Warfare 101: Bring a weapon. Bring your friends. Have your friends bring their weapons.

Based on the UTOverse envisioned by   Hetzer


Integrating the smallest sentient species in the known galaxy into the UTO's United Armed Forces was no straightforward task. Even equipped with scaled-down versions of the power armors that are issued to other species, humans are outmatched in speed and firepower. The initial solution to this was to retrofit full-size power armor to accept a human pilot. Soon after, this was developed into several models of mech that serve as temporary prosthetic bodies to bring humans up to the size of their nonhuman brethren in arms.

A human in a mech can interact with their surroundings as if they had always been the "normal" size for a person. Military trials for this type of vehicle were so successful that affordable mechs quickly found their way onto the civilian market. Humans who expect to spend any significant amount of time outside of human-only areas are as likely to be found at the controls of a government-subsidized mech as they are to be in the careful hands of a guardian from another species.

As time passed, less conventional solutions were implemented as well. The plasticity of the mind and vehicle interfaces that work through a pilot's neural implant mean that a human need not be limited to a "body" that has two legs, two arms, and a head. Niches that had been stuck in the realm of speculation can now be filled.

Combat mechs are not always the best use of a human soldier's talents. Still, every soldier is a potential gun brought to a fight. It would be wasteful to leave personnel on the sidelines when they already have the training, discipline, and aptitude required to perform under fire. The expedient solution is to augment humans' speed and offensive capabilities as much as possible in a manner that is as cost-efficient as possible.

Sapient AIs in the UTO are rare in comparison to organic life. They are also generally pacifistic. Fully autonomous combat drones are prohibitively difficult to manufacture in any ethical way. Attempting to do so in an unethical way risks drawing the consternation of the AIs who are essential to keeping society running smoothly. The expedient solution is to replace a combat drone's microprocessor with a specimen of intelligent micro-fauna.

"Killing two birds with one stone" comes to mind. It's too bad that expedient solutions tend not to be ideal solutions.

_{The saying quoted above is intended as a metaphor for a single action that simultaneously resolves multiple issues. The United Treaty Organization does not condone harming jahkatians or any as-yet undiscovered sapient/sentient avian race with rocks. Consult the relevant officials before harming a being using rocks or any other method, regardless of that being's sapience.}