"In the name of the Empire and the Emperor, the twenty sixth session of the Imperial Council may begin!" The announcer said loudly.

Over the course of one year the main ruling organ after the ruler himself grew considerably. Most of that time was passed either in numerous conquests led by Phantom personally, or rapid colonization of the new worlds. The Empire counted about eight hundred inhabited planets, not to mention thousands of uninhabited systems. To rule over a country of this size a small group of officials couldn't be as efficient. In total, there were thirty eight Grand Moffs, each controlling one Upper Sector, which consisted five sectors ruled by Moffs.

Phantom crossed his legs and leaned back on his throne as the announcer spoke again. "First of all, His Majesty has accepted the request of Captain Maximus of the Mundus Master-Pack. However, due to certain situations on his homeworld, we are now greeting the governor Goldstein, who is being charged with ruling the planet. Please come forth."

The man sure had a big promotion. He was one of the first human high-ranking officials. By showing his utter loyalty to the Empire during the subduing of Doisac he had earned the position of the planetary co-ruler. His hair fit his last name - they were blond, his eyes were forest green. The man wore a black officer uniform with a badge including two blue squares, one red and one yellow ones. He went forward towards the center of the room, giving occasional brief glances at the ghostly ruler, who wore an ice wreath on his head.

"Respectable members of the Council, Your Highness, as my collegue has promised, I brought the proofs of foreign presence within the Imperial borders."

He took a flash drive and inserted the device into the hole projector. Immediately the image of multiple shemes appeared in the air. Goldstein took a metal pointer and gestured for one of the shemes.

"We started receiving the data one month ago. At first we shared the Council's skepticism. Since we are not the research observatory, only military post, our quantum scanners picked a multitude of signals coming from several parsecs away. At first we have guessed that that was a simple asteroid belt. But, the movement lines were too straight for that. We got a final confirmation that that movements were controllable when they took a drastical turn in another direction in a matter of seconds. As you can see on graphics, the gap between us and the supposed ships was increasing on steady pace, when they suddenly started furthering faster."

"The asteroids could enter the gravitational pull of a big planet or star," Phantom interrupted. "There has to be something more valuable."

"Yes, Your Highness. We don't think that's the case, because then there are too few asteroids to be a system wide belt. By now we have counted three hundred of different sized supposed ships. They seem to be roaming around, and we believe that it is a matter of time until they find us. I know that sounds like we are being paranoid, but the risks are too high. Doisac is positioned on the very edge of Imperial Space, and this planet will be the first one to be attacked."

"All ships have signature," Lord General noted. "And the scanners had to pick them."

"Well...no, there weren't any. Instead, we have noted that they are pulsating."

"That is not much of a proof," one of the Grand Moffs said. "For everything, it could be just purgils," he received multiple nods.

When Goldstein seemed lost, the Emperor rubbed his chin in thought. Phantom raised his hand and everyone fell silent.

"I fail to see how this can be a matter of debates. This outpost was created with the purpose of detection of ANYTHING suspicious. Yes, Grand Moff Wells decided to use the military budget of his Upper Sector differently and he couldn't afford more expensive sensors."

The Emperor glanced at the hologram of the named official and the man gulped inwardly. "My Lord, the amount of credits we require is bigger. It's hard to arm the native volunteers when they are three meters tall. Not to mention the nonexistent military infrastructure..."

"It wasn't a reprimand," Phantom said with a note of amusement. "I'm merely stating that the observation post can use more money. Take a note of it. As for you, Governor, we indeed need a true confirmation. A scout will be sent to find the cause. Until then, all fleets in neighboring systems must be battle ready."

Goldstein bowed. "Thank you, My Lord."

"Now, let's move on to the other issues."

But at the same time Danny's original was elsewhere. It was a small room for meditations, twenty square meters. One of the walls had multiple windows, hidden behind metal jalousie. There were several puffy chairs, which were wide enough to cross legs and sit in the required position. That's exactly what Komand was doing, while Danny slowly walked around. Komand, along with Ahsoka, were following the man with their eyes. The latter was really curious and was eager to learn more about the Force. And Danny let her stay and watch.

It was so strange for the Togruta girl. On history lessons she had learned about the Emperor of the past. For the Jedi, everyone who was not a pure follower of light was considered a Sith. Not that there were any for thousands of years, except that Zabrak guy on Naboo. And now she saw the Emperor, who seemed to be a very kind fellow. Just his parental interactions with his Little Phantom were enough to wave off any suspicions about hidden evil. Yet, he used the Dark Side and had a worrying knowledge of it. It was just so confusing for her.

Dani meanwhile was lying on one of the chairs, with a bored pout on her face. What three year old would be interested in a lecture?

"Alright, details aside, let's get to business. Red Kyber crystals can be acquired in two ways. By making a synthetic one or through the 'bleeding'. The Dark Side users can corrupt the crystal. Imagine it as the slave who is made obedient after being continuously hit with a whip. Same thing here. By 'healing' the crystal, you will form a bond with it and it will change color to the one which suits you best."

"So, is it like healing a person?" Komand raised her eyebrow.

"Bingo," Danny snapped his fingers, taking the red crystal seemingly out of nowhere. "Alright, we can start now. Kids," he looked at the two girls, "Be quiet, please."

"Alright/Okaay," they said at the same time.

The crystal floated in front of the woman's eyes, which she had closed. Danny leaned against the wall with crossed hands. His daughter meanwhile flopped on a seat near Ahsoka, rolling on her belly. She was still bored. Ahsoka chuckled quietly at seeing the smaller child's attitude. Dani was here only because HK didn't want to have anything to do with her again. Suddenly the girl perked up, got up and quietly ran to her father.

"Daddy," she whispered excitedly.

"Wait a second, baby girl," Danny answered, leaning down to her ears.

Dani pouted and crossed her hands. Komand took a deep breath as the crystal glowed brighter. First with the same red color as the crystal itself, then something smoke-like started to emit, like if the redness was exiting it. Several seconds later, the crystal started to glow with pearly white color. When Komand opened her eyes, she saw the result of her work and gently took it in her palm. Then she heard a clapping coming from her lover.

"Bravo, Duchess, you made it. Now put it in your lightsaber," Danny instructed.

Komand rolled her eyes and did as the man had told her. When the completed lightsaber fell in her palm, she activated it, filling the room with white light. Komand and Ahsoka stared at the blade in surprise. So the lightsaber could have this color as well. Danny coughed to get their attention.

"Since you now have the lightsaber which is completely yours, we have a small task ahead. Get up and sit on one knee, please."

"You are not actually planning something?" Komand gave him a weirded look.

Danny only turned on the lightsaber of his own. "Nope. Just a casual ceremony."

Komand, still not fully understanding what he meant, still kneeled in front of him.  For some reason, Danny seemed really amused, even if he tried to keep a serious face and sound accordingly.

"By right of arms, I, the Emperor of the Second Infinite Empire, do dub you with my sword, and by all that you hold sacred, true and righteous...Once for Honor," he moved the transparent blade a mere inch from her shoulder, "Twice for Duty," he moved the saber to another shoulder, "Thrice for Loyalty. From now on, you hold the title of the Emperor's Hand. You may stand now."

Komand got up on her feet. "The Emperor's Hand?"

"Yes," Danny turned off his weapon and put it on his belt. "It means that you are no longer my apprentice, or padawan, but something bigger. Of course, if you have questions, you can ask them. You will still go on assignments across the Galaxy. But you can take an apprentice of your own now. We need the new Order to grow, even if you will be the only one having this rank."

"Aww," she smiled and pecked his cheek. "I'm honored."

"You are welcome. Now, Dani, you wanted to say something?" Everyone turned to the girl, who perked up and jumped on her place.

"Aha! I can shoot green thingies, look!"

The girl made two pistols with her fingers. "Pew!" She said and fired two small ectoblasts. Everyone stared wide eyed at the show, but Danny's look quickly turned into that of excitement. He squealed, manly as ever, and hugged Dani tightly.

"My little girl grows up so fast!" Danny said.

The girl giggled and hugged his neck as well. "Am I a big girl, now, Daddy?"

"Well, not yet, sweetheart. But you learned it two years earlier before ghost children actually do that."

"Woah, wait, so firing blasts from the hands is alright for your race?" Ahsoka asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," Danny answered. "I wonder when she learns other things."

"Other things?!"

The stark haired man only winked. "Oh, I just remembered, Komy. Go to the Fifth Dock of the Andromeda Spaceport. I and IRB have a wonderful surprise for you waiting in there. Kids," Phantom suddenly picked up two girls. "Let's go celebrate Dani's first power and have some ice cream."

"Yes!" Both girls cheered before the three ran out of the room, leaving a chuckling woman alone.

Komand exited the palace grounds soon after, before using the train to get to the destination. She was wearing black robes with a hood pulled down. No one recognized her, besides, the newly named Emperor's Hand wasn't the most public figure. The biggest spaceport of the Empire was located about five hundred miles away, but the high-speed transport got her there really quickly.

Andromeda Spaceport was built during the beginning of the space age for the race inhabiting the planet. In the following centuries it expanded and grew to the needs of Interstellar Empire. Now the country controlled one fourth of the Galaxy. The renamed spaceport grew on rapid speed. A lot of money were spent on it, but the increasing amount of paid tarrifs had covered the expenses by then. Prosperity for the capital was good, but spending extra money on modernizing toilets was stupid nevertheless, so better keep the profits for the future.

Komand didn't use the special entrance, she went to the government reserved Docks. She didn't need to go through any checking points, just show her pass to the security in order to be let inside. After going through the long corridors Komand got to the spacey and comfy room with a single window. The woman approached the window, which gave a look at the dock itself. Her eyes opened widely at the sight. Danny had sticked to his word and got her a better ship.

It was slick in design, eighty meters in length and ninety four in width. Its hull was painted in light gray, which almost seemed white. There were several hollow places, circled by archways, which were shining with blue color. It didn't look like a vessel for operations, it looked like a luxury yacht. It was beautiful. Suddenly Komand was snapped out from her staring when she heard a cough near her. When she looked to the side, Komand saw Danny standing there with a grin on his face and a cup of ice cream in his hands.

"Like it?" He asked.

Komand just blinked. "What's this thing?"

"Well, it took a lot of effort to get this baby operational. However, I had a good laugh when I learned about its name. This ship was a prototype during the Great Galactic War and it is the technological peak even now. Looks like a luxury shuttle, has military capacities equal to the heavy interceptor."

"And what's its name?"

"On the blueprints it was called 'X-70B 'Phantom''."

At that they both burst laughing. The irony was just too thick.

"Where did you get the blueprints?" Komand asked as they started to walk to the ship.

"It was quite a journey. First I briefly visited Dromund Kaas, found the info about where this ships were manufactured in incredibly short amount. And there I found them, before bringing the blueprints to the IRB. I'm not very good at shipbuilding, so they looked into it. But, I put the ecto cannons of my own construction instead of laser cannons. Don't worry, I tested them, my toys combine lasers' destructiveness and ion cannons' shutdown effects. There are also missiles, military shielding and processors. All of that is hidden carefully, no sensor would pick them. There is only one problem. Cloaking device cannot be used to the full extent, so if you try to hide the ship itself, they will still find you."

The trap opened and the two entered the ship. Danny led her to the main room by turning to the right in the corridor.

The ship's interior featured custom wood panelling over white metal and cushioned seating, and within the X-70B was a luxurious central lounge with a gaming table and recessed food coolers, as well as a long-range communications holoterminal. Attached to the lounge was a medical bay, behind which was a spacious cargo bay.

"Now let's get to your mission. I want you to check out one system," Danny said.

"Let me guess, it is the one which turns the entire Council upside down."

"Yep, the coordinates are in your computer."

Danny came closer and kissed his girlfriend on lips, and the woman kissed back. "Good luck. And try not to blow up the shuttle which costs like a battleship."

Komand rolled her eyes, but smiled. "No promises. Now let me get to work, Your Majesty."

Phantom saluted her and dissappeared. Komand sighed. "I know you are still here, Danny."

She heard a boyish laughter, before Danny disappeared fully. The woman gave a look around the lounge, before getting to the cockpit. A few minutes later the ship was already on the planetary orbit. Komand turned on the hologram of the stellar map, which was positioned to the right, between a pilot seat and copilot's. There was a small red dot on the blue and white hologram. It was located to the North-North-East from the current location, and was indeed in the buffer zone between the Ascendancy and the Empire. Komand didn't have a hard time getting used to the new controls, so she, rather easily, jumped to the system closest to it.

The journey took an entire day. The Galaxy was huge, and getting somewhere even on the speed faster than light could take long. When Komand was on the cockpit again, she started to wait until it was time to exit the subdimension. And when it happened, there was only a blackness of space around. She had choosen that system to get a better scan first. She didn't want to ram into something, because the information about the strength of the trespassers ships' hull won't be much of the use.

Then the woman noticed that she wasn't alone. The scanners had picked the presence of one more ship in the system. It was bigger than hers. And if Komand managed to pick the other vessel, then so was the other guest. She decided to be daring. Just in case she let the computer to calculate the route back, but until then she started to wait. Soon the other ship revealed itself and Komand didn't like it at all, because the black cruiser could belong to only one nation.

"Of all people it should be the Chiss," Komand cursed, before her ship shook.

Aand she got caught by a tractor beam, just peachy. You don't need an Interdictor to prevent much smaller ship from jumping away. Komand had to think up something, and quickly. Danny wasn't going to like that trespassing as well. He would believe her, but Komand had to bring the valuable proofs, recording from the hidden camera was enough, and her robes were spacey enough to hide one.

Meanwhile outside of her shuttle and inside the hanger the Chiss Marines were preparing to pry the doors open if needed, being armed to teeth and battle ready. But first, one of the officers stepped forward and took a megaphone.

"The owner of this ship, come out now and surrender or we will have to use the brute force," the officer said in Sy Bisti.

A few seconds later the shuttle's trapdoor opened and Komand slowly walked out with hands raised slightly in surrender.

"Alright, alright, just don't blow anything up!" She said in the same language.

One of the soldiers stepped closer and started searching for weapons. He found the lightsaber and gave it to the officer. And then he found a camera and gave it as well. Then the blue skinned man suddenly put a hand on his ear, through which he received another order.

"Follow me," he commanded.

Komand didn't object, there was no going back now. After walking through the numerous corridors, she was brought to the required room. There she saw another man who was standing with his back turned to her.

"Leave us, please," the commander said, and his voice sounded oddly familiar.

The officer complied with the order and left with the woman's weapon still in his hand. Then the commander turned around and Komand understood why the voice was so familiar.

"What an unexpected meeting," Thrawn commented, before gesturing for the seat. "Sit down, please."

"I didn't know the Chiss knew what a sarcasm is," Komand deadpanned, still sitting.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You are a 'strategic mastermind'. We obviously would have detected the movements of your fleets."

"I wouldn't say that I'm a mastermind. Those aren't our ships. I believe we are here with the same purpose."

"How do I know you are not trying to deceive me?"

"If I wanted no evidence, we would have just killed you. Or even better, we would have shown that the Empire is breaking the treaty by sending ships into the neutral zone or kept this information as the blackmail."

"Fine. What do you want with me now?"

"With you? Nothing. But I'd like to have a conversation with your ruler to which you seem to be very close."

"Why?"

"I have a suspicion about who that trespassers are. But again, our fleets won't attack until they do. We call them Far Outsiders."

"And you call them that because..."

"Because we believe that they come from another Galaxy."

"But...that will take centuries to get here."

"Nevertheless, they ARE in a system neighboring this one. Your Emperor doesn't seem to mind attacking first. I planned on just watching them closely, but your convenient appearance helps a lot. So, can you fulfill my request and put him through?"

Komand crossed her hands. "I don't have anything to call him with."

"Not a problem," Thrawn said, handing her a holocommunicator.

Komand pressed a few buttons and Danny's hologram appeared. He didn't look well, his hair looked like a pure chaos, more than usual and he had an exhausted expression on his face. Komand choked down her laughter while Thrawn raised an eyebrow.

"Please tell me you have good news," Phantom begged, fixing his hair.

"Well, here is someone who wants to talk to you."

Danny looked back and his eyes widened. "My, Commander Thrawn. What do I owe a pleasure?"

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"Uhm, no. I can spare a minute. I think."

Thrawn sighed. Then he proceeded to explain the situation in details, while Danny patiently listened, occasionally glancing to the side for some reason. He was looking at something on his side of the hologram.

"So we have a fleet of aggressive xenophobic aliens counting four hundred vessels?" Phantom hummed.

"Surely that's nothing your fleets can't handle."

"We are not the mercenaries, Commander. I won't just send my people to death, unless there is a profit for the Empire...Actually," Danny grinned. "There is a way to kill two birds with one stone. This is a risky plan, but it has got to work."

Thrawn seemed interested. "Go on."

"You probably know that there are still loyalists of the old regime. But I have just found the way to get rid of them without risking our fleets. I know where they hide, and if those 'Far Outsiders' are as aggressive as you say..."

"We can lure them there and force to fight with each other," Thrawn finished in realization. "Your...apprentice's ship will be too irrelevant. I offer my assistance in the issue. The loyalists won't attack us immediately, but the Outsiders shoot on sight."

"I'll rally the fleet. We will have to make several evasive maneuvers to hide our movements for surprise attack. It will take about...thirty one hour."

"Remove three hours," Komand said with an innocent smile.

"I'll clarify that later and inform you. Commander Thrawn, I put my hopes in you."

With that the transmission was over. Komand was given back her weapon and was let to stay on her ship. The woman spent her time differently, she enjoyed the luxuries of her ship, starting from a warm bath and ending with a refrigerator full of drinks. The mission was going nice so far. Her belongings were previously brought inside, even the photo from the vacation. She had to watch out for the Chiss, though, they could try to learn the breakthrough technologies of the shuttle.

One moment Komand heard a beep, which was a thing similar to a doorbell on a spaceship. Confused, the woman opened the trap and saw Thrawn standing there.

"May I come in?"

"Uhm...sure?" Komand responded uncertainly.

The blue skinned man entered the shuttle and got to the central lounge, where he sat on a sofa. Komand was caught off guard by his straightforwardness, and followed the Chiss. Thrawn meanwhile observed the design of the room around him.

"This doesn't look like Yuthanean style," he commented.

"I didn't know you are an expert on this stuff."

"I appreciate any form of art. It allows to understand the race better, their uniqueness and their...weaknesses. But I haven't come here for discussions about that. I just want to satisfy my curiosity."

"And what do you want to know?"

Thrawn sighed, crossing his hands. "Our last agreement with him led to my reprimand. One more step against the orders, and I will be disowned by my family. And this is exactly what we are planning to do."

"Harsh."

"Effective. Unworthy of family name are being cast away, leaving only the most loyal and capable. I wanted to ask more about your ruler, since you are probably very close to him."

"Yes, I am, but he doesn't like to share much of his past, unless it's a funny story he would love to tell. Fighting with a huge pile of meat or finding out that a male monkey was actually a she. Danny may seem childish, but you probably know that there is more to that."

Thrawn nodded and urged her to continue.

"From what I have learned, the members of his race need a purpose to exist or they slowly fade. They don't choose this purpose, but it often comes from their interests. Danny just had to be a peacekeeper by nature. He thinks of himself as the protector of the Galaxy. He even conquers not for power but for peace of many generations afterwards. If you are worried about the Ascendancy, don't be. Danny knows that your country won't harm his people, so he isn't interested in fighting the Chiss. And by fighting this Outsiders he is helping you out, right?"

The Chiss put a hand on his chin. He seemed to be contemplating something, when his communicator started to beep.

"I believe it's time to go to the bridge."

He got up and Komand decided to follow. When they got to their destination point, Thrawn sat on the Commander's chair. Then the hologram was put through and Phantom appeared in front of them, wearing his military attire.

"The time has come, Commander. Their long ranged sensors are malfunctioning at the moment, hehe. We are waiting for the fight to start."

A sudden thought occured in Thrawn's mind. "And what if the loyalists escape?"

"They won't," Danny smirked. "Our fight with the Vagaari didn't go without benefits for our technological advancement. The Interdictor Star Destroyer is a prototype for now, but it works. That's what we will do. Once the battle begins, we will come in and stand by side, while the interdiction field is on."

"You will be their target," Thrawn noted. "Is there any planet or an asteroid field?"

"Yes. A gas giant," Danny made a pause. "You are offering to hide until the time comes."

"Exactly. The interdiction field should be able to reach them. The loyalists won't be able to escape through the Outsiders lines under massive fire."

"You heard him, Admiral," Phantom looked at someone out of the hologram, before turning back. "Good luck."

When the transmission was over, Danny heard a crash nearby. His head snapped in the direction of the sound, and he saw Dani near the fallen blasters, which had previously hung on the wall. One of the blasters was in her tiny arms, and that caused all members of the crew to pale. Ahsoka ran inside the room, sweating, red and panting for breath.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I...she is too quick!" She exclaimed.

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. Why had he even decided to bring them along? Ah, yes, puppy eyes.

"Danielle, put the blaster down," he said sternly.

The girl pouted and put the weapon back on its place. Phantom was about to return to his work, when he felt Dani hugging his leg.

"Sorry, Daddy," she said, sounding as sorry as the three years old could. "I wanted to play with wee-ponies."

Danny smiled and ruffled her hair and the girl smiled. It was their universal gesture, which showed her that everything was alright. Several crew members smiled at the sight. There was one thing the citizens of the Empire were joking about. If the Emperor was indeed a God, then the white haired girl was his angel. It was especially common among the Hyperion personnel, who often interacted with the child directly. The hyperactive girl had an angelic personality, mixed with a simple childish mischief.

Ahsoka approached them. "So, why are we here?" The soon-to-be Padawan asked.

"Oh, this is going to be quite a fight."

"If I have anything to say about this, My Lord," Admiral Pilion stepped forward. "The battlefield is no place for children."

"I know. We are in a simple space void at the moment. Have you ever participated in a fight, Ahsoka?"

"Eh, no. Younglings are not let there. You have to be at least a Padawan for that. Who are you fighting against?"

"Slavers, terrorists and aggressive aliens," Danny responded curtly and shrugged. "Not much difference from the Republic, except the fact that we are turning them into space dust."

"Without trials?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, you don't need a trial when dealing with the terrorists. All proofs are evident and they don't deny that. And the punishment for their acts will be severe," Danny hugged Dani tighter with one hand. "Now, we must wait for the right moment to go there."

"Which is now, Your Highness. The battle shall begin by the time we get there," Pillion said, looking at the clocks.

"Then jump."

The entire first fleet entered the hyperspace one by one. Danny rubbed his chin in thought. He couldn't send the children away, one lucky shot and he won't be there to help. Still, many beings' death was not an appropriate sight. Sighing, Phantom made a duplicate, who led two girls out of the room. Yes, his power allowed to make a lot of copies, but the more he made, the less concentrated he became. And during the fight he needed all his mind. After some time Komand made a call.

"I have good news and the bad news, which is first?" She asked.

"Start from the good one."

"Well, we definitely got their attention. They left a few dents, since we had to get close enough and make a few shots."

"And the bad one?"

"The Outsiders' ships seem to be...organic."

At this everyone turned to the hologram.

"Explain."

"They seem to be made of flesh, pulsating, throbbing and shifting. They shot some plasma from their cannons, or maybe it was magma, I don't know. This stuff is slowly melting off the hull, and Thrawn sent the engineers to fix the problem. They can have some nasty surprises for us in the future. We have damaged one of their ships and jumped to the meeting point."

So, Goldstein was right all along. That weren't just space whales.

A.N. As some of you may know, this little story is my candidate in DPWA competition. The second wave shall begin this day and it requires voting. I don't know about the process, 10th October is nearing the end here, so I'm kinda talking to many of you from the future. but I'll inform you on the updates. If you want to show how you like this story, please vote when the time comes.