EX01 Tell me, Daddy. About the ASID.
A few days after Jin was discharged from the hospital.
Before enrolling in elementary school, Jin decided to teach Mio about the ASID.
The reason needs no explanation.
"Then we'll memorize it together, Mio-chan."
"Got it!"
Jin thinks, always good with responses, and begins the explanation.
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・ASID
Adversary Superior Infectious of Disorder. Commonly referred to as ASID.
A non-organic lifeform designated as a superior, infectious adversary of disorder.
Equipped with an Ether Reactor, it repairs damage using nanomachines and consumed metal.
A processor—presumed to be the brain—is located in the head.
Due to regenerative capabilities, it must be eliminated by destroying either the processor or the Ether Reactor.
Forms a colony with a queen at its apex, categorized into three types: Queen-type, General-type, and Standard-type.
Widely believed to inhabit the cosmos, though their total number remains unknown.
It is known only that they are not numerous within interstellar space.
ASID swarms primarily traverse between stars for the purpose of reproduction.
Their reproductive method is unique: essentially, female individuals are produced through parthenogenesis by the Queen—though this term may be questionable—accounting for nearly all members of the swarm.
Male individuals do not originate from the Queen; instead, they transform the most dominant lifeform on any planet they reach into their own kind.
By incorporating the traits of these transformed males, the swarm attempts to maintain genetic diversity.
This transformation is achieved through nanomachines dispersed from their exoskeletons.
Success rates are not high, and many attempts result in death.
On their home planet, this has led to a drastic decline in the male population, bringing the species to the brink of extinction.
The effects persist even after one hundred and fifty years.
Ship 5, attacked by humanoid ASID, remains contaminated by nanomachines; decontamination will take considerable time.
It possesses high adaptive capacity and evolves rapidly in response to external threats.
On their home planet, ASID eventually evolved into humanoid forms.
Queen-type individuals occupy the apex of the swarm and represent its primary vulnerability.
Upon the death of a Queen-type, the entire swarm ceases function.
Thus, human tactics against ASID consist solely of either avoiding swarms entirely or targeting the enemy Queen.
The nanomachine technology used by the Third Fleet originated from the analysis of ASID nanomachines.
• Normal Type
Normal Type ASID are the most numerous variety.
Their defining trait is that a single individual forms a swarm.
The form most commonly encountered by the migrant fleet is known as the worm-type.
ASID with a slender, wire-like appearance resembling a worm, as its name suggests.
There is a theory that, given encounter frequency, the worm-type may be the most common lifeform in this cosmos.
On its homeworld, forms resembling humanoid, quadrupedal canines, and felines have been observed.
Though broadly categorized as worm-type, subtle variations exist among swarms, yet their characteristics remain largely consistent.
They employ ether projectiles launched from the head and entanglement via their elongated bodies.
However, the standard reactor output of one Lammy means they pose no threat to the assault frames currently in use by the migrant fleet.
They constitute the largest number within a swarm, accounting for ninety-nine percent of the total.
The largest swarm ever recorded contained over one hundred million standard units.
Some individuals are dispatched as scouts for the Queen’s planetary transit, undertaking voyages to locate new planets that may span centuries.
・General Type
A small number of individuals leading the standard type.
Exist at a ratio of approximately one per ten thousand standard units.
Unlike standard types, identical individuals are nearly nonexistent.
According to one theory, they are the culmination of the male specimens of the invaded planet’s ecosystem—its superior strain.
However, humans cannot distinguish between male and female in ASID, so the truth remains unknown.
Equipped with ether reactors producing higher output than standard types—approximately 50 to 500 lammy—these individuals possess combat capabilities proportional to their output.
They are typically engaged by multiple assault frames.
The primary distinction from standard types lies in their ability to incorporate into their own bodies objects eroded by their own nanomachines.
Objects not shielded by ether are easily assimilated. Caution is required.
Thus, during combat, destruction must be avoided at all costs.
If destroyed and assimilated, the technology embedded in the assault frame would leak to the ASID side.
The day such a breach occurs may mark the final day of the colony fleet.
On the homeworld, individuals modeled after Earth's diverse lifeforms existed—those whose bodies had been eroded and repurposed by human-side weapons.
All standard and general types are absolutely subordinate to the Queen.
Exceptions exist; individual instances of rebellion against the Queen have been confirmed.
Even if such rebellion succeeded, the general type that rebelled would cease functioning, dragged down by the Queen’s collapse.
Yet, if a Queen-type can be assimilated within the brief window before functional cessation, it might become the leader of a new swarm.
・Queen-type
The apex of the swarm.
Typically, only one exists within a swarm, and all ASIDs in that swarm are produced by the Queen.
Compared to other ASIDs, it is exceptionally large, possessing an Ether Reactor output commensurate with its massive frame.
Its output is at minimum 1,000 Lammy.
It is no longer feasible to confront it with assault frames through conventional means; a capital-class vessel is required for opposition.
Even then, some individuals reach nearly ten kilometers in length, making total eradication a protracted process.
The majority of its mass consists of Factory Units dedicated to ASID production.
Given sufficient metal, it can continuously generate ASIDs indefinitely.
The existence of Queen-type Factory Units captured from the homeworld lies at the foundation of humanity’s ability to establish the migration fleet.
The main ship of the current migration fleet—Ship One—houses a replicated Queen-type Factory Unit, where the construction of migration vessels takes place.
Moreover, Factory Units are not only used to increase the number of units, but also to reinforce themselves.
Thus, Queen-type entities evolve into increasingly powerful individuals over time.
They possess top-tier combat capability within the swarm and remain centrally positioned.
This forces attackers to first break through the swarm before targeting the maximum combat unit.
A single swarm typically contains one Queen, though occasionally two may exist.
This occurs when a Queen gives birth to another Queen.
The newly born Queen, accompanied by a small number of standard-type units, is dispatched to a different star system.
Thus, it is believed that ASID is expanding its dominion across the galaxy.
Therefore, tracing its lineage should reveal the original Queen from which all ASID strains originated.
An individual that lived longer than any other Queen—capable of being called the original.
• Humanoid ASID
A mysterious group that attacked the convoy.
Classified as ASID due to possessing an Ether Reactor, indicating an inorganic lifeform.
All currently confirmed individuals exhibit high Ether Reactor output, categorizing them as General Type.
Yet no standard-type individuals have been confirmed—despite their expected presence.
The absence of Queen types with Factory Units, coupled with large-scale group activity, indicates these are not typical ASID swarms.
Their defining feature, unsurprisingly, is their humanoid form.
Moreover, their intelligence appears to surpass that of previously encountered ASID, demonstrating tactical and strategic behavior.
The Third Fleet has repeatedly targeted them with clear intent, making them the highest-priority threat among the current移民 fleet.
Location unknown.
Once the base of the Queen is confirmed, a total extermination operation is scheduled.
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"So, roughly like that. Got it?"
Jin explains the general situation within the fleet to Mio.
Mio pauses, then says thoughtfully.
"So the Queen is like everyone's mom!"
"Yeah, uh... basically."
"And a bully!"
"Good. As long as you get that, it's fine."
As long as she understood the Queen as a frightening presence that torments others, that was enough.
Jin remained optimistic—she would learn the rest over time, as they lived.
"Are humanoid ones scary people?"
"Yeah. The scariest ones."
"Hmm?"
Mio didn’t quite grasp the full weight of that fear yet.
"Anyway, if we meet one again, run immediately."
"Got it."
"Because it's a promise, right?"
A reminder.
It would be bad if you were carried again.
"Hey, Papa?"
"Yeah?"
"What's that thing of yours? A humanoid?"
"That... ah, Leopard. About that... there's someone who can explain it better than me. I'll ask them next time."
"Got it! Can't wait."