"What's the story with these Kichi?" you ask Erin. She pulls up an image of a Kichi for you: and you were right about them reminding you of snakes. Below the waist, these creatures have a long, snake like tail with no arms or legs. Scales of a golden brown color cover this specimen. But above the waist, she appears almost human. She has what appears to be long black hair and a humanoid face, although the pointed ears, yellow-gold skin and vertical, reptilian eyes are out of the ordinary. Her torso is also human-like: she has a normal and attractive chest of a human woman, clothed in some kind of black wrap around her chest and shoulders in an "X" shape. Her body is somewhat elongated compared to a human, and it makes you notice her stretched out, smooth stomach and long narrow navel.
"Their homeworld of Kich is a hot, dry world dominated by reptilian-like life forms." Erin tells you. "The Kichi have acquired significant territory near human space, making them an important race to contact. But you need to be careful when dealing with them, the Erimosi have described their interactions with the Kichi as deceptive and deceitful. The Kichi are cunning and sly, using any means of flattery and trickery to achieve their goals. They are also not reluctant to lie or steal, and could be characterized as effectively amoral. Thankfully, the Kichi don't believe in violence, and can be considered more mercantile than militaristic.
"The most unique aspect of Kichi physiology are their eyes, which contain certain pulsating chromatophores capable of flickering faster than human or Erimosi eyes can detect. Simply by making eye contact, the Kichi are capable of sedating most sentient races into a hypnotic state, at which point you can guess how willing the Kichi are to take advantage. The Erimosi recommend using protective eye-wear whenever in close proximity to Kichi. The probability is high that their eyes will be quite effective on humans. However, the visor on your helmet is designed to prevent this effect, so I suggest you keep it on at all times."
Great, you think. Sneaky, amoral snake aliens that can hypnotize you to do their bidding. Why can't the galaxy have more friendly aliens in it? "Alright, so I'm supposed to keep my helmet on the whole time and not trust a word they say. Sounds like a ton of fun. How's this first contact supposed to be productive at all?"
"The Erimosi believe that if you can convince the Kichi that humans will not be easily manipulated, your two races can engage in productive dialogue, even trade. Kichi-Erimosi relations, while difficult, have evolved to this point, even helping each other on occassion. The Kichi are not a warlike people, and prefer to rely on cunning. If the first human they see is perceptive enough to see through their tricks, they might have a high opinion of humans in the future." Erin tells you logically. It does make sense, if you get pushed around by these people, they'll think all of humanity can be taken advantage of just as easily. You'll have to be careful as a representative of all Earthlings.
"Noted, Erin. So, where do we go to meet these Kichi?" you ask, starting to get an idea of how the mission will go.
"You do have some options." Erin elaborates. "First, you could be straightforward and travel to Kich. Your suit will protect you from the heat, and your helmet from Kichi eyes, as long as you keep both of them on. Second, the Kichi have colonized a world that produces a gas that, if inhaled by humans, produces… side effects. This offers a plausible excuse for you to keep your helmet on at all times. Finally, you could intercept a Kichi ship. Many Kichi vessels are one-person ships like this one, and it would give you the opportunity to meet with the species one on one. Which method do you prefer?"
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