NOVPUBAfter Conradus entered warp space and lost contact, the Rashudia race fell into a state of chaos, with the remaining forces in disarray and acting independently.
Although the Yuntu race had a small number of troops, their foundation as a high-tier mid-ring civilization remained intact. Other civilizations had no choice but to show them some respect. Additionally, their flagship was the largest, making it an ideal venue for meetings.
At the request of the Red Fang Breakers on board, the Confederation ships surrounding the Yuntu fleet cleared a path. The Swarm’s Primordial bodies then moved through this passage, heading straight for the Yuntu fleet.
This fleet, consisting of just over a thousand ships, was currently located at the rear of the entire Confederation coalition. Thanks to the superior specifications of their ships and their small numbers, they had managed to avoid most of the entanglements with the other Confederation forces.
If it weren’t for the Rashudia’s negative example, they might have been the second group to withdraw from the battlefield.
As for the Swarm’s arrival, General Mid of the Yuntu race, though reluctant to be the one to step forward, had no choice as a prisoner. He braced himself and headed to the flagship’s landing pad to wait.
After the Swarm’s Primordial bodies approached the Yuntu flagship, they extended their tentacles and attached themselves to the flagship. One of the Primordial bodies opened its storage sac, and a mature body about fifty meters long emerged.
The mature body glided gracefully along the hull of the flagship and entered the landing pad with ease. Under the watchful eyes of the Yuntu high-ranking officials, the storage sac opened, and three true Swarm members, as the Confederation members saw them, stepped out. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
“It’s Marlene!” The humanoid figure had a sturdy exoskeleton covering vital parts of the body. The male’s exoskeleton was adorned with spikes and other close-combat weapons, while the female’s was smoother.
Between races, especially those that don’t interact frequently, there’s often a degree of face blindness. What might seem like vastly different features within one’s own race could appear nearly identical to another race, making it hard to distinguish individuals.
However, the Swarm’s distinctive exoskeleton markings at least made it easy for the Confederation members to differentiate between males and females. As for artificial intelligence, which could compare various details, face blindness wasn’t an issue.
Not only that, but they could also match these characteristics with data stored in their vast databases to check if the individual in question had appeared before.
The intelligent Swarm had always been mysterious, with their true population unknown. The Interstellar Technological Confederation database recorded fewer than a thousand named intelligent Swarm members. While this might seem like a decent number, for a civilization, it was exceedingly rare.
Fortunately, the Swarm member leading the group before General Mid and the Yuntu officials was one of those recorded in the Confederation database.
Thanks to the Swarm’s lax control and lack of restrictions on shipboard artificial intelligence, General Mid, who carried a hidden personal terminal, immediately received information about the Swarm member before him.
Marlene, a Swarm general, first appeared in the records of the Riken race. She was frequently seen during the Swarm’s entry into the Confederation and subsequent collaborations. She was arguably the most prominent high-ranking officer of the Swarm.
As for the two Swarm members behind Marlene, one was clearly male, and the other female. The male’s face was entirely covered by his exoskeleton, making it hard to discern his features. Even after comparing the details of his body and exoskeleton, there were no matches in the database, suggesting he was a newcomer with an unknown position in the Swarm hierarchy. However, based on his stance, his rank was likely lower than Marlene’s.
The female Swarm member, however, was recorded in the database. She was Marlene’s adjutant, named Nasa, and due to her association with Marlene, she also had a high appearance rate.
Marlene’s presence here was unexpected yet logical. Mid couldn’t help but laugh at himself. The Confederation forces had initially thought the Swarm’s commander was some spoiled brat. Little did they know it was the seasoned Marlene. This meant their loss wasn’t unjust.
At the same time, he admired Marlene. Although the Swarm had taken control of the Confederation ships, most of the operational authority still lay with the Confederation members. Marlene had dared to come here with just a small formation of ships. What if some lunatic decided to fire at her midway? Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?
Moreover, in this hall, the Yuntu race was in the majority. Due to the Swarm’s lax oversight, the prisoners hadn’t been searched, meaning some of them were carrying small-caliber weapons.
In Mid’s view, Marlene’s actions were extremely risky. But from the current situation, Marlene had gambled correctly. Whether it was the Yuntu or the other Confederation races, everyone was rational and hadn’t done anything reckless.
“Greetings, General Marlene. Although I am merely the former master of this ship, please allow me to welcome you.” Mid was very pragmatic. He used the highest etiquette of the Yuntu race to welcome Marlene, even though she might not understand it.
You don’t hit a smiling face, but this was technically her territory now. Mid welcoming her as the host still irked her somewhat: “Hello, General Mid. Although this is our first formal meeting, we are old friends who have crossed paths many times.”
Hearing this, Mid’s face flushed red. He instantly realized that the culprit behind his fleet being reduced to just over a thousand ships for this campaign was the female Swarm member before him. But there was nothing he could do.
Seeing Mid’s flushed face, Marlene decided not to push further. After all, these leaders might soon become her colleagues: “General Mid, you probably have some understanding of our race’s style.”
Seeing Mid nod, Marlene continued, “Then let’s not waste time. Although I’ve already notified the leaders of the other races through my own means, I’d like you to use the Confederation’s communication system to notify them again.”
Marlene hadn’t come here to chat with Mid. She was using this place as a meeting venue. Moreover, upon landing on the Yuntu flagship, she had already issued relevant instructions to the Confederation members through the Red Fang Breakers. Having Mid use the Confederation’s system to notify them again was merely to urge them.
In fact, the Confederation leaders in the Confederation’s virtual conference room were already in an uproar. This Swarm operation was unusually open, with little regard for secrecy.
As a result, the surveillance devices on the Yuntu flagship captured the entire scene from various angles. Thanks to Mid setting things in advance and the Confederation’s communication system, these recordings were immediately transmitted to the other Confederation races.
And they, too, now understood who their opponent truly was.
[T/N: I’m giving 3 lucky readers access to my Solar Lieutenant tier for 1 month! You can read 100 chapters ahead of all the novels I’m currently translating. If you want to grab one, here’s the link (first come, first served): patreon”’com/GalacticNovels/redeem/96AA4 (replace ”’ with .)]
