All Comments on 'Three Square Meals Ch. 108'

I do not recall any discussion about Alyssa and Athena now having different ears, ... or did Athena's ears just follow suit? Alyssa wanted to look more like her man, John, with ears like his, like the Maliri, and like all the other Progenitors, .... just like the old Kyth'feran's, the race prior to the Progenitors, ....

-- So, is Alyssa looking like a Progenitor or a Kyth'feran, .... which had females, ... things that make you go "hummm" ... ;-) ttfn

... and the sub-plots, Charles and Lynette, Tom Walker, Fat Tony with Kelli and Perl, are all pretty compelling to read, ... what will they do next, ... and John's crew is getting super good at quickie upgrades while on the run, ... is that going to be the new normal for them? ... and just how good will a huge Green Dragon be against a bunch of Bugs with ray-guns? ... And there is Faye, super sweet, super helpful, and super-duper, ... ;-) ttfn

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"It says: 'The sweetest girl I know'."

ranec1

And now, the next battle, .... look out bugs! -- and all of test driving of the new gear: shields, guns, armor and a mighty green Dragon, ... oh boy! '-) TTFN

And now onto the battles.

3 things I do not understand

1) Helene is living between soldiers, so how is it possible that she didn’t understand that she needed practice using guns? When someone lives a sheltered live it doesn’t mean that she is stupid?

2) Why doesn’t John practice more?

3) Why does John accept that Alyssa is so revengeful? She tortures people and that is never a good thing especially when you are punishing people because they tortured people. An eye for an eye is a dangerous path especially when people look up to you.

It's true a good admiral probably shouldn't have, but no one is perfect and everyone has their vices. I'm not sure if anyone could turn down the prospect of being younger again with near invulnerability to ailments. Considering the situation and the stakes, she needs to get the strongest cards she can. We all know that Lynette is a very astute and cannae Admiral, but as Charles thinks, she is deeply compassionate and wants to do the right thing.

Lynette took, what I think is best decision to maximize the chances of T-Fed's (which I used to think stood for Totally F....ked .... really changes the tone of many chapters!) survival. Not 'ethical' in terms of 'bias'/'corruption' and the T-Fed can't be sure about John's continuing benevolence, it's a high risk, high reward strategy that sometimes you have to roll the dice on.

Any which way you look at it, this is a pretty intriguing chapter. I honestly have no clue how Tefler manages this level of complexity, not just between the various plots but the political and relationship dynamics as well.

Alyssa - "You're so lucky being able to get her pregnant. I wish Calara could grow my baby in her womb... we could take it in turns breeding her..."

God, reading a futa story is way better than reading this and psychic phallus >w<

But it got me thinking, does this behavior have to do with the progenitor changes in Alyssa? A hint at what is to change?

I despise women with dicks... One of Tefler's favorite sex scenes.

A great and fun story, but... (you just knew there was going to be a but), Lynette should never have agreed to John's offer to heal her 'his' way and make her all young and beautiful... Just like Klayton, she has been compromised (but in this case, benevolently) ... she could have excepted Rachel's aid both to heal her and to give her a deluxe upgraded/check-up... and if she wanted more later, after 10 to 20 years as the Fleet Admiral, then John could offer to restore her to youth and beauty. But the secret Lioness was a better storyline, and it enabled Charles to get some... It was just NOT what a good Admiral should've done... ;-) TTFN

Everybody has favorite and less-favorite characters, but I suspect there's less consensus as to which characters are what.

Great main storyline but I get distracted by the lesser story characters I’m not invested in. Thank you very much for this story.

Well if Jade isn't going to be dropped off on the surface by the Raptor, she can use wings to slow her fall since she is a shape shifter.

The Pi Sagittari is a giant yellow-white star, the blue giant is Sigma Sagittari, look it up.

The pull of a planet is very powerful.

Some anti-gravity would help a lot.

The others all use them.

Why not Jade?

while waiting for the next installment. LOOK INTO Pars001 He has several stories which are on this level

https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=3669699&page=submissions

I'll get to read it tomorrow before the hurricane hits and wipes out my power on weds!

Chapter 109 is now awaiting moderation.

It should be approved in about 15 hours.

It is currently 11:15 AM CST.

Copy the link of the first page of a chapter and paste it in your address bar. Replace chapter number with the chapter number that is being posted , ex replace 108 by 109 and hit enter. If error pops up, chapter is not yet up for moderation , if it is up for moderation a different message appears detailing the same.

I honestly don't know

Thanks Tef, looking forward to your latest chapter.

The waiting sucks but as soon as you start reading the chapters it's worth it.

Great job and look forward to seeing much more of your work!

Just checked and literotica's review staff have not yet queued 109 for review. This means all you addicts have time to re-read 108 so that you can slide in hot to 109.

Tefler, thank you for kindly editing out some of that very rude commentary from the other day. While I enjoy reading the debate- discussion, the purely childish and deceptive actions of some do spoil it for the rest. Thankyou again for your great story.

DePaul

What a great build up. I can't wait to read the next chapter. It's going to be awesome!

It's not the money. Or that I'm too cheap.

I know myself......If I signed up on the patron I'd read the chapters as soon as they come out..... Unedited.....unrefined...... I prefer it to be finished....the final round of editing before it gets posted here is worth the wait.

Although, if you tell me since that's how I feel I should wait till the extended versions come out on Amazon, do that and I'll tell you to go #@%& yourself.

Everyman has his limits.

Plus, it's not like I have to sit and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for the next chapter....

I got shit to do and McGregor just tapped out! Damn!!!!

Keep up the good work tefler..... Looking forward to extended version 4.

You will have legions of paetrons in the future and even though many read here at lit without paying you, its a worthwhile investment of time and effort as a full time writer. The reasons being:

1) people here are more likely to contribute through ideas and artwork to enrich your officially complied and published volumes especially since they want you to keep posting and feel guilty about not paying you and want to help out.

2) marketing your writing in a digital age without spending a cent.

3) you are not a cruel person if John is any indication. Your imagination likely has unlimited potential to make you the next billionare writer with any number of sequels or new tales so please don't leave this unfinished here.

P.s. in case of untimely death like Robert Jordan please make arrangements with another writer to finish this tale. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate.

Regards,

Kirk

Wooohooooo!

Thanks for the update, Tef!!

And thanks again for posting here. You’ve created an addictive tale, sorry for our rude behavior when we’re jonesing for our next fix.

Thanks for the update man, guess we can expect it to show up on here monday or tuesday

Hey everyone,

I've submitted chapter 109 this evening. Sorry for the wait, one of my editors was away, then I gave the patrons a few days to read the finished version just in case any typos slipped in when I was editing!

Tefler

Another brilliant chapter the whole series is far beyond a measly five stars. Can hardly wait for the next chapter.

Try etaski, ltpc, swirling jedi, kingdom halves, jazz cullen when u r waiting for 109. Some of the best i have read.

1. Take your time Sir , post when your ready, you’ve written an almighty epic story in TSM and I applaud your commiting to write full time,alas my life is not so easy to write and read prodigiously for a living but I have thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of TSM you’ve written so far. If anybody thinks it’s easy to write and publish a story so easily think about this. Teffler has been churning out a chapter at least every month, on occasions two a month. The level of commitment this shows as well as the fact this is his livelihood now earns even more respect from me , I’ve merely dipped my toe in the water so to speak over the years, never having the balls to commit to it being my income as Teffler has done. Respect the man. When he is ready he will post the next chapter.

2. As for whining about when the next chapter comes out? Try writing a story of this calibre for yourself and see how long it takes you to get a polished edition without it sounding like a monotone sack of shite that loses your attention in the first paragraph. TSM from the start had had a storyline that bridged from the humble beginnings of TSM to where it is today..The next person who wants to complain about 109 not being published yet, here’s a challenge for you, try writing something something yourself and don’t hide behind a anon post.

Stepping off my soap box and kicking it into the nearest tachyon lance barrel where it should spon com ( spontaneously combust) in chapter 109 of TSM . You rock Teffler, keep up the good work.

I’m not Teffler,but have had stories published in the past on another site years ago,if your really bored try clicking on peoples names in comments, you might find something to fill in your time to read there. Or get a dog, take it for walks. Whatever floats your boat..,

And no ... I’m not Teffler, just for the record.

I love your story. Have read it two times now from start to finish. It is that good!!! I have found things I missed before and things made more since.I know you will post when it is ready to post and not before. That is who you are. THANK YOU ZEKE7474

Putting time to good use while waiting for chapter 109 of TSM, putting words on a page for a submission to a Sunburnt Country contest , in November . It’s not as good as Maestro Teffler TSM epic story, but patiently resigned to TSM 109 eventually being delivered here soon. Maybe this is motivation to stop procrastinating and finally do it, 6 drafts of stories and only one has been published here so far . RL doesn’t give much time to write but I’ll use motivation from Mr Teffler to finally put electronic pen to paper ... thank you Sir , you officially have muse status 👍

Whether that really was him or not, it changes nothing. He owes us absolutely nothing because we arent paying customers. He can post whenever he damned well pleases and I'll be happy about it because I get to read a great story for free. If he really does decide to stop posting it for free that's his choice, one that people who complain will have pushed him to. So instead of pushing him towards that choice, certain spoiled entitled asshats should try thanking him for including us.

As they say, you catch more flies with honey...

Look everyone is getting ticked off for no good reason. Yes I enjoy this story a lot too but there are others out there just as good if not better. Read some of them. As to how some of us can not afford to join Patreon? In my case I am older and on disability and I bet others are in the same boat. If he stops posting here I will miss the story, but it is not the end of the world. His delay in posting just lets me find other writers I like as well.

Dude 111 aint even done for the patreon yet. Chill out. I don't expect 109 to show up here until 111 is up for the patrons.

IF tefler decides to stop posting here, which I really don't think he'll do since this is basically the advertising to drive traffic to the patreon in the first place, it'll be because of people like you.

I had the same bug where 108 didn't show up in my favorites feed. No idea why that happened. Anyway, I'll just check back daily for 109, just in case it gets glitched, too.

You can pledge as low as $1 per chapter. At the most, it would cost you $2 to $3 per month. That is less than a cup of coffee a month! Seriously?

There is no need to defend Tefler. You read here for free. He post here as a courtesy to readers who enjoy his story. After reading comments by you when you don't get the post at the speed you want I can understand why his patrons have suggested to him not to post here anymore. Most readers here are happy to have a story of this quality to read even if it comes out once a month.

Still no update on 109 tefler ?????

Hopefully only only 2 more weeks for lit readers before we get 109 maybe another week to start to stretch it to a month and a half in the near future.

At this pace I will have to reread 108 but I won't vote again as I have also stopped the extra voting whenever I can.

I am starting to loose and forget the storyline which might be a good thing as I unfortunately cannot join on patreon and it really seems like TSM will disappear from Lit soon. I hope it's not the case but the writing is on the wall dear readers.

Again. anyone other than Tefler who tries and defend him will be ignored, he is man enough to speak for himself and answer me if he thinks I'm worth answering.

TK

Any news on 109?

You have a true gift, thank you for sharing with us

First time I've commented on this story as that would take time away from reading it.

Best I've read on this site and I've read a lot. Keep it coming Teller. Well done.

I also have the issue where chapter 108 has not shown up on my activity feed. I can't find a solution but glad to see I am not the only one. None of the other authors I follow have posted something to see if this is a one off situation.

The kirrix are parasites. You don't try to understand fleas and ticks, do you?

Some idle speculation while we await the next chapter...

One of Alyssa's first psychic feats was to create a kilometer wide "null zone" in the Ashanath shopping mall. This does seem to have had a similar effect to that of Baledranax's psychic dampener that nearly caused John and the girls grief during the Battle for Terra.

Now that Alyssa is an accomplished Progenitor with powers orders of magnitude greater than she had then, she could probably project a psychic null zone to cover a whole planet, or maybe even a whole system.

The Kirrix appear to be a hive-mind, communicating psychically, and we've seen how if their hive queen is killed, the "workers" are incapacitated. So surely all Alyssa has to do is project a null-zone over the invaded planet, and all the Kirrix troops would drop like, er, flies. Or at least like a load of puppets with their strings suddenly cut.

I haven't seen 109 yet, so I'm still looking forward to see if they think of that.

Taking a longer view, I agree with Faye that we should feel sorry for the Kirrix. They seen to be painted as very 1-D evil bug-eyed monsters, but I can't see how any race could progress enough to be an advanced space-faring civilisation without some good points or redeeming qualities. Why do they lay their eggs in other sentient species' bodies? There must be some reason, and maybe they could be persuaded to change their habits? Perhaps if John or Alyssa could link in to their psychic hive-mind and give them a change of heart, they could be transformed from evil enemies into powerful psychic allies?

Just some thoughts,

AL

Curious why ch 108 is not appearing my "Latest Activity" pane here on lit, when I follow Tefler. 107 and previous chapters are all listed, but 108 is conspicuously absent! What's the story there...?

Any update on. 109 tefler ?????

When can we read it on literotica

I hope you post it soon

I think your story is awesome can't wait to see whats going to happen 😁

She didn't choose him *over* John and the crew though. She didn't immediately join them , not because of Charles , but because - a)becoming a fleet admiral is something that she had wanted ever since she was a child, b) John wouldn't let her , because he thinks she only wants to be with him because of progenitor DNA magic ( but after Charles is dead I guess that conflict just vanishes ?). To her, John and the crew aren't a consolation prize , they are the end goal. Keep in mind that she has already decided that she is going to end up with them , even before she began her relationship with Charles , and she's going to be bonded to Alyssa and John the *entire* time that she is going to be married to charles, even after bsp is killed without Charles even knowing about that, as it seems to be till now. Just a weird situation.

Choosing to live alone after you're in your 50s isn't such a major anomaly, plenty of people in may/December romances choose to live alone after their spouse dies, especially if you've had kids.

Also. Keeping the option of moving on after your partner dies with some random individual is completely different from having already decided who you're going to move on with. The latter sullies your current relationship , yes. Especially when , in the latter case , you are going to become an immortal. Think about it dude , your wife , before getting married to you tells you she's going to move on after you die with your best friend and that she's going to be an immortal. Ok.cool. your first reaction is why get into a relationship at all, am I just a pit stop ? A convenience ? How honest were your declarations of love ? This a very human reaction. People do crave more than just a hot body in a relationship , you know.Now. Go back to the last chapter. Charles was worried that she had become one of john's lionesses and then Lynette tells Alyssa that he was relieved that she had not slept with him. Note, not that she wasn't involved with him, but that she hadn't slept with him. I would say that Charles is over-awed by John's powers and it made him feel insecure , how am I going to measure up to that ? That is the reason, why it's logical that his feelings about Lynette having already decided to go be one of john's women after he dies would be negative.

Think about it this way - John is already interested in Maria. But he won't make the same offer to her , will he ? That when jack dies , I'll turn you into an immortal and you can come be with us , us including your daughter.

Which brings me back to my last point. What even is love ? Is the love that Lynette is going to have for John going to be as strong as the other girls have for him ? Will he draw the same energy from her too ?

I think this whole sub plot , for me , muddles the concept of love in the context of this story, makes it more utilitarian and practical where it needs to be idealistic.

Something that's also being left out of this discussion is context: sure, Lynette could have chosen to join John and the Lionesses immediately, but she didn't- she chose Charles. Whatever she may or may not do afterward, she specifically declined to join a crew of what are apparently the most accomplished, intelligent, badass, and sexually desirable beings in the galaxy to spend a lifetime with Charles. In this scenario, Charles is her first pick, not some waystation on the way to grander things; the crew of the Invictus is her consolation prize.

As always, Tefler, thank you for sharing an amazing story.

"So it is possible that she could choose not to gain immortality when he dies"

1) And live alone for ~thirty years, then die (because if you're objecting to her being with John, then obviously the same applies to anyone else).

2) Or, she could go and live with John and the girls in Maliri space.

Considering she is already psychically connected to Alyssa and John, it's not really much of a spoiler to tell you option one wouldn't even get a look in.

"versus getting into a relationship with someone who can *choose* to turn immortal after you die"

Charles enjoys her company, respects her professionally, and admires her many good qualities such as intelligence, kindness etc. Physically Lynette is an 11/10, there's no way he will ever date a more beautiful woman. Do you honestly think he will give the slightest crap if she moves on after he dies of old age? He would be far more concerned that she was well taken care of when he eventually leaves her.

"who already has a guy in mind she's going to be spending eternity with"

Why does it matter what Lynette does after Charles is long dead? From his point of view, she will be his faithful loving wife until he dies and will mourn him when he's gone. What more could he possibly ask from any woman?

Tefler

Lynette is *not* an immortal. She's a 20 something woman in love with a 40 something man ( Charles too had his clock turned back by 10 years) so she would be in her 50s or 60s when he passes away. So it is possible that she could choose not to gain immortality when he dies. Because she will gain immortality after he dies If she chooses to be with john, so it's not a question of 30 or so years after he dies but for 10s of thousands of years. Now, there been plenty of people who've lost their spouse in their 50s who chosen to stay single for the rest of their lives AND there've been plenty works of fiction where actual immortals have given up their immortality to be with their mortal lovers. True love makes you do crazy stuff.

Also. It's one thing to get into a relationship with someone immortal, knowing that *will* outlive you , and gladly telling them to move on when you die versus getting into a relationship with someone who can *choose* to turn immortal after you die, and who already has a guy in mind she's going to be spending eternity with. Are her feelings even genuine ? Why is she going to turn immortal after he dies anyway ? Is she already in love with John right now ? Or is it selfishness , a desire to experience power ? Or simply a strong pull because of progenitor genes ? Fear of death ?

This seems important , especially how this story is so obviously steeped in love as it's thematic background -john's psychic powers basically increasing with love etc.

"that a relationship where one partner knows all along , that they would be spending an *eternity* with somebody else"

Do you often ponder the ramifications of being in love with an immortal? ;-)

It's easy to talk about being together for "eternity" when you and your spouse are going to die before you reach 100. But what happens if your girlfriend was actually going to live forever?

If you met your perfect dream woman and she said she'd be faithfully yours for your whole life, what more could you ask of her? Does it matter that she'd choose to be with other immortals after you were dead and gone? Would her love for you be cheapened because she doesn't die at the same time you do? It's not her fault that she'll live forever, while you eventually succumb to old age.

It's like an elf and a human having a relationship in fantasy settings. Elves invariably outlive humans by centuries, so an elvish partner would stay youthful and their appearance wouldn't really change, while you aged and died.

I gave it some thought when I was writing this plot line and it was interesting to think about. One of the fun aspects of being a writer is you get to seriously consider things like this... and it's your job to do so! :-)

Tefler

Maybe I'm injecting my own sense of morality in this discussion, but I've always felt that love is deeper than just sex and temporary companionship and and that a relationship where one partner knows all along , that they would be spending an *eternity* with somebody else while claiming to be *in love* with the person that they are with at the moment somewhat cheapens it, that it seems more convenience than love, and it seems jarring in a story about such deep bonds of love between characters. I know that if I died , I would want my partner to move on, of course, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about the relationship,, about our bond , if my replacement is all lined up , before I even began a relationship with them. But i get it, it's just me imposing my cultural values and understanding about love and companionship onto these characters. But it is , of course , a little strange , that all these characters have the exact same morals, some conflict would have been fun.

Regardless , thank you for replying , I'm glad that I at least made you think. Now please get back to editing/posting 109. I need my fix !!!

Any update on 109 tefler ????

I hope you post it soon

"Imagine how a man is supposed to feel when his wife simply thinks of him as a placeholder."

If they told him, Charles wouldn't care in the slightest. Think about it from his perspective for a moment: Charles is early fifties, with a rejuvenated body ten years younger. He's getting a second chance to have a family life with a brilliant woman he respects, loves, and who shares a lot of his interests... She's also got the body of an incredibly fit twenty-year-old and is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. For the rest of his life, she'll be completely dedicated and faithful to him (and she's offered to wake him every morning with a blowjob!). Lynette is his idea of a perfect wife!

Would Charles really want Lynette pining away for him for 30+ years after he dies of old age? If he genuinely cared for her, surely he'd want her to be happy, rather than dying alone?

"I felt that he (John) had more honour than that"

John wouldn't dream of doing anything with Lynette while she's with Charles. He specifically avoided any sexual contact with her while she was on the ship with him so that she could make a life for herself as Fleet Admiral without him. They only kissed the one time at her request.

"Isn't he genetically wired to protect his women"

Progenitors don't give a shit about their Thralls. John is very different as he cares about the girls because he loves them, it's definitely not because of genetic programming. Remember that all the subtle indoctrination effects only work one way... on the Thralls (responding to praise, visions of children, etc). Lynette might be psychically connected to Alyssa, but John simply views her as a close friend, not a lover.

So:

1) Charles gets a loving, faithful, gorgeous younger wife for the rest of his life.

2) Lynette gets to fulfill her dream of being Fleet Admiral and having a loving husband and family while doing so.

3) John gets to see both of his friends happy. When Charles passes away, Lynette can retire with him and the rest of the girls in Maliri space.

I'm really not seeing any losers in this scenario, they all get what they want. If John was single and was only going to live a normal human lifespan, then him being so selfless with Lynette would be a huge sacrifice. But he's got a harem of 20+ women! He's also immortal, so what's 30 or 40 years when Progenitors track their lifespans in millennia?

But I feel it destroys the sanctity of what Charles and Lynette have. Imagine how a man is supposed to feel when his wife simply thinks of him as a placeholder. Yeah , I love you and all, but after you're dead , I'm gonna go be with my immortal superhuman boyfriend , who by the way , is also like your son and spend an actual eternity with him. Thiso means that john's and Charles's children from Lynette would be half-siblibgs ( which is also a whole lot of weird). Charles at least deserves to know what the plan is after he passes away.

I don't know ,man , maybe I read john's character wrong , but I felt that he had more honour than that.

Not to mention how come John feels nothing about another man impregnating a woman that is bonded to his matriarch and who he has fed more than three ( which was the threshold) times ? Isn't he genetically wired to protect his women and knock them up ?

John promising Lynette a life with him later was the only way he could get her to fully commit to living without him (brief as that would be for an immortal). While Lynette was being fed, she was becoming increasingly more obsessed with John... which I tried to show in the chapters covering her "rejuvenation".

He also knew she desperately wanted to be Fleet Admiral, which would have meant her being lonely for at least 10 years when he retired to Maliri Space. Why leave her alone and unhappy when she could have a great life with Charles?

At the same time, she is almost guaranteed to outlive Charles, with her body restored to that of a twenty year old. Rachel's health checkup rolled back the years for him, but only a decade or so. That means she'll probably end up living as a widow for at least 20-30 years after Charles' death...

Alternatively, Lynette could have tried to start a relationship with someone the same physical age as her new body, but she has the mentality of a 52 year-old Admiral... to say that she's in a different place mentally to a 20 year-old guy would be putting it lightly.

So there were no really obvious solutions to the problem. In the end, John did what he always does... tried to make Lynette as happy as he could.

Lynette's relationship with the crew and Charles bothers me a little. I mean she marries his mentor , has children with him , and when he dies she flies into the sunset with the dude ? The fuck ? Is he John like a weird fall back option or something ?? Are they going to offer the same thing to Maria too ? Or is that a relationship we are going to respect because jack is calara's father , but Charles , who's a father figure and a mentor to John doesn't count ? It's okay for some people to grow old and die. Let them r.i p.

I know Teffler said maybe the end of the month for chapter 109 but I’m not counting the days... like I’m not checking several times s day in case it’s suddenly been published on here.. not me, no sir. But when it’s published here no doubt we all shall be sleep deprived again , twice in once month, if only we were so lucky . Keep up the fine standards you have set so far Marstro Teffler, when it’s here I’ll gladly sacrifice an hour or so for a good cause .

One of my editors was away, but I've got his edits now, so I'll go through them today.

Tefler

Agree with realusmctazman. This is a great story which has a new chapter at least monthly. That's pretty good. As the time approaches for a new chapter to be release we become like junkies desperately needing a fix. It's tough to go through, but I have a good laugh seeing others feeling the same way I do as we deal with the cold sweats of TSM withdrawal.

That being said, a good portion of Tefler's income is based on the paetron customer. They put skin in the game and should be awarded accordingly. I kind of felt getting the story 1-2 weeks before it comes on here was short changing these generous folks who believe in Tefler to the point of parting with their money. Since I am one of those readers who freely choses to read his work with no cost to me, I'm fine with the added wait. I'll take as a win-win where Tefler keeps his paying supporters happy while still making it gratis for the rest of us albeit delayed a little.

You've ruined most of the rest of the stories on this site for me! In the last 5-6 weeks I've read through the entire series twice. Now that I'm waiting, I'm reading other authors again and they just can't compare.

I can't believe the depth and breadth of the world you've created. It is consistent in a way that many mainstream, published authors seem to struggle with. I love that your characters are so well developed and unique. The few times I had a problem with how someone acted all turned out to be perfect foreshadowing. This was especially noticeable on the second read-through.

I've read hundreds if not thousands of sci-fi and fantasy books, and yours is the first I've ever read again immediately after finishing. I'm looking forward to seeing your vision through to the end. Well done.

I don't know why I get so antsy..., my other favorite authors can take anywhere from 3 months to a year + to get there next chapters out. I guess it is because this story is so good. Thanks Tefler for sharing and I know the moderators take time to ensure all stories a complient.

pretty sure we'll get 109 whenever the patreon gets 111. Being 2 chapters behind seems to be the new normal. It's a shame, when I started reading this story lit got each chapter a week after they went up for the patreon. Can't hate on the guy for pushing traffic to the patreon, it's his work and income, but it still sucks for those of us with empty wallets. I just hope the delay doesnt go to 3 chapters behind, or four....

Excellent chapter @tef. It was a superb buildup before the battle, it was like placing all the pieces in position before the party begins.

In previous chapter I had commented that it would be better if you put side character stories in different chapters in small parts rather than one whole chapter for them. Now I know I was wrong, after reading this one I feel previous chapter was really necessary. I take my words back man. You write whatever you feel is good, in the end it always turns up as nothing less than awesome.

Desperately waiting for Faye to truly join crew. And someone to start 'jumping' especially Faye.

Regards

Mg

109 will get here when it gets here. I realize that most millennial mushrooms just gotta have everything when they want it; to hell with anything besides what they want.

I'm looking forward to 109 as much as anyone. 108 was awesome. What it portends for 109 and 110 and 111....OH YEAH!!

so trekky1, just chill.

stonegray

It's been 11 days since you said you're waiting for your editors to send back editing for 109. I can't believe it's still not done since you're already busy with 111 on your patreon page. Is our timeline on Lit really been moved to one chapter a month?

Disappointed but still hoping you're not going to drop us on Lit.

ps. If you're not Tefler don't comment as I don't talk to the idiots who's trying to read Tefler's mind on what he wants to say, I think he's man enough to answer us himself.

TK

Starting to get antsy..., must be soon.

I hope you right a hundred more chapters love this story

Keep up the good work, Tefler. Your writing is amazing.

End of the month then ????

Thank you for the excellemt work!

Can't wait to see where this goes!

I agree with an earlier post about no testing of the new weapons. No matter how much they trust Dana, no-one with combat experience would go into battle without at least knowing a weapons capabilities. How hard does it hit, range, over heating, all are need to know before the weapon is used the first time.

I can only assume Tefler will have them test fire on the way to the battle.

I haven't finished the edits on chapter 109 yet, so it'll probably be a little while.

Tefler

I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next ch tefler

Hope you post it soon

Like today or tomorrow would be great

110 is up on Patreon. Will we see 109 here soon? I'm looking forward to the Kirrix slaughter.

I waited as long as I could before reading 108 to shorten the time to 109 but found myself glimpsing at the page numbers seeing I'm getting to the end and was sad that I reached the end. Very nice build up to the big fight.

I know we give you a lot of criticism and bug you endless to produce faster but I also know that you realize you've got the best story ever on here and we're just addicted.

So looking forward to 109 now.

TK

According to the Patreon site chapter 110 is now live for revision/comments by the patrons, so maybe Tefler will be ready for the release of 109 here in the coming days, as his schedule/situation leaves him time.

I'm not getting withdrawal symptoms because I am reading a lot of stories, which come out somehow regularly here and on SOL, so I'm just hibernating... i a sort of ways.

Thanks Tefler for the story.

Fat Tony is not Alyssa's would be rapist, a gang member named Georgio was. Alyssa says this in chapter ten: "I left here 6 weeks ago, because Georgio tried to rape me and I stuck him with a knife!"

You rat bastard and your cliffhangers.

Dammit! Dammmit!

Sigh..... great chapter, I especially found it poignant about the Karron girl wanting to see the sun.

I checked for you and the would be rapist was named Gerogio. Here's what Alyssa said in chapter ten: "I left here 6 weeks ago, because Georgio tried to rape me and I stuck him with a knife!"

"I left here 6 weeks ago, because Georgio tried to rape me and I stuck him with a knife!" - Alyssa, Chapter 10, Page 2

No, it wasn't Fat Tony (although Sparks actually does mention him shortly before this line, which is pretty impressive continuity imo).

Thks for your continued great read. I again can't wait to see what's going to happen next,. (tomorrow???).. seriously though the sub stories are adding some nice extra to the story, eg Tony and the girl's but my twisted thoughts now see a potential issue with Calara's father and brother involved in a separate battle and getting injured or killed. That would really cause problems for Calara in the upcoming battles. Still I'm sure they'll be ok, maybe.....

Love the story, but noticed one thing. Is Tony the same guy Alyssa attacked forcing her to flee on John's ship at the beginning?

Thanks,

Mich

Going into battle without testing new regulators, shields, or weapons when even Dana wasn't sure about their capabilities. I always enjoyed when the new capabilities were tested and measured against previous capabilities and useless space targets. Will the Lance's fire continuously at ranges beyond the Nova Lance's and Singularity weapons in battle? Who knows? Looking forward in finding out. Thanks for the story. Great fun.

First of all as always you're one of the best writers out there.

Now to comment on the larger insects with exoskeletons. The only thing holding their size back is actually oxygen content. Back in the days of massive forests the insects were much larger but as oxygen levels decreased so to did insect sizes. As they don't have an active circulation system they need more oxygen in the air. If an alien insect species had an active circulation system they could grow to mansized or larger after all they would be an alien species not an Earth species.

Ed Parachini

For those who aren't too worried about plausibility in their fiction, sorry for the boring wall of text...

A lot of the material showing that "mechs can't work" originated with simplifications and misunderstandings that got baked into a certain popular tabletop mech warfare game.

Real modern armor weighs much less per unit of protection (but takes up much greater volume) than simple WW2 "slab-of-alloy" armor. As such, a mech would be much lighter per volume (and per unit of protection) than is commonly estimated; getting enough surface area to support that lighter weight in a mech's foot is relatively unchallenging compared to a tank's treads, which have to be long, narrow, and able to bend. Modern MBTs regularly achieve ground pressures in the 5-15 PSI range while weighing 50-90 tons. A realistic mech could easily achieve better ground pressure without sacrificing survivability.

In practice, the simple mechanics of mechs can be engineering-plausible, even with current technology. The real issue isn't the engineering(ground pressure, joint strength, etc). It's tactical: whether the setting's sensor/weapon/countermeasures triangle allows the mech to be tactically useful compared to a more traditional armored vehicle.

If it's easy to lock and fire a guided or homing weapon that can defeat armor, both the tank and the mech are vulnerable, and the mech's additional mobility and tactical unpredictability makes it overall more useful. Conversely, if there are a lot of beam or hypervelocity-projectile weapons, a tank might be easier to hide thus less vulnerable to "see it/kill it".

...and, if there's a sensor-and-weapons platform in orbit, mechs and tanks might end up equally screwed. It's all up to the author and the setting :)

I remember seeing a documentary about the infeasibility of massive exo-skeletons, and the rather sad conclusion that giant spiders, giant ants, and various other gigantic insects were impossible. Likewise, giant robots and mechs are also completely impractical; that amount of weight on the relatively small surface area of mechanical feet would make them sink into the ground.

But where's the fun in that? :-)

Tefler

in reality I am always reminded that exoskeleton lifeforms are physically incapable of growing to any appreciable size. Even lightweight chitinous exoskeletons become cumbersome under gravitational acceleration. At a certain point, the size and weight of the exoskeleton grows beyond the capability of the musculature to support and maneuver the exoskeleton to any degree. A zero g insectoid race might be able to attain a much larger size, but again their agility will be hindered due to the force to mass ratio. I can think of at least four other extremely popular sci-fi/sci-fantasy stories where large bugs are the theme: Lord of the Rings, Starship Troopers, Ender's Game, and a myriad of DnD related stories.

My age will show with this comment, but the Kintark, the Kirrix, and the Bolon remind me of the Thrynn, the Velox, and the Spemin. The cyborg pirates slightly remind me of the Mechans, but none of the Mechans were evil, whereas all of the cyborgs so far have been evil.

I agree with the other comments about not taking any kind of back up weapon. At minimum, he should instinctively grab a Reaper pistol. It has been my experience that most military officers will carry a pistol, depending upon the unit MTOE (Modified Table of Organization and Equipment).

Great point about the QFC ... completely forgot about them (facepalm!)

Also agree with you regarding Alyssa. A bit like when she started to ignore John and started going off solo and setting a bad example encouraging some of the other girls to do the same, John eventually spoke to her and brought her back in line.

I do think that, considering all she has experienced in her life, some blunt reaction to "bad guys" is not unexpected, but her fundamental nature has always been presented as kind and caring so I don't expect any drastic measures will be required by John.

I loved this chapter Tefler very well written

William

@ FuddyDuddyDude

I mentioned that I switch to reading FanFiction.net stories while waiting for Tefler's latest chapter, but I have been binging Stargate Atlantis and other Stargate franchise crossovers, not TSM FanFic, mainly ones that pick up after Atlantis was cancelled at the end of Season 5. Too many things got rushed to give it a semblance of an ending, for the fans, once word came down that they had been cancelled.

I'm dipping my toe in the water, working out plot lines, story and character arcs, and basically, my wish list of things I would have loved to have seen, but realistically know even the illustrated and novel followups to the series won't do. In the FanFics I've read so far, there have been parts I've loved, and others I hated. I think my frustration over the parts I disagree on are what are driving me to try this out.

As for Three Square Meals FanFiction, I looked and couldn't find any. I think anyone who wanted to would need to get Tefler's written permission to post them, first, or the site would pull them.

-------------------------

@ Anon

I truly don't think Tefler could ever have one of John's women turn dark side, especially Alyssa. One, she's mentally linked to him as his matriarch, so if she did overstep, she's hardwired to channel power to him, so he could just absorb any power she tries to use, and she would be left at John's mercy for a "stern talking to", or the Progenitor equivalent. Second, as much as he would hate it, he could, as a last resort, reset her like Edraele. It would kill him, but I still believe it would never happen.

What I think you are seeing is just an 18 year old girl, who went from a powerless victim of anyone's whim on Karron, to one of the most powerful beings in the universe, almost overnight. Add to that, almost from the day she met John, she has gone from one battle to the next kill or be killed situation, starting with pirates who love to rape and murder. She is just desensitized to killing where she deems it necessary. True, she is getting a little too comfortable with it, but I think if it gets worse, John will have one of his talks with her, the kind she says where he always knows the exact right thing to say to a girl.

I truly think this is just Alyssa growing accustomed to her power, and will take some time to adjust and settle into it. After all, it's not like she's just "kill 'em all" all the time. She said what she meant, believed it was the right thing to do in the end, and the next thing she does is give the object of her threats his first glimpse of absolution in decades. Is that the action of a burgeoning, power mad, dark side villain?

Did I see a comment there is a FanFic site for Tefler's universe????

Just asking...

I will confess that I literally had goosebumps as I finished the last page.

Tefler you have created an amazing story. I wish I was John Blake...

Thank you sir.

FDD

A quantum rifle will be useless when John finally fights Laen'kenar. He should use this fight as a live fire practice session for bigger and more important battles to come. If there is a jamming device he can probably dooge for long enough for the girls to came and kick ass, then one of them can give him their sidearm. His armour is tough enough to take a few bits as well.

If the Invictus has replaced all its turreted guns with Laser weapons again how will.it fight the Black Ship, which everyone believes is immune to laser fire. That was why the built the Heavy and Gauss cannons in the first place. I think they have been seduced by bigger firepower and now have tunnel vision. That being said with 4 or 5 Tachyon Lance's the Valkirye alone probably outgunns the entire Terrain fleet.

Tefler has a skill in introducing a time mechanic or an item to defend to prevent the space battles from getting boring. The start of the Battle of Kanglon had the Invictus using Nova Lance's and Singularity Drivers to outrange and destroy Drone carriers at will. If their is nothing forcing another brawling space battle fluke that then the Invictus can probably take them all out without scratching the paint.

Can't wait to see what Tefler brings next.