Tashana woke up from a nightmare-free sleep for the first time in 13 years. She was aware of a man's arm around her, and she snuggled into him once she remembered who it belonged to.
John stirred, and the rest of the girls woke up around the same time. They got out of bed and got dressed, Tashana borrowing a dress from Irillith. They went to the Lounge, and John cooked everyone a Maliri breakfast with Tashana and Irillith's help. Tashana got breakfast on her knees, though.
"So, tomorrow we arrive at Genthalas. Our last day of training for a while. Once we get there, you'll all be working on the refit while I'm…" John trailed off.
"Filling dozens of Maliri bellies each day?" Alyssa filled in.
"I was trying to think of a more delicate way of putting it," John said with fond exasperation. "Dana, I want you to plan the refit, but take a minute to design some Tachyon Pistols for Tashana."
"Sure thing," the redhead nodded.
"What do you want me to do?" Tashana asked.
"You're joining psychic training with Alyssa, Lirrash, Rachel, and Irillith. I'll be sparring with Calara and Sakura," John explained.
They spent the whole day in the Gym, taking an hour-long break for lunch. Tashana had lots of experience with offensive use of her Pyrokinesis, but had zero when it came to making shields. Alyssa did not go easy on her. They got a shower before dinner, and then relaxed talking in the Lounge with drinks until late. Tashana visibly brightened throughout the day as John cleaned out her mind.
The next day, they gathered on the Bridge after lunch. They arrived at Epsilon Aquarii. The Invictus got an honor guard of Fighters as they made their approach to Genthalas. John chuckled at Edraele's tendency to go over the top. They landed in their docking bay and took the grav-tubes to Deck 9. They went out the airlock, to see Edraele waiting with Luna, Ilyana, and Almari arranged protectively behind her. She strode purposefully up to John and pulled him into a searing kiss. "I missed you, Baen'thelas," she said after a minute.
"I can tell," he grinned.
Edraele went to Irillith and gave her daughter a hug. Then she turned to Tashana and opened her arms invitingly. Tashana had her first hug from her mother, and it was wonderful. "Welcome home, my special girls," Edraele beamed.
"Good to be home, Mother," Irillith smiled.
"I'm eager to get to know the new you, Mother," Tashana said happily.
John gave Luna, Ilyana, and Almari their own kisses. When that was done, Edraele gestured at a stage in front of which over 800 Maliri women were gathered. "Time to address the work crews, and then there's 4 young women most anxious to meet you, Baen'thelas."
John walked onto the stage, feeling almost a thousand pairs of eyes latch onto him with intensity. He walked up to the crystal lectern. "Hello. My name is Baen'thelas. I am a Progenitor, like the man you know as the Mael'nerak. Like him, I have come to claim the Maliri as my own. You all are a mixture of Houses Valaden, Loraleth, Aeberros, Naestina, and Ghilwen. I understand if there are any old grudges or distrust between your Houses, but that time is past. The Maliri are entering a new age of unity under my rule. You will work together, or you will be punished. I encourage you to be cooperative, if not make friends among your new peers. Now, you're going to be working on upgrading my ship, the Invictus, over the next few weeks. Work hard, succeed in a timely manner, and each of you will be rewarded with a trip to the border stations to become pregnant. I'll be meeting each of you during the course of your work. I look forward to meeting each of you. That is all," John said with a charming smile.
John walked off the stage, his sharp ears picking up hundreds of hushed conversations as the Maliri work crews gossiped about the speech he just gave. He walked up to Edraele. "So, are the Young Matriarchs ready? Then let's not keep them waiting."
"Have fun!" Alyssa wished before John left with Edraele and her bodyguards.
Edraele guided John through Genthalas to her personal suite. She opened the door and let him in. 4 young Maliri women in Matriarch robes were sitting on chaise lounges. They stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he came into the room. John smiled fondly at the future mothers of his children. Edraele gestured at the girls. "I present to you, Baen'thelas, Matriarchs Kali Loraleth, Nyrelle Aeberros, Valani Naestina, and Leena Ghilwen."
"Hello, ladies," John said warmly. "I am Baen'thelas, though you can call me John if you want, I'll respond to either. Edraele tells me good things about you all."
"It's an honor to meet you, sir!" Kali said excitedly.
"Edraele is full of praise for you, Baen'thelas," Nyrelle bowed her head.
"I can't believe you're finally here," Valani admitted.
"We've been waiting anxiously to meet you, my lord," Leena said with a blush.
John went to sit on one of the chaise lounges. "You should know, Edraele had your families assassinated on my order. If you have any grievances to air, now's the time to do it. I won't be offended, it was a terrible thing to do."
"I want to thank you, actually," Kali grinned.
"We were tortured by our mothers and sisters," Nyrelle said solemnly.
"It was only a matter of time before they took things too far or we were killed in a political assassination by another House," Valani stated calmly.
"You saved our lives, Baen'thelas," Leena thanked him.
"Alright then," John nodded. "Now, has Edraele explained how my powers work?"
All 4 of the Young Matriarchs blushed.
"Well then, are you all ready to become my Wards?" John asked.
The 4 of them stripped bare in front of him.
John enjoyed a quadruple blowjob, feeding each Matriarch a pint. He carried each to Edraele's bedroom, tucking them in. He added each of them to his network under Edraele, feeling the surge of energy fill him. He turned to Edraele. "So… ready to instigate the Matriarch Massacre?" John asked, hating himself for what he was about to do.
"I've got just the outfit," Edraele nodded, taking him to her wardrobe. She opened a garment bag, revealing a white-and-gold suit cut in Maliri style, what John had named the Baen'thelas suit in his first life. John got dressed, the suit feeling comfortable and familiar from his future memories. Then he went to Edraele's office. He sat at her desk, and practiced what he was going to say. Mentally girding himself, he began to record a message.
"Hello. My name is Baen'thelas, the Righter of Wrongs. I am a Progenitor, the most powerful species in the galaxy. We rule Thrall races throughout the galaxy, species genetically engineered to be our slaves. The Maliri are a Thrall race. You feel it, don't you? You can't look away from me, hanging on my every word. You think I'm the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. This is how you were designed. You were MADE to be ruled by one of my kind. All I can do is promise not to abuse this power."
"Now, I intend to claim the Maliri as my own. I have already forged an unbreakable alliance between Houses Valaden, Loraleth, Aeberros, Naestina, and Ghilwen. I want to add the rest of the Noble Houses. I invite the Matriarch of each Noble House to come to Genthalas Shipyard, where I will personally greet her and induct her into the alliance. The Matriarch will join the Council of Matriarchs, the new ruling body of the Maliri, with I as your King. I will be working in partnership with each Matriarch, and will even sire my children on them if they please me. I can't wait to meet you, ladies." John forced a smile and ended the recording.
"That was perfect. They'll be clawing each other's eyes out for the chance to bear your heirs," Edraele said.
"I'm about to condemn over 40 women to being killed by their own family," John said morosely.
"You're not. I am." Edraele turned the console to face her. She attached the recording to an email and sent it to every Maliri noblewoman in the Regency. "There. It's done."
"I need to clear my head. I want to spar with Luna, Ilyana, and Almari," John said.
"Of course, of course," Edraele agreed.
John got dressed in workout clothes, Edraele having dedicated a whole section of her wardrobe to clothes tailored for him. John followed the 3 assassins to the training complex on Genthalas, where they reserved their own room. John grabbed a training blade closest in size to Kyth'vindathys and turned to face his opponents. "I'm pissed at myself right now, sorry if I take it out on you."
"We can handle it," Luna assured him.
John went up against the 3 assassins back-to-back for hours, facing the next right after winning or losing against the previous. At the end, his muscles were trembling and he was too exhausted to feel bad about the Matriarch Massacre. He followed the 3 back to Edraele's quarters, to find she'd cooked dinner for the 5 of them. John enjoyed the meal, talking with his Maliri harem that he'd missed dearly while he was away. They went to the shower afterwards, which Edraele had converted into a luxurious Terran example. John crawled into the bed and called it an early night, remembering to shield himself. John dealt with his Astral dream, checked on the 8 Maliri in the bed with him in the middle of the night, and fell back to sleep.
Early the next morning, the Young Matriarchs began to stir. John got out of bed and fetched 4 glasses of water. He handed them to his newest Wards, who all accepted the drinks eagerly. "How do you feel?" John asked.
"Amazing!" Kali chirped.
"All my scars are gone," Nyrelle observed.
Valani tugged on a lock of her shoulder-length white hair. "We've been marked as chosen by the great Baen'thelas."
"What happens now?" Leena asked.
"Now, I feed you all a second dose. When you wake up, it's another day of running your Noble Houses. We'll meet for mealtimes, though," John told them.
John fed the Young Matriarchs, tucking them back into bed. "Well, I'm up. The refit isn't going on, it's too early. What to do?" John wondered.
"Can't go wrong with a good breakfast to start," Edraele grinned.
John cooked with Edraele, Luna, Ilyana, and Almari. "So, you bond with anyone else besides Luna?" John asked his Maliri Matriarch.
"Ilyana and Almari, of course. Makaela and my two Fleet Commanders. And the Planetary Governor of Valaden. That's it," Edraele admitted.
"That's more than I expected, actually," John said, impressed. "I don't expect you to bond with every single Ward, but it would be convenient if you got every major player in your chorus. We should have you bond with Alyssa soon, before you get too many Wards. Two Matriarchs bonding can take a whole day, since you're forming a connection to all the other's Wards too."
Edraele nodded. "Okay, I'll do that when I can clear my day."
They went to eat, John chatting with all of them. When they finished, he went to put the dishes away in the washing machine. Edraele paused, focusing. "Interesting. Makaela has just alerted me that a House Perfaren ship appeared on Genthalas' sensors."
"That was fast," John marveled.
"The arrival coincides with if Tsarra Perfaren grabbed the first ship she could get her hands on right after seeing your message," Edraele calculated.
"When will she get here?" John asked.
"2 hours," Edraele replied.
"I guess I'll relax for once," John mused. "What would you recommend?"
"The hydroponic zones are lovely," Edraele smiled.
Luna led John to the nearest hydroponic zone, which had large crystal windows that showed off the natural wonders of Maliri space. John spent his time either admiring the plants and animals or the stars, Luna helpfully teaching him Maliri constellations. When Tsarra's ship was set to dock, Luna led him to the docking bay in question.
John walked up to the airlock of the Maliri Battleship. He knocked. "What is it?" asked a Maliri over the intercom.
"This is Baen'thelas. Is Matriarch Tsarra Perfaren ready to meet me?" John asked, looking at the camera.
"She's on her way!" came the much more enthusiastic reply.
John waited a very short time before the airlock opened. Tsarra Perfaren was dressed in Matriarch robes, accompanied by another Maliri woman in military dress uniform. Both were staring at John in a way he was familiar with. "Welcome, Matriarch Perfaren, or may I call you Tsarra?" John asked.
"Tsarra is fine, Baen'thelas," Tsarra said breathlessly.
"And who is your beautiful companion?" John asked.
"Aadya, House Perfaren Fleet Commander," Aadya introduced herself, gulping.
"Welcome to Genthalas. I'll lead you to your rooms, Tsarra, and Aadya is welcome to join us." John offered both his arms. Tsarra and Aadya grabbed on, almost moaning as they felt his muscles. Luna, guided by Edraele, led John to a suite suitable for a visiting Matriarch. John took the two Maliri to the bedroom and sat on the edge.
"Now, Tsarra, Aadya, you know I'm a Progenitor. Progenitors are powerful psychics, and we form networks of women we can tap for energy. I'd like your permission to add you both to my network."
"Do it!" Tsarra said eagerly.
"I'm ready," Aadya nodded.
"Very well. Though you should know, you have to drink my semen for me to do it. Is that objectionable to either of you?" John asked.
Both women got on their knees.
John fed both Maliri and tucked them into the bed. "Luna, are you up for a REAL spar?" John asked.
"How do you mean, Baen'thelas?" Luna asked.
"With psychic powers involved," John revealed.
Luna's yellow eyes flashed. "Oh, that sounds fun."
"Take us to the Invictus, I need to forge you a practice sword that won't break like a stick, and a proper sword while I'm thinking about it," John mused. *Edraele, send Ilyana and Almari to the Invictus. While I'm psychic shaping anyway, I should make them swords too.*
*They'll meet you there,* Edraele told him.
Luna led John to the right docking bay. It was still too early for the refit to have started, so the Invictus was clear of Maliri. Ilyana and Almari were waiting by the airlock. John let them in and took them to the Cargo Bay. He grabbed a block of Crystal Alyssium. "Here're the practice swords," John said, forging single-shaped blades in the style the Maliri favored. "Any problems?" John asked.
"They feel fine," Ilyana shrugged, after she and her two friends gave a few practice swings.
John nodded, and then focused on the Crystal Alyssium. He shaped it another 18 times, before forging icosa-shaped blades inscribed with Progenitor runes. "These are the REAL swords. I based the runes off the ones on Kyth'vindathys. In theory, they'll enhance your powers and let you steal energy when you hit an enemy's shields. Now you'll be able to defend Edraele and each other from even another Progenitor."
"These are priceless gifts, Baen'thelas," Almari marveled, watching her sword's runes light up as she fed psychic power into it.
"Use them well, that's all I ask," John shrugged.
John went to get armored, the 3 assassins stepping into their own equipping frames after a quick lesson. They returned to the Cargo Bay, which had the most room. "Now, I'm going to come at you with everything. If you get hit, sit out. That goes for me too, but I doubt you'll manage to hit me through my shields," he goaded.
Luna twirled her practice blade. "Just start the fight, Baen'thelas."
John raised a wall of shields around himself, the 3 assassins doing the same. Then, activating Psychic Alacrity, he charged.
They sparred for hours, John using all his considerable power. But Luna, Ilyana, and Almari had been working together longer than John had been alive, and they'd been practicing with their powers while he'd been away. John didn't lose any matches, but he had to work hard to stay undefeated. After the last match, they were all catching their breath when Edraele spoke to all of them. *If you're quite done trying to bash each other to pieces, lunch is almost ready.*
John and the 3 assassins went to get out of their armor. When they walked out the Invictus' airlock, they saw all the Maliri work crews swarming over her. John's Lionesses served as supervisors. John waved at his crew before heading for Edraele's suite. He talked with Luna, Ilyana, and Almari, showering them with praise and raving about their fight.
Edraele greeted each of them with a kiss, though her nose wrinkled. "Grab a shower, please," she ordered.
John burst out laughing and led the 3 assassins to the bathroom. They washed the sweat from their bodies and dried off. Redressed, they went to the dining table. The Young Matriarchs, now with waist-length manes of white hair, were already seated. John gave each of them a kiss and sat at the head of the table. "How's your morning been?" he asked them.
"You made our jobs a whole lot easier. Now that we have white hair, our underlings can't do our orders fast enough," Kali chuckled.
"That's the genetic programming, normal Maliri react very favorably to Thralls, or in my case Wards," John explained.
"We've gotten reports from our border fleets. Ships have left every House in our ranges on approach vectors to Genthalas," Nyrelle reported.
"In my first life, it only took 4 days for all the new Matriarchs to reach Genthalas," John mused.
"First life?" Valani asked.
John blinked, turning to Edraele. "You didn't mention that I'm from the future?"
"I figured it wasn't my secret to tell," Edraele shrugged.
"Well, long story short, I won the Progenitor War but I lost too many loved ones. So I used my powers to send my mind back in time. That's why I'm already in love with all of you."
"I thought it was strange how you could care this much for me when we'd just met," Leena said, laying a hand on her heart where she felt the psychic imprint.
They chatted over lunch, then John, figuring he'd done enough training for the day, relaxed in Edraele's quarters for the afternoon. He talked with the Young Matriarchs, learning more about them and answering all their questions about himself. Edraele interrupted them at 1700. "Another Matriarch has arrived, Emandra Holaris."
"In my first life, she was the only original Matriarch to survive the massacre. You'll get along with her, Edraele, she'll have to cope with growing a conscience too," John sighed.
Luna led John to the right docking bay. Emandra had over a century of experience under her belt, but she was still putty in John's hands. John led her to her suite, and then fed her, knocking her out for 14 hours. He returned to Edraele's rooms for dinner, and then went to check on Tsarra and Aadya. When the two began to stir, John handed them glasses of water. "You're both my Wards now," he said warmly.
"I… something's in my chest," Aadya said haltingly.
"That's how I feel about you," John explained.
Tsarra was tearing up. "I'm not worthy of this feeling, Baen'thelas."
"I disagree," John countered. "Luna, lead Aadya back to her ship. Tsarra, let's talk for a little while. I'd like to explain some things."
Luna led Aadya out, leaving John alone with the Perfaren Matriarch. "Tsarra, I'm from the future. A future where you bore me my firstborn. I already love you, that's why my psychic imprint is so strong," John explained.
"Why would you honor me with that privilege?" Tsarra asked.
"I can't get my crew or Edraele pregnant yet, I can't let them be at risk or distracted during the coming war. You were set to be safe in Maliri space and you needed to secure your bloodline. I plan to get all the Matriarchs pregnant, for the record, in my first life I just got to you first," John told the Maliri woman.
"I see," Tsarra said. "So, what happens now?"
"Well, I was hoping to feed you another dose, but I want us to talk first. Let you get to know me, so to speak," John said warmly.
They chatted until midnight, the time flying by. John fed Tsarra her second dose, knocking her out for 4 hours, and John returned to Edraele's quarters to sleep. As he expected to do for the next month, he endured an Astral dream.
The next week passed quickly. Every day, John was either greeting a Matriarch or getting to know one he'd already fed the first dose. On the rare occasion he had free time, he sparred with Luna, Ilyana, and Almari. The day after he fed the last Matriarch her second dose, they had the first meeting of the Council of Matriarchs.
John and the 19 Matriarchs gathered in a grand conference room with a large table with 20 chairs. John's chair at the head of the table was more of a throne. They all sat. John cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Let's go around the room, introduce ourselves to everyone. You'll all be ruling the Maliri for centuries to come, we should all be familiar with each other. As you know, I'm Baen'thelas, though you can call me John if you want."
"Edraele Valaden," Edraele spoke up clearly.
"Kali Loraleth," Kali followed, the Matriarchs unconsciously going in order of House ranking.
"Tsarra Perfaren."
"Nyrelle Aeberros."
"Valani Naestina."
"Sarinia Baelora," said the sixth-ranked Matriarch. John had had to rebuild her mind from the ground up, her psyche having been permanently damaged when her mother whipped her at the tender age of 9. John had needed 2 days of 4 loads each to do it, but he'd made Sarinia a happy, sane woman.
"Leena Ghilwen."
"Emandra Holaris."
"Phelora Romenor."
"Kehlarissa Venkalyn."
"Nakiasha Torcyne."
"Iynessa Elyon."
"Marsendra Helewynn."
"Lyvia Amarille."
"Beldrea Kayden."
"Faranise Eshenestria."
"Vestele Waephyra."
"Garinia Quisayne."
"Kelenis Lesandoral," finished the last Matriarch.
"Welcome to the Council of Matriarchs, ladies. Now, I may be your Progenitor master, but I'll only take the title of King with a unanimous vote. Do any of you have any objections to me being your leader?"
None of the Matriarchs made a sound.
John nodded. "Very well then. I am now your King."
Edraele had Luna come in, bearing a crown on a cushion. It was made of Crystal Alyssium, forged lovingly by Alyssa. Edraele took it and placed it gently on John's head. "Hail Baen'thelas! Long live the King!" she declared.
"Long live the King!" repeated each Matriarch.
John adjusted the crown, feeling its weight and knowing his life would never be the same again. "First order of business, I hereby name Edraele my Eternal Queen. When I'm away from the Maliri Kingdom or otherwise occupied, she will rule in my place." Ilyana came in with a tiara of Crystal Alyssium. John placed it on Edraele's head. Sitting back down, John set his shoulders. "Now, let's discuss the state of the Kingdom."
They talked for hours, John outlining his plans. The whole Maliri fleet needed to be refitted with Ashanath Tachyon Drives and Power Cores, Trankaran Engines, and supplementary Progenitor tech. The border stations needed to be upgraded, and the men encouraged to return to their homeworlds. A Soulforge would be built on Valaden, and all the Onyxium in the Kingdom would be funneled there to start construction of a proper Ward fleet. Treaties would be drawn up with the Ashanath Collective and Trankaran Republic; the Terran Federation and Kintark Empire would wait until the war between both ended, and the Brimorians were excluded because, frankly, John hated them just slightly less than he hated the Kirrix.
As the meeting drew to a close, Jade came in, utterly nude. John grinned. "In the interest of starting traditions, I'd like to end each meeting with me feeding all of you. All in favor?"
19 hands reached for the air.
John penetrated Jade, who grew enough tentacles to feed the whole Council of Matriarchs. John didn't last long from 19 simultaneous blowjobs, and he blew. He had Jade keep the 20th portion for herself as a reward. Tucking himself back into his pants, John stood. "The meeting is adjourned. We'll reconvene in a week to go over everything and so you can raise any issues you run into. Good day, ladies."
John followed Edraele and the Young Matriarchs, which had expanded to include Tsarra and Sarinia, to Edraele's suite. John took off his crown. "I'm only wearing this for Council meetings and state functions."
"Really, Baen'thelas? I was hoping to service you wearing nothing BUT it at some point," Edraele pouted.
John chuckled, and bonded with the 10 Maliri closest to him outside his crew for the rest of the day.
The next day, John focused on starting to recruit the Maliri work crews on the Invictus. With Jade's help, he managed to recruit 80 between 4 loads. They repeated the feat every day after that until the day of the Council meeting. John held the meeting, getting progress reports from all the Matriarchs and resolving any internal disputes. They ended the meeting with the traditional feeding, and John returned to the refit. By the time of the third Council meeting, John had recruited every Maliri in the crews working on the Invictus' upgrade from Assault Cruiser to Battlecruiser.
Towards the end of the third Council meeting, John cleared his throat. "Ladies, I owe all of you amends. I instigated the Matriarch Massacre. I forced all of you to murder your own families just to end up on this Council."
"I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd do it again if we had to," Emandra spoke up, though her eyes spoke of guilt.
"Still, I've done each of you an injustice. I've rendered each of you the last of your bloodline. I wish to remedy that. I wish to meet with 3 of you per day for the next week, getting all of you pregnant by the next Council meeting," John said solemnly.
The Matriarchs broke out in excited whispers. But Kali frowned. "Wait, that leaves 1 out."
"I will not be blessed with carrying Baen'thelas' child until the Progenitor War is over," Edraele informed them all.
"If there are no other matters to discuss, we'll end the meeting here. Jade?" John called. After feeding everyone, restoring them to peak fertility, John followed Edraele, the 3 assassins, and the 6 Young Matriarchs to their quarters. "I'm about to have 18 babies on the way. Wow," John said, sitting down on a chair.
"You'll be a wonderful father, Baen'thelas," Tsarra said warmly.
"I'm just worried I'll be spreading myself a bit thin, especially since the Progenitor War will be well underway by the time they're all born," John sighed.
"Remember, Baen'thelas, most Maliri are raised with no more involvement from their father than the act of conception. Each of their mothers will treasure your attention, and the children will just be happy to have you in their lives," Luna said soothingly, reaching to rub John's shoulders.
John relaxed for the rest of the day.
The next day, John had a private breakfast with Kali before taking her to the bedroom. "Nervous?" John asked.
"A little," Kali admitted. "I love you, Baen'thelas, truly I do. It's just the idea of being a mother so young…"
"You know, 31 is actually a bit old for your first child by Terran standards," John pointed out.
"Well, I'm Maliri," Kali fired back, though she grinned.
John leaned in to kiss her, which turned into making out, which turned into them making love. As John reached the limits of his endurance, he prompted Kali psychically to ovulate. "Which do you want?" he asked, panting from the exertion.
Kali told him, and John released his seed, charging each of the little swimmers with the right chromosome. He spooned with Kali in the afterglow, rubbing her belly possessively. "Any thoughts on names?" John asked.
"I'll get back to you on that," Kali chuckled. "Besides, I think I'll have to meet them before I decide."
They talked for a couple hours about how they would raise their child. Then John got dressed and went to meet Tsarra for lunch.
The routine was largely the same for each Matriarch. A private meal, some small talk, a passionate bout of unprotected sex, and a couple hours of talking afterwards. After John left Kelenis, he paused in one of the halls of Genthalas. *Honey, are you and the girls okay?*
*We wish we could have watched, honestly,* Alyssa sent back. *We're not jealous, John. Our times will come. The Matriarchs are a completely different animal from the Lionesses. You were right, you arranged for all of them to become the sole carrier of their bloodline, you owed it to them to secure them. If you think this is bad, keep in mind you promised to keep Jade and her sisters barefoot and pregnant for CENTURIES. This is nothing compared to that.*
John blew out a breath, feeling less guilty. *You're right, as usual. Thanks, honey.*
*No problem, my mighty Lion,* Alyssa thought lovingly.
The next day, John led the fourth Council meeting. "This will be the last meeting that I'll attend for a while, unfortunately. The Drakkar invasion of the Ashanath is coming up. I'll be leaving with my crew as soon as the Invictus is finished."
"We'll run the Kingdom well in your absence," Edraele promised.
"Good. Now, how's the fleet refit going?" John asked.
They had a productive meeting, John fed everyone, and then he got changed and went to help with the Invictus refit.