"That is an... unexpected sign of trust," Solae admitted. Rosaria sat to her left, with Rene to her right, and the Syshin beside him. Proper formation would have had the bodyguards flanking their charges, but it would also having them standing rather than sitting, and would deny them the comfort of being directly adjacent to one another. Dasin and Yarue had grown accustomed to their companions to the extent they were mildly friendly, but the duchess was sensitive to the fact they had taken huge leaps of faith in quick succession, and did not want to stand on etiquette when establishing a rapport was of greater importance. She also had the distinct impression that there was little that could protect them if the Kalderi deemed the group a threat.

"How do the Kalderi people regard humanity?" she asked after a moment's thought. The first step of diplomacy was to gauge the situation;  what prejudices and misconception they had towards one another. The alien race was clearly not hostile, but that did not mean they were friendly. There was a vast difference between a technologically advanced civilization that saw the intelligent beings they shared the universe with as annoying gnats, as possible allies in the struggle to survive and thrive, or as a potential source of labor if conquered. That the Stellar Empire had subjugated Syshin by taking advantage of their more primitive home world was a stain upon history itself.

"We have observed your people since first contact," Lithyll explained patiently and calmly. It made sense. When their settlements had been violently eradicated, even after the Jeweled Armada had responded in retaliation, the Kalderi could not afford to disregard their neighbors. To do would have been gross negligence. The treaty had ensured there was not war, but borders had to be maintained, and they had to be cautiously mindful if there were ripples of conflict that destabilized the government. Civil unrest could result in ships disregarding law and venturing into their territories.

"We have been waiting for your people to... mature," he intoned.

There were many ways in which Solae could imagine they might think humanity had been immature. When they had met the Kalderi initially they had slaughtered them in a display of greed and power. The Syshin had been treated just as poorly. Across several sectors they had struggled with stability, some generations of emperors lacking while others were glorious but short-lived. Prosperous times made aristocrats complacent and they took much for granted, while turmoil had them betraying one another to gain an upper hand. Hundreds of years had changed them as a race, but there were undeniable faults. Duke Tan was arguably the manifestation of some of their worst proclivities.

"We could be better," the linguist carefully confessed. "I am hopeful that through our understanding of each other we can grow. Many of our people I believe have been reluctant out of fear," she added after a moment's reflection.

"Fear?" Lithyll asked.

"Of the warships from the past," Solae stated delicately. "They have seen the strength of the Kalderi, and that makes them afraid, especially if they come with dishonest intentions. I chose to come to you because, as you may have seem from our vessel, we do not have weapons beyond those we use for self-protection, and I have nothing to hide. I was a translator that worked in an embassy before I was granted the title of duchess."

"I see," Lithyll said with an expression of amusement. His mouth could not quite form a smile, but feelings transcended language barriers with ease. "Those were not warships. Some of the worlds our people live on were not... habitable when they were discovered. We developed tools to eliminate beasts and plants on the surface so that we could reshape it more easily."