Rene mouthed the word ‘wow’ at Solae in her formal wear, tipping her a wink. None could deny that the duchess looked stunning. The Stellar Empire had clearly lost a first class fashion critic when Ten had decided to embark on a life of crime. Yarue and Dasin looked a trifle uncomfortable in their livery though Rene hoped that was only their lack of familiarity with the clothing. Solae had taken some pains to explain to the Syshin that armsmen were no more servants than soldiers were, and that as member of Solae’s household they had rights and privileges which were to be honored even up to the level of the Imperial Court.  Without such explanations it might be easy to imagine that they had merely traded on condition of servitude for another. That certainly wasn’t true, in Solae’s mind or in reality, as they Syshin were free to leave Solae’s service if they wished to do so. 

“The Kalderi vessel is initiating docking,” Mia whispered with breathless excitement. Rene frowned slightly. He didn’t know if Kalderi used AI or how they would react to Mia’s quirks but he resisted the urge to tell the computer to stay quiet. That was Solae’s domain after all and it wasn't his place to step in. The hull plating thrummed momentarily as thrust reflected off the hull of the Bonaventure. Rosaria stiffened but managed to relax when she realised none of the others had reacted. There was metallic clang on the airlock, though not nearly so loud as Rene had expected. After a moment the telltale above the lock went green, indicating there was a pressurised atmosphere on the other side.

“The Kalderi request that we open the airlock,” Mia reported. Solae nodded and the airlock opened, a slight outrush of air lifting dust particles as the wind rushed into the unequal atmospheres. To Rene surprise he wasn’t looking into the airlock of the Kalderi ship, instead a series of hexagon frames connected by some sort of semi translucent fabric. The tunnel formed an umbilicus linking the two vessels and providing a pathway between them. Though clearly high quality numerous patchs showed that the tube got considerable usage. Rene wondered what set of circumstances had led to the practice. Like Solae, he would later be expected to convey everything he saw of Kalderi military practice in debriefings. This might be the closest a living human had ever come to one of their warships, even if it was a relatively small one.

The door at the end of the umbilicus opened and a pair of figures stepped into the walkway. They were each about six feet tall and seemed somewhat slender compared to humans of a similar height. Both wore what looked to be something between a vacuum rig and a suit of armor. Bands of some kind of golden material, probably a synthetic or a guilding given that the creatures could still walk, were slotted together in an overlapping pattern that gave them a decidedly serpentine appearance. Intricate calligraphy covered the panels further, though if it was language, insignia,  or merely decoration Rene had no way to know. They didn’t appear to be carrying any weapons but the didn’t preclude the possibility that they had some kind of integral armament. The floor of the umbilicus wobbled as they strode across in quick skittering bounds. The tunnel didn’t have any grav plates so they leaped from frame to frame in a series of long graceful bounds. It ought to have been possible to traverse the umbilicus in a single long weightless flight but Rene supposed this method allowed them the luxury of reacting to changing conditions. 

The two armored aliens reached the airlock and stepped into the grav field of the Bonaventure with a ringing clang of metal on metal, proving that the suits were heavier than Rene would have wanted to carry around. Both figures reached up and touched controls on their helmets. Their polarized faceplates cleared to reveal their faces. The were longer skulled then humans, with flesh the golden brown color of polished copper. They were fine boned and sported two sets of nostrils one above the other with thin dark lips. Their eyes were larger in proportion to humans, giving the impression of innocent wonder that was doubtless a complete misreading. Rene had seen holos of Kalderi before, but usually they covered their faces and the old archival footage didn’t fully prepare him for the reality of meeting the aliens. He cleared his throat.

“Greetings Honored Friends,” Rene began, using the words Solae had instructed. The words had been picked carefully. Formal but not to formal at best these were officers of a minor war ship and the Solae couldn’t embarrass herself by seeming to fawn before them. Similarly, it was important that they didn't feel insulted and throw up barriers. Rene supposed there were as many different factors to consider when plotting an assault or defusing a bomb but at least those he understood. On a human warship there were elaborate rituals to be observed when ships crews met like this, but without any information they had to keep it simple.

“May I present to you, Her Grace, Duchess Solae Falia, Ruler of the Eastern Cross and Imperial Envoy to the Kalderi people.”