Jade pulled them beside the Battlecruiser Adrestia and went down to the Docking Bay. The Raptor made a quick taxi back and forth. Jade led Lynette out of the grav-tubes. "That's a marvelous solution to elevators," Lynette commented, adjusting her uniform.
"Welcome to the Invictus, Admiral Devereux," John saluted.
"Please, call me Lynette. I like to be on a first name basis with people I respect," Lynette grinned. She held out her hand. "Congratulations, John. You saved the homeworld! We'll have to arrange another award ceremony!"
"If you feel it's necessary. Let's talk in my Ready Room. Drink? You'll need one," John recommended.
"Gin martini, please," Lynette said before following John into his office by another name. John sat down on one of the couches, Lynette taking one perpendicular to him. "So… what's this critical information you had to get to me?"
"Norwood and Lynton are both traitors. This big push into the Dragon March is a trap," John said plainly.
Lynette choked on air. "What?! How could you possibly know that?"
"My Tactical Officer did an analysis of Norwood's style and saw it all over the Kintark's movements and attacks. My Intelligence Officer confirmed that Norwood ordered 13 of the 17 actions that went badly in the Dragon March over the last few months. We hacked his emails, and he's convinced over half his battlegroup to mutiny with him," John laid out.
Alyssa came in carrying a martini glass and a tumbler of whiskey. She handed the two their drinks and left. Lynette gulped down half. "That's… that's horrible. I never liked him, but I never thought he'd betray his own race. What about Lynton?"
"This may sound odd, but has Gabrielle Lynton had a dramatic physical transformation recently?" John asked.
Lynette blinked. "Yes, she did. She went on vacation for a month and came back looking like a swimsuit model a third her age. She said she had an inheritance and got a bodysculpt."
"That's a lie. She was put through the Change by the Progenitor Larn'kelnar," John told his future Ward.
"What Change? What's a Progenitor?" Lynette asked, confused.
"Progenitors are the most powerful psychics in the galaxy. They have the power to rewrite a woman's DNA. Larn'kelnar seduced Lynton, giving her a new body and using mind control to make her his obedient slave. He's also responsible for sneaking Drakkar raiders into the Ashanath Collective and starting a Trankaran civil war. He's playing the Galactic League like puppets, making us dance for his amusement. I know for a fact he's got Emperor Baledranax's ear. He's playing both sides against the middle for shits and giggles," John said grimly.
"How do you know all this?" Lynette asked, skeptical.
"You said Lynton looks like a swimsuit model now. She wouldn't happen to look a lot like my Lionesses, would she?" John said leadingly.
Lynette's jaw dropped. "You? You're one of these… Progenitors?"
"I was born and raised in the Terran Federation, Lynette. I'm loyal. But since I came into my powers, I have a greater responsibility now. It's my job to protect the entire Galactic League from Larn'kelnar and all the other Progenitors out there in the Milky Way. I dealt with the Drakkar and the Trankaran rebels. Now I need to deal with Lynton and Norwood," John explained.
Lynette took another big gulp of her martini. "My God… how can I help?"
"Is there any way to get this information to the Fleet Admiral?" John asked, trying to keep his distaste for Buckingham under wraps.
"No, there's a total comms blackout in effect for the invasion fleet. I don't even know where Vincent is right now. Your only chance would be to go to Port Medea and get his location from Lynton, assuming she'll tell the truth and not send you on a wild goose chase," Lynette said grimly.
"Worse comes to worst, the Invictus has 20 times the range of standard Terran sensors. We might be able to track down the fleet ourselves," John shrugged.
"Speaking of unbelievable upgrades, what have you done to this ship?" Lynette asked.
"We have an Ashanath Power Core and Tachyon Drive, Trankaran Engines, and Maliri Lasers. We also have a bunch of supplementary tech from the Progenitor technology stored in my DNA. And she's only going to get stronger, as we become able to build more and more Progenitor tech," John answered.
"So not only are you the most powerful psychics, you also have the best tech? That just doesn't seem fair," Lynette chuckled, a bit hysterically.
"Larn'kelnar's Dreadnought has the power to take out every ship in the Terran Federation navy all-on-one and not even lose shields. We're very lucky that he's acting through proxies instead of attacking directly. But even once I deal with him, there's dozens of other Progenitors out there, all of them hostile," John said soberly.
"Are we doomed, John?" Lynette asked. "If there're so many enemy empires out there, with such advanced technology, is the Terran Federation destined to fall?
"I'm doing the best I can to make sure you and the rest of the Galactic League don't. I've got allies in the Ashanath Collective, Trankaran Republic, and the Maliri Regency. I'll need them in the Terran Federation as well. If you're willing, I'd like to consider you one," John told the Admiral.
"You can count on me, John," Lynette promised, finishing her drink.
"I'd like to give you a gift, a thank you for everything you've done for me," John offered.
"What's that?" Lynette asked curiously.
"Like I said, a Progenitor can rewrite a woman's DNA. He can heal everything wrong with her, even old age. How would you want a second chance at youth?" John asked.
Lynette gasped. "Are you serious?"
"You should be aware, there are some side effects to the Change. For one thing, you'll become part of my psychic network. I'll be able to tap you for psychic power for the rest of your life. For another, the Change is sexual. You have to swallow my semen for me to work my powers on your body. And finally, there's personality changes built in that I can't stop," John told Lynette.
"Such as?" Lynette asked.
"Bisexuality, polyamory, a strong desire to be bred, and you'll imprint on the first man you're with, loving him until his or your dying day. If you feed from me directly, that'll be me, and since I can keep you eternally young that essentially means being with me forever. Even if you feed from a container, you'll want to be very careful what man you let into your bed, because it'll be for life," John said slowly and clearly.
Lynette looked overwhelmed. "So what are my options?"
"You have nothing to do with me. You feed from a container, get restored to youth, and very carefully pick your future husband. Or you feed from me directly, fall in love with me, and agree to join my crew and harem once you retire from the Terran Federation. Likely after the Progenitor War, when I've killed every other Progenitor in the galaxy," John laid out.
"How long do I have to think it over?"
"If you want your dose today, then as long as it takes for us to reach Olympus. If you need longer, you'll have to wait until the next time we meet. And after I deal with Lynton and Norwood, I have business in the Unclaimed Wastes and then I'll be spending at least a month in Maliri space," John explained.
"I… I'll join your network. Should we find a cup?" Lynette decided. She worried she was making too hasty a decision, but the chance to have her youth back was too tempting.
"I have an alternative in mind. Jade?" John called.
Jade walked in, utterly nude. "Hi, Lynette," she waved, ignoring how the poor woman was gaping. Jade knelt before John and pulled out his cock. "Merde," Lynette muttered when she saw John's size, and she gawked as Jade took him to the root. John didn't try to last long, and after giving Lynette a show he blew, filling Jade's breasts with a quart of cum each. Jade stood and turned to Lynette. "Want some milk?"
"I don't know what to say," Lynette said, somewhat dazed.
"Say yes, we need to get this milk in your belly so John can make you brand new again," Jade beamed.
"Oh, to hell with it, fine," Lynette nodded.
Jade went to sit next to Lynette, cradling her. She guided one of her nipples into the member of High Command's mouth. Lynette took a hesitant suck, and her eyes went glassy as John's mind touched hers. She suckled reflexively until the full load was in her distended stomach. John added Lynette to his network under Alyssa. Jade laid Lynette down to rest on the couch.
"How far are we from Olympus?" John asked.
"We'll get there within the hour," Jade replied faithfully.
John nodded and returned to the Bridge. He settled into his Command Chair. "So, Irillith, Nia, Obi, you all have a chance to go through the Nexus data yet?"
"We found the Progenitor server schematics. Dana already has the Mass Fabricators working on making 2," Irillith grinned.
"There are video files from his lab on Kythshara!" Nia said in wonder.
"We also have videos showing Lynton ordering Von Brandt to go forward with the Nexus project," Obi spoke up.
"Good, good. Nia, you haven't wiped out any memory from the hacking deck, have you?"
"I was actually tempted to make a new rewritable archive since my original is so full of errors, but not yet. Why?" Nia asked.
"Because if we can move you to the Progenitor server before you delete anything, then the hacking deck will still be able to create a new AI. We could make a third, or a fourth, or even a fifth. You could have your own digital family," John told his synthetic Ward.
Nia's eyes went wide. "Oh, John… that would be incredible! But I'm perfectly happy with just Obi for the moment."
"Alright, but the option's there," John grinned.
"You, John Blake, are gooey," Alyssa chuckled.
The girls and John chatted until they arrived at Alpha Centauri. They approached Olympus and Lirrash accepted a hail. It wasn't Flight Command, it was Charles. "John! I've read the AARs but I still can't believe it! You saved Terra?!"
"All in a day's work for the Lions of the Federation," John shrugged.
Charles burst out into relieved laughter. "Go to Docking Bay 13, I've got a drink with your name on it!"
Jade guided them to land in the docking bay. John lifted Lynette in a bridal carry, covering her in a blanket to hide her pregnant-looking belly. John went out of the airlock to meet Lieutenant Adams. "Admiral Devereux had a little too much to drink to celebrate. That and the stress of the last few days must have knocked her out. Can you lead me to her quarters, Victor?"
"Sure, sir," Victor nodded. He led John through Olympus to Lynette's rooms, opening the door for him. John laid Lynette on her bed, left a note on her holo-reader telling her the basics of being his Ward, and left. He followed Victor to Charles' office, and John let himself in.
"John!" Charles grinned. He actually hugged John. John returned the gesture until they both pulled away a bit awkwardly. They were men after all. "McGregor '61?" Charles offered.
"Sure," John accepted. Charles handed him the tumbler and raised his own. "To the Lion!"
"To me," John chuckled. They both sipped. John handed over a data chip. "My AAR from the attack on the Beta Persei facility and what just happened at Terra."
"This should be interesting reading," Charles chuckled. He almost did a spit-take when he reached a certain point. "You recruited it?!"
"Every Terran attempt at AI has been an attempt to reverse-engineer Nexus, a Progenitor AI that the Terran Federation found under the Sea of Serenity. As a Progenitor, Nexus Secondary agreed to serve me," John explained patiently.
"What's a Progenitor?" Charles asked.
"The most powerful species in the galaxy," John sighed. "They rule empires all around the Milky Way. About 72 thousand years ago, a Progenitor named Mael'nerak claimed the region of space that now holds the Galactic League. Mael'nerak created Nexus as his personal assistant. And then he assigned Nexus to monitor the Terran Experiment."
"What do you mean, the Terran Experiment?" Charles asked, eyes wide.
"Your species, Charles, was a bored alien's science project. Mael'nerak genetically engineered the first Homo Sapiens and seeded them on ancient Terra. Nexus was meant to be your babysitter. Then Mael'nerak died about 10 thousand years ago, the Terran Federation found Nexus' server and tried playing with it, and that's what led to the Ganymede Incident and every other rogue AI in Terran history," John sighed.
"My species," Charles said heavily. "You're not Terran. Don't tell me, you're a Progenitor like this Mael'nerak."
"My father, Rahn'hagon, crash-landed on the planet Arcadia in what's now Kirrix space. My mother's ship landed on Arcadia. They met, biology ran its course, she was kidnapped back by her crew, and I was born in Terran space. You know the story from there," John told his friend.
"Son of a bitch," Charles said heavily. "That's some deep shit, right there. How'd you learn all this?"
"The Ashanath were also made by Mael'nerak. They have long memories. They recognized me for what I was when I visited and told me everything," John fibbed. He wasn't going to tell Charles he was from the future.
"Who else did he make?" Charles asked, looking overwhelmed.
"The Trankarans, the Nymphs, and the Drakkar. The Trankarans were a slave race to be miners, the Nymphs were spies he rewarded by giving them Lenarra to live free, and the Drakkar were meant to be shock troops during the war in which he was killed," John answered.
"This blows my mind," Charles sighed, gulping the rest of his whiskey before pouring himself another. "Any other bombshells for me?"
"Progenitors are psychic. One's come to the Galactic League, his name is Larn'kelnar, which translates as 'Soul Reaver' by the way. He's using mind control on Admiral Lynton, who seduced Norwood to turn traitor and ordered Von Brandt to restart the Nexus research. I'm headed to the Dragon March right after this to try and warn the Fleet Admiral."
Charles slugged his second whiskey. "My God. When it rains, it pours."
"At least I managed to stop Nexus from blowing up Terra," John pointed out.
"What was that thing the Mining Ship unearthed?" Charles asked.
"A Quantum Annihilator. It destroys planets. My father used one when he waged war against Mael'nerak, that's why there's so many asteroid belts in Trankaran space. Mael'nerak left it with Nexus to 'terminate' the experiment if it grew out of control," John revealed.
"Right. There's a gun big enough to blow up planets. I think that's my limit," Charles said flatly.
John finished his own whiskey. "I'm off to the Dragon March. Take care, Charles."
John walked to the Invictus, entering the airlock and pausing on Deck 9. *Take us out, I'll stay here to catch Sakura, or rather Shinatobe.*
*Jade's taking us out. We're picking up the stealth shuttle on the Omni-phase Scan Array. It's docking… now. Taking us into hyperwarp for Port Medea. We'll be there tomorrow,* Alyssa gave a live commentary.
The airlock opened, a hazy figure stepping through. John grabbed the invisible ninja with Telekinesis. He pulled off the nanoweave hood, revealing a cryo-burned face with inhumanly flat eyes. "Sakura, if you can hear me in there, the nightmare is over."
Shinatobe did not respond in any way beyond struggling in his psychic grip.
John took the lift up to the Engineering Bay and then went to the Medical Bay. John laid her on a table, and Rachel injected a large dose of anesthetic into her neck. The cyborg assassin went unconscious. Rachel did a full-body scan. She whistled at the results. "She's more machine than flesh at this point. This could take all night."
"You'll work better with a full belly. You, Dana, and Irillith, work together to make her human again," John ordered. He fed the 3 of them, then led the rest of the girls up to the Lounge. John, having had a whiskey already, settled for water while his Lionesses grabbed drinks. "Nia, Obi, be on the lookout for the Amateratsu. It's Mikaboshi's Battlecruiser, it was supposed to be nearby to pick me up after Shinatobe kidnapped me."
"I'll keep one eye on the long-range scanners," Nia promised.
"I still struggle with the idea that you have traveled mentally through time, but there's no way you should have known that an assassin was coming otherwise. I presume she's a future Ward?" Obi asked.
"Sakura Honami, my High Priestess of Justice. She helps me kill a lot of Progenitors," John recalled.
"Now you'll have 2 girls you can spar with," Calara grinned.
"Hey, I've been practicing my kata. I could join in," Jade protested.
"Winner tops?" Alyssa said suggestively.
They chatted until dinner, John saving portions for the surgery team. John took the plates down to the Medical Bay, trying not to gag when he saw Sakura cut open. The team took a brief break to eat before returning to removing all the cybernetic implants. John returned to the Lounge, talking with his Wards before he yawned and called everyone to bed. He shielded himself for adding Lynette, survived his involuntary trip to the Deep Astral, and caught some much-needed sleep.
Nia played the William Tell Overture to wake them up at 0800. "Lynette is calling," she alerted them.
"Put her through," John yawned.
Lynette appeared on the vid-screen. She looked a lot better, but more like she'd had a perfect night's sleep than she magically recovered her youth. John had made her outsides a low priority, but on the inside she was in the prime of youth. "John. Did I wake you?" Lynette asked apologetically.
"No big deal," John shrugged. "You've probably been up since 0400, right?"
"Yes. I read your note, thanks for explaining everything. I feel… like a new woman," Lynette beamed. "And I was very touched to find out how much you consider me a friend."
John nodded, knowing she was referring to the psychic imprint. "I may have just been a PR piece to you, but you opened a lot of doors for me, Lynette. I'm hoping we can help each other out for a long time to come."
"Speaking of helping you out, effective immediately you're promoted to Rear Admiral. I've already processed all the paperwork. You've earned it, John," Lynette praised.
"I only wish I could give you a promotion," John said, subtly implying that he'd support her bid for Fleet Admiral.
"If only," Lynette chuckled. "Anyway, thank you again for everything."
"No problem." John ended the call.
Alyssa snorted. "Rear Admiral? Come on, that's not a real rank, right?"
"Sweetheart, just shut up," Calara sighed. She loved Alyssa, but her disregard for military tradition was a bit much to the navy brat.
Dana, Rachel, and Irillith walked in, looking fried. "Come here," John beckoned. He fed the 3 of them and tucked them in. "How long until Sakura wakes up?"
"An hour," Rachel moaned, her eyes already closed.
John cooked breakfast for the rest of the crew. After they ate, John sent them up to the Bridge while he went to the Medical Bay. He grabbed a glass of water and waited for Sakura to wake up. The Asian girl moaned and began to move at an hour on the dot. John helped her sit up. Her almond brown eyes opened and looked at him. She blinked. "It's you," she groaned before freezing.
"Drink this, Sakura," John said, handing her the glass.
Sakura took the glass and sipped it, her eyes going around the room. "I'm… I'm free," she breathed, like she was unable to believe the evidence of her senses.
"We removed all the cybernetics Mikaboshi stuck in you, including the implant in your brain. You're 100% natural again," John explained. "Do you know who I am and where you are?"
"You're Commodore John Blake. Mikaboshi assigned me, I mean, Shinatobe to capture you alive," Sakura replied. "I presume we're on your ship, the Invictus."
"It's Rear Admiral now, I just got promoted," John told the former law student.
"Thank you, John," Sakura said fervently, setting the glass aside. "I was a prisoner in my own body. Mikaboshi made Shinatobe do horrific things. I'll never be able to repay you for ending that nightmare!"
"Happy to help, Sakura, really," John grinned.
"Can I call my parents? They must be worried sick!" Sakura asked.
John winced. "Sakura… you had cryo-burn. Do you understand what that means?"
Sakura frowned. "Doesn't that mean my body was put back in cryo before I had a chance to recover?"
"Exactly. Mikaboshi put Shinatobe on ice between each mission. Do you know what year it is?" John asked gently.
Sakura's face fell. "Um… 2706?" she guessed, sounding like she was praying that was true.
"It's 2779. You've been Shinatobe for 75 years. Your parents are dead," John broke the news to the girl.
"No!" Sakura wailed, her face imploding with pain.
John offered Sakura a hug as the poor girl cried into his shoulder, mourning the loss of her parents and the last 75 years. John rubbed her back, a silent comfort. When Sakura was all cried out, she pulled away from John. "What happens now?" she asked.
"Now, you have a choice to make. I have money, I can set you up back on New Eden or anywhere really. You can get back to living your life. Or, if you want, you can join my crew. But you should be aware there's a lot of strings involved with joining," John laid out.
"You'd let me join your crew? Why, I'm just a law student," Sakura asked, eyes wide.
"For better or worse, you remember everything Shinatobe did. You're also an assassin, like it or not. I'll need a girl with that skill set. But again, there's a lot you need to know before you agree to join," John told her.
"I'm listening, John," Sakura said.
"Let's start at the beginning: I'm not Terran," John said.
Sakura blinked. "You're not? I thought your ears were just a bodysculpt, they're natural?"
"Yes, they are. Anyway, I'm a Progenitor. We're a race of psychics from beyond the Galactic League. For whatever reason, we can rewrite the DNA of women who drink our semen. If you join my crew, I'll remake you. You'll get the body I consider female perfection, get a genius IQ and photographic memory, psychic powers, and you'll be eternally young. I don't know whether you'll consider this a pro or a con, but you'll also become part of my harem," John explained.
Sakura was gaping at him. "That… that's unbelievable. Do you have any proof?"
John lifted the glass Sakura had set aside with Telekinesis. Sakura's eyes almost popped out of her head. "There's more. I intend to wage the Progenitor War, the war to end all wars. I'll go out and kill every other Progenitor in the galaxy. I'll be depending on you, as my assassin and bodyguard, to be by my side as I fight them."
"Wow," Sakura breathed.
"For the record, no matter what you decide, I intend to take out Mikaboshi. He's a dead man walking," John added.
Sakura gulped. "Am I dreaming? This all sounds too good to be true."
"This is real, Sakura," John said calmly.
"I'll do it, John. I'll join your crew," Sakura said.
"Are you sure you've thought it through? You're signing up for a life of danger," John pointed out.
"John, I've lost everything. I have nothing left to lose. You're offering me so much, I'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity," Sakura said firmly.
"Well, if you're sure," John nodded.
"I am," Sakura stated.
"Follow me, then," John said, leading Sakura out the Medical Bay. "These are the grav-tubes, blue means up and red means down," John explained and led Sakura to Deck 2. He took her to his quarters and sat on one of the high backed chairs by the bed. "Last chance to back out," he warned.
Sakura looked him in the eye as she got on her knees in front of him. John took out his cock. Sakura blinked. "Okay, I believe you, no way you're human."
"You'll pass out for 14 hours from the first dose. Just start sucking and you'll wake up tonight," John told her.
Sakura took him into her mouth. She went into the trance of his mind touching hers, and blew him on autopilot. John filled her belly with his spunk, and added her to his network. He tucked her into the bed alongside Dana, Rachel, and Irillith. Once he was sure they were okay, John went to the Bridge. Alyssa, Calara, Jade, and Lirrash were at their stations. Nia and Obi floated in hologram form. "Any sign of Mikaboshi?"
"We've found a Battlecruiser with a blocked transponder. It's too slow to catch up with us. What do you want us to do?" Alyssa asked.
John considered his options. "Lirrash, hail him."
Lirrash sent a signal at the ship in question. An Asian man with inhumanly blank eyes appeared on the vid-screen. "John Blake," he said flatly. "What happened to Shinatobe?"
"Shinatobe is no more," John said calmly, and he wasn't even lying. The cyborg persona was dead and gone, all that was left was Sakura Honami. "I've heard of you, Amatsu Mikaboshi. You call yourself the Master Assassin. You and your organization are very good at what you do. Out of morbid curiosity, who put the hit on me?"
"Some exiled Commander," Mikaboshi said dismissively. "I will kill you, John Blake."
John looked the cyborg in the eye. "Not if I kill you first, Dominic Hooper." John ended the call in the man's shocked face.
"Why taunt him?" Calara asked.
"I want him seeing red, so that he'll throw everything he's got at us and we can take out his organization in a stroke," John answered. "His next major chance to get at us will be the award ceremony on Terra. We'll be prepared."
"Well, we'll reach the picket forces around 1400," Alyssa said.
"To the Gym, girls," John ordered.
John sparred with Calara while Alyssa and Lirrash had a psychic duel. Jade had gotten as fast as she could get with her shapeshifting, the only thing holding her back was power and she got that from John's loads. She turned into a fish and swam in the pool. While John fought his Latina Ward, he was focusing a stream of energy into Sakura to push her through the Change.
At lunch, Dana, Rachel, and Irillith joined them. John had Jade feed them all a dose after the meal and they all went up to the Bridge. John settled into his Command Chair. *Anything to report, Edraele?*
*The refit of my fleet with Trankaran Engine tech is proceeding according to schedule. The Young Matriarchs are thriving, though Leena's Fleet Commander is being difficult,* Edraele projected.
*Nymaleth, right? I'll add her to the network when I return from the Unclaimed Wastes,* John reassured his Maliri Matriarch.
John chatted with Edraele for an hour, just enjoying the chance to talk to a woman he loved, then returned his focus to the Invictus. They reached the range of Terran sensors for the picket forces. Lirrash accepted a hail from the Medusa. "Commander Blake," Captain Maddox sneered. "You will reverse course, you are not authorized to enter the Dragon March."
"It's Rear Admiral Blake, actually, and I'm on direct orders from Admiral Devereux. Let me pass or I'll have you court-martialed, Captain," John fired back.
Maddox frowned in confusion. One of his crew came up and whispered in his ear. Maddox paled like his throat had been slit. "H-how?! You were only Commander rank a couple months ago!"
"Saved Port Medea, took out the Armored Cobras, saved Terra from an AI," John listed blandly. "Are you going to let me pass or is this going to get ugly?"
Maddox snapped a salute. "Proceed, Rear Admiral."
John ended the call. "We have 5 hours until we get to Port Medea. Dana, take Jade and go to work in your lab. The rest of us are training."
"The parts for the Progenitor servers should be done. I'll build one on Deck 3 and another on Deck 6," Dana reported.
John left his Grand Engineering Overlord and her Nymph assistant to their work after a kiss to both. He joined his Wards in the Gym, John having a 4-way duel with Alyssa, Lirrash, and Irillith. Calara did kata with her katana on the mat. They passed the time until they arrived at Iota Leonis. Nia and Obi sounded an alarm when they were half an hour out. They all got showered and reported to the Bridge.
They pulled into the system that housed Port Medea and a number of gas refineries. The Invictus was approached by the Battleship Artemis. Lirrash accepted a hail. "This is Commodore Sasaki on the Artemis, please identify," said the Asian woman John had met before.
"Rear Admiral Blake on the Invictus. Good to see you again, Commodore," John grinned.
"You're a Rear Admiral now? I thought I was greeting a fellow Commodore!" Sasaki remembered herself and saluted, which John returned. "I'm afraid that the Terran Federation declared war on the Kintark Empire this morning, John. Iota Leonis is now restricted space. If you can't provide adequate reason for being here, I'll be forced to impound your vessel."
"I'm on direct order from Admiral Devereux to report to Fleet Admiral Buckingham. I was told I'd have to coordinate with Admiral Lynton to get his location," John told the woman who sadly had been convinced to betray her nation.
"Verify that," Sasaki told her Bridge crew. As she settled in to wait, Sasaki got a curious expression. "I haven't heard anything on the Lions since the Armored Cobras incident. Been up to anything interesting?"
"We took out an AI fleet at Sol yesterday," John said conversationally.
"WHAT?!" Sasaki gaped.
"An R&D facility in Beta Persei made an AI, which went rogue. The Invictus took out the ship carrying the AI's server before the AI managed to lead an orbital bombardment of Terra," John explained. "I'm pretty sure it's on the Holonet by now, Lynette couldn't possibly suppress the news."
"I owe you one, John. I have family on Terra," Sasaki grinned.
"All in a day's work," John grinned.
"The Admiral wants to speak to the Lion," one of Sasaki's crew spoke up.
"Be seeing you, John," Sasaki said before the call was transferred. The Terran Federation emblem appeared, along with the words 'audio only' as the Invictus accepted the signal from the Dreadnought the Thor's Hammer.