"Tell me more about these Yathi." you tell Erin. Your screen fills with an image of one of them. The Yathi is female, and according the description stands 6'7" (200 cm) tall, which is apparently the standard height for Yathi women. The most prominent non-human characteristic is the covering of short, grey fur across the entirety of her body. She also appears to have pointed ears coming out of the top of her head. The two facts remind you of a cat or a dog, although considering her humanoid features and size, the image of a werewolf also springs to mind. The only clothing the Yathi seems to be wearing is a sash of some kind that functions as a short skirt tied asymmetrically around one hip, hanging low on the other. It covers her nether-region, but the rest of her is bare. Either the fur suffices for these people, or this image is merely for your edification. At any rate, you notice her figure: firm, large breasts; the soft outlines of musculature on her arms and legs underneath the short fur; the faint marking of ab muscles on her taut stomach; short claws on her fingers and toes; and sharp teeth barely visible behind parted lips.
"The Yathi are a warrior race with a strict honor code." Erin tells you, describing the species as you carefully examine the slowly rotating image. "While they are a relatively new species in the galaxy, they have expanded aggressively to over a dozen systems. Their ships are small, containing no more than a handful of crew, but heavily armed and shielded. This makes them slow to maneuver, but unmatched in close quarters. The Yathi themselves are physically quite strong, as their homeworld experiences high gravity. I believe you have noticed the musculature. However, this makes them significantly uncomfortable in zero-g situations, and…"
"Wait, wait!" You say, stopping Erin's soliloquy on the Yathi, who sound more dangerous by the second. "Why would we want to make contact with them? They sound like they'll just eat me, and hunt down us weak Earthlings!"
"Don't worry, captain!" Erin reassures you. "Sol System is under the protection of the Erimosi, who have been in space many centuries longer than the Yathi. Your home system is completely safe. As for why you should contact them, Sol System is very close to Yathi space. It is inevitable that your two species will come into contact. All the more reason to establish relations sooner rather than later."
You sigh with both relief and worry. You're glad that Earth has such powerful patrons, but at the same time that doesn't do you much good way out here. "So Earth is safe, but they still get to eat me, great. Tell me more about them."
"I told you not to worry, captain. Besides, eating sentients would go against the Yathi honor code." Erin says, which is at least somewhat reassuring. "They have other methods of dealing with people they don't like!" Not reassuring. "Anyway, Yathi culture has a strong sense of hierarchy. Individuals establish dominance over others, who then submit. Those above are bound to protect the ones below them; and those that submit are bound to obey their superiors. I recommend not showing any signs of weakness, Captain. The Yathi will not be able to resist exploiting it."
"Noted, Erin." You say, trying not to fear this race of Amazonian wolf-people. At least, that's how their starting to seem in your mind. "How do you recommend I make first contact with this kind of race?"
"Visiting their home world is not advised." Erin tells you sternly. "Not only would you be at the mercy of millions of Yathi, but the gravity would be uncomfortable for a human, and unhealthy over prolonged periods without an exo-suit. However, there are a few protocols for contacting aggressive species.
"First, I recommend contacting as small a population as possible. We could land on the outskirts of their newest colony world, and make contact with a single individual. Once you have made successful contact, you would be able to speak with the Yathi on equal footing." Erin says primly.
"What exactly does 'successful contact' entail, Erin?" you ask her, concerned.
"Well…" Erin trails off for a moment, as if hiding something. "There is always establishing dominance. Their newest world has relatively low gravity, which may give you some small advantage. I believe in you, Captain!"
You groan, the confidence of a computer not exactly helping. "You said there were other options as well?"
"Yes. Option two is to contact a Yathi vessel. The Erimosi do not believe they will fire on a first contact scout ship, instead preferring to bring you aboard. From there, you can communicate your intentions on their ship. The military command structure, plus the fact that such a ship should only hold four or five Yathi, indicate potential for success.
"Finally, while the Erimosi usually do not like to interfere with first contact situations, in this instance they may allow for… assistance." Erin says, sounding reluctant to even give this option. Again, you're surprised by how much emotion a ship AI can convey. "A damaged Yathi vessel was intercepted by a passing Erimosi starship. They could only rescue one of the Yathi, which is receiving medical treatment onboard. This may allow you to make contact with the Yathi under more… beneficial terms. However, the Erimosi have programmed me to stress that productive first contacts are made without outside interference, and I am not allowed to recommend this option. But if you choose it, I'll take you there."
Three interesting choices. First, meeting a lone Yathi on a remote world might be best. You'd learn about each other one on one, and then slowly meet more. But you could also be viewed as an enemy spy or something, if they're really that warlike. Meeting one of their military ships sounds crazy, but then again they might not be so aggressive if they don't feel threatened, and a strong military code of conduct keeps their instincts in check. And finally, you'd choose the last option in a heartbeat if it weren't for Erin's reluctance. The last thing you want to do if anger the Erimosi, and it sounds like they have their reasons for thinking it’s a bad idea. But it'd be so easy to show your good intentions if the Yathi were weak and docile enough to not try anything on you! Thinking it over for some time, you decide on a course of action:
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