Three Square Meals - Chapter 117

Thank God, it seems like Tom isn't the traitor. Fuck Mace, fuck Anna, screw that whole family. Hope we get to read a serious shit ton of justice drop on Mace and Anna.

ByzFan

Another story I follow with amusement.

raymond sisko

As James Coomey said (I have questions , and Lindsey Grahem, I have some I would like to ask you).

raymond sisko

Excellent Tefler! makes me wonder does Rachel shield them all and they survive? Does Fays sever survive? Do the Nymphs? Fantastic cliffhanger, felt a little rushed or maybe unexpected? It threw me and that's hard to do. Now I expect you to work night and day to finish the next chapter so I can have peace of mind. (grin) Just joking, take your time. Just not too much, Okay? I have not had a story captivate me like this in years. Well, Maybe Ironman and the Avengers, so your in exalted territory. Make it good!

raymond sisko

Tef, one usage error. Jade “exalted” should have been “exulted” at John’s prowess. Fabulous chapter, excelling expectations as usual. I hope that Jade can, with John’s super size, fill the entire crew’s deserving bellies often. Popping bellybuttons everywhere.

Hinterlands Man

I am curious about when John "changed" to a 20 foot tall being, how did his Paragon suit change with him? I understand how is body and sword can change but I was a bit surprised that the suit survived that. He tripled his size and he still had the suit on when he fought the queen's at the end of the chapter. It got me thinking if he can do that to non organic matter, perhaps he could change Faye to being Organic.

prsstarid

Is it me or is the starting of the chapter missing a few lines ? It starts off a bit abruptly

Sid1712

Added a new bit of dialogue between John and Edraele discussing the Maliri boarding actions against the Kirrix. :-)

Tefler

Yeah, it's mentioned in the next chapter. :-)

Tefler

If Jade had been present on the Astral Plane, she would have attacked PJ first, or at least have helped Alyssa and Sakura in the fight. She was standing right next to him, wasn't she?

Jedi Khan

You might be right, but Tefler said 'was there too', which implies both were in the AP, rather than seeing them someplace else. We'll need to leave it to Tefler to tell us what is going on.

thomas rodrian

Tefler, on page 59, Alyssa is hit by a spear from John's guide which pierced her shield and plunged into her thigh. Did she repair that injury before leaving the Astral Plane? If not, shouldn't that injury have carried over to the physical realm like Sakura's injury did?

Jedi Khan

Thanks Tef. Any major changes since first posting, or just the usual grammar and spelling?

Jedi Khan

During a spirit walk, which is what Alyssa is doing, she can still see the physical realm, such as other people's bodies even if those people are not on the Astral Plane. It's when she goes to a subplane, like the one she or the Astral monsters created, that the physical realm is no longer visible.

Jedi Khan

Ah. Those are their physical bodies that Alyssa is seeing, not their spirit/Astral projections.

Jedi Khan

look on page 59 of chapter 117. --> She raced up to the hulking form of the ancient hive queen, her eyes widening at the smoky veil covering that repulsive insectoid. John’s body was there too, as was Jade’s, the pair staring at the Kirrix monster.

thomas rodrian

What chapter are you referring to? She didn't go into the Astral Plane in this chapter.

Jedi Khan

Tefler, How does Jade get out of the Astral Plane? Did John carry her, did she revive enough to transition herself, was it automatic with John closing the Astral Plane, or …?

thomas rodrian

I've updated the post with the final version. :-)

Tefler

I’m really looking forward to seeing how it plays out with John and the girls with the rescued colonists prior to the arrival of the Invictus. It should be very interesting… And after it arrives, will they take them with them further into Kirrix space or will they turn around and take them back to where they came from? I predict moments of angst either way.

Evan

Lots of great edits there, thanks very much for bringing them to my attention! :-)

Tefler

It's his job to keep track of her and see to her protection. He could hardly miss when she and Charles went ring shopping down on the planet since her security guards would have gone with them, much less her return while wearing the somewhat ostentatious ring that Charles insisted upon getting for her. His knowledge of this requires no great insight upon his part. Perhaps more interesting will be whether or not Jehanna gets the exclusive interview with the happy couple... or whether they get to have some 'privacy' without having it be made TFNN breaking news.

Evan

Has that other admiral who has vying for Charles' attentions realized she's lost yet? I would like to see her reaction to the news that Charles is now engaged. Might also be fun to see her reaction when she spots Charles out on a date with a gorgeous bombshell, not knowing that it's Lynette. Also, I find it interesting that Colonel Fiske knew Lynette was engaged. Have Charles and Lynette announced the engagement? Of course, considering that he's been spending a lot of time with her, especially overnight, it would be hard for the chief of security to not notice and possibly figure things out.

Jedi Khan

Same chapter when John is informing Charles about their intended attack on the Armoured Cobras he says 'the media referred to their gang as the New Eden Snakes' lol

Tef a minor change needed in ch50 'The terrified third tank crew away drove' should be 'drove away'

Why don't you? I haven't seen any official note of an expected final release date, but if the past is any guide, it could still be several days or more, depending on Tefler getting final feedback from his editors, Patreon fans, and RL, of course. I personally enjoy reading the first copy I can get my hands on, then re-read the chapter in it's final form. I then look forward to reading it yet again when it's released in eBook form and has had yet more edits and enhancements. That is the true final version. But, even the eBook can get further edits, if necessary, so I wouldn't get hung up on trying to wait for the final version. After all, it's not like it costs any extra to download a given chapter multiple times, for the intermittent versions. It doesn't. The way Tefler has it set up, you pay once for each complete chapter that is released that you download, and you only pay once for each chapter, no mater how many times you download it, in the same or edited form. Besides, I always enjoy reading books, or listening to audio books, multiple times, because I always pick up something new each time that I missed the first time around. So the only thing you "waste" is the time it takes to read the chapter, and I sure don't see that as a waste at all, but rather a pure pleasure as far as Tefler created content is concerned. Just my opinion, of course, so you are certainly free to do it however works best for you. I would suppose the true "final" version would be if Tefler ever releases a complete Box Set Anniversary version of TSM and its sequels, however many of those there ends up being, in printed form, complete with all available artwork, maps, schematics, etc. But I wouldn't expect that to happen for many years, if ever, so I wouldn't hold your breath, but we can dream!

Bp Hlpt

What's the word for the final update? I don't read them until the final version is done.

I think when she was getting shot at by those cannons, she was focused on defense, making herself as dense as possible to resist the damage being dealt by the guns. In this case, she wasn't focused solely on tanking the hits, so naturally Jade would take more damage.

Jedi Khan

Was anyone else surprised by how much damage Jade experienced in her dragon form. I get the juggernaut’s are tough and can cause some serious harm. We have seen them take out armored vehicles and the like. But Jade was able to survive multiple shots point blank from ship mounted weaponry. I would not have expected even a Juggernaut to do that amount of damage to Jade. And especially not the chipper thing the mangled her hand. Not to mention John has continued feed and enhanced Jade

MJHSharkbait365

I wouldn't of thought so originally, since the guide was supposed to be able to show John how to do everything, but this seems to be the case.

Bp Hlpt

Question - Am I right in thinking that as John's powers increase, his guide's powers are also increasing?

Bigfoot

John has to be careful about he crafts now. It is apparent that the guide is able to slip out in malicious and insidious ways when John goes on autopilot.

You are correct about insects but off course they are tiny so the oxygen can diffuse through to the cells without a respiratory or circulatory system as mammals know them but the Kirrix are a huge, alien, insect-like species which due to scale could not rely on the methods our insects use.

Great chapter , It now seems that another Progenitor did predate Mael & is responsible for the Shroud as a few guessed ( that it was typical Progenitor move ) . Opens up a lot questions as too just how long Progenitors have been around & how their reigns are established & ended . We know how Mael's came to an end but what about his predecessor ? Was he the leader of the Achonin ? They were pictured so far as more of a peaceful society , did they fill in after the fall of the earlier Progenitor or did he mellow out & Mael was sent to replace him? Are Jade's runes or at least their similarity to Progenitor runes a clue? Also John was really not thinking , which is reasonable , after the battle & his seeming growth in power , but he should have been more careful when PJ didn't react to his spirit walk as usual , I immediately thought some thing bad was up & he better be careful , it was a great twist though , Bravo !! I know he said earlier he want the answers to the questions about his parents first , but it might be a better plan to deal with him before he might have to go into the Astral plane again , which might have to happen if his parents are still alive . Just my opinion of course .

bigdawguw65

From Chapter 107: ‘and a felt a shiver run down her spine.’ -> ‘and felt a shiver run down her spine.’

Evan

Maybe the runes he put on the suit. Other than that idk

shawnnight88

Sorry if this has been asked and I missed it, but how can John grow to a giant size while he's wearing his suit?

arbi

From chapter 106: ‘I thought your two would be past that by now.’ -> ‘I thought you two would be past that by now.’ I’ve been rereading the previous chapters and, like my note regarding Chapter 100, I’m trying to address any typos that I find so that you can fix them before you have to include them in the upcoming eBooks.

Evan

@tefler - whenever you have a couple of free minutes, I have a gift for you. If you look on Discord I sent you a private message with a link. :)

LunarLilith

Another outstanding chapter, Tef! It’s interesting how each each story is so self contained! I can only imagine this being given an “expanse” like visual treatment - it’s not too hard given the brilliance of the character arcs, the depths explored within morality, technology, spirituality, and so many other attributes. And the genre - i mean it’s the true hallmark of what erotic science fiction should be! Clean language, and simple, straightforward plots - none of that time changing inter dimensional complexity which science fiction can quickly devolve into. In any case wanted to bring out another inconsistency I thought - maybe insignificant - there was a reference to how the eldritch flames of the blade burned a guardian’s lungs. Chitinous creatures don’t typically breathe through their mouths as humans do. ... Insects have a system of tubes, called tracheae, instead of lungs. These tracheae penetrate right through the insect's body. Air enters the tracheae by pores called spiracles. Until the next chapter, then!

John Doe

I did think about that, but it probably would have been annoying to read if I swapped all the Rs With Ws. In the end I decided to have her just mispronounce dragon. :-)

Tefler

One of the best chapters yet.. delving deeper into his powers... Ready to see what kind of new tech.. or other discoveries Dana comes up with.. maybe she can use the new runes on John's blade for something else.. or maybe that triggers something for her... If John can figure out how he created the sword.. maybe that can be applied to the suits.. and the armor on both ships and the Mech..?

King James

I fear you may have made a rod for your own back with Lucy not being able to say dragon because surely “It’s a friendly dwagon!” would become “It’s a fwendly dwagon!”. Then going on from that we'd have “In my bedtime stowies, if someone’s weally naughty, then usually... somethin’ bad happens to them.” and “See, Timmy! I told you dwagons were weal!”.

ringill

That would have been amazing! Their race was one of the most deserving of rescue than any so far. It was a long shot, though. 9000 years minimum? Yeah, probably not.

Roethan

Helene would calm him enough to let them by, Alyssa would probably scan him looking for some way to intimidate him, Dana would probably charm him with her bouncing ... personality. The twins would terrify him. Hell they terrify me sometimes and I'm on their side!

Roethan

Damn, I was hoping John would find a group of seeds that could be revived to save a species from total extinction...

cittran genericlastname

Great chapter, Tefler. It seem that the Kirrix are just about done for? Or is John and crew going to find a way the Kirrix to earn redemption? This a excellent leading up to (setup follow on) chapter.

i kinda liked the release of tension when the kids wanted to 'punish' the evil broodmother........<begin brainfart="">kids are funny that way,crying for their mommas 1 minute and wanting jade to tear the broodmother apart limb from limb the next.......<end brainfart="" of=""></end></begin>

tony

Tefler, great chapter! The hits just keep on coming! Some suggested edits for Chapter 117, that I have not seen others post are as follows: Page 10: Forcing herself to slow down, Lynette took a deep breath and opened the door, only to (be) met by raised voices.; Page 29: He hauled his sword out of the ground and whipped it about it (with) a ferocious cross-slash, unleashing a broad wave of telekinetic force.; Also, a suggested addition: Page 31: “I have to hand it to you, Rill... you (sure) know how to stir up trouble,” she marvelled, throwing an admiring glance at her sister.; (Everywhere I have searched, dragon scales is two words, therefore, I have listed three possible corrections amongst the following); Page 32: They punched through the (dragon scales) on Jade’s left forepaw,; Page 36: slicing through (dragon scale) and tearing strips from her flesh.; Page 38: However(,) the more... noise... he made here, while threatening the nest, the more he’d draw reinforcements to his position rather than towards Jade or the escaping colonists.; Page 44: One of them bounded across the blood(-)soaked floor towards him,; Page 45: a myriad of nightmarish devices making it look like a mad scientist(’)s lair.; Page 48: Shifting his grip, he lunged forward, catching her (off guard).; Page 51: her muscular feline body growing much larger as dark-green fur was replaced by a coat of shimmering (dragon scales).; Page 51: he pause(d) to stare at the scenes of carnage.; As always, if you disagree, I completely understand. Good luck with Chapter 118. Cheers!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. :-) I thought about how the kids would react for a while. They were crying and terrified when they were brought into the room with the broodmother by the Kirrix, but when a mythical creature came to their rescue (a dragon!) and declared itself to be friendly, I figured they'd be so overcome by awe, that they'd forget to be scared. They did see Jade save the little girl, while massacring the creatures that had dragged them away from their parents, so they'd probably be quick to believe that she wasn't going to hurt them. Their eagerness to see the broodmother "punished" was something else I thought about for a while. Kids can be quite vindictive and cruel under certain circumstances and being frightened by something often brings those sentiments out. I was thinking mainly about the way kids torture insects when I wrote that dialogue... For example: pulling the wings/legs off daddy-long legs, or using a magnifying glass to burn... anything.

Tefler

Really enjoyed this chapter! The discovery of the old kirrix queen with all her priceless memories felt a bit like loot at the end of a bossfight ;) The onely thing i didnt like about this chapter was the reaction and interaction of the kids that jade saved. Children in such a horrific situation would mostly just cry or clamp down, their quippy responses came across as inappropriate to the situation. Not one of the kids was crying for their mother which is probably their first instinct. Other than that i was totally hooked!

great chapter Tefler! enjoyed it, thanks!

I have a feeling that Colonel Fiske is going to be a problem for Lynette in the future. Not sure how, but he will do something that'll put a major wrench in Lynette's plans. Also, what would he do if one of the girls tried getting past him? How would the girls respond? I'm rather short on creativity at the moment, so let's see what others have to say...

Jedi Khan

We call that TSM Induced Time Dilation. It's a thing.

Jedi Khan

So I'm deep in the chapter, then....it ends!! And I immediately check to make sure I'm at the last page and think "wow, that was short...". Then I scroll back up to the top.....still scrolling.......and I realise how long the chapter was! Great work Tefler, time flew as I was reading.

And if John's doing his new size trick does that make PJ an even bigger dick?

ringill

PJ is a dick.

Amathew2

On a related note, did John's rifle change along with him? If so, why was it still firing 10mm rounds? Shouldn't those have increased in size to match?

Jedi Khan

Very well done, Tefler. Lots to think about now. One thing I do want to know is regarding John's new trick, the one he didn't realize he made use of until later. How'd that work, especially with his armor and whatnot? I'm sure Dana would be most curious indeed to see what affect that trick has on the armor, since it shouldn't be physically possible.

Jedi Khan

Was a great chapter! I like that this chapter really gave John some time to think about what kind of person he is going to be going forward; it feels like he's about to make some big decisions. Why you gotta tease us with pregnant blue girls, though? You know we want it ;-)

James Hârn

Wow! Well worth the wait. Awesome Chapter! Can’t wait for the next one

David B

Worth the wait. I was expecting John having that moment of moral quandary about exterminating the Kirrix. But I did not see how and enjoyed the build up. Having the rescued settler look at John in fear and the John's comparison of the Kirrix to insects (in size and consequence) are most likely John's greatest fears because those are characteristics of the Progenitors he hates most. Also, the comparison between the Kirrix attitude and those of the Terrans/Maliri focused the shades of grey theme that is developing. I still remember the scene when Tashana treats Groluk (Drakkar) like a crew mate and later remembers her him fondly. Otherwise the Drakkar were basically villains until that point. As the Vulkat were mentioned, I wonder if the parallel can be made that Nkkrit, in her words, did unspeakable things to keep her children alive (as zombies) and the Kirrix doing unspeakable things to others. It is not exactly the same, as the Nkkrit still has a conscience. And, will John feel responsibility for the Kirrix, since the Shroud was a Progenitor weapon?

commatoes

posted some edits on Discord for 117.

Frostfyre

I read it asap, and it is again a great chapter. It has everything why I like the story so far. Interesting background info, epic combat, light banter, developing characters, self sacrafice for the greater good, and some old arca, what was come again in surface. Sadly, now we have to wait for another chapter. But this one really worth the waiting.

what a rollercoaster, i did not want this chapter to end.... 12 stars good sir

rich ed

I think I wrote one scene, way, way back, where Jade had a trio. It's been a while :-)

Tefler

Great chapter; especially liked the last few pages.

thomas rodrian

We hadn't seen much of PJ for a while, so I thought it about time he made an appearance. :-)

Tefler

I've used it before, when I referenced the Raptor looking like a bird of prey. I can't really think of anything that describes the location better.

Tefler

Thanks very much!

Tefler

That's what I was aiming for... so I'm glad it worked! :-)

Tefler

massive complaint about this story; three tits!! where are the three tits??

keen_FlattendHedgeHog

When we last saw John, he was still stuck down in the tunnels! How'd he get out? Are the twins with that large fleet up there all right? DO NOT leave us hanging with these questions! We need answers! Other than that - VERY good read. Absolutely LOVE SciFi, especially erotic SciFi! Good job.

Who Me

Absolutely amazing. Very dramatic.

another great read.. lots of twists and turns... love the end with John's alter ego...

Taco1085

Wow, what a chapter. Nicely done tefler !

shoulder-mounted Tachyon Lances on the Raptor? That makes sense for the Valkyrie, but not the Raptor, IMO.

Evan

Nice read. And poor Tom. ;)

Grimlakin

looking forward to reading

Ah, you guys and your "cliffhangers"... Just you wait... ;-)

Tefler

Great! :-)

Tefler

Fantastic! It's always nice to hear that a chapter was enjoyable. :-)

Tefler

Thanks very much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :-)

Tefler

Another amazing chapter!

Crom

cheers mister

Braw

And... the cliffhanger ninja strikes again! Awesome chapter...!!!

just to clarify, when Jade lunges for the little girl, she shouts "NO!", but later the kids are surprised that she can speak. Was there something keeping them from realizing that Jade shouted, or is this an error?

zingowner

Well, after reading that chapter, I feel like I need a cold drink and a cigarette. Bravo, Tefler! That was awesome.

LunarLilith

thank you

Mjk154

This made my week thanks Tef, another great read. Glad you went back to a particular plot thread I've invested myself in, at the end of this chapter. Can't wait to see how the story-line pans out. Of course, I can't go without mentioning John's Kirrix confrontation and surprisingly perilous trip to the Astral. Honestly, it's like I'm watching a movie in a book. Keep up the amazing work!

Nathos

Thanks Tefler

"...for a moment, Lynette frown at the slow...." frowned?

zingowner

Nice, thank you.

thanks mang

Great treat to come back to after walking the dogs. Thank you!

227th!

GrandPaM

That's my evening sorted!

ringill

16th!!!! Lolol

DemonHunterCole

Thank you, Tefler. A great way to spend a rainy Wednesday

Old Salt

Thanks Teffler!!!

Old Cruiser

Thank you, Tefler!

Evan

Yay

Muledrvr

Thanks telfer!!

I HR appropriately love you.

Thank you!

LunarLilith

Thank you, Tefler!

Fabulous!

woohoo

Frostfyre

Yahoo!

DCM

Awesome! Just as I'm going to bed lol

Nchalada

Thanks Tefler

Cignal

Woot!!

Grimlakin

Hell yeah *Edit... FIRST!!! lol