In the 36th year of the New Era, the Swarm once again amassed a wave of forces, signaling their intent to move. Every movent of the Swarm sent ripples of anxiety through the civilizations bordering their territory. As soon as the Swarm began to stir, the foreign races held countless etings, both large and small.
“How should we respond this ti? Does anyone have any ideas?”
“What else can we do? Of course we should continue to evacuate. The Locke Mutual Aid Society set a good example last ti. I believe this evacuation will go even more smoothly than before.”
“That’s not necessarily true. We haven’t engaged the Swarm in several encounters, and our current forces number in the hundreds of millions. Many are calling for us to teach the Swarm a lesson.”
“Ignore those overconfident fools. They won’t cause any real trouble.”
“Not necessarily. Those troublemakers have the Locke Mutual Aid Society behind them. They’re trying to push us to the forefront.”
“Hmph, if they keep causing trouble, we’ll arrest them and hand them equipnt. If they want to teach the Swarm a lesson, we’ll let them.”
“I like that idea.”
Within the Koya Alliance, despite so discordant voices, a consensus was quickly reached. The new evacuation plan was set in motion, making their decision clear to all observers.
So praised the decision, while others scorned it. Opinions were divided, and debates escalated into verbal battles. However, none of this affected the decision-making of the Koya Alliance leadership. They were determined to trade space for ti, refusing to take any action until more powerful civilizations stepped in.
On the other side, bordering the Swarm’s territory, the Locke Mutual Aid Society was not as carefree as the Koya Alliance. Perhaps they placed more importance on saving face. Although they had already retreated without a fight in the LKDW265 and 267 star systems, they remained deeply conflicted about it.
“Gentlen, it’s ti to make a decision.”
“I think we should send a ssage to the Swarm, making our stance clear,” one foreign representative suggested, still living in a dream.
“But the Swarm has never responded to such ssages,” another representative pointed out, stating the facts.
“The Swarm won’t waste ti arguing with fools like you,” a third representative sneered at the first.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I don’t like wasting ti arguing with fools either.”
“Hmph, are you siding with the Swarm? Do you have so connection with them?”
“If I really had connections with the Swarm, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’d be in higher-level etings.”
“Enough, all of you!” The eting chairperson scolded, steering the discussion back on track.
“There’s nothing to discuss. The Swarm didn’t care about our stance last ti, and they won’t this ti either.”
“True. A defeated army has no right to boast. Plus, we don’t have many forces on the front lines. Bluffing would only make us a laughingstock.”
“But we can’t just follow the Koya Alliance’s example, can we? Handing over territory without a word?”
“What do you suggest? If you want to fight the Swarm, we’re all for it. We’ll handle the logistics, but don’t expect us to provide troops.”
“Hmph, we’re a coalition. If my race acts alone, it would seem disharmonious.”
“Coward!”
“You!”
“Enough!” The chairperson intervened again.
“There’s no other way. We need to focus on evacuating our people. We don’t have the resources to fight the Swarm right now.”
“Agreed. Our priority is damage control. Following the Koya Alliance’s approach is in our best interest.”
“It’s just hard on the populations that need to be relocated.”
“If we’re lucky, they might return ho in a decade or two. Besides, we’ll compensate them.”
“Let’s discuss what assistance each of us can provide and how many people we can accommodate…”
Just over a month after the Koya Alliance, the Locke Mutual Aid Society also began to act.
By the end of the 36th year of the New Era, the Swarm launched their offensive.
Around the 39th year of the New Era, the Swarm effortlessly captured seven star systems, creating a small dent in the otherwise smooth border of the Interstellar Technological Confederation. 𝐑𝘈NỗΒƐ𝒮
In the 43rd year of the New Era, the Swarm forces gathered once more.
“Are we retreating again this ti?”
“What else can we do?”
“But fleets from mid-rim civilizations have started to arrive.”
“Their numbers are too small to make a difference.”
“True, only a few million ships, and their technology isn’t a ga-changer.”
“It seems we’ll have to retreat again. But next ti…”
By the 47th year of the New Era, the Swarm had seized nine more star systems.
The two sides had developed a strange “cooperation”: one side evacuated, while the other occupied. However, as more and more fleets arrived, this bizarre relationship ca to an end.
In the 50th year of the New Era, following the Swarm’s usual pattern, their forces began to mobilize about three years after occupying new star systems. The foreign races had grown accustod to this and increased their reconnaissance efforts during this period.
The Swarm did not disappoint. More and more forces gathered near the front-line star systems, signaling the start of a new campaign.
“Are we retreating this ti?”
“Retreat? Hell no!”
“Haha, even if we wanted to, they wouldn’t let us.”
By now, neither the Locke Mutual Aid Society nor the Koya Alliance could make decisions independently. The arrival of nurous factions and civilizations had diluted their influence.
According to incomplete statistics, including the 43 mbers of the Locke Mutual Aid Society and the Koya Alliance, over 80 civilizations had gathered their fleets at the front lines.
This ant that at least 37 non-allied foreign factions had joined the battle. Among them, mid-rim civilizations made up half, or even more than 60%, of the total.
This disproportionate representation was due to the fact that while outer-rim civilizations were closer to the front lines, their fleets were slower. Mid-rim civilizations, with their faster warp drives, arrived at the front lines more quickly.
The combined fleets of over 80 civilizations numbered more than a billion ships. While this seed like a massive force, they were spread across a border spanning nearly ten star systems, diluting their combat effectiveness.
However, as ti passed, more and more fleets would arrive. After decades of travel, many races’ fleets were just one step away from the front lines.
“I wonder which star systems the Swarm will attack.”
“Based on their past behavior, they’ll likely push outward in a broad front. So, any of these dozen star systems could be targets.”
“That’s quite an appetite.”
“Indeed, but this ti, swallowing this piece of the pie will be much harder for them.”
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