Scorched Earth

To: Zyktl Snalat, Chairman, Lyrece Committee on Extraterritorial Affairs, Enlightened Commonwealth of Lyrece
From: The Desk of Molnok Koln, Overcommander,15th Sector, Volnerak Empire
Subject: Preparations and Priorities in the event of Armed Engagement with Humanity

Chairman,

It would seem from the tone of your previous message, that you and your committee did not appreciate my response to your question. I admit that it was probably a briefer response than you may have expected. As such, I am more than willing to expand on that answer with references to my experiences in the field.

But make no mistake.

When asked the question "How to best prepare and engage in armed conflict with the Human Empire?"
The only appropriate answer is "don't".

Before considering engaging Humanity, you must be aware of the differences between human societies and our own. Humans while technically collectively grouped in an empire, are in reality a fractious race. They are constantly engaged in minor conflicts within their sphere of control. The only true escape from these incessant wars, is to establish your own bubble of influence elsewhere.

Due to this, humans, like all of the most insidious diseases, spread as far as they can. Hot or Cold. Dry or wet. If the humans can survive a landing there, they will live there. This proclivity towards migration has massively expanded the Human Empire's territory beyond what they are capable of accurately defending.

You might consider this a good thing. A nation that cannot defend its territory, will not hold it. Particularly if they spend most of their time fighting themselves.

This is your first mistake.

Humanity is a tribal race. Each strata of the species divided up based on beliefs, culture and appearance. Each group viewing the others as strange and unwelcome for their minor differences. This is a view that holds, right until the moment another species gets involved. At that moment, their definition of a tribe expands to include all of Humanity. United once more in their hatred of the "other".

This means that you will not be facing a disparate group of squabbling would-be nations controlling a few inconsequential planets. Instead you are facing a fearsome empire, forged in millennia of intraspecies bloodshed. One that will coalesce and fight with all it has.

So your intention of using "a minor border skirmish", to "shave off a few systems", is nonsensical at best. At worst, it is suicidal.

Chairman, I have seen your military. You are not capable of turning the full thrust of a human advance. If it ever even gets there.

The second mistake is the idea of even taking a human world.

You must remember that the human requirement for habitability is lower than most species. Their ability to infest is unrivalled. This means, as I have previously stated, that they can and will live anywhere they are able to. From a barren rock in an asteroid field, to a thriving exoplanet. It also means that they are both willing and capable of doing things to the worlds they live on, that most species could not countenance.

Take for example a human Colony ship. It is enabled with a warp drive for fast travel to far flung worlds. It even has the ability to be converted to a primary settlement for its inhabitants. To this end, it comes with warp engines and numerous nuclear generators. To get them there as fast as possible, and to provide power on arrival.

However this combination of engines and reactors can serve a secondary purpose. In the event of a hostile invasion, the human leaders of the new settlement can convert the colony ship into a bomb. One that is capable of doing enough damage to the surroundings to wipe out any nearby or occupying forces. They also primarily use a heavy metal fuel for these reactors. This is so that any such detonation will spread contaminants as far as they can manage. To pollute the earth and atmosphere of the planet enough, that no other species can take it.