The Bug Wars by Robert Asprin

“No, Commander. Aside from the extra time to brief the new team member which I have already noted to you, we require no special consideration.”

“I am speaking here of your feelings in total, Horc. I wish to be informed if you harbor any resentment towards the Warriors’ team for failing to provide sufficient protection, or-“

“Allow me to explain a little about the Technicians, Commander,” interrupted Horc. “And perhaps it will clarify our position. Death is no more a stranger to the Technicians than it is to the Warriors, or, I suspect, the Scientists. Workshop accidents are a common occurrence, and they are frequently fatal. It is our job currently to find practical and safe applications for alien concepts and machinery, and in the process many are injured or killed. As an example, were you aware we lost over two hundred Technicians perfecting the design of the flyers?”

“No, I wasn’t,” I admitted.

“Few outside our caste are. Mind you, I’m not complaining. It’s our duty, just as fighting the Enemy is yours. I am merely illustrating that this is not the first time we’ve lost a teammate. The main difference between your situation and ours is that we’ve never developed a combat zone comradery.”

“A what?”

“A combat zone comradery. Unlike the Warriors, we are seldom in a position of working with teammates who have saved our lives. I would imagine that because of that, the Warriors feel a certain obligation to each other.”

“The last Warrior who saved my life in battle was named Ssah. I killed her in a duel immediately after the mission was completed.”