"About time they got here," Burke muttered to herself as the horde made its final approach to the outer layer of fortifications the colony had erected.
"Everything ready?" Wills asked for the fourth time in the last five minutes.
"Yes, everything is ready. You really should have rested when you were told to."
"Couldn't," Wills flicked her antennae, "the scouts were still out there."
"That doesn't mean that you had to be."
"We disagree on that point."
"I know," Burke lifted an antenna and brought it down with a gentle thwack on her siblings head. "Now that the battle has arrived, you're useless. Go back with the other late returning scouts and get an hour of rest. This isn't going to be over by then."
Stubborn, Wills shook her head.
"I'll be fine for a while yet," she said, "I've got a full load of acid and I'm not sleeping till these invaders have felt every drop of it."
"Fair enough then. Just make sure you don't push too far forward. Stick to the plan. Deliver the product and then get to safety."
The two scouts fell into a companionable silence as the horde made its final approach. One hundred metres. That's all that separated the enemy from the first defensive line. After a week of solid fighting, it was a relief to have it come to this.
"About time then," Burke announced.
"Seems like it," Wills agreed.
open fire," Burke told
out
course, Elder. Fire
monstrous ants leapt into motion simultaneously. Not far
the ants however, the 'noise'
to fire! Long range will engage in ten seconds! Ten seconds! Soldiers and generals will fire in thirty
come! Are you ready to
your angles! Don't aim
real monsters
"Two! One! FIRE!"
the Formica Sapiens, their collective business districts already pointed at
POW!
volley as the acid cut through the air with incredible power. All together the shrill sound
flesh. Any monster who fell was set upon by its fellow horde members in
POW! POW! POW!
scouts continued their steady barrage, firing in
empty" Burke observed, "what
think it's close. I haven't been tracking the time,"
and generals, FIRE!" the order
POW! POW! POW! POW!
to fall on the horde like burning rain. The ants were careful to spread their fire as much as possible. It wasn't as if it were possible to miss in this scenario, but to inflict maximum damage on the horde the ants didn't
that poured from the sky and the creatures who threw themselves on their wounded brethren, the horde continued to advance, an unstoppable wave of momentum that couldn't be halted. Despite the damage caused by the acid bombardment, the colony may as well have been spitting in
declared, reorienting herself so she could look out over the wall once again. "Ten more seconds till they
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