Ten minutes ago
The planet Yim III (grid 525,575), Treecuu Star Empire

Looth could have used one of those robot avatars and just have stayed on Bicaan. But he was tired of being away from the action. He didn't particularly enjoy what he just had initiated. It was them or the Treecuu. Dominate or be dominated. You were either weak or strong. It was survival of the fittest, but sometimes it really only was bad luck. The six-limb creatures, apparently calling themselves the Aryyt't or something like that, were just a little too late in their technological development, and at least they had pride enough to fight. Not like the avains on Bicaan, that had accepted the terms of the Treecuu ultimatum. They had become the "flightless birds" of the Empire, without a single shot fired.

The Aryyt't clearly had no idea what they were up against. Looth had requested and received two divisions from the Surface Warfare Forces from Candact, the finest in the Empire, and in addition with elements from his own 19th Regional Fleet, he expected it to be a brief campaign. He more or less possessed the fire-power to crack the planet open like a boo egg, and against his forces stood a civilisation barely capable of banal space probes. They probably had some blunt nuclear bombs too. But he hoped it wouldn't come to the use of force that crude, on neither side.

The Surface Warfare Forces were equipped with surgical tools that swiftly would remove a desired amount of "bio mass", without damaging the infrastructure too much. Chemical or biological weapons had been considered, but the Aryyt't were a specious of the more exotic kind, and it was uncertain how effective any weapons in stock would be. The Treecuu would rely on high-energy radiation precicion bursts. The plan was simple enough: first "clear" the largest city on the planet, located below the surface like all the other cities, then again approach the planet-wide leadership and repeat the terms for the continuing existence of the Aryyt't. They would then join the Bicaan and the other subject species as good servants of the Treecuu. They would be allowed to keep their own culture and autonomy to a very generous degree. But they would never be allowed to own or construct space vessels or inter-planetary communication systems.

From the bridge of his flagship, Looth watched the hangar doors open on one of the bigger ships under his command and release the two marine divisions. The white streamlined hulls elegantly reflected the light from the reddish sun that hid soon hid completely behind Yim III.