I Am The Swarm

A heated discussion among the Riken councilors carried on for quite some time. Eventually, one of them remembered the presence of the military leaders in the room and hurriedly asked, “Admiral Heaton, what is the military’s perspective on this?”

The room instantly fell silent.

Over a dozen high-ranking military officers, all holding ranks of lieutenant general or higher, were in attendance. Since the Rikens had reached an accord with the Swarm, Admiral Heaton had stepped back from the frontlines and temporarily returned to the homeworld to recuperate. His immense prestige naturally qualified him to participate in this meeting, where he also served as the military’s spokesperson.

Until now, they had remained silent. But upon being directly addressed, Admiral Heaton did not hesitate to respond.

After taking a moment to think, he spoke slowly, “I believe doing nothing at all is the best course of action.”

“Why?” one councilor pressed, his tone sharp. “If we do nothing, won’t it give the Daqi and their backers the wrong impression?”

Several councilors and generals exchanged glances, mentally debating whether they should find a pretext to grant this person a seven-day “vacation.”

Admiral Heaton, however, showed no sign of taking offense at the councilor’s rude tone. He continued speaking calmly.

“Before taking action, you must first assess your own capabilities. Do you think the Swarm’s massive Space Octopi are wandering back and forth between the star and Izumo Star for no reason?”

As the Rikens sank into thought, Heaton elaborated, “The territory between those two Swarm bases happens to include our domain. Every time they pass through, it’s a show of force. Their intentions couldn’t be clearer—they’re telling us to live quietly and not meddle in things that don’t concern us.”

Noticing a few younger councilors, officers, and advisors bristling with indignation, Heaton chuckled.

“There’s no need to feel insulted or humiliated. In fact, I see this as a friendly warning from the Swarm. Given our current strength, we’re insignificant in the eyes of both the Swarm and this so-called Interstellar Technological Confederation. Neither of these behemoths will target us intentionally. The Daqi Empire, on the other hand, is the one we should be cautious of.”

—

“What? The Swarm still hasn’t responded?” Diallo exclaimed, his frustration mounting. It had been some time since the information broadcast, and his initial confidence was giving way to doubt and anxiety.

He had expected the Swarm, even if they didn’t agree immediately, to at least send a message seeking more details. Once communication was established, with his information advantage and the persuasive skills he had honed alongside his young consort, he was certain he could manipulate the Swarm as he wished.

However, the Swarm seemed utterly uninterested in his broadcast. Their lack of response completely disrupted his train of thought, rendering his subsequent plans useless.

“Your Highness, our supplies are running critically low. At the current rate of consumption, we can last no more than three months,” Aslit reminded him, standing by his side. The loss of their supply ships had placed them in an extremely precarious position.

“Has there been any response from the Rikens?” Diallo asked irritably, scratching his head in frustration.

Aslit, fully aware of Diallo’s temper, knew her response would only further provoke him. Still, she had no choice but to lightly shake her head.

“You didn’t mention our offer to them?” Diallo asked.

“I did. I proposed trading carrier-based fighters, but the Rikens weren’t interested. Later, I raised the stakes by offering data on improving the range and power of their energy cannons. The Rikens showed some interest but still refused to trade. Their stance is clear, it isn’t worth offending the Swarm for such a small gain.”

Previously, the Rikens had graciously provided a shipment of food to the Daqi fleet but subsequently cut off contact with Diallo’s forces. When Diallo failed to freeload further supplies, he resorted to offering trade goods. Almost immediately, the Rikens resumed communication.

But based on Aslit’s report, the negotiations had not gone well.

“Hah, ‘a small gain’? Greedy Rikens! Then what’s their asking price?” Diallo’s expression turned increasingly twisted.

Since the Rikens had reopened communication, they clearly wanted to negotiate—but…

“They want our repulsion field,” Aslit replied.

“What?!? Outrageous! Preposterous! They dare demand the Daqi Empire’s most advanced technology for a measly shipment of food! Aren’t they afraid we’ll annihilate them?” Diallo erupted.

His face cycled through confusion, shock, disbelief, and finally uncontrollable rage. He began shouting about reloading the Crimson Kiss and mobilizing his forces to destroy the Rikens while frantically scanning the room for something to vent his frustration on.

Unfortunately, the warship they were on was a standard vessel, devoid of unnecessary decorations. Perhaps his flagship would have provided him with more options for destruction.

Watching Diallo’s increasingly erratic behavior, Aslit quietly took two steps back. However, this movement caught the attention of Diallo, who was teetering on the edge of reason.

With a quick lunge, Diallo snatched the small handheld computer from Aslit’s hands and slammed it to the ground in a fit of rage. The act of destruction provided him with some release.

The computer skidded and bounced along the floor for over ten meters before colliding with a metal bulkhead, only to ricochet and slide a few more meters. However, Daqi military engineering proved its reliability—the device remained completely intact after coming to a stop.

Seeing the computer unscathed, Diallo became even angrier.

—

“Admiral Heaton, are we sure this course of action is okay?” President Milton asked uneasily. Placing himself in Diallo’s shoes, Milton felt he wouldn’t be able to tolerate the Rikens’ coercive demands either.

“Rest assured, Mr. President,” Admiral Heaton said confidently. “Hesitation leads to chaos. To avoid further entanglement with the Daqi, it’s better to propose a condition they can’t possibly accept and shut them down once and for all.”

“But won’t this risk provoking retaliation from the Daqi Empire? Didn’t you previously mention being cautious of the Daqi civilization?” Milton asked.

“Caution applies to the present,” Heaton clarified. “Given their current fleet size, it’s highly unlikely they could withstand both the Swarm’s forces and our defenses to launch an attack. However, we must remain vigilant against underhanded tactics, such as attempts to sow discord between us and the Swarm. That’s precisely why I suggested deliberately angering the Daqi—to offer the Swarm a gesture of allegiance.”

“And what about potential retaliation?” Milton asked humbly.

“That’s a concern for the future,” Heaton replied. “At the end of the day, we are currently vassals of the Swarm, while the Daqi are mere lackeys of the Interstellar Technological Confederation. The titles may differ, but the essence is the same. At this level, we can’t participate directly in this larger game.

“If the Swarm successfully joins the Confederation, we’ll have their protection and won’t need to worry about Daqi reprisals. On the other hand, if negotiations fail and it leads to open war, the Daqi—positioned as the frontline civilization bordering Swarm territory—will either be destroyed or severely weakened. By then, they’ll pose no threat to us.

“Even if the Swarm fails spectacularly and can’t fend off the Confederation, the battlefield will undoubtedly attract major powers. Aligning ourselves with one of them would put us in a far stronger position than the Daqi, and their so-called revenge would no longer be a concern.”

Milton nodded, finding Admiral Heaton’s reasoning highly persuasive.

Time passed. While Diallo continued to fret over the escalating food crisis, and the Rikens maintained their passive strategy of inaction, the Swarm received good news, the first Intelligent Entity crafted from a Daqi Spiritual Entity had been successfully created.

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