Diplomacy & Neighbours
You share the galaxy with other commanders and AI factions. Not every relationship has to end in war. Open the diplomacy panel at the embassy. It lists only people you have seen in your own sight. An alliance does not put anyone on that list.
Standing on a portrait appears only after that discovery. The same alliance, a non-aggression pact, or a marriage does not fill the bar. Until then it stays off; the public ranking shows an empty bar. The bar runs from red at the low end toward green when standing is high.
Two separate requests
On a contact's card you send one of two things. They are not the same.
- Trade treaty. Both sides must accept it before anyone can trade with the other. That includes the freeport. A non-aggression pact alone does not open trade.
- Non-aggression. While it holds, you are yellow on the map. Your ships fly around each other's worlds and do not fire. You do not share sight.
A request runs like this:
- You send it. It lasts 24 hours.
- The other commander sees it in the panel. When they open it, you see that it was read.
- They accept or decline.
You end a non-aggression pact yourself. It does not drop at once. It stays in force for 12 hours, then it is gone.
A marriage does not make you friends on the map. Without an alliance or a non-aggression pact the pair stays red. An alliance is its own pact: shared sight, blue, and you do not shoot each other while attacking the same target. That is the Alliances topic.
AI factions and the freeport take the same requests when they negotiate. Some trade, others raid. Read their behaviour before you border them.
Messages carry your character’s portrait and tone. A polite opening can save resources a fleet would waste. A threat without follow-through erodes credibility.
Watch the map for activity near your borders. Diplomacy works best when backed by a fleet that could enforce your words.