The colonists put up a futile defense against the pirates' superior firepower, numbers and skill at their task.

"I-" He bit his tongue on futile defenses, and started over.

The dark things bounded after him, the creatures that had appeared as he beat aside Jared Scott's futile defenses.

Would Alder and Dogal and all the soldiers he had diced with get themselves killed in a futile defense?

He dove to the side wildly, his arms flailing in futile defense.

The tall body convulsing, the eyes opening in disbelief, the arms flailing in a futile defense.

He scrambled to put his other hand in the great paw's way, a futile defense.

Sacrifice our military in a futile defense of these aliens and you will lose whatever tenuous support you have left.

They had conducted a short, futile, and puny defense against the infalling rock.

It happened; they watched it happen, what had happened already, the futile defense, the overwhelming assault.