▁is ▁at ▁least ▁one ▁million ▁years . ▁ ▁Open ing ▁with ▁the ▁main ▁character , ▁Rah m , ▁w aking ▁from ▁st asis , ▁the ▁book ▁covers ▁his ▁campaign s ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁T zen ▁War rior ▁cas te ▁against ▁a ▁coal ition ▁of ▁large ▁In sect ▁species ; ▁the ▁Was ps , ▁Le apers , ▁and ▁An ts , ▁in ▁that ▁order . ▁ ▁After ▁a ▁mission ▁to ▁destroy ▁the ▁W asp ▁n ests ▁and ▁que ens ▁on ▁a ▁planet , ▁the ▁T zen ▁intend ▁to ▁colon ize . ▁ ▁However , ▁because ▁of ▁T zen ▁military ▁practices , ▁that ▁a ▁task ▁force ▁leaves ▁after ▁a ▁predicted ▁proportion ▁of ▁units ▁return , ▁assuming ▁that ▁all ▁others ▁are ▁cas ual ties , ▁Rah m ' s ▁flight ▁group ▁was ▁str and ed ▁on ▁the ▁planet . ▁ ▁The ▁T zen ▁would ▁return ▁in ▁a ▁year ▁to ▁eliminate ▁the ▁Le apers , ▁insect s ▁not ▁unlike ▁a ▁pray ing ▁mant is . ▁ ▁While ▁str and ed , ▁the ▁team ▁made ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁discover ies , ▁chief ▁among ▁which ▁was ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁T zen ▁needed ▁to ▁find ▁a ▁natural ▁pred ator ▁of ▁the ▁Le apers ▁to ▁defeat ▁them . ▁ ▁The ▁standard ▁practice ▁for ▁the ▁T zen ▁is ▁to ▁kill ▁the ▁next ▁generation ▁of ▁insect s ▁before ▁it ▁is ▁born , ▁then ▁return ▁later ▁to ▁kill ▁any ▁remaining ▁adult s . ▁ ▁The ▁Le apers ▁are ▁imm une ▁to ▁this , ▁however , ▁because ▁they ▁are ▁all ▁capable ▁of ▁reprodu