First Bug War

"'The situation on Rho Therapus has developed not necessarily to our advantage.'""-Emperor Puyi III"

Overview
The First Bug War began as an ambitious undertaking by Manchu Emperor Puyi III to control the mineral-rich planets of the Alpha Iecta Sector of Joseon in 2301. What was originally intended to be a short campaign turned into a ten-year affair with thousands of lives lost, while the empire's reputation was tarnished for decades. This conflict was notably waged alongside various skirmishes with the United Federation in the Aetherius Sector, known collectively as the Third Intergalactic Conflict. Much information surrounding the war was destroyed in the Battle of Puyi City, in 3021, yet many scholars retain personal tomes which today form the basis of our understanding.

Rho Therapus & its Life
Rho Therapus was a planet in the Alpha Iecta System, part of its namesake sector. It was smaller than Earth, by comparison, though its exact dimensions are unknown. Most of the planet was mountainous or covered in harsh deserts, with tundra in the north and snow at the poles. Some major forests existed around the equatorial belt, and these were rich in life. Three major oceans existed on the planet, yet marine life was scarce except for depths exceeding 1,000 meters, as seen by Manchu science expeditions. The main inhabitants of the planet consisted of quadrupedal insectoid creatures known collectively as the Tytus. Their numbers were unknown, but they were estimated to be in the tens of billions. It is believed that the Tytus are birthed by and connected to a queen, known as "Tytus Omega" and was believed to have resided deep within the planet, though it was never seen. This theory comes from the Tytus displaying incredibly low intelligence with seemingly no objective other than a collective goal, such as hunting or traveling.

Several different evolutionary variants of Tytus are known to have existed: the quadrupedal drones are known as "Tytus Alpha", while others, such as a genotype adapted to flying, called the "Tytus Beta"; another for swimming, "Tytus Sigma", was reported. Later scientific analysis of the Tytus revealed that the majority (~90%) of them are sterile males. As such, the males are used as cannon fodder. Female Tytus are often smaller yet are more nimble and occupy the flanks of the main force, which itself attacks as one unit, driven by the queen's orders.

Other fauna on Rho Therapus was numerous in certain regions, such as yak-like animals in the northern regions and desert-roaming cattle. The ladder fauna comprised much of the known Tytus food supply, as many were witnessed hunting cattle.

Besides the life of Rho Therapus, the planet was unbearably hot, and often had incredibly high humidity. Water was scarce, and most springs and lakes were well-within territory controlled by the Tytus. As such, Manchurian scientists and soldiers often struggled on the planet, as the armor of frontline troops initially lacked proper insulation, and many died of heat exhaustion.

Grand Ambitions
The planet was found to have rich deposits of Uranium-235, which the Manchu government thought useful enough to begin colonization of the planet. Uranium-235 is the only known naturally occurring fissile isotope, utilized in controlled chain fission reactions. Nuclear power was common throughout Joseon, both militarily and domestically, yet the Manchu Empire had suffered greatly in the Second Intergalactic Conflict, and much of their uranium reserves were lost.

Rho Therapus itself had been well known among Joseon's scientific community, and the planet was scanned years before a colonization effort was even conceived. In 2995, the Second Intergalactic Conflict had concluded, and the Manchu military was heavily crippled, with much of their reserve material being either lost or captured. This was a time before the majority of Joseon was colonized, so the natural resource-laden planets of eastern Joseon were not yet known. Thus, Rho Therapus was seemingly ripe for the picking in the wake of this great military disaster.

Only three years after the Manchu defeat, in 2998, the first Manchu expeditions landed on Rho Therapus. For over a week, they returned incredible date with a plethora of samples, from geological examples to the planet's numerous fauna. These were all sent to a research ship in orbit. However, disaster struck when all contact was lost with the encampments for seemingly unknown reasons. Eventually, a security detail landed and found the camps devoid of life except for scavengers picking at the numerous bodies strewn about. The men could not pinpoint a distinct reasoning, though it was later understood that the first Tytus attacks had just occurred.