The implanted speaker behind Jacks ear squawked into life, bringing him out of his daydream, almost making him lose his grip on his rifle. “Scout 4-40, report in” the voice sounded as loud as ship breaking though the upper atmosphere against the silence forest. “Jack goddamn it, report.”

Jack tapped the all clear button on the OLED and sent his position back to the camp before carrying on his scouting mission. He was one of six scouts out tonight checking land beyond motion detectors watching for the usual signs of swarmers, their forward scouts, hideous creatures grown or engineered, produced a toxin that scorched the earth as it moved across it and consumed any animal it found. Tonight progress was slow, a glance down to the map showed the progress of the other scouts, marked by their call signs. 2-40 was Phil, Jacks only youngest brother and the only one still alive, the other two, Chris and Tommy, were working in the mines on Omega moon when the swarmers came in system.