Forum:The Swarm

The Swarm

The Swarm was a race of aliens encountered by the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire during the September of 2834. Their discovery triggered the devastating Swarm war, and their brutal, relentless nature combined with their incredibly effective technology branded them as large a threat to the galaxy as the long-dead Flood.


 * Overview
 * History
 * Physiology
 * Worker
 * Warrior
 * Warrior Elite
 * Troll
 * Scypher
 * Queen
 * Weapons
 * Vehicles
 * Starships

Overview

An incredibly violent species inhabiting the core worlds of the Milky Way galaxy, the Swarm are dangerous to the extremes and are considered as great a threat to the galaxy as the Flood. Unlike the Flood, however, the Swarm are not parasitic, nor are they a single entity controlled by a hive brain. In fact, the Swarm are more similar to the Drone race in the fact that they reproduce via Queens, and each individual member of the species is constantly in contact with the Queen that birthed it. This means that what a single member of the species knows, its mother Queen will know. And what a Queen knows will eventually be passed down to all members of the Swarm. The Swarm exist in a caste-oriented society, similar to that of the Covenant and the Covenant remnant. However, unlike the Covenant, each different race of Swarm is part of the same overall species instead of many different alien species conscripted into their empire. The Swarm are an incredibly destructive species, and are constantly at war. After countless centuries of intense fighting among themselves, their homeworld was reduced to a barren wasteland. It remains a mystery how they ever evolved to a space-faring status with this tendency to destroy one another. However, if presented with another life form, the entire species will band together and fight as one until the threat is extinguished. After millennia of constantly trying to kill one another, the Swarm eventually found peace and concentrated on rebuilding their ruined homeworld. Through the use of advanced technologies gained during their many wars, they were able to form a fledgling empire among the stars. This empire continued to grow until a UNSC expeditionary fleet entered Swarm space in September 2834. The fleet, due to return to Imperial space in early 2835, disappeared after entering this sector of space. A UNSC battle group was dispatched to the fleet’s last known position to discover the cause of the disappearance, and was subsequently destroyed by Swarm warships. This eventually led to the Swarm war, a devastating conflict that almost destroyed the established species of the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire.

History

The Swarm were discovered in late 2834 during a UNSC voyage to the core worlds. Worlds eligible for terraforming had recently been discovered after a Kig-Yar mining ship unintentionally dropped out of Slipspace close to a star system with several habitable planets. The Kig-Yar crew returned to Imperial space and traded the co-ordinates (And all information on the system recorded in the mining ship’s computer) with the Empire for a hefty sum of money, and it was not long before the established species (mostly Humans and Sangheili) began to move into the new territory. Several expeditionary fleets travelled to the core worlds in hopes of expanding the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire.

Unfortunately, this was not to be. For a few years, the alliance continued to send fleets to the new territory, blissfully unaware that they were heading into Swarm space. The Swarm encountered and destroyed a fleet of human ships, and after studying captured computers they learned about the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire. With a new enemy to fight, the Swarm rallied all its forces to war, and headed for Imperial space. Thus the Swarm war began.

The devastating seventy year long conflict was the single most cataclysmic event of galactic history for the UNSC/ISE alliance. The Swarm were a thousand times more relentless than any enemy any of the established species had ever faced, and many times larger in number. Countless worlds were destroyed, and after fifty-nine years of harrowing conflict the alliance was reduced to just a few star systems – less territory than the human race had possessed before the Great War. The Swarms’ advance was simply unstoppable, and it seemed like all was lost. However, the Swarms’ self-destructive nature instigated a turning point in the war as the Swarm began to fight among themselves once more. Billions of Swarm were killed in the following civil war, and the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire was able to regroup its forces as the Swarm mercilessly pummelled one another to oblivion. The Swarm were able to stop the war, but only after they had reduced their power to a tiny fraction of what it had been. Abandoning their space empire, the Swarm moved their entire population into alliance space in order to finish off the weakened allied forces. Eventually, after years of conflict, both factions had been utterly smashed by the war. The entire Swarm population now inhabited their homeworld, which had been fitted with technologies allowing it to travel through space (Similar to the Covenant planetoid High charity on a massive scale), while what remained of the UNSC/ISE alliance had pulled all its forces back to the origin of the human race – Earth. In just sixty-six years, two massive space empires had blasted each other back to a single planet each. The war raged on for another four years as the alliance desperately tried to defend Earth against the Swarm advance. Eventually, the Swarm would go on to lose the war after the alliance discovered and eliminated a Swarm shipbuilding moon, instigating a series of events leading to the Swarms’ total destruction.

Physiology There are several different races within the Swarm caste system, all of which follow a basic physiology. While they share a similar lifestyle to Drones, they appear more similar to Demonic creatures. They are described to be terrifying monstrosities, creatures seemingly taken from the darkest corners of the minds of the insane. Each breed is generally composed of chitinous rust-coloured armour plates, jagged appendages, talons, and scythe-like limbs sharp enough to slice through Battleship plating. Below is a list of each Swarm race encountered in the war.

Worker The most common breed in the entire Swarm population, Workers form the backbone of everything in the Swarm Empire. They are found everywhere, performing every basic role imaginable. From general labour and foot soldiers to Starship operators, the Worker class is true to its name. They could be compared to the Unggoy of the old Covenant – a weak, downtrodden slave species permitted to hold little importance within the Swarm Empire. Indeed, one of the most honorific titles Workers can hold is as basic infantry in the Swarm military.

The Worker class also sets the basis for the physiology of the different breeds within the Swarm. Like all bipedal Swarm, Workers are roughly humanoid in shape; that is, they possess two arms, two legs and one head. However, their likeness to human beings ends there. Their elongated heads are eyeless, and fitted with curved horns like those of a Ram. They possess no lips, and their mouths are full of razor sharp teeth (Obviously indicating a carnivorous nature). The rest of their body is covered in natural armour plates, giving them the appearance of a human or Sangheili in full armour. Their hands are tridactyly, having three digits on each hand. These include the two fingers and the opposing thumb. All their digits end in sharp talons, which are strong enough to slice through MJOLNIR armour. Oddly enough, their legs are almost identical to those of the Sangheili race, being digitigrade. Instead of hooves though, they end in a feet that possess only two digits, each ending in a sharp talon. Finally, like most breeds within the Swarm, Workers are equipped with a long whip-like tail, which ends in a small “stinging barb”. They can use their tails to further complement their close-combat abilities.

In combat, Workers are generally used as nothing more than cannon fodder, similar to the Covenant Unggoy of old. But unlike the Unggoy, they are extremely vicious. Their ferociousness coupled with their many sharp appendages gives them a massive advantage in close combat. Despite their nature as the weakest race in the Swarm, a single Worker can easily kill an unarmoured Sangheili in close combat. Fortunately, the use of powered armour systems in the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire military allows significant protection in close combat. For general combat, Workers are armed with the standard Slug-thrower rifle as used by Swarm infantry. They are left mostly untrained with the weapon, resulting in them being very bad shots. However, this hardly matters in most situations as Workers are deployed en masse. They swamp the enemy with their massive numbers (Which gained them the “Swarm” moniker), softening them up for the more powerful Warrior caste.

Warrior The standard infantry unit of the Swarm military, Warriors are a far cry from the Worker class. While they remain vicious and totally merciless, they are far more intelligent. They can be compared to the Sangheili species’ role in the old Covenant Empire – professional soldiers skilled in every form of warfare. This is very true, though the Swarm Warrior caste lacks the actual Warrior nature of the Sangheili race. They are tough, cold-blooded beings bred purely to bring death and destruction to the Swarms’ enemies. Due to their higher intelligence, Warriors are deployed in much more diverse roles than the Worker caste. They fight on the front lines as infantry soldiers, but can also operate vehicles and Starships, though they are not as tactically adept as humans or Sangheili. Once a Warrior reaches a specific age, it will evolve into a Warrior Elite.

Physically, Warriors are very similar to the smaller Workers, though they have several distinguishing features. They are much larger, standing a foot taller than the average Sangheili, and are incredibly strong. Their horns and talons are longer than a Worker’s, and their tail barbs resemble blades rather than stingers. Their exoskeleton is tougher than that of a Worker, and their close combat skills prove more than a match for any UNSC/ISE soldier in powered armour.

In battle, Warriors are equipped with the basic Slug-thrower rifle, though they may also use several different Swarm firearms. They are often seen wielding Fire-spitter rifles, and sometimes Rail-launchers to take out enemy vehicles. They are heavily trained in all Swarm firearms, and are very good shots. Unlike the Worker caste, Warriors operate in squads of ten, which split up into teams of five. While they are less tactically adept than humans or Sangheili, they are still capable of executing simple tactics such as flanking. Most of the time however, they use their strength and perseverance to overwhelm foes.

Warrior Elite The veterans of the Swarm military, Warrior Elites are Warriors that have served the Swarm for many years, and have evolved into the “Elite” status. Warrior Elites take positions of command in the Swarm military, as they are more intelligent and tactically adept than members of the Warrior caste. The lowest rank a Warrior Elite can achieve is as a Squad leader, while the highest is the Grand Admiral of the Navy.

Warrior Elites are almost identical to the younger Warriors, though have some distinguishing features. For one, a Warrior Elite is basically a middle-aged Warrior. Instead of the strong rust colour other Swarm units take, their skin is a light sandy brown, which become ever lighter as they age. Also, Warrior Elites gain stronger armour plating and a larger tail blade. But their most obvious feature is the pair of scythe-like appendages sprouting from their shoulders. These blades are used to deadly effect in battle, and are sharp enough to slice effortlessly through MJOLNIR armour plating. Needless to say, the Warrior Elite is very adept at close quarters combat.

Warrior Elites are highly talented with every infantry weapon in the Swarm armoury, but their signature weapon is the Fire-spitter rifle. It is unknown why they prefer to use this weapon as they have the right to wield any weapon they wish, but they do so with extreme accuracy and efficiency.

Troll Serving as heavy infantry units in the Swarm military, Trolls were at first believed to be mindless muscle, and subsequently low in intelligence. The many encounters with Troll units proved this belief to be very wrong. Trolls are superb soldiers, and are extremely dangerous. They are roughly fifteen feet tall and have the same physiology as the Warrior caste, though appear much stronger. Despite their size, they are surprisingly nimble, and due to their strength and invulnerability to small arms fire are often deployed as shock troops.

The favoured weapon of the Troll caste is the Bolt-mallet – a large, hammer like weapon with the ability to fire energy bolts from the head. They use this weapon to great effect, crushing enemy infantry and smashing vehicles aside like toys. Even the mighty lekgolo pose little threat to these creatures. Trolls are almost immune to most small arms fire, and possess no weak points. They can be taken down by grenades or heavy weapons, but will often cause a great deal of damage before they give in. Therefore they are always priority targets when they appear on the battlefield.

Scypher Acting as the standard heavy armour of the Swarm military, Scyphers are enormous monsters with incredibly thick hides. Their average height is around fifty feet, and they often weight between 10,000 and 12,000 kilograms. Scyphers are one of the most deadly units in the Swarm military, and prove more than a match for modern UNSC/ISE armoured vehicles.

Their physiology remains very similar to that of the Warrior caste, with several differences. Apart from the obvious difference in size and strength, Scyphers do not possess hands. Instead, their arms end in huge scythe like blades capable of piercing through Battleship plating. Their heads also differ from the norm. Instead of the horned head of most Swarm breeds, Scypher heads possess three mandibles, which open like the petals of a flower. Inside the mandibles are many rows of teeth, which can chew just about anything. Indeed, Scyphers have been sighted effortlessly swallowing down armoured vehicles without any trouble. Because of their size and thick hides, Scyphers are practically invincible to most infantry weapons. Concentrated rocket and laser volleys can take them down, but the only really effective way of killing a Scypher is by way of vehicle mounted heavy weapons fire.

Due to their status as heavy armoured vehicles rather than infantry, Scyphers are equipped solely with heavy weapon systems. The most common Scypher mounted weapon is one of the variants of Energy-caster, but Scyphers have been seen using everything from anti-infantry weapons to artillery. All Scypher weapons are mounted on the creature’s right shoulder, and point whichever direction the Scypher’s head is facing.

Queen The leaders of Swarm civilisation, Queens are constantly in contact with all their subordinates and are worshipped as gods by the Swarm population. Little is know about the Queens, as they have never been seen by any members of the UNSC/ISE Allied Empire, but it is known that they give birth to all Swarm units. Thus they have always been marked as priority targets by the Empire’s military forces.

Weapons
 * Slug-thrower rifle
 * Fire-spitter rifle
 * Rail-launcher
 * Bolt-mallet
 * Energy-caster

Vehicles
 * Skimmer light air assault vehicle
 * Gargant ultra-heavy assault platform
 * Manta Starfighter

Starships
 * Battle Carrier – type 1
 * Battle Carrier – type 2