The forest was quiet. While the wind blew, the leaves in the tree rustled. But there were no sounds of birds, insects, or anything else scurrying around in the undergrowth. Instead, there was the slight stench of something going bad that laid upon the land.

“Didn’t the Sergeant say that anything smaller than a dog would be killed by the pulse?” Jamieson asked with a frown. “So much waste of life.”

“Not much doing is there?” Conners asked.

“No. But it shows us what we are dealing with.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone, or something, that must not be allowed to win.”

There were sounds off in the distance, behind them. Soft sounds of what must be the plasma rifles being fired, along with a sort of mechanical screeching. Probably from the beetle being shot at. And hopefully because they injured it.

“Those sounds are giving me the creeps,” Conners said.

“Keep it quiet please,” Smith said. He had taken point and was a few meters ahead of everyone else. “I don’t know if it’s just because everything that lived here is dead, but something feels off about this forest.”

They moved forward in silence for several moments. On edge for what might be waiting for them. In the shadows or obscured by trees. Smith suddenly held his hand up and went low which the others copied. “What do you see?” Monroe asked. She had taken up position on the right flank.

Smith pointed off to the north east. “There, a noise.” Barten tried his best to slow his breathing. Willing the blood pounding in his ears to somehow lessen. After a moment he was able to hear what Smith was talking about. It was of wood crackling. As if a large branch was snapped in two.

“There shouldn’t be anything alive to make such a noise,” Jamieson said. His hands gripped his rifle tightly.

“Alright. Slow. Jamieson and Monroe swing a little wider. Conners and Barten with me,” Smith said in a hushed voice. They nodded to one another and slowly crept forward. Avoiding what underground and trees they could. Hardly making a sound that the wind didn’t carry away.

Jamieson was the first to find line of sight. “One beetle class in view. It’s chewing on the trees.” He pointed towards a small thicket with his rifle. “Engaging.”

“Wait!” Smith tried to stop him. Only Jamieson had already lined up the sights of his rifle and pulled the trigger. There was a loud womp sound as a small ball of bluish white plasma went hurtling towards the beetle. It landed true, on the back just about the neck. The moment that it landed the beetle reared back, showing what appeared to be an even more armored underbelly. It reeled back and screeched at them.

Jamieson wobbled at the noise, but he was able to keep firing. Each of the shots that impacted on the underbelly barely left an impact. “Damn it!” Smith said. “Monroe keep a watch on your flank. Try to get a clear shot at the head or something other than the underside. Conners go and see if you can’t calm Jamieson down. Barten, with me. We’ll try to keep its attention off of Jamieson. And let's hope that they don’t have any ranged capability.”

No sooner were their names called did they run off on Smith’s orders. “We shouldn't get too close,” Barten said as he followed Smith. “Without knowing about their movement capabilities it could go badly.” Smith only grunted a reply and then stopped about 10 meters short and fired a shot.

The shot landed high and glanced off of the beetle’s head. But it was enough to cause it to focus on Smith for a moment. As its attention was ripped away when Barten took his shot and landed low on the underbelly. “It’s like lobbing water balloons,” Smith said. “You need to aim higher than what you expect.”

With a look between the two of them the Beetle screeched and lunged for Barten. Not even a second after it moved it was already on top of him. Multi jointed arms came out from the side as Barten shot into the underbelly and tried to back up.

A blast rang out as someone landed a lucky hit on the back of the beetle. It half turned away from Barten before it was lit up. And once he got far enough away from it to feel safe again, he found that the rest had circled around the beetle and had unloaded into its back. It teetered in place for a moment before it fell to the side. Blue ichor leaking from the holes on its back.

“Everyone stay back for now,” Smith said. He came around to Barten. “Are you alright? Felt a little too close for comfort didn’t it?”

Barten shook his head and took in a deep breath. “Just about lost it. Scary seeing something that large changing like that. Didn’t pack a spare pair of undies.”

“Not much different than charging a tank,” Monroe said. “Done some of that in my time.”

“Okay, then you get to be bait next time,” Barten said and grabbed some water from his pack.

“Do you think that it’s dead? Like really dead?” Conners asked as he eyed the downed beetle.

“It ain't moving no more. So that’s the best that we are probably going to get,” Smith said. He turned to Jamieson. “What the hell was that? Why didn’t you wait for us to get into a better position?”

Jamieson shook his head. “I don’t know… It’s just that, with all the death that they have done, and with the threat to the civilians… Something inside of me couldn’t stand their existence,” he said and shrugged. “I wish that I had a better answer than that.”

Smith looked at Jamieson for a moment. “Alright. Switch with Conners and stay in the back for now. No sense getting someone else into trouble as we try to keep your head out of your ass.” He looked around. “There only seems to be one trail here, might as well follow it for a bit and see where it goes. Ammo everyone?”

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“How do you even tell?” Monroe asked and laughed. “Oh, there’s a percentage display here.” She found a small cover that could be flipped up. “I’m at 80%.” Conners was at 90, Jamieson and Barten at 70, and Smith was at 78.

“Alright. At least one more should be a good hunt, and then we return,” Smith said and they started down the path that the beetle had made.

After several moments of just walking, Conners spoke up, “Kind of doesn’t make sense, does it? Just wandering off like that and suddenly eating a tree. It went around this one, and that one. But why say ‘fuck this tree’ out of all of the others?”

“Maybe it didn’t like it? Something different about the others?” Monroe asked.

“We’ve walked by oak trees, which was the one that the beetle was eating,” Jamieson said. “It wasn’t any older or younger than these ones.”

Smith held his hand up, half turned around and spoke, “Looks like there is a branch up ahead. To the west, as well as one going north still.”

“Was there more than one?” Monroe asked.

“Only one way to find out. We’ll take it slow, no rushing in. Barten, take the rear and keep an eye out for anything sneaking up on us. Though I doubt something that size can. Better to be safe.”

They traveled east for 10 or so minutes before Smith called another stop. There in the distance was another beetle slowly chewing away at trees. Only this time it was in a larger clearing, devoid of anything other than bare earth. It was also extended. As if it were longer than the other beetle that they had just killed.

Monroe crept forward so that she was next to Smith. “It’s moving around the edge of the clearing. Did it eat everything to make it?”

“What benefit does that give?” Conners asked. “It’s not like systematically clearing the land will yield anything will it?” He looked at each of the others. Only no one had any ideas or suggestions.

“Whelp. Nothing gained by sitting here. Let's neutralize this one and then return to base,” Smith said. “Monroe and Conners, loop around the outside of the clearing. Once you’re in place we’ll all fire in tandem, aiming for the weaker back armor. Jamieson stand by, and Barten keep an eye out.”

Monroe and Conners set out to flank as soon as Smith finished talking. Barten watched as the two of them crept from tree to tree. Trying their best to keep something between them and the circling beetle. He fingered his rifle before he stepped back a few meters the way that they came. With his back to the south he kept an eye on the fight to come as well as the path they followed.

There was a shout and the three of them started firing. The beetle tanked the first volley of shots and then reared onto its back end with a screech like the other one hand. No sooner would it move towards one of the soldiers did it receive another two shots on its back. And after several moments it fell in a terrible din of mechanical screeching.

“That went better than the first one,” Smith said as the other two walked back, making sure to take a wide berth around the downed enemy. “How are things looking Barten?”

“Clear as can be.”

“Good. Jamieson radio base and see if they want anything more from us before we return.” Jamieson nodded and set his comms console onto the ground in front of him.

“Echo base, this is Delta Squad 5, come in.”

“Delta Squad 5, received. Wait for orders… Please return to base using fastest possible method. Beetles are coming out of the woodwork. Might be best to stay wide and go east first.”

“Orders received, we’ll be on route.” Jamieson said and looked up to Smith. “We got our orders.”

“Alright. Take 5 to refresh and then we’ll leave. It might be better to send out a scout. But I don't want to see what one of these things might do to a soldier caught by themselves.”

Everyone split off to either drink or bio or have a bit of a ration. Barten had just stowed his water away when he heard something on the path they came for. He quickly signaled Smith and fell back to the others. “Potential incoming hostile,” he said and leveled his rifle.

“Damn it,” Smith said. “I was hoping to save what ammo we have for back at base. Jamieson and Barten, you’re on flanking this time. Better split up that ammo. Barten to the south, Jamieson to the north.”

Barten jumped into the underbrush on his side and hid a few meters off of the trail behind a large tree. He waited for the chance to fire, only he heard something he didn’t expect.

“Where the hell is Jamieson?” Smith asked “Damn it,” Barten raced his eyes over the other side of the path. He wasn’t able to pick the man up at all.

“Conners get over there on the double. Monroe side by side with me and we’ll blast it fast and go and find that fool,” Smith said. There might have been more but the beetle was already upon them. Barten snuck a peek around the tree and waited for the moment to come.

Conners must have opened up first, as the beetle turned that way when it stood up and screeched. With a full view of the creature's back Barten stepped out of cover just enough to lay into its back. Two shots landed before it started to turn towards him. But then the combined fire from Smith and Monroe finished it up. The beetle must have had more life in it than the others. As there was an extended screech that sounded out as the beetle fell. It wasn’t until a moment after that it finally quieted.

Barten moved through the trees to meet up with the others. “Gods damn, that hurts the ears,” Connor said as he tapped his palm just over his ears.

“Might it be some kind of warning signal?” Monroe asked.

“I don’t know. Add it to the list of things that we don’t. At this moment we either chase after Jamieson or return to base. They probably won’t be happy with us if we are late,” Smith said.

“I’m a fan of no man behind, and worse case we get some vacation,” Conners said.

“We’ll get his tags at least,” Monroe said. “Nothing less for someone that we’ve fought with.

“No complaints here. He had our back, now we need to get his,” Barten said.

“Done. Spread out and see if we can’t find our man or what might have happened to him,” Smith said and they scattered. It took some time to find out where Jamieson had gone. But once they had the trail it was easy enough to follow, as he left behind items from his pack. And then finally his comms pack. They found him a few meters away, looking up at the object that could be seen from a break in the trees.

Jamieson’s eyes were glazed over and he was speaking in tongues. Unintelligible syllable after another left his mouth in a constant stream. He almost seemed to be in some sort of trance. Off to the north there were sounds in the forest as beetles appeared through broken trees.

“Gods damn it,” Conners said.

Smith stepped forward and raised his rifle. “No time for that. Barten and Monroe in front, Monroe grab Jamieson’s rifle and use that instead. Conners pack his bag and we’ll fall back.”

They sprung into action, moving quickly as the beetles walked over and through the trees and bore down onto them.