First, They Would Strike at the Zerg

Cannon's idea met with no objection from Aburame Tetsumaru.

He had infiltrated this place long ago. After provoking the war with the Zerg, he had been among the first to be drawn into it.

During the eleven years since the war began, Marine Aburame Tetsumaru had been forcibly stationed in frontier star systems, moving between planets, asteroid belts, nebula cores, and space stations, fighting all manner of Zerg.

Most of the time, he could only wear heavy powered armor and fight in vacuum and microgravity. Only while transferring after a victory could he take off his armor aboard a battleship or transport.

Over four years, Aburame Tetsumaru had participated in seven major campaigns. Humanity had won three and lost two.

The other two had ended with the complete destruction of the battlefield. The entire combat zone had become a horrifying natural-disaster region, so they were considered draws.

Across those seven campaigns, Aburame Tetsumaru had led the Marines through one hundred and thirteen battles. He had won every one.

He could only win every one.

The essence of the Zerg was devouring genes, but their fundamental combat tactic was a sea of bugs.

Mother Hives bred endless bugs to exhaust the enemy's ammunition, energy, and strength, then drowned them beneath the swarm.

This time was even more extreme. The vast majority of the attacking Insect Swarm was free, driven into battle by the instinct to devour.

Fighting bugs that disordered actually was not too stressful, since they could trample plenty of their own kind to death.

But the consequences of defeat were dire: they would be devoured. Only final victory in battle allowed them to survive.

Against disordered bugs, Aburame Tetsumaru discovered that stopping power was more effective than fire density.

After being uncontrolled for so long, the bugs' instinctive reactions