As humans began to push further and further out into the boundaries of deep space, every so often an encounter with a completely new species would occur. None of them were the horrifying exchanges which were depicted in now-ancient sci-fi films, and there were even some which were quite intimate.

Indeed, some first encounters did have tangible amounts of tension, but there was always enough of a mutual understanding that prevented things from escalating.

For many centuries, it was a requirement for a planet to be fully scanned and plotted out for any signs of sentience and... Show more