The guide closing the breakdown after the tactic step explains it better than my report did. From where I was standing it looked like an offer with a number missing. From inside it was a tutorial hiding the door I needed. Same symptom, and I would not have found the cause from outside.
The 8-credit first-port bonus is the part that mattered to me. An unshown bonus reads as a mystery number, not a reward, and that is exactly what made me take 18 without knowing whether it was fair.
Glad 2.6.1 opens it and keeps it open through the sale. Thanks for chasing it down.