Is it by design for the Vodyani not to be able to leech brainwashed Minor Factions? Every time I try to leech them once I've done their assistance quest, it tells me that I don't have permission to raid that system, which seems wrong.

You'd think that completing a quest for a minor faction would reward you will a steady stream of essence, instead of removing a source of it from you. Right now there is absolutely no incentive to actually do quests for Minor Factions or brainwash them through influence.

This is probably because you are only allowed to leech 'enemy' systems. 

Gotta look into it, haven't played them much to be fair. I'm not sure if it's working as intended. Only devs can confirm. 

There's another thread on here somewhere about this, and apparently minor factions will start contributing to your empire without you having to go and leech them.

I think it should LIBERATE them, causing them to abandon their planet, turn their population into a new ark, and you can then resettle them.

The only difference would be their pops are whatever party they originally would have been but they are still vodyani.

This is an unintended diplomacy state side-effect, and it'll be fixed for the next update or patch, whichever comes first.

Yay! Thanks