Manual:Game Mechanics/Interacting With Aliens

Communications
After you have made contact with an alien species, you may talk to them any time you have a vessel or world within communications range of one of their vessels or worlds. Generally, it's best to have players simply interact with one another directly, but if requested, you may send some messages through the GM. This is generally only done during first contact (before species can understand eachother fully) and when a race wishes to remain annonymous (when coveretly threatening another species, or holding a ship ransom or some such). It should be noted though that tracking communications back to their source is relatively easy unless measures are taken to disguise it's origins as well, either via stealth or subterfuge.

Language Barrier
When your species meets a new race, they will likely be unable to communicate right away as your people require time to translate. Translation takes 1 full turn, though without a science lab module or a universal translator, such translations are sketchy at best and could possibly lead to problems. Note that such transmissions sent or caught by your worlds are treated as though they had the science lab module in terms of translation times and accuracy.

Trading with Others
You may choose to bring technology or resources, etc to an alien world for trade, the only things you cannot trade really are breakthroughs, which others must unlock for themselves. Though keep in mind, anything you trade will likely become available to more than just those you trade with…

When technology is traded, those receiving new technology must still reverse engineer the technology as usual.