Rhe'deri smiled as he listened to the Imperator of the New Roman fleet. The translator ring was working well, the words being understood clearly. He stepped forward before responding.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Imperator Columba. As I said before, we hope we can develop good relations with your empire. I personally have lived through many wars that were caused by a misunderstanding between nations at contact. They always seem the worst when you know they could easily have been avoided. When we overheard some of your transmissions it seemed as you were dealing with a conflict of some sort. I must admit, we were expecting hostilities at first due to this. I'm glad this was not the case. If you would accept it, I would like to present to you a gift both as a sign of good will and to commemorate this sucessful first contact."

At this Rhe'deri's right hand began to flow slightly before he raised it up and snapped two fingers together. After a sudden bright flash, a short dagger appeared, it's blade made of a shining black metal and sharpened to a fine edge. The handle was covered in a fine purple cloth and was made in a slight curve. The whole thing was engraved with symbols of the moon and formed in a way that made it as much a work of art as it was a dangerous weapon. Rhe'deri grabbed the floating dagger by the blade and held it out for the Imperator to hold.

"Lunar Steel, a very strong material. That blade will cut through just about anything with no problems. I hope you don't find a need for it in combat, but it was made by a favorite blacksmith of mine and should serve you well. May it symbolize the strength of this bond we have formed between us."