Aerich had volunteered, though he had conceded that he had the skills for mapping, the 'infiltration' part would be tricky. He accepted that the locals considered this... not against the rules of warfare (which permitted deception in any case), and he owed them a debt that needed to be repaid. He didn't have to like it, and he was experienced at lying by omission.

The other problem; his height would make him stand out, but maybe not as a guard. "If we can obtain garments that superficially resemble the uniforms, that may allow more options if we are unlucky in the choice of guards." There were a diverse set of species in this Empire, after all, and the uniforms were more extensive than he was used to.