I Am The Swarm

“That Swarm came out of nowhere, completely beyond our control. We didn’t even have time to prepare a welcome package for them,” Elder Humes said with a hint of frustration.

“Are they an alien race?” Elder Cecil asked, puzzled. A race couldn’t just appear out of thin air. Developing the capability to wage interstellar wars in just over a hundred years, even at the most basic level, was unheard of.

“It’s unclear. To be honest, given the level of technology they’ve displayed, it wouldn’t be easy for them to evade our surveillance and reach their current position.”

The Interstellar Confederation encompassed over two hundred races and controlled more than ten thousand star systems. These star systems were fully developed and under direct control, but the confederation’s actual sphere of influence was much larger.

For example, the Riken Star System wasn’t considered part of the confederation’s territory before the Riken Race joined. However, thousands of years ago, the confederation had already installed monitoring devices there and sent personnel to inspect the area periodically.

Places like this were numerous, and the confederation’s actual sphere of influence was at least double its current size, covering over twenty thousand star systems.

If deep-space early warning systems and exploration teams were included, the scope would be even larger. The Swarm didn’t reveal their warp drive technology until they went to war with the confederation.

From the timing of this conversation between Elder Humes and Elder Cecil, it was clear that the Swarm and the confederation were still in their honeymoon phase. Sarah thought for a moment and pinpointed the timeframe of the dialogue.

“Elder Humes, do you have any theories about this?”

However, Elder Cecil wasn’t as uninformed about the Swarm as Elder Humes assumed. Her beautiful face furrowed slightly as she said, “Elder Humes, both of your theories seem unlikely to me.”

“Oh? Please elaborate.”

“First, if they are an external force, the fact that they could evade and penetrate our early warning network suggests their capabilities are beyond imagination. To be honest, even our Ji Race would struggle to pass through undetected.”

Elder Cecil’s point was valid. Most of the external monitoring devices were produced by the Ji Race. At the same level of technology, these devices would certainly detect Ji Race ships. For the Ji Race to pass through their own defensive line without alerting anyone would be impossible.

“Fair point. With such advanced technology, they wouldn’t waste time playing games with primitive races,” Elder Humes nodded. Compared to a civilization with technology surpassing the Ji Race, the Riken Race’s level of technology might as well be primitive.

“Moreover, there’s no benefit for them in doing so. If they wanted to develop quietly, they shouldn’t have drawn our attention. After all, we’ve been cultivating this region for millions of years, and we have a solid foundation. Unless their technology is two generations ahead of ours, they wouldn’t be able to compensate for our numerical advantage in a short time. I believe a highly advanced civilization wouldn’t act so recklessly.”

“Indeed, if they truly had technology surpassing ours, they would know who rules this region and wouldn’t make such naive moves. It seems the first theory can be dismissed. So, Elder Cecil, why do you dismiss the second theory?” Elder Humes nodded in agreement and then raised a new question.

“Elder Humes, I think you already know the answer, don’t you?” Elder Cecil didn’t answer directly but instead smiled and pushed the question back to him.

Elder Humes shook his head. He understood what Elder Cecil was implying. The Ji Race, as the dominant power in this region, made it difficult for anyone to operate under their radar.

“While it’s not entirely certain, I don’t believe the Swarm was created by one of our own factions.”

“Why not? From what I know, the monitoring in that area wasn’t particularly frequent or dense before. It’s not impossible for some factions to conduct experiments there.”

“Elder Cecil, you haven’t had direct contact with the Swarm, so you don’t understand them. They are a race with immense potential, following a completely different technological path from ours. They are a treasure in themselves. If they were created by one of our own, now that they’ve been exposed, there would be no need to keep them hidden. Unless the experiment failed or had some major flaw, but I’ve been here for a while and haven’t seen any evidence of that.”

“That’s strange. So where did they come from?” Elder Cecil also looked puzzled.

Elder Humes pondered for a moment and then said, “Actually, I’ve discovered something interesting that might explain their origins.”

“Can you share it with me?” Elder Cecil asked eagerly.

“Of course, this information is public, though it’s quite old. I stumbled upon it while reviewing historical records of that region.”

Seeing Elder Cecil’s attentive expression, Elder Humes smiled and continued, “It dates back to a very distant time, even before the original Ji Race disappeared.”

“Back then, the original Ji Race, facing a prolonged technological stagnation, sought different paths. One group of original Ji Race scientists and foreign researchers explored the field of biotechnology. As their research progressed, they inevitably encountered ethical issues, and there were always those who opposed such practices, no matter the era.”

“At that time, although the original Ji Race was in decline, their numbers were still significant. Being absolutely rational, they didn’t care about these objections. Some vocal races or factions were ruthlessly suppressed, and overt opposition disappeared, but underground dissent grew stronger.”

“According to records, the original Ji Race had stopped producing new members by then. As time passed, they gradually died out. With their numbers dwindling, opposition resurfaced, and after such a long period of brewing, it erupted even more fiercely.”

“This rebellion was also suppressed. Even with only one original Ji Race member left, no one dared to challenge them. However, due to the scale of the rebellion, some foreign personnel infiltrated the laboratories and destroyed experimental materials and data. While such actions didn’t bother the emotionless original Ji Race, rational calculations showed that further disruptions would delay their research progress.”