All Comments on 'Three Square Meals Ch. 075'

... and in the next chapter the Invictus crew must race off to aid the Ashanath against the Dakkar (5 foot tall and skinny versus 8 foot tall, 4 arms and quite brutal, as well as hungry for Grey flesh) they are mostly completed with the latest refit, ... but they'll need to knock out a few last-minute things while enroute, ... and maybe develop some new stuff too, ... Tef sure keeps the action coming, ... and just wait until John shows the Ashanath High Council his intel officer and her sister (blue skin and long white hair -- like on the stone pictographs), ... this story is pretty d**n good, ... thank you Tef! ... ;-) ttfn

The last thing he did was to contact Edraele by telepathy, and say, *I'm going to block you out of my mind until Tashana's Change is complete. After I've wiped your memory of her banishment, you'll get confused if you hear my thoughts while I'm discussing it with her.*

GOOD CATCH!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"She said it's going to be 'fucking awesome'."

John finally got to 'fix' Tashana, ... and the Maliri Matriarchs are all now under John and Edraele, and learning to be 'good', ... and now that the Invictus is all refitted and awesome, the Ashanath are again having problems with their Drakkar neighbors, ... I can guess where John's new Battlecruiser is heading next, .... good chapter, loved Tashana getting her pretty nose back, .... more please, ... ;-) TTFN

At last, Tashana is saved. 5⛤

now off to save the Ashinath. Never a dull moment.

This is an artful, ribald tale that commands my respect for the author. I'm reading it from the beginning for the first time and will not wait but another minute to open chapter 76. Thank you, Tefler.

I’m really enjoying the story, but I have to express a frustration… it’s so annoying when there is a discussion about a topic, we get three quarters of the way there, and then Alyssa or someone says “you’ll have to wait and see.” Ok cool, I won’t care nearly as much when the reveal happens, or I’ll be confused because ten different things all happened in the meantime. There’s already so much going on without disrupting every topic with a “you’ll have to wait cause it’s a surprise” and then I don’t remember half of what was discussed by the time the surprise comes around

As my reread continues i think i found a person mixup on the return to genthalas. i think it should say tsarra and her cohort instead of gaenna which was a ships name iirc.

***spoiler*** from my reading and then rereading TSM several times, I can tell you that Tashana's memories of her horrible 13 years in the unclaimed wastes were just blocked / covered over by John as that was faster and easier than fully removing them, ... and later as she grew stronger, Tashana broke through and completely regained all her true memories from those years, including those of her one friend in those hard times, Bull. ;-) TTFN

so did they remove Tashana memory of Bull?

Maybe Anonymous's hypocrite MC was a speeding Motorcycle Cop? ;-) TTFN

@Anonymous of a few days ago, ... firstly: Hyprocrite, (just transpose your ''i and 'y'), second: 'MC' makes me think of Master of Ceremony, and I strongly suspect that was not the MC you were shooting for, because you hated him/it/them? Unlike Alyssa, we are not mind readers... ;-) TTFN

the story is enjoyable but i fucking hate an MC that is a big hipocryte

I am also amazed that John did not use a tellikinetic wall or shield to protect vs the fire. Is he stupid, weak, or incompetent? I also found it humorous that titanium is mentioned as the preferred Terran metal. Titanium has its place with aircraft of the twentieth century. I am doubtful of its value in a spaceship. Still, the story is entertaining and what keeps me reading! So, thanks Tefler!

The Grand Engineering Overlord (Dana) is a Genius, but... why didn't Tef choose for the entire hull / superstructure of the Invictus to be made from the Eitherium enhanced form of Maliri crystal (10 times the resilience of Titanium) instead of just the 250-meter-long middle section? I am not a big fan of the 'alloy' based on titanium, that is just simply referred to as 'Titanium' on Tef's 28th century T-Fed worlds... although it is a strong and light building material, it is just NOT a good material to have around you during a space battle, what with bombs and high energy weapons flying about, 'cause titanium is a flammable metal! So, next refit it should be more Maliri Crystal (or some strong Progenitor material) and less Titanium, Okay? We've gotta protect John's girls! ;-) TTFN

Dana asked "Anyone else wants to second guess my designs" and the crew shook their heads.

Seems like others are lining-up thou

I saw that you had the Maliri engineers at Genthelas shipyard, produce vast quantities of Maliri crystal to use as hull and superstructure on the 250 meter Invictus expansion,.. Well back when Dana was trying to improve on Invictium, she found that a little Etherite added to the Maliri Crystal mix made a crystal that was nearly twice as strong,.. Original/standard Maliri crystal is 6 times the strength of Titanium armor,.. so crystal with a dash and pinch of Etherite should be around 10 times Titanium's strength? So, are the Maliri using this improved Crystal pn their warships and such, and was that the Crystal, along with some Crystal Alyssium connectors, that was used in the Invictus refit? I think they should've given the old Titanium tub a total make over with this stuff,.. but Tef needed them a little bit weaker, and maybe it was a tad faster to complete the refit Tef and Dana's way,.. Still I think that they shouldn't have cut the Invictus attack cruiser up,.. I think they should've laid down the Crystal Keel for a new ship,.. they had to rewire all of it anyway,.. it couldn't really have saved them much time,.. maybe the duplicating some equipment could've slowed them a day, at most,.. And when they had to move Faye's Server and build a new (Progenitor) gateway server for the new and improved Invictus computer/communications system, why didn't one of those bright girls suggest building a back up server for Faye? I know, they thought her new server was Awesome, but they really needed a back up,.. and if they used her original 'hacking deck' for random gender (and basic personality?), they could've created a small stable of AI's as standby and back ups to Faye,.. they knew how difficult it would be to ever recreate her later on, if something should ever happen to her. SMH :-l TTFN

WTF, and now we know that the secondary hanger walls are made from titanium,.. when they could easily have been upgraded on this refit to Malari crystal (6 times stronger than titanium, and lighter),.. John needs to get rid of 98% or so of the ship's titanium soon, please! :- ) TTFN

I really wish that you (oh mighty Tef, the word welder) had boldly stated that during this refit, that the decking was changed from heavy Titanium to something else! Like Maliri crystal ( six times titanium's strength and lighter too! ). Great chapter though! Thank you! ;-) TTFN

"When and where has Tashana seen ducks?"

On T-Fed shows and movies. The twins were both big fans and watched a lot of it when they were younger. It made them fluent in Terran and very familiar with our colloquialisms.

"You're a sitting duck, you should attack them!" Tashana urged her. When and where has Tashana seen ducks?

He stops an entire empire wide civil war, without a single SHOT fired.

He then gets burned to a crisp (almost). SMH

What are we going to do with Mr. Blake.

This story is too good.

The visual images and descriptions for the Invictus tour, the Gaming simulation, and Airlock conversation are very crisp. Great job, Tefler.

Invictus Tour (ch75, p.6)

Gaming Simulation (ch75, p.10)

Air Lock Conversation between Alyssa & Tashana (ch75, p.12)

I understand your comment but ask yourself 1 Didn't I see this coming over the last several chapters? 2 Wasnt it stated that it was not unheard of in Maliri culture that mothers, daughters and sisters all have children with the same Male because there are so few? 3 Finally with the story as its been going and not only Alyssa but several of the other characters referring to him being with the twins or mother daughter references why am I shocked? Yes John is trying his damndest to be upstanding, good and all around white knight but with his natural instincts which he seems to try and fight against, more than anyone since the martyrs, he is still only a guy. So ask yourself honestly if this wasnt sci-fi fantasy fiction could you be half the hero he is? Bravo telfer this is my 4th time through and I just orderd the hard copy books on Amazon when is the next book in the series going into publication.

Had to sign in as anonymous cause there is a problem logging in

MLEOPARDI or Just Mike is fine

Elaborate descriptions of horses, armor and weapons, plus the physical and inner characteristics of women, seem like further parallels to the Arthurian Knight‘s quest for The Grail.

Epic ship upgrade, faux battle scene, billions lives saved and a damsel in distress. What else could you want?

There wasn't anything related to incest in this chapter. Mother and daughter shared a blowjob and that was it, nothing remotely incest about.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with it. But isn't it should be added to tag list for this chapter?

Me too! xD

It reminded me of the end of the movie "War Games"

Circumstances dictated that I again take a break from this epic for a period. So, in coming back I took the opportunity to re-read the past half dozen chapters. Can say they remain equally absorbing and compelling. Looking forward now to the further adventures of John and the ladies. Go Invictus. 🚀

One of the few stories that make it so worthwhile being a member. There are many really good stories, but only a few of the calibre of this one.

I have a small query. In the early days while refitting in, I think was the terran space station, John and Jade were being 'friendly' on the outside hull when a light shone on them leaving behind a shadow on the plates. Nobody noticed anything, and I don't recall that it amounted to anything. Maybe I missed it, most likely did, but what was the reason for it?

..... this epic never ends.

TEFLER

finally your chapter 76 shows up. I'm climbing the walls waiting for it, I wish there was a chapter a day forever so we don't have to wait so long.

WONDERFUL STORY but (with a smile) you take to long to put this wonderful work out there.

I also read your other two stories, also wonderful.

My guess would be G.M.T.

I'm pretty sure based on past statements that progenitors can have non-progenitor offspring. I don't think it is ever explicitly stated, but John has occasionally talked about rebuilding the Lenarran(sp?) species with Jade, implying that their children would effectively be full blooded Lenarran. How that works is left vague, but undoubtedly involves the fact that he has magic spunk that can reshape the bodies and minds of those he shares it with.

It just occurred to me that they need to show Tashana the video records of Mael'nerak (presumably off screen since we've already seen them).

This is the best story and like all good things, it must end. I feel like one of the girls when John says he might not make it. NO! Live forever!

However, I know reality is rarely ever considerate towards our feelings. Anyways, please just don't get bored and start writing rubbish. Thanks! You're the best Tef!

Tashauna mentioned a Thrall breading facility. (Presumably to make more females to enthrall later; i.e. 25 years to Malari adulthood) Unless Progen used males enchanted by white hair to stud his thralls, this means a Progen can have non-Progen offspring. (My take on it.)

-Dusty

Tefler,

Which Time Zone are you in?

Many Thanks

Les

I submitted chapter 76 last night, so my guess is probably Saturday. :-)

Tefler

Any update tefler ????

I have read and re-read your tale multiple times. You have me waiting anxiously for each new chapter. Wonderful story and characters. Please don't be one of those authors who stop before the tale is told. Keep it up.

I bow to the best chapter yet. The way he defeated the matriarch fleet without destroying one ship was brilliant. Please give us more.

I hope you have submitted ch76 by now tefler so we can read it by Saturday

If not please do it now

i am sorry tefler i should not complain when yours is one of the few good stories here in literotica dont worry it wont happen again. if you can please delete that comment it was very disrespectful toward you and the readers. again for my i apologize behavior.

thank you

Yeah, hitting the Patreon goal was crazy! I'll have to think of a new one now. :-)

I'm pleased you've stuck with the story right from the start! I hope I can keep you entertained right through to the end!

Tefler

Unfortunately one of my editors was busy on the weekend, so was only able to get their edits to me on Monday. I went through those and released it to Patreon. I had some more edits to do last night, so I only actually fully finished editing yesterday.

I'll submit chapter 76 for moderation on literotica later today, so all being well it should be up on here by the weekend.

When I give you an estimate for a release date, it's just a best guess, but sometimes there are delays that I can't control. I wasn't "lying". :-)

Tefler

I really appreciate that you're writing this epic story. I was a reader since chapter 1; I started for the sex but stayed for the amazing story. Thank you very much for giving me something to consistently look forward to for over a year.

last week you said by wednesday the new chapter would be up in literotica now is weekend make up your mind.

tefler love the series but i hate when you lie about this if you are not sure about when then DONT SAY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARE SURE aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Yippee

Well done Tefler.

Your writing keeps on getting better. So many unexpected twists.

Now looking forward to Ch 77 in a week's time. Worth every $.

I've finished editing and just posted it to Patreon. I'll submit it to literotica in a couple of days time, so it should be up by the weekend!

Tefler

I'm not sure I agree with you about any of the Maliri being able to get a triple dosage of John juice, it would be like shock-dosing your swimming pool with chlorine, it would take effect quickly, but would be over just as quick and with the entire Maliri regency present at Genthalas, they would deplete most of the water stores in a matter of days if not replenished and as of yet none of the engineers have had any effect on John

I also believe that it's up to the Maliri Recency to change their society, not to expect a third party like John to do it for them, no matter how omnipotent he may be/seem, it's the age old argument of nature or nuture

On to Athena/Faye, they are opposite sides of the same coin, Athena cannot be downloaded to an AI server because she is a spiritual and psychic construct as much as Faye can be given a human body, However; through the use of stem cells and cloning a body may be able to be grown for Athena; And Rachel with Dana's help could construct bio-robotic bodies for Faye, they could be Faye-bot's, no need for drones, and I think John trusts Faye by now

Think the final step in ship-board security, nano Faye-bots!!

Why put lasers on the drones? Why not use kirrix Neutron beam cannons on them? & when are the other girls going to get there powers?.

Tefler they will be up on the site by Friday or you will submit them on Friday ??????

Drones would be cool, so far Dana has only modified existing things, would be fun to see how awesome of a ship she could make from scratch.

Also need to see what Dana can make with the stealth suit she captured. Best way to keep the girls safe is if no one can even target them.

Interesting idea about the water supply. Only one issue: What happens when a few thousand Miliri have three doses a day? John will be on constant Etherial Plane watch.

And, I am thinking John would not be interested in shock troups or manned fighters, he would feel too responsible for their deaths.

So that leaves drone fighters or missile batteries for the hangar bay. I am thinking drone fighters because they would be more useful and play multiple roles rather than one shot and done missiles.

The drones need a set of beam lasers, Trankaran engines and thrusters, gimbaled pulse cannons (at least 6) a shield generator, computerized avionics, a Progen power core, a FTL drive (for bouncing around and flanking a large fleet in 1.5 second bursts) and a frame to mount it all on.

Thinking 60 in the bay, two levels of three rows of 10 each. Something about a quarter the size of the Raptor would be about the right size I am thinking.

We know the Progen Server is capable of handling 50+drones. That would be a force even more powerful than the Nexus AI Fleet all by itself...much less with the Invictus and Raptor Mark 3s. The drones could act in flights of 10 each and put 20 beam lasers/30 pulse lasers on 2 targets shields and then let the Invictus pummel them from 3x range with the singularity cannons and eventually with the heavy cannons. Two flights against two ships with two other flights as flankers taking out ship shields while one flight as a backup/flight replenishment/3rd flanking group.

And as a last ditch effort to inflict significant damage against the BSP, they could overload their power cores and ram the black ship. 50 power core explosions, one after the other, in the same spot/hole on/in the hull would HAVE to do some serious damage.

Its not just getting boy/girl rate back its also getting them to treat them better

So like everyone else I have been contemplating this for a while, how does John make enough cum and service enough women to save the Maliri populace, then someone mentioned stem cells, Boom!!

1.Is Rachel smart enough to create stem cells, why yes she is!!, Hypothesis:While working out how to make a body for Faye/Athena, Rachel learns how to make uncoded(stem) cells, after this discovery the embark on making a few hundred weight, but oops, during one of their celebratory orgy's the whole lot is contaminated with Johns cum,instant cum bath, on discussion with the powers that be they decide to dispose of it in the Genthalas main water system(the Maliri showers being the perfect delivery system) Yes John may have a shit fit, but you could imagine Rachel telling him to "pull his head in", if he wants to have anyway of saving the Maliri, this is the only way to do it while all the warships are there, also opens up interesting possibilities into cloning not only for Faye and Athena but also if John brings in a troop ship, with his own shock troops,

Now next question; which race has the "black hole engine tech?, Could Dana create a sensor for black holes?

I don't know whether you check the comments in old chapters, so I figured I'd put this here. This line:

"Very much." Dana purred. "I wish you could stay inside me all the time!"

comes before Sparks reveals her new name, so she should still be called Sparks there.

Hey,

Thanks for the catch on the returning to Genthalas bit. I cut some scenes around there, as part of the editing process, and missed that, so cheers for pointing it out! :-)

Tefler

Chapter 76 hasn't gone onto Patreon yet.

I'm waiting for feedback from one of my editors, and as soon as I've got that, and have made those edits, I'll post it up there. It'll probably be up on literotica by about Friday.

Tefler

No update on ch76 tefler ????

When are you submitting it ?????

Tashana agreeing to have her memory of her time in the Wastes expunged means that she won't be asking for justice against the Enshunu, as Rachel did against the people responsible for her mother's death. John isn't as likely to seek to punish the Enshunu on his own, methinks, in part because there's no evidence that he's aware they exist, and Tashana won't be able to tell him. Alyssa may know, though.

However, the Enshunu have a hard-on (pun intended) for Tashana because she dared to incinerate one of their Grand Poobahs while exiting slavery. They really, really want to recapture her, so we may well not have seen the last of them.

I rather suspect the Invictus is ready:

She gave John a wicked grin, as she added, "But now they hit about as hard as our old Mass Drivers! I've customised their shells to punch through armour plating, and to detonate as soon as they hit the hull beneath. The effect on a ship's armour should be fucking brutal-"

"-allowing us to strip reflective plating off a target's hull, and leave them vulnerable to energy weapons," Calara finished for her.

Coincidentally(?), the Enshunu have bright, shiny, silver ships. And, they've just re-occupied and re-awakened the ancient, alien defenses on Underworld's station. I hope to see a battle royale between the Enshunu and the Invictus once the Brimorian shields are added and souped up by Dana.

There's this:

It had only taken ten minutes for the Invictus to return to the Epsilon Aquarii system, and they docked at Genthalas while John's burns regenerated as he slept.

And, once he's healed and awake, we have this:

"They aren't my slaves," he replied, with a firm shake of his head. He gave her a reassuring smile, as he continued, "When we get back to Genthalas, just talk to anyone from House Valaden."

Benefit of the doubt, as he'd just awakened, that he didn't know they'd already returned. But I kinda doubt it. I suspect this should read, "Now that we're back at Genthalas..."

Been doing a good bit of thinking about Athena. I know that John wants to save her, but I think this is one battle that he will have to lose. When he turned Alyssa into a Progen, like himself, he created Athena as a guide. Athena has already told him that she is part of Alyssa, and is being absorbed. When John first touched Athena, it seems to me, is when Alyssa started to act a little different. (Snarky remarks seem to be less) Athena seems to be getting more of Alyssa's personality. I think if they do figure out a way to save Athena, then they will discover that it will be like giving Alyssa a lobotomy. As much as John wants to save Athena, he will not allow that to happen. The only way I see that they can save Athena is to clone Alyssa and give Athena control.

Just my thoughts.

btw 5*

Keep up the good work. Love reading this epic.

Great job, as usual. The only problem I am having is that I have forgotten the hair color of some of the characters, and am missing the intimacy of the first couple dozen chapters. Besides that, the only thing holding you back is the minor detail that, without​ phsycic help, nothing in John's weight class could produce that much semen.

Along with feretta, you have provided a great amount of inspiration.

...

Hope you have someone special to treat you like the malari treat John 😸

I hope you will submit ch76 on literotica by Monday tefler so we can read it by Wednesday or Thursday depending on how much time moderation takes

I actually had 2 posts. The first dealt with regular Maliri Females and the Male offspring of the genetically fixed females as it relates to fixing the skewed male/female ratios. It is entirely possible the 'fixed' sperm of the male offspring will override the unfixed females. Someone said 4 children a month for the young males was a bit of a stretch....If I was 20 to 40 years old (roughly equivalent to 20 to 100 years old for Maliri) and I had cart blanch to have babies....that would be EXTREMELY low. Up until age 30, twice a day was average...up to 40 once a day. That being the case, 30 babies a month would be very doable...lol.

The post just above has to do with something else entirely. Rachel is looking for a way to make Athena and Faye a body....and stem cells, etc. are the easiest route to that end. Thinking Rachel had an epiphany on how to make that happen.

Your surmise is correct when we are talking about John and vaginal sex. However, if my reading of PLR's comment is correct then we are ,looking at sex between the Maliri males and females. A completely different kettle of fish.

I thought it was that ordinary birth control wouldn't work on the girl's altered physiology, maybe john not wanting them to conceive is all that's keeping them from doing so

Rachel had an epiphany when they were talking about Maliri women not being on birth control which was not revealed. I am thinking it has to do with making Athena and Faye each a body.

It Now boasts 64 fast-tracking Pulse Cannons in place of 48 Gatling Lasers so there is an overall improvement in firepower of (3*64-48)/.48 which is a 300% increase in firepower with about twice the range of the originals.

All the medium range Laser Cannons (24) were replaced with with Beam Lasers that are roughly 12 times more powerful and long range while also on fast-tracking turrets.

Gauss Cannons. Sixteen in total on fast-tracking turrets "They hit twice as hard as the Terran version, and fire three times as fast," so these are equivalent to 16x3x2 or 96 Gauss Cannons and they are on turrets so a broadside move is not necessary.

The six pairs of Heavy Cannons hit about as hard as the old Mass Drivers and are light enough to mount on pivotable turrets so going head on to get mass ordinance into play is no longer necessary. That is 6 times the firepower of the originals with more maneuverability.

A pair of linked Nova Lances, with a forty-five degree front-mounted fire arcs....no comparative number but they can now fire every 30 seconds...I believe that is twice the rate of the original beam lasers and orders of magnitude more powerful.

Then there are the singularity mass drivers which have 3 times the range, and approximately 60 times the fire rate.

The Invictus is incalculably more powerful in its armament and has a much healthier balance between mass and energy weapons.

Hi Tefler! Given the events in this chapter I think, now, that the trough in your story was not as deep as I felt it was. Anyhow, superb job as we expect from you.

Can we have an update on the number of chapters there is expected to be in the finished product? Early on you said that you expected it to run to around eighty chapters and, unless I have overlooked the relevant comment, you have not posted an update on that number.

Once again, thank you for sharing your story with us.

Couple of problems....

John can affect the girls bonds, but the girls can't affect the bond with John. Yes, Alyssa is a Progen, but there has not been a way for her to "hair tonic" anybody. This had been discussed several chapters ago. One potential, was through breast milk. But as of yet, she does not have any way to make a bond with anyone.....

It is not that John CAN'T impregnate anyone yet.... It has been stated that it is a CHOICE. So far, John has chosen not to impregnate anyone, because of all the current galactic turmoil they keep finding themselves embroiled in. Has doesn't want to knock up and run. He wants a safe place he can relax and raise kids.

Interesting ideas though.

I have no clue whether Tefler has a save Athena solution. She might get absorbed, or he might pull something out of the far arm of the galaxy and save her.... We shall have to wait and see what he has in his new keyboard...

I was just thinking...

... When it comes to progenitor John, the crew could take more precautions. For example, John recently changed the nature of the bond with the girls so they don't have to obey his commands. Why stop there? Athena is never going to go all evil, so why not make it so that John has to follow Alyssa's commands? It would only be used in desperate situations, but why not? Maybe Tashana can come up with the idea once she gets over her maliri cum/crack binge.

Also, if Athena is going to be saved or killed, please have it be a badass moment/battle either way! If you save her, make it by the skin of her teeth! Have the crew scrambling to find a way to save her from the astral plane monsters or something.... Which gives me an idea...

...you know how John gets nightmares when a new girl gets added? Well, I was just thinking, with Alyssa becoming a progenitor and all, maybe the crew gets all confused when Tashana doesn't cause a nightmare, only to have it happen to Alyssa! If Alyssa gets attacked and wounded by the astral plane monster and Athena is the only thing stopping the monsters, it would be interesting if Athena's life ends when John realizes that he can't gamble with Alyssa's life for her sake. Not only would it be interesting for John's character, but it could also highlight insecurities in the group overall especially in Rachel and Tashana.

Point is, that astral plane army of evil mofo's aren't going to be disposed permanently by those shields. Eventually there will be a showdown.

Also that's a reason why John can't impregnate anybody just yet. If you think the nightmares NOW are bad, just wait until he's actually creating new life instead of bonding with existing life. That would be a massive shitshow.

Fingers.... :-)

I just finished Chapter 76 a few minutes ago, and I'll be handing it over to my editors in a moment. It's 30k words, and Tashana finally reveals more about the Progenitors!

I'm hoping to have it up on Patreon within a day or two, then it should be on here by about Wednesday next week, all being well.

Tefler

Thanks for leaving your first comment! It's always nice to see new faces (figuratively of course!).

I've been adding more bits to Patreon recently, with sketches of the Invictus, deck plans, and loadout discussions. Hopefully you'll be able to find your way on there eventually. :-)

As to Chapter 76, you're in luck!

Tefler

I'm hoping the jaunt into the Brimorian Enclave will be fun. I always like fleshing out a new species!

It's great you've been following the story for so long, and I agree, seeing the fanbase grow has been fantastic!

Tefler

Apologies for not replying to them all individually, but I did read them all! Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to leave feedback.

My keyboard finally died on the weekend, so I lost a couple of days getting that replaced, and I've been scrambling to make up for lost time!

Tefler

Although I have been following the adventures of John and his four balls since almost day one, this will be my first comment. I just wanted to express how much I have been enjoying reading and look forward to the next chapter. So, thanks, Tefler. Keep up the good work.

P.s. you should consider, when this is finished, publishing this, or an improved and rewritten version of it on amazon as an e-book, just saying, i'd buy it.

Hi Tefler.....

Its my first time commenting on your chapter.... Lets just say it was awesome...I have been following you since chapter 25 of TSM and there is not a single day gone when I don't check Lit for any update of yours. Though I know that we can get all the juicy stuffs at Patreon but sadly I cant have it juat now. So just wanted to say Dude... Just get it on Man.... And just a small inquiry.. When do we get our next dose of TSM..Ch.76....???

I've been looking forward to the Brimorians since back in chapter 30 or so. I always loved shield tech in Sci Fi stories and movies and can't wait to see how theirs works. I've been reading close to as long as PLRus just haven't commented that often due to college. It's great to see how large a fanbase there is now

I knew it was going to get ugly.

I normally try to help spot comments that could use an answer within my share of information. If I can help reduce reader management so Tefler can write instead that fills time between edits. Tefler was asking for attitude with the handling of Tashana.

It was very simple. She needed time or else she would go meltdown, as a surface level, kind and gentle strategy. Give her a chance to settle in. Thirteen hard years away. It takes more than two or three days safe at home before she is likely to calm down. But without talking she was at risk of spinning out and she did. You can't really fix a crazy person. You can only help them fix their own confusion and fears, and step one is let the chaos settle to stabilize them.

A rubber room is a last resort because it is an escalation. A sane person can freak out if they are thrown in that type of confinement.

They saw evidence that her psychic powers were her default get out of jail response. Her tumour could be aggravated and kill after a major Psychic episode. They did not want to provoke that.

I knew the comments were going to be brutal, so I stayed away from them last chapter, with only one quick look to confirm how bad they got.

Tefler sent you on a trip. Glad you're all coming back.

The 'inheritance' is 100% progenitor john/ his knowledge and power

Like 100%

I'm wondering if the Maliri (Regency) is the inheritance the Ashanath spoke of? That may mean that Mael'nerak is John's father/ancestor. Hmmm... Technically wouldn't Terrans, Tranakans, etc also be his inheritance? Maybe the other progen is trying to steal from him.

- a fan of your series

The Invictus is still using the original Terran shields, albeit boosted by a Maliri shield modulator. A visit to the brimorians is definitely still on the cards! :-)

Tefler

I'd go with Tefler's phrasing. He makes good choices - that's why he is a popular author. I'm all for correcting mistakes but you want to change his words

Thanks for the feedback! It's great to hear you're enjoying the story!

RL is going well, thanks for your well wishes. :-)

Tefler

Hey, thanks for the feedback!

Re: brandishing glasses of whiskey.

Try googling it, I didn't make up the phrase. ;-)

Interesting alternatives, but "Fortified" implies they were already drunk, and "armed with" makes it seem they needed the drink for Dutch courage.

Re: hungry

Acquisitive is like hungry+, meaning an obsessive interest in obtaining material things (in this case technology). I thought about using hungry when I wrote the sentence, but I'd used it elsewhere in the chapter so went for an alternate choice.

Re: unfinished sentence

I'll search for that when I get home, thanks for pointing that one out!

Thanks for the commas feedback. One of my editors went a bit nuts with commas when editing this, and I scaled some of it back. I'll go through and cut the excessive ones.

I'm glad you liked the simulator resolution to the battle. I thought it might be an interesting way of handling the confrontation peacefully. :-)

Tefler

Too many thank "yous" in a row?

Wow Tefler!

This is your story and you tell it so SO well. You have a way of tolerating those of us that comment. Thank you for that.

This is your tale though and gosh. Thank you.

I have mass to say about how I thought about how you would handle the twin. what you did was both weak and strong. there was a whole story that could have been told - again.

I am totally happy with how you did the Inviticus. I am happy about your whole story!

I hope your own RL is on a course that you are satisfied with.

Living RL aint the same as... (shrugs) Well done and thank you.

> Brandishing glasses of whiskey

Odd word choice. I would have gone with "fortified" or "armed with".

> "Just think what it'll be like, when I get the rest of the Progenitor tech," she said, with an acquisitive gleam in her sky-blue eyes

hungry gleam, I picture sparks as a shark, always alert for new tech and ready to sink her teeth into it.

> I will do, thank you,* she replied, sounding touched by his concern for her.

Unfinished sentence?

=-=-=-=-=-=

You're still using too many commas, they are supposed to be slight pauses in the sentences. Read some of the story back, but consciously be aware of what it would sound like if you were reading it out loud. Multiple pauses where they shouldn't be is discordant and throws off the readers' groove. I won't mention this again unless you /really/ go nuts with it.

I like the way John handled the fleet confrontation.. Use of a dynamic combat simulator right after the Invictus combat power demo was an excellent way to diffuse the situation.

Tashana was finally seen as hysteric by the Matriarchs she tried to use at just the right time. I thought she gave up to Alyssa a little too quickly, at first, but she really didn't have any other option. I felt Alyssa should have mentioned that John is only /half/ progenitor. That would have been a huge point in his favor.

Design of the Invictus just keeps getting better and better. I'm so tired of seeing battleships with command decks exposed on the hull for the sake of a window. Watching things from there is pointless when the scale is so big. Combat bridge and rapid-armor equip was a sensible precaution, as was having weapons on the bridge and the secret passage to the hangar. May I assume a new ship acquisition is in the near future? Something along the lines of a troop carrier? A bunch of Maliri commandos would do wonders for their combat potential. Each squad could be led by one of the girls, if need be.

Drones controlled by Faye would also be an asset. With no life-signatures, they could be positioned in stealth. Beam laser right up the 'ol engine block will put 'em down quick. Perhaps sparks could mod them to assemble into a huge gauss cannon in an asteroid field for a surprise attack against the progen ship.

Over all, very well done. I thought it felt like two weeks waiting for the next chapter to come out but it was only 3-4 days.

"Athena needs to go

The cast is big enough and John needs to fail at something... maybe a few things. He needs to retain some sense of being flawed and being in stuatuions where he could ultimate die strengthens the story. Love the concept and I love how you keep the sex to a minimum. One hot steamy sex scene per chapter is more than enough! Hahah"

As the Joker says, "Not sure if serrrioussssss"

Of all the weapons available, fear was the most powerful almost destroying a entire civilization. I thought malifica had great potential but swaying the lesser houses was a bit of a stretch.

You do redeem yourself however with a grandmothers love of her unborn offspring. Her desire to send half of their dna off with a kiss thru my ball sack, priceless. This adventure is still loads of fun

donating sperm for pregnancies isn't what is required, perhaps a pill with a handful of sperm suspended inside could act as a psychic antenna. and all John has to do is push a psychic wave out to all those Milari on a planet who have taken one at the same time to take the block on 9/10 Male sperm out.

I am so glad you let Teshana have a life.... and how the dynamic of twins and Edraele will all come together...

I'm curious how she will fit in now... Pyrokenisys....hmmmm.. Better have good fire extinguishers on the Invictus...

John was behaving very dense for a guy as perceptive as he and Alyssa are.. I guess he's like most guys... brilliant and dumb.

Like all the other races, their shield tech won't be as perfect as the Progenitors' but Dana has also unlocked a whole series of knowledge & schematics from looking at the old progenitor ship. They may not even need a visit to Brimorian space. However, considering the most recent references, we may still be seeing a visit there along with a large-scale conflict with the Kintark. Looks like John has more saving to do in Ashanath Space as well.

Loved it. Tefler has excelled again. And now we wait till Ch 76... x