"Are you sure this is going to work?" Daughter asked.

"I'm pretty confident," Phantom shrugged calmly, looking at the kneeling ghost.

It had been a certain while after the events. The Jedi left Mortis, as the planet was called, leaving the ghosts alone. Father was buried in the tomb, and, surprisingly, Son didn't leave the second he got a chance. He listened to the request to stay until that same ritual Phantom was going to accomplish. That's what brought them in the main hall at the moment. They sat in a circle and were about to do just that.

"I still cannot see how you can do that," Son said dryly.

"Simple. Close your eyes, you two."

They obliged. Danny's right hand glowed, while the other, on the contrary, was completely hidden in shadows.

'You guys ready?' Phantom asked mentally.

'Of course, kid. Time to have real fun.'

'With our powers we shall purge the corruption of any kind. Thank you again for agreeing to this.'

'Don't mention it. I just hope you will do your job well. I expect this deal to be beneficial.'

Then Danny released the power, directing it to the other ghosts. They reacted with surprise, but it wasn't painful at all, if you don't include a slight migraine. The next change was more unusual. Daughter used to emit golden light around her, but it dimmed, becoming a thin line around her silhouette, not brighter than Danny's. Son, on the contrary, gained this light. The whites of his eyes became what the name implied, as they started to look normal. Phantom somehow sensed that the job was done. He retracted his hands and stopped.

"How do you feel, guys?" He asked.

"Weird, to say the least," Daughter rubbed her temples, trying to ease the headache.

"No arguing about that," her brother added. "I haven't felt like this ever since that day."

"Well," Danny clapped his hands. "If you hear voices in your head, don't worry. It's part of the process."

"And...what now?" Daughter asked.

Phantom shrugged. "I'm not your boss. You can go wherever you want, I won't stop you as long as you don't call anyone's attention."

"But we don't know anything about what goes on in the Galaxy."

Danny sighed. He had to answer their questions and telling about the ongoing events.

"Hm...any ideas, sister?" Son looked at her.

"I'm not sure...I think I will simply travel around. If His Majesty can advise anything."

"I'll order someone to make a list. Scarif is one of my favorites - white sand, azure seas all across the planet..." Danny drifted off. "What about you?" He looked at Son.

"I'd like to be closer to the place of events," the white skinned man said.

Danny raised his eyebrow. "And what does that imply? Mere hours ago you tried to kill me. You are yet to earn my trust."

"I understand. I just want to be nearby when something happens."

Phantom got up on his legs and crossed his hands. "Fine. You may watch. But I am departing to Mon Cala."

Son's expression became that of confusion. "Mon Cala? What do you need from that sea products?"

"Yeah, you won't make a nice ambassador. Mon Cala's King was killed," Danny said curtly, putting a hand on his chin. "Found in his room with a dagger in his back. The chaos ensues, their neighbors Quarrens don't want to swear loyalty to Prince Lee-Char. He is a teen. It's complicated when two nations live on one planet. Quarrens are the allies of the Confederacy. Mon Calamari are loyal to the Republic. No one invited me personally, but our representative was sent there. My agents acquired some information on our ambassador. His reputation makes me doubt the success of the entire operation."

"Hm, that's intriguing," Son smirked. "It shall be interesting to watch."

"One more thing."

Phantom approached him and landed one hell of a punch into his face. They both stared at him in surprise.

"What was that for?!" Son exclaimed.

"For almost harming Ahsoka."

Son then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Danny looked at Daughter. "Did he really just teleported there without any preparation?"

"Yes. He did."

Then Phantom returned to the capital. He walked through the corridors of the Palace and slowly entered his little girl's bedroom. She was still sleeping, and Danny almost woke her up after stepping on a toy spaceship. He sat nearby, moving her scattered toys in a box with a flick of his hand. Soon the girl stirred, before opening her emerald eyes. She looked around in confusion.

"Daddy? Why are we here?" Dani asked sleepily.

"Well, I have told you that we will be here on the next day," Phantom smiled, stroking her pearly locks. "I wanted to talk about something."

The girl sat on the bed and tilted her head. "What is it?"

"You see...I've decided that you need to socialize more."

"Does that mean I'm gonna make some friends?" Dani asked.

Phantom chuckled. "Smart girl. Yes. While private tutors can grant you more knowledge, you are alone most of the time. So, I thought that studying in a school should be better."

"Really?" The girl's eyes were shining.

"Yep. I'll pick a proper one, and since the summer ends soon, it is the best time to do that. Maybe once you all grow up, they will be helpful to you. It won't be an elite school, because there the kids would try to befriend you only for influence. Not that in the usual one it won't be like that, but you will have some chances. But remember, sweetie. This is a responsibility. You shouldn't brag about your status as my daughter, you must be humble. And you also mustn't do something what can bring shame to our House, follow the rules and be an exemplary student. Can you do that?"

Dani nodded. "Yes, Daddy, I can!"

"Good for you," Danny smiled, patting her on the head. "Now go wash yourself, kiddo."

Phantom went through with his idea. He found a nice, well sponsored school not very far from the Imperial district. Needless to say that when he visited the principal, the guy was shocked and shaking from the thrill, saying multiple synonyms about how honored he and the school were. Phantom gave all the required documents and ordered them not to be easier on his daughter, treating her equally. Still, there was plenty of time until the school year began.

Danny returned to the politics. The Star Forge was nearing its completion, it could already make free materials from the energy of the star, but not yet able to build starships. It put some minor mining companies under threat, but since they were all state owned, it would be easier to redirect the workforce.

His efforts were also about the upcoming event. The Empire was going to celebrate the seventh anniversary since its creation. Phantom came up with an idea of hosting the Olympics across the state. It was going to solidify unity, at least in theory, unless someone was going to be a sore loser. It was complicated for many reasons, though. It wasn't only about one race. There were hundreds of them, and the natural ability wasn't something to be taken lightly. The competitions should have been fare, so there were different groups.

There was an incredibly long list of groups determined by average strength, agility and speed. It wasn't prepared by the Emperor, for the work was enormous, but he signed the decree. And, of course, the Force users couldn't participate against anyone but their fellows. As for the competing grounds, half of the Galaxy, with the most beautiful planets, was at their disposal. There were many issues to solve, but the Emperor had an assistance of the subordinate officials.

The Republic was achieving several key victories against the Confederacy, since the Protectorate remained defensive, striking only when the situation allowed to surround the enemy and destroy him. The Council was angry at him for not acting. Some, such as the certain Banking Clan boss accused him of treachery. That he acted in his own interests. Well, he wasn't far from the truth. Danny's reputation was that of a true peacemaker. It wasn't something what the trade leaders had in mind while starting the war. His Protectorate was a safe haven for many thousands of refugees. War never reached deeper than its borders. And that people were going to support his ascendance to the throne of the entire Galaxy.

His reputation was going to be solidified on Mon Cala. Danny had a plan of getting them out of the Republic's grasp, while preserving the alliance with the Quarrens. Or maybe even enlarging his influence there. All of that without a single shot, or so he hoped. Otherwise the civil war on the planet would be unavoidable. That's what brought Danny where he was at the moment. Above the endless ocean.

"Query: Are you sure about this, Master?" HK asked over the noise of the engines.

Phantom stretched his muscles, seen through the tight fabric of his jumpsuit. "I don't need to breath and the pressure is of no importance to me. I can also change the frequency of my voice so they would be able to hear me through the water. Their capital is beneath, right?"

"Confirmation: Exactly. Brr. I hate water."

"No wonder," Danny deadpanned.

"Commentary: I don't understand how meatbags live with so much water inside. The splashing it makes inside must be annoying. I don't understand how they live like it."

Danny laughed, saluted to his droid and jumped down the platform, speeding towards the water surface. He became intangible so as not to smash into it and smoothly go under. He went down, using his flight ability under the water, his legs turning into a spectral tail for better agility. The city was big, with multiple sky...or surfacescrapers. Danny took out a device and looked at the map. There should have been meeting at that time.

"Stop right there!" He heard a metallic voice.

Danny spun around and saw a droid. It was stored in a classic droid style with its legs folded in a fetal position against its chest. There was a laser cannon at its hand, and the entire shape allowed the almost three meters tall droid to swim underwater. It was created by the Techno Union, and it was weird that the droid sticked around casually.

"You have broken the curfew. You are under arrest."

"Excuse me?" Danny asked loudly. "Do you realize who you are speaking with?"

"You are not on the list of permitted people."

Suddenly he was pierced from behind by a blade. It floated away, revealing Son, who was behind.

"I think you are a little late for the party," he commented.

"What happened?" Danny asked.

"In short. Prince is hiding, the Quarrens have taken over. That ambassador is not some wimp. Of course, we both can break his spine with a raised eyebrow, but he is far from being unimportant."

Phantom groaned, rubbing his face. "That's what you get for missing the news for TWO damn days."

"Any plans, Your Majesty?" Son asked.

"I'll talk to the Quarrens. See if the situation can be easily solved."

"It certainly wouldn't. At least as long as Tamson sticks around them. I've sensed doubt and guilt within the Quarrens' leader. Use it properly. I'll observe, and hopefully have a nice laugh."

Son became invisible, as Danny flew down. The stark haired ghost had a suspicion that the local palace had a new occupant.

Meanwhile in that same palace, in the throne room, two people were conversing. One of them was Quarren, there weren't many distinctive features, only the same squid like face. The other one was more interesting. He was very tall, and, despite humanoid shape, with two hand and legs, there were also many similarities with Terran sharks. The head alone was an exact copy. The man was two meters tall, with blue and white skin, pitch black eyes and sharp teeth. He was quite muscular, and it could be seen through the costume with a CIS hexagonal insignia.

"I want him found, Ri! The search is going for ages!" Tamson exclaimed.

"We are doing everything we can," the Quarren responded. "The Jedi is with him. There were three of them, you caught two."

"The Padawan is of no importance..."

Suddenly his communicator beeped through the mass of water. Tamson took it in his large webbed hand.

"What is it?!" He snapped.

"Sir, there is an intruder," a droid's low voice sounded. "He is coming to..."

The wheeze from another end meant only that the speaker had been terminated. A few seconds later the droid was hurled through the doors with a thunderous sound. It floated in midair as the intruder stomped in, staying on the ground despite how hard it was underwater.

"This is outrageous!" Phantom yelled. "First I come here and am treated like some kind of criminal, now I'm not allowed to come inside?!"

The aquatic creatures only stared at him in shock. He wasn't wearing anything.

"Lord Phantom, it is...surprising to see you here," Tamson pulled on a smile, which looked even more threatening on his shark-like face.

"Did you think that I would miss such an interesting occasion?"

"We are pleased to see, you, sir, but everything is solved already."

"This is for me to decide. I'm a member of the Council, so you are serving me at the moment."

"What?! I serve Count Dooku!"

"You serve the Confederacy first and utmost," Phantom said sternly, examining his fingers. "Here I am still superior to you."

"This is not how it works, Phantom."

"Really? If you were a commander here, maybe it would have been truth. But you are an ambassador."

Danny called him Cookiecutter. Because there was such kind of sharks, he had read the stuff to his daughter and they had a good laugh. Cookiecutter growled in realization. Yes, on documents he was not a commander at the moment. It did put him in the lower position. The man grunted.

"What do you need?" Tamson asked.

"To talk with Nossor Ri, of course. Privately."

Cookiecutter was forced to leave, muttering something inaudible. He was definitely going to talk with Dooku, Danny knew that, so he had to be quick. Phantom heard a shark-like roar behind the door, the guy was angry. The old Quarren approached the ghost, still ogling.

"Sir, may I first ask a question?"

"Of course," Phantom let a charming smile. "Just be quick."

"How can you be so calm underwater?"

"Do you know what happened on Coruscant? I thought the mess made it clear that I'm more than a human," Danny said.

"I guess you are right..."

Phantom sensed fear. Sighing and letting some bubbles, he continued.

"How did it come to this?" The ghost asked, gesturing around. "I thought that you were just vowing for independence of your people, not overthrowing the prince."

"The situation escalated quickly," Ri said with a deep note of sadness. "We have difficult relationship with the Mon Calamari, but we always respected each other. Lord Phantom, is there any chance you can talk to the Council about our matters? I heard that you actually listen..."

Danny grinned internally. Wonderful perks of having a positive reputation. He nodded slowly.

"I don't understand why Dooku wants Lee-Char to die. He has no army!"

Phantom put a hand on his chin. "Simple. He is the only heir. From my experience, you shouldn't underestimate the prince. I became a ruler of my home planet when I was nineteen. As long as Lee-Char lives, so does his people's hope."

"But..."

"You were on a good terms with his father. That much I do know."

Phantom put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand your concern. But Dooku is the last person to ask."

"Why?"

"Tamson is his lapdog. He will bring an army, more than a simple garrison. You want the Quarrens to rule the planet which is righteously yours, but Dooku doesn't need you."

"What are you talking about? You both are in the Confederacy!"

"Yes, but Dooku's hunger for power makes everything complicated. You make our ships, and our intrigues are of no importance, probably."

"What do you offer?"

Danny smiled. "Protection. I have managed to convince the Council to allow me accept planets into my own autonomous sector as long as the planets do it willingly and don't belong to any corporation."

It was extremely hard. Each step of the Emperor in disguise was taken with worry, and convincing the Council was complicated. But bless the Intelligence, he knew quite a lot of painful spots, such as their profits. Phantom even got a special commission prepare the report about how miserable their losses would be. In exchange he gave assurance about purchasing more droids. Gunray was greedy bastard, he accepted the deal. San Hill, for example, was against it, but his vote meant little, because Phantom wasn't at all dependent on his money.

The Empire did sponsor the Protectorate. It caused many unrests from the opposition to the High Council. The state was gaining little from that vast lands, because the Imperials weren't yet allowed to make business there. It was one huge matter of money draining, except for a few sectors. No one opposed the Emperor, however. Because of the public's love, going against the ruler was a political suicide.

"I'm not sure about this," said Ri slowly.

"I understand your worries. But maybe you will reconsider later. All I need is one word. You will realize that Dooku doesn't know a thing about diplomacy. He acts only by force alone. May I stay here for a while?"

"Of course, sir...there are plenty of rooms, just take one. The palace is empty now, anyway. I'll put you in the droids' database."

Danny nodded and walked off. He was confident that the situation was going to play into his hand. Dooku always acted like a thug. From time to time, each time he ever did anything it resulted in a bloodshed. Phantom couldn't understand why someone like Mina could ever support that bastard. Dooku was probably going to kill her for pressing peace negotiations. Phantom's best agents were tasked with protecting her family. Two assassins had been killed already.

The ghost knew that Count would give Cookiecutter the order to act as a general. But that was going to only play in his hands.

As Danny was moving through the corridor, he felt someone tap him on shoulder.

"Yes?" He looked at Son, sensing his presence beforehand.

"I've found something that might interest you."

"Are you sure you don't want to work in the Intelligence?" Danny deadpanned, crossing his hands.

"No, you just had a luck of me being intrigued as well. Take a wild guess who have I found in the dungeon?"

"Oh, god please no."

"Yes. It's them."

"WHY?!" Phantom exclaimed louder than he had intended. "It's like the Jedi don't have anyone else to do their f**king job!"

Son chuckled. "I'm off now. I want to watch Tamson's tantrums."

As he disappeared Danny felt the urge to punch something. Poor wall had it coming. He would have to save his friends for god knows what time. A little voice in his head told Phantom to let it go and mind his own business, but the suspicion of his daughter's involvement overweighted other options.

"No rest for the wicked," he muttered. "I'm going to kill the entire Jedi Council," Danny cursed.

Despite his threat, he understood the reasons. Missions led by Obi-Wan or/and Skywalker usually ended up being successful. It was only logical to send them over and over to solve the problems. Still, it's like the other Jedi were completely useless.

It took him a while to find the place. The droids now recognized him and let the man through to the tall, but far from being wide, room. It was a strange sight, but Danny realized that there were four prisoners. There were two Jedi, one of them being Skywalker and another green-skinned one, with dreads-like headtails with gills at the two of them. His eyes were pupiless and pitch black, and he, unlike two humans, didn't wear any costumes to remain underwater. The same could be said about the Gungan, Danny remembered that amphibian during the invasion of Ryloth. There was also Senator Amidala. And everyone turned to the guest.

"Leave us," Phantom ordered to the droids, who swam out of the room. Once they were alone, Danny sighed.

"Flames, you just won't stop interfering, Skywalker," he cursed loudly. "Who is your friend?"

"Kit Fisto, the Jedi Master, currently in prison," the man pointed at the electric eels surrounding them. "How do you..."

"Bah, I don't have lungs, anyway. Senator," Phantom bowed theatrically to her, before noticing some green goo covering half of her helmet. "What's that?"

"Ugh, Tamson bit a hole in the helmet. Jar-Jar closed it with his saliva."

"Misa eager to help," Jar-Jar said proudly.

"Where are your inseparable teammates?" Phantom asked Anakin.

"Obi-Wan is not here. Ahsoka is..."

"Skywalker!" Fisto interrupted him. "He is our enemy!"

"Master Fisto, the Separatists already know Ahsoka is with Lee-Char," Anakin shrugged.

Phantom cursed quietly. Now he had to search for someone who couldn't be found.

Danny shook his head. "You know, Skywalker, you can become a Master of getting caught," he said with amusement. "Know this. I can't let you out. Not this time, when my life is not at cost as well. It will mean going against Dooku's orders."

Anakin noticed a slight move of the ghost's eye. He glanced there as well. There was a camera.

"I was simply curious about who was here. We shall see how the situation develops. Maybe it will end with sunshine and rainbows. It's not like any of these can happen down here...you get my point. We may be enemies, but I'm not interested in killing you. And I hope your Padawan will be fine, I didn't save her back then for her to be killed so soon afterwards."

"Speaking of, what happened to them?"

"To whom? Son and Daughter? The latter probably rests on sunny beach, another kiiiind of assists me. I helped them overcome their long overdue teenage crisis, and now it should be fine. Of course, I did punch the guy for what he did."

"You let him go?!"

"AFTER returning balance. He is more tolerable now. I have a thing for second chances, I still walk because I had been given one. Well, that's all for now. Have fun and don't go anywhere."

Danny bowed slightly and left. Fisto looked at his fellow Jedi.

"He is just as weird as you reported," he commented. "To think that this man can destroy a city in a matter of half an hour..."

"We are lucky he doesn't want to rip our spines that much, then," Skywalker said sarcastically. "He is actually a nice guy once you get to know him more. AND when he is not one of our jailers. Right, Senator?"

"Yes. Although his authoritarian views are something appalling to me. He is a kind man, Master Fisto."

"It could be a ruse."

Anakin shrugged. Over the course of war he HAD come to respect the ghost, despite being on different sides of the conflict. If only he hadn't chosen the wrong side in the war. He was actually thinking ever since Phantom's battle caused so much destruction. The guy was a damn 'Lord of the Dead', or so he called himself. He seemed quite...lively. Well, he wasn't raising the dead to fight on his side, that was a relief.

Phantom floated through the corridors again, unsure about what to do. He hated not having a clear plan. The Emperor had a long night ahead. He wasn't going to just leave it. Danny couldn't rely on Son to constantly provide him with an information. Due to the lack of time he didn't immediately contact the agents on the planet, which there were. Now he had time.

Imperial multiculturalism was handy in the situations like these. The people could easily blend in, being of the same race. Two agents had been sent. Ironically, they were of two different species of Mon Cala. One couldn't help, because, apparently, because Mon-Calamari's houses had been pillaged, they were taken into slavery. He was one, so he was taken as well, despite holding no direct loyalty to the Prince. He was loyal to the Emperor and his planet, believing the Empire to be sufficient. Just as the Quarren one. The latter brought all the information she could gather, including the data on the drive camps.

Phantom was outraged at this. Slavery was not going to even be considered on his watch. It was illegal on the territories ruled by him. And, unlike the Republic, the rules were actually implemented everywhere. But, as usual, the criminals were trying to find different ways of covering their schemes. If only they used their inventiveness for something better than giving him a migraine. Not to mention that slave trade was common in the Confederacy, since it stretched across the Outer Rim - generally slave filled territory, the Senate never bothered with it. Mon Cala had a misfortune to be in that region.

Danny had a scheme in his mind, which was based around Riff Tamson's personality and Confederate laws. Early in the morning the messenger arrived in his room. Cookiecutter wanted an audience, the Prince was caught, or, to be exact, he surrendered willingly. Phantom was surely impressed, the guy had guts. Or a plan. Danny hurried to the throne room.

As he opened the doors, he was greeted by a sight. Yes, Lee-Char was there, the young Mon-Calamari, about seventeen years old at the seems. He was wearing a blue royal-looking suit with all according stuff. He had a high-domed head, webbed hands and large, goggle-like eyes. In addition to being webbed, the Mon-Calamari's hand presented three suction-cup like holes on its palm, and featured five claw-tipped fingers.

The Prince seemed concerned about his presence. Ahsoka stared at the guest with wide eyes, wearing a swimming suit and a helmet. Danny gave her a dry look, showing that he wasn't eager to see her there of all places.

"Ah, General, you are just in time," Tamson swam to him. "As you can see, everything is under control and without your help."

"Hm...I envy your luck. His Majesty waltzed into your hands himself while you weren't able to find him."

Ahsoka suppressed a snort of laughter. Cookiecutter narrowed his small eyes for a split second.

"Given time we would have been able to do that," he said dismissively. "What makes me wonder..."

In a blink he swam to the Prince, like a shark would to its prey.

"Is why he surrendered so easily. He almost has my respect."

"I don't need, nor do I want your respect!" The young man exclaimed.

Danny smirked invisibly. He liked the boy more and more. He stepped forward, crossing his hands.

"Now, now, let's not be rude here," Phantom said. "I'm sure you do have a reason to be angry. It's sad that it was like that with your people."

"Like what?! Enslaving them?! Nossor Ri, how can you allow this?" Lee-Char asked the Quarren.

Only now Danny became aware of his presence. Ri looked away, clearly ashamed. Phantom sang on within at seeing the fertile soil for his fruits of expansion. Just a little push.

"Ah, so that's why you are here. To beg for Nossor Ri to join you?" Tamson was dangerously close to him. "Why would he change the position he is now only to serve some little guppy?"

"I resent that," Danny put in. "I led a civil war at his age and won. There is no age for bravery."

"Foolishness, we call it," the shark responded.

"On the contrary. It would be foolish if the Quarren occupying the seat right now had an unwavering loyalty to the Confederacy."

"I-I am loyal!" The Quarren responded.

"No doubt," Danny continued calmly. "I think that the government should take it from now when the Prince is captured."

"What?!"

"Your job here is done, ambassador. Mon-Cala will be the part of Confederacy, so there is no need for embassies anymore."

"Over my dead body it will," The Prince said.

"This can be easily arranged, Your Highness," Tamson grinned. "But we have more important things to do."

"My people will never agree to this."

"They are my people now, Prince. Dooku promised me this planet, and I'm not going to cede it nor to you, nor this pathetic excuse for a General!" He pointed his clawed finger at the ghost.

The latter burst laughing. Hard.

"Oh, that's priceless. How many battles have YOU won, Cookiecutter? I haven't ever heard about you until now. My agents had a hard time finding anything of value about your almost nonexistent persona. Where does Dooku even find the likes of you?"

The look in the shark's eyes was that of surprise at such blow, just like everyone's. However, his expression became that of desire of bloody murder. Then he gave a smirk.

"You have no right to command over me now. I have been promoted to the General as well. I obey only the Count."

'Then I'm about to ruin this man's whole career,' Danny thought.

"Oh, great. Count has another toy. No wonder Coruscant still stands if he promotes people so easily."

"Look who is talking! Your commanders appeared out of nowhere."

"And wiped the floor of the Galaxy with the Republican forces immediately. Why am I supposed to respect you when Dooku has appointed you just so you could foul on my path?"

"Uhm...excuse me...are you going to continue arguing?" Nossor Ri asked.

"Maybe. You see, my friend, Dooku has done exactly what I've told you he would do. Your Majesty," he looked at the Prince. "You don't want the occupation, I can understand. But we don't want our enemy to grow stronger. This is war."

Tamson seemed furious. He clenched his clawed hand in anger at seeing Phantom treating him like that. Danny noticed this.

"What do YOU want?" Lee-Char asked, raising his eyebrow.

The ghost was relieved that the boy was a realist. He smiled. "I am here to help Quarrens. Yes, the situation has changed, but a wise ruler can understand the reason. My offer is to help you build a new government."

He heard a loud roar.

"Stop ignoring me!" Tamson yelled.

"You still here? Pal, let the politicians talk, you are not an ambassador anymore."

No one expected the next thing. Or so they thought. The shark lunged forward and slashed his arm. Danny screamed from pain as it slashed across his hand, tearing the cloth. Tamson panted heavily, he was about to repeat it in case that brat didn't get it after the first time. However, he heard a laughter again, which became even louder.

"You are more foolish than I thought. Do you realize what you have just done?"

"Taught you a lesson."

"If by that you mean a lesson on how attack the Council member, then yes," Danny grinned. "Damn, this jumpsuit costs more than your skinny pelt."

Ahsoka noticed his wink. She started to look around, before seeing that the guards were looking at the exchange. It was her chance to get out. She knocked the nearest one on the knee, before snatching a spear from his hands and using it to knock the guard out. Lee-Char noted her action and tried to do something as well. He saw the droid pointing a gun at her, so the Prince pushed it forward. Since they were underwater, it was simple. The blast went over Ahsoka's head. She spun around, before attacking the clanker.

"Are you sure it is what we are supposed to be doing?" Danny asked calmly, avoiding the hits from the shark. "You kind of overreacted."

Tamson roared again, lunging forward.

The Prince got a spear of his own. The droids were weak, he could take them, but Tamson's henchmen were too strong, especially if they attacked in packs. Ahsoka was helpful, able to kill several of them. Phantom finally decided to retaliate by punching the man in the face. Tamson was hurled backwards, screaming in pain. Danny looked at where his daughter was, along with Lee-Char. Behind the latter he saw another henchman.

"Prince, behind you!" The ghost shouted.

The boy spun around and was able to block the anthropomorphic shark from tearing him apart. Phantom hurled a lighting, which was inherently a bad idea underwater. But with his control Danny was able to direct it where needed. He got a fried fish, if only he had chips. Lee-Char, although reluctantly, nodded in gratitude.

Meanwhile Tamson snapped out of his bloody eyesight, finally realizing what was going on.

"You are a traitor!" He exclaimed.

"Really? It was you who kept attacking me over and over again," Phantom smirked. "This is a treason. Order your men to stand down."

"Oh, I will. After I rip your flesh!" He lunged forward. Since the throne room was large enough, there was a lot of space for maneuvers.

He managed to trick the ghost. First seemingly attacking him, Tamson took an abrupt turn and threw something looking like a knife at the Prince. Ahsoka noticed this and pushed Lee-Char away, using the Force. The knife hit the column behind them, before exploding a few seconds later. Danny was about to attack, but other sharks made him busy. Same went for Ahsoka, making the Prince fight the brute alone.

"Let's see if you can put up more of a fight than your father," Tamson grinned, before pinning the Mon-Calamari to the wall. The Prince stared at him.

"What?"

"It is me who killed him. And you shall be next."

The shark roared and hurled the Prince away. Lee-Char had to avoid the knives being thrown at him. They exploded one by one, destroying the throne room. It became clear to him that the others were not going to help him anytime soon. Danny was holding back for some reason. And he did have one. Ahsoka was occupied and Nossor Ri was nowhere to be seen. The Prince stretched the distance between them.

Suddenly Lee-Char came up with an idea. He snatched the knife passing him. The Prince then hurled it to the sender. It hit the bullseye, or the sharkchest. Tamson roared deeply and loudly, while the knife kept ticking, before doing something drastical. He swam forward on incredible speeds. He wanted to blow up them both. Lee-Char snatched the blaster floating nearby and aimed at the knife, intending to blow it up sooner. His finger was about to press the trigger, when suddenly a blast came from the side. It hit the spot and the explosion barely passed the Prince.

"Nossor Ri?" He asked, shocked at seeing the armed Quarren.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the old alien bowed slightly. "I cannot ask for much, but I hope I can redeem myself in your eyes."

The Prince smiled. "Of course, my friend."

"While this is good and all..."

They turned and saw Phantom having finished the rest. Ahsoka killed the last droid as well.

"There is still an issue," Danny said, flipping away a piece of what used to be Tamson.

"You must leave this planet," Lee-Char said.

"On the contrary, Your Majesty. Nossor Ri, I take it that you no longer support the Confederacy?"

The Quarren was silent.

"Nevermind. I just stood by myself."

It was much simpler to make the Prince kill the representative.

"I respect you, Prince. In such young age, trying to lead a rebellion...I remember my exact memory. You fight for what is right, and I respect that. The very fact of civil war alone proves that your system is flawed."

"And you have something to offer?"

"Indeed. I, yet again return to the history of Rome. The legend tells about its founders - Romul and Rem, the children of the god of war. Romul killed his brother and became a king, naming the city after himself. The city attracted a lot of settlers, but the issue was that there wasn't enough women. So Romul stole them from another city. A war was lurking on the horizon because of that. But they found a compromise. Their cities united, and it was declared that two kings, one of each city, shall rule together. I offer you to do the same."

"I don't seek to be a king," Nossor Ri shook his head.

"Neither you should. But the Prince may need a representative from the Quarrens. On the constant basis."

"I don't see anything bad with it," Lee-Char said thoughtfully. "This way our people shall be equal. But...what's in it for you?"

"You see, I am here to secure the stance of Mon-Cala in the war. I am confident that the Confederacy is out of question. But I am not going to let the Republic become stronger. I want to at least see you neutral. Here, all cards are before you, Your Majesty."

"The Republic sent people to die for us. We can at least appreciate it. If you really have an ounce of respect, you will accept this decision. Doesn't a Jedi have something to say?"

Ahsoka glanced at Danny, seeing him nod slightly.

"You better leave, Phantom," she said.

To everyone's shock, he shrugged. "So be it. If you completely accept the responsibility for the guy's death," he pointed at what used to be Tamson. "Also...I won't tolerate active acts against the Protectorate. I won't attack you in exchange, you have my word. You let my trade ships pass. Do we have a deal, after all I did help you?" Danny outstretched his hand.

The Prince understood that he shouldn't test his luck. It was the opportunity he wasn't going to miss. To make a non-aggression pact with one of the most powerful leaders of the Galaxy, not many had this chance. He shook the hand.

Danny didn't need people to flock under his banner immediately. Sometimes, it was better to make them like you.