first-contact-deception
The castaways initially present themselves as an official embassy but must confess they are stranded travelers with no formal diplomatic status.
2 chapters across 2 books
And Having Writ (1966)Philip José Farmer
The narrator and Ted Oxford are summoned to Sagamore Hill to meet with outgoing President Roosevelt and President-Elect Edison to discuss their unexpected presence on Earth. The narrator candidly reveals that they are not an official embassy from a Galactic Empire but rather castaways hoping to advance Earth's technology to facilitate their departure. Edison reacts pragmatically, immediately considering technical solutions, while Roosevelt and Oxford are drawn into secrecy and official complicity to manage the political fallout.
The Wrong Stars (2017)Tim Pratt
In Chapter 3, Doctor Elena Oh awakens from cryosleep aboard the White Raven with significant memory loss and discovers her ship, the Anjou, has been mysteriously altered. The crew discusses humanity's fraught history of first contact with the alien species known as the Liars, who initially deceived Earth with false promises of a galactic confederation, leading to complex and conflicting interstellar political factions vying for Earth's resources and allegiance.