Behind the Curtains
At the helm of the CSS Megadeth, beads of sweat ran down Captain Jack O'War's face. He had received his instructions, and was to probe the perimeter of the sensor 'dead zone'. The Codexians, forever a deliberate people, approached the task with their usual vigour, taking up positions three light minutes away from the suspected mothership - before unleashing a torrent of sensor drones. Further hours of collective consternation expired, before the zippy little machines broke the sensor barrier with nary a whimper. Seconds later, their sensory-visual transmissions began reaching the naval patrol. The mystery was finally solved. On the other side of the veil lay the biggest, ugliest piece of space debris ever witnessed by any living Codexian. It was at least two kilometres long, and was swarming with smaller craft. Analogically speaking, it resembled so much horse dung being feasted on by hordes of ravenous flies.
Finally, the sensor techs observing the spectacle realized that this, in fact, was a VESSEL. Dilapidated and pitted across its body it might have been, but the undeniable signs were there. There was an immediate reaction on the part of its escorts, and a number of them peeled away from the main body to intercept the drones. The machines were quickly snared and taken back to the mothership, as the Codexians continued to observe - under strict instructions to avoid any diplomatic incidents, or to initiate conflict. In the end, this strategy can be said to have paid off. A solar day after the 'abduction', the probes were sent back to the waiting patrol vessels, loaded with linguistic data and various equations. It was deemed to be the beginning of a successful first contact. Over the next several weeks, Codexian scientists pored over the data with customary thoroughness. Much head scratching was involved, for the Phyr tongue relied on body language that was difficult to reproduce. The result, of course, was never in question.
The historic first contact had already been made earlier - but the first dialogue eventually took place planet-side, where the representatives of Codexianity met with their Phyr counterparts, in order to officially open diplomatic relations between the two powers. It was a meeting that consumed another week entire. The mendacious aliens ate and drank copiously, and all the while were only too happy to discuss the 'mighty Phyr Dominion', its eons-long history, and to confirm (amidst a great deal of cursing) their age-long, hateful feud with their Turanei neighbors ('lizard scum'). According to their mission's Prime (the equivalent of 'leader'), the war against the Turanei was going well, and the Phyr were interested in both Codexian wares and in offering Codexianity the opportunity to partake in the 'glory' of the fight against the hated foe. They were very interested in details about the Codexian state - especially its strength and its conduct of the war with the Raumen.
Codexian ambassadors uhm'd and ahh'd, while their aides frantically shuttled messages back and forth between them and the government. The Phyr interrupted the process by simply making an outright offer of a treaty of friendship, simultaneously hinting at vast riches and a technological bounty, were the Codexians interested in a more involved relationship (i.e. an alliance), down the road. Therefore, it is now time to make a pivotal decision: how do we approach our relations with these strange creatures? What will the Codexian state concentrate on?
Do you... accept the treaty of friendship, but abstain from developing the relationship further in future?
OR
Do you... accept the treaty of friendship, and take advantage of the offer of alliance with these strange creatures?
OR
Do you... refuse to establish any official relations, preferring to keep Codexia removed from regional politics?