Three humans walked at the water’s edge, up the gorge towards the pirate’s location. An arrow, with Feebee at it’s tip. She focused ahead, while the two flanking marines scanned the sides of the gorge. The view from a drone, high overhead, fed directly into her overlays.

  Behind Feebee, four cats followed covering the flank. She’d refused to even consider moving out until the cats either replaced or removed their bright orange uniforms. So, dressed in black fatigues, they left, thirty minutes late much to the chagrin of MAJ Chen. He was pissed. Feebee didn’t care.

  The cats should have been terrifying; two meters of solid muscle wrapped in black fur with a maw full of teeth, and claws that rendered their teeth almost superfluous. ?But they spent more time splashing around in the water and chasing fish than taking care with their approach.

  Her command totalled seven.

  “More than adequate to take out a ragtag group of pirates,” had been MAJ Chen’s comment. Feebee called bullshit on that; more likely it was the most Chen could spare, or rustle up, and the minimum with a chance of success that would get JCOM off his back.

  ‘Was that movement?’ She stopped, fist held high. The cats reacted immediately, all play suddenly gone as rifles appeared and they dropped low.

  The drone shifted and focused where she gazed. Feebee waited.

  Nothing.

  She split the marines, one on either side of the stream running down the gorge. The cats split too.

  “Anything?" she asked the marines.

  “Alpha 2 - No,” then, “Alpha 3 - No.”

  The drone’s search narrowed to the top of the gorge, its AI interested but unable to determine by what.? ‘Searching… Searching…’ It sent back data and visuals. Something was off, she knew it and so did the drone’s AI. She replayed the feed. There were hints, shimmers, the edge of shadows moving in the bright light.

  “Hold! Hold! Hold!” The group paused, weapons ready. She listened. Sensing more than hearing a change in jungle sound. Was it them? Feebee dropped a pin on their tactical map, then shared it. “Possible threat ahead. Unknown number of hostiles.”? Feebee then directed the nearest marine and one of the cats to ‘move slowly up the gorge’. The cat started at a gentle walk then bounded off chasing a bird, the marine ran behind shaking its head, trying to catch-up.

  ‘This could get ugly,’ she thought. ‘I see why they wanted humans on the op.’

  “Move on. Hostiles may have stealth suits.”? More than one of the cats cursed. She was pleased her marines had remained quiet.

  She called ahead, “Alpha-2. Report.”

  “Nothing to see.”

  “You’re funny. Look for heat differentials. Stealth suits can be leaky.”

  “Ack”

  Chen had assured her his intel was good, ‘No need to load up,’ he’d said. ‘but take some CHOC, quick in and out. You never know.’? She’d wondered at the time why she’d need Combat Hardened Ordnance Charges. It was becoming clear this was not a simple ‘in and out’.

  Alpha-2 had caught up with the cat. It sat on a rock eating a bird, feathers and all.

  “Alpha-1.”

  “Ack. Report.”

  Alpha-2 responded, “The gorge narrows. Waterfall at the top. No easy way around.”

  “Can the cats get up there?”

  “Probably, but its unresponsive and eating a bird at the moment.”

  “Repeat.”

  “It’s distracted and eating a bird.”

  “Can you take the bird off it and see if it can get up the gorge.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “You’re joking right?” asked the marine. “It’s almost finished. Advise I wait.”

  “Really!” Then with a sigh, Feebee continued, “Ack, ask the cat when its responsive.” She’d had a cat for a while as a pet. Once it had its prey it was almost impossible to get the cat’s attention until it’d finished eating it. Clearly Panthera were the same. Annoyingly so.

  She never did know where that cat of her's had strayed too. It was here today then just gone.

  Feebee huddled the group under a rock shelf, in a deep nook, almost a cave and waited. The three cats lay at the mouth. Fidgety, nervous. In the heat their fur dried and they began to stink. It was a skunky smell that seemed to get worse.

  “We’re safe here. Stay calm,” She tried to settle the cats, but none looked comfortable. They huddled closer together, facing out, watching intently. They were excellent sentries, provided there were no birds or fish around. So, probably not.

  Feebee and Alpha-3 sat behind them, backs cooling on the rock wall. She closed her eyes and relaxed, waiting for Alpha-2 to report back. The sound of gunfire reached the cave. ?The cats looked to her for direction. Their desire for action barely contained.

  “Shit! Shit! Hostiles! Hostiles! Six in stealth suits. Five now.”? It was Alpha-2.

  “Hold!”? She directed at the cats. Then to asked them, “Report.”

  One of the cats spoke up, “Charlie-4 reports four hostiles in stealth suits above the waterfall, polarised IR signatures.”

  “Roger that,” then to everyone, “Polarised IR gives us sight on the hostiles. Acknowledge.”

  “Ack. Alpha-3.” The rest of the group named off.

  “On the double. Provide support to the top of the waterfall.”

  Before she’d finished talking the cats were gone. Streaking out of the cave and up the gorge. By the time Feebee made it to the base of the waterfall she could see the cats were already at the top. The sound of gunfire picked up.

  A projectile whistled past and struck the rock near her. She winced as a piece of rock struck her leg. There was a rip in her pants but that was all.

  “We wait here. Establish covering fire.” Her overlays identified a target in a tree at the top of the gorge. It was two hundred meters away, an uphill shot. Formulae came automatically; she worked the math in real time without thinking. Slant distance 200m.? +60о?slope. Ignore wind drag. High velocity rifle so reachable. She reckoned it was 100m flat, so it was 173m up. The built in rangefinder chirped and set the sight to +60о. She ignored it and aimed where the cliff met the sky, below the target and squeezed the trigger. The rifle cracked, the stealth suit failed and the hostile, now visible, fell out of the tree and tumbled down the gorge.

  She shifted her position, moving along the rock ledge to the right. Three hostiles left.

  “Thanks Alpha-1. We were pinned down. Moving forward.”

  “Ack Alpha-2”

  See watched Alpha-3 climbing up the gorge, the water washing over him making progress slow.

  “I’m taking fire,” it was Alpha-3. “Left side. High. Keeps moving. Beneath the tree line.”

  “Ack Alpha-3”

  Feebee started to move, looking for a better angle up the gorge when she heard; no, sensed something behind her. She dropped her rifle, span around and drew her knife. A shimmering outline was less than a meter away. It lunged towards her; she moved to the left and the stepped sharply right. The shadow followed her movement but failed to read the faint. She was inside its guard and then out in a heartbeat.

  With its integrity compromised, the suit failed exposing a bipedal insect of some sort with four arms ending in hand-like appendages. Three held knifes, the fourth tried to close the cut that oozed ‘stuff’ as its midsection.

  Its mandibles clicked. She couldn’t understand it.

  Feebee pulled a second knife from the scabbard at her thigh. “Now that’s a knife,” she said and smiled, quoting an old Terran film. The insect cocked its head.

  She acted clumsy, wanting to see how the insect moved. How it reacted. It followed her, two knives always pointing at her chest. One high, one low. The third seemed disconnected and moved at random.

  ‘Hhmm. Looks like it knows how to fight,’ she thought before saying, “Hey Clik-clik. Do you want to go home? See mummy and daddy?”

  The insect’s mandibles clicked and emitted a strange gurgling sound.

  ‘Do you want me to translate that?’ Then after a pause, ‘Or I could remain silent, so you can do this op on your own.’ The quantum intelligence sounded smug and made no attempt to hide her sarcasm. Feebee had always seen the QI as a she. Not sure why – just felt like a she.

  “Hey Clik-clik. Nod if you understand me.”

  The insect nodded its head.

  “Nod again.” Yes, definitely a nod.

  ‘See, I don’t need you. Now, leave me alone.’

  ‘Ack’ responded the QI reluctantly but maintained over watch on Feebee.

  “We can fight this out, or I can let you go if you agree to disappear. What’ll it be Clik-clik?”

  There was a nod of the head, followed by the insect slowly placing each of the knives on the ground. It then stepped away. Feebee sheathed her knives and raised her hands.

  “How many of you are there here?” she asked.

  The insect shook its head and moved slowly towards her. One hand holding its midriff that still oozed ‘gloop’.? As the insect got close two thigs happened at the same time.? Firstly, the QI screamed at Feebee, ‘Where’s the fourth knife!’ Secondly, Clik-clik lunged forward, drawing a knife from behind its back.

  But her reflexes were lightening fast. Honed by a lifetime’s training and military grade nanites. She brushed aside the intended strike and jabbed three fingers between the plates under the insect’s chin. The area was soft and full of nerve ganglia. Clik-clik went limp and fell to the floor, twitching.

  “You had your chance. May your god go with you,” and with that she deftly finished off the insect. A hunting knife through the brain does that.

  “Report Kills. Two kills here.”? Feebee waited for the other marines to respond.

  “Alpha-2. The cats have one kill. I also bagged one.”

  “Alpha-3. One kill.”

  “Ack,” responded Feebee. ‘That’s five.... We’re one missing.’