This turns into a series, listed here. This part stands alone in my opinion, but your mileage may vary.
The shields they built helps answer your first question, I think. The swarm had to coalesce and get whittled down to a point where a supernova only had finish off the remains. It also sounds like the swarm are little smarter than moths flying to fire.
Overall I agree, and while I’m not the author, I appreciate the criticism. It’s one of my favorites saved from /r/HFY
And and and and and and and and and and
I only found out about Leacock when looking for stories to post here. There’s been My Financial Career and Borrowing a Match. The mundane absurdity of them was hilarious.
I’d be happy to see anything else you’ve liked by him.