If somebody wrote a Fossorian Encyclopedia, the cover of the book would display cute space moles dressed in ornate uniforms in front of a pompous military parade in the background. Row after row of soldiers marching in tight formations through the vast, clean streets lined with crowds of cheering workers dressed in colorful overalls.
The introduction of the book would speak about their impressive army relying mainly on the overwhelming numbers and brute strength of the ground forces. High morale, uplifted by watchful officers of the Commissars Core and inspired by stories about the brave deeds of heroic commanders. Despite their undisputed ground force dominance, there is a small chance that the author would mention some vague information about the relatively unsatisfactory state of the factions Space Navy and the dismal technical condition of most of their ships still recovering after a rather dramatic escape from the Fossorian homeworld, long journey to the Siren System and the unfortunate clash with the much more technologically advanced fleet of the UNSS (United Nations of the Solar System).
Another few pages of the very verbose encyclopedia would be addressing underground bases. These fortified marvels of brutalist engineering sprawl in gargantuan caverns. Flipping through the pages, the next section would elaborate on the steadily growing network of tunnels used for safe and quick transportation of units and materials. Fossorian colonies are capable of producing a seemingly endless stream of goods far below the Fairtrade prices, but to unveil the secrets behind their economic efficiency the reader must wait for the later chapters.
If we overlook the aforementioned military dominance and economic strength, the end of the book's introduction would surely list a few other good reasons why the other factions trapped in the Siren System fear, tolerate, and even like to cooperate with Fosorians. Let's discuss at least some of them here. Metaphorically speaking, all factions are stranded on an island surrounded by a sea of hostile natives, alien and mostly dangerous wildlife. Unstable ecosystems are always ready to wipe out whole colonies with ravaging storms, and remnants of the Holy War are an active threat even after centuries. Under such harsh conditions, striving for peaceful cooperation seems to be a much smarter option than risking an open conflict with the neighboring faction.
The Fossorians are also known for their successful land conquest, biting chunk after chunk from the tribal territories. This slow but steady effort is expanding the amount of land secured against the raids of natives while helping to export the danger far from the most populated areas. Every now and then a courageous Fossorian explorer uncovers another piece of mysterious technology hidden amid the dangerous ruins of the ancient Primals. Thanks to the fact that the overseeing organizations of the Fossorian command are prone to look aside (usually for a reasonable contribution to someone's "pension fund"), many of the artifacts and rare technologies end up on the black market and subsequently in research facilities of other more technologically advanced factions.
Now if it wasn't Fossorians themselves, but researchers from one of the other races who wrote this book, it would also list items like Totalitarian fanaticism, Sadistic junta, Slaver business, Pathological traitor syndrome, or Endless spiral of revolutions after which you slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, the Fossorians are not the nicest or the fairest players in the Siren System. But as the Fossorian ambassador has stated on the last peace summit: Even if a small fraction of those unsupported claims would reflect reality (which it certainly DOES NOT, my Goodfellas), it would be classified as a inner state business of the Fosorian nation, with absolutely no impact on the international politics of the Siren System and unworthy of your concerns. Now, gentlemen, if you excuse me, I have spotted an unattended bowl of Tunnel worm caviar over there. Of course, the whole idea of a Fossorian Encyclopedia is absolutely ludicrous. Nobody is dumb enough to write such a book and mark himself as the next target of the Fossorian death commando.