I Am The Swarm

What kind of concept are we talking about here?

The Earth to Moon distance of over 300,000 kilometers could be traversed by this missile in just four seconds, assuming no external factors. With the Daqi fleet over 10 million kilometers away from Planet Izumo, factoring in acceleration, the missiles would take just over two minutes to reach their target.

This speed was extraordinary—especially for a missile. Unlike electromagnetic railgun projectiles or energy beams, which are one-shot, point-to-point weapons, these missiles carried fire-control systems and propulsion units, enabling them to independently seek and track targets.

At this velocity, the Swarm’s current technology offered no means of intercepting them. Once locked on, there was no way for a targeted Swarm unit to evade. At this stage, such weapons were effectively guaranteed to hit their mark.

However, even a weapon this formidable had its drawbacks—its strengths were also its limitations in some respects.

The missile’s engine system, capable of propelling it to such incredible speeds, required an immense amount of energy. The Daqi used nuclear batteries to power the engines, but due to the extreme energy demands, these batteries could not yet be miniaturized. This necessitated a massive missile body, limiting the number that could be carried per warship.

There was also an upgraded version of this missile. By replacing the nuclear battery with a controlled fusion power source, the missile’s size would balloon to 100 meters in length and 20 meters in diameter. While this upgrade would extend its effective range to interstellar distances, measured in light-years, such missiles were impractical for anything but the void between star systems, rendering their strategic value negligible.

And this leads to the second major limitation of the Crimson Kiss: its lack of flexibility.

With no prior intelligence on these missiles, the Swarm found themselves caught off guard.