Tefler from patreon - Three Square Meals Ch. 170 (Completed)

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Tom Ray

2024-12-22 11:05:15 +0000 UTC

The question on everyone’s mind, though, is what will happen to Gahl’Kalgor’s Matriarch? Valeria’s still very much alive and possibly still connected to her network. If John claims her, will he inherit her entire psychic network of MILLIONS of thralls? Whether or not Mael’Nerak’s matriarch maintained her psychic network after his death was never revealed. Was that why Larn’Kelnar killed his matriarch rather than let John have her? Perhaps what John is doing (claiming multiple Thrall species) isn’t completely new after all?

EroticPoetic

2024-11-15 19:09:32 +0000 UTC

Unfortunately, Kaija is only able to connect with Thralls to whom she is bonded through Baen’Thelas. Progenitors recruit their Thrall network through recruitment ceremonies after claiming a matriarch, and therefore the species. It usually takes a century or more of building up a thrall empire after building a Soul Forge to which possibly millions of Thralls are sacrificed to build a dreadnought and dozens of fleets of ships. As of her awakening, Kaija will only be connected to the Thralls - mostly Fleet commanders and senior officers - that the Nymphs have given a ‘kiss’.

EroticPoetic

2024-11-15 17:40:53 +0000 UTC

John and Alyssa, despite their more than gruesome interactions with the Kirrix, understand their history as a peaceful, sentient species. They were once able to exist symbiotically with their host species, but the shroud somehow disrupted their ability to procreate without a parasitic relationship with sentient species. The Kirrix best option for survival would be to move their entire divides outside of the shroud and find habitable worlds to colonize. Once the Progenitor wars are over, perhaps John will build them a gate to a star system outside the shroud where they can live peaceably, even within a previous Progenitor empire, under the condition that they do not interact with the sentient species there.

EroticPoetic

2024-11-15 17:19:56 +0000 UTC

Once the sublight engine and damaged hulls are trimmed off they could travel on their own to a location near enough to be towed into at minimum a defensive formation until new engines fitted. Those new engines CANNOT be with Alyssium but perhaps Trankaran engines that would give sub par but still sufficient performance as reserves. Progenitors are not in the habit of repairing ships as we know so this is new territory.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:27:46 +0000 UTC

Could have been somewhat better ending of Gal. Honestly I am more interested in how Valeria is handled. Remember the woman was so vicious against her own subordinates that Gal had to restrain her cruelty. Gal is painted as more vicious than Larn. Tefler has indicated a willingness to hold women accountable on several occasions, such as the death of Kahtri's wife. I'm rather curious what will happen with her.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:23:10 +0000 UTC

The Gal fleets left behind would have stopped killing themselves after being claimed and would have then avoided contact with any other Tthrall race. I suspect the surviving crews will be much beyond "skeleton" and very confused. Once Kaija the new Galkiran matriarch wakes from her naps she will be able to issue orders directly into the minds of every Galkiran adult . She will not hear the response but that's not necessary as they are inclined to obey. Not FORCED to obey as John has removed that, but they will still want to. So John can then easily get everything in Galkiran space settled wo even going there.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:17:08 +0000 UTC

There are many guesses but only one correct answer: she caught a glimpse of Mad Jonah. No, I do not care what anyone including Tef thinks. There are too many coincidences with Mad Jonah and the Karron girls. Besides, we need to bring Coral Castle into this somehow.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:09:28 +0000 UTC

Please change your post to "OK Boomer Tef". Thank you.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:07:20 +0000 UTC

Puttica Negrita mia! Calmate mi linda, todo vendra a tiempo. Que sera sera....

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 21:06:03 +0000 UTC

I think it clear that Xar only has a fragmentary muddled version of what the dead Progenitors know. When the Galkirans showed up they knew to look for Bayen'thelas but not that: 1- he was Admiral John Blake of the Terran Federation 2- that the Mailri were his claimed race 3- the locations of these places 4 that the "girls" had powers and several other details. All the above were well known to Larn who had seduced Lynette and gotten a report from Athgiloi's Nymph Celphna and also met the Kintark Emperor. CLEARLY Larn knew a LOT more Gal did not. I doubt Xar would keep information like where to find the Maliri etc hidden so my guess is that dead Progenitors only retain fragmented memories. This new asshat has a coordinate but almost no other information.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-11-09 20:58:45 +0000 UTC

Also not seeing it. No “#” symbol in the file attached to this post for me. Edit: the file is updated on the web, but not in the iOS app for me.

SomeYoungGuy

2024-10-01 11:40:34 +0000 UTC

Another Progenitor arriving would not show up with a fleet, but only a Dreadnought. If Larn and Gahl are SOP. Weird plot twist… Rahn shows up and John has 2 cloaked Dreadnoughts to ambush the new Progenitor, possibly capturing a third Dreadnought. . . Double plot twist… John figures out how to hack the psychic network while not actually killing the Progenitor, but mentally and psychically incapacitating him. It’s a fast tract to the end of the Progenitor wars… but could be a fun possibility.

EroticPoetic

2024-10-01 02:59:52 +0000 UTC

I’ve been wondering if the members of the collective are software or tied to hardware. Can they just cast out of their robot bodies to a mainframe? Or are they ‘mortal’ in the sense that they ‘die’ when their bodies are destroyed?

EroticPoetic

2024-10-01 02:53:58 +0000 UTC

nightmares of that white battlecruiser would be a thing of the past. *** # Calara tapped a couple of icons on her Tactical Station, and the holographic map that floated above

jdg45

2024-10-01 01:42:26 +0000 UTC

If you have downloaded the updated Ch.170 and can't find a # symbol using the find function, then the only explanation I can think of is you have opened the original and not the most recent version. Is the original stored in the same folder you download to? Because if it is then the new download will probably have been given a new name like 170(1). My only other suggestion is to try to download it again.

Unresolved Plots

2024-10-01 01:13:28 +0000 UTC

Re John wiping out 99.9% of the Kirrix, I’m pretty sure he only wiped out those connected to that Hive Queen. The rest of the Hive mind splintered and created separate factions, but are far from extinct. Thus, they were still trading with the Brimorians for Abandoned slaves etc. when Gahl’Kagor ‘broke’ the treaty with Alyssa & subsequently considered exterminating their species. There are plenty left to become a threat as they’ll need to replenish their numbers if they hope to survive as a species.

EroticPoetic

2024-10-01 01:07:44 +0000 UTC

Soon, soon. I’d guess within the next few hours.

MVFast

2024-10-01 00:56:38 +0000 UTC

I was finally able to see the minor changes… and the implications. Apparently there’s no rest for the weary, but the good news seems to be that with the cloak breaker, they’ll be able to detect and attack the Progenitor as soon as it drops through the wormhole near Kythshara. It won’t have much backup beyond what ships it can carry within its hull, and they might even be able to use Gahl’Kagor’s dreadnought to ambush it and force an immediate duel that John could potentially end quickly without actually killing the Progenitor, buying weeks, if not months of time to recruit & regenerate their psychic networks. All that considered, will chapter 171 be released this month? It’s basically October and we’ve been waiting FIVE months to get substantive updates, but have only gotten chapters 169 & 170 piecemeal along with 9 placeholders lol. Post regularly. Tef’s patron base will grow and he can charge more. More money = better diet, better life, better health. It’s not rocket surgery!

EroticPoetic

2024-10-01 00:32:58 +0000 UTC

If Tef does want to write it that another progenitor is sent to Kythshara within a couple of days it might not be that bad. All of Larn’s fleets should be back soon. The Invictus plus 24 thrall fleets should be able to at least disable one dreadnought that can’t hide because of the cloak breaker and can’t do a wormhole jump for 12 hours. I’m more worried that Xar’ knows everything Gahl’ does now, including the location of all the Maliri worlds and Genthalas.

AzureReader

2024-09-30 22:14:55 +0000 UTC

The updated last scene is better imho. Thanks Tefler.

Unresolved Plots

2024-09-30 22:11:13 +0000 UTC

The updates are at the very end of the chapter. Search for a # and the updated dialogue comes after that. Hope this is helps.

Unresolved Plots

2024-09-30 22:09:07 +0000 UTC

Ah, but for Faye to be Faye, she would have to have the memories implanted up to the point she was lost. Without those memories, she wouldn't be Faye.

DevilDoc82

2024-09-30 21:35:42 +0000 UTC

Thanks. Will re-download. When can we expect 171?

Tipp McClure

2024-09-30 21:17:05 +0000 UTC

Interesting because though I've redownloaded twice, I'm not seeing those additions. In fact, when I download the link above, it's actually the version that ends with Camine escaping Genthalas.

Chimney Squeeze

2024-09-30 21:16:41 +0000 UTC

It's mostly identical. When I started writing chapter 170, I realised that they'd missed something important while planning out their next actions. I just fixed that, and also added John coming up with a solution to protect the Maliri colony. Obviously he wouldn't want to take a big gamble with their lives if otherwise avoidable.

Tefler

2024-09-30 21:12:55 +0000 UTC

I added a few hundred words to the final scene. The key points added were: 1) John suggesting a way to protect the Maliri colony from the Galkiran fleet that fled from Genthalas. 2) Calara is very worried, because shortly after they killed Larn'kelnar, then Xar'aziuth sent Gahl'kalgor to investigate his death.

Tefler

2024-09-30 21:10:06 +0000 UTC

I added a few hundred words to the final scene. The key points added were: 1) John suggesting a way to protect the Maliri colony from the Galkiran fleet that fled from Genthalas. 2) Calara is very worried, because shortly after they killed Larn'kelnar, then Xar'aziuth sent Gahl'kalgor to investigate his death.

Tefler

2024-09-30 21:08:29 +0000 UTC

I'm not seeing any additions or adjustments to what was released at the end of Aug. Why'd this pop in my inbox?

Chimney Squeeze

2024-09-30 21:01:44 +0000 UTC

Don't forget the downed robot!

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

2024-09-30 20:32:27 +0000 UTC

Andrew's correct, but worse. Not only do they have to face another progenitor soon, it might even happen while trying to recruit the Galkirans. In other words. private Snafu shows up.

2ndAndrocentric

2024-09-30 20:11:41 +0000 UTC

They realized that Gahl knew where to jump because it was the location of Larn'kelnar's death. Now that they have killed Gahl on Kythshara, the next Progenitor could jump straight there. And considering Gahl jumped in within a day or two of Larn'kelnar dying, they might have to face another Progenitor very soon.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-30 19:47:11 +0000 UTC

No idea why John and Calara would be upset about Arcadia or Gahl’s hyperwarp gate. Is it effectively an open door for the next progentior invasion which could start as soon as Gahl’ tells Xar’ what the hyperwarp gate key is? Which at this point he already has.

AzureReader

2024-09-30 19:28:44 +0000 UTC

WTRF is wrong with all those that are saying "great chapter"?! This is the same f*cking chapter posted one month ago with a few sentences changed in the very last scene (see after the # character). If you are saying "great chapter" now, it means you were asleep last month or have not read it before. I agree 170 was a good chapter, like most of the battle chapters, and it is even more evident coming after some of the worst of the series, but it is all but new. Now let's get this months' worth of reading, though, along with the usual two or three placeholders in a sauce of sorry excuses.

Puttanegra Ficondo

2024-09-30 19:21:22 +0000 UTC

My point exactly. He posted the full ch.170 on August 31st.

Tipp McClure

2024-09-30 19:18:20 +0000 UTC

Ahhh, okay that makes sense. I was wondering if somehow the Kirrix were getting their hands on the gate, which seemed silly.

Akshay Anand

2024-09-30 18:59:37 +0000 UTC

Yeah, but it was built close to where they killed Larn'kelnar. Gahl knew where to jump in because that was where Larn had died. Now that Gahl has died on Kythshara, the next Progenitor could jump right to Kythshara.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-30 18:58:21 +0000 UTC

What are the implications? The hyper-warp gate is near the Kirrix homeworld right?

Akshay Anand

2024-09-30 18:56:25 +0000 UTC

There are some small additions to the end of the chapter, but they have very large and worrying implications.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-30 18:54:42 +0000 UTC

If he doesn't post another chapter by tomorrow then he might be on deaths door. In any case I will be gone from this author till the new year if that is the case, and hopefully he will have recovered.

Jim Owens

2024-09-30 18:54:34 +0000 UTC

As far as I can tell 170-1 is exactly like 170

Jim Owens

2024-09-30 18:52:46 +0000 UTC

Isn't this an old chapter? Are there just minor changes? I can't remember whether anything has changed or if this is just some broken notification...

Akshay Anand

2024-09-30 18:49:41 +0000 UTC

You know how it goes. We get a chapter on the last day of the month and a bunch of placeholders and some bs about this being the last placeholder and this month making up for lost time

Jim Owens

2024-09-30 18:47:20 +0000 UTC

What do you mean?

Kensyi

2024-09-30 18:43:31 +0000 UTC

Nope there is a small twist at the end

Robster

2024-09-30 18:37:45 +0000 UTC

Am I losing my mind? What's going on here?!

Akshay Anand

2024-09-30 18:33:07 +0000 UTC

Great Chapter, Tef! Loving the changes in perspective and how detailed you are making the clean up from this hell of a fight! Keep up the awesome work! Looking forward to the next one!

MightyMackinac

2024-09-30 18:28:20 +0000 UTC

Didn't you already upload this in August?

Tipp McClure

2024-09-30 18:24:53 +0000 UTC

Ok Tef

Sushant Bhartiya

2024-09-30 18:22:11 +0000 UTC

Thanks Tef

!raptor

2024-09-30 18:21:09 +0000 UTC

-- there have been many guesses as to what Faye saw and wanted to talk with John over, but Tef has not revealed anything yet, and even when the new, improved and organic version of Faye has her life 'sparked' she will not have those memories either, .... --- guesses include some high tech spying by Larn'kelnor, to a time-traveling Alyssa (so that she was in two places at the same time to Faye's eyes) and quite a few others, .... most were trying to help bring Faye back to us, .... --- Well, after new Faye is brought to life, Tef MIGHT take pity on us and clue us in, .... or not, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-29 11:27:39 +0000 UTC

I had heard, and maybe this is true or not, that Tef has no plans to revisit the Enshunu in TSM, but perhaps in the sequel, .... Ref'd from Discord comments, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-29 03:23:52 +0000 UTC

Another possibility. Admiral Harris already assigned relatively good ships to the colonies after he and the Fleet Admiral discussed what to do after the Gal’ Kirans attacked the Terran fleet.

MVFast

2024-09-29 03:10:38 +0000 UTC

On the way to Arcadia, before Faye’s server was hit, she wanted to speak to John about something she’d seen on the internal cameras. What could that be?

MVFast

2024-09-29 03:01:50 +0000 UTC

Don’t forget the Enshunu.

MVFast

2024-09-29 02:58:47 +0000 UTC

-- a possibility of a conflict with the maybe very few surviving and leaderless Kirrix is not something that I see happening, .... unless ... the Zombie Kirrix could be made into an effective attack force, .... --- and what has Mason Newmont been up too, .... yeah, Inquiring minds want to know, .... --- Also, I would like to see Deep Lord Athgiloi fried up in a big pan, and his Nymph restored to her sisters, .... :-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-26 14:43:04 +0000 UTC

It's not that I want another battle with the Kirrix (although I think that it could be interesting for a number of reasons), it's just that considering recent events I think it is a possibility. If Tef decides to take the story in a different direction, I will be pleasantly surprised. I'm just speculating on what might happen next. Other options include: 1) going to the Galkiran Empire, maybe fighting the Progenitor that Gahl was in the middle of a war with, 2) some provocation by the Brimorians that makes John decide to finally deal with them, 3) a series of events that leads to John clearing Tom Walker's name and capturing Mason, or 4) any other twist or plot point that captures John's attention.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-25 23:31:06 +0000 UTC

It seems that you really want to see more Bugs getting stomped on, .... but I'm afraid that their time is over, .... but hang in there, John and his crew might yet find other evil ones to battle, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-25 22:14:39 +0000 UTC

I mean, John and the crew have been able to pretty easily fight the Kirrix for a while now. They were more of a problem before because they were all over the place, and John couldn't be everywhere at once. If there is a battle with the Kirrix, they will likely bring everything they have left, which could still be a good sized fleet, and would pose a significant threat to the Outer Rim, which has basically no ships. Once the Invictus showed up, the battle would effectively be over, but tension could be added if their distress signal is somehow blocked, or if the Invictus had just jumped somewhere else and has to wait 12 hours to jump to the battle, etc. The reason I think this battle might happen is it would 1) completely wrap up the problems with the Kirrix, either through total or nearly total extermination, and 2) set the stage for the newly formed Outer Rim coalition to join the ranks of John's alliance. As a sidenote, isn't it interesting how of the empires we were introduced to at the beginning of the story, only the Brimorians are not in some way ruled or at least heavily influenced by John? He is good friends and allies with the Ashanath, the Trankarans see him as a god, he is the "Protector" (really King/Emperor) of the Maliri, he is on the High Command and good friends with the leader of the Terran Federation, and most recently he became the new mate of the Kintark Empress (looking forward to seeing how that plays out). He's come a long way.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-25 06:56:38 +0000 UTC

--So, John only wiped out 99,9% of the Bugs, .... how much trouble could the remaining Kirrix be? ,,, ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-25 06:14:30 +0000 UTC

John didn't kill them all, it was just the ones connected to the Hive Queen in that fleet. The rest of the Hive Mind disconnected from her when they realized John was there. We see the remaining Kirrix when Gahl's fleet ran into them when he first arrived, which was a good while after John psychically wiped out that fleet. When he spoke with the Hive Mind he found out where the Maliri were, and then left without killing any more. I actually suspect that there will be a final battle with the Kirrix soon, because the Hive Mind asked why he had dishonored their deal, because they associated him with John and the deal they made with him, and Gahl said that they should consider the deal broken. So I think that with the immense losses they have suffered recently, they will do a quick but large raid on the Outer Rim planets to try and capture enough hosts to rebuild their numbers. The governors of the Outer Rim might then ask John, or just the Maliri in general, for help.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-25 04:04:58 +0000 UTC

-- the Krixx? ... perhaps you actually meant the Bugs, the Kirrix, ... you were very close, but, .... --- oh, and John wiped all of them out, ... a psychic extinction-event, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-24 21:18:31 +0000 UTC

Well spotted, thank you!

Tefler

2024-09-24 13:30:25 +0000 UTC

It's occurred to me that there's nothing to keep the Krixx from sending fleets out, away from the areas that John and his crew know about, searching for new species that they can victimize. I can imagine Alyssa making contact with the Krixx big-brains, finding out what they've done and tracing the psychic lines to the fleets. Once our heroes finally have it pounded into their heads that the Krixx are happy to keep slaughtering sentient species and simply will not stop, much death will follow, ending the Krixx menace for all time.

John Lisbeth

2024-09-17 19:29:40 +0000 UTC

--And after Gally's beheading / death, there would've been a fairly large number of his Naval crews that killed themselves in their angst brought on from their Progenitors end, .... (thanks Xar'aziuth) .... So, all those fleets defending the Galkiran borders are very much 'undermanned', .... (Skeleton crews possibly?) .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-16 18:11:36 +0000 UTC

I do indeed have to agree about the swords. Nothing said at all in the battle about their swords, even though they were used in battle? They have to get close and stay close for Irillith to hack a ship, so I’ll give him a little leeway on that, especially regarding the dreadnought. Of course, if she is in a cloaked ship with a psychic boost from Alyssa…

MVFast

2024-09-14 20:25:03 +0000 UTC

I can understand feeling like this battle was a little slower feeling than some past chapters. But the characters all had larger supporting roles. If you want the whole effect, go back to chapter 166 and read through 170 to get the whole picture. When you put it all together it’s much more dynamic.

HillCountryCowboy

2024-09-14 19:59:21 +0000 UTC

Jim, this is I think a correct summary of the Galkiran fleets. Gahl'kalgor attacked Shroud space with 29 fleets. During the invasion Gahl split his fleets. 10 were sent towards Genwynn, so they should be fine, apart from some possible degradation of the shield crystals, due to recent continual overuse. Of the other fleets only approximately 2 now remain intact near Kythshara, along with a heavily damaged Progenitor Dreadnought and one at Genthalas. So around 13 intact Galkiran fleets remain (possibly all requiring replacement shield crystals), while 16 fleets worth are damaged/disabled and stranded at various points along the invasion corridor. Tefler also confirmed on Discord that fleets were left in Galkiran territory to guard against attack. This is what he wrote: GK didn't complete strip his whole empire of fleets. There are some left behind to guard the borders. He changed his mind later on about never returning to his old empire, but in the preliminary stages of the invasion, he was following the standard Progenitor rulebook. I've got no idea what number 'some' equates to in Tefler's mind, but my guess is more than a few fleets are guarding Gahl's former empire.

Unresolved Plots

2024-09-14 12:46:04 +0000 UTC

@MVFast - I understand the need to not reveal everything at once. Every battle has introduced either a new technology, girl, psychic power, or weapon. Standing on the previous achievements these new ‘plot devices’ came just in time for them to survive all the battles… except this one. This battle did introduce some new technologies. A new progenitor grade shield… which made no difference because no one could hit the Invictus. The amazing cloak breaker network… which made no difference because no one thought to find the cloaked dreadnought with it. John built Sakura Kyth’faren swords so powerful and mysterious Alyssa was afraid of them… and then no difference. 24 new quantum flux cannons on the ground were introduced just in time to…. get destroyed by the dreadnought leaving it fully capable of wiping out everything on the ground. Actually they did crack the bottom of the dreadnought enough for Jade to get in, so perhaps they were critical just in time plot devices. How about all the existing hard won capabilities? Many were barely used, not used, or took a giant step backwards. Dana’s psychic abilities would be particularly dramatic in a progenitor battle because no progenitor has them. They won the battle of Terra. Here no one thought to use them. Same with Irillith’s abilities… I think she shut down power on two battleships in the final battle. She went from making an enormous difference in previous battles to just sitting on the bridge. Few of the other girls seemed fully utilised except Calara. These battle scenes must keep getting more difficult to write as you introduce new weapons, girls and powers. Especially if you want to fully engage everyone in a way that is dramatic and makes sense. Tef’s medical issues may have compromised his ability to do so. I feel like if the Tefler that wrote the first 135 chapters wrote chapters 168 and 169 the story would be very different.

AzureReader

2024-09-06 15:14:36 +0000 UTC

@Andrew - You are right, in addition to runes that glow we know the sword is motivational and it can drain shields. This sword represents the revenge of the Kyth’faren civilization… just thought they would pack a little more into it. As for Gahl’s death - it’s interesting that John is so adamant that thralls are victims worth saving but never Progenitors. Perhaps it’s because thralls are all female. Whatever the reason it seemed like character development showing his childhood innocence, his intact conscious about killing his mother, his newly developing reluctance to hurt his matriarch, his unwillingness to needlessly hush his thralls, his willingness to apologize to Valaria, all point to a person that could be saved. Beheading seemed so obvious an end I never thought it would happen. Especially after laying all that groundwork for a more evolved solution.

AzureReader

2024-09-06 14:27:13 +0000 UTC

Oh and great chapter too can’t wait for John to go round up all the ships he disabled whilst they were in marli space there must be 25 fleets out there to pick up with either dead crew or bored shitless crew.

Jim lynch

2024-09-06 07:54:41 +0000 UTC

Teller I think I’ve been one of the biggest critics of your placeholders I truly hate them lol but I just don’t see an end to them so I say just scrap them forget the backlog forget owing us all 8 chapters or however many it is and start afresh just forget about the ones you owe. I’m past it now I’m sick of fighting with people for £40 plus tax’s lol so end it all now by doing a vote on here just like the votes you’ve done before about which character you want artwork done next but do it for forgetting about what you owe us all and end this shit once and for all but if you do this you can’t ever start doing them again

Jim lynch

2024-09-06 07:51:37 +0000 UTC

Ummm, Because there are potentially hundreds of other progenitors, and if Tefler used up all his plot devices at once, the rest of the story would be very quick and anticlimactic?

MVFast

2024-09-06 07:27:32 +0000 UTC

I do agree with you that there maybe could have been more for the battle in terms of dramatic actions, or comebacks, or sacrifices and the like. However, I think the recentness of the chapters' releases, along with the time it took Tef to fully complete this arc of the story, makes us think that it is a more climactic part of the story then it is supposed to be. This is essentially the first battle in the greater Progenitor war that John is now fighting. I think it's supposed to be more like their first battles with the Kirrix, Drakkar, and Kintark in terms of importance. Those hinted at things to come in the future without fully revealing them. I think a lot of the stuff you mentioned will happen as they fight more progenitors, probably ones that are more difficult to deal with than Gahl, who essentially charged in headfirst. There are a few things though that I don't agree with. The sword did do something: it did start draining Gahl's power. On top of that, there was a scene where John lost the sword, and as soon as he picked it up, his thoughts went to getting HIS revenge, as if he personally had a vendetta against X and his minions. The sword seems to overtake his mind with that of a deceased Kyth'faren. And, as I said above, it would be kind of anticlimactic for the secrets of the sword to be revealed now, at the beginning of the war. I think it's more likely that either right before or after they defeat X, and the mission of the Kyth'faren is almost or fully complete, that a negative side effect of the sword and the genetic alteration will reveal itself. The development of Kaija is almost certainly coming. Auralei was developed beforehand because she was used to show the aftermath of Larn's death in his empire. It wouldn't work in the pacing of an invasion, with everything else going on, to spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on this one inexperienced recruit. As for Gahl and his death despite his development, I think that was a device used to shift our attention from Progenitor's as the main evil, to X as the main evil. Before, we were focused on Larn'kelnar and how he was the main villain. But now, with our knowledge of X and then the development of Gahl showing us how X corrupted him, we realize that Progenitors are also victims of X, even if they are more powerful than the thrall races. Maybe Tef is showing us the grim reality of the universe that X has created, where people (maninly progenitors) are corrupted to a point where death is their best option. Or maybe, as with the Maliri and likely the Galkirans, John will find a way to right the wrongs X committed against the Progenitors and give them a second chance.

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-06 05:19:21 +0000 UTC

Is it just me or does the final fight seem a lot less dramatic or exciting than we might have expected after a 168 chapter buildup to this climax. Yes, John got punched (a few times). Sakura got punched. Dana got punched. Alyssa gets knocked into a building. Then the bad guy dies… after finally John remembers to go for the head. The super sword doesn’t seem to do anything new… or really anything… that a normal sword wouldn’t do. Other than have glowing runes maybe. But we already knew about that. Alyssa was very afraid of John losing himself to the sword and what was promised to be unimaginable ancient powers. Instead we got nothing. Sakura’s Kyth sword runes didn’t even glow, so literally nothing for her. Thought Alyssa would get into real peril where all would be lost if she didn’t absorb Athena, become a full fledged progenitor or Kythfaren princess and turn the tide of the battle. She does blow off Gahl’s arm… and then basically nothing. I think she lanced the back of his knee… I must have missed the part where they discussed the importance of progenitor knees. Definitely didn’t live up to ‘most dangerous woman in the galaxy’ title. Thought Irillith would take command of a few enemy battleships and attack the dreadnought, or perhaps hyperwarp ram the dreadnought. Instead she basically did nothing the entire battle except shut down maybe one or two battleships? So basically nothing. Thought John’s dad would make a dramatic appearance at the last minute right before everyone would die and turn the tide. Instead… nothing. Thought the situation would be grim and Gahl’ would declare victory… just as the Maliri fly through the Warp Gate with 17 captured fleets and grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Instead, nothing at all from that whole effort. Thought Jehanna’s super lumen powers would be used to create chaos thorughout the battlefield that would have been dramatically told from the thrall perspective. Instead she made a few fake Maliri and a couple tigers. So basically nothing. Even the ending was shockingly boring: cutting off his head. After all that character development. After rooting for the guy to be mind shielded back into a simple fisherman with no psychic abilities, and living out his days with his psudo-mommy. Or a hundred other creative ways this character that we started to care about could have been saved in some sense. Instead he dies a meaningless death in a mundane way. Thought there would be some character development of the new matriarch so we care about her. Instead all we know is she was nervous and wanted to break her gun down in the dropship a few minutes before landing. Not feeling the connection, not rooting for this character, don’t care. Auralei’s character was developed at least 20 times that amount before John met her. At this point I’d be fine with one sentence that mentions she was sent home and that John will visit sometime (but never does). Thought the cloak breaker would do something. It did nothing. Well, they did find one of the cloaked battle stations back in chapter 156 I think. Why not use it to find the cloaked enemy dreadnought? Wasn’t that the entire point of the system? Thought something would happen on Genthalas more interesting than Edraele sleeping through the whole thing only to wake up, spear a few dozen thralls, then go back to sleep. It’s an ancient battlestation… are there literally no secrets to the place that might have made a dramatic appearance? Dana generating a singularity in the middle of the dreadnought? Nope. Helene breaking Gahl’s ground forces of their hatred (before he died). Nope. Dramatic reveal of two or three new nymph dragons that scare the living daylights out of… everyone. Nope. The point is a million things can happen in any story. Usually one thing does. We got a few sweet moments but this entire epic came down to a few punches and a beheading. The Tom Walker side story is starting to seem interesting by comparison.

AzureReader

2024-09-05 23:29:01 +0000 UTC

You might try resetting the Tefler page, .... go to another Author's page then drop back, .... the doc. choices should show up then, ... best of luck, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-04 20:49:17 +0000 UTC

I cannot see the doc for the chapter?

rich ed

2024-09-04 04:09:31 +0000 UTC

Thank you for the Tribe War updates people. I do so look forward to them!

2ndAndrocentric

2024-09-03 21:26:49 +0000 UTC

Errata: ...hurried into the armoury to removeD their Paragon... D should be removed

2ndAndrocentric

2024-09-03 21:25:01 +0000 UTC

Yes, they could attach it to their battle armor and swallow some if needed. Ifnot used, put it into to the celebration punch bowl afterwards. I can just hear Dana say "Best spiked party punch ever!"

2ndAndrocentric

2024-09-03 21:21:50 +0000 UTC

John really needs to start storing a few vats of his magic potion for pre battle top ups of all his girls. He then wouldn't have to worry so much about trying to save injured girls across the battlefield.

Akram123456

2024-09-03 18:45:47 +0000 UTC

It’s frustrating. We all want more chapters, to be caught up, etc. But let me ask, how many chapters have you read? 170? How many have you paid for?40? 60? 80? Most of us read at least 90-100 chapters for free. Paying for 9 chapters ahead means I still got 80+ chapters for free. If anyone is too offended, they can wait for the chapters to post for free on Literotica or SOL.

HillCountryCowboy

2024-09-03 04:50:10 +0000 UTC

Great chapter. All the girls involved in one way or another. John is gonna be a busy Progenitor working his way through the post-battle stressed harem.

Antoine Scrivener

2024-09-03 04:20:57 +0000 UTC

I think the time it takes to get to kythshara, then he will be ready for them. John has to attend the wounded, and his new teammates. So he gonna be busy, busy, busy.

Green Seadragon

2024-09-03 01:56:18 +0000 UTC

-- The Invictus wrecked the sub-light engines on those stranded vessels, ... (assumption) that those vessels could not activate / use their FTL drives due to their no longer having streamlined hulls, .... so, could they still be towed at FTL speeds? ... also due to the Negative energy in the PBM, the gifting / outfitting of those vessels with replacement engines would be a problem, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-03 01:39:01 +0000 UTC

-- things that make you go humm? John using Astral Athena to delve deep into the Astral to help him in getting the Spark of Consciousness past the Astral Monsters, ... interesting thought you have here, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-02 00:23:38 +0000 UTC

Placeholder haters just hate Placeholders, .... I believe it is in the name, .... ;-l ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-09-02 00:18:17 +0000 UTC

I think they'd be more likely to answer a hail from the Dreadnought or another Galkiran fleet, because they would think that the people in those ships would have a similar mindset of "get out quick." However, as Qahlz said above, I don't think ship-to-ship communication would work long range without relay buoys. At one point, I did think that they could use the Dreadnought to make a mass call to all the fleets like Gahl had done earlier in the invasion, but then I remembered that when that happened all the fleets were in very close proximity. John does need to go in-person to the fleets to speak with them. I'm also curious how the discovery of the hyper-warp gate will affect things. Will they use it, and if they do, what will John do when he's in the Galkiran Empire?

Andrew Shultes

2024-09-02 00:00:55 +0000 UTC

So what happens to the cash we've paid for our undelivered 9 chapters? It becomes an actual gift already given?

Bob M

2024-09-01 22:41:21 +0000 UTC

I enjoyed this chapter , as every other one in this great story. It looks like a couple more possibilities are appearing as well as the continuation of previous tangents. Looking forward to it.

John the 5th

2024-09-01 20:18:29 +0000 UTC

Well, I am glad for this chapter. And I even advocate that shorter chapters could be the best solution since each change of scene can for itself be seen as a chapter by other writers standards. So go forward!

JTR soars

2024-09-01 19:21:32 +0000 UTC

Thanks for a great finish to 170. Happy Labor Day to U.S. readers, and well wishes to you and yours, Tefler. Looking forward to the next one!

bjcreek

2024-09-01 14:26:15 +0000 UTC

They really weren't keen to answer Johns' hails till he forced them to. No guarantee they will answer the Dreadnought or other fleets.

ThunderBird Two

2024-09-01 10:26:19 +0000 UTC

I think John will use Athena to get the spark of consciousness. She did it last time when he saved Jade. As for the retreating forces, he can have the other 10 fleets tow the disabled ships to kythshara by locking tractor beams in long trains. I think Valeria will stop them from fleeing.

Green Seadragon

2024-09-01 05:27:11 +0000 UTC

Appreciate a lot for this highly engaging chapter!

Sushant Bhartiya

2024-09-01 01:52:54 +0000 UTC

Yep, then he can get paid monthly for doing nothing...Won't have to post anything at all and still pull in the cash...

Hendrix Morton

2024-09-01 00:50:45 +0000 UTC

Will happen either way in November. Due to pressure from Apple, Patreon will get rid of per-item charge altogether.

Qahlz

2024-09-01 00:22:15 +0000 UTC

Many thanks. A much appreciated midday reading feast. Loved The Girls taking charge in the Big Cleanup.

Antoine Scrivener

2024-09-01 00:05:16 +0000 UTC

I just really really wish he would change the subscription model to just be a monthly charge. Quit doing a per chapter requirement. Eliminate the need for a placeholder and everyone wins.

Randy

2024-08-31 22:34:36 +0000 UTC

Even Alyssa and Edraele can only speak to each other’s girls because they bonded with each other. Is that how Jade is doing it? Her “bond” with Alyssa?

MVFast

2024-08-31 21:48:32 +0000 UTC

I'm not saying that he should skip anything. I just feel there should have been more. Everyone has an opinion, that one is mine

John Degennaro

2024-08-31 21:43:59 +0000 UTC

Exactly.

Dani Vega

2024-08-31 21:02:36 +0000 UTC

Do they have such long range communication capacities? IIRC the Maliri and Terrans have to use relay buoys distributed to their space. Unless the Galkirans dropped those everywhere, they wouldn't be able to talk to them everywhere. And I'm not sure if the nebula around Kythshara doesn't also impede long-range communication.

Qahlz

2024-08-31 21:00:07 +0000 UTC

Hmmm… Question. About Jade. Tef, this is the first time (that I remember) of Jade being able to speak telepathically to anyone besides John, Alyssa (like the rest of the Invictus crew) and the nymphs. Here, she’s talking to Helene directly with telepathy.

MVFast

2024-08-31 20:52:58 +0000 UTC

Hey there Johnny Dangerously, ... this chapter addressed some of the issues left over after the 'evil' progenitor's death, such as the 100's of thousands of red-skinned troops in highly advanced warships still inside of Maliri Space, and John claiming the Galkirans, .... -- There would be many fans complaining if he skipped over all of that, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-08-31 20:15:04 +0000 UTC

Hey there Splatz, yeah I agree, they could use Gally's Dreadnaught to reach out to the various stranded fleet ships and Baen'thelas could charm them, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-08-31 20:01:11 +0000 UTC

I am left wondering, .... 1) Tef dropped this completed chapter on us a little bit earlier than usual, .... 2) and he says he will be gone a few days, .... So possibly? -- he might be finally getting his gallstone surgery, .... if so, best of luck Tef, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-08-31 19:52:50 +0000 UTC

Very nice! As usual a very good read. I enjoy your work tremendously Tef. Your very gifted. A bit late on some work, but I understand illness getting in the way of things. Hope you are better and can find time to catch up. I've written a little myself, and can understand how finding the right words and phrase can enhance a story. Along with keeping it focused and not go off on a tangent. I eagerly look forward to the next chapter.

raymond sisko

2024-08-31 17:48:46 +0000 UTC

😐

Gky

2024-08-31 16:55:53 +0000 UTC

I suppose it's better than half a chapter and two placeholders.

Joel Wyrick

2024-08-31 16:14:33 +0000 UTC

I don't mind saying, that I was a little let down with this chapter. I know all the chapters can't be like the previous two, but this felt like a lot of filler. I know that I have no writing talent at all, but I still think it could have something more

John Degennaro

2024-08-31 15:37:05 +0000 UTC

I don’t care long or short or if it’s inside out. It’s Tefler. I am overjoyed to have this crazy story in my hands.

DCM

2024-08-31 14:57:24 +0000 UTC

Wouldn't the easiest way to deal with the remaining Galkiran fleets be to simply to have the fleet they've already talked down hail the rest and put John on? Edit: Or from the captured Flag ship/Dead.

Splatz

2024-08-31 14:45:18 +0000 UTC

After reading the first part again, I was eager to see what hints you would leave for addressing the mass-suicide problem. Helene is a great choice of a solution, but I still hope there will be development of a much more efficient solution. Simply doing domain expansion: happy feelings, will still require John's immediate installment of a Matriach, which I still think is dicey. But I'm happy to wait and see how this develops. Hope you get better soon Tef! I'm happy you've stuck to a monthly release of content. It might not be as much content as we would all hope for, but I'm sure you would also like to not be suffering a litany of health problems right now. Don't let the bitching and moaning get you down, just focus on getting better and doing what you need for yourself and your family.

Nathos

2024-08-31 14:42:51 +0000 UTC

So sad. He's even shortened his excuses.

This Old Man

2024-08-31 14:06:00 +0000 UTC

"her old master looked more akin to a freshly minted turd" Lol! Almost worth the placeholder by itself.

ThunderBird Two

2024-08-31 12:39:00 +0000 UTC

Thanks Tefler.

Unresolved Plots

2024-08-31 12:39:00 +0000 UTC

Could have been worse. I was expecting 95% of chapter 170, two precharges, and a promise to finish up in the next few days (meaning the last second of September).

AzureReader

2024-08-31 12:21:43 +0000 UTC

It's not though. The previously posted partial chapter ended when the Galkiran squad on Genthalas evacuated their former matriarch, now it goes a decent bit beyond that. Although I concede that it still felt quite short.

Qahlz

2024-08-31 12:21:31 +0000 UTC

Wow and Nice, .... a wonderful after-the-battle chapter, ... this was a lesser cliffhanger, but still a very fun read, ... -- they (John and his girls) are all quite tired and in need of a rest, as well as having lots to do after the Battle of Kythshara, .... but they need to get on to reviving / restoring Faye soon, ... -- and Rahn and Jessica, .... the Mother and Father of John sub-plot is very fascinating, ... what's up with Jessica? Did Alyssa leave a few helpful thoughts behind? .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-08-31 11:43:03 +0000 UTC

then delete your stupidity tbh

Myrnalin

2024-08-31 11:14:43 +0000 UTC

Yeah... I saw that.

Jeremy Smith

2024-08-31 10:58:53 +0000 UTC

try re-reading the title line again, it says COMPLETED, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

2024-08-31 10:23:42 +0000 UTC

This is the same incomplete chapter as the earlier post... Pretty lame

Jeremy Smith

2024-08-31 10:12:30 +0000 UTC

Half a chapter and a placeholder! This is pretty poor by anyone’s standards.

Fpv 315

2024-08-31 10:09:38 +0000 UTC

The absolute state of this lad omg

Akshay Anand

2024-08-31 09:02:46 +0000 UTC

Hahaha. Not even a full chapter this month

Korzic

2024-08-31 08:34:39 +0000 UTC

Must be kidding me...

Robster

2024-08-31 08:26:33 +0000 UTC

OMG!

stephen mincher

2024-08-31 08:25:03 +0000 UTC

Three Square Meals Ch. 170 (Completed)

Comments

To limit the number of times you can be charged per month before the end of the year to take care of that pesky second placeholder. Go to Membership -> Edit -> Payment Amount -> Set Monthly Limit and enter "1".

There are many guesses but only one correct answer: she caught a glimpse of Mad Jonah. No, I do not care what anyone including Tef thinks. There are too many coincidences with Mad Jonah and the Karron girls. Besides, we need to bring Coral Castle into this somehow.

Please change your post to "OK Boomer Tef". Thank you.

Puttica Negrita mia! Calmate mi linda, todo vendra a tiempo. Que sera sera....

Also not seeing it. No “#” symbol in the file attached to this post for me. Edit: the file is updated on the web, but not in the iOS app for me.

I’ve been wondering if the members of the collective are software or tied to hardware. Can they just cast out of their robot bodies to a mainframe? Or are they ‘mortal’ in the sense that they ‘die’ when their bodies are destroyed?

nightmares of that white battlecruiser would be a thing of the past. *** # Calara tapped a couple of icons on her Tactical Station, and the holographic map that floated above

Soon, soon. I’d guess within the next few hours.

The updated last scene is better imho. Thanks Tefler.

The updates are at the very end of the chapter. Search for a # and the updated dialogue comes after that. Hope this is helps.

Ah, but for Faye to be Faye, she would have to have the memories implanted up to the point she was lost. Without those memories, she wouldn't be Faye.

Thanks. Will re-download. When can we expect 171?

Interesting because though I've redownloaded twice, I'm not seeing those additions. In fact, when I download the link above, it's actually the version that ends with Camine escaping Genthalas.

I'm not seeing any additions or adjustments to what was released at the end of Aug. Why'd this pop in my inbox?

Don't forget the downed robot!

Andrew's correct, but worse. Not only do they have to face another progenitor soon, it might even happen while trying to recruit the Galkirans. In other words. private Snafu shows up.

No idea why John and Calara would be upset about Arcadia or Gahl’s hyperwarp gate. Is it effectively an open door for the next progentior invasion which could start as soon as Gahl’ tells Xar’ what the hyperwarp gate key is? Which at this point he already has.

My point exactly. He posted the full ch.170 on August 31st.

Ahhh, okay that makes sense. I was wondering if somehow the Kirrix were getting their hands on the gate, which seemed silly.

Yeah, but it was built close to where they killed Larn'kelnar. Gahl knew where to jump in because that was where Larn had died. Now that Gahl has died on Kythshara, the next Progenitor could jump right to Kythshara.

What are the implications? The hyper-warp gate is near the Kirrix homeworld right?

There are some small additions to the end of the chapter, but they have very large and worrying implications.

If he doesn't post another chapter by tomorrow then he might be on deaths door. In any case I will be gone from this author till the new year if that is the case, and hopefully he will have recovered.

As far as I can tell 170-1 is exactly like 170

Isn't this an old chapter? Are there just minor changes? I can't remember whether anything has changed or if this is just some broken notification...

You know how it goes. We get a chapter on the last day of the month and a bunch of placeholders and some bs about this being the last placeholder and this month making up for lost time

What do you mean?

Nope there is a small twist at the end

Am I losing my mind? What's going on here?!

Great Chapter, Tef! Loving the changes in perspective and how detailed you are making the clean up from this hell of a fight! Keep up the awesome work! Looking forward to the next one!

Didn't you already upload this in August?

Ok Tef

Thanks Tef

I had heard, and maybe this is true or not, that Tef has no plans to revisit the Enshunu in TSM, but perhaps in the sequel, .... Ref'd from Discord comments, ... ;-) ttfn

Another possibility. Admiral Harris already assigned relatively good ships to the colonies after he and the Fleet Admiral discussed what to do after the Gal’ Kirans attacked the Terran fleet.

On the way to Arcadia, before Faye’s server was hit, she wanted to speak to John about something she’d seen on the internal cameras. What could that be?

Don’t forget the Enshunu.

It seems that you really want to see more Bugs getting stomped on, .... but I'm afraid that their time is over, .... but hang in there, John and his crew might yet find other evil ones to battle, ... ;-) ttfn

--So, John only wiped out 99,9% of the Bugs, .... how much trouble could the remaining Kirrix be? ,,, ;-) ttfn

-- the Krixx? ... perhaps you actually meant the Bugs, the Kirrix, ... you were very close, but, .... --- oh, and John wiped all of them out, ... a psychic extinction-event, .... ;-) ttfn

Well spotted, thank you!

Oh and great chapter too can’t wait for John to go round up all the ships he disabled whilst they were in marli space there must be 25 fleets out there to pick up with either dead crew or bored shitless crew.

Ummm, Because there are potentially hundreds of other progenitors, and if Tefler used up all his plot devices at once, the rest of the story would be very quick and anticlimactic?

You might try resetting the Tefler page, .... go to another Author's page then drop back, .... the doc. choices should show up then, ... best of luck, ... ;-) ttfn

I cannot see the doc for the chapter?

Thank you for the Tribe War updates people. I do so look forward to them!

Errata: ...hurried into the armoury to removeD their Paragon... D should be removed

Yes, they could attach it to their battle armor and swallow some if needed. Ifnot used, put it into to the celebration punch bowl afterwards. I can just hear Dana say "Best spiked party punch ever!"

John really needs to start storing a few vats of his magic potion for pre battle top ups of all his girls. He then wouldn't have to worry so much about trying to save injured girls across the battlefield.

Great chapter. All the girls involved in one way or another. John is gonna be a busy Progenitor working his way through the post-battle stressed harem.

I think the time it takes to get to kythshara, then he will be ready for them. John has to attend the wounded, and his new teammates. So he gonna be busy, busy, busy.

-- things that make you go humm? John using Astral Athena to delve deep into the Astral to help him in getting the Spark of Consciousness past the Astral Monsters, ... interesting thought you have here, .... ;-) ttfn

Placeholder haters just hate Placeholders, .... I believe it is in the name, .... ;-l ttfn

So what happens to the cash we've paid for our undelivered 9 chapters? It becomes an actual gift already given?

I enjoyed this chapter , as every other one in this great story. It looks like a couple more possibilities are appearing as well as the continuation of previous tangents. Looking forward to it.

Well, I am glad for this chapter. And I even advocate that shorter chapters could be the best solution since each change of scene can for itself be seen as a chapter by other writers standards. So go forward!

Thanks for a great finish to 170. Happy Labor Day to U.S. readers, and well wishes to you and yours, Tefler. Looking forward to the next one!

They really weren't keen to answer Johns' hails till he forced them to. No guarantee they will answer the Dreadnought or other fleets.

I think John will use Athena to get the spark of consciousness. She did it last time when he saved Jade. As for the retreating forces, he can have the other 10 fleets tow the disabled ships to kythshara by locking tractor beams in long trains. I think Valeria will stop them from fleeing.

Appreciate a lot for this highly engaging chapter!

Yep, then he can get paid monthly for doing nothing...Won't have to post anything at all and still pull in the cash...

Will happen either way in November. Due to pressure from Apple, Patreon will get rid of per-item charge altogether.

Many thanks. A much appreciated midday reading feast. Loved The Girls taking charge in the Big Cleanup.

I just really really wish he would change the subscription model to just be a monthly charge. Quit doing a per chapter requirement. Eliminate the need for a placeholder and everyone wins.

Even Alyssa and Edraele can only speak to each other’s girls because they bonded with each other. Is that how Jade is doing it? Her “bond” with Alyssa?

I'm not saying that he should skip anything. I just feel there should have been more. Everyone has an opinion, that one is mine

Exactly.

Hmmm… Question. About Jade. Tef, this is the first time (that I remember) of Jade being able to speak telepathically to anyone besides John, Alyssa (like the rest of the Invictus crew) and the nymphs. Here, she’s talking to Helene directly with telepathy.

Hey there Splatz, yeah I agree, they could use Gally's Dreadnaught to reach out to the various stranded fleet ships and Baen'thelas could charm them, .... ;-) ttfn

I am left wondering, .... 1) Tef dropped this completed chapter on us a little bit earlier than usual, .... 2) and he says he will be gone a few days, .... So possibly? -- he might be finally getting his gallstone surgery, .... if so, best of luck Tef, ... ;-) ttfn

😐

I suppose it's better than half a chapter and two placeholders.

I don't mind saying, that I was a little let down with this chapter. I know all the chapters can't be like the previous two, but this felt like a lot of filler. I know that I have no writing talent at all, but I still think it could have something more

I don’t care long or short or if it’s inside out. It’s Tefler. I am overjoyed to have this crazy story in my hands.

Wouldn't the easiest way to deal with the remaining Galkiran fleets be to simply to have the fleet they've already talked down hail the rest and put John on? Edit: Or from the captured Flag ship/Dead.

So sad. He's even shortened his excuses.

"her old master looked more akin to a freshly minted turd" Lol! Almost worth the placeholder by itself.

Thanks Tefler.