I Am The Swarm

Though Bular spoke with confidence, even with a firm grasp of the situation, he couldn’t help feeling a hint of unease until the task was fully accomplished. Of course, such apprehension was something he would never show outwardly.

This mission was one he had volunteered for, and at less than a century old, Bular had already been promoted to the rank of major general—a rare achievement at his age.

To continue advancing, however, there were only two viable paths: gaining seniority or achieving great merit. Bular was highly ambitious, aspiring to climb even higher, and therefore saw no value in simply waiting to accumulate seniority.

The Troi Empire, though a powerful force within the Outer-ring civilizations, was generally stable despite having a few enemies and latent threats, leaving few opportunities for major accomplishments.

This mission to “invite” the Rat Folk and Swarm into the Confederation was just such an opportunity. However, General Viller, the supreme commander of the expedition, decided against using the traditional coercive methods of invitation this time, opting instead for a genuine diplomatic approach.

While Bular understood Viller’s reasoning, it dashed his hopes of earning distinction through a triumphant military engagement. Forced to take a different route to success, Bular seized on the chance to distinguish himself.

At the time, General Viller sought an envoy of sufficient status to act as a liaison. Yet such a task—deep behind enemy lines—was one of the riskiest imaginable. Failure could easily mean death. While successful completion promised substantial recognition, the danger dissuaded most candidates, especially those of high rank who had little to gain and everything to lose.

As Viller continually raised the stakes, Bular stepped forward. Though his rank as brigadier general at the time technically fell short of the status ideal for this mission, in the absence of higher-ranked volunteers, Bular became the only viable choice.

Promoted to major general even before departing, Bular considered this a preemptive reward for the merits he was expected to earn, elevating his position to make him a more suitable representative.

In fact, Viller had initially proposed awarding Bular the full merits of the mission in advance, promoting him directly to lieutenant general.

This would not only reflect the Troi Empire’s respect for the diplomatic exchange but also acknowledge the mission’s inherent dangers—many doubted Bular would even survive to return. However, this plan met with fierce opposition and was ultimately shelved.

Despite this, Bular was more than satisfied. Opportunities to rise two ranks above major general were exceedingly rare, and such missions were virtually one in a million. Though the mission appeared perilous, Bular’s analysis and instincts led him to believe the risks were not as high as they seemed.

Once the fleet departed, he remained on edge, prepared to flee at the first sign of trouble. Better to face a military tribunal than lose his life. Yet as the detachment passed uneventfully through the outer regions of the Golden Horn and White Grub Systems, his confidence grew. It seemed the odds were in his favor.

The primary limitation of the basic warp drive technology was its instability. The warp bubble it generated lacked sufficient stability, making it highly susceptible to external interference. Interception was relatively straightforward: an unstable gravitational field generated ahead of the ship’s trajectory could disrupt the warp bubble, either forcing the warship out of warp or, in severe cases, disintegrating it entirely.

However, while the concept seemed simple, execution required advanced technology. First, the ability to detect fleets traveling within warp bubbles was essential—if you couldn’t even “see” them, interception was out of the question.

Second, the ability to precisely calculate their trajectory and position was critical. Due to differences in warp drive technology across civilizations—and even between production stages and manufacturing facilities within the same civilization—each engine’s performance varied. These disparities made prediction and interception exceedingly complex.

For Bular, this variability was a small reassurance. Unless the Swarm had achieved parity with warp drive technology, they couldn’t intercept the fleet, and thus far, intelligence suggested the Swarm lacked such capabilities.

However, the possibility of encountering the unexpected always loomed, and Bular’s instincts—though often reliable—left room for doubt. Nevertheless, as the detachment drew closer to their destination, he allowed himself a measure of cautious optimism.

If a warship’s speed cannot be precisely calculated, determining its position becomes meaningless. Describing this as “missing by a mile” wouldn’t even begin to capture the issue—at speeds measured in light-years per hour, a warship could travel millions of kilometers in the blink of an eye.

Even after pinpointing a target’s location, successfully attacking it remains a monumental challenge. One approach is to set up a trap by calculating the ship’s trajectory in advance. However, this requires the trap to be highly concealed; if the target detects it even slightly ahead of time, the warship can make a minor course adjustment, and within seconds, it will deviate by tens or even hundreds of thousands of kilometers from its original path.

To account for such potential deviations, the trap would need either a massive range or immense destructive power. Yet, such measures would inherently compromise its stealth, creating a paradoxical challenge.

The alternative is direct interception, the preferred method in advanced civilization warfare. This approach relies on a technological advantage—for instance, if Party A’s warship travels at twice the speed of light, but Party B’s gravitational bombs can move at three times the speed of light, Party B can catch up with Party A’s ship and force it to exit its warp bubble.

Thus, the ease of interference only applies to the technologically superior side. As technological advancements continue, the weaker side may find themselves unable even to escape when faced with overwhelming superiority.

However, this doesn’t mean the technologically inferior side has no chance against a superior foe. Before warp drive technology reaches a certain maturity, star systems remain challenging terrain due to their numerous gravitational sources, which serve as natural interference traps.  Unstable warp bubbles are highly fragile in the presence of such gravitational forces.

In such environments, if the weaponry of both sides is somewhat evenly matched, the technologically weaker side still has a fighting chance. Of course, if the stronger side’s capabilities are vastly superior—such as resolving all issues of warp bubble stability—their warships can maintain high speeds even within a star system, leaving the weaker side utterly outclassed.

Yet Bular couldn’t shake a lingering doubt. The Swarm was unlikely to have reached such an advanced level of warp drive technology, yet his intuition insisted they could intercept Troi warships traveling within warp bubbles.

Though he had great confidence in his instincts, he knew that if this guess was wrong, the mission’s true challenge would come next. Clearing this hurdle would be crucial to ensuring the success of the operation.

As the Troi fleet neared the asteroid belt at the outskirts of the Genesis System, the ships exited their warp bubbles of their own accord. This was not only to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings but also because Troi’s basic warp technology was incapable of functioning properly within star systems.

This marked the mission’s second major hurdle. In the sub-light speed environment of the star system, their fleet lacked a firepower advantage and was outnumbered. Even with a slight speed advantage, they could easily be encircled by the Swarm’s massive forces.

Whether the Swarm truly intended to negotiate or not would soon become evident.

As the Troi warships slowed down and cautiously passed through the asteroid belt, they silenced all weapon and radar systems.

Bular was gambling, knowing full well that this move cost them some face. But in another civilization’s territory, keeping weapons charged and indiscriminately sweeping with radar would be an egregious breach of etiquette, potentially viewed as outright provocation.

If they genuinely wanted to negotiate, it was better to adopt the most humble posture possible.

For Bular, the priority was completing the mission and returning home alive—any loss of pride in the process was a small price to pay.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!