The standard operating procedure against a primitive forest-dwelling enemy is to retreat to orbit and then bombard the planet until there isn't a forest anymore. However, the only reason the Galactic Empire was in the Alpha Centauri A system in the first place was because of the fragile mineral resources underneath that forest. Dropping tungsten rods at hypersonic speeds would risk destroying the only thing of value on Pandora.

Alien aborigines armed with bows and arrows damaged Imperial legitimacy across the galaxy. It was like losing a battle to Ewoks.

The Emperor's solution had been to hire an Ewok.

Mitth'raw'nuruodo was a dwarf by Na'vi standards, but the blue alien stood a head above most humans. Originally hired as a translator, the Imperials on Pandora quickly noticed that the only patrols who came back alive were those that followed Mitth'raw'nuruodo's advice. Pretty soon, the moon was [...]

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First published:
August 19th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rKEgi2cBvBwbN2tfX/interdictor-ship

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Interdictor Ship ” by lsusr

LessWrong (30+ Karma)