Звездный десант

           Hesaystotellyouthatmapisofficial...andthathewillworryabouteverythingelsesothatyoucangivefulltimetoyourplatoon.Followme?"

           "Uh,yes,Captain."

           "ButtheBugscanburrowmightyfast,soyougivespecialattentiontothelisteningpostsoutsidetheareaofthetunnels.Anynoisefromthosefouroutsidepostslouderthanabutterfly’sroaristobereportedatonce,regardlessofitsnature."

           "Yes,sir."

           "Whentheyburrow,itmakesanoiselikefryingbacon—incaseyou’veneverheardit.Stopyourpatrolsweeps.Leaveonemanonvisualobservationofthecrater.Lethalfyourplatoonsleepfortwohours,whiletheotherhalfpairsofftotaketurnslistening."

           "Yes,sir."

           "Youmayseesomemorecombatengineers.Here’stherevisedplan.Asappercompanywillblastdownandcorkthatmaintunnelwhereitcomesnearestthesurface,eitheratyourleftflank,orbeyondin‘HeadHunter’territory.AtthesametimeanotherengineercompanywilldothesamewherethattunnelbranchesaboutthirtymilesofftoyourrightintheFirstRegiment’sbailiwick.Whenthecorksarein,alongchunkoftheirmainstreetandabiggishsettlementwillbecutoff.Meanwhile,thesamesortofthingwillbegoingonalotofotherplaces.Thereafter--we’llsee.EithertheBugsbreakthroughtothesurfaceandwehaveapitchedbattle,ortheysittightandwegodownafterthem,asectoratatime.