Three Square Meals - Chapter 126

Ben , actually their home world (gifted by Mael) was forest/grasslands & they were hunters like the great cats of Terra , so I think that would be preferred . Jade loved the water once she shifted to aquatic forms , but it's not their normal.

bigdawguw65

I forgot about Martin because I have never read anything by him and just know him by reputation/pop culture osmosis. I considered To Kill a Mocking Bird. I wonder though, if it was originally intended to be a self-contained book and not have a sequel. Because, the sequel to Handmaid's Tale just came out almost 35 years later.

commatoes

Game of Thrones has the longest wait except for the sequel for To Kill a Mocking bird

MARK W TALBOT

Her last major break through was to adjust the sonic cannons to create a means of safely removing Kirrix eggs from infected hosts, a process that previously required surgery.

Jedi Khan

Nope, nothing recent that I know of.

Jedi Khan

Schwiling. I found the relevant passage. It is from the end of Cp 109 A series of images flickered past in procession, showing the Luphid incubating Kirrix eggs amongst its own, until it was time for both sets to hatch. The Kirrix grubs chewed their way out from the leathery eggsac, freeing both clutches of young without harming the host. It was obvious that the two species were symbiotic, relying on each other for their natural lifecycle. What the grubs ate until they reached maturity was never elaborated on (I think). Maybe they practised a form of "farming" like ants that cultivate fungi or "herded" aphids for honeydew and fed the grubs like these social insects. Or maybe they were herbivorous. While I cannot recall an insect example, primate predecessors switched back and forth from insectivore/predator to herbivore multiple times in prehistory (teeth and jaws are good evidence and do not decay like soft tissue, so there are a lot around in the fossil record). One modern animal that more recently switched from omnivore to exclusive herbivore is the giant panda. Rare, but not unheard off. This is a viable model. Edit: I just remembered. Carnivorous caterpillars have evolved on Hawaii.

commatoes

Has Rachael created any new tech to promote population health recently? I realize thst she has been busy, but that is her thing

Benj

Nymphs galore. John may have collected all of the nymphs from the humans, but the Brimorians have one. So, might there be more elsewhere? I was also thinking that the nymphs need a new home and love water, so maybe they could share a water world with the abandoned after the Brimorians go belly up.

Benj

Interesting that you brought up that the Kirrix had a symbiotic relationship with the other species before the shroud. We have mainly been focusing on the Kirrix using other species to host their young, and how wrong it is that the host is harmed or killed. But the Kirrix was also slicing up the children to provide food for their young. In the previous symbiotic relationship, what were they feeding their young?

I, have often wondered as the crew became more powerful individually, and as a group, if Dana and Rachael would or could collaborate, to make a powerful PSI shaper for human use. I can imagine a version being, a crystal Allysium golden colored circlet, with small spider crystals embedded around the circlet. This would give them a large psi boost by multiplying their current psychic power by whatever advantage the crystals and the psi booster combined would gain, possibly as much as a 6 to 1 advantage. But, realistically the advantage would probably be 4 to 1, because the current version of the psi shaper is at 2 to 1, the crystals could possibly bring it up to 4 to 1. This would be a tremendous boost, just the current 2 to 1 boost would double their current abilities, and double their reserves by not using them unless necessary. I see this as a useful tool, but Tefler may already have something planned, he is always far ahead of me. Any other thoughts or ideas?

No, not slave race. Kirrix are only killing other races to survive themselves because of the shroud. A humane alternative wouldn't require enslavement. If you had a choice between allowing the Kirrix to use humanoids as hosts (unharmed and as caretakers) or wiping them out completely, which would be of most benefit to all parties involved? The current batch of Kirrix Rulers have done horrible things to other sentients, there's no way to undo what they did, but wiping them out as a race isn't a good option either. I was just looking at it from a diff point to view...

The previous reproduction method was a form of symbiosis (I forget the name of the species), where the the Kirrix young could pupate without "harming" or killing the host species. The relationship is mutually beneficial, or at least NOT fatal to the host. I think a decent parallel is the bacteria that reside in the digestive tract of many animals. The host provides a safe environment and the bacteria often help by breaking down some foods or making necessary nutrients (like some vitamins). Presently, the relationship is parasitoid/predator. The Kirrix see every other species as basically "food" for their eggs and pupating grubs. They are at least better than pirates because this is the only viable reproductive strategy they have and not simply for "fun and profit". IIRC, the pre-Shroud reproduction was almost like a form of surrogacy. Since, the Progenator dilemma is tied to the Shroud, I think the resolution will just have the added benefit of solving the KIrrix problem. What they can do to "atone" for genocide, I do not know.

commatoes

I just thought I would throw in my 0.02. Getting a finished book is one thing and a lot of authors will take years to publish installments of a series. One modern author that I read, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, took 5 years to publish the last volume of one series. The Green Mile is the only recent novel that I can remember that was intentionally serialised. Each installment was less than 100 pages (except the final) and it was released once a month. The Potter books were published over 10 years. Yup we are reading a work in progress and we are getting a really well written novel that is epic in length and breadth for a pretty nominal fee compared to the cost of a few nights at the movies, a few new release hard cover books, a fine meal, or maybe 1-3 tanks of gas (depending on vehicle). And that assumes that every single chapter was paid at the agreed Patreon rate. Yeah some of us are very generous and are giving at the higher rates. But still, as value for enjoyment and considering the sheer hours of writing and editing that has gone into 3SM thus far, it is really a bargain. Now please excuse me as I will now return to my corner and resume quietly sucking my thumb while rocking back and forth. I find the DTs are easier in that position.

commatoes

After John, Jade, and the Twins saved the citizens of Menganus IV, Irillith stated that she did not destroy all of the Kirrix drone carriers. She said she repurposed two of them and sent them on a mission to attack Kir-Inax. I wonder what became of that?

I can't imagine John doing something like that. The Abandoned are half Terran after all. I still think that the key to dealing with the Progenitors is destroying Xar'azuith and releasing them from his control. It might avoid the need to defeat dozens of progenitors individually. I believe the knowledge held in the Kyth'faren repository John and Rahn visited in the Astal is key to accomplishing this and a host of other things.

I only found this about a month ago. Actually, I read Truckstop Takedown first and it had everything that I love in a story especially Jake finding out that he had an amazing daughter that he didn't know about. I have an amazing daughter. Her and her younger brother are part of the Thin Blue Line and are everything a dad could ask for in his kids. I loved Truckstop Takedown so much that I tackeled 3SM even though it is twice the size of anything I had read before. I spent 2 weeks reading through the 3.5 million words of my original download from Stories Online then found my way here for chapters 123-126. I don't mind waiting a bit for a new chapter. I have been waiting a year for chapter 9 of Harddaysknight's Lady in Red book 3. I am really anxious to find out how many blue fighter pilots that Murphy ends up going out with. Flight Commander Krisalei, Lorathyra, and Torvanna all seem to be a bit taken with him and he is a bit smitten himself. I can see the 3 of them taking up residence in John's new trading station and raising pale blue babies while training the next generation of pilots for a new combined Maliri/Terran border force.

Has anyone considered that John might be able to genetically modify a strain of the Abandoned to survive Kirrix hatchlings? A symbiotic relationship between them would mean Kirrix no longer need to kill sentient hosts, and the Abandoned are used to having many children, so they'd be happy without exploding their population. Win-Win, and they'd have one more Ally in the coming shitstorm (I'm counting Abandoned as allies already, they just don't know it yet).

Tef take your time and don’t rush. We are prepared to wait. We want to see this reach it’s conclusion to the fullest, not in a season 8 got way. 😁

I think the bugs are a little too busy with their civil war at the moment to be a threat to the fish. In fact, they missed their regularly scheduled monthly meeting to receive their "protection fee" from the Birmorians.

Jedi Khan

I think my last chapter I needed my fix for was 123 or 124 and I feel like that was cuz so much was left hanging and o needed to know what happened to feel "complete" idk really but I'm good now with these last two, whenever they get posted I will be good, I'm still rereading the series each time i finish a new chapter but I know have a few other rl things going on to distract me from getting too needy, but just wanted to say thank you Tefler for all that you do. Have not heard anything from you in a while but I'm hoping everything is going well with mini Tef and that you are taking notes on the milestones he is hitting.

Kensyi

Speaking of which......am I the only one that thinks the Brims might be getting a visit from the Kirrix? Alyssa said no terrans or tranks when she spanked the Hive moms into line...she never mentioned chicken of the sea as off the menu. It’s gonna get full on Old Testament when the crew find out what the Brims have been doing with middle aged Abandoned....

I agree with Jack Veach above. As I stated earlier I want speculation discussion on future issues and events.

Big Dude

The problem is that the story is so damn good that the day its released everyone reads it instantly. And then the wait starts haha. Im just happy Tefler is still going strong and releasing more chapters

For anyone who is interested, I just went back and did some addition. Chapters 1-12 totaled 96,258 words. Chapter 100 alone is 93,298 words. The last chapter (126) was just short of 34k. I guess my point is, this story has become so complex that if Tefler tried to put out 2-3 shorter chapters per month the story would become a bit fragmented as far as readability. Thanks for the great story! Keep doing what you're doing.

Not about the story line because every time i try to out guess our fearless leader he is way ahead of me . I want this to just keep going for as long as possible . Tefler is doing an amazing job at an incredible pace . Sure i want the next chapter yesterday , but being a realist i know that if i have to leave the room to get something my thought process is lost . Being home and having to deal with things that really mater while trying to write has to take a god .... don't push him unless you want to get struck by lightning .

Oldwood

I think they were the original tier statements and are somewhat out of date, yes they could benefit from a refresh, but, Tefler is charging per release not per month so I for one am fine with it.

Spartan 52

I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to put all the distracting B.S. behind me, and go back to the T.S.M. storyline. What has happened, what will happen, will there be upgrades, of weapons, the ship, the crew, and other people involved with John and the crew of Invictus or just the ship. I enjoy reading the comments for the opinions of other people about all of these things and more. There are many other items, story related that I could list, but I'll go for now and check back later, to see if anyone is talking about the storyline.

Silliness in a circular firing squad. Anyone who feels that Tefler's goals are a contract is living in a self indulgent bubble of narcissism with no comprehension of what's going on in the world outside of their little echo chamber. And for people to be debating this while so many are being killed and or being forced out of their homes all around the world for political self-indulgent power just shows how out of touch we all are. Let's face it, this amazingly well-written story provides us with a brief escape from the horrors of the world around us. Both in our immediate lives and those sacrificing in the world. With deepest respect and apologies to the amazing author Tefler thank you for this amazing gift that you continue to share and a rate unmatched in modern day writing. The fact that you are doing this and raising a family with a newborn is just a testament to the amazing person that you are that is so represented in the works you produce.

I think it is the current culture of "instant gratification" that causes most of the complaints. People are losing the ability to wait for what they want. They have to have it now. One chapter of two chapters a month, I don't really care as long as Tefler continues to write and finishes the story. I would hate to be left hanging.

It has been. But it's not as advertised. He states two in his description. And keeps saying he is trying to get back to two. That's from his own mouth. That's why people keep bring it up. One chapter is fine by me. But when you keep sowing the seeds. You can't complain about people expecting it.

I do find it weird that anyone wants more than that personnaly.Honestly calling what tefler releses "chapters" is a major disservice to them.The are bassicaly 1/3 of a proper book in length and realy well edited as well.Most of the other authors i follow never match that kind of word count in a month even thought they do release more "chapters"

One chapter a month on the last day of the month has been "normal" for many months now. I don't understand why anyone expects any sooner than that at this point.

I rarely post on here mainly because I prefer to read others opinions on the latest chapter and that can help pass the time between chapters. And I also understand both sides of this argument because I’m a fan of teflers work first, but also get frustrated sometimes when it takes longer than normal for the next chapter. Both of these opinions are valid, and both have a right to be shared. The best part about this forum is that I know that tefler reads all of the comments and sometimes implements those ideas in future chapters. I’m sure he is not too concerned about people getting antsy about waiting because last time I checked it did not speed up the process and he will release the chapter when he is ready. So therefore everyone should relax and respect others opinions one side or the other. It gets quite old each month when this starts. Hopefully a collective peace can be found instead.

I was having the same problem as well.

I'm with the previous couple of people on this. The only contract I have with Tefler is my promise to pay every time he posts a chapter. If he posts nothing for 12 months, I will go crazy from TSM withdrawal symptoms, but that will be my only cost. Mr Tefler, please continue with your policy of quality over quantity, and I will accept whatever you put forward, whenever you feel it is ready.

I would like to know how is someone identifying chapter whiners polluting a thread is "shutting people up"? Tefler knows what people have been thinking for many months because certain people have been complaining about late chapter deliveries for many months. I want to know how people think Tefler is developing characters and their interwoven alliances. Yes Tefler has introduced many ancillary characters and they need to be tied together starting with the control rod found and left by John and the Girls. Who cares right now if Telfer delivers a chapter at the last minute of the month? As stated above, if Tefler doesn't deliver he is broke that month. As I stated to Tefler many months before he should have written some chapters in advance for these times. He didn't so move on! Read something else in the interim. I have read many other series while waiting. Y'all can search duckduckgo like anyone else. When I placed a list of other authors 6 weeks ago that post was erased. So now I copy all my posts in a notes location so I can repost them if erased.

Big Dude

Did anyone else have a problem logging into Patreon over the last 2 or 3 days? I could pull up the login page but the login bar was a constant swirling circle. I want to know if the problem was Patreon or on my end.

Nonconformist

I don't see a " contract ", I'm going to have to agree with Jedi Khan. The statement of Tefler saying " I aim to release ect. " is not a contract to me. It is someone saying they are going to try to accomplish a goal and like any other projected goal sometimes you succeed sometimes you don't.

Nonconformist

Unlike other Patreon Authors, Tefler gets paid on output, not a flat rate fee per month, so as far as I'm concerned, this is fair for both parties, some still get paid for no output that month, or months at a time, at least Tefler is being fair and only getting money when he puts out something, he puts out less, you get charged less, I can't see why people get the panties in a twist over low/slow output under these conditions.

Wozza

I believe what is being referred to in the "contract" is under the $1 Terran Marine tier where Tefler states: "I currently aim to release three chapters per month, at between 25k-30k words per chapter." He unfortunately hasn't kept to that in quite awhile, often releasing chapters that are greater than 30k words in length, and as a result, he's only been able to do two chapters in a month at most. However, it must be pointed out that in Tefler's outdated tier description, he says he "aims" to release the aforementioned number of chapters. He didn't promise to release that number, only that he aimed to. As it stands, the only contractual obligation that exists between us and Tefler is that we pay when he releases a chapter, and only when he releases a chapter. No more, no less.

Jedi Khan

I disagree with one of Brian's points on having a "contract" but am interested in hearing more about the plot errors? As I understand we agree to fund per chapter released - there is no agreed upon release dates or quantities. Besides no release, no funding so the person most impacted by no chapter release is Tefler himself.

I really do like Tefler's work and love the story plot and the twists and turns it has taken and this last part has me on the edge of my chair, but I am getting a little antsy waiting for the next installment. Hope it comes soon. Of course I am a patient individual and am used to life's unpredictability.

raymond sisko

Might I ask what part or parts of the story do you consider major plot errors?

Jedi Khan

I concur with Brian’s views and thank him for putting into words what I have been feeling recently. None of this is helped by the tier breakdown on Teflers Patreon site which aims to produce 2-3 chapters a month. If this is not the case then remove that statement. Since joining there have been vacations, a hot summer and now baby. The world would come to a stop if everyone got to slow down for what are life’s challenges. I love the story but get tired of the broken promises. Best to promise short and deliver long!

BillyTB

We are now reaching the point where questions and complaints begin to arise over when the next chapter will be released. Those eager to see the new chapter, and feeling that their contract agreement is not being met, speak out. The vocal minority shout louder trying to silence them. The silent majority quietly observe these happenings. I have been in the book business for a while. Patreon is a relatively new concept in the writing of a book. Instead of buying a finished product readers are paying by the chapter to be a part of the creation process, and hence the concept of a contract agreement. You agree to pay by the chapter, the author agrees to produce so many chapters. But wait there’s more, and that is this forum. And this is what makes Patreon unique in story writing. Readers can offer feedback along the way. An author now has an opportunity to get feedback during the writing process and can shift the story line based on both positive and negative feedback. I won’t buy the books for TSM because of what I consider major plot errors. Yet I’m here paying by the chapter and ultimately paying more than if I bought the books. That’s because, as I said, I have the opportunity to offer my opinions to Tefler and be a part of the creation process should I so desire. The vocal followers who are trying to shout down those who offer negative feedback or concerns about when the next chapter will be released are doing a disservice to Tefler. He needs to know what his readers are thinking and feeling about the story line. The silent majority may not be writing feedback here, but they are watching. If they feel there is no point in offering feedback, because it will not be well received, they may simply leave. If Tefler signs in to discover a lot of readers have left he would be justifiably concerned. Those who have nothing but praise for Tefler’s work need to be patient with those who offer negative feedback, including complaints about the next chapter not being released soon enough. They are paying for the right to air their views. And if at some point Tefler notices the number of readers decreasing he would at least have feedback that would allow him to make informed decisions about where he goes with his story.

Moon Dragon, Tefler posted about a week ago: Tefler I'm currently working on the next chapter, but there's been a fair few interruptions recently as to be expected with a baby in the house! I'll create a status update post when I hand the first half over to my editors. :-) ---- Most of us expect to hear from him within the next 8 days, but he does have a newborn (just under a month old), so it's likely that his schedule has not been unchanged... :-) Please be patient. Hopefully, others will see your query and my response, and not ask the same question again too often.

Evan

I apologize if this has already been discussed here or elsewhere and I merely overlooked it, but has there been any update on when the next chapter is expected?

I've been trying to find the discord invite link for a month with no luck. Where might it be found?

He'll drop one before the end of the month.

Ricardo Miguel Pereira da Silva, I call it every month. The chapter whiners! Just let the man do what he does best and wait for it! He realizes he will not get $5300 if he fails to deliver so be patient! And pointing this out I am a snowflake.

Big Dude

The Discord server is free. You just need the invite link to join.

Jedi Khan

Timothy, as a Patreon member all you have to do is take a screenshot of your contribution here and post it in the new-arrival-coordination channel. I will set you up there. Once setup there you have access to the Patreon only channels. There isn't anything to pay there.

Cignal

Every one keeps talking about the Discord server. And I'm bored and don't feel like cleaning my garage. Any thoughts on the matter?? Free or pay??

Timothy Lucas

Yeah, she was lying to make John feel better because he asked her to.

Jedi Khan

I was thinking about Calara's Game. Re-reading chapter 101 right now and I found this quite interesting: 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...*

Jeff P

Guys please. Before asking for updates how about reading previous posts?

Ricardo Miguel Pereira da Silva

Any update on next chapter..It's hitting the last week of the month

I can't even imagine trying to write with all that going on. Tefler is a stronger human than I.

AlyxHaestrom

Dirty stinky nappies/diapers + new born + oldest + wife = greater obligations, he's juggling a lot and i'm sure he has his priorities right, he'll get a new chapter out, time permitting i'm sure!

Wozza

Nothing new, I think it's in one of the last chapter posts/updates that he is working on it - when he finds time...

Jerowski

Has anyone seen any news on if/when tefler plans to continue with tuning the earlier chapters into e-books?

David Shmilowitz

I've not ever understood why tefler doesn't just post an update as a general post rather than responding in a comment that gets rapidly buried.. there has to be a reason, I just don't know why

Dennis Aston

Thanks. No worries. Just was making sure I didn't miss a status update. Figured one of yall would straighten me out;) lol

Timothy Lucas

Tefler posted only two days ago: Tefler I'm currently working on the next chapter, but there's been a fair few interruptions recently as to be expected with a baby in the house! I'll create a status update post when I hand the first half over to my editors. :-) --- So, let the man work without constant queries as to when the next release will be. He's got to help take care of a newborn as well as deal with getting the writing done. We all know that he would *like* to post something before the end of this month so that he can earn some income, but we will just have to wait and see, hopefully without the constant badgering, what he manages to accomplish. No, Timothy, you didn't do anything wrong by asking the question, but hopefully, we'll keep the number of queries down this month! :-)

Evan

Any word/update on next chapter timeline?

Timothy Lucas

That’s a big assumption Grim. John seams to be breaking the progenitor rule book in nearly every way. Why not have multiple Thrall races. Just because no other progenitor has, doesn’t mean it can’t.

MJHSharkbait365

How many races are in John's crew?

thomas rodrian

I think a progenitor is limited to one thrall race... Not to say Alyssa couldn't recruit one. ;)

Grimlakin

So I saw a few posts about Rahn being confused by Alyssa’s influences on Jessica. Alyssa “breaking” Rahn’s hold on Jessica is a big deal. This would make it possible for John to recruit Thralls currently possessed by other Progenitors. John with a rainbow army of Thrall races? Now that would be a game changer!

I must’ve missed a bit. I know admiral almara has just been involved in the murder of Carmela Moreno, but who is he other than that? Is he active (don’t see how that’s possible, he would have been caught up in Alyssa’s earlier sweep) or is he one of the retired admirals that Alyssa has not yet got around to...?

Timbo

much love Tefler! Thanks for the update and hope the family is well!

Simorthelast

Remember Lynette said she locked down the ISD comms? When Lynette starts looking and see someone contacted Admiral Almara it will get interesting.

Big Dude

To add to a previous post... I forgot that Calara's mother was under attack. There is a special affinity to Maria by John so the admirals are in more deep doo doo.

Big Dude

Here's a thought... Did John give the Maliri the same modified FTL Drive specs he has? If so, then all the Maliri need are Dana improved Progenitor shields and wormhole generators. Progenitor thrall vessels will not travel as fast in space.

Big Dude

Sure John will sense a change when she contacts John to apologize for her past conversations. When Rahn apologizes to John and Alyssa senses Rahn is sincere things will change.

Big Dude

Tefler, you take your time and help out as needed! Pretty sure you can be sure there will be a chapter this month with a new mouth to feed.

Big Dude

Woot Thanks for the update Tefler!!! Sure hope your wife and the baby are doing well!!! How does your other youngens like the new baby??

Sparky's Wife!!!

Thanks Tef hope everyone is doing well and you’re getting some sleep

cheers mr

Braw

I'm currently working on the next chapter, but there's been a fair few interruptions recently as to be expected with a baby in the house! I'll create a status update post when I hand the first half over to my editors. :-)

Tefler

I was thinking the same thing

jerry661

Hey Tef any chance of an update? No pressure we know it’s a hectic time...

That would be absolutly lovely

Marcel Ortlepp

Progenitor is a noun meaning person(s) or thing(s) from which a person or thing originates. I.e. ancestor. It is not an original concept in any science fiction. When used as a name for a race, it implies that the race was responsible for the creation of other races.

complete fantasy for me …….Faye's server was blasted off it's base & sucked out of Invictus . With it's internal power source she is alive & has minimal control in space , she notices the Raptor floating by & somehow steers herself in through the damage screen...John & the crew pick it up & tractor beam it aboard but put off investigating/repairing it for now ….Faye is able to reconnect with her body & the ICN & little one find her ….In the morning John is awakened by her singing , but at first thinks he imagining it , until he opens his eyes & see's her next to the bed....Goodmorning John...I missed you...huge celebration ensues ...like I said it's just my dream

bigdawguw65

An interesting twist would be if Faye sensed the attack and shifted herself to a server on the Progenitor ship. Having said that I don't really believe it myself. To be moved to her current server she had to be shut down and even if she could move herself it would take more time than available. Still it introduces an interesting new possibility for Faye.

Just a brief aside, we have seen the Progenitors before. In Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 episode 17, the Aldeans fire an energy weapon that sends the Enterprise three days away. This weapon was manufactured by a race called the Progenitors.

Why Alyssa? I can see Irillith, as she can dig up the cyber trail and records. I don't see how Alyssa factors into this. She can just see pain and suffering, mostly feel it, with being able to see Thralls who died from draining. John is the one who actually brings fragments back and makes them visible for others.

Marauder

I want to see how Alyssa and Irillith recreate the conversation between the blown up dead Rear Admiral Carmela Moreno and the Admiral Almada who did the deed! It will be sweet and swift retribution especially the attempted killing of two Lionesses, Rachel's father and the grave wounding of his woman; let alone the 5000+ marines! I wonder if Alyssa can pulse a spirit death shot over the T-Fed comms link or Irillith spirit walking and showing up at Almeda's house. Now that would be kool beans!

Big Dude

BIg , don't you think John will sense something is up with her drastic change ? He's not dumb , his first question would be what Rahn was up to , if this was a ruse somehow , & one look at Alyssa or Rachel would give it away , Alyssa especially is an open book to John .

bigdawguw65

Nope on the Alyssa spanking. Jessica will apologize to John for being a motherless bitch to him because she was under Rahn's influence and she realizes it, I don't see Rahn mentioning to John what he found out because of what bigdawguw65 said in the middle of sentence #1. I do believe if Rahn tries anything against John's ladies John will first remove the PG shield and will go Super Saiyan on Rahn! Imagine that supernova will seen on many home worlds.

Big Dude

Dean , if Rahn even thinks of attacking Alyssa he's done , but since he is still puzzled by her & a little frightened about just what John & crew can do , I think he will talk first . The approach will be vital , they need to let Jessica contact Alyssa first & let the ladies workout the ground rules . Rahn should be able to see Jessica still loves him , even with Alyssa's shield & also his survival & escape from Xar still depends on John & family . I think he will be pissed at the interference & John will be too , John might have to give Alyssa a good spanking .

bigdawguw65

With Dana's abilities maybe she is a wormhole generator, and John is the re-charger. What does anyone think about the coming family reunion? Now that Rahn most likely realizes that Alyssa created Jessica's mind shield, is he going to try to kill her or embrace John's method of doing things and give Jessica psychic powers? Can Rahn even get over being pissed at John and work together with him? If there's another fight, I don't think John will be talked down a second time!

Big Dude, I didn't mean to steal your thunder, but it makes a lot of sense, especially if each one is totally independent of the other. IE one totally shut down while the other is operating. I don't know if the second unit will work while the first is regenerating or not. could be an issue. The GEO will sort it. LOL

Dana's skillset with gravity wells and black holes and Tashana's 12,000 degree heat will create a super metal that will defeat Xar's Progenitor line. Remember Rahn told Jessica he couldn't catch John's ship.

Big Dude

Glad to see Beowolf mentioned a second wormhole generator, something I suggested two weeks ago. Since Eternity Crystals are focusing objects I suggested Dana use them to minimize the power usage of the wormhole generator (WG) to reduce recharge time and the WG has more than two uses per day. I also suggested Dana make them for Maliri battleships too.

Big Dude

Isn’t the standard one matriarch per progen? Perhaps the reason for this is progens can’t absorb a defeated progens thralls? With everything so highly regimented in progen society.....the same tech, same powers, same military, same thralls (skin color notwithstanding) perhaps there are restrictions to co-opting matriarchs as it would disrupt this.

I agree and am also 99% sure it is true that thrall souls are used by the Progenitors. Like you probably did, I came to this conclusion months ago. My comment was intended to cover the metal itself (and not the added thrall sacrifices) as black metal is mentioned as an ingredient going into the forge. At any rate, Alyssa's white metal will be stronger than a black metal death ship. Tef is as good at creating bad boys and girls as he is creating good boys and girils.

Mapper

Probably Mael’nerak constructed the star forge as an alternative to the soul forge after his change to benevolence.

Nekronom

Soul Forge requires sacrifice of thralls. 99.9% certain. That is part of why Alyssa hears so much death around the metal. Not JUST because so many died ON the ship but also all the ones that died to MAKE the ship.

Sirloki

But don't the trakkens already have thier star forge up and running? It sounded like to me that thier star forge was building tens of ships a day fully outfitted with any non psi tech that was avliable. Enough capicaty to easily outfit the T fed with a new fleet of ships. Since Dana can rearrange the molecules in a ship, with enough power, shouldn't she be able to rearrange them into something like CA without the psi tech and just embed them with prog runes over the whole ship?

Skycrane

I'm thinking that the soul forge is tethered to the Astrlal and creates the black metal out of the mists, much like John created the fortress back on Karron. It is like a psychic "recorder" in that it remembers the terrible things that happen aboard the ship it's part of. If John were to build a soul forge, it would very well draw Xar like a magnet and create all sorts of hell. I believe the answer lies with Dana. She will create the "loved up" version of the super metal, which she may have already done when she repaired the Invictus on Arcadia, or come up with CAv2.0. Then she'll design a love forge to crank out uber tough ships.

The way I see it, the only option is going to be to build a brand new ship, a bit bigger than the Invictus is now, using CA for the entire ship. then with Dana laying hands on, everyone pours all the loving psyche energy they have into Dana, and she alters the properties of the CA. Hopefully Alyssa won't have anymore bad Ju-Ju to contend with, if no-one is hurt or dies on board, (invictus mark 2). even the med centre will be brand new. And if the changes Dana makes helps to strengthen the hull, then along with the improved shields, they should be able to take on the bad guys more easily. Then fit out the interior, using Dana modified prog tech. Multiple power cores for built in redundancy, perhaps even a second wormhole generator if she can create a strong enough substitute for the prog black metal. then find or build new prog based servers, again with back-ups. That should take us through to Xmas.

We don't know if the Progenitor black metal is psychically reactive. Doesn't seem like something a Progenitor would do, considering they are all psychic; would mean that their ship could be stripped of armor by another Progenitor in a fight. There has been a case before where Alyssa has seen echoes of pain and suffering before: shortly after they got the Invictus, she couldn't enter the med bay because of all the pain and suffering that had taken place there. That was long before Dana made the first psychically reactive metal. Then we also have John's attempts of bringing Sakura's, Rachel's and Alyssa's parents back. He collected psychic echoes from the environment where they grew up and recreated their personalities as "ghosts" for the girls to talk to. Those echoes were present without there being any psychically reactive material around.

Jedi Khan

Bigdawg, that was my take on it, two separate units. so even if the lionesses were somehow able to cleanse the metal of the thrall ships, Alyssa would still get the echoes of those who died on them.

The way I understand it , the black metal is a psychic reactive metal , like CA & extreme psychic events(ie deaths) imprint itself in the environment , thus Alyssa can see the various thralls who were husked in a gruesome death & those who died in battle defending the Legacy , & those Rahn killed on Arcadia & Larn husked on his ship . Those are vivid images to Alyssa , unlike the general uneasiness she gets from the black metal itself . I believe the Soul Forge uses thralls life force ( against their will ) to imprint psychic energy into the black metal ,unlike John & Alyssa using their own psychic energy to strengthen CA & this is what gives it the bad ju-ju that Alyssa can sense .

bigdawguw65

I fucking love Brian Blessed,

Matt

Gordon's alive?! (Sorry been enjoying some Queen soundtrackage)

Matt

Lee, I can't recall if Tefler was clear on whether the negative feelings from the metal in LK's ship were worse after the battle or not. If the feelings were markedly worse, then it means that the negativity came from all the psychic energy of millions of thralls being sucked dry, not just from those who died on the ship. If the negative feeling was the same or similar, then it was the result of the manufacturing process. I'm pretty sure that Alyssa was overwhelmed by the phantom thralls on the legacy, MN's ship, and she wasn't touching the walls at the time, but was seeing the thralls being sucked dry before her eyes. However, my memory is not as good as I like to think it is, so I could be mistaken.

Go, That's not a bad theory. In fact it explains the annihilator in the moon. If the experiment went badly and the new species evolved into the bad guys, he could just destroy the planet and everyone on it.

I don't think it uses an actual soul, but the forge just requires so much psychic energy that it takes several thousand/million? thralls to be husked/sucked dry in order to power it. we shall see soon as john finds the soul forge.

Try speaking by hitting the microphone button to the left of the space bar and saying “new paragraph” to do it.

Evan

Wait a minute guys... think of this possibility. If Dana soul forged the Invictus with her own soul, then she can immediately repair ship hull damage from a John delivered topoff during a live battle!

Big Dude

Lee, I think you're right that John won't get LK's fleet, but i think that the balance of power in that society will shift and will go the way of Enshunu, with the males now outnumbering the remaining females, none of whom are enhanced or trained. I think that most of the thrall ships are still in LK's territory, and the male will commandeer the ships, enslave the remaining women, and go disguised and rule the area. Some of the women may escape, and either set up a colony within the territory, or move to a new area, perhaps with the help of the warp gate.

I don't think John is gonna get Larn's fleet. Thinking about it, Larn's forces were on patrol not sitting still when the crew "died". Those ships would just keep going on the last coarse entered. It would be only a matter of time before those ships wandered over a boarder. Then it wouldn't take long for the other guys to realize something major happened to Larn's forces. I'd give it a month max before Larn's territory is invaded, which would be about the time John would get there either via Rah's ship, if Rah does indeed catch up to John and they make up, or by other means. Just not sure how the warp gate works, does it work like in Stargate, needing one gate at each end? does john need another gate to tow to larn's territory before hand? if so then it might be more then a month before john and do it, by then john could very well just arrive in time to get spanked by who knows how many bad guys.

two weeks too early.... in the mean time still interested in Larn's tag and wondering if that was what Faye was picking up before her untimely departure...

TF4EVA

Any Tefler sightings or updates?

It's Alyssa. She's created mind shields in the past (Irillith).

Dennis Aston

Didn't she just steal a shuttle or minor ship she could pilot on her own? If so, they might've just stashed it somewhere in Rahn's old ship because they had no need for it.

Marauder

Rahn has met a strong feminine mind. Is it Jess? Is it Athena? Is it Atena's 'sister'. The last two suggest potential progen???? Is Rahn going to cope with a real matriarch?

TF4EVA

Here’s an unanswered question......the starship Jessica stole after she dropped off John and bailed, then returning to Rahn....did Jess and Rahn sell it on EBay or what?

There's one main problem with this. Faye wasn't the body she was using. She was running on a server in the ship. There was no hardware in the body to "run" anything, it was just a physical presence so she could exist/interact outside of her digital existence. At some point she had to temporarily retreat from the Faye body because she needed all of her processing streams dedicated to a fight. That doesn't sound to me like her body has any independence to make it more than an avatar for her digital self.

When Irillith had tech power activated she was getting glimpses out of the corner of her eyes. A few days before the Invictus was attacked Faye was seeing something in the hallways. Technically being synthetic her body shouldn’t be able to absorb anything and she did give up her first load. Maybe his cum did effect her just in a different way. Just before they landed on the planet they had an orgy and John made sure Faye got her part of his load explaining she was part of the family and just wished that he could feel a connection. So when the Invictus was attacked she still had a load in her. What if the load is slowly turning her into a organic or some type of hybrid.

James Mayer

continuing ..... so there’s no way John will be fathering any. However, Kyth children is a different thing entirely. The Kyth seemed to have been a very successful species until one went bad and it all unzipped from there. So if John, Alyssa and Rachel can find a way around that weakness , we could see the rebirth of a species........ chapter title: “The return of the Kyth”? 😉

Timbo

How does one get a new para from a iPad keyboard? Grrr!

Timbo

Male progenitor children from progenitor fathers, waiting for that fatal encounter with Xar’aziuth is the way it’s supposed to work. I don’t see it working that way with John.

Timbo

but once again, OTK

I'm with you Jedi, I think they will be more powerful than your average bear, and maybe even have longer lifespans, but won't be progenitors, or be able to spawn any.

It's entirely up to John, I imagine, on whether he will have any sons or just daughters, as well as if they will have powers or not. Considering his stance to be the last Progenitor, I highly doubt his kids will be Progenitors as well. Just because they might have powers does not mean that they will be Progenitors.

Jedi Khan

I think Alyssa and her 'Warp Tunneling' navigation are responsible for the extra speed.The FTL is standard Progenitor tech.

Braw

Ok question. During John’s little father son talk he found out that all the monsters in the AP are dead Progenitors. To become a Progenitor you exchange your soul for powers from Xar’aziuth. To me that means that they are made and not born. So John was the result of thousands of years of research and was born that powerful. Before the talk he was afraid to have a son because he didn’t want to continue a Progenitor race. So here is the question since he was born this way will his children be normal or have powers girl or boy does it now matter. Let the discussion begin.

James Mayer

Curt, I don't think there will be too many orphans. The Kirrix separated the children from the adults, and while the parents were being infested, the children were being shredded to feed the existing grubs. The egg infestation could be treated, but there's no way of putting the kids back together.

Rahn comments on how much faster the Invictus is than his dreadnought (which is purportedly the pinnacle of Progenitor/Kyth'faren technology,) so it seems Dana has already begun the "improvements".......so only Tefler know what is coming in a BIG way!!!

Arrowglass

Aurora, I'm with you on that line. Unfortunately, they have to swing by Olympus shipyards and heal a few people first. Is anyone else wondering whether the Brimorians messed with Tom's DNA? The Brimorians aren't aware that John knows about the Abandoned, and what was done to them, so if Tom has some Brimorian DNA, it would further damn him in the eyes of the T/fed, and alienate his family support.

One of Admiral Devereux's next moves should be to dispatch TF Family Services to the ravaged border colonies with the mission of finding loving homes for as many of the millions of orphans that no doubt inhabit the core worlds as possible.

I'm quite looking forward to another literary focus on rebuilding/training/growing as John and the girls prepare for this new threat in their lives. It's been 50 chapters (wow time flies!) since John and the girls rebuilt the Invictus on Genthalas. Since then, they've been in one harrowing incident after another: Drakkar invasion, Mikaboshi's attack, Brimorian/Vulkat adventure, Kintark invasion, Kirrix purges, and facing Larn'Kelnar. With how quickly they can now travel through space now, there was little downtime (relatively speaking, whereas in the early chapters travel could take weeks, travel now takes a day or two at the most). While they've surely grown in that time, much of that while they're in the midst of battle, it's time to make another step towards upgrading, personal growth, and honing their skills. With the Maliri Protectorate acting more and more like his diplomatic arm (as well as the use of force if need be), John can hopefully realize that he cannot do everything on his own and trust his allies. He can try to do everything now, and it can be successful (as we've seen in the past 50 chapters), but it's a short term solution that can hamper long term growth. If he does go back to Genthalas and take time to enhance his ship, power reserves, and his allies (including of course the Lionesses), then that no doubt risks short term violence across the Empires as he can't be there to quash them. But long term... long term he's preparing for a war not with the Brimorians, but with Xar’aziuth and the Progenitor Legion. So I'd love to see a pause in the action so find John and our heroines fitting Invictus with the tech to finally rival Progenitors, and each of the girls furthering their psychic abilities to even surpass what we've seen so far. Part of what I love about this series is the characters growing in power, competence, and skill (and a growing relationship with one another too!). I hope that they can really hone in on that as they prepare for the future.

more to the point, can Dana drain the souls out and leave the metal strength?

Can John drain the black out of the ships? If so will the ship still feel wrong.

James Mayer

I gotta say, that of all the powers given to his crew, the one that really blows the lid off is Dana. Toe be able to twist spacetime in such a way as to create singularities on demand, the control and dismiss them ..... add to that generating extreme electromagnetic fields covering who knows how many square miles and the add quantum manipulation of elements......bloody hell...the girl got game.

He didn’t have to meld his over theirs....he just added a third strand and re-wrote. I do agree with the idea of his turning the girls into female progenitors/Kythfaren....I’ve been wondering for a few chapters when the rest of the crew will go Spock on us.

I’m asking the same thing......he had to have put the whole thing together in a matter of a very few days.

In humans and other mammals, the Males carry a X chromosome (other chromosomes in other species), duplicate it and you get a female variant of this specimen. So if the progenitors are the male descendants of the Kyth’faren, John would have no problem to create a female variant.

Nekronom

Not created. Just boosted their evolutionary path. after all in this universe the humans have been designed by Mael.

So John accidentally created Kyth’faren? Hard to fathom unless he's Mael's son and we know that's not right.

Big Dude

If, John can create a Lioness, does that mean since Alyssa is also a Progenitor, she can create a Lion, a male version of a Lioness?

James, I think that if he did survive, he would have taken her, in part to have her for himself, and in part as revenge to let her watch Tom take the blame as the traitor. As a bonus, Tom would think that Beth died in the attack, and Mason's sister would blame Tom for Mason's death as well. I know that makes him sound crazy, but I really think he is.

Beowulf, if it is Mason do you think he brought Beth with him to torture her or let her die in the attack.

James Mayer

James, we still don't know for certain that Mason was in the shuttle. In fact we don't know for certain that whoever was supposed to be in the shuttle was actually rescued by the Brimorians, although apparently they do adhere to their agreements once struck.

Big Dude, I think Rachel will be brought in to heal him. T-fed will see his bank account and charge him with treason. Alyssa will read him and see his innocence. Then Irillith will start her hunt. My question is how did Mason know how to secretly contact the Brimorians unless he was already a traitor.

James Mayer

When John and gang get close to T-Fed territory, will Irillith notice the comms beacons being modified and figure it out there was something wrong?

Big Dude

James, your idea has some merit. However, I can't see John doing that. All of the other lionesses were unattached at the time. Dana could just give her a pistol and shield. I think Jack and Maria will set up home in the shipyards, at least until their house is repaired.

With John making another secret Lioness why can’t he make Maria one. Hear me out. He was able to make Lynette without causing her to have any problems falling for Charles because he had someone feeding her. There is a possibility of doing it to Van Den Broeck with full disclosure to Charles. Maria is a communication expert give her the ability to transmit blueprints psychically. Who knows maybe Jake will whole heartily agree if it keeps them in communication with John as well as the new body

James Mayer

The Terrans are making a huge mistake if they allow the genetically modified Kintark to stay in the new Fed territory. They gotta give sub-prelate and above a 3rd class ticket back to Kinta.

Quantum Flux Cannon

Braw

Rereading... Wondered if we ever found out what the "huge black column shaped object" the ashanth ship ran into is? From end of ch101. 😁

John needs to absorb one of the crystal palaces to get all of those tricks and abilities. he's already pulling from some racial knowledge of his source race to make things like his sword and his nature fits with improving his power base FAR faster than anyone expected him to be able to do. When it comes to it he is the greatest threat to the big bad but he doesn't get his power from killing and absorbing. He gets his power by having it willingly returned to him by those he is connected to 10 fold. IT's like a multiplier.

Grimlakin

Ok wild ass theory time. : what if the Kyth’faren survived the purge by Xar’aziuth and renamed themselves Achonin. Mael’nerak stumbles on to them and tries to wipe them out, but before the battle is over they release the shroud in hopes to change the evil Progenitor. By the time it takes effect only the queen is alive and he adds mental commands then breeds her before settling her and her daughters/ sisters free. I believe Jade was that queen and is the reason she has an almost maternal pride when John learns a new ability.

James Mayer

John would need his progenitor guide to fully power himself for the job!

Big Dude

No, for the simple reason that a backup of Faye would be far too large to fit in the bot. Faye is/was made up of the whole of her source code (which she'd been adding to herself, so it had grown hugely from its original form) plus all of her memories, (the intimidatingly large amount of data storage needed for all her knowledge and experiences). When she moved into her progenitor server, she grew into the space it afforded, meaning no lesser system could practially hold her. However..... Faye used copies of parts of her own code to bring Little One and the rest to life as the collective, and they're now learning and growing as she did. They're a backup in kinda the same sense as having children is a backup for humans.

If John was to get the drop on the new progenitor and kill him with minimal deaths to his thralls, could John take over his thrall network by seducing his matriarch? I really think she might be Sakura’s mate

James Mayer

Didn't Faye store a backup of herself in the little cleaning bot?

I think it was. If I remember, the superstructure of the added section was made out of the Maliri crystal with crystal allysium armor. Is it possible that Dana's psychic repair job caused one of those materials to become as strong or stronger that the "black metal"?

That would be something, especially if he is still a "good" progenitor. Imagine what it would be like for Irillith and Tashana to meet their great--------------->great grandfather. But how would Mael and Rahn react to each other?

Before Faye died she saw something in the ship. What if his cum was effecting her but being synthetic she just couldn't tell. Before they were attacked they had the major orgy where even Faye got a swallow, what if his cum is slowly changing her synthetic form and nobody realizes it until she crawls into bed one morning.

James Mayer

Do you think John will find Mael'Nerak by accident too? Imagine how that can change the Xar war?

Big Dude

Maybe the glowing part of the ship was just the new section that they put in to make it 250 meters longer make out to the crystal alyssian

rich ed

The engines have been tuned by Dana so only if they are navigating around gravity wells is Alyssa's competence seen.

Big Dude

I think she got the schematics for the black metal, but was going to have to spend some real time trying to understand the science before she can even begin.

Arrowglass

Good call, but Faye was only tiny until she was transferred to the the prog server. so they still need that server!!

I noticed in Chapter 123, that when the Maliri Shanryl approached the T-Fed Comms Beacon she used a HACKING DECK built into her vambrace. Isn't a hacking deck used to create Faye? Does this mean that John will enthrall Shanryl and give her hacking deck to Irillith and re-boot Faye?

Who Me

yes, but are they really faster, or is it Alyssa's technique? Or both?

I'm almost certain that the glow happened with Jade, while they were on that oceanic vacation planet.

The only Progenitor tech Dana hasn't acquired unless I am wrong is: 1) Warp Gate 2) Black Metal 3) Quantum Planet Annihilator Any others? Did anyone get that John's FTL drives are faster than Rahn's?

Big Dude

Thanks for the consistently amazing story :)

kenna

Add to that when John finds out that Athgiloi has a Nymph... John has specifically stated that he thinks what the Brimorians have done is worse than what the Kirrix have done. I wonder whether that will happen before or after John deals with his Guide, which will grant him even more power. Even now, with John's current level of power, Athgiloi is toast. Afterwards, "biblical level" is a perfect description.

Ken Moreau

Regarding Faye, my theory is that she spread herself across the collective, but somehow the trigger code is missing. A large file sent across the net is broken into packets and without the first and last packets to tell the receiving computer the name and purpose of the file, how many packets are involved and the order in which they are to be compiled, and the last packet signalling the end of the transmission, each of the others, on it's own, is a seemingly meaningless, unrelated collection of ones and zeros. As Evan has surmised, It may well be that the trigger is tied to the progenitor server, which was destroyed. However, the MN throne world is probably holding at least one intact server, and perhaps several. Only Tefler knows, but it is still fun to speculate!

I cannot get enough of what you do so well Tefler, so keep it up!!!!!!

Arrowglass

I gotta admit i’m looking forward the the biblical level shitstorm that’s gonna hit the Brims when John and the girls find out the Brims have been feeding Abandoned to the Kirrix.

I’m waiting for Dana and Irillith, perhaps in conjunction with Little One, to go ahead and rebuild Faye’s server, since without the hardware, they can’t properly reconstitute Faye. That is the obvious first step in the process. I’m then waiting for them to connect that server up to the rest of the Invictus, just as it was before. At that point, there are several potential restoration scenarios. They include, but are not limited to: 1) Faye’s distributed auto-restoration routines go into operation to restore her from her dispersed data stored in quantum form throughout the Invictus Collective. 2) Faye’s personality from her original Deck and her stored memories from Little One are used to reconstitute her. 3) John’s psychic abilities to sweep an area for psychic echoes are used in conjunction with Irillith’s and Dana’s abilities to bring Faye back, using techniques equivalent to how psychic communicators work, and potentially involving John’s temporal manipulation abilities. 4) What Faye saw was another John holding his finger to his lips and beckoning her to enter a small Progenitor data storage device as he went back in time to save her. 5) Faye’s self-regeneration program stored within Little One activates once her new server is completed and Little One hears the trigger phrase, “Faye. We love you and miss you. We will get you back.” 6) Naw, never mind... there are too many options and I have to get to work. :-)

Evan

I think the Terran fleets are too torn up right now to help. It seems more likely to me that they will tangle with John and the Maliri, John and Rahn, or all three. The Kirrix going fishing sounds possible, that is until John finds out about the Brimorian's "Abandoned population control solution".

It's 2779. :)

Tefler

What ya’ll wanna bet that now the Brim fleets that once faced the Kirrix are now facing the Terrans, the Kirrix are gonna go fishing in a last gasp at survival.....

I think we can give him a break on this one, he has a newborn baby to look after which I can't imagine is easy or predictable

I believe it was with the black Invictium armor that Dana created on the first trip to Ashana, I believe. It was Jade and John kissing on the armor plating. The glow was to signify that as a psychically reactive metal, it was reacting to two powerful psychics. The ship has had new armor plating put on it several times over, so an external tracking device would not have gone unnoticed.

Jedi Khan

Also my only complaint is that Tef will say okay handed off the first draft and it should be released on X day, then when day comes there is no update or post about delay or what not and then like 3 to 4 days later it appears he just uploaded. My complaint is the lack of updates. I would love to hear from Tef more often, even just to say yep I'm alive and still writing.

Kensyi

We have seen it glow before, but only a small section, and that was at Genthalas(?) During a refit, after a make out session lol.

Kensyi

I may have the location and timeline wrong, it could have been when they were at one of the awards ceremonies but I do remember reading about that glow. Several other comments have been made wondering what the glow was.

Nonconformist

Marauder: I'm talking about when they were on Valada for one of the refits and John and one of the girls ( can't remember who or what chapter ) had been relaxing and kissing while laying on the surface of the ship and after they got up and started to walk away a glow unnoticed by them appeared and then faded from sight.

Nonconformist

That doesn't really make sense. Larn died several chapters before that and used the tracking device to keep track of John and ambush him. The glow was Dana fixing the ship and likely doing some more improvements they have yet to really find out about.

Marauder

The problem is, could John trust Rahn'agon to help him defeat John's Guide? I find it more likely that Rahn'agon would help the Guide defeat John, as that gives Rahn'agon the weapon he was looking for (and apparently originally designed: remember the conversation where the Guide spilled the beans about John's actual activities).

Ken Moreau

I def see some Alyssa Vs. Rahn action coming especially with that ending in the chapter.

Kensyi

I think it is possible that the glow that appeared on the hull that went unnoticed could have been the tracking device being installed but I don't have a clue if that is correct. Just putting it out there as a possibility.

Nonconformist

makes sense to change it

thomas rodrian

You know PLRus, you really are a condescending son of a bitch, aren't you?

andrew finlayson

This one's been driving me nuts trying to work out .... "He gestured the orb over, now condescend so that it was no larger than a marble. " By any chance, do you mean condensed?

andrew finlayson

We don't know yet, it, however, seems unlikely that any of the rescued did it. Most likely Larn did it himself. While they replated the hull, they didn't change the actual hull. It might very well be below the armor plate and a simple drone or such could've put it there.

Marauder

We'll probably never know, since she died before telling anyone.

Jedi Khan

I still hope Faye will be found soon, without her I don’t believe they can win. The story will also be better not so much sadness, I read for enjoyment not to be made feeling sad, I usually give up on a story or scan last pages of a book look for the name, bit hard here

Warren Thomas

I believe that you’re correct that we haven’t seen it yet. But it’s going to be fun when we do get to see it!

Alphaonetango

I don't believe that what Faye saw and wanted to talk to John about has been revealed yet. The person who stated that it had been revealed I think was just trolling the rest of us.

Nonconformist

I'm almost betting that once Rahn and Jessica catch up with John, Rahn helps John defeat PJ.

OK - I gotta know - What did Faye see on the internal cameras? She kept wanting to tell John but kept putting it off and now I'm totally confused!

Who Me

Athena was a tutor designed by John to be a guide and mentor. PJ is an entity designed to turn John into an OG progenitor, right down to the mindless subservience, lack of morals and monomania... as demonstrated by both times PJ has been out, it's not the sharing kind, and is either really badly programmed (it's my way or the high...I'll beat you into submission) or bat shit insane.. Even when given the option between helping or being destroyed..it sup chose to stab him in the back...

Didn't Alyssa claim she gave Athena a piece of her mind to control? So what if John does the same with PJ? He gives him the part that goes to battle with other progenitor baddies? Also what could have happened to Jessica could be that Alyssa unleashed the female progenitor self hiding in Jessica's mind and she had it protect Jessica from further psychic assaults? Thoughts?

Big Dude

agreed

rich ed

If you need instant gratification perhaps a romance vignette would be more appropriate reading than a world building epic novel? You don't get good character development or interactive parts within the whole without side stories. I for one would not support such a shallow piece of work. And, just how spoiled are we here? At even a chapter a month Tefler far outstrips his peers with very few, if any, exceptions. Not like you are paying for chapters you have not yet received.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

One of the things I like about the time between chapters is it gives people a chance to predict, ponder or even make up stuff about the plot(s), how they link in the past, present and or future. It also gives us time to consider the characters (both minor and major) and again connect to the plot or plots that are afoot. It will be interesting to see how the next e-books will be organised as we are getting into the more meaty part of the story that perhaps requires looking at days not just hours..

TF4EVA

If I remember correctly Telfer receives these comments as separate emails. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo... I think the first person who whines that Tefler hasn't written chapter 127 yet should be banned from posting any commentary for one week The second whiner gets two weeks., etc... What do the non-whiners think? Regarding the Progenitor Guide... I think Daddy Rahn will give John the magic suggestion when they meet again that we'll all say wow didn't see that coming! I think the foretelling of the last scene has set that up for me! It will be a spirit walk battle that will also give John a clue how to beat Xar!

Big Dude

Great chapter! Thank you.

That's exactly where I was going. John tries to convince the girls to let him handle it alone, they chorus "Oh, *HELL* NO", and they work out a compromise. In some isolated area of space, Dana rigs the ship to blow up: complete and total destruction, such that even Progenitor shields won't help (never mind that even if anyone survives, they are without air many light-years from anything). John takes on his Guide, his Matriarchs watch closely, and unless Dana gets the all-clear from all of them, she pulls the trigger. They all saw what happened to Valada. All of them would prefer an instant death to that, plus they all know what would happen if John's Guide took over.

Ken Moreau

Ackshully, the whiners and complainers got the story changed after John fought the dragon with the Eldritch Inhibitor, I don't see that happening now but you never know. I'd have liked to have seen where the story went before it got retconned/rewritten to appease popular opinion but that won't happen.

All of the complainers don't understand they might trigger a 'fuck it, life goes on. Sopranos fade to black.' ending? There's only so much childish, selfish, impatient, entitled whining someone can take before they decide maybe it's better for their mental health if they just end it. Don't like where the story is going? Read something else. This isn't a create your own adventure book and you can't whine bully an author into writing it your way. Think you can do better? Then you write a bloody story. Rant over. Bored in between releases? Read some other serials, get a few on the go so there's always something to read. I got a bookmarks folder full of them and go through and see who has new chapters out.

Matt

I agree with just about everything you said with one caveat. I still fast forward through the scenes of Frodo and Sam in Two Towers and Return of the King, cuz that shit is just boring now.

Steve

I could see John wanting to go off on his own to handle his guides and the girls be all.. Nope not happening. Forming a ring around him and locking his ass down while he handles things only for Alyssa to step in to make sure John has cleaned house before they let him out. A sort of tuff love thing. Actually now that I think about it that makes a lot of sense to do in the black of space.

Grimlakin

this is exactly what i wish most people would realise. i fall for the same frustration when reading some chapters and want to know whats going to happen to main characters but that is only because we are reading it in this unique way of 1 chapter every 2-4 weeks

Years ago I read the Harry Potter series, and found the first books were very simple, with clear motivations, clear distinction between good guys and bad guys, and a single narrative track. As the books progressed the world became more complex, with people having different motivations and even making mistakes. I believe this was a deliberate choice on Rowling's part, reflecting Harry's increasing understanding of the world as he grew up. I see the same kind of growth here. John certainly started as an adult, but his world was very bounded: a single-ship trader who was doing only moderately. As the story progresses, John's influence grows, and both his friends and his enemies grow with that. Now he is operating on a galaxy-wide scale, so the number of people he influences (and is influenced by) is equally large. All of the (let me be polite) "feedback" here about the side-stories appears to me to be brought on by people's desperation for finding out what happens next to John and the girls. CJ Mora has it right: nobody complains about the number of characters and side-stories in "War and Peace" or "Lord of the Rings", because the story is complete and we know what happens. I am loving all of the side-stories, think they add to the richness of the world, and enjoy meeting all of the characters in this world (one of my favorites is Sgt Gibbons, who managed to get together with Cmdr Wessex). Let's make a clear distinction between the pace of the story and the pace of the updates. I believe that people's frustration (including my own!) is caused by the pace of the updates, but that the story is progressing as it should. Heck, the people in the story are frustrated at the pace of the story: all of the girls are anxious for John to get off his duff and deal with his Guide. Jade explicitly told John that, just before she helped him embrace his hunter attitude. Keep up the fantastic work, Tefler, and take all of this "feedback" as a tribute to your genius: people (definitely including me) desperately want more of it! But take the time you need to keep the quality at its current level, and always take time for yourself and your expanding family.

Ken Moreau

I see a lot of complaining about there only being one chapter a month lately, however the fact of the matter is that the chapters are between two and three times larger then they were for the first half of the book. One solution, for those wanting more chapters, would be to divide the new chapters into three and read each part at different times through out the month. Alternatively Tefler could divide the chapters into three and issue the sections a week or so apart, and of course charge for each section, hence making more money as well.

i think instead of it being a plot device its more likely tefler has a very specific scene/time set for when he will deal with his guide. but i can also agree with being a bit frustrated when he again just "needed more time"

Good chapter, Tefler. I like the way the story is shaping up. I, too, am impatient for the next chapter; but I also recognize that my frustration is because the story is so good. If this were published in the traditional manner, the above commentary is absolutely correct that it would be very different in pace and content. Which is why I'm enjoying the story so much. If I need a shorter read, I get a traditional book (or six) to fill the space between your chapters. There are some other writers I follow (has anyone else read the latest Drizzt novel???) for that type of thing. On another note, congratulations on the latest addition to your family! This is the biggest perk about working from home. Or so I've heard. A piece of advice...if you're planning in the sequel being a "next generation" plotline, be sure to keep a notebook with you, so you can jot down notes about your experiences with your children. My wife and I keep a diary of ours with our daughter, and you wouldn't believe the amount of stuff you can forget! Now, when she asks about the things she did when she was younger, lol, we can flip through it and tell her all kinds of stories we would have forgotten otherwise. Some day I plan on writing a couple stories of my own, and I'll have plenty of material to draw from.

CJ Mora

My one big complaint is: “I just need a bit of time to deal with everything first.". Come the hell on. This is getting so incredibly old. 73 Chapters, 73 Chapters since they first defeated his Guide and he wasn't permanently taken care of. 73 Chapters of John dragging his feet, allowing his Guide to hold him down and back, sabotaging him on a bunch of occasions and messing with him. And him "being tapped out" at the time isn't an excuse. The Guide seems to grow alongside John in strength. So the longer he puts it off, the stronger the guide grows as well by being a parasite. It really feels like the Guide is around solely as a plot device by now. To keep John from knowing things every other Progenitor knows, to hold John back and cripple his abilities so he has to primarily rely on the girls. So he can angst about being a "Jack of all trades and master of none", with the girls being better in their respective categories. Can we finally, finally get rid of him for good? John says he needs more time, he had plenty. He had a hell of a lot of time between things and never once thought of even confronting his guide or addressing that issue. He had a bunch of chances and didn't take any of them.

Marauder

It seems as though Jade herself will end up solving her origin story....as quickly as her memories been returning she just might beat John to the punch. Seeing as how Larn could touch a nymph and know her history , I was thinking once John whupped his guide he would do the same. However it happens, either or none of the above, I'm truly looking forward to this reveal.....biggest unknown in the whole story.

What's the fuss about _this_ time? (scratching head) FWIW I've had zero problems with chapter notification, delivery/download and payment.

At this point we’re about 6 months—180 days—from the fateful tip that launched John on this adventure. Given 126 chapters to describe all the events of 180 days, it’s just not gonna come fast enough for some of you. My advice is to keep your subscription and go read other stuff for a year then come back and binge your 12 or 24 chapters or whatever. Really. You put up with this for every TV series ever plus Star Wars, Harry Potter etc. You can either wait for a whole book to be done (3 years) or enjoy a chapter a month in the tradition of great serialist like Mark Twain. Suck it up and stop whining.

Chester Orland

Big Dude: Many of us, and Tefler, realize these complaints come directly from their inability to have patience. It is a direct product of our instant gratification society and a tragic flaw of our personalities. But, that is combined with a shallow perception of self where I am never to blame for my shortcomings. Someone else must be at fault for me jonesing for a new chapter....naturally that would be the writer. It is simple displacement due to immaturity and shallow self-perception. We know this, but they may never understand. It is like telling a paranoid person they are being paranoid...it just doesn't work that way.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

Wow everyone. I am depressed with what I am reading here. Now let me say I suggested to Tefler many months ago to write some extra chapters ahead to handle family issues like John Blake Tefler's arrival. Butt, that being said it's his story and his creation. We have to deal with his schedule and his muse. While I would love to read more than one chapter a month and I suggested a 10/30(31) schedule, we have to deal with it. Do you actually think crying about his writing prowess is going to get us faster chapters? - DOUBT IT! Do you actually think Tefler is delaying chapter deliveries? - DOUBT IT

Big Dude

Instant gratification versus future reward I find the ‘sidetracks' frustrating because I want to know what is going to happen to the main characters Now but the story is improved dramatically because of them. I know that in a year or 2 when I go back and re-read chapters 20 at a time the ‘sidetracks' are going to be a great reward for my patience. I’d rather wait and read a novel in the future than a cliffs notes version now.

Story is getting more exciting with each new chapter, but a chapter a month is causing kind of disconnect.

Sushant Bhartiya

I can see causing Tefler real issues on rewrites for publishing without running into a lot of continuity errors.

I think that the story is getting bogged down in various sidetracks. At 1 chapter a month, the main plot is moving way too slow. To the point that it took 3 tries to finish this chapter.

Big Orca

Thanks again for another chapter. I wonder what nighttime stories the kids get. We sure appreciate ours :)

Matt

Faye was an integral part of the crew, and remember it’s been less than 3days. If you lived with a significant other for months and watched them change for the better and turn into a better person, would you not still be depressed/angry that they were murdered less than 3days ago?

Thanks Tefler, Three things struct me as I read: 1. I am getting bored with the constant reminder of Faye dying. Please either bring her back or remove memory of her soon. 2. The Brimorian invasion might be a great way to resolve several problems without involving John. Let the Maliri destroy the Brimorians and Helen’s people are saved, the Taran invasion is completely stopped rather than put on hold via treaty, and some of the social issues in Kintark space are eliminated. 3. As matriarch of House Baelora, Gaenna has a right to punish her daughters, but since Edraele outlawed the neural whip, I think this points to her ineffective rule. How many other houses are still employing illegal punishment? How many houses still do not recognize Edraele as Queen? Are we looking at the beginning of a civil war?

thomas rodrian

Faye upgraded a cleaning robot with the internal hardware to run Little One, so it still looks just the same as the generic T-Fed robots the Invictus came with. The maintenance bots were Dana's creation and she built them with anti-grav from the outset.

Tefler

Why does Little One have track drive for mobility, but every other maintenance bot has anti-grav capability? It seems like an odd design choice for Faye, to make, considering every other component of Little One was stated (Chapter 118) to be cutting-edge hardware.

Ken Moreau

.. The Best thing about realizing that it's a new month???? That's there's a 99.99% chance Tef released a new chapter!!!!

I must have missed what you're referring to. What are you talking about exactly?

Well now....we know what it was Faye saw just before the crap hit the fan.....I wonder how the crew will find it. And WOOHOO.... Carmela was guilty so that’s another minor character arc terminated perfectly.

What worried me more was the use of whip. Erdale was supposedly connected with all girls fed by John. The matriarch of the house had white hair so was connected to John through Erdale. Still she defied command given by Erdale, her matriarch.😤

I wish it turns out Nymph as race were originally created to support Progenitor but pushed aside to be replaced by Thrall races. Thralls though difficult on surface appearance were easier to conquer and change to the wish of the Progenitor. Nymphs were easier on the surface to capture and change but to achieve full potential of a Nymph Progenitors had to do a lot more. However Nymphs created by and for Progenitor along with them was always way more capable and equal to a Progenitor. Hmmm...one always can wish..😁😁😁

Hmmm... now that was satisfying.

I liked this chapter, it was better than the last one.. Few things which caught my attention.. 1. Every robot is autonomous and have his/her personality. The little one seems to have a higher status. Question is will the personality and attitude little one showed in discussion with meta Faye will appear for Invictus crew to see. They will get a baby to care for with out normal chores associated with it! 2. I hope Dana and Illirith can develop a drone army with autonomous capability. An armada of autonomous and loyal machines armed to fight and protect John and crew will be a big difference. 3. Lion and his pride... The lionesses make the kill, make the pride strong. Lion provides protection from other Lions. John and crew match the description of Jade. 4. Mom and pops of John is going to keep John nearby.I feel this is good. John is kind of a guy with raw genius level skill but little experience. John can do with all the help he can get. 5. Jade or Nymph's capability in general don't seem to fit earlier origin story which started with Mael. Jade knows much more

I still don't see how the quintet would be completely oblivious to the near civil war and Tsarra's declaration of war. Simply adding some off hand comments "I thought we were going to war?" "So where is this 'Progenitor' or was Tsarra just reliving her adolescent fears of the Mael'nerak?" "Mother must have been enthralled like the others with white hair." It makes sense that they don't know what their mothers doing breaking so many traditions (fleet movement, trade, etc.), but not having any information about what's happening in the Protectorate makes them seem to have zero information gathering ability at all. With how much spying and subterfuge Maliri society has had it seems unlikely that they wouldn't have heard any of Tsarra's declaration, especially since there was the mad rush with their fleet and mother.

cp

John said he wanted to keep the second hangar for the raptor when they were putting the shuttle in....

Great Chapter, and worth the wait....One question though...Raptor Raptor, Who Got The Raptor??? No mention of picking it up, and can't believe they would leave it behind...

Hendrix Morton

Lordy! In the words of Skippy the Beercan, you are a filthy monkey! More cliffhangers? Arghh! More, more more! Bloody brilliant, change that nappy and attach yourself to the word processor.

Oh You AssHole, Damn It Tefler... But Honestly, love you bro, keep it up... Also, along with everyone who has read this Chapter... THE KING OF CLIFFHANGERS STRIKES AGAIN!!! Y'all know what I mean, and who you are... Just Saying, Can't Wait For The Next Chapter Already...

Horny Rhino

In the LEO world commander is actually equal or higher rank then a captain

Timothy Lucas

Can two ships pass through the worm hole generator if they be weally weally close (Elmer Fudd)? If Tefler sez so then Rahn can do John some good by going into Kintark space together and deliver that azz kicking with a black ship and a white ship delivering the dual azz kicking.

Big Dude

From the phone so no paragraphs. So, I wonder if they need the Raptor now with the mini-ship in the docking bay? Can Dana upgrade the mini-ship munitions delivery systems? I also wonder about that special glow that lingered on the hull for another two hours? Foretelling from Tefler? Dana slept for 10 hours. Where did that number come from? Will the Invictus get another power core to power the progenitor toys Dana will upgrade the Invictus with? Will they arrive at Olympus cloaked? Will John have his own TFNN onboard reporter after Olympus? Will Dana find a brother?

Big Dude

So,

Big Dude

Just had to pull our heart strings AGAIN with poor Faye. Mean, just mean. She didn't even get to have her third date!

Who Me

Oh goodie! Athena is finally getting a holiday!

Yeah, same question I thought it was John and the twins out looking for the bots, how did Alyssa get into it?

One thing I noticed, John calls Calara commander, she is now a captain.

rich ed

Tefler, great chapter! I found some suggested edits for Chapter 126, and some may have been mentioned by others already; however, they are as follows: Page 35: The air itself felt alive and responsive to Jade's will, then almost impossibly (impossible) for a creature of that gargantuan size, her draconic form was airborne.; Page 38: It also seems quite apparent that the Brimorians are methodically conquering all the systems (enroute) to Kinta rather than rushing to take the homeworld.; Page 50: John nodded, finally get(ting) an idea of the scale of the problem.; Page 55: an instant before a thunderous explosion ripped the black saloon (sedan) apart, hurling chunks of flaming wreckage across the underground carpark.; Page 73: Part of me desperately wants (to) believe(s) you...; Page 74: “He treated me like I (was) a fool!. As always, if you disagree, I completely understand. Good luck with Chapter 127. Thank you and Cheers!

Never mind, it was just my phone being a jackass.

Anybody else having problems getting the file to download? I'm clicking on the download link, but nothing's happening.

One doubt!! During the search for the missing bots. Allysya is telling them that the bots are moving towards Invictus. Is she. Co-ordinate the search with the help of invictus sensors. But I thought the sensors are not upgraded yet.

You mean Rahn not Larn - L's dead! Dana must've improved on Prog FTL tech so only way for them to catch up is a jump. Good question on the Raptor tho' - if not they should recover it as Dana could likely do her insta-fix on it too!

Okie now I had my fix I can think clearly again. But the thought of waiting a month for next chapter is dreading.

Edits from the phone do not allow paragraph insertions.

Big Dude

Now congratulations Tefler on this chapter and the new family chapter. I like the name. John Blake Tefler. Chapter 126 in my small opinion is your best chapter yet. Having Jade dispense common sense and having all the ladies realize their power is all in their minds means John's absolute power is tied in with his Progenitor half. I think having his father reappear will help John reconcile his missing parental needs and allow him to say "I have the power" (Heman comic reference) when he absorbs his bad self.

Big Dude

Just got in and see VycronDyz beat me to some of my commentary. Imagine Deep Lord Athgoloi seeing the black ship appear and contact the ship only to learn it ain't Larn but some guy named Rahn. Also it will be good to see Athgoloi lose his nymph. That will be the reconciliation process.

Big Dude

Nice Chapter. I hope Mrs. Tefler and little John Blake Tefler are well. So many interesting plot threads, I envy your creative powers. Did Alyssa let Athena jump ship? Very interesting possibilities if so. I think an act of contrition is due on Rahn's behalf, perhaps smiting the Brimorians might be just the ticket to redemption. A little Father / Son righteous smiting the Big Bad, hmmm......

VycronDyz

I really love it when a new chapter arrives but by crist I hate it when I’m finished knowing I’ve got a hellish wait for the next instalment lol please hurry tefler.

Jim lynch

Another excellent installment, juggling so many threads too - well done! Not that I had any surprises in your competence, just your plotting being successful against we your readers!

J B

Sweet

Roman Andrew Chalfant

excellent chapter, thank you, as always, ended far too quickly

recurve33

Thank you once again for a really good read. Keep up the good work.

Nibbles

Looks like you never lost a dear one... the agonising pain can not be described... Tefler hits that nail perfectly.

Robster

I was going to have the final scene with John taking Helene's last cherry. In the end, I decided to switch to John's parents instead. The dialogue between them was much more complex than regular conversation, covering all Jessica's various grievances. I also had to try to shift their interactions from resentment and hostility to an understanding... and writing transitions in mood changes is quite tricky! You have to get the dialogue to match the shifting emotions and do it in stages to show a plausible shift from one state to another... or at least that's what I was aiming for anyway! :-)

Tefler

Another filler chapter with unnecessary agonising and whining. I think the incessant whining and reassurances makes it difficult and tiring to read.just feels like the chapter doesnt add to advancing the story in any way.

That should be fixed now, thanks for letting me know!

Tefler

Oops! I rewrote that sentence several times, which is usually how those kind of mistakes get created.

Tefler

well spotted!

Tefler

Tefler, really enjoyed the chapter and like everyone can't wait for the next one. As one comment said take time for your wife and new son and someone mentioned a foot rub for the Mrs. , may want to try a backrub too. I don't try to guess what comes next but personally I hope John or maybe better Alyssa kicks Rahn's ass a couple of times more because he not only needs it, he deserves it, Thanks again for the chapter.

Nonconformist

Well that's all I found anyway, excellent chaper!

Let me know if I should stop.

He treated me like I a fool

Fantastic chapter as always Tefler. What weren't you initially satisfied with for the final scene?

"“Part of me desperately wants believes you..." Perhaps it was intended to be "wants to believe"?

Nicely done, once again​, Sir. Congratulations on the new baby.

Florida Reader

"condescend" was probably ment to be condensed.

"He gestured the orb over, now condescend so that it was no larger than a marble. He could still feel it radiating some heat, so left it suspended in the air above his hand as he stared in fascination."

I've been there for a few already! First Poocano... first wee all over the changing mat just as I'm about to put on a new nappy... good times. :-) All joking aside, mini-Tef is very cute. He's loving the milk at the moment, and spends half the day in a blissed-out state!

Tefler

Oops! Thanks. :)

Tefler

Thanks for letting me know about those! Those speech quotations can be tricky sometimes with errors slipping through.

Tefler

Now they don't need to send the Maliri after the invasion fleet. One progenitor command ship coming up. If that doesn't help to mend fences I don't know what will. Especially if Rhan can piggyback the Invictus.

Outstanding chapter...well worth the wait! Always remember to take the time to enjoy your family! Thanks again for sharing your imagination with us!

Arrowglass

Fantastic chapter! I can only imagine the hilarity when Rahn’s ship pops out of a wormhole directly behind the Invictus when they reach Olympus!

Spotted a couple of normal/telepathic speech mismatches (possible spoiler alert if you've not read the chapter yet!): *John, you’ll reach the first maintenance bot in thirty seconds,* Alyssa informed him. She sounded surprised as she added, *It’s actually moving.” *And we’ll get them there,” he said, smiling as he stood by the outer airlock door.

ringill

Thank you Tef, this was an amazing chapter and while I am eager for the next this one did not leave me wondering what was going to happen and with a need to know. Just the perfect chapter. Sorry I got so needy

Kensyi

Bravo, awesome as always. Thank you for your continued commitment. All the best to your family. Reward Mrs. Tefler with a foot rub,. I have found that a good foot rub has always brought joy.

yip definitelyy a roughie..... But oh so good

TF4EVA

Tefler, this was an excellent chapter. I’m still waiting for Little One and Irillith to get their acts together and start communicating about Faye’s restoration, but this was an excellent foundational chapter in that regard, too.. You’re doing a masterful job bringing all the disparate threads together, as always, in continuing the story. Enjoy your time with your family, get some rest, and don’t forget to adhere to your posted schedule so that we hear back from you at least once in October, too. :-) Honestly, I hope that you modify your plans to post no more than several times a month (messages) with one paid update per month, for at least the next several months. You have the opportunity to be there for so many firsts, you shouldn’t let them go by, but on the other hand, the bane of the self-employed is that we’re never paid for the time we aren’t working. :-) Best wishes to you and thank you again for an excellent update!

Evan

now condescend so that -> now condensed so that

Evan

Sleep well, dude. You're gonna need it alllll over again.

cittran genericlastname

Enjoyed the chapter, really setup the next one, or I should say the next half of this chapter.

Steve

Thank You!

Bp Hlpt

Well spotted, thanks!

Tefler

I have got the last edits. I'll go through them and update the post with a final version!

Tefler

With the addition to the family, it is worth the wait. Maybe it will go more fluid from now on. Congratulations!

Jose Bueno

It was a rough. -> It was rough.

Evan

thanks

Mjk154

Thank you to all of the Tefs!

DCM

Thanks for the chapter, now take of the others in your family.

Tefler, do not worry about the delay. Having a son is a very good reason to need more time. I hope he lets you two sleep.

Faralis

Hey, take care of the baby man. Enjoy and thank you for this next chapter!

thank you Tefler, now relax a little and enjoy the new arrival

No problem, family comes first. I am curious though, any word from the third editor who you said was away for a few weeks about the final edit of 125? (I know you said probably not much will change, but I like reading the final edit, knowing it is set in canon ad won't be changed at all.)

David Shmilowitz

Congratulations on the new Mini-Tef family always comes first I'm sure everyone will understand things slowing down for that

Aaron Blue

Woo hoo

Muledrvr

HYPE Thanks for the chapter Tefler ill be devouring it now 5-10 times

Vincent

Write on! Thanks, Tefler!

Thanks Tefler, just made my day! I hope all is going well with your family and the new addition.

Thanks Tefler.

Cignal

Thank you, Tefler!

Evan

Thanks

Work just got a lot more tolerable, thanks!

Amathew2

Awesome, thank you sir!

Steve

Huzzah! Congrats again on Mini-Tef!

Nchalada

Congrats on mini Tefler #2!

DemonHunterCole

Fabulous!!

Consider myself first as I was still wake to read this! You have daylight still there Bob!

Sushant Bhartiya

Thank you

Awesome.

Thank you!!!

Tony

Wowowowow

Sushant Bhartiya

First!