Star Kitten by Purple Hazel

and tactical training commanders were
delighted with how fast they learned and how ruthless Earthers were
in combat. They weren’t just brave… they were downright heartless
and cruel.
    Earthers had more intelligence as SOLDIERS
though—even more than Pumalars—and over time, the Slarts began
choosing Earthers over Pumalars to do the actual tactical planning
and battlefield management preparation. Once they did that, some
very fresh and creative ideas came from the Earther captains and
lieutenants within the new Naustie army. Pumalars were indeed very
brave and fearless, but Earthers were crafty and deceptive. When
preparing to attack a fortified military position, their planning
tended to focus on “drawing fire” away from where the main attack
was actually going to come; and to create diversions that would
keep enemy defenders from being able to concentrate fire and
successfully repel an attack. The Slarts were amazed at Earthers’
almost natural ability to complicate matters for a defender and
create an isolated military advantage or “window of opportunity”
that might only exist for a few minutes; yet yield a chance for
overall victory.
    Archibald Hicks of the all-white Arian
Knights gang was eventually promoted to General of the army, and at
his first major strategy planning meeting with the Slarts, about
six Earth months after preparations and training had begun, he
explained his tactical plan for assaulting the typical average
fortified guard station and food depot.
    Bald and razor-shaved from head to toe,
Hicks had tattoos all up the side of his neck, arms, and legs. Most
Nausties had abandoned clothing by now and merely wore loin cloths
to cover their genitals. The Arian Knights were all gleaming white
Caucasian humans from various parts of Earth; and one of the most
violent gangs on New Australia. Hicks also had an eight-inch Celtic
cross tattooed on the back of his shaved head, from the nape of his
neck all the way up to his cranium. The Slarts were both shocked
and amazed at his ruthless plan (as well as his terrifying
appearance).
    Upon being introduced by Architeuthis to the
committee, General Hicks leaned forward over the planning table and
glared for a moment, nodding subtly to the other Slarts at the
table. Then, he said in a growling yet emotionless voice, “First we
draw out the commander of the enemy garrison and murder him. Food
deliveries and changing of guard staffs occurs every seven or six
earth days, so we catch them during a personnel change… kill as
many as possible while they’re moving in and out of the station.
The guards surviving this initial attack will flee inside the
station if they can; and lock down the station thinking they can
fend off the assault… meanwhile our Zorg friends will do a
spectacular job of convincing them it really is just a suicidal
frontal assault. That’s what they’ll expect. But it’s not.” General
Hicks then cleared his throat ominously, as he stood up, still
glaring at the little squid-like creatures watching him,
enthralled.
    Hicks then pulled out a three foot long and
two foot wide diagram of a food depot.
    The diagram, which showed arrows and
directions of assault, had been drawn onto an actual old cutaway
picture of a food depot and its accompanying guard station
barracks. It had been part of a blue print at one time. How they’d
acquired it, no one even remembered. Probably it had been lost
somewhere by work crews constructing one of the depots. It had
probably been left behind, and then later retrieved by prison
miners years later. Hicks’s male life partner, Perry, had laminated
the diagram onto a large metal plate the size of a car door; and it
included an overhead cutaway view, as well as a profile view of one
of the facilities. These depots had all been constructed exactly
the same in factories back on Earth, then shipped in components to
Rijel 12 years before to be assembled.
    Therefore, the Nausties could use the same
attack plan