It appears that Thrawn's Household Phalanx was loyal to him in his capacity as a Syndic of the Eighth Ruling Family, and accordingly wore the burgundy colors of the Family; but it is unclear exactly what such loyalty meant in the wider context of Chiss society, given that Thrawn had been exiled from Chiss space. The Household Phalanx was, in the words of one of its officers, a "rogue phalanx" in that it appears to have been formed around a core of Chiss warriors who shared Thrawn's ideals and were prepared to joined him in his crusade beyond the frontiers of the Chiss Ascendancy, acting independently of the Expansionary Defense Fleet and the Chiss political leadership—although for at least part of its existence, it operated under the aegis of the Empire of the Hand.