I Am The Swarm-Chapter 564: First Contact

After three months of rest and reorganization, the Confederation forces adjusted their formation and set out once more. Now, they were only 4 billion kilometers away from the Swarm’s positions. Even at their slowest pace, they would make contact with the Swarm within a month.

With a fleet of 3.5 billion ships, even though 40% were from outer-ring civilizations, this sheer number was enough to overwhelm the Swarm’s 4 billion units.

If it weren’t for the looming threat of the stellar bomb, this would have been an easy and enjoyable battle.

The Swarm forces, having barely moved from their positions, had already formed their battle lines. Their cannons were aimed at the approaching Confederation fleet, ready to unleash a barrage as soon as the enemy entered range.

A few days later, the Confederation fleet gradually reduced their propulsion power, diverting energy to their weapon systems. Weapons were preheated, and systems underwent final self-checks.

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Since the Swarm had already formed their battle lines, any forces that advanced too far forward would inevitably face several rounds of concentrated fire. Even the Rashudia Race couldn’t withstand such a barrage.

Therefore, the Rashudia ships at the center of the fleet noticeably slowed down, allowing the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets on either side to catch up.

The first round of artillery fire was initiated by the Swarm. Over the years, the Swarm’s main cannons had increased in range, even slightly surpassing those of the Rashudia Race, which claimed to be the strongest mid-ring civilization.

But only slightly. Less than a minute after the Swarm opened fire, the Rashudia ships’ main cannons also fired. To the naked eye, the dark gray energy beams were barely visible in the void, but the immense energy they carried made them stand out vividly on radar.

Piercing alarms echoed through the ships. Since both sides were firing at maximum range, even the fast-traveling energy beams took several minutes to reach their targets, giving the attacked forces some reaction time.

“Evasive maneuvers!” The same command, in different languages, rang out across various ships.

The disparity in technological prowess became glaringly obvious. Faced with the exchange of billions of energy beams, powerful supercomputers, with their superior processing capabilities, could quickly lock onto all incoming attacks, calculate their trajectories, and devise evasion plans for every ship within range.

“Increase output on thrusters 2, 5, and 9! Quickly!” Advanced civilizations equipped their ships with more auxiliary thrusters, allowing them to perform more flexible evasive maneuvers even at low speeds. Less advanced civilizations could only watch as their ships, like elderly men, struggled to move and were eventually hit.

After the first round of fire, the Rashudia forces, positioned in the most heavily targeted area, suffered the least damage, with only a little over a thousand ships destroyed. The mid-ring civilizations on either side lost over two thousand ships each.

Seeing these losses, both the Rashudia Race and the other outer-ring races breathed a sigh of relief. Without interference from the Swarm, the Confederation forces had been able to arrange their formations at leisure. They hadn’t formed overly tight formations, instead spreading out as much as possible. This not only provided more room to maneuver but also made escape easier.

With nearly 8 billion combat units on both sides, each 500 meters or larger, these losses were entirely within acceptable limits.

Soon, the second round of fire was exchanged. By now, more Confederation ships had entered firing range. Thus, even though the Swarm’s firepower remained unchanged, the Confederation forces’ barrage was far more intense.

Exchanging fire at maximum range gave the Swarm a significant advantage. Their smaller combat units, combined with the inherent flexibility of biological constructs, allowed them to maneuver more nimbly.

However, their smaller size also meant they were less resilient. A single negative energy cannon hit could take a 500-meter Primordial Bodies out of the fight. Although they were close to the star, with ample energy reserves, it would still take time for them to return to the battlefield.

But because both sides had spread-out formations, each round of fire, despite its intensity, only hit around 70,000 to 80,000 unlucky units, taking them out of the fight.

These losses were less than double those of the Confederation forces. Combined, the mid-ring civilizations suffered similar losses. However, the Swarm’s losses were unacceptable to the Confederation forces.

While the numbers seemed close—3.5 billion versus 4 billion—the Confederation forces included around 1.5 billion ships from outer-ring civilizations. These forces were still far from the battlefield, acting more like cheerleaders in the rear.

If the current exchange continued, the Swarm could potentially deplete the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets entirely. This was a significant tactical and intelligence failure. Pre-battle analyses, based on past data, had predicted that the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets alone would be enough to crush the Swarm’s 4 billion units. No one had anticipated this outcome.

Although only two rounds of fire had been exchanged, and three mid-ring civilizations hadn’t even entered the battlefield yet, their inclusion wouldn’t be enough to optimize the loss ratio to the predicted levels.

Previously, everyone had been focused on how to minimize losses when the Swarm detonated the stellar bomb. All their energy had gone into planning escape routes, with no thought given to the 4 billion Swarm units.

In their minds, the battle would proceed as follows: the Swarm would be scattered by a few rounds of Confederation fire, forcing them to prematurely detonate the stellar bomb. The Confederation forces would then escape according to their calculations. Everything would be perfect.

Unfortunately, the Swarm didn’t follow this script. Their firepower was stronger than ever. If this continued, the Confederation forces might not even be able to force the Swarm to detonate the stellar bomb.

“Deploy all drones! Tell those idiots from the outer-ring civilizations to hurry up and enter the battlefield! Have the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets make room!” Conradus roared.

Swarms of drones flew out from the Rashudia ships, forming a barrier in front of the fleet to absorb some of the incoming fire.

The other mid-ring civilizations, now with no time for petty schemes, realized they had to overcome this immediate challenge to have any future. Thus, following the Rashudia drones, drones from other mid-ring civilizations also took to the field.

At the same time, the Confederation formation began to shift. Previously spread-out sections tightened, creating large gaps. The outer-ring civilizations’ fleets, which had been lounging in the rear as cheerleaders, suddenly found themselves thrust into the battlefield.

But they had even less say in the matter. With firing positions now cleared for them, they had no choice but to push forward at full speed to fill the gaps.