Chapter 532: Passing the Buck
After confirming that the Swarm could track warp travel information in real time, the Swarm’s image in the eyes of the confederation races rose several notches. This made their subsequent actions even more cautious.
Learning that the support forces couldn’t arrive within the expected timeframe weighed heavily on the commanders of the Yuntu and Sangqie fleets. Fortunately, the Swarm didn’t seem eager to act rashly, merely forming a semicircular encirclement around them.
“What’s the Swarm’s plan?” The Swarm’s actions puzzled the confederation races. The Yuntu and Sangqie fleets were now isolated, with the nearest reinforcements, even using sub-light engines, taking about a year to arrive.
“Could there be another trap nearby? Are they trying to encircle us and attack the reinforcements?”
This was a perfect opportunity for an offensive, but the Swarm didn’t seem interested in exploiting it. This made the confederation races smell a conspiracy, though they couldn’t pinpoint the issue immediately. They could only respond with even greater caution and conservatism.
In truth, the Swarm wanted to take advantage of the situation, but the forces on the scene were insufficient. The combined fleets of the Yuntu and Sangqie races numbered less than a hundred million, and the Swarm’s forces weren’t much larger.
Although the Swarm had mobilized a total of two billion units for this interception, the main forces were still on the way. Some units hadn’t even set off yet due to the lack of available warp paths.
At present, only a little over two hundred million Swarm units had reached the battlefield and were ready for combat. While this seemed like a lot, the Yuntu and Sangqie races were no pushovers like the Troi or Moto races. If the Swarm tried to force an engagement with only three times the enemy’s numbers, the outcome would be uncertain.
The situation had reached a stalemate. The Swarm’s reinforcements were continuously arriving, but the Yuntu and Sangqie fleets had no immediate reinforcements. If the balance of forces tilted further in the Swarm’s favor, they would certainly seize the opportunity to strike.