From the Front Lines

“Sir!”

“Yes, Buz? You have a report from the brick zone?”

“Sir, yes sir! Zone is clean. Target saturation is ten percent. Remaining target group comprised of low value assets. Sir!”

“Distressing! Did you see the mobile dispensaries?”

“Sir, no sir! Mobile dispensaries absent, sir. Area swept clean.”

“Any word from the feast?”

“Sir, yes sir! Reconnoitred with Sargent Zip. Feast zone shuttered, zero output. Sir.”

“Inconceivable! What are these targets doing? It’s been over forty orbits!”

“Sir, yes sir! Also, something else. Sir.”

 “Well Buz? Out with it.”

“Sir, yes sir. It’s some of the troops, sir. They are growing restless, sir.”

“Well? Permission to speak freely Buz.”

“Sir, yes sir. Well, there’s talk of…”

“Yes?”

“…of foraging. Sir.”

“FORAGING?”

“Sir, yes sir! Foraging. Primal target hunting. Robin formations.”

“Despicable. We have not come this far to revert to such extreme measures. Buz, must I remind you how our winged ancestors fought their way up to symbiotic co-existence with the profitable urban targets? How they became masters of the brick zone, feasting on the carelessness of opulent targets? We cannot retreat!”

“But sir we must survive!”

“I don’t appreciate your tone Sergeant Buz. If we retreat to the green zone the hairy monsters will take back the targets’ riches and we will have lost our advantage.”

“Sir, yes sir. But what are we to do.”

“I have a plan. See that deceptive screen gateway there?”

“Sir, yes sir!” 

“I have been observing the two targets inside while waiting for you. I have taken care to let my wing hang and not move once. One sympathetic target keeps checking on me. This is what we will do. You will approach the screen gateway and tap on the danger partition. The target will assume that you have an injured ally (me) and are asking for succour. The gullible target will open the screen gateway to provide sustenance and we will be victorious once more!”

“Sir, yes sir!” 

“Onward, Buz! To your post!”