The Nature of Predators

When humanity finally begins to explore the stars, they are eager to befriend the civilizations they encounter, but galactic affairs are not so simple. An interplanetary war rages, and the fledgling human space navy finds itself caught between two sides of the war. The Federation, on one side, is comprised entirely of herbivorous species and is terrified of all predators, including humans. On the other side, the Arxur are carnivores who defeat and devour their enemies in combat. Humankind's initial alliance with the Federation is on shaky grounds, and as if landing in the middle of a centuries-long war wasn't enough, they face an increasingly complicated galactic political landscape. Earth must fight for its survival, while also showing restraints to avoid herbivore allies viewing them in the same light as the Arxur. Can humanity show a galaxy of potential friends and allies that they aren't the monsters lurking in the dark by protecting them from the Arxur, or will the very attempt to do so show the depths of depravity and violence that humans can resort to?