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Malaysian air force had its fighters on the western side of the island, it appeared.”
    â€œWould have been nice if they told us before deploying us here,” said Greenstreet.
    â€œThat wasn’t my call,” said Danny.
    â€œWe’ve flown on the eastern side for weeks,” said Greenstreet.
    â€œCowboy says he saw a flying monkey,” joked one of the Marines from the back.
    â€œI did,” laughed Cowboy.
    â€œEnough,” said Greenstreet, immediately silencing his men.
    Danny clicked his remote, bringing up a few slides of the fuselage that had been recovered, then the artist’s renditions. He detailed the two sightings, with map displays, and reiterated what had happened to the Malaysian aircraft that had attempted to engage it.
    â€œWe’re not exactly sure that it was the UAV that shot anything down,” said Danny. “Not to denigrate their flying but—”
    â€œWe’ve seen ’em,” said Cowboy. “You’re not denigrating anything.”
    This time Greenstreet didn’t bother stopping the snickers.
    â€œNonetheless, ground fire can’t be completely ruled out,” said Danny. “And while the flight patterns suggest a combat UAV, we have no hard evidence.That’s why we’re here,” he added. “Myself, Captain Mako, and Mr. Walsh, that is.”
    â€œThe Malaysians aren’t exactly the best pilots in the world,” said Greenstreet. “But I’d expect them to know what type of aircraft they were dealing with. And how many. One seems ridiculous.”
    â€œExactly,” said Danny. “But whether it’s one or ten or whatever, that unknown aircraft is pretty fast and highly maneuverable.”
    â€œAnd you’re sure it’s a UAV?” asked one of the Marines.
    â€œIt’s too small to be manned, as far as we can tell,” said Danny.
    â€œWhere does it launch from?”
    Danny shook his head. “Don’t know that either. We have elint assets coming on line,” he added, referring obliquely to a specially built Global Hawk that would pick up electronic signals. The aircraft was due in the area in a few hours. “Like I say, we’re here to fill in the blanks, and there are a lot of blanks.”
    â€œYou sure this isn’t a Flighthawk?” asked Cowboy.
    â€œIt’s not one of ours.”
    â€œChinese clone?”
    â€œIt’s possible,” admitted Danny.
    â€œThe nearest Chinese warship is three hundred miles away,” said Lt. JG Kevin Sullivan, the intelligence officer for the task group. “And that’s a destroyer. Hard to see it launching something as powerful as a Flighthawk.”
    â€œUnless it’s just a recon drone and the Malaysians screwed up,” said Greenstreet. “That I can definitely believe.”
    â€œThere is a Chinese carrier task force a little farther north than the destroyer,” said Danny. “But that’s being monitored very closely.”
    â€œThey don’t have UAVs aboard,” said Sullivan.
    â€œNot that we know,” agreed Danny. “Nor do they have anything nearly this capable. But like I say—”
    â€œYou’re here to fill in the blanks,” said Cowboy and a few of the other Marines.
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œSo if we see it, we can engage it?” asked Cowboy.
    â€œIf you’re in Malaysian airspace and it’s hostile, and you know it’s a UAV and that it isn’t one of ours, absolutely.” Danny turned to Turk. “Captain Mako has some notes on its probable characteristics.”
    He flipped the slide to a video simulation that had been prepared to show the drone’s likely flight characteristics. It was smaller than the F-35s and more maneuverable, but presumably would not be as fast. The heat signature from its engine was minimal, but still enough for an all-aspect Sidewinder to lock at two miles, farther if the