I Am The Swarm

The Captain pondered for a moment. “If that’s the case, then they’re trying to focus our attention on the relationship between the Swarm and the Rat Folk. Could it be that they’re attempting to downplay the fact that ordinary Rat Folk don’t even know about the Swarm’s existence?”

“That’s very possible,” someone agreed.

“Everyone, keep discussing. I’ll take some time to visit Colonel Edres.”

Two hours later, the Captain returned.

“Well, Captain, did you find anything new?” Wright asked eagerly.

“I inquired with Colonel Edres about some details. According to his recollection, when we first proposed visiting Rat Folk cities, their high-ranking officials were very welcoming. They proactively arranged guides and were quite enthusiastic,” the Captain said, frowning. “But when our team suggested free exploration, their expressions changed immediately. They seemed caught off guard and extremely unwilling, offering some flimsy excuses to refuse.”

The Captain, recalling his conversation with Edres, continued, “But Colonel Edres and his team were firm and made it clear that refusal wasn’t an option. The Rat Folk leadership had no choice but to agree. However, they still insisted on limiting the visit to 15 days, claiming that their people were highly conservative and unaccustomed to interacting with alien species.”

“Heh, in hindsight, they weren’t lying about that. The Rat Folk really haven’t met any alien species,” the Captain concluded with a wry laugh.

“This is truly bizarre,” Amina remarked. “The Rat Folk have been living side by side with the Swarm for centuries. The leaders know about the Swarm, but the general population doesn’t. Is this the doing of the Rat Folk leadership? Or the Swarm?”

“We need more information,” Blanca said softly. “Previously, our time was too limited, and our goals were unclear. We weren’t able to gather targeted intelligence. Captain, I request permission to conduct another in-depth investigation into Rat Folk society. This time, we also need access to their intranet.”

The Captain sighed and shook his head. “I already discussed this with Colonel Edres earlier. He contacted the Rat Folk leadership about it, but their response was swift and resolute, a complete refusal.”

“What? How dare they?” Wright blurted out in disbelief.

“I’m increasingly convinced there’s a significant secret buried here,” Amina said with a sly smile.

“I’ve been wondering this whole time,” Blanca added with a grin as though she’d just figured something out. “In 20 years, the Swarm had no problem destroying their megastructures. So what could they possibly leave behind that they couldn’t move or destroy? Now, it’s starting to make sense—it’s these Rat Folk civilians, isn’t it? The Swarm couldn’t just kill them all.”

“Exactly,” the Captain agreed. “This explanation ties up many loose ends. Besides, it’s not that the Swarm couldn’t; it’s that they didn’t dare. They can ignore us, but they can’t ignore the entire Ji race.” His voice carried a tone of pride for his powerful civilization.

“But what should we do now?” Wright asked, scratching his head. “Even though the formal agreement hasn’t been signed, the Rat Folk are essentially members of the Confederation now. We can’t openly go against their wishes. Who knows how the media would twist the story?”

“That’s true,” the Captain admitted. “The Rat Folk are likely on high alert against us now.”

“Captain, what if we use… unconventional methods?” Amina suggested with a mischievous glint in her eye.

The Ji’s technology was nothing short of extraordinary. With their personal stealth battle suits, avoiding the Rat Folk’s monitoring systems was a breeze. Additionally, the full-spectrum simulation system allowed them to disguise themselves as Rat Folk. By being cautious, they could potentially ask some naive Rat Folk civilians a few questions without raising suspicion.

However, the significant height disparity between the Ji and the diminutive Rat Folk made the risk of exposure quite high. If the Swarm were to get involved, that risk would increase even further.

Besides, the kind of questions they intended to ask would already sound strange to the Rat Folk. It would be akin to walking down a street on Earth and asking random passersby if they’d seen Ultraman, claiming Ultraman had been living among them for hundreds of years. Such a question would likely get them labeled as lunatics—or worse, reported to the authorities.

Even though the Rat Folk civilians might not understand the situation, their leaders would undoubtedly piece things together if they caught wind of it. And once exposed, the Ji team would be held accountable. A misstep like this required extra caution.

After weighing the risks, the Captain shook his head. “No. While the Rat Folk civilians aren’t much of a concern, there’s a good chance the Swarm could intervene. Their technology is strange, and we can’t be sure if we can evade their surveillance. In a diplomatic context like this, we have to tread carefully.”

“So, what do we do? Just sit here and wait?” someone asked, clearly frustrated.

“I’ll report this issue to Colonel Edres, explain the stakes, and ask him to advocate for us as much as possible,” the Captain replied after a moment of thought. ⱤἈNổʙЕs̩

He figured it was better to pass the buck. However, he also realized that if Edres couldn’t deliver, his own team’s failure to complete their mission would still land him in trouble.

“Warwick,” the Captain turned to a male team member, “can you access their intranet?”

“No, I don’t have authorization,” Warwick shrugged.

“I already asked about this earlier. The Rat Folk said they’re ‘discussing it.’ Who knows when, or if, they’ll decide. Right now, I need you to get creative. Think of some alternative methods. Can you manage that?”

“Heh, during my little ‘tour,’ I happened to leave something behind in one of the Rat Folk cities. If the Captain can secure permission to use our signal reception radar, I can handle it discreetly. No one will suspect a thing,” Warwick said with a sly grin.

“Can you ensure you bypass the Swarm’s monitoring systems?” the Captain pressed.

“No problem. The Swarm’s technology is biological. Even if they’ve dabbled in networks, they won’t be on par with us. Our tech is leagues ahead,” Warwick assured, patting his chest confidently.

The Captain nodded. “I’ll get the authorization as soon as possible. I want you to scour the Rat Folk’s intranet for any suspicious information.”

“Whoa, that’s a massive workload. If you need results quickly, I’ll need some help,” Warwick said with a mock groan.

“Until Colonel Edres gets results, everyone else is without a task. For now, follow Warwick’s lead and get it done quickly,” the Captain ordered.

“Understood, Captain!” the team responded in unison.

The Captain nodded and hurriedly left the meeting room. While tampering with online data was complicated, it wasn’t impossible for the Rat Folk leadership to pull off. If there were any modifications made to cover up information, it would likely require extra effort to uncover.

The Captain didn’t have high hopes for Warwick’s success. He believed that the most critical intelligence would require physical infiltration into the Rat Folk’s inner workings. He had a feeling that once the mystery was unraveled, it would be a significant achievement for their team.

But before that could happen, he needed to press Colonel Edres to expedite their authorization to reenter Rat Folk society.

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