Swarm

The Swarm is a pretty straightforward enemy for the first 2 books. They are a liquid race that controls other races through custom viruses that are transmitted by touch. The other races and individuals are controlled through a “meta-space” link (called “the Ligature by book 3), which travels faster than light. The Swarm appears to have a life cycle in which for 150 years they lie dormant in a refractory rebuilding phase, and then a few months or years in which they are actively expanding their empire. In book 1, The Swarm has come out of its 150 year cycle about 75 years early.

By book 3 it is discovered that the Swarm is not what it appears to be. The liquid race, called the Valarisi by other client races, is actually itself in thrall to the real Swarm, which is a race of beings not in our universe but which accesses our universe by means of quantum singularities like certain types of black holes, and the artificial weaponized singularities manufactured by the Russians. The Swarm uses the liquid Valarisi as their main tool to extend their influence into our universe and control the Dolmasi, the Skiohra, Humanity, and the other known races.

The “Meta-Space” Swarm

The true Swarm are meta-space beings not in our universe. Very little is known about them, and were not discovered by humanity until near the end of book 3. Granger ended their access into our universe when he flew anti-matter bombs into the black hole they were using to enter our reality. The Russian weaponized singularity weapons enabled them to extend their reach into our universe such that they no longer had to rely on the black hole they had been using to invade for thousands of years. When the singularity weapons were all disabled and the black hole disrupted by anti-matter bombs, Swarm incursions into our universe ceased.

Their motivations are unclear. They claim they want to make everyone “a friend”, and bring all sentient beings into a linked consciousness. Individuals who are linked to the Swarm and each other through the meta-space link retain their individuality, yet are fundamentally changed and lose their ability to resist, and are utterly controlled by the Swarm.