For the next three days, Andrew's fleet occupied the main system of the Rose Society, uncovering way more than he ever wanted.
It turned out that the association had lost its merchant privileges a few months ago after Sophia tried to implant a slavery chip into the merchant, who was also a female and quite a beauty.
Additionally, she never tried to sell anything she found on the pirate ships and simply stored it on board her station or even left it in the ships that were parked in the hangar.
All in all, Andrew found over three hundred crates of cargo from the pirate ships.
This alone made the whole operation worth it, but that was not the end of his gains, as there were seven blue, four silver, and one gold chests found in the territory, containing some blueprints and upgrades.
One even contained another stealth upgrade, which made Andrew smile, as now he could have a third stealth ship at his disposal.
The technology the society had was way behind his own, so he decided not to take any of it back as it made no sense at all.
However, he was more than compensated when the fleet commanders started contacting him and Arien, asking to join the empire along with their fleets.
The moment they were all free, the ladies started discussing among themselves and considering their options.
Some wanted to create their own star nation, while others were willing to join the empire, seeing as it took down their main system without breaking a sweat, and had much more advanced technology at its disposal.
Moreover, the Emperor was a handsome human who didn't seem to mind having alien beauties at his side.
-Ladies, consider this thoroughly, even though in my empire, a position of station master, system master, fleet commander, or even a ship's captain comes with a lot of authority and respect, it is not given out freely; you need to earn it, as all of my subordinates did.
Additionally, the moment you decide to join my empire, you will need to swear an oath to me directly, and anyone who breaks this oath is considered a traitor; and there is only one punishment for treason in the empire.
Andrew explained to them.
As much as he wanted to have more crews and ships, he didn't want them to regret their decision later.
Despite the warning, there were still many who wished to join the empire, and he saw no reason to turn them away.
During the second day of their stay there, a system master contacted Andrew with a request.
-Your majesty, can we use your relay to stage a meeting with all the station masters and ship captains?
A pretty green-skinned girl with scales covering some parts of her body asked.
-Of course, but what's the reason for that?
Andrew asked, curious about the agenda.
-Your majesty, the way I see it, we need to discuss our future and make a decision as soon as possible.
There is no way for us to establish a bunch of territories as we won't survive individually, so we either need to come together to form a new united territory, or we need to decide if we want to join the empire or any other star nation, for that matter.
She explained.
-Alright, you have my permission, and I won't attend the meeting to prevent influencing your decision.
He added with a smile.
-Thank you, Your Majesty, we will inform you about our decisions as soon as the meeting concludes.
The girl smiled before terminating the connection.
-Do you think they will want to join us?
Arien, who heard everything, asked.
-It's possible.
Andrew confirmed.
-It would be a bit tough to connect them to the empire; we would need to conquer some unclaimed systems, or we could simply conquer the two territories that stand in our way.
She said, while in thought.
-Let's see if they even want to join us before we start planning any conquests.
Andrew laughed at her eagerness to conquer even more territory.
The dark elf admiral blushed, realizing she jumped the gun.
-Anyway, how are the preparations for our return coming along?
Andrew asked, changing the topic.
-All the crates are loaded, and the technology from the boxes they found as well.
We can return anytime we want.
-Good, we will wait for this meeting to conclude, and then we are going home.
The meeting concluded seven hours later, and as far as Andrew could tell without eavesdropping, it was an intense debate.
An hour later, the same system master contacted Andrew again.
-Your Majesty, the meeting ended a while ago, and it's complete chaos.
Half the fleet wishes to join the empire, as do some station masters and their crews; others want to become independent, creating their own smaller territories and alliances, yet another group wants to join our neighbors.
The woman explained.
-Were you unable to reach a consensus?
Andrew asked, already knowing the answer.
-Not for now, we decided to take a break to think things through and scheduled another meeting for tomorrow.
She explained.
-I know that it's a lot to ask, but could you postpone your departure until we settle this matter?
She asked with unease.
As she saw it, Anderw owed them nothing, but she also suspected that only the presence of the imperial fleet was stopping their neighboring territories from attacking, as everyone had heard how they dealt with the previous conflict and didn't want to provoke such power.
-I can postpone my return for one more day, but that's all.
I cannot stay here any longer than that.
Andrew agreed.
He felt a bit guilty as he was the one who took down Sophia, without any plan for her territory and her subordinates afterwards.
-Thank you, Your Majesty.
This means a lot to us.
The woman smiled before ending the call.
-Inform the fleet, we leave tomorrow, no matter what they decide.
Andrew turned to Arien, who simply nodded and got to work.
The Admiral quietly supported his decision.
Mainly because she suspected what would happen if they left now, taking half the fleet of this territory with them.
It was almost certain that this place would turn into a battlefield as soon as they were gone, and the ladies who wanted to become independent would not be able to defend themselves.
With the situation as it is, the only way to avoid that was to either join the empire or one of the local territories, which could keep them safe.