"Martians are a superstitious and cowardly lot, dear Arthur", Sir Percival replied. "So our weapon must be able to strike fear into their black hearts. And what terror most fuels that evil engine but the most abundant weapon there is?"
"The, uh - the common cold, sir?"
He turned with a wry smile. "Nuclear weapons, m'boy."

The war of the worlds ended poorly for the away team, but never let it be said that mankind never kicked an enemy while it was down. Arthur Q. Bryan - photographer, liar and equal opportunist extraordinaire - only wanted a career advancement when he bluffed his way into covering the interstellar assault, but he might get more than he bargained for - and not just from Mars...

For the first week of Pixelween 2024, basically a reverse War Of The Worlds