After confirming that the Swarm could track warp travel information in real ti, the Swarm’s image in the eyes of the confederation races rose several notches. This made their subsequent actions even more cautious.
Learning that the support forces couldn’t arrive within the expected tifra weighed heavily on the commanders of the Yuntu and Sangqie fleets. Fortunately, the Swarm didn’t seem eager to act rashly, rely forming a semicircular encirclent around them.
“What’s the Swarm’s plan?” The Swarm’s actions puzzled the confederation races. The Yuntu and Sangqie fleets were now isolated, with the nearest reinforcents, even using sub-light engines, taking about a year to arrive.
“Could there be another trap nearby? Are they trying to encircle us and attack the reinforcents?”
This was a perfect opportunity for an offensive, but the Swarm didn’t seem interested in exploiting it. This made the confederation races sll a conspiracy, though they couldn’t pinpoint the issue imdiately. They could only respond with even greater caution and conservatism.
In truth, the Swarm wanted to take advantage of the situation, but the forces on the scene were insufficient. The combined fleets of the Yuntu and Sangqie races numbered less than a hundred million, and the Swarm’s forces weren’t much larger.
Although the Swarm had mobilized a total of two billion units for this interception, the main forces were still on the way. So units hadn’t even set off yet due to the lack of available warp paths.
At present, only a little over two hundred million Swarm units had reached the battlefield and were ready for combat. While this seed like a lot, the Yuntu and Sangqie races were no pushovers like the Troi or Moto races. If the Swarm tried to force an engagent with only three tis the enemy’s numbers, the outco would be uncertain.
The situation had reached a stalemate. The Swarm’s reinforcents were continuously arriving, but the Yuntu and Sangqie fleets had no imdiate reinforcents. If the balance of forces tilted further in the Swarm’s favor, they would certainly seize the opportunity to strike.
Three months later, the standoff still persisted. The Yuntu and Sangqie fleets had maintained their formations while retreating over a hundred million kiloters, with the Swarm closely following.
However, in the vastness of space, this distance was rely a small step, and the battlefield’s position hadn’t changed much.
During these three months, the coalition had frantically deployed reconnaissance equipnt, almost diverting all scout ships within a two-light-year radius to this area.
Through observation, they began to see the Swarm’s strategy. The Swarm had been bluffing earlier; there were no other traps. All their forces were concentrated here. If the Yuntu and Sangqie fleets had turned and fled, the Swarm might not have pursued.
But this opportunity was wasted. Over the past three months, the Swarm’s forces had nearly doubled, reaching close to four hundred million units.
The encirclent, initially semicircular, had gradually closed, leaving only a small gap. This experience taught the coalition commanders the aning of “boiling a frog slowly.”
Ti continued to pass, and another month went by. The thickness of the encirclent increased, but the Swarm left the small gap unsealed.
“This isn’t hope; it’s a trap!” one foreign commander exclaid sharply.
“No need to say it; we all see it.”
“Easy to say now. Why didn’t you speak up earlier?”
“It’s too late now. The Swarm left that gap to pressure us into retreating.”
“But such a small gap would cause chaos if we tried to retreat.”
“Exactly, now’s not the ti to retreat.”
“The Yuntu and Sangqie fleets are maintaining defensive formations, which is why the Swarm hasn’t attacked. They’re probably waiting for us to panic and make a mistake.”
“That’s certain. Otherwise, why would they leave such a gap?”
“But staying put isn’t a good option either. In three months, the Swarm’s forces have nearly doubled. And according to intelligence, this isn’t even their full strength. If we delay further, their numbers will only grow.”
“The Yuntu and Sangqie are the strongest among us. We need to find a way to rescue them.”
“The problem is, we can’t think of a way. Unless so race is willing to risk sending their forces into warp travel, they’ll have to hold out on their own for the next eight months.”
Hearing this, the foreign representatives fell silent. Without knowing how the Swarm tracked their forces, no one was willing to take the risk.
The atmosphere grew awkward. The previously noisy eting room fell silent. The Yuntu and Sangqie representatives, aware of their predicant, turned their gaze to Elder Hus, hoping the Ji elder would use his authority to order other races to send reinforcents.
As the focal point of the room, their gaze quickly drew the attention of the other representatives. Following their line of sight, the representatives noticed Elder Hus, who appeared to be “idling.” Several representatives from powerful mid-rim civilizations grew uneasy. They didn’t know how to respond if Elder Hus ordered them to provide support.
If they refused, what would their reason be? Could they withstand the pressure from the Ji race? If they agreed and were ambushed, could they bear the bla?
Feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze, Elder Hus, who had seed drowsy, suddenly beca alert.
After careful consideration, he said, “The Interstellar Technological Confederation is a mutual aid organization. There’s no absolute hierarchy, and I have no authority to demand that other races must do anything. The Yuntu and Sangqie must decide for themselves how to proceed.”
Hearing this, the representatives inwardly cursed. If things were truly as Elder Hus said, at least half of the civilizations present wouldn’t have gotten involved in this matter.
When they had initially rallied to strike the Swarm, it was to maintain the existing order in this region and protect the Confederation, which in turn protected themselves. Now that problems had arisen, they were being told to solve it themselves.
Not to ntion the other races, even the mid-rim civilizations, while relieved, couldn’t help but mutter that the Ji race wasn’t being fair.
With Elder Hus’ statent, the ball was back in the Yuntu and Sangqie’s court. After consulting with their respective races and expanding the group of people who would share the bla, diluting the risk, they passed the decision to the frontline commanders.
Their reasoning was that those in the rear couldn’t fully grasp the ever-changing battlefield conditions, so the frontline commanders should decide whether to stay or leave based on the actual situation. They added a bunch of encouraging words and ntioned that reinforcents would arrive in eight months.
When the frontline commanders of the Yuntu and Sangqie received this ssage, they cursed loudly.
After all that deliberation, this was the best they could co up with? Not only had they missed the opportunity, but they’d also passed the buck. It was utterly infuriating.
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