Eu acho que isso é provavelmente Dinossauros por Walter Jon Williams . Li na antologia The Furthest Horizon editada por Gardner Dozois, e acredito que também foi publicado em Science Fiction de Asimov em junho de 1987.
O diplomata Drill é descrito como tendo dezoito pés de altura em vez de sete metros:
Drill stood eighteen feet tall on his two pillarlike legs, each with a splayed foot that displayed a horny underside and vestigial nails. His skin was ebony and was draped in folds over his vast naked body. His pendulous maleness swung loosely as he walked. As he stepped across the open space he was conscious of the fact that he was the ultimate product of nine million years of human evolution, all leading to the expansion, diversification, and perfection that was now humanity's manifest existence.
O alívio sexual não é exatamente fornecido pelo navio, mas por um ser semi-sensível no navio:
Surrogate lived in a dim, quiet room filled with the murmuring sound of its own heartbeat. It was a human subspecies, about the intelligence of Lowbrain, designed to comfort voyagers on long journeys through space, when carnal access to their own subspecies might necessarily be limited. Surrogate had a variety of sexual equipment designed for the accommodation of the various human subspecies and their sexes. It also had large mammaries that gave nutritious milk, and a rudimentary head capable of voicing simple thoughts.
Os alienígenas são chamados Shars . Os alienígenas não atacaram um planeta humano, foi o contrário. Navios de terraforming humanos atacaram um planeta Shar sem perceber que era habitado:
The Shars were still for a long time. "Your species attacked our planets, Ambassador. Without warning, without making yourselves known to us." Gram's tone was unusually flat. Perhaps, Drill thought, she was attempting to conceal great emotion.
"Yes," Drill said. "But those were not our military formations. Your species were contacted only by our terraforming Ships. They did not attack your people, as such—they were only peripherally aware of your existence. Their function was merely to seed the planets with lifeforms favorable to human existence. Unfortunately for your people, part of the function of these lifeforms is to destroy the native life of the planet."
No entanto, termina com os militares em seu caminho para destruir o Shar. Os Shar se recusam a acreditar que a destruição causada pelos navios terraforming foi acidental e eles respondem atacando mundos humanos. A conversa final entre Drill e o líder Shar é:
"If Vang attacks any human planets after the Memories of the peace arrangement have arrived," Drill said, "the military will be unleashed to wipe you out. There is no stopping them after that point."
"How long," she asked, "do you think we have?"
"A few years. Ten at the most."
"Our species will be dead."
"Yes. Our military are very good at their jobs.