I Am The Swarm

In the Genesis System, the long-secluded Genesis Planet, protected by the Swarm, finally opened its doors to the outside world. The legendary Rat Folk began to reveal their mysterious presence.

“So these are the Rat Folk? Haha, they’re even smaller than the records suggested.” In the Interstellar Technological Confederation, nearly all civilizations had dabbled in genetic technology.

With ongoing optimization of their species, the average height among most extraterrestrial races ranged between 1.8 to 2.3 meters. The Rat Folk, with their average height of less than 1.5 meters, were a rarity.

“A frail race,” scoffed a member of the Ji race. His ancestral lineage was from the Black Tower Race, known for their towering height of over 2 meters and muscular physiques. From a purely physical perspective, he could easily dominate the Rat Folk.

“Don’t underestimate them. They broke one of the Ji records,” another Ji member reminded him.

“Tch, without the Swarm’s help, they’re nothing!” retorted the Black Tower man, still disdainful. The situation with the Rat Folk was clear to anyone paying attention. Even those who had initially been oblivious figured out the truth after spending 20 years outside the Genesis System, where internal exchanges made the reality evident.

“True.” The other Ji member refrained from arguing further and instead nodded in agreement with the Black Tower man.

After such a prolonged and frustrating wait outside the Genesis System, coupled with the visibly weak appearance of the Rat Folk civilization, some grumbling was inevitable. Some Ji deliberately raised their voices loud enough for the Rat Folk delegation to hear.

However, the Rat Folk ministers who had come to welcome them remained completely unperturbed. Being disguised intelligent entities, they were unaffected by the Ji’s mockery of the Rat Folk.

With no reaction from the Rat Folk delegation, the Ji found themselves metaphorically punching cotton. Their attempts at provocation left them even more frustrated. The Rat Folk’s polite smiles only added to their annoyance. Yet they couldn’t lash out physically, leaving them simmering with unvented anger.

In this tense atmosphere, the Rat Folk held their first diplomatic meeting. However, the modest benefits offered by the Rat Folk were of little interest to anyone present, as their true objectives lay elsewhere. As a result, the Ji were not overly demanding in the negotiations, and their terms were even somewhat lenient.

Ultimately, a preliminary trade agreement was reached, pending Elder Humes’ arrival to formally sign it with the Rat Folk royalty. Some construction projects were also approved to begin ahead of schedule.

The Rat Folk’s domain was small, consisting only of one home planet and two satellite colonies. Therefore, the Trade City would have to be built on Genesis Planet. Securing land for construction wasn’t an issue, but the Rat Folk’s low technological capabilities meant they couldn’t even perform basic asteroid mining, let alone conduct space smelting.

As a result, all construction materials for the Trade City would have to be extracted from Genesis Planet, which was an inefficient process. The Ji requested the Swarm’s assistance, reasoning that since the Swarm was the Rat Folk’s “inviting civilization” and stood to benefit from the Rat Folk’s inclusion, it was only fair for them to lend a hand.

The Rat Folk responded by sending 200,000 researchers to participate in the Ji’s evaluations. Regardless of how many passed, the gesture alone was significant.

It far surpassed the Swarm’s earlier effort of sending just 3,000 researchers, which had left a poor impression. This display of enthusiasm gave Colonel Edres a sense of pride, prompting him to boast and take full ownership of the Rat Folk’s engineering plans.

However, unexpected events always occur. The Swarm declined the Ji’s request on the grounds that all of their units had already withdrawn from the Genesis System. This left Colonel Edres utterly humiliated, forcing him to personally lead his fleet in hauling asteroids to assist the Rat Folk. He could do nothing but grumble under his breath while begrudgingly taking on the task.

“Captain, I heard Edres made a complete fool of himself this time?” Wright burst into laughter in the meeting room, his youthful arrogance still evident as he seemed yet to learn humility and respect.

“Shut up, Wright! If you keep disrespecting your superior, I’ll have you locked up!” the Captain barked sternly. Wright was clearly the kind of person who would push boundaries if not kept in check. If left unchecked, who knew what trouble he might cause next?

“Take it easy, Captain. Wright’s just young and reckless,” Blanca interjected, pulling Wright aside and giving him a pointed look. “But about Colonel Edres—I’ve heard some things too. You must know the full story from the meeting, Captain. Care to share the details?”

“Yes, Captain, fill us in on what’s happening now. The more we know, the better we can plan our next steps,” chimed in another Ji, a female from the Potling Tribe. This was the same race Elder Humes envied for their ability to retain youthful appearances. The Potlings were not only endowed with unique talents but were also known for their strikingly androgynous beauty.

With their pointed ears, silky green hair, and soft, neutral features, they attracted admirers of all genders. In the most recent “Most Beautiful Species of the Confederation” ranking, the Potlings secured third place, a testament to their universal appeal across races.

Upon closer observation, every Ji member in the room, regardless of their specific tribe, had impressive appearances. Even Wright, as long as he kept quiet, had a surprisingly approachable demeanor.

“All right, cut the act,” the Captain said with a sigh, clearly familiar with his team’s antics. After a moment of hesitation, he began relaying what he knew about the situation.

“The Swarm is so unreasonable! Helping build a Trade City is nothing for them,” Wright blurted out indignantly after hearing the explanation.

“Exactly! The Rat Folk even sent so many researchers to participate in the tests this time. Even if only half of them pass, the Swarm will rake in a ton of points, and yet they won’t lift a finger to help,” Amina chimed in.

“Who knows? The Rat Folk’s tech level is so low. Their researchers might not pass the tests at all.”

“Tch. Our tests don’t even rely on knowledge. As long as they have talent, they can catch up quickly. The Rat Folk don’t seem like an unintelligent species. They might even pass at a rate of 70% or 80%,” Amina retorted with a dismissive wave. ȑÄ₦ΟʙΕş

Wright was still new to the squad and unfamiliar with these details, which was understandable. Even with memory-assist devices, it wasn’t realistic for someone as young as Wright to know everything. Amina herself had only learned about this after joining the team and studying the subject in-depth.

“Wow, that’s a lot of points. Too bad the Swarm gets the lion’s share.”

“The Rat Folk really are pitiful. They probably wanted to break free from the Swarm’s clutches ages ago. This time, they’re clearly willing to let the Swarm take a cut just to grab as many points as they can. Confederation-level stellar technology isn’t cheap in terms of points, but even after the Swarm takes their share, the remainder should be enough for the Rat Folk to elevate themselves to the level of a standard initial Confederation member in a short time.”

“So, it seems their relationship isn’t as harmonious as it looks.”

“Of course not! You should’ve seen those Rat Folk ministers hopping mad when they heard the Swarm refused to help.”

“You saw that?”

“No, I heard about it.”

“Tch!”

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