Robert Asprin - The Bug Wars

This was a vast improvement over our last stay on an occupied planet.

"Commander!"

"Yes, Horc?" I beamed back.

"Would you have been offended if I had asked Zur to conduct this inspection?"

"No. I would have delegated it to him except for the fact that you made your request to me."

"I would have approached him directly, but I felt you might interpret it as bypassing your authority."

So much for my theories.

"Might I suggest that we return to the fortification and let you and Zur conduct the inspection, as we both agree it is more logical?"

"Agreed, Commander."

"One question, Horc. Is the system operational?

"It is."

"In that case," I spoke aloud for the first time, "I feel the area is secure enough for open communication."

He cocked his head at me quizzically.

"Do you not require approval from the Warriors before accepting the system?"

"Horc, you are as much a Tzen as any Warrior. Your life depends on the reliability of this system as much as ours does, perhaps more. If you feel the system is adequate, it is all the assurance I need. The inspection by the Warriors is more a token courtesy between castes than a required clearance."

He was silent for a few moments.

"I am finally beginning to realize, Commander," he said at last, "why you were chosen to lead this expedition."

I did not know what reply to make to this statement, so I changed the subject.

"I have been meaning to comment on the camouflaged design of the fortification, Horc. Could you explain to me, in terms a Warrior can understand, how you achieved the effect?"

"It is simply another application of flexi-steel, the same material we use on the wings of your flyer. All surfaces of the fortification which are exposed when it is entrenched are actually double-layered. The outer layer is flexi-steel, which we allow to contract, forming the buckles, ridges, and uneven surfaces which blend with the surrounding terrain; add a mock-up of a tree stump with exposed roots to hide the turret gun, and you have your camouflage."

"And we can still see out from inside?"

"Yes."

"How do you keep the uneven outer surface from distorting the view?"

He thought for a few moments.

"I could try to explain, but I'm afraid I would have to use some rather specialized technical terms."

"In that case, I withdraw the question. As long as it works, you'll have no complaints from me. Overall, it is the most undetectable job of camouflaging I have ever seen, or not seen, to be accurate."

"Perhaps-"

Something in his voice caught my attention.

"You sound dissatisfied. Is there some flaw I am unaware of?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I wanted more information before I brought it to your attention, but perhaps it is better you were apprised of the situation immediately. It has to do with a comment made by one of our color-sighted team members.

"Would that be Hif, or Sirk?" I interrupted.

"Hif; but I checked her observations with Sirk, who concurred. It seems he had also noticed the problem, but was reluctant to infringe on the Technicians' domain."

"What was their observation?"

"According to them, the fortification does not match the surrounding terrain."

I studied the fortification before replying.

"Normally, I would say they were incorrect based on my own observations. I must admit, however, I do not fully comprehend this `color-sight' the new Hatching has."

"Neither does anyone else, as far as I can discover. It's a genetic experiment the Scientists are trying, based on some of the notes found from the First Ones. We're supposed to find out in the field if it has any practical value to the Empire."

"But what is it?"

"It lets them see things we can't... Well, to be accurate, it lets them see the same things we see, but in a different way."

"That's what I have difficulty understanding:"

"Perhaps I can clarify it a bit by describing a demonstration I once witnessed," suggested Horc. "Three blocks were placed on a table; one dark, the other two noticeably lighter. We were asked if we could distinguish between the three blocks. To a Tzen, all the witnesses replied that while one block was dark, the other two were identical. Then a color-sighted Tzen was brought into the room and asked the same question. He replied that each block was a different color, the dark one was what he called `dirt', and the other two were `sky' and `leaf' respectively."

"I fail to see what that proves," I interrupted.

"There's more," he continued. "The demonstrator then picked up the light block which had been designated `sky' and marked its bottom with an `x.' The color-sighted Tzen was then told to shut his eyes, and the blocks rearranged. Time and time again, he was able to identify the marked block, even though the `x' side was down."

"Did he truly shut his eyes?"

"Sometimes he was asked to leave the room while the witnesses rearranged the blocks. Still he was able to find the `sky' block unerringly. He could see something about that block that we could not."

I thought about this.

"What good is such an ability to the Empire?"

"That is one of the things we are supposed to be testing on this mission, and we may have found our first example. The two color-sighted members claim our fortification is a different color than the terrain, that the fortification is `steel' while the rocks around it are `sand.' According to them, it will be immediately obvious to any color-sighted creature. that comes across it.

Again I lapsed into thoughtful silence.

"Does anyone know," I asked finally, "if the Insects are color-sighted?"

"Not that I know of. You might ask the Scientists, but I don't think they even know what to look for."

"In that case, I feel the matter should take top priority. Pass the word to Hif and Sirk to report to me immediately. Also ask Tzu to join us. Finally, inform Zur to place his Warriors on full alert until I've had an opportunity to consult with him."

"Yes, Commander, but..."

"What?"

"Do you feel it wise to act with so little information?"

"Horc, there are thirteen of us outnumbered by a factor of several million to one by the Enemy. We lack information and we must act immediately, not in spite of that, but because of that. We need some answers and we need them fast. If we don't get them, we may well have to abandon the fortification."

The resolution of the matter of whether or not the Leapers were color-sighted was so quick and simple it was almost anticlimactic. We could take no credit for the discovery. As sometimes happens in a combat area, the solution presented itself, and we merely capitalized on it.

We had not yet convened our meeting, when the defense web reported a small pack of twenty Leapers entering the area. Orders were immediately beamed to the team members outside the fortification, apprising them of the situation and instructing them to take cover. The rest of us gathered in the Technicians' side of the dome and watched, with Zur personally handling the turret guns.

The pack passed within ten meters, moving slowly, trying to flush game. There was a bad moment when we realized two of our teammates were directly in their path, but beamed warnings enabled them to shift position long before they were detected.

We tracked the pack as long as we could visually, then by the Defense Net when they had passed out of our field of vision. At no time did they give any indication of having noticed our fortification.

There was some debate as to whether their passing through the area was happenstance, or if our drop had been observed and they were actually searching for us. One point we were all in agreement on, however-the Leapers, at least, were not color-sighted. Hif and Sirk assured us that our position would be glaringly apparent to any color-sighted beast, yet we had gone undetected.