Minimal Presence of Starships

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by cosmicfish

That sounds like the kind of diplomatic exchange that no government would tolerate even with an expectation of peace, much less coming out of a war with the only other known alien race in existence. I mean, they may be standoffish and withdrawn, but if we cannot go to their home worlds, why would we let them come to ours? What if they turn out to be bad guys too - humanity would be completely exposed with no recourse!

Maybe the 'Greys' are one or two TLs higher than everyone else? Then it's not so much 'allowing it for no apparent reason' as 'can't stop them, have to make plans to steal their tech, and otherwise deal with them without being caught.'

[cosmicfish]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Maybe the 'Greys' are one or two TLs higher than everyone else? Then it's not so much 'allowing it for no apparent reason' as 'can't stop them, have to make plans to steal their tech, and otherwise deal with them without being caught.'

Even if they are a few TL's ahead, I still cannot see giving them such a one-sided relationship - as they say, "what's in it for us?" If the goal is to get from them technologies that they are unwilling to trade, share, or surrender, then playing nice is probably just going to let them do more damage in return for infinitesimally better chances of stealing their stuff. Even assuming that they are not hostile, in the wake of an inter-species war, why roll those dice with a race giving you every reason not to?

[starslayer]

They greys could:

1. Not allow humans to go to their homeworlds, but have some 'trading' worlds where they allow anyone to come and trade, humans might respond in kind or allow greater mobility to the greys in the hops of learning about the home worlds.

2. The greys that are encountered don't make it sound like they belong to their homeworld- just traveling merchants, who say that no one (not even they) can visit the homeworlds, they might provide details, or they might be silent about why.

3. They greys will absolutely allow anyone to visit their homeworld, its just that because of some sort of anomaly the 'cooling down' period is thirty years, and grey food is incompatible (or at least unappealing) to humans.

4. They greys have a clear tactical advantage- to the point where the only reason humanity has not been wiped out is strictly at the whim and alien mindset of the greys. (Perhaps they can deliver weapons via some other means, or they can hack gates with unerring efficiency, or they can travel without gates, or they have the ability to disrupt everyone who is currently in cooldown [ "We only wish to engage in peaceful trade, but if you push this into combat we will have to do this again" *everyone, on every world, who has used a gate in last 2 hours dies]