The Loroi were not very concerned about the Tithric's own forces, but the Umiak sorties through Tithric territory were a serious problem; they were coming at the extreme right flank of the Loroi line, stretching already thin forces even thinner, and since they were coming through neutral territory, the Loroi could not interdict them without violating Tithric territory. And so Umiak assault forces were striking populated Loroi territory at full strength, dangerously close to breakout into the Loroi home sector. This was in 2140, at the lowest point of the war for the Loroi; their Emperor had just been killed in action, and they were near to complete collapse.
The Tithric government claimed that the Umiak were conducting these sorties without their permission, and that the Tithric were entreating the Umiak to stop. Admiral Sunfall was sent with a show of force and a threat: either prevent these sorties, or we will prevent them. In the best case scenario, this move might scare the Tithric into complying with their claim of neutrality, but even the worst case scenario, outright war with the Tithric was preferable to the status quo; the Loroi had very little to lose by getting aggressive. The Tithric government begged for more time to resolve the situation, but more Umiak assault forces were detected in transit through Tithric territory, and so Sunfall breached Tithric borders to interdict them. The Tithric government protested, but there was not much they could say about the matter, since the Umiak fleets were also in obvious violation of neutrality. However, in the process of these interdictions, Sunfall received reports that the Umiak raiders were refueling at Tithric ports. When confronted with this information, the Tithric government claimed to have no knowledge of this, and asserted that if some Tithric were aiding the Umiak, it was without the consent of the government and was in violation of Tithric law. Since this was a clear violation of neutrality and an act of war, Sunfall attacked and destroyed the refueling stations in question, notifying the Tithric government that this was an act against rogue outlaws and not the Tithric nation.
At this point, of course, the result was inevitable. The Tithric government, realizing that declaring war on the Loroi would be suicide, vehemently protested Loroi actions but attempted to keep the peace, but as Umiak sorties and Loroi interdictions continued, the Tithric population became outraged at government inaction in the face of mounting civilian casualties at Loroi hands, and the government was replaced with a pro-Umiak faction, and formally sided with the Umiak. Though the Umiak moved in fleets to help secure the remaining bases, they were not sufficient to prevent Sunfall's hit and run attacks from eventually devastating the Tithric planets and infrastructure. Without bases to sustain them, the remaining Umiak forces withdrew.
If the Loroi had spared the Tithric population, they would simply have rebuilt the bases, and the raids would have continued. Invading and occupying Tithric territory was not really an option; the Loroi really couldn't spare the resources at that time.
The Tithric had been placed in an impossible position... but who was it who really placed them there?
RedDwarfIV wrote:On the other hand, I imagine humanity would probably handle one aspect of first contact in the same way the Umiak evidently did - start building a warfleet as soon as they're discovered. Out of interest, why would (what Beryl describes as) a warrior species not do that too?
The Loroi already had a substantial military fleet, which they thought was sufficient to deter aggression. They underestimated the size and power of the Umiak empire (most of which they still have little direct knowledge of) and misjudged the aggressiveness and paranoia of the Umiak themselves. At this point the Loroi had become overconfident and complacent; they hadn't fought an alien war for more than 500 years, and were simply used to being top dogs.