I was rather surprised, too. I know that the opponents will be further apart when there are few of them, but the stars themselves are also sparser forcing empires to travel further afield in search of resources. I guess the latter factor overcame the former, or else everyone is jumping far out in order to see who's out there.
There are plenty of response paths to choose from, including retreat and isolation up through aggressively enforcing your territorial claims. Keep in mind that a Cease Fire is not a military incursion - it's just a "bumping of elbows when passing by". But attacking with warships IS military and may provoke a definite response from your opponents, one way or another, and such responses (positive or negative) need to be considered, as well as your own resources, when deciding upon your own course of action.
Aren't you glad you don't have any decisions to make?
There are plenty of response paths to choose from, including retreat and isolation up through aggressively enforcing your territorial claims. Keep in mind that a Cease Fire is not a military incursion - it's just a "bumping of elbows when passing by". But attacking with warships IS military and may provoke a definite response from your opponents, one way or another, and such responses (positive or negative) need to be considered, as well as your own resources, when deciding upon your own course of action.
Aren't you glad you don't have any decisions to make?