Certa

The Certa once inhabited their own homeworld of Cert, a small and quiet planet which existed alone in its own solar system, the sole body orbiting a vast star. They were technologically advanced and peaceful, but largely isolated from the rest of the galactic community, choosing to hoard their own advancements rather than share them with a larger collective. This was ultimately their downfall, as a solar flare destroyed their planet and with no allies in the wider universe, they were only able to evacuate a small portion of their people before the cataclysm occurred. Lost and wandering in the void of space, the peaceful people changed, becoming more aggressive in their desire for a new homeworld, and they began to modify their technology into an array of fearsome weapons.

Quickly establishing dominance over local star systems through a combination of surprise and technological superiority, the Certa became a race of colonisers, jumping from planet to planet, infiltrating and enslaving the inhabitants and building their empire. In creating new civilisations and societies on these planets, they became colloquially known as The Founders, and were feared across the galaxy. The Founder Invasion strategy has three main phases: Before their attempted invasion of Earth in 1947, the Founders were undefeated using these methods. After their Forerunner betrayed them and took up arms with the forces of Earth during this attack, they have begun to alter their methods, utilising sleeper agents and a longer term strategy.
 * 1) Understand - first they will probe the planet they wish to colonise, taking precise measurements relating to atmosphere, terrain and environment. The target planet may experience unusual seismic activity and anomalous weather conditions for a short time while this is occurring, but most ignore these or dismiss them as glitches. The Founders also analyse the inhabitants of the planet, mostly from afar but occasionally abducting and studying them.
 * 2) Infiltrate - once they have gained a thorough understanding of their target planet, they will send a single member of their species, known as the Forerunner, to infiltrate the target species and lay the groundwork for an invasion. They use genetic manipulation to imbue the Forerunner with the DNA of the target species to disguise them, and encourage them to disable the major defences of the target planet.
 * 3) Invade - once the planet’s defences are down, the Founders will launch a full-scale military invasion, their ships materialising above major incursion points and enacting tactical strikes on major powers and infrastructure. After this initial attack, a full colonisation force will be sent to the planet to wipe out any remaining defences and begin the enslavement of the target species.