Deng (species)

The Deng are a fictional alien species in the Concordiat universe described in Keith Laumer's Bolo books. They are the primary adversaries in the series.

The Deng are described as being spider-like in appearance, with eight legs and bodies similar in size to medium sized dogs. During the Bolo series, the Deng fight a wide scale invasion war against the human Concordiat, a loose confederation of human colonized planets. The Deng make significant in-roads against humanity, including an invasion of Earth.

Armaments

The primary armament of the Deng is the Yavac family of automated walking tanks. The Deng also make extensive use of infantry, and rarely use nuclear warheads in battle.

Deng infantry have been described as being equipped with Zond weapons, or "z-guns". These are energy weapons that can be tuned to paralyze or "stun" a target, or can be used to kill.

Motivation

Initially, the Deng are portrayed as invading for resources and lebensraum (Living Space), but later stories describe an almost frantic effort to fight a different, more rapacious enemy that threatens their existence.

ee also

*Bolo (self-aware tank)
*Keith Laumer