As soon as the news about the intent of establishing their empire went out, everyone got busy.
Creating a star nation, took a lot of work, and preparation, especially in the situation they were in at the moment.
The first thing to do was to establish their presence in every system in their sphere of influence, even if the only thing they put there was a few fuel collectors and some defensive satellites.
At the same time Runir, took her fleet, strengthened by a third of Arien's and Giarna's forces, And began eradicating the invasion forces, which was the only term that truly applied to the situation as she jumped from one enemy fleet location to another, demanding their surrender.
Predictably they refused so she proceeded to eliminate them, trying her best not to annihilate all the ships, since it was easier and faster to repair them than to build new ones.
Some of the neighboring territories were both happy and worried about the whole thing.
Happy, because the threat from the remaining invasion forces was being neutralized, but they also were getting worried about the new power rising near them.
In addition to eliminating the enemy fleets, there was a construction boom taking place in the Territory.
Every station was building new substations to increase their resource gathering capacity, while at the same time, they were bolstering their defenses and building more shipyards.
During this time, Andrew took some time to meet with The Lady and Droga.
-I hear you want to join my territory.
He stated as soon as both of them entered into the meeting room.
-Yes, my former lord abandoned me here, and I have nowhere else to go.
I know, that I have offended you before, but I swear that if you accept me I'll serve you even if it costs me my life.
The former envoy said while kneeling on one knee.
-Yes, you did offend me slightly, but it's irrelevant, as when it mattered you shielded another from harm, not caring about yourself.
It is rare to find someone like you, so I'll take you in, but if you betray me…
Andrew's gaze became as hard as steel and as cold as an arctic winter.
-I'll make sure that you will be begging for death.
He said, making the porcupine-like alien shiver in fear.
Only now did Droga understand how lucky he was that the other envoy stopped him when she did, during their first meeting.
-As for you, Aelita told me everything.
The human turned his gaze to the Lady.
-If you wish to join us then I have no problem taking you in, but the same rule applies to you.
-Thank you, my lord, I won't waste the trust you have shown me and my people.
The Lady bowed slightly.
After that, Droga expressed his desire to join the fleet, not as a captain, but as a security member or a ground soldier, which was the role he thought he was best suited for.
Unfortunately, both positions in the fleet were taken over by battle droids, but Andrew suggested, taking the role of a security officer on one of the stations, to which the alien agreed.
However, before that he needed some physical therapy, to restore his regenerated arms to what they used to be.
-That leaves, you.
Andrew said once Droga left.
-I heard that in most cases, we would get a system to settle in.
The lady said.
-True, but that approach was mainly used when we were taking in pirates, and they didn't have so many people with them, not to mention hundreds of ships.
The question is how many systems do you think you can take over?
Hearing the question, the Lady stopped to think about it for a while.
-If we stretch the fleet, then we can easily take over about fifty systems, but I'm thinking about a tenth of that since taking over so many systems at once would be rather hard.
She finally answered.
-Very well, five it is.
Andrew agreed.
From there, it went fast.
Lanarine already had two dozen systems, ready to choose from.
Arien also already sent scouts to these systems to check them out, just to be sure there were no unexpected dangers there, and Nairine already started the production of module parts for the new stations.
Within a few hours, the new stations began to be assembled, adding another five systems to the territory.
The lady stayed in the main system as a liaison, but this time Andrew didn't use the slavery chip.
Since they were going to abolish slavery inside their borders, there was no sense in implanting her with one.
The people from her faction were already aware of her decision so there was no problem with them for the most part.
The only exceptions were the ship crews which complained a lot when they heard that they would be mostly replaced by droids.
However when they heard the reason behind it, and that they could still become captains and officers on board the new ships, they stopped complaining.
With that, the territory gained over 300 warships to bolster its fleet.
For the next week, Runir went on something very similar to a rampage across the stars.
Wherever she found an enemy fleet, she would rush there and take it down with extreme prejudice.
This left a lot of work for the few cargo ships and tugs that followed her fleet.
The fleet commander was not the only busy one as Tanira was now flooded with diplomatic work.
Since the moment their fleet started eliminating the invasion fleets in Ernest, their neighbors began to send envoys to establish diplomatic relations with the new rising power.
From the small territories to the local factions and alliances, everyone wanted to know, if they were to be next on the list, or would Andrew be content with only eliminating the invasion forces.
The most worried among these were of course the Adurians, since they were not exactly on friendly terms with Andrew and have even taken military action against his territory in the past.
Tarina however assured their envoy that they were not planning on having a war with them as they had much more pressing matters to deal with.
This statement didn't calm down the Adurian council and even pissed them off a bit, but they also didn't want a war at the moment, so they let it slide for now.
At the end of the week, there were no remaining invasion forces within the five-hundred-light-year radius of the main system.
-Welcome back, and good work.
Andrew said the moment Runir disembarked from her ship.
-That was exhausting.
Runir said in a tired voice.
-I told you to take it slowly.
Andrew answered while hugging her as a greeting since they only saw each other on the screen during her rampage.
-If I'd listen to you, this would take at least another month.
She retorted, returning his hug.
-I can't argue with that, but you and your fleet would not be so exhausted.
He grinned.
-Say whatever you want, but the enemy got wiped out and now we have all the time we need to get some R&R.
She argued back.
-True, and on that note, you should visit the med bay and get checked out, just in case, and the same applies to your crews.
-Do I have to?
She asked like a child who wanted to skip something unpleasant, or boring.
-Yes you do, now get a move on, and after that get some rest.
The human was amused at her antics.
No matter how much she tried to act like a seasoned fleet commander in front of the others, before him and her sisters she was always more relaxed, and let her true self take over completely.
Which was quite funny sometimes, as her true self was still a teenager, who loved to complain and skip anything she didn't like if she could get away with it.
-Come on, you overdid it a bit and I want to make sure you and your crews are alright.
Ilia's voice came from behind her, making her jump slightly.
-You know I don't like checkups.
Runir complained.
-You're not getting out of this one, so you might as well get over it.
The doctor said, greeting her with a hug.
Ever since they all lost control, the ladies began treating each other like sisters, especially since they now shared their partner.
-Alright let's get this over with.
Runir said, with an expression suggesting she was going to be tortured instead of examined.
-Think about it this way.
Andrew chimed in with an amused tone.
-The faster you start, the faster the torture will end.
He grinned at both ladies, who glared at him.
-You are so going to pay for that.
Ilia said, not amused at all.
-I can't wait.
He answered and pinched both girls' buts, making them yelp in surprise.
-I'll see tonight how you're gonna make me pay.
Andrew said with a roguish smile, before kissing both of them on their cheeks and leaving them both blushing and trying to understand what exactly happened right now.