The next day was a training day. John was sparring with Calara and Sakura at the same time when Alyssa came into the room. "Jehanna just got kidnapped," she said grimly.
"Damn it," John sighed, hating Buckingham and Weber just a little more. He checked his connection to his Indian Ward. "She's unconscious, but alive. They only starved her in my first life, tried to soften her up before they started the torture. I hope she'll be okay."
"She's a tough young filly, she'll survive," Alyssa reassured him.
John got back to training, channeling his frustration at the Fleet Admiral into his swordplay.
The next day, they also trained until the late afternoon. They'd crossed the Brimorian border without any sign they'd been detected by the border fleet. They arrived at Theta Columbae and Jade moved them into position around Brimor, the Fishmen's homeworld. Their Stealth Field Emitter made them all but invisible to standard strength sensors. "Irillith, grab the Shield tech from the Dreadnought in the homeworld fleet," John ordered.
Irillith closed her eyes in a psychic hack. She gasped. "Something was in there! Larn'kelnar left a program or something, I don't know. I've never been so afraid," she trembled.
John hugged her close. "I'm sorry. Did you get the tech, though?"
"State-of-the-art Brimorian Shields, ready to be distributed to the Maliri, Ashanath, Trankarans, and Terrans," Irillith managed to smile.
"Anyone feel like a tourist visit to Sequanthis?" John asked. "Jade will be busy looking for Helene."
"Like hell I'm visiting an underwater city. I'll focus on building the androids," Dana shuddered.
"Same sentiment," Alyssa agreed with Dana. The two girls' partners opted out as well.
"It'll be the exact opposite environment as Ashana, I'm curious," Lirrash admitted.
"I'll come," Sakura volunteered.
"I studied the Brimorians for Mother as an assignment, I'd like to see them in person," Irillith said, calming down from her harrowing adventure in cyberspace.
"Sure, why not?" Tashana shrugged.
They went to the Raptor and went down to the Sequanthis spaceport. Jade shimmered into her aquatic form and leapt right into the ocean. John led the girls to a submersible. As they passed a group of Brimorians, one gestured at the girls and made what was probably a crude comment. Irillith paused, turned to him, and said something in his native tongue that had all his friends laughing at his expense.
John paid triple for a private submersible ride for his crew with a good view of Sequanthis. John led them by memory to the Traders Emporium and they browsed for a couple hours. Tashana had a flashback when she saw a Bolon, but John snapped her out of it. They grabbed dinner at a restaurant, unsurprisingly heavy on seafood. *Jade found Neptra Village. She's talking to Helene right now, telling her how she serves a kind wizard who can make her a real woman again,* Alyssa informed them all.
John had them take a lift back to the spaceport. By the time they reached the Raptor, Jade and their guest were already inside. "Helene, this is the man I told you about," the Nymph told the Abandoned girl.
"Hello, Master Wizard!" Helene beamed, her face full of childlike wonder.
"You can call me John, Helene," John smiled at his future wife. "What has Jade told you about me?"
"She says you're a generous wizard with magical powers that can heal any woman you're with. You can really make me a real woman again?" Helene asked, her hands on her belly and desperation in her eyes.
"I can, Helene. But it means joining my crew and serving me for life. You may never return to your village. And I intend to start a war against a bunch of evil wizards like me. You could die if you stay with me. But if you do join me, I'll heal you and give you many strong sons and beautiful daughters," John told Helene, knowing exactly what buttons to push.
Helene threw herself into a kiss. "I'm begging you, John, do it!"
"I'll take you back to my ship, you'll meet all my crew and then I'll heal you," John promised.
Helene's face rivaled the light of Theta Columbae.
They went to the cockpit and flew back to the Invictus. Helene marveled as she entered outer space for the first time and saw a proper spaceship. They landed in the Primary Hangar. "Who's that metal lady?" Helene asked, pointing.
"She's named the Valkyrie. Sakura here goes inside her head and makes her move," John told Helene, using simple terms. Helene was far from an idiot, but she'd had a very poor education, nothing beyond what was needed to work as a slave on a farm and raise babies.
"Wow!" Helene gasped.
They took the grav-tubes, which Helene thought were the coolest thing ever, to Deck 2 and went into the Lounge. The Lionesses were waiting to greet their newest recruit. "Helene, I'd like you to meet my women."
"I'm Alyssa. We're all witches by the way. I'm John's Matriarch, I manage his magical connections to all his women. Once he heals you, you'll be able to hear my voice in your head no matter how far apart we are," Alyssa grinned.
"I'm Calara, I fire the Invictus' guns," Calara nodded.
"I'm Dana, but friends can call me Sparks. I make all the toys around here," Dana chuckled.
"You've met me. I fly the Invictus," Jade hugged Helene.
"Lirrash. I'm the Comms Officer, I call the people John wants to talk to," Lirrash explained.
"I'm Rachel, Helene. I'm the doctor. I'd love to give you a physical, find out more about the Abandoned," Rachel said with a wave.
"My name is Irillith. I work with computers," Irillith shrugged.
"I'm Sakura. I'm John's bodyguard and personal huntress. If someone wants him dead or he wants someone dead, they end up dead," Sakura said with a gentle tone.
"I'm Tashana, Irillith's twin. My magic power is fire," Tashana told the Abandoned female.
Nia and Obi appeared in hologram form, making Helene jump. "Hi, Helene. We're John's AIs, people who live inside his computers. I'm Nia and this is Obi."
"It's nice to meet you all," Helene said brightly.
John sat down on the couch. "Helene, for me to heal you, you need to drink my seed. Are you okay with that?"
"You'd let me touch you?" Helene asked like she couldn't believe her luck.
"Of course," John smiled.
Helene opened his pants, gaped at his size, before taking him into her mouth with relish. When John's mind touched hers, she started moving mechanically as her eyes lost their light. He fed her, and added her to his network under Alyssa. John regarded his network with appraising eyes. "We should have enough to make a sub-plane. No more Astral dreams."
John carried Helene to the bedroom and tucked her in. Then he settled into the bed with her in his arms. *Give me everything,* he ordered Alyssa and Edraele. A dizzying amount of eldritch power filled him. John reached into the Astral and willed his own world into being. Once he started, the process was locked in. He steadily was drained of energy. He was just starting to get worried he'd have to start tapping life force from his girls when he opened his eyes in an expanse of white. In the far distance, he saw the mists and the Fallen Progenitors. But where there was white, he was safe.
John returned to the Material Plane, opening his eyes to see the Lionesses asleep in bed with him. The chronometer showed he'd been out of it for hours. John closed his eyes and woke up in his sub-plane. Rolling up his eldritch sleeves, he began to craft the world of his dreams.
They all woke as Helene began to stir. John went to grab a glass of water. He helped Helene sit up and handed her the glass. "Drink," he ordered.
Helene gulped down the water. She blinked. "It's not salty."
"You'll get used to it," John assured her.
"Did you heal me? Am I a real woman again?" Helene asked eagerly.
"You don't need to be fertile to be a 'real' woman, Helene. But yes, you can have children again," John said. And suddenly his arms were filled with a horny, eager Abandoned girl. He was tempted to take advantage but he resisted. "Helene, can you drink from me again?"
"Of course, John!" Helene went to her knees and began to blow him, passing out for 4 hours after he rounded out her belly.
"She's almost as bad as Jade was," Dana mused.
"She's been brainwashed by the Brimorians into thinking her only purpose in life is to be a baby factory," John sighed.
Rachel ran her hands through Helene's hair and came away with a couple strands. "I'll analyze her genome, get it on the record."
"Alyssa, go to the Bridge and plot our course for the Desolation of Vulkod. Nkkrrit must be lonely," John ordered.
Alyssa went for the grav-tubes. John got dressed and led his other girls to the Kitchen. They made breakfast, Alyssa joining them. "12 hours," she told them. "We're a few days ahead of schedule, since we didn't have that rendezvous at the Maliri border to reconnect with Edraele and knock up the Young Matriarchs from your first life. What do you want to do with the extra time?"
John had a crazy idea. "Is there any chance we can arrive at Port Medea in time to help with the Kintark attack? I'm not saying we take out the whole fleet, but we can do a lot of damage before we cut and run."
"I can't say, since you don't remember the exact date the Port Medea attack happened," Alyssa sighed. "It'll take us 3 and a half days to get to Iota Leonis from the Desolation of Vulkod. I suppose Lynette can let us know if we're too late."
"We got to at least try, right?" John sighed.
"With your 'saving people' thing, sure," Alyssa chuckled. "By the way, I want to make a couple Eldritch Focuses for us psychically inclined Lionesses. Witches need their magic wands, right?"
"You go do that. Calara, Sakura, get suited up after breakfast," John commanded.
They trained until lunch, and John went to their quarters to fetch a wakening Helene. "Hello, Helene. It's lunchtime now. Come to the Lounge with us."
Helene went to sit up and looked down at her belly. She gasped. "Am I dreaming?" she said breathlessly.
"You're not pregnant. That's all my seed in your belly. You saw how big my balls are," John shrugged.
"Oh, wow. You must be incredibly potent!" Helene marveled.
"I've gotten 18 women pregnant, each on the first try, but that's mostly due to my magic," John explained.
"Oh! Can I help raise the babies? I loved looking after the kids back at my village," Helene asked excitedly.
"You'll be on my ship, and they're all staying safe back in my kingdom. We might actually miss the births. But when we're around, and after the war is over, you can help out as much as you want," John promised. He had an image of Helene running a Lion daycare.
"Yay!" Helene grinned.
John led her to the Lounge, where the girls had already cooked everything. He sat at the head of the table, letting Helene sit on his lap. He kept one arm around her and ate with one hand. The meat was so tender he could cut it with just his fork. When he finished, he went to the couches. "So, Helene, I want to tell you more about myself. If you have any questions, just ask," he encouraged.
"Okay, John!" she nodded.
"You know how your people are called the Abandoned? My people are called Progenitors. We're a race of wizards. Our magic lets us not age, though we can still be killed in battle. We also have weapons that make what the Brimorians have on their ships look like spears and rocks. Each Progenitor rules a Thrall race, a people who were made to be their slaves. My Thrall race is the Maliri, have you heard of them?"
"No, John," Helene shook her head.
"Anyway, Irillith and Tashana are Maliri, and so are all the women I got pregnant. They're the Council of Matriarchs, they rule the Noble Houses of the Maliri Kingdom, and I lead them all as their King."
"You're like Deep Lord Athgiloi?" Helene asked in wonder.
"Yes, I am. Anyway, the other Progenitors are all very evil, though it's not really their fault but more on that later. I want to go out and kill them all so the Galactic League will be safe. Me and the girls will be out fighting in the war every day. I want you to be our Counselor. You won't fight, it'll be your job to listen to us talk about our problems and make us feel better. I'll give you magic to help with that. Does that sound okay to you?" John asked.
"Why don't you want me to fight? Do you think I'm weak?" Helene pouted.
"No, on the contrary, I think you're very strong. But you're… innocent, in a way me and the girls just aren't anymore. I want you to keep that, and remind us of what we've lost so we never lose sight of what's right and wrong. Are you fine with that?" John wondered.
"If you want me to be your soul healer, I will be," Helene promised. "I'll be like an Elder, giving advice!"
"Okay." John used his active connection with Helene to give her Empathy.
Helene's baby blue eyes glowed. "Wow! What was that?" Helene gasped.
"I just gave you some of my magic. You should be able to feel what we're all feeling and be able to change it if you want," John explained.
Helene blinked before tearing up. "You all love each other so much," she said softly.
"We'll love you too soon enough, Helene. I already love you," John said honestly.
"Why? I'm nothing special, John," Helene said sadly.
"I'm from the future. I know you very well, and fell in love with the kind, caring, incredible woman you are," John told her.
"You must be my soulmate," Helene breathed. "I've known you less than a day and I'm already so happy!"
John and Helene talked until her belly went down. John fed her again, then offered her a tour of the Invictus, answering her many inquisitive questions. When she saw the Lagoon, she fell in love. They ended on the Bridge, and John let her sit in his lap on his Command Chair. "Where are we going?" Helene asked, looking at the sector map with interest.
"There's a people called the Vulkod, their homes were destroyed by my father and they've been living and slowly dying on their ships. The last Vulkod Queen, Nkkrrit, is very lonely. We're going to meet her, let her know she's not alone. She'll be so grateful, she'll give us all the Vulkod's technology. It'll come in very useful," John told his newest lover.
"How can you be so nice if your father was so bad?" Helene asked.
"There was a very, very evil wizard named Xar'aziuth, who made the Progenitors and the Thralls millions of years ago. Every other Progenitor is a slave of Xar'aziuth, who makes them do terrible things just so he can watch. My father couldn't help himself," John sighed.
"What do Vulkod look like?" Helene asked.
"Nia? Pull up an image of a tarantula," John ordered. The hologram of the large spider appeared. "Like that, basically."
"I've never seen anything like that!" Helene marveled at the exotic (to her) lifeform.
John and Helene kept talking until dinner. John fed Helene and she talked with the other Lionesses, learning more about them and answering questions about her short life in Neptra Village and the Abandoned culture. "Rachel, how's the DNA analysis coming along?"
"Already done. Like you remembered, Helene is a fifth-generation product of a hybrid race between Brimorians and Terrans altered with Kintark genetic engineering tech. If their original population was all the females in the Callopean Shoals, and the average Abandoned couple has 20 kids, that's over a billion Abandoned throughout the Brimorian Enclave," Rachel spelled out.
"And that's a conservative estimate," John sighed.
"What's DNA?" Helene asked.
"It's the language of life, spelling out exactly who you are as a person. It's in every drop of blood, every flake of skin, every hair. Doctors like Rachel can read it to learn things about people," John explained.
"So… Rachel looked at my DNA and found out where the Abandoned came from?" Helene reasoned out.
"Yes. I'm sorry to tell you this, Helene, but the Brimorians kidnapped a bunch of Terran women and raped them to make the first Abandoned," John said solemnly.
Helene gasped, covering her mouth. "What a monstrous thing to do!"
"And they taught you to have a bunch of babies to make more of you as free workers. You're all their slaves," John warned. "There's more: you notice how once an Abandoned gets old, the Brimorians take them away?"
"What happens to them?" Helene asked with wide eyes.
"The Brimorians sell the elderly Abandoned to the Kirrix," John said. His Lionesses gasped in horror.
"Who are the Kirrix?" Helene asked, not understanding.
"They're a race of evil insectoids. They rape their eggs into people, and when they hatch the babies eat their way out of the host, killing them slowly and painfully. After the Progenitors, they're the most evil species I know," John told his Abandoned Ward.
Helene shuddered. "The galaxy is a very sad, scary place."
"There's goodness to be found, if you know where to look," John told her, leaning in to kiss her.
They finished the meal and went to the Command Bridge. They got armored up and waited to arrive at the Desolation of Vulkod. They pulled into the system of the Vulkod flagship, Nkkrrit's home for 10 thousand years. John left Helene, telling her to wait and talk to Nia and Obi, before loading into the Raptor. They approached the flagship. "The hull isn't metal, it's protein-based like spider-silk. We can't dock with it."
"Spacewalk it is," Alyssa nodded, her Eldritch Focus in hand.
They used flight mode to approach the Vulkod airlock. Dana used her powers to trip the door, letting them in. Now that he knew what to look for, John could feel the psychic field of Nkkrrit's Empathy suffusing the ship. He reached for his own Empathy and projected a protective bubble around his crew. "Follow me," he said, leading them towards the source of the aura of misery.
They passed ordinary Vulkod. Dana shuddered. "Psychic zombie cyborg spiders. Now I've seen everything."
They arrived at the Throne Room, where Nkkrrit rested in all her necrotic splendor. Alyssa's eyes began to glow as she sensed her fellow psychic's pain. "She needs me," she said, floating down to face Nkkrrit. Alyssa opened her mind to the Vulkod Queen, allowing her to share her story. Alyssa listened with patience and understanding as Nkkrrit told of losing her mate and children, her home planet being destroyed by Rahn'hagon, and watching her children slowly die and be kept alive by technology as the Brimorians picked over the rotting carcass that was Vulkod civilization. Alyssa then let Nkkrrit into their chorus, letting her join the 1000 strong voices of her and Edraele's networks.
The empathic aura of grief lifted as Nkkrrit felt happy for the first time in millennia. Alyssa invited the Pride to come meet her, and the Vulkod Queen offered them a data cube loaded with all Vulkod tech and their pick of Eternity Crystals, the miracle focusing crystal that was the Vulkod's unique creation.
John got out of his armor. "Jade, I'm going to load you up. Give her as much as you'd give a Maliri, save the rest for Helene."
"Okay, John," Jade nodded, kneeling to take him into her mouth. When Jade's breasts were full, she poked her fingers into Nkkrrit's chelicerae. Alyssa had explained that John was making it so Nkkrrit could be a permanent member of their network. Jade pumped about 100 milliliters of cum into Nkkrrit's mouth, and the massive arachnid swallowed. John forged a connection with Nkkrrit, adding her to the network under Alyssa.
They took an hour for Alyssa to bond with Nkkrrit. When Nkkrrit had a permanent two-way connection with her new Matriarch, they left the ship with their gifts. John had carefully kept all healing out of the dose he'd given Nkkrrit. He knew she was waiting to die with dignity, and he would allow her that. They returned to the Raptor and went to the Invictus. They stacked the Eternity Crystals in the Cargo Bay and returned to the Command Bridge. They got out of armor and Jade fed Helene. Alyssa had them enroute for Iota Leonis in minutes.
"How am I supposed to read this?" Irillith asked, skimming the incomprehensible Vulkod tech archive.
"I'm not sure exactly what you do, you just described it as 'thinking like a Vulkod'," John answered.
Irillith considered it and her eyes began to glow. She grinned. "Ah, now it makes sense. I'll write the translation software and have Nia and Obi run it while we sleep." Once Irillith left the task in the hands of their AIs, they went to their quarters to sleep.
The next 3 days passed quickly. John focused on Helene, feeding her 4 loads a day. She was through the Change by the end of the second day. The girls got used to using their Eldritch Focuses. John had the bright idea of having Dana build an Eldritch Inhibitor so they could practice pushing through the artificial Null-Zone to access their powers in anticipation of rival Progenitors using them against them. Nia and Obi's androids came online, and John took great pleasure in 'breaking in' Nia's new body. Helene became the first girl to eat Nia out.
The morning they were set to arrive at Iota Leonis, they gathered on the Bridge after breakfast. Calara whistled. "You weren't kidding, that's EVERY ship left in the Kintark Navy. When we beat them, and we will, they'll be broken for years."
"The comm beacons are hacked. I'll work on reversing it," Irillith said, sinking into cyberspace.
They arrived at Port Medea, and according to their Omni-phase Scan Array, the Kintark invasion fleet was only an hour out. "Just in the nick of time," John mused. "Stealth Field Emitter off. Lirrash, hail the Station Commander."
A man in Terran Federation uniform appeared on the vid-screen. "Vice Admiral Blake! You should have warned us you were coming, sir, we'd have rolled out the red carpet! What brings you back to Port Medea?"
"I wish it were good news," John said grimly. "The Kintark have been replacing their border fleet with civilian ships with hacked transponders while the Navy ships were refitted with Brimorian Shields. The whole Kintark Empire military is on approach. You've got an hour to evacuate Port Medea, the system is doomed."
The Station Commander's jaw dropped. "Please be joking," he begged.
"I'm sending the data from our sensors now," John said, having Lirrash send the file.
The Station Commander paled like his throat had been slit. "This… this is a disaster! What do we do?!"
"Evacuate Port Medea. Get everyone on a ship and head any direction besides Terra, that's where the Kintark will be headed. The Invictus will stay behind to buy you some time," John told him.
"That's suicide!" the Commander gaped.
"Not for me," John said confidently.
The Station Commander seemed to draw strength from John's lack of fear. "I'll sound the red alert."
While Port Medea scrambled to abandon a sinking ship, John confirmed that Irillith had unhacked the comm beacons. He had Lirrash make a call.
Admiral Edwin Caldwell appeared on the vid-screen. "Vice Admiral Blake," he said warily. "What's the reason for this call?"
"I needed to warn High Command. The Kintark are invading, every ship they've got. They're less than an hour out from Port Medea. I gave the order to evacuate and will buy the fleeing ships time when the invasion fleet arrives in system," John reported.
Caldwell's eyes bugged out. "W-what?!"
"Here's the sensor data if you don't believe me," John ground out, sending a copy of the data.
Caldwell looked at his console in horror. "My God in Heaven…" he breathed.
"Alert the Fleet Admiral. You need to recall every ship that can reach Terra in time to defend the homeworld. The Second Battle of Terra is going to make Regulus look like a border skirmish," John said seriously.
"I'll let Vincent know," Caldwell confirmed before ending the call.
10 minutes later, Alyssa perked up. "Buckingham's calling an emergency meeting of High Command. We're going to be invited. He's going to order us not to leave the system until every Terran ship is safe, he's hoping we'll get wiped out by the Kintark."
"Luckily, we don't have to obey orders. But we'd be doing that anyway," Calara rolled her eyes.
"What's the game plan, Commander?" John asked.
"If we plunge into the heart of the invasion fleet, they'll be too careful not to hit each other that we'll be able to fly almost unimpeded while causing major damage. So long as our shields stay up and the Solid-Phase Shield Matrix doesn't crap out, we don't even have to worry about ramming into anyone," Calara reasoned.
John focused on Edraele. *Honey, did you get the fleet ready?*
*They're waiting on the border, ready at your command,* Edraele informed him.
"Incoming hail from the Citadel," Lirrash warned them.
The vid-screen showed the High Command Chamber, every Admiral either there in person or attending via hologram. Fleet Admiral Buckingham stood at a lectern at the front of the room. "Vice Admiral Blake," Buckingham acknowledged. "I understand we have you to thank for warning us of this Kintark invasion."
"Just doing my job, Fleet Admiral," John said blandly.
"Speaking of your job, I hereby order you to guard the retreating forces until they all leave Iota Leonis," Buckingham stated firmly, a glint of triumph in his eyes.
"Might I remind you that I'm a retired civilian? You CAN'T order me. I'm only helping out because I feel like it," John fired back.
Buckingham looked like he swallowed a lemon. "Let me rephrase. I beseech you to guard the retreating forces."
"I can do that. While I have you, I called in a favor with the Maliri. A fleet is on approach for Terra as we speak to help defend the homeworld."
Buckingham's eyes went manic. "Absolutely not!" he roared.
"Fleet Admiral, Vice Admiral Blake is offering us aid from the most fearsome navy in the Galactic League. Why in the world would you refuse this generous offer?" Lynette spoke up.
Buckingham glared death at Lynette, but he seemed to realize how precarious his position was. "Apologies. I misspoke. In a moment of panic, I thought we'd be dealing with two invasions at once."
John had a mental debate. He finally decided to let Buckingham dig his own grave. "The Maliri fleet will reach the border within the hour. Please alert the border fleet to let them pass."
"Of course, of course," Buckingham ground out. "Speaking of fleets, I'm recalling all but the Brimorian border fleet."
Admiral Zelig burst to his feet. "But sir! The Kirrix border fleet won't even arrive at Terra before the Kintark get there! You'll be abandoning the Outer Rim to the Kirrix!"
"Speak to me like that again and I'll have you arrested for treason, Zelig," Buckingham snarled.
Zelig looked shocked. "Sir," he said apologetically, sitting back down.
"Why the Kirrix border fleet, who physically can't arrive in time to help defend the homeworld, but not the Brimorian border fleet, who just might? Could it be because your son is serving in the Brimorian border fleet?" Lynette spoke up.
"Be careful what you say to me, Admiral Devereux," Buckingham said threateningly.
"Then I'll address the room. I call for a vote of no confidence in Fleet Admiral Buckingham. He's clearly personally compromised in regards to this invasion," Lynette said, taking a leap of faith.
"Marines, escort Devereux out," Buckingham barked.
Admiral Eleanor Maybridge, the longest serving member of the Admiralty, frowned. "Vincent, that's against protocol. A vote has been called, you need to allow–"
"Shut the fuck up!" Buckingham roared at shocking volume.
The Admirals all tensed. Charles stood bravely. "I second the motion."
"You're going to be shot right next to your bitch fiance, Harris! Marines, escort both of them to the holding cells!" Buckingham shouted.
"Belay that!" Jayanti Mishra spoke up, looking at Buckingham like she'd never seen him. "We will follow protocol, we're not going to dissolve into anarchy on the cusp of war! A vote of no confidence has been called for the Fleet Admiral. All in favor of his temporary removal from office?"
Over half the room lifted their hands.
"Traitors, all of you!" Buckingham screamed, his heterochromatic eyes so wide you could see the veins at the edges.
"Marines, escort Buckingham to the holding cells," Lynette ordered.
Buckingham pulled his pistol and aimed at Lynette. He fired, and Lynette collapsed to the ground. Charles bellowed in pain, rushing to his fiance's side. The Marines, reacting to the gunshot, rushed to grab Buckingham. He made incomprehensible shouts of rage as he was physically dragged from the room. John's heart was in his mouth.
"Shoulder wound, missed anything important. I'll live," Lynette groaned as Charles helped her sit up.
"What the fuck just happened?" asked one Admiral, audible to the whole room.
"Vincent Buckingham just committed attempted murder. But you all can deal with that later. The Kintark don't care that our leader is crazy, they're still coming to kill you all," John spoke up grimly.
Admiral Maybridge took the lectern. "As most senior Admiral, I'll serve as interim Fleet Admiral until a proper vote can be called for Buckingham's replacement. Vice Admiral Blake, do what you can to defend the people of Port Medea, but we can't afford to lose you against the Kintark. Cut and run when it gets too hot. We'll allow the Maliri fleet to come to our aid. The Kirrix border fleet will stay in place, there's no point in them leaving their posts. All other fleets are hereby recalled to the homeworld. Any objections or suggestions?"
The room was silent, most of the Admirals still in shock at what Buckingham had done.
"Meeting adjourned, now someone call a damn medic for Lynette," Maybridge declared.
Lirrash ended the call.