I Am The Swarm

On the side of the Koya Alliance, it seemed they were determined to play the role of a turtle hiding in its shell. Since their current image had already sunk to its lowest point, they chose to focus on preserving their strength.

Thus, in the northern regions, they unhesitatingly abandoned several star systems that were still under development.

[T/N: Had to check if north, south etc are a thing in space and it seems like it is but not the way the author has used it here. Just thought I’d give you a heads up.]

In the main battlefield, the Daqi Empire had originally controlled three star systems. After the Qi 101 Star System and Qi 102 Star System were occupied by the Swarm, the adjacent Qi 103 Star System became the front line of the war.

Although the Swarm did not attack this system at the time, the evacuation here had occurred simultaneously with that of Qi 101 and Qi 102. With more buffer time, the area was now entirely deserted. Anything that could be transported was taken away, and anything that could not was destroyed, leaving an air of desolation.

Unlike the other two star systems, no resistance forces were left behind here. The policy of non-resistance was carried out to its extreme.

However, the Swarm, launching from these three star systems, mobilized hundreds of millions of troops and was naturally not satisfied with occupying just one star system. Several other star systems near Qi 103 were also part of the Swarm’s strategic targets this time.

The Koya Alliance was fully aware of this and had already begun evacuations when they anticipated the Swarm’s moves.

Even though the related member races suffering losses felt as if their hearts were bleeding, they had no choice but to swallow their pride. After all, when the decision to abandon the Daqi Empire had been made, they had also nodded in agreement. Now that it was their turn, there was no reason to object. They could only grit their teeth and endure.

Fortunately, as the battle lines advanced deeper into the Interstellar Technological Confederation, the civilizations encountered grew older and stronger. The races now forced to abandon their territories were significantly more powerful than the Daqi Empire. For them, giving up one or two star systems was not enough to cause fatal damage.

Moreover, in their view, this was only a temporary concession. Since the Swarm’s attack on the Riken Star System, nearly 30 years had passed.

The process of occupying a new star system required a long time, and after occupation, several more years were needed for digestion. During this period, they could manufacture and gather more forces and receive reinforcements.

By the time the Swarm made its next move, they would be ready to deliver a fierce counterattack.

Thanks to the Koya Alliance’s “cooperation,” the Swarm forces advanced triumphantly, sequentially occupying the Qi 103 Star System and the star systems labeled LKDW281, 277, 279, and 275, a total of five star systems.

As the Koya Alliance predicted, the Swarm forces faced logistical difficulties after occupying five star systems and paused to regroup.

The plan unfolded as expected, with no deviations, allowing the members of the Koya Alliance to breathe a sigh of relief.

At this point, the pressure shifted to the Locke Mutual Aid Society.

“The Swarm has now split into four directions and is advancing toward our side. The total number of troops is unknown, but conservative estimates place it at over 400 million.”

“Fortunately, that number is within our predictions.”

“But what should we do now? It seems the Swarm hasn’t been intimidated by our actions.”

“All this is because of those scoundrels in the Koya Alliance! If they hadn’t stirred things up, the Swarm might not have come to attack us.”

“It’s useless to talk about this now. Let’s focus on figuring out how to respond.”

“Do you think the Swarm might just be bluffing? Their goal could be to force us to withdraw voluntarily, just like what happened with the Koya Alliance.”

“That’s not entirely out of the question. I believe if we can avoid a fight, we should do so. The Swarm is like a broken vessel, aware their time is limited. We can’t let ourselves go down with them.”

“Exactly. When the Swarm fights under these circumstances, they’ll undoubtedly go all out. Perhaps we should follow the Koya Alliance’s example.”

On the Locke Mutual Aid Society’s side, ever since the second discussion meeting, many voices opposing war had emerged. Some member factions, located far from the border, calculated that with the Swarm’s current pace of attack, it might not threaten them even a hundred years from now.

Initially, they had only supported the proposal because they thought it was about waving flags and gaining military strength. They expected to modernize their fleets and receive compensation or benefits later. However, now that the conflict seemed imminent, resistance naturally arose. Under the instigation of certain interested parties, some factions started dragging their feet and throwing cold water on the plans.

“At this critical juncture, you still dare to dream! Confronting the Swarm was a decision made by the Locke Mutual Aid Society through a vote. And now, we are in a state of war. If you continue with this nonsense, you’ll find yourselves facing a military tribunal.”

The pro-war faction rebuked the anti-war faction with sharp words. Given that the pro-war faction’s authority had reached its peak during wartime, the anti-war faction also feared arbitrary purges. Thus, they reluctantly fell silent.

As for how they would complete their tasks after the war, there would be plenty of ways to handle that.

With the tone reset, the discussion resumed, shifting to substantial tactical deliberations.

“Our primary task now is to decide whether the alliance should take the initiative to strike or remain on the defensive.”

“While the Swarm, as the attacker, has the advantage in numbers, deploying their forces properly will still take several years. Meanwhile, although our total strength is inferior, as the defenders, we can exploit tactical advantages to effectively fight them with fewer resources.”

“Precisely. If we can locate the Swarm’s assembly points and strike their forces before they fully mobilize, their numbers, no matter how large, won’t withstand sustained attrition.”

“So, you’re suggesting a proactive offensive?”

“It seems to be the only viable path. If we wait for the Swarm to fully assemble, our advantages will vanish.”

“Indeed, staying on the defensive now would just be a slow death.”

“Then let’s strike first. Deploy all our reconnaissance units to locate the Swarm’s assembly points, and eliminate them one by one.”

“We can also seek assistance from the New Ji Race. Even if they’re unwilling to intervene directly, they could at least provide intelligence support.”

“Noted. I’ll take responsibility for contacting them after the meeting.”

“There’s another issue we must address. The forces currently assembled are insufficient for us to hold four fronts simultaneously. If we divide the alliance into four groups, each will only have around 30 million warships. If these forces fail to eliminate Swarm assembly points in a short period, any prolonged engagements could leave them encircled and devoured by the Swarm’s reinforcements.”

“That’s indeed a problem. While 30 million warships seem like a large force, if the Swarm employs multiple assembly points, these numbers won’t sustain repeated splits. If we let the Swarm amass their numbers, we’ll be in for a tough fight.”

“So, what’s your proposal?”

“Split the alliance into two groups. Each would command over 60 million warships, leveraging absolute numerical superiority to hold two star systems firmly.”

“I understand your reasoning, but what about the other two star systems?”

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