All Comments on 'Three Square Meals Ch. 101'

Another pure gold chapter Tefler. Outstanding work my friend.

I had to check just as I was about to go to bed. And I have to be awake for work. /sigh. Guess I'll claim second comment and read it tomorrow....night everyone. Sleep tight.I'll most likely kill any one who posts a spoiler in the morning.

another amazing chapter, though i actually read it on patreon some time back but wanted to comment here before re-reading this anyways

Devereux alive and about to be secret Lioness Fleet Admiral was the highlight of this chapter :)

Just wow. Stayed awake just to read the whole thing. Amazing!!

DtJ

The chapter, I was a little tense while reading it because the rescue could have turned to shit or been dragged into the next chapter. I had to change what I was going to write because it could have been considered a spoiler by some and I didn't want to be accused of that. So Tefler I loved the chapter and wished it was longer, not a complaint just you know how addicts are, always wanting more. There are a lot of things brought up in this chapter for the future that I can't guess how they'll turn out but I am sure Tefler has it handled. Just taking that into account there are many more chapters to come to tell this story. Great story Tefler as always. mikecfl

This felt quite short.... still a page turner. Two thumbs up.

Thanks Tefler for the new chapter. I was glad to see several short term plot lines resolved and even more long term story arcs introduced. TSM looks good to go another 100 chapters (if your fingers and keyboard hold out).

PS: While I can't afford to support you on Patron as I'm what you would call an OAP on a fixed income, I've been able to buy the 3 Kindle books so far. Amazing world building.

Heading says it all. These waits are getting nerve-wracking!

Thank you, its been a better than expected closure of the 'cliffhanger' items and new plans moving forward.

Putting Calara n Sparks at ease was BEST

I just got the third e-book yesterday so between that and this I had a REAL good day. Great work Tef.

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMNNNNNN, WHAT A CLIMATIC FOLLOWUP TO WHAT HAPPENED IN CHAPTER 100. NOT TO MENTION THAT FRAGMENT OF THE LEGACY, LIKE I SAID IN MY COMMENT IN THAT CHAPTER ALSO APPLYS TO THIS ONE. "WELL FUCK ME RUNNING, SIDEWAYS, AND EVERY WHICH WAY LOOSE.

Pretty cool that devereux is going to join the team.....

Makes sense in a lot of ways... Makes me wonder though, with the limited time they have, if John has figured out how to change a gal in one go.

So many mouths to feed, so little time.

Also, what secrets did Alyssa gather from the kintark dragon?

Remember? Her eyes were glowing as John asked her if she got it all.

Right before he executed him.

Thank you tefler!

The invictis is now close to the original nexus server! Faye and Illrith have some cyber excavation to do!

or else Faye's scanner sucks and Jehanna isn't much of a reporter is she doesn't explore the base and make an exclusive news report about the ruins of gayamede!

Tefler, you evil genius you!! Well played on everything that you've done in this chapter! Was very glad to see that you hadn't killed off Devereaux, though having her in a bad condition was a well thought out plan rather than having her as a high security prisoner in chains and still in one piece. Also I'm glad to see that you haven't forgotten about PJ and I'm actually excited to see how that particular battle plays out. Keep on keepin on Ref! 5 stars!

I wonder if the part of the Legacy is a liferaft, containing Mael'Nerak in a deep hibernating stasisfield. That would set up a new complex situation, just because John is setting up his own "protectorate" claiming Mael'Nerak's former homebase.

It could help John and the crew but it also opens a box of Pandora, all bad but one good solution in the outcome.

If not Mael'Nerak, could it contain a Progenitor database with the complete history?

Thanks Tefler for this chapter.

It's probably the Flux Cannon that got shot off during the Ashanath battle.

The only thing that seemed missing was an orgy. I can't believe I actually missed one but other than that this was fantastic in wrapping up a lot of loose strings.

Since building a new computer I've finally started writing again. Feels good, but I still love reading your stories because I don't have to worry about errors or bad grammer.

Thanks a million times over the great read.

Ed Parachini

With 6 new "lionesses" John definitely is going to need some kind of chemical help in turning all 6 new women (mermaid, Reporter, Admiral, and the three nymphs) into Lionesses plus keep his current crew satisfied.

At some point the poor guy is going to be worn out. But this is an alternate reality so maybe not.

In this chapter Tefler wrote, "Edraele was quiet for a moment, before she said, *You'll lead us to a miraculous victory, without losing so much as a single ship or soldier. The other Progenitor will capitulate before your unsurpassed might, choosing to flee rather than daring to face your wrath. We'll all live happily ever after, never troubled by war or hardship ever again...*"

I have thought this for a while now. Why?

Because Tefler keeps telling us that the BSP is just bored and having a little fun with the cockroaches (his thoughts, not mine). He seems to have very few Thralls. and no Thrall ships. He seems to have no base of operations, either.

Also, who else noticed that Dana said the AI ship that Weber tried to flee in was a Tormentor class DD, a Thrall ship. The AI had built it way back when using plans from its memory banks. What Tech will Dana find in it?

hping said: "I wonder if the part of the Legacy is a liferaft, containing Mael'Nerak in a deep hibernating stasisfield." That's in line with what I was thinking.

After the battle of Terra, Baledranax says "I was thinking that it's nearly time for a little family reunion...". Perhaps this is what he was referencing.

Just a musing from a great fan Tefler. Another 5 Stars. Please keep up the great work.

the family reunion idea if it was in the area of the aftermath of the battle, but in Ashanath space? I don't see quite how that works

Wondering if it is John’s mother in a cryogenic tube?

I believe -

The AI thrall ship was stripped of AI controls, replaced with Terran pilot and tactical stations.

The secret base was stripped of Nexus server decades earlier so it could be reversed engineered.

If I remember correctly then the base probably holds no new data, other than the AI automated manufacturing line.

Again thank you fantastic as usual

"Jade bared her fangs and roared, then charged after them, vicious claws flashing out to brutally disembowel the closest trooper as she ripped him in half. She caught the next with a quick backhanded slash that tore through his legs, dismembering him with almost casual ease. He fell to the floor screaming in pain and she stomped on him with a rear claw as she pursued the rest, her heavy weight crushing him with a sickening squelch."

I've been looking forward to that for 2 months now. Thanks, Tefler!

And thank you for saving Admiral Devereaux! She rocks!

Great chapter - don't stop!

OMG OMG, its with Jade, and then a Dragon, and then there's smashing and crashing and then there's a bang thing with a shouty thing, and then after all that there's another, then they have a lovey bit and a sexy bit and it's all SO cool.... Keep it going please you're such an awesome writer T thanks you so very much for all of this hard work 😊

As ever, thanks very much, Tefler. You've knocked another straight out of the park.

If anyone else out there reads with music going in the background, I can't tell you how strongly I recommend 'Wonder Woman's Wrath' for the assault on Tartarus.

So, John and the gals are starting to realize that their Progen adversary is up to more than meets the eye. As they said, he has a technological advantage that he could have used already. We saw that he was ready to destroy the Kintark Emperor's psychic dampening field device before John did it himself. That means that BSP does not want John dead -- at least not yet. Clearly, he is not weakening the various empires just to defeat John.

BSP could be looking for a worthy adversary. So, he's building John up first. He could also be looking for an ally and building up John for that reason. BSP could be out to set John up as the ruler of the Terran Fed, Maliri, Kintark and others. BSP might just enjoy watching the fights as a spectator. Any other options missing? It's possible Tef could have something even more involved planned.

There was reference to BSP having vats of his spunk ready for something -- I assume to build a Thrall army. John and Edraele think they are badly outclassed, but Alyssa is right about the power they have collectively. They already have powers that would surprise BSP, but they are lagging in ship technology. If they were to fight today, it would need to be planetside. It would be cool to see the skills John has given the girls lead to them developing tech beyond Progen hardware. Still, while BSP thought all the powers he saw were coming from John, he wasn't surprised by any one ability. So, while John's links generate more power than typical thrall links, BSP didn't see anything that shocked him. It doesn't appear the gals can yet do anything beyond what any Progen can do. On that basis, it feels like they need another breakthrough before they are ready. John is still the mouse. What's it going to take for him to be the cat? Maybe, when good-John defeats evil-John, he will have a level of power, when combined with the gals, that will truly shock BSP.

Thoughts?

Tefler. Thank you so much for all the great chapters. I know the end is coming. But I could read this story for ever. You are my favorite author. Keep up the fantastic work

The waiting for the next chapter is the hardest part (RIP, Tom Petty). Another beauty Tefler, you always come through with some new plot arcs. Great to see Lynnette survive. Thanks for the wonderful entertainment, it truly allows me to forget about everything else when I'm reading TSM.

You have done it again, make us wait and then not disappoint us. Great build up and way to go with the 4 nymphs being freed. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Tom

What a great story.

It just keeps getting better and better, Awesome job!

The waiting for the next chapter begins. Thanks MTefler for such an awesome story. Tazmanusmc

BSP isn't what we all think he is?? There's just something off in his character so far for him to be the all evil doer we are lead to believe thus far. His discussion about John possibly not knowing what he is supposed to be doing, while talking with his Matriarch being my major point of contention, as well as not killing John at every chance he has had thus far leads me to believe all is not as it seems to us and that there is another layer to this that we are missing. I could be absolutely nuts as well but I have this feeling there's more to BSP than we are being shown or told.

I’m thinking along the same lines as trmondoian. "I do not think he is what you think he is." 'He' being Larn’kelnar/BSP. His attitude is just a little bit off. I was thinking he was either bored and trying to build up his own rival, or an invader using the standard "take away their ability to fight and you've already won the war". The first would make him a petulant teenager and the latter a galaxy roaming/spaning tyrant intent on total annihilation. But now I’m wondering...

What if Larn’kelnar is thinking he’s doing John a favor? He’s clearing the way for John to take over (like a good progenitor should), and trying to toughen John up and help him grow up by adversity? He could be a brother/cousin or something that’s trying to get John to shape up? But maybe in so doing he’s realized that John’s got a couple things going on here which Larn'Kelnar can learn from. That’s why he’s breeding some of his Thralls, and is getting closer to his Matriarch. That might explain some of the ambivalence, he wants it tough enough to challenge John, but not enough to break or kill him.

That then begs the next question: what's the real bad guy here? If the Progenitors are not world conquering despots, then who's the real villain? I look around and I wonder if maybe the real and true villain of the piece is the Astral Monster(s) who is beating down not just the Progenitors but maybe all of the peoples? "Sorry, no Ascension for you. I hold all the planes! And I won't share!"

On a different vein, I like the idea of the Legacy shard being a life pod, but I don’t think it would (or should) be Mael’nerak. That would give team John a bit too much info at this time, and destroy the long range tension. This story doesn’t feel like it’s getting close to the end yet, and it’s too early for the big reveal. I could see it being someone else from Mael’nerak’s time with just enough info to shed a little light on the interaction between or culture of the Progenitors.

As always tefler this was awesome. Can't wait for the next installment

as a writer.

One of the most difficult challenges for writers is getting the balance correct with character emotions, and emotional actions/reactions. It's the hallmark of a great writer, rather than a good writer, as it is what enables characters in a story to become real to the readers.

There was a lot of different emotions in this chapter, both different and in a wide range of intensities; though leaning heavy towards very intense because of the nick of time arrival at the Kintark invasion, followed by the rush to catch up with Jade without much time to get their bearings after the battle.

You handled the various characters superbly, as well as John's varied reactions to their differing issues. It would have been easy mistake to focus on the characters variety of stressors to the detriment of John's reactions. It would have led to John being a one dimensional character in his interactions.

But, to your credit, John reacted as a real, empathetic person does; shaping his responses to each individual's issues. Well done. Very well done.

Thanks, as always, for the great read.

Regards,

GeoD

Since a Progenitor can choose their offspring’s sex, why did a stranded Progenitor choose to have a son, instead of a daughter who could later be enthralled to add to his strength?

What did Alyssa mean when she asked John what would happen if the young matriarchs wanted a son, and then sympathized when he didn’t answer? There’s obviously a lot Progenitor family dynamics yet to be revealed.

As already mentioned, there was a reference to BSP’s “vats” and it seems he is acting as an advance force, and his thrall forces will be brought in once he has reduced the opposition, so he’s not following the “blow up all the planets” model of Ragnaron.

Since the Progenitors go to the astral plane after adding women to their network (assuming it works for all progenitors as it works for John) and the astral leviathan only turned against John when John rejected the vision of domination and exploitation, it seems possible that the astral beings have been culling any, ummm, let’s say “un-ambitious” progenitors. However, Larn’kelnar has obviously conquered vast areas, so even though he is intrigued by John now, he has definitely been a bad guy.

One other thing I wonder about, Mael’nerak said that one of his brothers had come to attack him. I assumed he meant brother in a general sense, not meaning a true sibling. But maybe he did mean Ragnaron was a sibling. Perhaps Mael’nerak’s hobby of genetic manipulation and creating new forms of life distracted him from conquering ever larger areas. Larn’kelnar obviously has a low opinion of Mael’nerak’s creations, wondering why John is striving to save such worthless creatures.

Thanks Tef! Please keep going, you have us enthralled!

I only can find one major flaw with this story. . . The waiting. Great job Tefler, this story is the only reason I com back to this site

This is good, but I mustn't read it all at one sitting.

I'll stop after the next paragraph.

Slow it down. Savor the story.

Well, OBVIOUSLY I can't stop reading here.

Ooh, this is a good stopping point, but I bet there's a better one in a few paragraphs.

Damn. I finished it. In one sitting. Again. Sigh.

Great Job, Tefler!!!

So could Maler nic be training John or rasing the boy up right, the progenitors way ? I've lost track of who isit. He could have intervined anytime, or is he just waiting for a worthy opponent. So smart and powerful to waist all of these lives.

I think Lynette takes her dose the old fastioned way orally.

The best layed plans of men and women......

I love the paceing of this story, equally important as are words and characters.

ELONPAUL for the update. mikecfl.

In Tashana's archive footage, Maelnerak mentions that the Lenarins certainly earned their freedom. Perhaps what he was talking about was the psychic power they were able to provide him. Because if the other nymphs hold as much psychic energy as Jade, John (and Alyssa) is/are going to get a <b>HUGE</b> boost in available energy. Not to mention the unknown factor of what Helene will bring to the table.

Following this idea further and using Alyssa and Athena as an example (Remember, as Alyssa grew stronger, Athena became weaker), I think the same can probably be said for the relationship between John and PJ. So when John finally "feels" strong enough to let PJ out of psychic jail, PJ is going to be so weak, John will probably wonder why he didn't do it sooner. Because once John becomes "whole" again, he should have access to all of the information he has denied to himself.

Hillcountrycowboy brings up a point that I brought up in the comments of ch. 100, That the Progenitor's are more of a family than a species. I would like to speculate on some Progenitor backstory here. TL;DR for those that don't want to read the whole thing: Malnereck and BSP are both using John as bait to lure the other out of their hiding spot.

Speculative backstory: Long ago the original Progenitor takes over his species, killing all male rivals and enslaving the women. He then has lots of male children and weeds out the weak similarly to the Maliri assassin's, letting them build up a small base of power to train thier skills and then having them fight. The strongest would be allowed to expand the empire and probably sending a tithe (slaves) back to the original, once they had set up their territory and wiped out any opposition. At some point the original figures out how to live in the Astral plane, the slaves being sent back are twisted into his Astral monsters and mentally broken down to the intelligence and obedience of a dog. Malnereck decides he doesn't want to answer to his father anymore, so he creates the Ashanath specifically to maintain his astral home, creates Arcadia inside a nebula for away from the Ashanath, and takes over the lead Kirrix mentally. He doesn't genetically enhance the Kirrix because that would leave a genetic "fingerprint". What better place to hide than far away from your power base, hidden in a nebula, surrounded by an extremely aggressive and dangerous species that hasn't been genetically altered by you. He stops paying his tithe and Ranagon is sent to kill him. Ranagon seems like a Gengis Kahn type, destroying planets to weaken Mal. They can always be reformed after all. Mal outsmarts him and kills him while faking his own death. He then retires to his hiding place. Millennia later the new Progenitor shows up to figure out what happened, Malnereck sences his approach and allows the Kirrix to be beaten back and mentally guides the Cora to his hidey hole, knocks up John's mother and allows the crew to find her and drag her back home. Once John is born she blows up the evidence and crew before escaping back to Arcadia. Afterwards the Kirrix take the area back over. BSP is more of a thinker like Malnereck than a destroyer like Ranagon, He knows that Mal isn't actually with any of the species he created, so he starts convincing other species to mess with them, hoping that the threat to John will draw out Mal, which is the only reason he cares about John's life in the fight with the Kintark. Mal hopes that he can sneak up on BSP while he is distracted by John. Unfortunately for him John is not doing anything Progenitor like to attract BSP's attention, so he goes to Karron and leaves a couple of mental triggers in Alyssa and Sparks. One is to watch out for the Fools Gold, and another to cause enough trouble that she needs to get away. He covers these tracks in 2 ways. 1, leave a traumatic memory that she's not willing to talk about to cover up the real one of him mentally dominating her. 2, John making her his Matriarch would heal her mind, and since she believes in the trauma, John's healing would cement that memory, since healing the trama makes the trama real. He then takes on the persona of "Mad Jonah(the crazy spacer from the first chapter) and convinces John to head for Karron and kick starting the events of this series.

Speculation over and thanks for reading this crazy thought process.

Had this thought while writing the other. Maybe instead of sensing the other progenitor, Mal always has a "John like " figure out in the Galaxy, whose guide doesn't get activated until Mal activates it, which he doesn't do unless one of his brothers shows up to figure out what happened in the fight between him and Ranagon. After all, John aged normally until his guide was activated.

What a nice smooth transition into more. After the heady and all consuming chapter 100, this was a nice little teaser for what is to come. Thank you, I really enjoyed it.

Hey Tefler, I saw on Patreon that you are debating your best options for some illustrations. I really recommend that you at least take a look at DesignCrowd. It's a crowdsourced art and design website. You describe what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay and you will get a bunch of submissions. If you take a look at the Categories Menu - Art and Illustration - Book Cover Design, you will see a bunch of very cool work for just a few hundred dollars.

Here's a link to a good example:

bookcover dot designcrowd dot ca/contest/2556535

Don't think I can post proper links here so just replace the 'dots' with periods.

I don't have any connection to them -- just thought you might like the results.

Yazvan, good job, your theory makes a lot of sense. I feel the more we progress in the story, the more clues we get to piece together.

Gzaerix

Tefler,

If you ever rewrite this chapter, I think you ought to show how John cares for all his women by mentioning when Jehanna got something to drink and to eat.

It just seems wrong to ignore that whole *need* that she has.

Well. Yet again a marvelous chapter. But I feel that Alyssa needs to be reigned inn a little. She is becoming a little too drunk on her power, and are starting to buy into the frase The ends justifies the means a little too much. I would hate to see her becoming a badguy, as i slowly see more and more of the Progenitor arroganse in her. it seems she cares less and less for people not in her nearest circle. She has a long, long way down ahead of her. But i am starting to see her sliding slowly into Progenitor mindset. What she did to Weber, torturing him to death in the most brutal way, was way way way below her. It was pure vengeance and can never be condoned. Weber should have faced trial and been given a death sentence, carried out i in a clinical way.

Other than that, the chapter was near perfect, as usual. I was glad to see i was right. Deveraux was not dead. What now becomes of the nymphs, will be interesting to see. But I am not sure they should become a permanent part of the crew. Maybe they could become contact persons in different places, like Jehanne were amongst the press. And I hope they can find more Nymphs. As it is now, they are too few, to recover the race from extinction.

Thanks again Tefler, for a marvelous read.

Nothing to excuse, it was an unforgivable oversight. :-)

I've rewritten chapter 101 to make sure Jehanna gets a snack before bedtime! I probably won't repost it here because posting edited versions take weeks to be moderated.

Tefler

Excellent chapter @tef...i really loved the coming back blow of Devereaux and the chapter on whole was quite satisfying after the big 100. I can now feel the stress of 100 u might be having...

Really admire ur work. Keep going.

Regards

Mg

@Tefler,

Such a great story, very creative. Thank you for your time and efforts.

I seem to remember that John was in his 50's when he first met Alyssa but ch 101 says he's in his 40's. Am I remembering incorrectly, or was this a slip-up?

Age is in his 40's. For Weber's death to some it may have been too much, but I think it's justified and I would have been happy with a worse death. There are crimes here in the real world that I think when they are convicted they should be walked out and executed right then. Sorry if that's too much for some people. mikecfl.

John turned 40 a month before chapter 1. :-)

Tefler

Brilliant as always, just wish I could give more than five stars.

Alyssa has the ability to look through a person's mind and determine weather they are evil or good. Recall the battle in the Unclaimed Wastes. Alyssa sent out a psychic wave in order to determine who was good and who was bad. Alyssa did the same thing to Weber. She sifted through Weber's mind and determined he was an evil selfish prick without honor. Furthermore, she actually she did nothing to Weber, Remember, he clawed his own eyes out.

In actuality, I believe she is the good progenitor side of John that he wants to nurture. Perhaps he even made her into a Progenitor out of self defense. Because we certainly know he is not following the "predicted arc" and we also know that with her help , he has rejected and imprisoned his evil progenitor guide. Maybe it is the Terran side of him. The partaking of "the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil" side of him. The ability to determine true evil and stand in judgement of the same, side of him.

I have no problem with Alyssa standing in judgement of Weber. Or any other evil prick for that matter. So the question is, "Why do you?"

Wolverine that Alyssa isn't out of control. Imagine a person who is able to see your true guilt or innocence without all the bs and lies that are told in our courts today. Weber got his fair trial, the crimes he committed were in his mind so when she read his mind it was the same as a confession. Plus, high command would love to sweep all that under the rug. I have always felt if you are going to commit the crime you should face the consequences, and his death was tied to his worst nightmares which if you read that section of the story resulted from the crimes he committed. Thanks Tefler for this chapter, can't wait to see where it goes from here. mikecfl.

Don’t ask me which chapter, but John mentioned that his grandfather started him in martial arts to teach him self-discipline and to control his temper. We know he is skilled at meditation and “centering” himself. That is how he subconsciously developed his mind shield and kept pro-John from influencing John. And then John sought out a military career, continuing in a field that honors discipline and control. And we know that drove pro-John bonkers and after pro-John saved John and Alyssa a couple of times p-J got a taste of power and tried to take over permanently.

So, my point is that John wasn’t influenced by p-J earlier in his life because John was (fortunately) acting to keep himself under control, even if he didn’t understand why.

I would just like to point out that the explanation we are given is from John himself trying to piece together an explanation and would not be the first assumption of his that would later be proven false, like the 3 time rule.

One factor I forgot about - Alyssa was John’s first long term sexual relationship. Previous encounters were one night stands. Was that what drew out p-J? And how do Alyssa and Dana explain the pre-cum amnesia/bliss? Their earlier assumption was that it kept John’s uniqueness secret. Was that totally wrong and are Alyssa and Dana correct now?

But anyway, my point is that progenitors are all about enthralling women, and Alyssa was the first woman to hit the three time rule, so that’s when p-John was activated. But wait!? There isn’t a three feeding rule, sometimes it’s just one feeding. Well crap. I’m thoroughly confused. What does Rachel think? She’s always right.

The Progenitors seem to have a library of tech that they use to make everthing but haven't made any advances in tens of thousands of years. Ship design, materials, weapons or AI are stuck at a fixed level that would also freeze battlefield tactics and philosophy.

While John is currently at a lesser tech level than Laen'kanar, his final tech level is limitless as he buys, copies and steals anything he can get his hands on. Alyssa's phrase of "building a new choir" can therefore also apply to technology as well as psychic strength.

It would seem that the Progenitors have a extremely high level of pride in themselves and disdain for any "lesser" races that prevents them from learning from their enemies. This would lead to higher casualties among their thrall armies, which they also don't care about as long as their enough to power the Progenitor in charge.

When the final confrontation happens between John and Laen'kanar this will give John anniversary advantage as he will have radically different tech, tactics and mindset than any Progenitor in history. John doesn't even need to beat him in a straight fight, simply hold him off for long enough to for the girls to come to his aid. They will absolutely and easily beat the other thralls and are powerful enough to actually harm Laen'kanar, something that has never happened before.

Even if it make sense practically I don't want Devereaux to join as a Lioness, secret or othwise. She is just to manipulative and calculating to be a good fit. I know so was Irilith and if John stopped feeding her she would revert to being human, in a few decades, but I still don't want her. Have Rachel heal and improve her, give her a few decades more but leave her alone. John will be busy enough with the 6 new women he has to properly give any of them the time they deserve so adding a 7th seems greedy.

I wonder if Jade will become a full Matriarch know that she has her little Kittens?

Tefler please keep us posted! Looking forward to kindle book three and chapter 102!!!

Thanks again for posting here. Looking forward to finding out what a star fordge is. Waiting to the confortataion to happen.

Sliding right by the whole capital punishment debate, from the story point view, Alyssa's nightmare ability could be brought to the astral plane to counter the chief monster's ability to terrorize John and the girls.

I'd like to see Alyssa fuck up the chief astral plane monster and free the lost voices.

(more for the chorus) ... maybe they're vulcat voices ???

She needs more energy from Jade and the new nymphs who are psychic energy power storehouses, so she can distribute that among the other girls.

So much to do.

Examine vulcat tech

(love the thought of mini missiles )

Examine Tartarus for Progenitor tech

(plus lots of robots on the ground, are they more useful then Fayes boys ?

Examine the Tormentor destroyer

(may give Dana mental break through on cruiser or battleship designs or simple Dana genius of upgrade and reduce size)

and last but not least ...

Think about the device on the emperors back that was blocking psychic energy!

It could block astral plane monsters in our dimension and if you can construct the counter protection to the block, (in effect nulify the psychic block), and get them to the astral plane ... wowzer!

last thought ... whatever are the Enushu doing in that mystery complex?

I think they were spies for malnerak.

maybe sent into places to replace people.

endless possibilities

Maybe also psychic power storage (batteries)

So BSP (Laen'kanar) has vats of his spunk. Clearly, he is getting ready to create an thrall army. He has also referenced the Maliri and Brimorians being next on his list. So, will it be the yellow-skilled women that make up his forces?

Have we seen any direct combat between Progenitors? I think it has just been space battles and thrall army engagements, right? What do you think a direct battle would look like? I imagine we will see a combination of psychic and melee battles. How big of a role do you think fleet battles will play? BSP has been decimating the various races, but has John helped them more than BSP realizes? Are they making better recoveries than expected?

John has created very strong bonds with his girls. This gives him much more power per connection than other Progenitors have. Of course, as we have been discussing, the gals have incredible powers in their own right. Will this make Team John stronger than Team BSP's vat-fed army? That is, will quantity or quality matter more for total strength? Do you think the girls have any powers or degree of powers that BSP does not? As mentioned, strength is not the only way to win. It seems Team John may end up having the element of surprise. John's unusual way of doing things could see Team John win by cunning and strategy over raw strength.

BSP still has the tech edge, but as has been discussed, that tech seems pretty static. Do you think Dana will ultimately be able to surpass it? Is the Vulcat spider tech older than Progen tech? Do we know the significance of the shark-like cyber monitor that saw Irilith? Do you think Dana will rely on other ancient tech or come up with something entirely new? There have been a lot of AI ships in the discussion lately. Do you think they might play a role?

Do you think the Astral monsters will be a side battle, or do you think they will play a central role in the BSP battle? They could be direct players, or they could give Team John new insights or powers. Their elimination might make incredible things possible with the Ashanath or the Boleans.

John appears about to add a bunch of women to his team. It seems Devereaux was Alyssa's top priority. She will likely be an ally working at a distance like the Glowing Queen. As for the concern raised about her scheming, I think she will continue, but will be totally loyal to John -- in part because of his makeover, but also become he and girls saved her and the T-Fed. Who is the next priority? So many women, so little time. All of the new women have stories to add to the tale. I am not sure who I want to learn more about first. I want to see what happens to Faye when she is intimate with John, but the same applies to seeing Helene, the Nymphs and Jehanna joining the pride. I could see John wanting Jehanna to stay with the ship and act as a field reporter. I could also see her insisting on returning especially given the T-Fed attack on her network. However, I imagine John would give her powers to protect herself first. I really want the Nymphs to bond with Jade. It seems the strongest route for the story when it comes to her. Imagine what that will do for her. I don't have any speculations on what happens with Helene, but I look forward to seeing what Tefler has planned for her.

I don't think the Nymphs were spies. It took John's extraordinary bond with Jade for her to develop the ability to shift to any person beyond her master's ideal. I don't think the Progens even invested in anyone that way. So, I don't think the Nymphs could shapeshift to other people.

A thought on John 'finding' his powers: Despite the brotherhood he must have shared with his men as a soldier, it doesn't seem to match the bond he had with Alyssa and his other girls even early in the story. We first saw his powers manifest when they were in peril. Given he never had a mate previously, I think that explains the timing of seeing Progen John.

A comment on Alyssa's justice: There has always been a practical brutality to justice in TSM from John and Alyssa's first contact with pirates. Experiencing your crimes from your victims perspective could be torture, but it might be more just than that of our traditional definition. I am reminded of an episode of Star Trek: TNG where a formerly pacifist alien wiped out an entire race. Picard said he didn't have any ability to judge the man. Team John seem prepared to spare soldiers when they can, but they hold leaders and criminals to account. I have often wondered if we took out people like Putin would the world be a safer or more dangerous place. However, recent American Presidents have probably contributed to at least as many innocent deaths as some tyrants. So, maybe Picard had it right.

Finally, we know John is unique, but we don't know why. Is it because he didn't have a Progen father around? Maybe even his mother, as a matriarch, would have raised him differently.

Oh, sorry I went with quantity on this post. Hopefully, I got some quality in there at least.

I'm disappointed they haven't done anything to protect the Maliri from being enthralled. Its the enemy progenitors preferred form of conflict so far, the Maliri are particularly vulnerable, and John has been systematically getting rid of the issolationism they used to protect themselves in the past. At least forming a weak psychic link with the admirals would notify him if the other progenitor tried to subvert a third fleet.

I also wonder how strong the other Progenitor is compared to the astral beasts. Perhaps the astral plane the Grey's have is something too expensive for a normal progenitor to maintain.

As always Tef, easy 5 stars and several Kudohs and attaboys your way. Thank you for this magnificent tale....although I was kind of spoiled before when you were cranking out 2-3, sometimes 4, chapters a month...cause this monthly posting is killing me.

The news on Patreon is that this chapter is out now for the patrons, thus starting the period of waiting to get a new fix of our drug. ;=}

I hope that it will come soon, about may 5th hopefully, but betting is off.

Hi tefler

Just read all the stories of Three Square Meals ,but sometimes I am confused with the time in the stories like "then the few days past like the same"

If I am correct then Alyssa birthday will be soon near 4 or 5 months , isn't it ?

Can you give the timeline for the story to be sure of it ,if you did it will be a great deal to all of us because of the main fight between the two progenitor will be mind blowing

Thanks

You can find it by searching 'Three Square Meals Wiki'.

I can't promise what sort of timeline in has, but it does contain lots of information.

Turned 18 the day before she stowed away on the Fools Gold and she wants to be pregnant before she turns 19. Don't know if that will happen but a timeline of 6 months till they "retire" was mentioned in this chapter also. John and Alyssa started together on the Fools Gold 6 months ago give or take a couple of weeks. mikecfl.

One of the patrons has kept a very detailed timeline of events and there's a link to it on my site. Iirc about 7 months has passed since chapter 1.

Tefler

Hi all is there any kind of problem with the site? I cant see any new comments. Or is it that no new comment has been posted since last three days?

Think there is a problem, It's just comments have been slow. There a are only 9 and a bit pages in this story compared to 28 in chapter 100. mikecfl.

At least I am not alone in thinking the site was broken.

Texanguy

There are lots of questions for discussion in an earlier comment on I made on this chapter. I would love to hear what folks think.

Well if a showdown comes between John and the bsp right now then bsp has a massive tech advantage, but there's a big surprise waiting for him, Alyssa. Bsp will be facing not one but two progenitors. It's true that John has not reached his full potential yet but the two progenitors can really even the odds (here quantity might favor John and crew). Plus John has a bigger advantage of enhanced thrall army.

But I think bsp is not of immediate concern (atleast not in this series). Recently there has been quite a few references to pro John by the crew. It seems we might see some action in that area. Plus there are a host of girls ready to be added to John's thrall army. So a party with the Astral plane monsters is imminent. I think John will have to face his pro John first then only he should go headlong to the Astral plane.

We are nearing the end of this series. May be 20-25 chapters more. I don't think tefler will rush for the bsp fight. And the bsp intentions are not clear too. Maybe a face to face chat might happen but I don't think they will fight anytime soon.

These are my views... I might be wrong.

Regards

Mg

Any update on when we can see ch102 here tefler ????

Yaz I love your speculation. You have a writer account. Put something out yourself. Start small. I'm sure it will be amazing. I will read It!

Anonymous, great points on the stale condition of Progenitor tech. I think Johns 4D computer assembly (Lionesses) will advance this in the near future. I think that a Thrall army of Progenitor women is a bit of a novel revolution in its own right. I dont think the other Progenitors can possibly anticipate this. There's nothing in evidence so far that the other Progenitors have their own Thrall races much less Thrall Progenitors.

I continue to wait patiently for the day that Jessica Blake joins John at his side and in his bed.

John needs to break down his inner pussy, take these girls in hand for their bratty and disobedient behavior, and arrange his house into a loving BDSM family. I'm of the opinion that every one of these girls are overdue for a visit with the belt. Johns been very busy, but he needs to get on it before his beauties get it in their head that they can just run over him.

I get a little sad thinking ahead to the day that Jack gets killed in battle and Maria joins the group. Um wait I mean happy? IDK

Needs to be more fucking and impregnation. Much more fucking.

I don't know, I think Tefler has done a fantastic job so far; the sex scenes are great, but it's the overall plot and setting that make this the phenomenal story we're all champing at the bit for more of.

I do agree that there's been a lot of talk in the story about both the ProJohnitor lurking in John's head and about the creatures waiting on the Astral plane, but I'm thinking we might see the new Lenarrans added to the harem before those both get dealt with- Tefler might give us one of those combats to keep the story moving while John feeds his new kitties, but we've been told clearly that Jade was practically a psychic battery that nobody fully appreciated until they had to go into combat without her; having a whole herd of cats to draw on is going to go a long way toward making John and Alyssa unstoppable. The Invictus is also badly in need of repairs, so I'm sure Alyssa will be overseeing most of that while John expands the Pride- as helpful as his power is for making those repairs, I think it likely that the crew is going to have to point out to him that making himself more powerful makes them *all* more powerful, because he shares his boosts freely with his girls, and doesn't restrict them to feeding him their psychic energy.

Who said don't mess with success. This saga is 100 chapters and fans chafe at waiting for the next, changing the dynamic between the characters by bringing BDSM into it is a mistake. I don't think the fan base wants this except maybe for a very few readers. I don't see John's character bringing his mother into his bed, it doesn't work for this storyline. I like the way Tefler has presented this story so far and don't see a reason to change the direction and possibly screw it up. I like that he has resisted suggestions from readers that would send the story in a direction different from what he has envisioned. Keep it up Tefler, thank you.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I found out that I have no talent for creating, maintaining, and keeping a story coherent. I find writing to be hard and tedious. What I am best at is taking other people's ideas and tweaking them in ways that maybe they didn't think of. Maybe it goes into the bubbling pot of possibility in their head, maybe it gets tossed, or maybe it brings up something better than was planned. The fun part about speculating like this is I don't have to worry about it. I have entirely too many books/movies/video games to read/watch/play to worry about weather "MY" idea is what happens. Back to the point, I would have to sacrifice my enjoyment of other people's creativity in order to tediously grind out any of my own and I don't think it is worth it. The only reason I have an account is so I get notified when authors I'm following put out a story, rather than having to remember a bunch of different authors and check them one by one. Most aren't as productive as Tefler.

I still appreciate the callout, thank you

If I didn't enjoy and appreciate this story and what Tef puts out, I wouldn't be here 101 chapters and a year and a half later reading silly comments, making silly comments of my own, and waiting for 102. That's the thing about serials, 'what if?' It would be different to stumble upon this fully formed and finished in a few years instead of consuming it in a 36 hour single sitting. It's a totally different experience.

This is escapist fiction. This is not real. And Tefler owns it, not you, or me. There's a comment box at the bottom of each chapter, and I'm going to use it if I feel like it.

John already uses light, playful elements of BDSM in his interaction with the girls. Doesnt fit??? If you dont see that, well, thats on you. That's how this story is written. That's part of the D/s relationship here. That's how they are all wired. They are his slaves, and much much more, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT.

Jessica was (is?) the Thrall of a Progenitor. He owned her. He bred her. It's Johns destiny that he 'conquers' the other Progenitors. So far, John has become the owner of the things that he wants to own. Benevolent owner, yes. But owner.

What's the harm in projecting a little fantasy for myself? You guys do it here all the time at 80 to 200 comments per chapter.

Keep it up, Tef.

Both of those adjectives from previous comments are understatements for this epic story after 101 unique chapters. But, at a point one runs out of superlatives. Go Invictus. 🚀

Is light bdsm in the storyline. Spanking between the girls and also John spanked Alyssa after she and Sakura tried to unleash John's abilities by beating Sakura up but that's because he was angry they had done it. My response was because it seemed in the comment that what you suggested was a lot more extreme and I don't think that is needed. There is no need to beat the girls with belts as was suggested in the comment and calling them slaves is not accurate. I still don't see John having incest with his mother, the background of his character in the story doesn't support that happening. Tefler keep up the great job. mikecfl

What do you think is going to happen when the PJ half is incorporated with the John Blake half? Do you think he will become lighter or darker, overall? John Blake may have to handle the aftercare. He may have a formidable job indeed.

I didn't suggest he choke them out with the belt or cane their pussies. They are all getting a little disobedient and bratty. They actually like it rough, and can handle it. I love a brat.

I've been enjoying the character development most of all. I know most of you are living for the epic Battlestar Galactica space battles. And they are cool. I prefer Johns interactions with the girls. Especially how he subdues and dominates the wonderful Maliri royalty. He wins Illirith, collars her, and partially controls her through her ass. And yes, the spankings. He is her king, her Lord, and yes, her master. He is Master of them all.

On the incest....implausible, impossible, or you just dont like it? I'm not gonnna go digging, but John at some point was daydreaming of taking Calara and Maria together. (I know shes portrayed younger but i see an early 20s Jacqueline Obradors as Calara yummy) Or maybe it was my daydream? Also, how do you think a Projenitor builds a Thrall army? Over thousands of years? A single generation? Hmmmn? Jessica shares a common experience with Johns women. She's been bred by a Progenitor too. Plus, sexual attraction happens between close family members who have been seperated for decades or hadn't previously met. What happens in an almost inevitable story line where Jessica gets badly injured and Rachel's not around? I can see John rubbing her swollen tummy right now.

The ultimate Progenitor Matriarch.

not agree but I think in John's mind it won't be the same if it's his mother. It's not incest on his part with the Maliri girls, to me there is a difference. When I comment on the bdsm and the incest, I'm commenting from my view point of how it would work in the story not as judgement against it. I have read both bdsm and incest stories and enjoyed both genre's storylines, when they are good their good. After reading this saga to this point I see it as a unneeded change from the direction the story has gone to this point. Yes it has a little spanking and incest on the part of the twin's and their mother but raising the level of bdsm and committing incest with his mother I think would not stay true to the storyline. That being said, we will all see where Tefler takes the story in the future. There have been comments asking for things in the past that he addressed in the story explaining why he wasn't going to do it without commenting directly. Tefler has done an outstanding job with this so far and never fails to produce a hell of a chapter every time and after 101 chapters I still can't wait for the next. Thanks Tefler. mikecfl

No update on ch102 tefler ??????

#1-How did these four new nymphs remember their natural form, when Jade didn't, originally?

#2-How long before the crew thinks to ask this, too?

I suppose it might be theoretically possible that they spent significant time masterless, lost and/or forgotten somewhere, after their masters died/were killed. Like, if they were left behind on a pirate base by a small crew that were wiped out and never returned. But there are other, more sinister possibilities.

And #3, doesn't relate to this chapter, but I was recently rereading some earlier ones, and I suddenly realized something. John's girls are never jealous, especially of each other, but BSP's matriarch was jealous enough about the thralls being bred instead of her to talk back to and make demands of her Progenitor. So is this just another example of John doing things differently, or a potential sign of change, and/or possibly even growth on BSP's part?

On a side note, I'm glad to find out I was right in suspecting that Admiral Devereux was secretly alive. Plus, I totally loved Jehanna's behavior here. Telling her captors everything they wanted to know, and breaking THEM in the process. Honestly, that's about as awesome as anything John's crew have done. She has totally earned her place on the crew, just from that, alone.

All in all, great chapter, and definitely a worthy follow-up to the epic chapter 100. Well worth the wait.

@Anon

I would guess that since the new nymphs have already developed a psychic bond with Jade, at least a partial one, that knowledge of their original forms came from her. It'll be a few days before the crew get around to asking that one, what with everything else going on.

This is the longest in a long time that we had to wait for a new chapter (except when the giant 100 came out) with no real update on when it'll be here.

I sincerely hope it's not a sign that we are going to lose TSM on Lit as some of us just cannot open a patreon account.

Please be so kind as to let us know what is going on with the best story on Lit/

TK

I had a couple of days off, then launched into chapter 103. I'll do a final edit on chapter 102 this morning, then once that's been proofread I'll submit it for moderation here. I imagine it should be up early next week.

Tefler

Thank you very much for the reply and I sooooo look forward to 102 and every other chapter still to follow, I know it has to end eventually but hope it takes VERY LONG for that to happen.

TK

As always, thank you for what you've already given us, and for your continuing efforts. You tell one hell of a story.

This was such a great chapter, I've become so drawn into this series that within the first sitting I read chapters 1-50 and then another week later I read chapter 5-90, and I just finished this one good job man, it's a really good chapter, now only if u could copy and paste all this, and put in a paper book when your done🤔🤔 it would make for an amazing erotic novel:)

I really think the whole thing got reset on Sequathis

New, original and fresh