I Am The Swarm

These Nth-generation descendants of the Ji immigrants probably had no clue where their original civilizations were located. Given their mindset shift, it was perhaps understandable that their perspectives were somewhat warped.

However, what struck Luo Wen as truly peculiar was the attitude of the Troi Civilization representatives.

From the ongoing collection of intelligence, Luo Wen learned that within the Troi delegation, there were indeed individuals advocating for raising the stakes in negotiations.

They believed that the Swarm was not as formidable as it seemed, suspecting that the Swarm’s military presence across several star systems was little more than a facade. According to this faction, the Swarm likely had no hidden reserves and was merely bluffing with the forces it openly displayed.

Their strategy was to pressure the Swarm, testing its limits and revealing its true capabilities, all while negotiating for maximum benefits for their civilization. Many within the Troi delegation shared this view.

This perspective was not unreasonable—it was, after all, their job to secure advantages for their civilization. If successful, they would personally benefit as well.

What made this odd, however, was the apparent lack of coordination in their approach. Negotiations between civilizations should not be so haphazard. When Bular led the initial delegation, he had refrained from any hostile or aggressive language.

His behavior reflected a clear and measured understanding of the Swarm, likely shaped by the Fleet Commander’s directives. Could it be that this new delegation, led by their second-in-command, held conflicting views with the Fleet Commander?

The royal representative Froede, a member of the Troi royal family and an admiral, had been remarkably silent since his arrival. By now, he rarely even appeared at the negotiation table. From casual conversations among the delegation, it was evident that Froede had neither openly supported nor opposed the current strategy. However, his neutrality led many Troi representatives to interpret his stance as tacit approval for those pushing a harder line.

Yet even if Froede disagreed with the Fleet Commander, this was hardly the time to make such divisions public. Did he not realize how this would appear to other civilizations? It risked giving the Troi Civilization a reputation for unreliability and dishonesty.

Could the internal conflicts within the Troi leadership truly run this deep? Was Froede some kind of “rival” to the Fleet Commander? Luo Wen found this possibility difficult to comprehend. As the Swarm’s supreme will, Luo Wen’s authority was absolute, with no room for political rivals or dissent. The concept of such internal divisions was entirely alien to him.

After much deliberation, Luo Wen concluded that such a scenario was unlikely. Could the Troi Civilization truly be unconcerned about the Swarm expanding into the Inner Circle?

The stakes involved spanned several star systems and their associated resources. Perhaps something had occurred in the fifteen years since Bular’s visit that had fundamentally shifted the Troi Civilization’s overall stance.

If so, this was troubling news. The idea of being ensnared in a shadowy conspiracy without any clear intelligence left Luo Wen deeply uneasy.

Before long, Luo Wen received another curious piece of intelligence: the five Ji representatives in the delegation had originated from within Troi territory.

Civilizations that joined the Interstellar Technological Confederation engaged in various forms of cooperation beyond the so-called head tax or accumulating points. These included commerce and tourism agreements. Unlike the Swarm, where every intelligent entity, though seemingly independent, was ultimately a product of the collective will, other civilizations were composed of individuals with distinct and autonomous minds.

For the Swarm, there was only one will. The existence of individual intelligence and emotions within the Swarm was permitted solely by the Overlord’s discretion.

For the Swarm’s intelligent entities, tasks such as “9-9-7” (working nine hours a day, seven days a week) were trivial; working continuously for hundreds of hours was routine. They never experienced resentment toward the Overlord’s commands.

In contrast, the individuals of other civilizations had their own wills, requiring a balance of work and recreation to remain functional.

Interstellar tourism—especially traveling to star systems of other civilizations to experience exotic cultures—was among the most expensive and sought-after forms of entertainment.

For these Ji representatives, their presence in Troi territory likely stemmed from such agreements, blending trade, tourism, and cultural exchange. Yet their origins added an intriguing wrinkle to the larger picture of the Ji’s evolving identity. ℝÃꞐÔᛒЁś

This kind of interstellar tourism and trade typically flourished in established civilizations, as newly-initiated interstellar civilizations required considerable time to adjust to the realities of interstellar travel. After all, even with faster-than-light ships, such journeys still involved prolonged periods of space travel.

Every Interstellar Technological Confederation member civilization typically designated one or more cities to serve as hubs for tourism and trade. The New Ji Race delegation, it turned out, had previously been stationed in one of the trade cities on the Troi homeworld.

When they learned of the Troi Civilization’s invitation to the Swarm, they somehow acquired authorization to represent the Ji in this negotiation. The ten-year delay in the Troi diplomatic mission’s arrival was caused by these Ji representatives traveling from the Troi homeworld to the fleet’s current position.

This revelation invalidated earlier assumptions about Ji ship speeds. It was now unclear whether these Ji representatives had used Troi vessels or their own. Either way, the ten-year travel time from the Troi homeworld to Swarm territory was far from impressive.

While this might be considered good news, it also made the situation murkier.

The Troi Civilization, though significant in the Outer-ring, was geographically and strategically akin to a remote backwater compared to the Ji’s central territory. Yet somehow, a handful of Ji individuals—whether they were traveling for leisure or another reason—ended up in such a place, and managed to secure the authority to represent the Ji in signing the Swarm’s Confederation membership agreement.

Although specific intelligence was lacking, it was almost certain that these five Ji representatives possessed significant backgrounds. However, wasn’t the Swarm already under the scrutiny of the Ji and numerous other civilizations?

Luo Wen had initially expected that, at the very least, the Ji would send a delegation of “professionals” for this negotiation. He even anticipated the presence of representatives from other civilizations, possibly mixed with spies and saboteurs.

Instead, no foreign representatives or spies had been detected. The Ji did send five representatives, but none were experts. While the Troi delegation appeared professional, their current behavior—whether influenced by the Ji or for other reasons—had turned the negotiations into something resembling a child’s playdate.

All of this left Luo Wen with an overwhelming sense of surreal absurdity.

Despite the disarray, Luo Wen was able to glean useful information from the seemingly arrogant demands of the Ji delegation. While their terms frequently shifted, one demand remained constant: the sharing of the Swarm’s biological technology.

This persistent demand revealed the Ji’s strong desire for the Swarm’s advancements in biological tech. Even though the delegation’s Nth-generation representatives were scatterbrained, their presence here suggested they had at least some insider knowledge and negotiation directives.

Of course, the Swarm would never agree to such terms. The Ji representatives, however, continued to make increasingly absurd threats, including claims that the Ji would send their armies to annihilate the Swarm and seize the technology by force.

At such moments, members of the Troi delegation would step in, seemingly with “good intentions,” to inform the Swarm that, as non-members of the Confederation, they were not yet protected by its rules. Therefore, the Ji’s threats were not as empty as they might seem.

Luo Wen remained unfazed. He understood this tactic for what it was—a clumsy attempt at intimidation. But if the Ji’s fixation on Swarm biological technology was this intense, it was likely a key point of leverage in the ongoing negotiations.

For now, all Luo Wen needed to do was keep stalling while continuing to expand the Swarm’s influence and strength.

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