I Am The Swarm

At this moment, the Daqi Fleet had completed its turnaround. The repulsion fields at the bow opened, while the primary thrusters at the stern surged to higher power levels, emitting energy streams over a hundred meters long.

The fleet began accelerating. By the time the swarm’s electromagnetic railguns were recharged, the fleet might already be out of their effective range.

Fate, however, has a cruel sense of humor.

The drone swarm and wreckage served as near-perfect shields, yet a few electromagnetic projectiles still broke through the layered obstacles and struck Daqi warships. Though these impacts often deviated from their original targets, their effects were no less devastating.

Prince Diallo’s flagship, which had led the charge at the front during the initial assault, now found itself at the rear of the retreat. One electromagnetic projectile, its trajectory altered by multiple collisions, veered off course and struck the flagship’s left main thruster housing at an unusually sharp angle, breaching its defenses and causing some damage to the exhaust port.

Initially, the damage could have been repaired with minimal effort. Unfortunately, this coincided with the thruster increasing its output, amplifying the damage to the exhaust port and triggering a series of chain reactions.

Ultimately, the entire left thruster exploded. The blast not only destroyed several adjacent compartments and auxiliary thrusters but also disrupted the central main thruster’s circuitry. While it didn’t detonate, the central thruster’s power output could no longer be increased and eventually shut down entirely.

The remaining right thruster, operating at full power, caused the flagship to swerve violently due to the sudden imbalance.

The violent shockwave from the left thruster’s explosion threw both Prince Diallo and Aslit to the ground. By the time they scrambled to their feet, still shaken, the bad news arrived.

“Your Highness, the left main thruster is completely destroyed. Given the equipment we have on board, it’s nearly impossible to repair it independently. The central thruster’s issues are primarily with its wiring, but repairs would require the ship to remain stationary and powered down. Additionally, several auxiliary thrusters have sustained varying degrees of damage,” Aslit reported after quickly gathering the information.

“How long will it take?” Diallo asked grimly.

“Approximately… approximately two days,” Aslit replied hesitantly.

“Hah.” Diallo let out a bitter laugh.

Among the fleet, only about a dozen warships had suffered severe damage from two rounds of the swarm’s railgun salvos, and yet his flagship was among them. It was infuriating.

“Can we escape using just the right thruster?”

“It will be difficult,” Aslit said, her voice tinged with unease as she noticed Diallo’s menacing expression. “If the other sections of the stern were intact, we could potentially keep up with the fleet using only the right thruster. But now that the entire left side of the stern is destroyed, the ship’s structural integrity has been compromised. Forcing the right thruster to operate at full power could result in catastrophic chain reactions…”

“Huff… huff… huff…” Diallo took several deep breaths, trying to suppress his frustration. “Abandon ship! Transfer everyone to the Doria immediately!”

Prince Diallo acted decisively, though he had little choice.

Having already issued the order for independent disengagement, the other warships, once their trajectories were adjusted and flight paths recalculated, wasted no time. They powered up and surged away without hesitation. Even those that noticed the flagship’s damage stuck to the original orders, proceeding as planned in the absence of further instructions.

Diallo could have overridden his previous command, ordering the fleet to stay and cover the flagship. However, slowing the fleet to match the flagship’s compromised speed would likely subject the entire formation to several additional salvos from the swarm’s railguns.

Even if they managed to escape the electromagnetic railguns’ effective range, the swarm’s reinforcements would likely arrive by then. If not, the swarm could still pursue them, closing the gap with ease. Once pinned down, the endless tide of the swarm would grind them into oblivion.

Rather than face such a dire scenario, Diallo considered revealing his identity. He believed that if he exposed who he was, the battle would end immediately. No matter how bold the swarm was, they would weigh the consequences carefully. He represented a force they could not afford to provoke.

Yet doing so after suffering such a humiliating defeat would weaken his position in subsequent negotiations. It would make him appear desperate, unable to stand his ground, diminishing his stature in the swarm’s eyes.

Worse, it would make him a laughingstock throughout the Confederation and even tarnish the reputation of the Daqi species.

In the history of the Confederation, no veteran civilization had ever been humiliated by a “newcomer” they were meant to integrate into their ranks. Diallo’s defeat at the hands of the swarm would be an unprecedented disgrace.

Unwilling to accept such an outcome, Diallo steeled himself. He resolved to avoid revealing his identity unless all other options were exhausted.

In fairness, his frustration was understandable. Had it been a typical “newcomer,” like the Rikens, their famed three fleets and Twin Star Defensive Zone would have been annihilated in the first volley of Crimson Kisses.

Without a mobile force to defend their homeworld’s fixed defenses, those installations wouldn’t even warrant the expenditure of additional missiles. Energy weapons, with their superior performance, could systematically obliterate such fortifications from a safe distance.

Once their defenses were completely dismantled, the Rikens would have been at Diallo’s mercy. Unfortunately for him, he faced the swarm—a relentless, overpowered adversary.

With no better alternative, Diallo made the hard decision to abandon his flagship.

The two escort ships, the Doria and the Chisaya, were his only viable options. The Chisaya, having shielded the flagship earlier, had sustained damage to its forward-right bow, including the loss of its reactive armor. Smoke occasionally leaked from its sealed compartments. The Doria, on the other hand, remained unscathed, making it the obvious choice for the transfer.

The transfer itself proceeded smoothly. The swarm’s railguns were still recharging, and the Laser-Eye Bugs lacked the range to threaten the operation. Under the protection of his escort team, Diallo and Aslit boarded a small, dedicated transport and crossed the void to the Doria in under 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, the flagship’s artificial intelligence had completed its upload, transferring full control to the Doria.

A scenario like this—abandoning the flagship—was covered by contingency plans in any advanced civilization’s military doctrine. Thus, the process unfolded with remarkable orderliness, devoid of chaos.

Once Diallo was safely aboard, smaller transport crafts began ferrying personnel from the flagship’s various compartments to nearby warships. Within just over ten minutes, more than 5,000 Daqi crew members had been evacuated. This occurred despite enduring another salvo from the swarm.

Fortunately, the earlier nuclear explosions had severely disrupted the swarm’s reconnaissance capabilities. Unaware that the Daqi Fleet had been reduced to just over a dozen stationary warships, the swarm relied on predictive targeting, firing based on past fleet behavior.

This miscalculation caused over 99% of the projectiles to miss entirely. The few that did align correctly were intercepted by wreckage and drones, achieving little.

At last, the remaining warships powered up and accelerated away from the battlefield. Behind them, the abandoned flagship erupted into a massive fireball, marking the end of its service.

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