah Kerrigan remarked, reading the report in front of her.

“It does feel that way, but our forces are already positioned at the outermost orbit of Planet Izumo. There’s no real issue,” Morgan replied after some thought.

“Then let’s send 500 Primordial bodies as a token move. If we don’t advance, the Rikens won’t activate their plan, and we’ll just be wasting time.”

“Your Majesty, delaying seems to align with our strategic goals,” said Tella, the former Captain of the Royal Guard, with a hint of doubt.

“That was the case before, but the Overlord has some new ideas now,” Sarah patiently explained to Tella, someone very close to her.

Tella nodded in understanding. Sarah, as always, had direct access to first-hand information from the Overlord.

“They’re moving!” A Riken observer, monitoring the Primordial bodies’ movements, exclaimed.

“How many?”

“They’re cloaked, and their clustering causes gravitational-wave interference. We can only estimate—around 500.”

“That’s a bit low,” a Riken officer muttered, unwilling to speculate further. He promptly reported the information, as decisions were above his pay grade.

“500 units? Should we activate?”

“Activate. Our setup is on the verge of being discovered. Dragging this out any longer is pointless. Besides, even if we activate now, it will take some time. More Swarm forces might approach in the meantime.”

Planet Izumo, a massive gas giant, was riddled with intense hurricanes and lightning storms. Igniting this behemoth required one of two methods.

The first method involved increasing the planet’s mass. If its mass reached 80 to 100 times its current size, the gravitational force would compress the planetary core enough to trigger hydrogen fusion, transforming the gas giant into a new star, radiating light and heat. However, this method was far beyond the technological capabilities of the Riken at present.

The second method was far more practical.

Planet Izumo’s atmosphere was rich in flammable hydrogen gas. The reason it hadn’t yet exploded into a fiery ball was the lack of a crucial reactant—oxygen.

The Rikens, native to their star system and long familiar with Planet Izumo, had discovered large quantities of solid oxygen in the depths of the planet’s moons. By extracting and injecting these oxygen-rich solids into Planet Izumo, they could trigger a massive explosion. While igniting the entire gas giant into a star was far-fetched, initiating a devastating explosion was well within reach.

If the plan succeeded, the explosion would deal catastrophic damage to the Swarm forces, potentially neutralizing their current offensive.

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