Philosophical scenario - A chance meeting

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Omni-directional signal: Aliens decode it. Nuff said.
Try for peace: That's a goal, not a method.
Just ignore them, go about your business: And give them vital future tactical information or never colonize in that sector of space?
Ignore the risk: It's a solution, of sorts, but I don't think a navy review board would like it.

[dogscoff]

Well, seeing as how we've been advertising our presence for the last half-century or so with radio signals and whatnot (even sending out invites to come and visit on the Voyager probes, although it seems somewhat unlikely they'll ever be picked up) I think you'd have to risk letting them find Earth. Send a message ahead telling them exactly what heppened (don't have to tell them to start building warships, they'll figure that out for themselves) and in the meantime try as hard as possible to begin peaceful relations with the new neighbour.

And if you get the chance to find out where _they_ live, then all the better.

[NullAshton]

Narf, I was thinking that you wouldn't bother to decode the signal in the first place. They'll probally be doing the same thing, and an omni-directional signal will not give them any clue as to where you are.

And no, the voyager spacecraft never were picked up. One came back as a massive chunk of technology, completed it's mission, and then ascended to a higher plane of existance. Another one of the voyager spacecraft got disintergrated by Klingons for target practice.

[Caduceus]

If your initial response from such a race is friendly (or at least not overtly hostile), it may be worthwhile to tell them where your home system is with the exchange of said information on their part.

Think of it as disarmament talks.

[NullAshton]

Yeah, mutually assured desctruction tends to make peace a lot easier.

[Glyn]

According To SEIV Rules Of Engagement, you always attack on first encounters!


It doesn�t really matter what do. If you plan to trade then at some point your races will give away the locations of their home systems. Your just passing the problem to the next contact.


The best solution I can think of is to behave as if your race has many worlds colonized. Offer to the other race to relay diplomatic messages and setup trade between one of your races systems, if the other captains agrees to do the same.

[Hunpecked]

In some sci fi futures, messages travel STL while ships travel FTL. So if the meeting with the alien takes place in a distant star system, the only practical way to warn your home system is to travel there yourself.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Caduceus said:
If your initial response from such a race is friendly (or at least not overtly hostile), it may be worthwhile to tell them where your home system is with the exchange of said information on their part.

Think of it as disarmament talks.

What surprises me is that nobody has yet brought up the fact that while you only have one solar system, they might have an empire spanning a thousand systems. Then what?

[Starhawk]

Well then you blow up that ship and if it's buddies show up you go "Damn buddies some guy came in to this sector and just WHAM blew your ship to hell.....can we do anything to help you find them?"
And act all innocent and sweet.

[Glyn]

Strategia_In_Ultima said:

What surprises me is that nobody has yet brought up the fact that while you only have one solar system, they might have an empire spanning a thousand systems. Then what?

Hey, I thought of it!

You have no way of knowing how large or small their empire is. Nor do they known how large or small our empire is.

So if you pretend to be bigger than you actual are they would be less inclined to pick a fight. Call it the bullfrog defense! (see my earlier post.)

Of course with a little Intel and time both empires would learn the actual size of each other, but hopefully by then a peacefully coexistence has taken root. If not then the big fish eats the little fish and gets bigger.