Three Square Meals Chapter 127 (combined)

I only joined less than 3 weeks ago. So glad I did. Thanks Tefler and wish your Dad all the best, from Australia. Cheers.

RedB

"There are thousands of Trankaran lives at stake". Werent There millions taken in the last chapter? Sorry if it's been covered already. Only new and havent had time to read through all the comments. Wow what a finish. John just annihilated a million kirrix from existence? Dark stuff. They totally deserve it though.

Did anybody else catch that a gravity wave can I use to destroy an entire fleet?

@Mudbutt McMerkin maybe its me reading your comment and 3am but i'm confused what your last comment was about.

prsstarid

Hey Paul......I can’t believe John would give much more than the time of day to genocidal ass clowns. Besides, I don’t believe a full blown Xae Xar Binks progen would even be capable of it. It’s so far out of their realm of cognition, they couldn’t conceive the possibility, much less actually doing it.

We don't know that Mael was the first Progenitor he could have been the second one, they didn't seem to give a time line as to when they were attacked only that it happened around these times, but what if those were just assumptions being made.

Kensyi

No I don’t think so. I think John has a special place in his heart for her since she makes all the cool gadgets, but he really does for all the girls. For a while there it seemed like Dana wasn’t getting much attention because of the new recruits and circumstances. I think he’s trying to show her some attention to make up for that. And Tef has made it clear in Johns inner monologue that Allysa is his #1.

Jammus1

Well wishes on your anniversary and to you and yours for the Holiday Season!!!

Arrowglass

That would be a trip to find Mael hiding on Kythshara. If he would assist them, they would certainly be able to Faye up and running quickly. I wonder what Mael would think seeing or meeting John for the first time? He looks way older than normal Progenitors. After he sees his team of Human, Maliri and Lenarran use psychic powers I'm sure his mind would be blown just as Rahn's was. What might he say if he finds out that John is Rahn's son and Rahn is still alive? Imagine another Progenitor's surprise to come invading run into three "White" Progenitor Dreadnoughts using tech they have never seen before. Especially if John teaches them his techniques where you don't have to have millions of thralls to be Powerful.

prsstarid

That the Enshunu refer to the Maliri as sluts is probably due to the historical gender Imbalance that John is correcting. I would venture to say that their women are probably locked down so tight it give some of our current cultures a run for their money on how they treat women. John would certainly not agree with that and would most likely free them. But all Enshunu experience with Progenitors would probably be they take their women. Something just popped into my head, could they be Lenarran males?

prsstarid

Happy 4th Anniversary Tefler! Four years to the day since you joined Literotica and submitted the first chapter! December 18, 2015 to December 18, 2019! Here's to many more years to come!

Jedi Khan

DM.....I would have thought that too until chapter 117 and 118. The encounter with the ancient hive queen. There is no shroud until the first encounter with a progen (Mael) that nearly wipes them out . The Kirrix then turn to “cultivation” up until Rahn nearly wipes em out again. They then turn to full on harvest to extinction. Maybe Mael created the shroud, maybe not. It might indeed be some Kythfaren device.......but the arrival of Mael and the initiation of the shroud are concurrent......so maybe Mael found it and turned it on. Here’s a theory I’ve been chewing on...... The “thralls go nuts” veil around Mael’s home world Kythshara and the shroud, there’s a similarity there. If either or both require psychic energy to exist, might that imply Mael is still alive? I agree completely with the Achonin/nymph theory. The Achonin runes on Jades bio-crystal heart make her either an Achonin construct or maybe an Achonin?....... I can’t imagine a progen using the runes of an inferior species, it would be beneath them. And remember that scene in chapter 107 (I think) where Larn is “communing”.with Celphna......he says something about how Celphna is still functioning perfectly after all this time and then what a novel solution to the problem she is. This leads me to think that Maybe Mael didn’t wipe out the Achonin but enslaved them .... wiping out their species identity rather than wiping out their species. Might it have Achonin tech that made the shroud possible?

I took I more that they might have rose to regain space travel during Mael s relaxed period. After getting their butts handed to them by the Achonin. They knew what a Maliri looks like and refer to them collectively as 'sluts'.

Eriktlupus

They have taken to hiding behind armor similar to how the Maliri are currently acting to outsiders. We have an explanation about why the Maliri are doing that. Could the Enshunu ancestors have been thralls from another progenitor that attacked Maelnarak but he died before he could suck the life from them? The seem to be a patriarchal vs the Maliri's matriarchal society. Would that be because the bulk of the women thralls' died and the men took over since they outnumbered the women that were left? One thing is for sure, they certainly wanted to stay under John's radar. With Progenitors active in the galaxy again and with their limited basic immortality I am not sure how hiding indefinitely is going to do for them.

prsstarid

I’ve been wondering about that same thing. I’m pretty sure it’s chapter 107 that has the largest and most informative Enshunu reveal. I interpret what I read this way.... Progens slaughter every species that’s not of their creation, so I doubt the Enshunu were allied to a Progen. My takeaway from the dialogue between the 2 Enshunu in chapter 107 is that they, like the Achonin, were at war with Mael, but they survived. I also gather that the Achonin were more advanced than the Enshunu cuz they admit as much. Or perhaps the Enshunu witnessed the destruction of the Achonin and over the millennia created a whole mythos surrounding the event. And finally, Mael invaded this section of the galaxy around 72K years ago, initiating the conflict with the Achonin, so I assume the Enshunnu are at least that old.

I wonder how the Enshunu fit into all of this. When they saw John and referred to the "old Masters," makes you wonder when the Enshunu served Progenitors...why they fear them but seem to be free of them...what part did they or do they play in all this? They wear cloak and stay covered...why...and how old is their civilization?

Arrowglass

https://discord.gg/p8F9M4

Tefler is a master of shading his narrative with hints and partial plot devices. There are many loose threads out there that I hope he will wrap up - one day. One of them is the creation of the psychotic hell that resides in the Astral Plane created by Xar'aziuth as he destroyed the ancestors of the Progenitors - the Kyth’faren. Tefler has written that this race created castles within the Astral Domain to protect secrets of psychic power from the Devourer. A logical conclusion is that the Kyth'faren created the Shroud to protect a portion of the physical world from the Devourer to allow a Progenitor to fight back against Xar'aziuth's dark forces. This field existed before Xar'aziuth came to full power else why send anyone to investigate. So, no the Shroud is not a product of the Progenitors but of their ancestor civilization. The Achonin civilization existed before the Unclaimed Waste was formed from the destruction of war. That there is a connection between the Achonin, the Nymphs, and the coming battle with Xar'aziuth seems logical as well. I also see a connection with Faye and Oceanus, but can't begin to see how that will play out. Tefler keeps me guessing - and looking forward to the next chapter and the one after that. Tefler has a whole new series of plots to work out with the Progenitors and is painting the "thrall" species as human as possible. Again, to be continued.

MeCherAmigos

@Donald Midkiff I had originally thought that the Karron artifact was a way to tie in book two to book one since the characters were different and we would find out in the last chapter what it was. I did believe it is Achonin based on the description, mainly the color. That being said, the Achonin civilization was around before Mael'nerak arrived. They had build a civilization that was quite extensive in what is now the Wastelands area which happened to border what is now the Maliri's territory. At one time there were many habitable planets there but Mael'nerak blew them all up. Don't you think it possible that Karron at one time could have been a part of a planet from there? I don't recall them ever going from Karron to Underworld so we don't have a travel time reference. Could it be possible that the Achonin had had some previous run ins with Progenitors and build the shroud to hide from them and Xar'aziuth sent Mael'nerak to investigate why he could not see into that part of the galaxy. The only technological advanced civilization that has been mentioned from that time was the Achonin. So maybe Mael'nerak just assumed they were the cause and started blowing all their planets up but that didn't cause the shoud to vanish. Perhaps they strategically buried multiple devices around their known galaxy or beyond? I know it's a way out there theory but I don't think the shroud was made by progenitors. If it was, Xar'aziuth would have to had know he could not control progenitors under it's influence and that is not something he would have wanted. Also I have not read that Progenitors under the influence of Xar'aziuth have invented anything new things other than the blueprints given to them from their guides. They have a program and they follow it. After a while under the shroud, Mael'nerak started experimenting with AI's, and creating different species. There are no references that other progenitors have done similar things in the story. I don't think they have that ability since they are battle puppets. I think the shroud was some kind of protection from progenitors either build by the Achonin or possibly surviving Kyth'faren or some other civilization but it seems to cover John's area and Kirrix space.

prsstarid

It appears that The Shroud is as old as the Progenitors, so that would leave out a relic of the Progenitor battle with Mael’nerak that created Karron as a barren asteroid. My guess, when it was mentioned, is that the relic is a Progenitor device like the sarcophagus of Stargate lore perhaps with Mael’nerak still inside.

MeCherAmigos

Pretty sure he'd snap back since it take some conscious effort for him to stay in the astral. Problem with him using up so much of his power is that the shield around his guide might have fallen due to lack of juice.

I had been reading some comments on the Lit site and someone posted something interesting and I wanted to see if there had been some previous discussion about it. The point they made was that they though the buried object on Karron was the shroud device and that it was made by the Achonin but for what purpose we dont know yet. What are your thoughts on this?

prsstarid

I am on my way to London for a company holiday party and would LOVE another half-chapter to read during flights and such! Just saying!

Evan

Oh my god! Talk about a cliff-hanger!!!

Jammus1

The way I understand the story to date is that, John is passed out in the astral plane and if he reacts anything like Dana did when she maxed out her Eldritch powers, we can expect a 14 hour nap. Other than Athena having her way with him, what else could happen to him, besides just about anything. Could the Ashanath run protective duty? Would Irrilith, Alyssa or Edreale have to camp out in the astral with him? Or do we think he snapped back into his physical form before he blacked out

Steve Chatterton

John doesn't 'hide' behind the girls , he is usually front & center to the danger , taking the most risk & hardest tasks , he just shared his power , giving the girls the ability to protect themselves & help fight ( very PC / gender non-discriminatory ) their common enemies/threats . It's been a educational journey , since PJ has been no help & we don't know yet if it was part of the differences Rahn included in his non-progenitor nature or his Terran heritage/ education . His subconscious knows what has to happen but his conscious mind rejected the idea he could use those powers , so he gave his girls those abilities .

bigdawguw65

I’m very surprised. I’ve been waiting for John to start using his power. He gave the girls their power but he still has all of there's. Good to see him step up instead of hiding behind the crew

TranceR

I disagree. the grubs will kill their hosts. John could let them eat their way out or kill them. Considering the alliance he's already made, I would say his only real choice is to kill them. To try to use them as an army would be very foolish.

I think I have watch to much anime, I really like the idea of cute female robot maids all line up to welcome John home. The problem with grubs: They are kirrix children, is John any better then the kirrix if he just kills them all? The programing John’s fighting would have him kill them all and thinking nothing of it. Kirrix are evil because any who did not want to be evil had die out long go. How long does it take a grub to grow up? If Alyssa become their queen John would have a army that he could put in harm way. Unless they become sexy bug girls... their reproduction system does need changing. In some bug colony the works are all female. If you think about it the kirrix are screwed. Do what Alyssa said and slowly die out from old age or not and get wipe out sooner.

Brian i totally disagree. He is not going out of his way to exterminate the Kirrix. If the were not taking prisoners, they would not be dying by his hand. How can you equate that with what other progenitors do?

prsstarid

holy shit that last line. He is now on the same path as the evil fucking this I. The astral that controls all the of progenitors

Yes I believe so since he could see the psychic connections to them from the Hive Queen.

ringill

But - did that also kill the larva in the Trankarans?

Who Me

This isn't really that much of a cliffhanger. The immediate conflict was resolved, the Kirrix are all dead including the larvae in the infested Trankarans. John is just taking a nice nap because he just used so much energy he blasted all these Kirrix to kingdom come.

Marauder

Can we please stop with cliffhanger endings?

Kensyi

another cliff hanger

jerry661

To everyone who only read part 1 and part 2 Tefler added quite a bit more to the story when he combined them on Dec 11 so be sure to read the chapter after it was combined

Nonconformist

log out and log in again, that might help

Kin Asdi

working in the UK

Getting a 404... attachment not found...

eclipse

I think that is a problem with human measuring units. It is either very small (proportional to a human) or astronomically large (measuring stellar distances) and nothing in between. Even using a unit equivalent to the diameter the solar system might not be enough. There is the possibility of using metric prefixes like deci-, centi-, and milli- for light years. But that might not be familiar to US readers that use the Imperial System. Alternatively, instead of light year, light second or light minute could be used.

commatoes

I don’t think anyone else noticed this yet. “ The gravity well was displayed in concentric circles, the astral hazard disrupting hyper-warp travel for light years in every direction.” I sympathize with the desire to avoid more tactical units of measure like kilometers or whatever, but an interdiction gravity well light years in radius seems a bit much.

Hinterlands Man

I can't wait to see the interactions between the new Matriarchs, old Matriarchs and the Young Matriarchs.

Kensyi

So I am re reading the entire chapter as a whole this time, and I really can't wait for Baen'thelas to get back to Maliri space

Kensyi

thank for the heads up.

Mjk154

The Sonic liquidators will still need to be used I would think. Passing solids that large might be a bit rough. On the bright side, with a population that large I would guess that at least some of the children are still alive.

Cody Strong

Man I feel sorry for whoever has to go into all those ships and release the Trankarans. There are 1.25 million (1.7 million x75%) who are infected and caged/tied up and are going to have to take a dump at the same time after John obliteration of the Kirrix unless they still have to have the sonic procedure. The smell is going to be terrible. Bring on the bio hazard suites and oxygen tanks.

prsstarid

What a sad loss for the rest of the monastery. We will really miss her one liners. They were quite good.

prsstarid

THIS IS A COMPLAINT--. Ok, I always wait for the complete chapter before I read a post. So I waited until the 2nd half was posted, it just wasn't combined into the final chapter 127. I read 127 part 1 and 2 and 2 ended at Alyssa feeling Johns fury over the bond. As far as I knew that was the complete chapter. If I had not gone over all the comments this afternoon I would have missed the reference to something that wasn't in what I thought was the complete chapter. PLEASE TEFLER when you update your post please share when you add more to the chapter ( I know you usually do but this time it was omitted ). This would help those of us that wait for the complete chapter to read it. It would be confusing when 128 comes out to find I am lost as soon as I started to read. Regardless I sincerely love the story and can't wait for the next chapter. Thank you.

Nonconformist

Spoilers, dude! I guess I don't need to watch War Monastery III then. Battle-sister Emmanuelle was my favorite.

Jerry Seeger

With every chapter you leave me like Noah in Oliver Twist, please, sir, I want more. I've read and re-read now three times.. It's better with each read. Thanks for the hard work so far.

Kris

Tefler, great chapter! I found a couple suggested edits for Chapter 127, as follows: Page 50: making sure that the ferocious-looking weapon was slotted near(t)ly into the brackets.; Page 61: The four Nymphs look(ed) awestruck as they watched Calara systematically dismantle the Kirrix fleet.; As always, if you disagree, I completely understand. Good luck with Chapter 128. Thank you and Cheers!

Thank you Tef

Iori Daemona Angel

Yep, you're right. :-) I did a quick search through old chapters to double-check the name of the plant species and wasn't paying enough attention.

Tefler

Hey Tefler in the last scene you said "As he studied the felled creature, he was reminded of Kirzuxa, the ancient Hive Queen he had encountered on the Vairun’s homeworld. " But didn't John encounter her on the Mhoirad homeword? When he was in her mind he saw other civilizations she personally destroyed like the Vairun and Naygari.

prsstarid

Her reply was "He isn't safe yet, but this is a good beginning :)" Concerning both parts, you did good! My wife and I enjoyed the part about the "southern fried chicken" sandwich. Nice touch. Stay healthy and "Keep on, keepin on!"

You son=of- a "buck!" What a job! Great! I at the time only had the first part of this chapter and sent that part concerning Faye to my wife figuring that you had at least given or thrown her a "bone"

Damn! I'm so glad I only discovered this story only a month ago, you really know how to hook us and keep us thrashing with these cliffhangers. This is torture! I can't wait to see where this goes. P.S. - Is it just me, or has Dana eclipsed even Alyssa as John's one true love at this point? Their relationship had the most emphasis and concentration for these last few chapters, and it just elevated even more this chapter.

kinky-kong-keith

If they did sense it, they probably took a dump in their collective pants.

Cody Strong

Wow that ending!

Ah, well spotted, thank you!

Tefler

I am wondering if John's final psychic attack against the Kirrix was noticeable to Rahn or any other Progenitor? Kind of like a psychic beacon.

prsstarid

Tef: “We’re getting through them as fast as we can,” the blonde said earnestly. “Cathy reckons will [we'll] be finished with the personal claims by Thursday.”

Little one should definitely get a body, she is John and Faye's daughter after all. She should probably get an actual name too.

Thanatos95

What an INCREDIBLE ending to this chapter...PURE TEFLER...!!!

Arrowglass

Damn cliffhanger!

Jake Thomas

Oh, man... we have wait until next year for a new chapter!

That one should be fixed in the combined chapter. :-)

Tefler

Thank you, your work and dedication is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful Christmas, especially with Tef junior. Hopefully chapter 128 for a new years eve present for us all????

GDay (FMS)

Amazing!

Simorthelast

Found one error -- you used the word 'brevity' at one point, but given the context, I'm fairly certain you meant 'levity' instead. Brevity means shortness, whereas levity means humor or lighthearted jokes.

cittran genericlastname

DAMN! Way to leave the chapter off! Can't wait to see what happens next! Thanks Tefler!

Austin

Cliffhanger.... Arrrrgggghhhh

Kensyi

I try to keep improving. It's good to hear you're still enjoying the story. :-)

Tefler

No probs. :-)

Tefler

You're welcome!

Tefler

No problemo!

Tefler

You're welcome! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Tefler

Liked it a lot!

Much better thanks... about 95% :-) Baby Tef has a cold, but is otherwise in rude health. Plus he's super cute!

Tefler

Fantastic thanks!

Gavin

A fantastic chapter. Thank you good sir.

rich ed

Thank you, Tefler!

Great story continues...

DCM

Thanks!

Steve

thanks Tef

Mjk154

Thank you sir... Hope your feeling better, and that NewTef is doing well...

Hendrix Morton

Thanks, Tef!

CJ Mora