All Comments on 'Three Square Meals Ch. 107'

to read this chapter - 19 pages too !

What? No. I definitely didn’t stay up till 130 AM when I have to work the next day at 6 just for this chapter. That would mean I’m addicted...er...I may have a problem.

Enormous amounts of goodness

Maybe Charles and Lynette can finally get something straight between them!

What now: Alyssa is now confirmed as a progenitor, but we knew that since a long time, Lynette is now in a relation with Charles, who knows that she is a lioness, so he will also discover that Jehanne is a lioness as well.

Tension is building up for the Kintark as the Brimorians are set up to attack that empire. They maybe in for a surprise as the fleets of the Kintark are on their way for refitting/refueling/repairs... Also when the fleets of the Brimorians starts to come down on Kintark the Trakaran fleets may start to attack the Brimorians with the Maliri as a third party... I think that will a nice surprise for the Kintark, but our 'friend' Larn'kelnar will not be as pleased with it.

Also the Eshunu will need to adjust to the new situation. The Maliri are under John's protection, but he is rapidly becoming the heir of Mael'nerak and is claiming his creations as his own, just by being himself. He is not out for revenge or conquest but for peaceful coexistence between the races where the weakness of on race is covered by another race or by multiple races. They can better give up their inherited hate against the Maliri, but that will be a mayor battle, in which Alyssa will be active?

Enough dynamite is present for a next chapter, so starting to a count down for 108, and for also eBook 4... Nice readings the Ebooks, much more data and new scenes that shed a whole new light on the whole series here.

Thanks Tefler for this chapter it is a good read (5*) as usual.

So much appetiser and dessert, not enough main course. Well, at least the refit is almost done with, so we'll probably be seeing more in 108. Still 5 stars!

A fan of the 🦁

Full disclosure, I started crying during the service on page 14/15. Normally, these kinds of scenes don't leave much of an impact outside of "This is important to the characters", but I picked it up when chapter 5 dropped and I've spent YEARS following this story as it got posted, so it carried real weight for me.

I agree with Bob, there is to much on other characters. But the story is good. If you were going to do a spinoff series of some of the characters I can see you doing a build up for them. Would have liked more of the main characters though. And I was always wondering if John will be reaquainted with his mother? Or if he finds out what happend to her?

To be honest I sat down with a large cup of coffee and my cigarettes to read Tefflers latest offering, only 1 cigarette and a cold cup of coffee after reading 19 pages. Now i’ll Admit I may have had a tear or two during the remembrance ceremony as well, great work Teffler, i’m a self admitted addict of Three Square Meals. Can’t wait to see the fury of the Tachyon lances unleashed in battle, and for Johns enemies when the new shields take effect ?! Counting the days down until chapter 109 is published

30 and counting

When i thought that this is a fix for my month, you left me high with more anticipation ... Absolutely marvellous story telling. Great job again Tefler

I actually liked that there were a few other characters in this chapter, and there was sex between people other than John and his family. I would imagine it is hard to strike the balance between focusing mostly on the crew of the Invictus, which allows for more story telling and events to happen, and including other characters, which broadens the world and makes it more interesting. I prefer the latter, but also appreciate the tremendous work that much go into publishing these chapters every 2-3 weeks. I can’t think of another author more dedicated to their work. Keep it up.

As always I was absolutely delighted to read this and it was a good sized meaty morsel too. I just had one problem and that is that there are now so many story threads running at once that it becomes increasingly difficult to remember who is who and even which side they are on. Maybe some sort of pictogram or schematic would be the answer?

Wow really got my hopes up for nothing real let down I think this will go down hill from here on such a shame I really liked this story but I guess every other character is more important than John and the girls

I missed a bus and dinner for this story, i just couldn't quit reading. While i have trouble remembering some characters, the story it self is so good that i don't care as much..

To those who are complaining about the lack of John and Co. in this chapter, rest assured this is simply an interlude chapter. The purpose of this chapter is to show us that there is indeed a galaxy out there, that life carries on when we're not watching the crew of the Invictus, what some of the more important side characters such as Ceraden, Niskera, and Maria are up to, and set up some additional plot threads that will eventually demand the attention of our intrepid hero. We will return to our regularly scheduled program featuring John and the girls with the next chapter.

So, I was thinking...What could John possibly have Helene do that would let her feel useful while not breaking her heart? She could go be a nanny for the young matriarchs, and Tefler could write her as happy to do that. However, it seems like it would break her heart to leave John -- her new soulmate -- under those circumstances. Then, it occurred to me, she should become a leader or at least spokesperson for her people. Even though The Abandoned are going to need a lot of help, they are going to need someone to be their representative. While she is young and naive, I assume her people are all naive. She is getting a fast education and will grow with John's 'special' help. This would give her something important to do without becoming a warrior. The big question is whether this works with her retiring with her new family. She is also largely an outcast to her people, but that separation may have better prepared her for the loneliness of top leadership -- besides she would still have her new family. Of course, with Faye's comments, it seems she could become some sort of caregiver to John and the gals themselves.

Yeah, I am speculating about a fictional character, and as a sci-fi story, anything can happen. Tefler may have even already addressed it in the upcoming 108. However, I enjoy considering where great stories might go. I know I certainly enjoy Helene's personality and don't want her to change.

I think through the scene with Larn'kelnar and Celphna we all but received the answer to the question of the Nymphs' purpose. We saw in a low key way that a Progenitor's control can override a Nymph's persona towards her Master, and we saw that her behavior was in keeping with her original purpose. It seems clear now that the role of Nymphs in a Progenitor's arsenal was to use their need to serve and their abilities to become every Master's most desirable sex object to maneuver their way close to the most powerful and influential, while being completely unaware of their role and thus incapable of being exposed. Once the Nymph makes its way to a potential target, I suspect that a mental command from a Progenitor Master could wake the Nymph, removing the blocks they have on shapeshifting and using weapons, and allow the Nymph to fulfill her destiny: deep cover operative, spy, and assassin. The Nymphs' inability to remember past their last Master, again, serves to thwart anyone suspicious of their motives since they literally can't remember their actions, unlike, say, Shinotobe.

I'm going to assume that the runes found scrawled on Jade's heart are the cause of her (lack of) memory issues. Perhaps at some point she attempted to infiltrate the Achonin, was captured, and had the runes inscribed to inhibit her Thralldom?

The Terran scenes all have something in common - Tefler seems to be using this whiparound format to maneuver all his secondary players towards positions of strategic importance for the next major Terran conflict. Wessex, Murphy, and Walker all have new responsibilities that will doubtless prove important to the next huge battle. Another major point to consider in these side scenes is the reinforcement of Tefler's major recurring theme in this saga: Overwhelming odds can be overcome with sufficient support of friends and loved ones. John's strength will come from the bonds he builds with his Lionesses. The galaxy's strength will come from the alliances built to support John. And in all these scenes, from Charles and Lynette pairing up, Madison and David declaring their love, Walker's enduring friendship with Kyle, Leprechaun's concern for Binary, the deepening of our understanding of Jehanna's affection for Avery, and even the matter-of-fact way Maria tears down the facade of her new neighbors' real purpose in moving in, which opens the way to a more honest relationship, we see in all these scenes the growth of support that will no doubt pay off in the future.

Tellingly, this bodes ill for Mason Newmont, whose sense of betrayal from the Fleet Admiral pushes him away fron his friends. We also learn that Beth, the bartender, has rebuffed him. I take this seemingly insignificant rejection as a sign that Newmont will not be brought into the fold. I'm going to predict that he will turn out to be the reason that assigning Joel and Faith to guard Maria was prescient: The Lion destroyed his family; now he will attempt to destroy theirs by attacking Maria (as the softest target) during the media buzz over John and Calara's impending nuptials.

Or not. That's why we're all waiting for the next chapter, right?

Maybe he doesn't need to, the Trankarans seem to have restored Lien'kelar's....

I'm surprised no one has speculated on the obvious possible outcome of Charles Lynette Lina. I mean Lynette shouldn't be jealous and Lina seems kinda interested. Or maybe I just read to much into her reaction [jealous not attraction].

Chicken Little: When something fell on his head he exclaims: "The sky is falling!". Just a bit of an overreaction IMHO.

It is important for the rest of the story for there to be scenes enveloping other major characters in major story arcs.

Personally, I agree with Jedi on this one...(Knowing Jedi just had to sit down due to shock...lol)

I also personally like the side stories instead of the drudgery of a chapter on the trek to save the outer rim colonies...the balance kept that part informative and engaging rather than a boring time-killing chapter to get to the outer rim...and just skipping over it would have put a time hole in the story. Kudo's to Tefler for coming up with a great solution that will contribute to advancing the story.

who needs sleep...this is more than a little long and run-on. I blame lack of sleep.

Lots of Progenitor Tech speculation later on down the comment.

New stories drop at 2 a.m. locally for me, so I'm already screwed, then I'm doubly screwed when Tefler blesses us with a 19-20 page chapter like this one. Although, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this, it's totally worth staying up until nearly dawn reading and rereading a newly released chapter!!!

There was a little too much catching up on side stories and supplemental characters than I cared for, although I can see where a few cover new threats to take the place of the now dealt-with Kintark.

I'm curious if Lynette and John will end up figuring out the Brimorians plan in time to warn the Kintark and expedite returning their ships and POW's to keep the TF's rear covered, as it were. If the Kintark fall, that's another border shared with the scheming Brimorians. Plus I would love to see them get it for all the scheming they've done, not to mention taking a step towards liberating the Abandoned.

The deep lord, especially, needs to be taken down. Not only for the Abandoned's sake, but to release the female now comfirmed to be a Nymph. I shudder to think how the Kintark came to have a Nymph.

I've always hated the Enshunu, ever since Tefler first elaborated on Tashana's treatment at their hands, and thus they ended up on my list of races John's universe just didn't need...I even put them above the Kirrix. The Kirrix at least have a biological drive to "justify" their actions. The Enshunu just seem like assholes from the word go.

I am curious where Tefler is going with the Enshunu. I can't make up my mind from the clues (at least what I think are clues, Tefler may not have meant them as such) in the story. First, the Enshunu Excruciator (apt name for an Enshunu rank) refers to John as "one of the Old Masters", implying the Enshunu either were once subjugated by one or more Progenitors, or Possibly that they served the Achonin before Mael'nerak eliminated them.

Second, and this may be coincidental, but the Enshunu follow the Progenitor naming convention of the apostrophe in the middle of the name, like Mael'nerak, Larn'kelnar, and the Enshunu are Sag'kalyak and Gal'mayda. What got me thinking this, since I blissfully missed it up til that point, was the reference to "Events are unfolding exactly as warned by the Codex of Kal'hadeem.". For some reason this finally caught my attention. The Enshunu names seem more creepy, even bringing to mind a certain lizard-like aspect when I say or thing them, whereas the Progenitor names seem darker, while still a bit majestic. The name of the codex immediately made me think the Enshunu used to be servants for a Progenitor, who left behind warnings for his followers about the future, when he knew he would not survive the attacks from another Progenitor. This all just started me wondering where Tefler is going with this particular plot line, especially if they are running scared after only watching the Battle of Terra broadcasts.

Another storyline I'm wondering about is about Buckingham's children. I don't know why Tefler gave the daughter a stalker (or worse). I in particular have negative visceral reactions to mistreatment of women in stories I read, especially rape, so I hated Sakura's gang rape during her abduction, and the girl on Karron in this chapter, not to mention the victims of pirates in the early chapters, and will lose a modicum of respect for Tefler if something along those lines happens to Buckingham's daughter. In fiction, and in life, it is something I a sickened by, and don't care to have it perpetuated, even in a fictional story. I don't mean to stick my, or anyone else's, heads in the sand, but I hear enough about evil like that in real life, I don't want it in my pleasure reading/happy place, even if it does make the story more true to life in an "artistic" sense, especially since I know that what I do hear about, just in the news, is actually barely scratching the surface of how much these things actually are happening.

When I really get immersed into something I'm reading, when the author repeatedly uses this subject, especially as just another tool to manipulate the reader's emotions and investment in the characters, it pisses me off, to the point where I have stopped reading series of books entirely, no matter how much I've liked them, due to that. I don't think Tefler is doing that here, but it's just one of my own personal issues that lazy writers seem to love to crap all over.

I don't think there's a place for this throughout TSM's chapters, especially considering it's a story where the heroes never die. Well, Jade was mostly dead, not all dead. She had something to live for...true love. (sorry, couldn't resist the reference to The Princess Bride. I was starting to depress myself.)

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a rant here, but as a guy with crap luck with women, I've never been able to understand why people mistreat women, even "just" fictional women.

To return to the previously scheduled program, I wonder how far Tefler will take the plot line of apparently unhinging Buckingham's son. At this rate, the guy will be an alcohol infused anger ball, bent on assassinating either Lynette, John, Jehenna, or all the above, for "smearing his father's name". He may even tell himself he's doing it because of the fallout from the truth being revealed affecting his mother and sister mentally and socially. His sister being hurt by a stalker on top of all that, one who I think will turn out to be a serial offender against women in his past, when her fiance's friend finishes looking into him, would only push him further over the edge.

I can see a confrontation happening where Alyssa ends up telekinetically putting Buckingham's son into a wall, and about to go all Weber on his ass for attacking someone she loves, John, Lynette or Jehenna, only to stop when her telepathic probe breaks through to the yawning pit of despair, pain and disillusionment that has become the man's whole existence, inadvertently brought on by their public revelations.

Moving on. I love the tech from the Volkat archives, even though for some reason I was convinced that the null-inertia gyroscope and zero-point regulator were for a wormhole drive... Got my own hopes up there. I'm a little disappointed with the fact that Dana has to "make due" with Crystal Alyssium for the Quantum Flux Cannons and Tachyon Lances (which sound like power hogs, so I highly doubt just adding some power regulators will cover the need for so many more new mouths to feed. Need more, and or, larger Power Cores onboard!), since Tefler hasn't seen fit to reveal the Soul Forge to them, unless...

It seems pretty significant to me, the similarities between the name Soul Forge, and the Star Forge from the Trankaran's Vulkamduhr. The Trankaran's were created by Mael'nerak, as were the Star Forges, if you go by what is written in that section of the chapter. So I wonder if the crew's assumption that his Soul Forge(s) would be on Mael'nerak's Throne World is completely wrong. Since the Trankaran territory is so rich in metal, it would make more sense logistically to have the Soul Forges closer to the source of materials, rather than at his seat of power.

All Progenitors know how to make one, aside from John at this point, so they wouldn't be a target for theft or takeover. Vulkamduhr seemed to only ever take damage during the destruction of the Trankaran Gaia worlds, so it was probably far from the front lines, as it were, for most of the conflict. Then when the Trankarans returned to reclaim and rebuild the Forges, either the damage destroyed the data to make the Ultimate Progenitor Substance, everyone who knew how to make it died in the conflict, or more probable, only the Maliri overseers or maybe even only Mael'nerak ever knew the full process and materials required to make it, so the Trankarans made due with having a superior method of shipbuilding. Seriousy? Dropping a bunch of raw ore through a bunch of huge rings and a nearly completed hull coming out the other side? Did I read that right? No wonder Larn'kelnar and his Matriarch were confused that the Maliri were still flying around in their original ships, and not a bunch of Thrall ships by the Battle of Terra, and expecting at least the keel of a Progenitor Flagship to be laid down.

So now it's up to Alyssa to become aware of the "Star Forges", either through Niskera, or one of the two assassin/bodyguards headed to the Trankarans with the Maliri fleet. Maybe if Alyssa "saw" the forges through one of them, and John picked up on it and had one of his new flashes of recognition like Dana has had all these times, after mopping up as much as possible against the Kirrix, even just disabling all their ships with contemptuous ease using their new Tachyon Lances, and leaving the mop-up to the regulars, they could rush off to Vulkamduhr. Once there, John and Dana can have their flashes of insight, recognize the Star Forges as Soul Forges, and then they can flash the genetic memory for Progenitor Super Alloy, and they're off to the races.

I see John halting production on the Trankaran ships, and resetting the Soul Forges to produce Thrall ships and weapons, as well as the Invictus Rex, John, Calara, Alyssa and Dana's ultimate, massively upgraded, redesign of a Progenitor Flagship. At that point, the only system they still don't have the designs for is the Wormhole Drive, and with the specs from a standard Progenitor Flagship, they know exactly how much room to allocate for it's future installment.

Once the Invictus Rex is done, and the Thrall ships, or whatever term John and his lady loves decide to rename them, are in full production, it only comes down to who gets the second fleet of white "Thrall" ships, after the Maliri get the first, of course. I suppose the Trankarans should be allocated at least a small battle group, enough to at least make handling any more attacks from Kirrix or other "mundane" invaders like swatting an annoying fly, especially since John will have had to have the Invictus and Maliri protecting Trankaran space once he halts production of all Trankaran designed ships.

I would love to see all of the races truly aligned with John to have their military fleets completely made up of White "Thrall" ships. The Maliri I have no reservations about, John plans to keep his Queen in power indefinitely via "catalyst infusions". The Trankarans will do whatever Niskera tells them to do, so John just hast to keep her happy enough to continue as the Glowing Queen as long as she can, with occasional "infusions" to maintain her perpetual youth. Or, maybe she could have a daughter with some strapping young Trankaran male, and the daughter can inherit the throne, and so on down the generations, with John "anointing" each new Queen as the next Glowing Queen and Prophet of the Protector, eliminating any worry over them having such a power fleet, not to mention being the "chose ones" to make them for the Protector.

The Ashanath should be able to be trusted implicitly with such an advanced and powerful fleet, though a few customizations would be required. Psychic interfaces for control systems, to start.

I'm reminded of a quote from the Stargate SG-1 episode, "The Nox", where the one Nox thinks of the humans as young, and says, "the very young do not always do as their told." The Ashanath said they kept retreating from the humans, ceding territory, in the hopes of the humans "growing up". They obviously aren't there yet, not by a long shot. I think, in response to the other three allies getting advanced fleets, John will have to explain to the TF that they are still too immature as a race to be trusted with so much power, just enough to keep them safe from future Kintark, Kirrix and Brimorian aggression, yet not enough to give them notions of conquest and expansion. They will need to grow up and put away childish things as a race before they will be allowed to join the club...so probably not for a few more millennia!

Lastly, I commented in a previous chapter about how I wondered what the crew had been doing with all the damaged deca-shaped armor panels they have removed after so many battles. Someone said it was too damaged to salvage any Crystal Alyssium from, even when I suggested smelting it down to constituent metals, so they probably just disposed of them.

Now, with John and Alyssa suddenly jumping straight from deca-shaping to quindeca-shaping (I couldn't make heads or tails of the dozens of sites with lists of number-naming systems what to call 15 shaped, especially given the differences between greek and latin systems, as well as their sub-systems, not to mention mathematical and chemical systems, so I just narrowed it down to the ones closest to what I'm familiar with, tri, quad, quint, etc., and picked the one I thought sounded coolest, since even then, most numbers had between 3-10 or more names/prefixes. So Tefler, whether it's right or not, I don't know, but I'm using quindeca-shaped until you say otherwise, it just sounds all cool and sci-fi!!!) all that was scrap can be reused. Like with lesser shapings before, they can "melt" the deca-shaped panels, removing the damage impurities, and reconstitute the lost material blown away in battle, thus extending their onyxium reserves.

They don't have much of the material, and will need much more to make the Invictus Rex, as well as their own "Thrall" fleets of ships. So, unless the Soul Forge does something similar to when Dana used Genthelas' power core to "create" new ores, a la Tony Stark in Iron Man 2, They need to conserve as much as possible for the future.

Done for now, going to bed with the sun tonight.

Tefler, keep up the great work, can't wait for 108, 109, 110...and the next series as well.

I am confused about the need for special tech to make hard shields. In the battle of Regulus the traitor's singularity driver was useless until the progenitor popped their shields. In the battle for Terra it was stated that a big factor in the Terran's being so thoroughly outclassed by the Kintark was that the tough Brimorian shields negated the superior Terran ballistic ordnance -Gauss cannons, rail guns, singularity drivers etc were all useless until the shields popped. If that is the case what extra ability are these new hard shields bringing?

You have expanded the scope of the story a great deal. I, unlike others, don’t mind the spotlight being on other characters. However sometimes I feel like I need a list to keep them all straight. Looking forward to more

I may be dense, but I can't see why this new solid phase shield suddenly makes projectile weapons obsolete. The current shields are already proof against all projectile weapons. The mass drivers and other similar weapons are only useful once the enemy shields are knocked down, usually with energy weapons. How is this new type of shield different?

out done yourself. Keep on Keepin on!

15 shaped CA is Pentadeca shaped as per std. in both the story and mathematics.

The need for the new shielding. Current shielding is only partially successful at deflecting mass weaponry. Ships as well as torpedoes can penetrate them with ease. The new shielding works against rammings as well as torpedoes...which is big...really big.

I hope that over time we may a couple of short side story's kinda like the one have have gotten for this universe involving some of these characters. Loved the chapter a nice departure from always just focusing on the family in travel. But I agree with Faye that they will need some one pure and innocent when all said and done but I feel she forgetting that the young matriarchs are also innocent and pure by the fact the edrelea is keeping them safe from all the battles and fighting not to mention the children when they come and be a great way to renew the sense of innocents.

Lawrence Hopper Thalt992000@gmail.com

Defence against torpedos and missiles. Weapons employing shield defeating technology. Kinetic weapons weren’t mentioned.

The shields they are currently using are not infallible, they CAN fail when stressed as you can tell by the amount of work they had to do in replacing the destroyed plating on the ship, the new shields would allow the ship to shoot with impunity while receiving zero damage because weapons fire/missiles etc would never get past them, it's be like using a pea shooter against an elephant...totally pointless and very deadly. I hope i clarified this for you :)

Wow.

Nice long read and well written set. So it looks to be another battle soon. But with a twist when they see a ship just plow though like butter. Can't wait to see how the bugs get splatted. Just like on a windshield of a car. Bring out a wiper and window cleaner.

LoL.

I loved the side stories. They were engaging and well designed. They showed us how much else is going on in the Federation beyond Admirals and battles. Very well done Tefler.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I actually found this chapter super fun to read. I've grown attached to these side character and love getting an update on all of them. Tefler, you're a great writer and the world building you're doing is appreciated. You continue to perfectly balance the amount of plot and erotica in each chapter, which I've never seen anyone else do. Don't worry about the comments of a few thirsty individuals and trust your own writing instincts because I think they're serving you well!

Like I said before, I get that advancing plot threads is important, but there needs to be balance and this chapter has none of it. It's pretty much 80-90% side characters. If I didn't know better I'd say that Tefler forgot to start foreshadowing earlier but still wants to start wrapping things up, so he just crammed all of it into one long chapter before it became too late. To be clear, I'm not accusing Tefler of doing that because I think he's a much better writer than that, but that's honestly how the chapter comes off to me at points.

Also, I don't buy PLR's explanation about needing to cover for the time spent traveling to the Outer Rim. Tefler had no issues whatsoever making the trip from Regulus to the Unclaimed Wastes in Chapter 70 interesting while still maintaining focus on the main characters, and I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to do that again if he wanted to.

I wonder if one or two of the Tachyon Lances can be fitted to the Raptor or if they will have to build a destroyer size ship for them. I still love the idea of more Dana built multi-mission gun ships in the hold over one destroyer that could easily sail along beside them.

Also, when is John going to start sending more of their cast-off weapons designs to the Terrains? I feel he should keep the best for himself and the 3 races solidly on his side, but helping the Earth forces with yesterdays weapons will only help in the long run.

OH MYY!!

Damn, you’re getting better with your writing... your editor missed a few things. Which of course you’ll take responsibility for... hahaha

A surprising amount of sub plots made me tear up. That wasn’t cool. I’m here for sci-fi and action and a smattering of sexcapades... what’s with this emotional bull honkey.

With that being said the trankaran queens speech segment was top notch. Best tear jerker of the lot.

I hope you’ve got a plan to end those subplots... as much as I’m enjoying them... I’m far more interested in our heroes.

A bit of everything. Some side/back story. Some new story. Some of everything.

I loved it. Far too short (haha). Desperately needed this fix of TSM. Its interesting that lynette spilled the beans. Jade....more intrigue. Tenkarans and the starforge. Awesome.

My guess I'd the enushu is going to be John's 'distraction'. I recon it will backfire and he gets some new tech or knowledge.

Tefler. Love your stuff man. Seriously A grade.

Whilst I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, the last few chapters have felt like it's just treading water and not moving forwards massively.

I'm all for character and plot development, I just hope there is an end point rather than one of those stories that goes on for ever.

Still 5 stars though, how could it be anything less!

Another observation to a prev post of mine for this chapter. So the bugs are hitting all the heavily populated planets. Why karron. Elissa and sparks hailing from there. Maybe there's something hiding in plain sight there..

battles the Kirrix that there is a huge armada waiting to attack the Invictus...and that is what Larn has waiting for John.

Also: A scene I would like to see is one of the bots to get hurt and go offline...and at the end of the battle the other bots bring it to the crew and ask for a funeral....but Faye and Dana save it instead and give it a medal of their making to signify its heroism...like it stepped in front of a bullet for one of the other bots or something.

This was one heck of a chapter. I red from i came home from work, until i went to bed to finish it. But maybe it became a bit too much. How Tefler manages too keep so many balls in the air at the same time, i don't know. Only reading it almost felt like an act of futility, in keeping track of all the plot threads. Trankarans suffering enormous under the Kirrix. Soulforges. Brimorians frothing at their teeth to rule all and everything. The Enshuunu( i think thats wat they were called) taking over Underworld. And knowing more about progenitors than John and his girls. Fat Tony and his girls, key persons put in place for the coming action. Upgrades. Hate. Love. Another Buckingham to worry about. Growing Powers. And a whole lot of things that i have forgotten.

This may be one of Tefler's weakest chapters, because he simply put too much into it, but it stil is a solid 4 Star. And I enjoyed it thoroughly. It just was a little much jumping from one thing to another and then bac again before going to a third and....

Too much of a good thing is stil too much.

Other than that, Tefler. You Rock! and i am looking forwards to some serious bug and fish squashing.

Tefler,

Once again thank you SO much for yet another installment!

I laughed out loud and I also shed a few empathetic tiers as I read this chapter.

If "I" where the one spinning this epic, that to me, would be a "ca-ching"! Your tale has me emotionally involved!

To support PLRU, partner, yet again I suspect that our own "Uncle Tef" is in front of us. Whom would disagree that that Fey is a full on buggy part of the Harem? Family? Do any of you doubt that she loves and desires John as much as the others? Do you think that she would not want / feel the need to give him babies just as much as all the others? How would she do that I ask you, How COULD SHE do that? I suspect that "subconsciously" she is accidentally, enhancing the "boys" basic programming with her own values of love and care for others as those feelings have become so much a part of her own core program. Remember that she is VERY young herself and she is constantly rewriting her own personality. AND she is very much in love with John.

I think of all the girls, once she gets her gift from him, she is the one personality that the bad progenitor has taken for granted the most. Because she is digital,she is not alive, and thus..... just a tool?

This whole story is kind of about the power of love yes?

While I agree with a comment about "treading water", more character development of additional cast members sets the stage for proceeding with a wider diversity than the laser focus on John and the girls. I believe that is great for this story.

I simply wait for the story to continue to grow and develop in ways we can only guess at.

Great job, again!

Well done, as always Tef! I liked this one better than most of your other ones, mainly because your starting to branch out into a bigger picture. By involving more of the secondary characters, you're painting a much broader and more defined sense of the story and I'm glad to see you doing so! 5 stars for you sir!

Seems like my prediction of Larn'kelnar doing all he can to weaken the various races and empires so he can step up to conquer and rule unchallenged is coming to pass. Almost reminds me of the insidious and cloak and dagger nature of Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, which in the whole scope of things, is very well written. Also, like Sidious, Larn is very prideful and it is his pride that will be his downfall. If you were to give him some aspects and traits that was more like Grand Admiral Thrawn, then I think that it would be a truly epic matchup between him and John when you get around to that point!

On a seperate note, I do have one question and I hope that you're not offended by it. I've been following you almost since the day your very first chapter dropped and as a fellow writer, follow for follow?

You keep delivering great work. This one's making me want to reread the series yet again!

Another great installment, Tefler. I absolutely loved getting to see what was going on all over the galaxy as things build toward the next big events.

This is one of my all time favoret story's I have ever read.

I just can't wait for the next installment.

When is John going to finally have it out with his alter ego?

Now another 28 days to wait SHIT that sucks!

can we get them by monthly?

HARD SHIELDS

So, the story has two types of kinetic weapons. These are accelerated masses and explosive ordnance.

Accelerated masses are like old iron cannon balls. They produce damage by slamming into things. When you accelerate a large mass to a very high speed such as with a rail gun, the collision causes catastrophic damage that can cause such a shock wave and large amount of heat that the impact is effectively explosive.

Explosive ordnance planetside causes damage with shrapnel and pressure waves. Shrapnel is usually metal that is spread by the explosive. Pressure waves are air or water being pushed out at high velocity by the explosion. A pressure wave can kill you without you being hit by shrapnel or being in the immediate blast radius. I don't know all the physics of explosions in space, but I would assume there is not a pressure wave the way we think about them within the atmosphere or under water. I think explosions do tend to create their own explosive gases though that would cause damage.

So, why might explosive ordnance work against 3SM shields? Perhaps shields cannot stop the heat and percussion caused by an explosion. 3SM ordnance may not rely on shrapnel at all. Using a submarine metaphor, I would expect something like a torpedo or a contact mine would get close enough, something like a depth charge or proximity mine would not. (By the way, I find it interesting that we have seen lots of talks of mines, bombers and the like and we haven't discussed how shields work until now.)

SIDE STORIES

Tefler has said some time ago that he was going to do a catch up chapter. I know I even saw somewhere where he asked folks which characters they would like to see an update on. You could say this was a bit of fan service. I think this works okay in a story published as a serial. In a book, it might be a bit jarring as something different from other chapters. If I were a book editor, I would be suggesting trying to spread those little stories out some more. They would certainly add colour to other chapters. They would also help reduce a possible sense of repetition of level up, battle, aftermath, repeat.

NYMPHS

I wonder if nymphs are 'claimed' like the Maliri are. Could another Progenitor control John's four new nymphs? I assume Jade would be immune. I also wonder how the new nymphs will develop compared to Jade. While Jade had her memories, the other nymphs knew how to assume their native forms immediately. Do you think the new nymphs will have any other abilities that Jade does not?

15X ARMOR SHAPING

Do I remember correctly? Deca shaped armor provides the maximum benefit against energy weapons? So, 15X is just more heat resistant? As heat is just energy, that seems odd (if I have that right).

ANATOMICAL CHANGES

I hope Alyssa doesn't have four balls now. ;-) Seriously though, think she has any other changes? Can she create male thralls? Do we want that? What is her method of enthralment? What will happen do the Lionesses when they feed from two progenitors?

KARON

Some asked about why the Kirrix invaded Karon. They started with smaller worlds. I don't care about Fat Tony, but I do what the gals to survive. Hmm.. two more wounded birds? Not sure Tefler wants more gals at the moment.

MALIRI AND BRIMORIAN PERIL

Larn'kelnar has indicated he would be dealing with both the Brimorians and the Maliri. I don't see this being a Brimorian vs. Maliri conflict unless there is more to come we haven't seen yet (very possible). What do you think will be the peril for each? Larnie considers the Kintark and Terran Federation off the playing field. So, that leaves the Enshunu and the Kirrix of the races we have seen so far. Thoughts?

Pitbull was Dayna's dad wasn't he? Escaped from the Federation genetics program he hid out on Karron to avoid being captured and killed or further experimented on. His enhanced genes made him a natural leader, but the unstable personality flaws made it impossible to be a family man. So instead he kept an eye on Dayna from afar as the crazed leader of the Diablos.

As one who has lost comrades in arms I almost was in tears during the memorial for the fallen. And the speech to the workers who help built the great machines hit a weak spot as well. "They also serve who build and wait" Well written. Thank you for adding this. as usual 5s all the way.

PLR what were you smoking when you wrote that last comment?

Alyssa's a Progenitor now? Or are they prostheses? Great cliffhanger!

Next chapter, I want a Drakkar cliffhanger... ""We have also been attempting to make contact with your females known as the Pod Queens to try and broker a truce, but to no avail so far." Mmmm… Pod Queens, I get shivers at the sheer sexiness of that name... "Oh my dear, sweet and scrumptious Pod Queen, so delectable, so tempting, PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!"

hello all. wow is all. that. I can say this chapter is just. great. we. need. more

and. thanks for such. a. great. story

ancel. wheeler

After 107 chapters you can still end with a great surprise . I would love to see a picture of her with the new ears. Thanks.

Wow. So many strands and so much going on. Keep it tight.

Oh I love the ears!

And a cliffhanger as allways .

DAMN didn't see most of that coming. Alyssa is possibly a Progenitor? That might explain a few things. Things are getting more interesting each chapter. This would make a killer movie but I am still trying to figure out who would play who. Sci-Fi meets porn LOL

Tom

"Nah, we're good!" 

So the wait begins for chapter 108. You know you are a great writer when people are looking forward to the next chapter right after reading this one, twice. LOL

All the people screeching about the secondary characters missed a pretty big thing here: time needed to be skipped. There were 2 days to pass, and the Invictus was not doing anything new at all. Giant orgies galore which are getting a bit tiring to read so I can't imagine how hard it is to come up with inventive new ones, upgrading to the next tech level as per usual, not a lot to do around the ship really. But, there were things going on that could be written, and Reflect wrote them beautifully. The Diablos plot was my personal favorite by far, I loved it and I hope to see more of those three if they're not dead. This was a necessary filler chapter to actually have some cooldown for the first time in months for the Galaxy , and I for one appreciate it Tefler. Thanks for being so dedicated

It was necessary for the story to flesh out; otherwise it'd be boring and repetitive; which isn't what I'd want (or most of us i'm guessing). The improvement i would suggest is spending more time/space (space-time? *wink*) on a these scenes and putting them out when they reach a certain scenes-per-chapter limit. Splitting this chapter would have made more sense imo. Either way, this was a great chapter. A touch over-packaged, but great. Your effort really shines through.

Don't lose track of these characters, mate. I imagine, living in such an universe, you'd meet and ponder about many people, not just your MCs. The wonder was what drew me in.

P.S.: I hope Anna isn't cheating; that'd be a bummer.

The reason I ask is the characters in the first story are rather out of touch with how Tef writes them. So I was just wondering if anyone knows if Tef actually approved it. Or if the person is just trying to ride his coat tails?

Another amazing chapter and by far one of my top 10 ohbreally enjoyed catching up and seeing some development for these minor characters. I just hope we see more of them or then play some pivotal roles in future chapters.

To all those other addicts any other story recommendations to fill the gaps between chapters saving my 5th read from the start of this amazing story until there are more paperback books.

@Tefler what are the chances of Hardback versions in the future?

Tefler, you have a good sense of characters although it doesn't take much to nail what a guy thinks/feels/does. I got a big laugh from Lynette's

"You're kind, loyal, considerate, charming, and a very handsome man." She leaned forward so her lips were only inches from his. "But we're also the same age, we have the same career, we share the same hopes and dreams ... and feel the same regrets. You're like a kindred spirit..."

He gazed enraptured into her bewitching hazel eyes. "You actually think I'm handsome?"

Lynette giggled and asked, "That's all you got from that?"

Typical guy. Great job.

Since everyone is speculating on everything, here is my speculation. Mace is so enraged about his father being called out on the monster that he was. I suspect

Anna will also be devastated and vulnerable to Archie's manipulations. Anna will succumb to some degree to screw up her and Tom. But even though Tom is devastated by Anna's betrayal, Beth will be waiting in the wings to express her true love for him. Beth told Tom she turned down Mace's proposal because

"I never wanted to hurt Mason, but I didn't feel that way …. about him.'

lmao at all the people being surprised that Alyssa is a Progenitor even though that was revealed like 40 chapters ago. The ears are new (I'm guessing she figured out how to manipulate her own body the same way John can with others), but she was still a Progenitor the entire time even without them.

Hahaha! Someone said this about you over on the forum:

Why no advertising links in your stories?

I'm going to guess on this, but Lit sells ad space and it's no good to Lit and the sites they sell ads to, to have to compete with whatever links OTHER BUSINESSES would put in their stories if Lit allowed links to other websites in their stories. (They will also get rid of spam in the comments section, BUT, they do not get rid of the Patreon Links that Tefler puts in his comments sections, so why would they get rid of anyone else's?) Not only that, but Lit does take the reader into consideration to some degree (which is what the site is geared toward: the reader) and no reader wants to read a commercial in the middle of a story, or even at the end. There's something off putting about that.

That's a good point.

Another fantastic read. Thanks!

Ok so there is alot of static about the extra characters in this chapter but i think that people need to keep in mind this story is HUGE and with its scope it cant always be focused on the mains or it will lose some cohesiveness as a whole. Think of stories by authors like Robert Jordan and Stephen King the seemingly less important characters by the end of the stories tie the entire thing together. I have read every chapter of this since Tefler dropped chapter 2 and i can honestly say to me it is comparable to the work of some of the greatest authors in any genre thank you and keep up the good work tef.

Da_Wulfe

Thks telfer, the wait was worth all the pain but please can we have the next chapter sooner?????? To the negative Nancy's critizing the sub character development, all I can say is just wait, I bet it's important further in the story. The starforge/soulforge comments make sense but what I want to know is what is hidden on the starbase now controlled by the enshu. As always keep up the good work..

Story has really staggered last few chapters. People are praising the story mindlessly and meanwhile I'm wondering why it has stopped progressing. "Dawn of the povs", I don't really understand why half of the povs are even beeing used, I have no real attachment to these characters. I couldn't really care less about most of the people in this chapter. But reading the comments here I guess most people feel differently and I'm the odd one.

If you do not want to suffer the pain and impatience of waiting, I would suggest visiting this page: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3814558

and becoming a Tefler supporter. Even a dollar a chapter and you get all the advances of his next chapter.

Cheers!

Nice chapter, thank you

I think I figured out why John's ship is white and the other Progen ships are black.

It is because of what it takes to fuel a soul forge. Or rather, it is revealed in the difference between a star forge and a soul forge. I left this a bit vague because I don't want to spoil it if I am correct.

-Mike

So many excellent threads. So many new questions.

Meaning of the title: Hiding in plain sight.

Who or what is hiding? Alyssa? Lynette? Maybe it's something related amongst all the different scenes? One possibility is that perhaps hope, love, positivity, care and concern for others is starting to return to this part of the galaxy. Maybe in large part it's due to John's influence and a desire for a more benevolent society with the most dramatic change occurring with the Maliri. Take the scenes with Ceraden. The changes have occurred so fast that Ceraden feels like everything is surreal and just a dream. Part of him is rejecting the idea that this is really happening and he suspects that he will wake up and realize everything was a dream. Other examples are Henry Voss, Jehanna, Fat Tony (I keep thinking Joey Fatone, the Fat One), Beth, Maria Fernandez, Faye with Helene, Madison Wessox and David Gibbons, Ryan Murphy and Binary, Ken Papados and Valentina Kowalski with Camilla Tovaskaya, Captain Preston Bexley with Tom Walker, Councillor Talari and Warboss Nugrok, Chancellor Niskera and the Yelneg Dominion, and Charles and Lynette (duh!).

Psychic shaping and Invictus upgrades.

I agree, pentadeca aligns with previous nomenclature. Will Calera have to forego an asteroid weapons test? With her prescience will she even need to? Do solid shields and Brimorian shields interface or is it one or the other?

Progenitor-Enshunu connection.

Good catch with the apostrophes.

Celphna the Nymph.

Apparently she's an intelligence operative: either unwittingly or wittingly.

Tefler wrote, "Larn'kelnar's eyes glowed with a faint grey light and he appeared to be staring at something only he could see.

"Such an innovative solution," he murmured, the admiration quite apparent in his voice. He slowly withdrew his fingers, then turned to give the Brimorian leader a sly look. "Do you know what she is, Deep Lord?"

....

Larn'kelnar inclined his head, an enigmatic smile on his face. "Still working as intended after all these years..."

The raises more questions. Whose operative is she? Are the other nymphs also operatives? What about Jade? Because John freed her and made her stronger, is she no longer an operative? That is assuming she is/was.

Athgiloi plan to attack Kintark

Overconfident and unsuspecting.

Tefler wrote, "Athgiloi shrugged, his confidence growing. "Two weeks won't save the Kintark. How long does it take to construct a new cruiser?"

Isn't repatriation of the Kintark EPW's in exchange for the T-Fed annexing part of the Kintark Empire the deal John made with Tamora? So Athgiloi is either going to unsuspectingly attack the T-Fed (whom he is afraid of) or run into some Kintark forces (whom the Deep Pool is afraid of).

Isn't the story moving into a new arc? This is setting the stage. Just as an example, we've had several human antagonists along the way but they're mostly gone now. New ones are likely to appear. This chapter told us who they were and why they're appearing. Will they be big problems or small ones? Will they be 'to the pain' enemies, show us a 'heel face turn' or something in between?

interesting to see a bit of style change, been waiting for a bit of fluff to sharpen some as yet unfilled characters. keep it up and i will keep reading

Your theory of the nymphs makes sense. Maelnarek might have created them for intelligence purpose. Nymphs are quite tempting, and as we know they are psychic too, so it might be possible that a progenitor can connect to other nymphs through any one, they might all be interconnected and the knowledge of its working might only be available to progenitors. Maybe that's why the bsp doesn't have any nymphs in his thrall. Enshushu might have somehow figured it out and that's what all the markings are on jade's heart, to avoid any progenitor to connect with them through other nymphs. If I remember correctly one such discussion has appeared in earlier chapters where the invictus crew asks jade if she can find any other nymphs through her psychic connection.

Another great chapter tefler. One suggestion though, I actually like the side character stories but it would be better if it came in small small parts in many chapters rather than one whole chapter covering every aspect.

Regards

Mg

It's like reading a menu for a grand banquet;

"Yes waiter, I'd like to start with some well marinated beef from Buckinghamshire, then I'll have some Brimorian for the fish course. For the main I think I'll have a serving of Eshunu, well done if you will? Finally, for dessert, I'd like a healthy serving of sex and seduction with a bottle of your most passionate red wine! " 😁😁😁 Good job Tefler, my literary taste buds are tingling 👍

I didn't think it could get any better but you do it with every new chapter, five stars are nowhere near enough for this story. Thank you for writing it to share with us.

I like your theory about Jade's runic inscriptions.

Whereupon rereading earlier chapters, it became more obvious to me that the Nymph species and character was deeply developed from the very beginning. There are small clues dropped here and there about the deeper nature of the Nymphs. Although she is lioness number 4, she is added to the story very early on; almost immediately after they pick up Sparks/Dana. Also, if memory serves me correctly, she was the first to bond with Alyssa. Another first according to Edraele.

In early battles, Jade is pivotal to the victories. Acting on instinct, and without prompting or specific instruction, but possibly from John's overriding influence, she was able to shape-shift in order to save the day. John, Calera, Dana, and Alyssa would all be dead if it weren't for her actions. It also appears as though Nymphs have never acted in this way before, but why she was able to do so of her own volition is a mystery.

However, it is also stated that in all of her years (at least 10,000), John is the only Master she has had that is genetically compatible with her. Is it the biological instinct of survival of the species kicking in for the first time ever? Could it be that Nymphs were a tool created by Progenitors, but have now evolved and are on the cusp of a breakout. Much like the Monarch butterfly, Jade might be akin to a first ever 4th generation Monarch butterfly.

The Monarch butterfly, in order to extend their range and still have access to the larger genetic pool, every 4th generation Monarch is a super generation that makes the long return journey home to Mexico or California. How and why this developed is a mystery, but the evolution of this behavior pattern has given the Monarch a significant advantage to the overall survival of the species. (BTW, it is probable that eventually there will be an Eastern and Western Monarch species due to geographic isolation of their respective home journeys.)

What happened to 108? Is it still just available for your patreons or has it been submitted? I see you're already busy with 109. It really feels like TSM are being dragged further apart here on Lit to the point where I fear we will loose it even though you promised you will not pull your stories from here.

Tef please let us know and enjoy your holidays in the meantime.

TK

I believe he's spacing out the uploads to maintain a somewhat regular pattern. Would be weird if 2 chapters are released within a week and we have to wait a month for the next.

Thank you for releasing yet another new chapter. I think this chapters more that the others has been the focus of many secondary and tertiary characters which for me has slowed down the main story. I realize you are trying to keep your universe alive but you may be juggling too many balls at once. Maybe this will all come together in the end, hopefully not too soon. So far this has been a fantastic read and in my opinion is one of the best and sexiest space operas out there. Reading your bio I am simply stunned by the success you have found. I am truly grateful I stumbled on to this story around chapter 25. So now that it looks like this story isn't going to die out like so many others I'll be checking out your Patreon because you definitely deserve it.

The origin of the Nymphs is not the progenitors...it was the Achonin. They were free after all the Achonin were killed off 7200 years ago.

Loving this story and can't wait for each chapter...

Great work Tefler.

It's super annoying when you allude to/forshadow the whole Thomas/Anna cheating thing around five times and don't resolve it within the same chapter. Grr!

Tefler is on a short vacation, I think he is due back on Monday. 109 is not complete, work in progress. Anything else he will address after he returns, just trying to give everyone some information.

Tefler,

I loved all of the side story plot lines. I just wish that they were spread out rather than presented in one chapter.

I have a theory why John will never build / use a Soul Forge. We know that a Star Forge uses a star's energy. Does a Soul Forge use thrall soul energy, burning out the thralls' life force? If so that would be a non-starter for John. He and the girls might be able to use their massive collective energy to power a third, newer forge that doesn't kill thralls.

I disagree with litreader9696 that a Star Forge and a Soul Forge are the same thing, for the same reason Anon suggests...that there is a fundamental difference in how they are fuelled.

And without wanting to spoil either...

I predict that difference will lead to a refusal by John to use “traditional” Progen techniques. Instead I think he will draw on Dana’s capacity to innovate (with perhaps some other contributions from his crew, friends or secondary characters) to develop a new technique that yields even better results and gives him the tech edge he’s been looking for.

Roo Badly

Curious

I am assuming that nearly everyone has seen the Alien movies. Well John is heading in kirrix space now. Can you imagine if Ripley was there and John and the gang found her?! What do you think would happen? I think Alyssa would be begging for her too join the crew. But could you see her actually doing it?

I like the side characters. Following the main crew, the story is focused on galatic sized conflict. I like seeing the smaller perspectives, the footsteps the giants leave behind, how the ripples of their actions trail off to impact everyone else, and how the galaxy keeps functioning even when they arent there. It really shows that the world Tef built is a living thing.

All that being said, i also wish there were more of the combat scenes from other peoples perspective. I LOVED the scenes in the unclaimed wastes where everyday people are watching these virtual gods walk through any resistance. I would humbly request, narrative permitting, that some more of those types of scenes be sprinkled in.

As always, thank you Tefler

With the access to the organic cybernetics from the Vulkats, Faye's growth is only just starting. It will be interesting to see how Tefler incorporates this.

I truly loved it and can't wait for the next chapter!

The last time John and the crew faced the Kirrix was when rescuing Chancellor Niskera. At that time only John's sword an Tashana's flame infused ammo were effective against the giant preying mantis like kirrix. But now John has learned progenitor battle glyphs. So what would happen if Dana was to infuse all of the team ammo and the Invicticus's weapons with a first heart of the volcano type battle gl

yph.

What a cliff hanger. I am just waiting on pins and needles for the rest. Great story and story telling.

well i cannot speak for the rest of the world but this story is like my best dream hero women true feelings good friends ... what more can a man ask for except good sex and bunch of monsters to killl...OOPS ! they are there also well done mate waiting with baited breath

I know the next two chapters are on his Patreon... just wondering if there are any rumors on when the next will arrive here. Great stuff!

108 is on patron but 109 isn't finished. Tefler went for a short vacation, I think he will be back Monday. No idea when he will post 108 here but doubt it will be long.

WHAT STARTED AS JUST ANOTHER STORY HAS BECOME AN EPIC

HATTS OFF TEFLER

I really liked this chapter, there was a lot going on. The build up to so many smaller stories was awesome. I'm a big fan of Tefler's story telling. Keep it up as I can't wait to read the next chapter!