Cosmic Insect Swarm - (2)
Humanity, having fully conquered the star system containing their mother planet, Terra. Brimming with confidence, they rechristened themselves the Galactic Empire and began their "pioneering" efforts. Five... ten... twenty... As the number of conquered star systems grew, humanity came to a sobering realization. The universe was far crueler than they'd imagined, and it held no favoritism toward them.
Evolving space entities with intelligence akin to humans. Constellations on pioneer planets scheming to subjugate mortal empires. Aliens once dismissed as mere fiction. Even hive-mind monsters, once consumed as cultural entertainment back on a single planet before the Terra Empire era. Countless incidents erupted across the pioneer worlds, and the Galactic Empire gradually lost its leisure.
Problems exploding from all directions. Limited resources. Limited manpower. It was amid this crisis that horrific experiments on synthetic humans—homunculi and chimera production, among other unethical research—flourished. They had to bolster their forces by any means necessary. Human birth rates were finite, and far too many perished in harsh environments and to monsters.
Yet despite all that, the cruelest trial for humanity was...
"Cosmic disasters. If planetary disasters are things like dust storms, typhoons, tsunamis, or earthquakes, then in space..."
Beep—
Yuna, who had been explaining fervently, manipulated her handheld terminal. A hologram soon projected into the air. It replayed disasters overwhelming planets: a world devoured whole by monsters, battleships gradually engulfed by black waves, sudden asteroid swarms. Problems even the Super Galactic Empire Federation's technology struggled to resolve.
"Among them, right here. Giant insect monsters classified as cosmic disasters."
Following Yuna's fingertip, footage played of a massive trilobite-like bug "devouring" an entire city. Grotesque protruding fangs. Arthropod. Dozens of legs. Green mucus corroding everything. A giant monster straight out of an SF horror flick.
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster demands a detailed explanation.
"Space parasites are bug monsters that occasionally swarm in from beyond the Federation's pioneer range. They float as eggs in space, but upon landing on a planet or touching something, the parasites inside burst out and devour everything."
"That's right. Even if you manage to kill them, the environmental pollution and stench are a huge issue..."
Can't the space fleet just blast them before they reach the planet?
"Research shows they evolve in response to our countermeasures. Some eggs explode on attack, spraying parasites; others have stealth that evades radar or hide behind asteroid swarms..."
Still, can't planetary defense forces take them down with firepower or weapons?
"They can, but if one hits a major city, civilians suffer casualties. Plus, even juvenile parasites are the size of a small city..."
So, to sum it up: true cosmic disasters. Impossible to fully eradicate with fleet firepower alone. Parasites the size of small cities with a degree of intelligence. If they land on a planet, they rampage devouring everything. And killing them causes severe environmental pollution? Incredibly malevolent. Designed from birth to be hostile to all life.
* * *
Yuna's fingers scrolled through countless posts appearing and vanishing. With the discovery of the Cosmic Insect Swarm—one of the cosmic disasters—people were understandably agitated. Apparently classified as one type among space monsters threatening the Federation, and quite common?
Click.
"Haaah..."
A long sigh escaped Yuna as she scanned the posts. The elf girl patted her shoulder upon seeing it.
Rising from her seat, she said, "Aigoo... Looks like I'll have to head out with the mobilization order on our planet too. Lord World Tree hates those bugs with a passion."
"We can only pray the military intercepts them well."
Even star systems with planetary world trees fell under the Cosmic Insect Swarm's threat. Trees hate bugs by nature, it seems. Not even a world tree is exempt.
Gazing at the chattering avatars, I manipulated the AI to shift the view to the planet's outskirts. Silent space. Nothing visible yet.
I tried extending the view beyond the Federation's borders, but this AI info entity's limits were clear. Restricted to Constellation functions within the Super Galactic Empire Federation: peering beyond dimensional walls for other Constellations, inspecting their essence, providing apostle channels, messaging avatars.
I'd been content with its given functions until now... but I could modify it, right? I knew a bit about handling life now, however faintly. No reason I couldn't tweak an artificial intelligence info-lifeform like this.
Worst case, if I break it, I can fetch a new one scanning near the dimensional wall. Experiment away.
Desired functions: view expansion and dual broadcast. View two avatars simultaneously, peer into outer space beyond the Federation.
Crackle—
Functions allowing Constellations from other dimensions to peek beyond walls, inspect essences, provide apostle links, relay messages to avatars. I hadn't realized before, but now I knew how exquisitely tuned this was.
Forces carved with such precision. Like sculpting a castle from soap bubbles. To control power this minutely, how many sacrifices followed? Smashing everything until power submits. Only then a masterpiece.
I hadn't reached that Outer God's level yet. But detaching and reattaching parts of an existing sculpture? That I could manage.
Like its creator. For I too was an Outer God.
* * *
Success.
One side of the AI info entity's screen showed Yuna heading to the Ratan Planet government. The other, Beatrix struggling on a pioneer planet.
No further mods without risk of breakdown, but I'd succeeded in glimpsing beyond the Federation.
"Yesss. Just a week on standby?"
"Likely a month. Stragglers might slip past the fleet."
And beyond the Super Galactic Empire Federation's borders, small specks approached. Eggs ranging from planet-sized to continent-scale. Drifting in zero gravity, numbering in the hundreds to thousands.
The small-city-sized bugs emerging from those were the problem, no doubt. The Federation's space fleet mobilizing to intercept was visible too.
Dozens of warships readied barrages. Poised to wipe the swarm in one go. Strategy: eradicate before eggs reached outer planets, via space firepower.
Shells and energy projectiles streaked through silent space. Multicolored light trails asserted presence in the void. Impacts shattered eggs, bursting green fluids.
A silent massacre in vacuum, soundless. But if fleet barrages ended it, they wouldn't be cosmic disasters.
Sensing incoming attacks, the Cosmic Insect Swarm adapted. Bugs burst from eggs, scattering wildly. Stealth evading radar, rocketing toward planets, playing dead under shell shields.
Each the size of a human small city...
Very few eggs escaped the fleet barrage. In other words, some planets would inevitably face Cosmic Insect invasions.