The horde just stopped, almost like they didn't want to attack anymore, but their teeth were still gnashing and claws still raking the ground. For several tense seconds they just seemed to know that guns would kill many of them should they continue, but they didn't care. They wanted blood, but yet something held them back.

On the walls, the colonists didn't stop. They had seen this before, each night they did this. The probing wave comes in, then the tide follows. More and more tar flowed over the walls as they tried to get some on every inch of the walls. And while they tired as hard as they could, it was slow work. Yet several walls were already covered, about 30% of the ring around the colony and spreading. One colonist turned to give Six a rapid response, "If we are lucky, this will help for a few hours." Then he returned to helping to spread the substance.

Ryder did as his teammates and quit firing, looking around at the others as they worked or collected their breath. Not making a sound, but one shuffling uneasily. What that mass out there was doing was not normal by any means and it was clearly making him fidgety.

From back out on the fields, the big white bugs standing infrequently amount the others, chirped and clacked their claws in shot quick bursts, then in a final move they all raised their heads in unison and let out a ringing shriek that echoed for miles and the horde of smaller bugs resumed their assault, but this time, they were not holding back and they stormed down at a much more savage rate, stacking on top of each other three bugs high in some places. Yet the big albino ones that towered above the tide, never moving their legs, they only continued to click and chirp a mile out.