I Am The Swarm

Although Difeck’s reasoning made sense, Viller still had an intuition that the Swarm wouldn’t simply give up the encirclement they had worked so hard to create. They must have a greater plan in mind.

But what could it be? After hearing Difeck’s explanation, Viller also felt that his earlier speculation was somewhat fantastical. How could the Swarm have prepared for something that hadn’t even been decided yet?

Moreover, such plans were highly confidential. Even if a decision had been made, the Swarm couldn’t have obtained the information before the plan was fully executed. Only high-ranking officials would have access to such details, and the Swarm couldn’t possibly offer enough benefits to lure them into betrayal.

And even if the Swarm could offer astronomical rewards, would those high-ranking officials not understand the strength of those powerful civilizations? The strength of the Ji race? Even if they were offered mountains of wealth, they’d still need to be alive to enjoy it. Therefore, Viller didn’t believe there could be traitors within their ranks.

So, could the Swarm have relied on external reconnaissance methods?

The Ji race’s previous reports had mentioned that the Swarm could deploy reconnaissance units disguised as asteroids. Therefore, during defensive preparations, the coalition adopted a “better safe than sorry” approach, destroying any suspicious asteroids.

Perhaps the Swarm had other reconnaissance methods—this was highly likely. Because Viller was 99.99% certain that the Swarm had detected the coalition’s assembly here.

It was possible that the Swarm had noticed the coalition’s movements as soon as they set out from LKDW262. After all, large-scale troop movements were difficult to conceal. But even if that were the case, it had been less than a year since then.

A year wasn’t enough time for the Swarm to redirect their forces from LKDW265 and 267 to this location.

Seeing Viller’s expression, Difeck offered rare words of comfort: “Stop overthinking it, Viller! I understand how you feel. You’ve been through a lot these past few days. Since you’re here at the command center, why not stay and rest? You can withdraw with the main forces later.”

Viller had come with only one flagship. While the ship was formidable in one-on-one combat, its impact in a battle involving tens of millions of ships was negligible. Moreover, his constant movement disrupted the formation. For example, his departure from the rear forces’ formation had caused quite a stir.

This operation was clearly a failure. Although Difeck believed his command wasn’t at fault—the enemy was simply too strong and cunning, and their allies too weak—someone would have to take responsibility for the defeat. As the coalition commander, he was the obvious candidate.

However, as a member of the Troi race, he wouldn’t face severe punishment—at most, a demotion or reduction in authority. Viller, on the other hand, was a high-ranking Troi officer. Being sidelined in this operation had inadvertently spared him from accountability. After this, Viller might even outrank him. Therefore, offering a small favor now to build goodwill was an excellent choice for Difeck.

Viller nodded in acknowledgment of Difeck’s gesture. He did need rest, and he planned to use this time to review the Swarm’s data again.

Meanwhile, the battle continued. After driving away the coalition’s flank forces, the Swarm halted their pursuit and turned back toward the central forces.

As for the scattered flank units, Difeck couldn’t reorganize them quickly. Instead, he allowed them to operate independently by race, harassing the Swarm as they saw fit.

To further complicate matters for the Swarm, he even mobilized the foreign fleets resting near the command center.

Surprisingly, this approach seemed to rejuvenate the multi-civilizational forces. Their coordination and combat effectiveness improved significantly, increasing their overall strength by at least 20%.

Facing the coalition’s flank counterattacks, the Swarm reacted swiftly. The forces that had turned toward the central battlefield now reversed course. However, the coalition’s newfound flexibility made them more elusive. They adopted guerrilla tactics, engaging when they could and retreating when they couldn’t, frustrating the Swarm.

Unfortunately, their overall skill level was lacking. While their maneuvers looked impressive, they didn’t gain much of an advantage.

On the central front, after relentless efforts, the coalition’s front and rear forces finally linked up. The rear forces commander briefly acknowledged the front forces’ arrival but quickly refused their request to integrate into the formation, citing the difficulty of large-scale adjustments. Instead, he ordered the front forces to cover the rear as the rear forces turned around and began their retreat.

Since the flank forces had been routed earlier, some Swarm units had slipped behind the chaotic central forces, blocking the rear forces’ escape route.

The front forces commander was seething with anger. They had fought hard to break through, suffering nearly 80% casualties, and the remaining ships were in poor condition, their combat effectiveness questionable.

Yet, in this state, the rear forces commander had the audacity to deny them entry into the formation for rest and repair, instead assigning them the dangerous task of covering the retreat.

During a retreat, the rearguard faced the fiercest attacks. His forces had been fighting nonstop for over a month, and their systems were severely worn, in desperate need of maintenance. Now, they were being forced to endure another round of intense combat. The front forces commander felt a pang of despair. Even if they made it back, there wouldn’t be much left of the front forces.

But he had no choice. While the foreign forces’ demands were harsh, they were still allies and wouldn’t attack him. The Swarm, on the other hand, would show no mercy. It was a case of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Just as his frustration peaked, he noticed that the Swarm’s pursuit had weakened significantly. He quickly checked the real-time data and confirmed that the change, noticeable even to the naked eye, was substantial.

——

The data showed that the Swarm’s firepower had decreased by 30% and was still dropping rapidly. The front forces commander was puzzled. Had the Swarm had a change of heart? Were they showing mercy?

All radar and detection systems were activated at full power to gather data and determine the cause of the Swarm’s reduced firepower. However, interference from the EMP and energy surges made the effort largely futile.

Ironically, it was simple optical observation, which required no energy, that provided the key insight. The previously dense swarm of Swarm units blocking the void now had gaps through which starlight could be seen!

“The Swarm’s forces are thinning out? Are they withdrawing? Are they really showing mercy?” The front forces commander was filled with questions. If the Swarm continued their pursuit, they would undoubtedly gain the upper hand. Giving up now could only mean they were holding back.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Swarm showing mercy—it was his own wishful thinking.

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