The Bug Wars by Robert Asprin

“I’m not sure, but look at this.”

She extended her arm to share her arm-unit.

“This is the same area, but displaying data from the last campaign. The formations are there, but a different number of them, and in different locations.”

I compared the display on her arm-unit with the display on the View Screen. She was right. The configuration of the formations had definitely changed.

“Do you have similar data from the other two campaigns?” I asked.

She cued an index list and studied it.

“No data from the campaign against the Aquatics… They were concentrating on the bodies of water then…but…yes, here it is.”

She fed a cue into the arm-unit and extended again. “This is the same area during the campaign against the Wasps.”

Together we studied it. The rock formations on this display were arrayed differently from either of the others we had studied.

“Zur!”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Take a look at this.”

By the time he reached us, I had cued my arm-unit for the Leaper campaign display so we had all three examples in view.

“Look at these rock formations. They seem to be-“

“Commander!”

Mahz’s voice beamed into my head, interrupting my discussion.

“Rahm here, Mahz.”

“Coming onto your screen now! Request immediate instructions!”

“Commander!” Horc called.

“Coming! Tzu, Zur!”

We crowded around the View Screen. There, coming into view was a large anthill.

The Ants! The last members of the Coalition after the Leapers! We knew they would be present on this planet, but none of our data had indicated their activity in this area. The hill was a new installation, constructed since our last campaign. It was less than eight kilometers from our fortification!