Reactive

Clunking clanks of rusting armor sounded in the forest, yet Jay was already concealed at the edge of the trail as his skeletons had pre-warned and protected him.

Jay was realizing that effective commanding relied not only on orders flowing down, but on information flowing up the chain of command - from his scouts back to himself.

Sure, from Lamp to Blue to Jay, it was a small chain of command, but a useful function on a small scale would be just as effective on a larger one, if not more so.

Jay counted the incoming enemies, and he was surprised at the small response force after he had cut off the nutrient supply root.

“Hmm, another group of seven. I wonder if that’s the optimal number.” Jay gazed at the incoming soldiers from behind some large roots of a tree.