Post "Three Square Meals Ch 88 - Complete!" by "Tefler "

bigdawguw65

Mael made the Trakarians to be his miners & Dana mentioned they have a real affinity & abilities with metal ,so while they might not have any advanced tech they might have been them who actually made the Progenitor metal used in covering their ships . Don't see an egotistical "superior" being like the rest of the Progenitors seem to be to do the actual grunt work like John does , more likely to delegate it to underlings . Also Dana said they have metals & ores she knew nothing about , maybe they're the secret sauce to make the black armor found on the Legacy . only IMHO

DemonHunterCole

She lives in Alyssa's mind, so I don't think she's worried about her future. But I would also like to hear from her soon. Maybe she's planning ways to help train everyone physically

DemonHunterCole

Trakarans (sp?) are miners by design, so I doubt that they will have any new tech. It is likely that they will have tonnes and tonnes of raw materials John will need for all of his future projects.

Jedi Khan

I think you may have missed a scene or two. Athena merged with Alyssa several chapters back. She's just a voice in Alyssa's head now that John can't talk to.

Benj

I wonder if the trakarans have discovered any artifacts or knowledge on progenitors. Also, might they have some new tech for Dana or Rachel?

Benj

I hope that John checks in with Athena. We have not heard from her for a bit and she is likely anxious about her future.

Forbsey

I think this is exactly what BSP wants to happen. Fighting between themselves to weaken for attack. John needs to put his foot down on the Kintark and make them allies against BSP, maybe a visit to their palace is in order? Scare the living shit out of the emperor and show whos boss :)

Tefler

I've just handed part 1 to the editors. I'll create a status post for it tomorrow morning. :-)

andrew finlayson

I think the next few chapters are likely to be action packed (and no, I don't mean sex) :) Simultaneous attacks by the Kirrix against the Trankarans, the Kintark against the Maliri, the Admiralty or their surrogates against John and the crew. Dana better get that wormhole drive working asap.

Great chapter as always Tefler, do hope we get some action soon [and no, I don't mean sex;)]. The admiralty is about to do something stupid and then have something bad happening to Terrans, then bam humans are in on the John Collective.

just joined the 'Crew' so to speak. got sick of waiting for the moderation....elsewhere. they say our minds autocorrect for the most part anyways. lol thats how we look at our keys on the table 5 times and still not see them.( hmm theres a angle of a of attack, the IED)anyways dont mean to rain hate on them they do great an led me to this road. so anyways just wanted to say hey to all and the Writer himself, well thank you for this saga!. It's right up there with Battlefield Earth, and all the others that i have read.cant wait for the crossover into your other realms.

Braw

Could we have a CH 89 update please

Forbsey

Interesting thought, Astral Quad...

Forbsey

Repost: Um, people please disable windows defender. The antivirus program (Avira, Avast, Norton, etc) is better than the piece of ****. WinD only interferes with the other program and can allow a virus through. Also get Malwarebyte for malware removal :) That'll solve your 'Trojan' problem

Forbsey

Microsoft admonishes you for naughty content :P

Youkai-sama

You know, I had a thought. Even with balls as big ans numerous as Johnny-boy's, volumetrically there's no way he could fill a whole uterus. Then I realized something; his cum is the direct opposite of the black iccor of the Stygian abominations. That's why it can act as a psyonic catalyst and seemingly defy the laws of conservation of matter, it's part astral!

Dennis Aston

Man. Something is seriously wrong if we get to the point where we are hand to hand with a Progenitor. I know this is a story but eff that. Fight dirty

Grimlakin

Just finished 88 and I'm sure my wife will enjoy a crack at it I love Calara’s ability. Totally bad ass and befitting especially in a real war scenario with hundreds or thousands of opponents. Totally looking forward to her taking down the evil progenitor in a hand to hand fight too.

Jedi Khan

My antivirus gave it a pass. Are you using Windows Defender or a third-party AV? What browser are you using?

bigdawguw65

I'm having same trouble with latest download

Still showing as unsafe to download at this time, could something be happening at the Patreon systems? Anyone else having the problem or just me and Andrew?

Tefler

Hey Simon, Thanks for leaving the comment and welcome to the Patreon site! It's always nice to hear that someone is enjoying the story, so thanks for the feedback! I'll have to check out Brandon Sanderson's lectures, they sound interesting. :-)

Tefler

Hey Robert, welcome to the Patreon site! I think the story is over 2 million words now, so you must have been reading non-stop to plough through all 87 chapters in 5 days! I'm really pleased to hear you've enjoyed reading it, I've had a lot of fun writing it! :-)

Tefler

Nothing major, just a few minor dialogue tweaks and fixes for typos.

Tefler

Damn! I meant to put the 64 bit Trojan on it! All joking aside, I've no idea why it's being flagged like that. I haven't opened any other word documents in-between the latest edits. I deleted that version and added it again just in case. :-)

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW

rich ed

Also no one has mentioned that Tash found the vembrace at a Prog dig site and gave it to Irrilith. John calm's Calara's mum regarding AI with the fact that it is Maliri tech which it may not have come from. So does that mean that the technology came from the Progenitors/Progenitor and that the other said Progenitors/Progenitor also have AI's that could thousand's of years older (read mature) than Faye...... AKA more badass?

andrew finlayson

Chapter 88 Final is showing as having a Win 32 Trojan (reported by Windows Defender) when I try to download it.

Just... Wow. I found your story by mistake on literotica, read all 87 chapters in 5 days, and immediately came here and joined. I could see this made into a badass anime (few details tweaked for the general masses maybe). Amazing stuff, Tefler

Jedi Khan

So I've been having a thought recently. Faye's server...We know Dana built it so it looks like Nexus' server, and we believe it to be a "true" Progenitor server. However, what parts did she make it with? Did she use Progenitor schematics that were in her head to make the parts from scratch, or did she use altered Maliri components? Now see if you can keep up with my train of thought here. I work in a datacenter, keeping an eye on rooms full of servers. While these servers are primitive pieces of crap compared to what's on the Invictus (in fact, more than a few are junk compared to what's currently on the market), they all generate quite a bit of heat. Any piece of electronics is going to generate heat, and I imagine Faye's server is no different. So the question is, how is Faye's server being cooled? Now I'm not asking if it's air cooled or liquid cooled, because that's not what matters. What matters is the heat sinks. Here's where my earlier question comes into play. Did Dana modify Maliri components with her upgrade Kintark heat sinks to make Faye's server, or did she build the components from scratch using the Progenitor schematics in her head? Hopefully you can guess where I'm going with this. If not, here's the final point: First, on a less earth-shattering note, if Dana built Faye's server out of modified Maliri components, just how much more powerful could it be when and if Dana rebuilds it with actual Progenitor tech? Second, and this is the big one, if Dana built Faye's server from scratch using Progen schematics in her head, wouldn't that mean she has the schematics for the various pieces that went into building those components, such as the processors, circuits, resistors, etc.? If this is true, then wouldn't it also be true that she has the schematics for...wait for it...Progenitor heat sinks?

MJHSharkbait365

I believe that we have seen Calara's power once before. Remember when she was being held captive by Mikaboshi and she was able to predict to the second how long he had until one of her friends killed him. At the time, Tefler satiated that Calara was able to analyze all the scenarios and come up with that prediction. I believe it was her powers showing themselves. You could go even further back in the story to the first time John and the crew visited the Ashantha. Calara was able to calculate to within seconds of when the Ashantha patrols would be ambushed. Her powers have been brewing and building for awhile now. As her powers are a natural extension of her highly perceptive and calculating mind.

Jedi Khan

I believe Dana said it would take her several weeks of research to be able to replicate the armor on the Legacy, due to both its atomic complexity and in how it was forged. She could tell the metal was hardened in a manner significantly different than how Crystal Alyssium is made, but she couldn't tell how it was done. I think she needs to go have another look at the Legacy now that she has her rune trick and imperfection smoothing ability.

Jedi Khan

Geezus. I go on vacation for a couple days and there's 300 freakin' comments. Well, at least I got to read the chapter. Poor Maria. First the Maliri surprise, then the information overload from John. That'd be too much to handle for most people, but then Clara goes and pulls that stunt. I could just hear the gears in the poor woman's head grind to a halt. Oh, and Rachel's healing trick as a "mea culpa" to smooth out the shock. At least they didn't accidentally summon a monster in the backyard. I doubt Maria would have appreciated that. Nice that we're finally getting to see Clara's abilities. I wonder...do they work only on people she knows very well like John and the girls, or will they work regardless? Also, what sort of limit does it have, i.e. just how much can it handle? I recall a story and/or anime from long ago where one of the characters had a similar precognition ability, and their opponent beat it by overwhelming the character's ability with information.

bigdawguw65

Speaking about armor . Has Dana figured out how Progenitor Black armor is made .Is it similar to shaping & reshaping I recall when she & John were scouting the Legacy she made the comment that compared to the Black Progenitor armor on the Legacy that her efforts were like a kid playing with a Leggo set . Alyssa was able to take the lower grade black metal & create Alyssium & they improved it since then but since it was more of just doing more of the same(reshaping) might it (the BSP armor ) be more of what is in it & less how its treated ? I'm no metallurgist but since they are going to the Tarkanians might it be wise to take a sample & consult them . Mael created the race to be his "miners " & metal people . they might have some long lost or forgotten information on it . Just an idea

ETNSosa

So, not sure why, or how, but at some point, this chapter got flagged as an unsafe download by Microsoft.

about to devour this chapter :)

Tefler

I've just added the final version of chapter 88 to the post. :-)

DemonHunterCole

Pick your favorite and add it as a comment to the non official poll I started 2 comments above.

Roy Meyer

Alright, here are some names of green that might be appropriate for a Nymph. Malachite green, Emerald Green and Fern Green. And while maybe not an official color I've always like Hunter Green.

Hey there Tefler, I finally get around to comment. I joined your patreon a few weeks back and i am enjoying your story very much. Keep up the good work! One thing I remembered when reading the comments for this chapter (concerning Calaras new powers) is a series of lectures from Brandon Sanderson. His lectures on how to write Sci-Fi/Fantasy is available on youtube, and even though I am not an author, I enjoyed listening to him and gaining a few insights on how authors might think about constructing a compelling story. Especially his "laws" on magic are quite interesting, and if you do not know them, I would recommend watching a bit of his lectures, if only for entertainment purposes.

DemonHunterCole

Laurel Yeah, even though it's no where close to the shade of Jade, it's a great name.

DemonHunterCole

Let's start suggestion new names of for the Nymphs! Only one per person. Has to be a shade of green. So pick your favorite only. And if you like what someone else said, heart it.

Evan

Nate, this was actually already addressed. Given the number of Maliri males and their lifespans, Tefler's already written that it's not unheard of for individual males to be used by Maliri females in a family, be they sisters or mother and daughter(s). However, John's going to be in a very different situation than that, and a heretofore unusual one, in that he'll be in a relationship with them, rather than just be used by them for breeding purposes.

It's possible that the Progenitors as a race aren't evil monsters. it could be that either they are just the outcasts who are off trying to conquer other parts of the universe. Or it could be that the physical space in this corner of the universe is coincident with the Astral and so they've been turned by the lurking horrors. (neither of these are likely, but you never know what twists Tefler will throw at us.

bigdawguw65

What do we "Know" about Progenitors ? Are they a "race" or something else , we know they don't have armies of their own kind , they raise & enthrall armies of female warriors (every one know females are more vicious & dangerous especially when defending family & loved ones) . They seem to arrive on the scene alone ( Ashanta picto-graphs) & raise they armies & go on to destroy weaker worlds . I have for a long time suggested they are more like a sect(Star War Sith) sent out by their creators for reasons we don't know (I think to gather power somehow). Mael seems to have incurred his creators wrath by stop killing & turning towards the good side with Valada . That "they"had to send his most powerful brother might show Mael was one of the strongest of them . 2)Progenitors & underlings are long-lived not Immortal . they can be killed . As long as they have connection to their Matriarch & thralls he can repair himself & them for all but fatal injury . 3) John seems to be an outlier , he was born not created & seems to have been able to create a Progenitor , a female one to boot also an outlier . He also seems to have been able to turn from being the all powerful selfish creature his DNA calls for into something else . Remember his first Astral dreams . he was greeted with a pleasing warm feeling until he rejected the images of destruction & adulation from his thrall army . Was that Astral being the Creator of the Progenitors ? Is that why they seem so angry with John & want so badly to destroy him. If the creators need their Progenitors to provide power/substance a powerful Progenitor not feeding them & keeping one from doing so might be a like & death issue for them. Sorry this got so long but other things keep occurring to me so will thik awhile before I go on.

That chapter was awesome! Really hoping the part about Tashana and her sister not wanting such a close relationshop with their mother isn't a no to future relationship exploration. That would be fucking hot. Who's to say the Malari, who have been an advanced civilization for much longer than humans, haven't avoided or gotten over the puritanical hangups that plague western human culture. Just suggesting.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

Yeah...like the revelation that there were two Admiral traitors? Seems it would be a great PR attack on the Admiralty since Admiral Devereux herself mentioned it on inter-world holofeeds. I would think TFNN would be all over that as a bit of investigative reporting.

Benj

Love saves the day.

Thinking about how powerful other progenitors could be, you have to remember that you only get stronger by fighting or competing against others who are as strong or are stronger than you are. So yes the older progenitors will be stronger than John but John is catching up to them a lot faster and they are not fighting against anyone else stronger than they are, so they are not going to be improving in power. And John gives his girls powers but why would a progenitor give his thralls powers or even his matriarch(s)? So I think John and his girls will be more of a threat to the progenitor(s) they encounter.

Evan

Rich, not necessarily. Any Progenitor out there... well, that's assuming that they are all universally uniform, and that's not necessarily the case. There may well be those out there that have access to both much greater quantities of powers and much stronger powers. There may be those out there who have access to less. John is still so incredibly young in Progenitor terms, and his crew have been getting stronger with every passing month (heck, every passing day, to be honest). How strong would a Progenitor be after a year? After ten? After ten million?! If they're truly immortal, and they continue to grow in strength - and we have no reason to believe that they don't - then how powerful would an ancient Progenitor be, one that has survived conflicts with other Progenitors and come out on top? So, 9 infants against an Eater of Worlds... is that a fair comparison in terms of relative strengths? Perhaps... perhaps not. We just don't know. Everyone loves the stories of the underdogs somehow winning out against all odds against the titans... but outside of stories, it rarely happens. On the other hand, we have no idea how powerful the BSP is, although we do know that as he has had the same Matriarch for 'eons'... he's much, much older than John. Recall, the term 'eon' is usually used to reference the longest geological periods, being at least 2 eras, and some say it's at least a billion years. So, if he's had her as his Matriarch since before the Earth's dinosaurs were killed off... at a minimum... we're talking well over a hundred million years... which means he has been around much, much longer than Mael'nerak was in this vicinity... perhaps he's Mael'nerak's Progenitor? Perhaps he is John's biological grandfather? Perhaps he's trying to toughen the kid up and give him the opportunity to safely grow until he can at least be allowed to meet the neighbors' kids? Perhaps he needs to teach him to walk the walk and talk the talk that is going to be required as he grows? I have no idea, of course. All is conjecture at this point. Fun to consider, though. :-)

rich ed

"expecting that scorching heat to sizzle his flash". should be flesh

rich ed

If John has gifted all the girls with these special powers its safe to assume that any other Progenitor out there has all those abilities at their beck and call also. The difference is that it will be 9 against 1.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

But she didn't manipulate the chain of events, she proactively interjected a move that she didn't see at an opportune time in real time...Tychokinesis would have changed the sequence of events in future time. It cannot be ignored that she let the sequence play out and attacked a weakness as it presented itself rather than reaching into the future to change the sequence.

Evan

I would suspect that any Nymphs currently in the military were not inherited with the office, but rather, from a forefather who was perhaps in the military some 300 years previously. I wouldn't be greatly surprised if Admiral Carl Weber has one, but I strongly doubt any of the other Admirals at that table have one for multiple reasons. Please note that John has been reprogramming, for lack of a better term, Jade to be more capable, more independent, more powerful in every way, and not only stronger, but now more resilient. This is not something that anyone else could do, other than another Progenitor. I suspect that the Nymphs that remain alive are in the hands of old military families that did well over the last three hundred years. Some of them may be extremely wealthy and/or powerful, but I sincerely doubt that the Nymphs remained with the offices, since they aren't bonded to positions, but to the males who bound them, irrespective of positions. In other words, the Nymph bound to the Commander of the ship couldn't simply be commandeered by the Admiral, since it would require the bond to be transferred, and that's - insofar as we've been told so far - until 'death do them part' as it were. So, I suspect that the Nymphs were passed down... father to son... or even more likely... grandfather to grandson... as the current owner would die, and the new one would be ready to take over. Sometimes, I have no doubt, that event might even have been precipitated in a more hastily arranged fashion than the older of the two male participants might have desired. In any case, if I were looking for Nymphs, I'd be looking for descendants of the military personnel from 300 years before with family fortunes in excess of the average from those times. This could be done using fairly simple statistical analysis given the access into the Terran Federation database that Jehanna has, much less that which Irrilith can access, with or without John's access as a Vice-Admiral. The key is to ask the right questions.

bigdawguw65

Admiralty & The Nymphs : could it be that they (ladies aside) having reached the pinnacle of power in the T_Fed actually have a nymph or two hidden away? Since it seemed that the fleet were some of the first to discover & capture them it seems logical that some might have worked their way up the chain of command , either as bribes or being confiscated by the higher rank & more powerful . Of course they have no way of knowing how or capability to do what John did for Jade & even if they did , don't see those power mad individuals working to free their own nymphs . It would come as quite a shock to anyone possessing one to see what they were capable of when nurtured & not abused . It seems like it will only be another fact that they will misinterpret in seeing John as a threat to their power . Make no mistake they don't fear John as a threat to the Federation , only to their power in it.

they're going to be very disappointed when they find out that their nymphs can't turn into fantastic beasts If they do try and grab them. They'll just look like the squaddie who they sent out to grab them's ideal woman

got link?

Evan

John, I don't think so. She runed the Valkyrie after it was assembled, not beforehand. Good thought, though. I still think that the main reason John couldn't do it was - as always - his own belief that he couldn't do it.

Wookey

And the winner is Tefler in all categories of Literotica awards entered. Yippee

always sucks waiting for final lol but final is the best form

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

I note it was only when Calara's eyes were glowing that she was able to see into the future and then adjust her response to change that future. So I am thinking it will not work like Alyssa's always on Telepathy and Empathic skills.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

I guess we now know why John could not lift those Valkyrie parts now....Dana runed him out....lol

Forbsey

Maybe it might have to do with the scene on Terra with the sergeant joining the mech battalion. The commander seems very interested in John, in a fan girl kind of way.

Benj

Now that Calara is an strategy savant, she will probably have a ton of advice in the next chapter regarding the high command, BSP, and the setup of the Invictus, etc. Some quick and subtle changes could be instrumental toward damage prevention.

Terra_Lupis

I agree. They are so used to absolute power that they are scared of someone new that they elevated to their level that actually is more grounded than they have been for a long time.

Mark Hall

The Admirals will need to be dealt with before long I think

Evan

Rich, dinner is defined as the main meal of the day. In some places and cultures, that's the midday meal. In others, it's the final meal of the day. In other words, sometimes Lunch=Dinner, sometimes Supper=Dinner. It varies.

rich ed

not sure if anyone has mentioned this, page 30 - After all the trouble these girls have gone to with dinner, I don’t want it to get cold.” it probably should be lunch?

Evan

No, because regardless of who was on top, he was sinking deeper into her.

Jim lynch

Taking hold of his shaft, she eased her way down, pushing his hard length into her eager body. Her eyelids fluttered as he sank deeper, Shouldn't that be she sank deeper as she was on top at the time ?

Benj

I do not recall if the black ship had runes. How about the Grey's ship? Anything in Tashana's archive?

So, not to hijack the thread, but when the girls start having kids, are they going to have a swear jar for Dana? Because I think they'd be able to fund a space station just from that alone. Also to do with Dana, I wonder if she can detect 'runed' metal. If she can, can she detect it if it's cloaked? Sounds like some experimentation needs to be happening.

Evan

"she nullified that future sequence of events, breaking the chain and inserting her own alternate scenario" - this doesn't sound like Prescience to me, but rather, an active ability to manipulate chains of events, a.k.a. Tychokinesis or Accelerated Probability. Maybe I'm reading this wrong. Either way, I'm looking forward to finding out what the future holds, because I don't have that gift, myself. ;-)

Tefler

Nice, fixed it!

Tefler

Great to hear you enjoyed it, Norman! Thanks for the heads up on the typo! I fixed that in the latest edit. :-)

Tefler

I'm glad you liked that little sidestory with the widow! Those ones are challenging but fun to write, as you have to try and cram a load of character information into a very small number of words, then hopefully provoke the reaction you were looking for. I like them as well because I can make the tone much darker than the generally positive and upbeat mainstory. :-)

Tefler

I'm really glad you liked it! Some of that dialogue was tricky to write, in particular the sexual undercurrent between Maria and John without being too overt, as well as her reactions to all the shocks. I'm relieved it all worked!

Tefler

Awesome to hear you loved the chapter! I just write and let the story unfold. 30k words over ten days is a fairly relaxed pace for me usually, but last month was hectic with days lost here and there for a variety of reasons. That's why there were just two chapters. :-)

Tefler

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

"That particular set of runes" (particular being superfluous in this case, also includes the plural usage through 'set of runes' ) could be used in this case, or "Those particular runes" (includes the plural through 'those' and 'runes') could also be placed. in both instances it's saying that Dana can create other runes, as well as she is only using the specific runes that are currently placed on the armor.

Tefler

I can't possibly comment! :-)

Tefler

Thanks for the kind words Jim! I didn't try and make Maria's reaction tug at the heart strings, but it's lovely to hear it had an impact. :-)

Tefler

Keeping those story arcs ticking along... Glad you like it. :-)

Tefler

I find it's more dramatic to end immediately after a reveal, rather than add another 500 words discussing what just happened. :-) (That's in the next chapter!)

Tefler

I've updated the post with a new version that fixes that and a few other bits and pieces. :-)

Evan

"showing John being, kind, sympathetic, " should be "showing John being kind, sympathetic, " removing the comma after being before kind. Yes? "those particular set of runes" should be "that particular set of runes" or "those particular sets of runes" as 'those' is for a plurality and 'set' in this example is singular.

eggman

"Xen-like pose", assuming that should be Zen?

Another great chapter, and a couple more loose ends tied up. FYI, a typo on page 32, second paragraph from the bottom, in the line that includes "take care of the girls" is missing the word "care". Thanx for the nice work.

Great chapter resolving some mental issues, while future adventures get setup at the same time. The message to the widow was a real tear jerker, well written Tefler!

Another awesome chapter Tefler. Loved interaction between Maria and John

Tefler, how are the edits going? One that someone might have brought up is "Kind, caring, loving, you can tell you’re Maria’s daughter even if you didn’t inherit her beauty." I believe you used the wrong 'tense', shouldn't be the past tense hadn't instead of using didn't; or is it one of those British vs US English differences?

James Lawson

I see new Terran admirals real soon

keen_FlattendHedgeHog

i had not even considered the end of this story, thank you for ruining my life. . re-read these comments and realised i read them too fast. seems i registered 'conclusion, sequel? and I don't think ill ever get over this series for the rest of my life as it is a fantastic piece of sci-fi adventure.'

Forbsey

Tefler, what plans do you have for 3SM? After the conclusion of Johns conflict with this progenitor, you mention a sequel? Please elaborate :) and I think I heard something about a 'Tigers' of the federation floating around? BTW I don't think ill ever get over this series for the rest of my life as it is a fantastic piece of sci-fi adventure. The aspects of sexual encounters and numerous innuendos only enhances and defines the story.

well If he's built a new universe conquering race, then letting each side wear themselves out against each other so there's as little defence as possible might be his plot. If you hit everyone at once then one side might win with relatively few casualties and still be waiting when he turns up and attempts to conquer

Evan

Missing s?

Ok so this is the plan Kirrix attack Trankarans and perhaps T-Fed then Kintark attack T-Fed or Maliri than Brimorians join and last is the Progenitor and his thralls is someone missing ? Hmm if they would attack all at once John would be tested to say the least but if they attack in waves one must wonder what is this other Progenitor thinking.

Master Laurent

FYI, Patreon Payment was processed last night!

I love this chapter, another fantastic chapter, Tefler. But, I have come to expect that from your writing. Please don't bow to pressure to assemble mill writing. It won't be the same quality product we love receiving from you.

Benj

Great idea! Ambush sex. It could become a new game on board. Why do they wait for a bed when you can hook up every coffee break? It would be particularly distracting for the twins.

Anyone else think that with the missing s

I think we are about to see something like that about to happen now that john requested she look into the files for info

MJHSharkbait365

When is Tashana's two week indoctrination going to be over. I get that she has missed or had to share a meal or two. But she just is not developing like I expected her too. Her pyrotechnics is amazing. But where is the increased intelligence? John likes smart girls. Genius level intelligence is part of the upgrade package. I had always envisioned her being a proginator historian, able to unravel the mysteries of the proginator couture (as most of us did). Maybe those facets are still coming or maybe her talents will lie in a complete different area. But it is sure taking its time showing itself. All of the other girls showed increased intellect right away.

MJHSharkbait365

Great chapter Tefler, your writing never fails to draw me into the story and twist my emotions. Well done sir, well done.

You're right they are fixed sights on john and they will pay for that, as for getting the military ready they are now 2 poeple on that first is Charles harris upgrading current ships than there is henry voss buying up ship builders and other tech firms for newer type of ships i'm wondering how much dana is going to help with design and tech there ?

Amathew2

Seams to me the Admirals in High Command have a bit of target fixation on John. They are completely oblivious to the threat that the "other" progenitor represents even after John warned them about it. If they are focusing all their efforts on John, who is preparing the rest of the military for a possible attack on any one of their borders? Shouldn't one of them have thought "what if John is right about this other threat?" I forget what chapter it was mentioned but the Teran military had always feared attack from a super advanced alien race, surly they have war plans in case of such attack. Why isn't one of the Admirals playing Devils Advocate and dusting off the old plans and updating it with what they currently know?

Evan

Maybe, John, maybe... maybe not. :-)

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

Tefler, with Alyssa being so in-tune with the girls, she would have experienced what John was trying to do and Calara's final breakthrough. It would be wonderful to have all the girls congratulating her as they walked out of the Dojo to start the next chapter.....hint hint...lol...like you didn't already have that planned.

Jim lynch

Oh crap I'm finished I loved it but I hate it when I'm done I always want more lol. The part with calara's mum was moving to the extreme that was fantastic how tefler makes your emotions run wild while reading it's only a story but it invokes so much emotion I love it so thank you tefler you certainly have talent.

Muledrvr

80mm sniper rifle?????? That's a freaking CANNON!!!!!! LOL But probably sniper sized for a mech... LOL

Wookey

Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful A great change of pace. Lots of food for thought.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

By the way Tefler: Absolutely loved the chapter. PRESCIENCE!!!! I CALLED IT!!!!! (does happy dance),

Master Laurent

In the fight with John, being able to see 27+ moves ahead like she is reading his mind is awesome and will be a game changer in battles.

Muledrvr

Good chapter. Odd place to end it. But you're the writer so, you get to do what you want :D

Evan

I don't believe that Calara's got simple precognition. I believe that she has something more akin to Tychokinesis or Accelerated Probability, as I mentioned before. It's not enough to know it's coming if you can't do anything to prevent it. Even without enhanced speed, she was able to defend against and disrupt John's hyper-accelarated attack. However, we'll have to wait and see what her power truly is and the scope of it.

Crom

Goddamn that was a great end to the chapter!

Evan

That IS funny. However, that wouldn't be likely, since it's the body being programmed, not Faye. However, almost the same, sitting down - orgasm - standing up - orgasm - blinking - orgasm - smiling - orgasm....

Master Laurent

Spot On! And He has the money to build up the resources and set the direction of the companies! I can also see John/Dana providing some design insights. Not to mention how these companies will help build things for the space stations. I can also see these businesses being moved to the Maliri space like China did to American Manufacturing in the 80's and 90's. China has 10,20,30 and 50 year plans and they have worked them well. With John and team being immortal, they can take time to slowly gut the Terran Military Complex to help quench the Terran desire for conquest. The slow boil of the frog concept.

Henry Vos's business moves are something that are going to send the admiralty over the edge, screaming all the way to the bottom. They're already wound up beyond tight, and are now going to work out that Henry has bought their ship & weapon manufacturers the day after meeting John. surely they will crack soon

Master Laurent

lol, "Bet you can't eat just one" taking the line from the famous add.

Forbsey

Thanks for the awesome wakeup read Tefler. Got a friend addicted to 3SM and said will wait until ch90. More self control than me

Forbsey

I suspect that it'll be like that and it will help her coordinate space battles and personal defense

I hope for some twists with Kirixx atack, like they atack Trankarans and T-Fed at the same time or try to lure John into a trap. Maybe this Maliri fleet could help with some battles, they will have to move through Terran space, so Admirals could use it and say that John is an agent of a foreign empire. P.S. Is Calaras ability somthing along the lines of super deduction from the new Sherlock Holmes movies ?

Master Laurent

Love the Ender Reference!

The rest of this comment disappeared and my edits won't stick for some reason. I also wanted to say that I enjoyed this chapter. Thanks, Tef.

I hope the Admiralty doesn't try to do something with Nymphs, that would not end well for them. Also, Calara has the dopest power. The Invictus is going to be insane in battle now and Calara will be The Supreme Fleet Commander (like Ender).

Master Laurent

OK, I need some help, *LOL - other than a lobotomy/electroshock treatment according to most* Dana states “We just need to upgrade the heatsinks on the rest of the Invictus’ weapons now,” - What are the weapons she is talking about and the benefits? Photon Lasers, Done, 150%+ Pulse Cannons, Done, essentially continuous fire Nova Lances, Yes, 150%+? Singularity Driver, Probably, ???% Gauss Cannons, Probably, ???% Heavy Cannons, Doubtful, ???% Also - What about the ESP (Enhanced Shield Penetrating) Projectile rounds for the heavy cannons? That is something the heatsinks may help with. ESP Singularity rounds with Dana touch magic????? And how about Dana doing her metallurgic magic on the projectile rounds? This can be done ASAP on route to the Trankaran space. Bringing forward from past comments - the 80mm Quantum Sniper Rifle for the Valkyrie / Raptor with ESP / Dana rounds?

Master Laurent

Thinking that all of the families need to be moved to the Maliri space - not on a populated world for Voss until the battles are over.

Master Laurent

Welcome to the Addicts club, fast reader, think for a couple of days and then ready for next chapter with 8-15 days to wait!

Paul Birchenough

I absolutely love your writing. Plot, characterisation, smex. One thing I would like to see is the individual girls getting together. Showing off their personalities in smexytime. Dana ambushing Rachel for a quickie in medbay... Jade sneaking up on Calara on the bridge. Maybe a few paragraphs of a random coupling every few chapters? Pls?

Paul Birchenough

“I hope she wasn’t coding anything important this morning though. She’s been starry eyed for the last couple of hours...” how about "I'm worried that whenever Faye turns left in her new body, she'll colapse shouting 'Oh fuck, John!'"

Dennis Aston

Is it possible to duplicate Faye? Feeling the Fernandez home needs some point defense and maybe a recipe server with a purple AI to control it all...

Chefy

Woohoo. Precog tactical officer! I had a feeling this was what was in store for Calara. She's always been my favourite of the girls aside from Rachel. Thanks Tefler! Another great chapter. The problem with being a fast reader I go through it fast. It leaves me salivating for more. I enjoyed the parts where you show what happened to the family of the assassins victims. And what Henry Voss did with the information he got from John. Now really looking forward to the next chapter though i have a feeling it would be the next next chapter I'd really look forward to when John fight the Kirrix.

Am I the only one annoyed with Jade's statement to Maria at the top of page 4? It sounds like it comes from the perspective of someone that's never met her. Jade knows as much about Maria as anyone on the crew besides Calara.

Well the Kirrix attacking now rather destroys one of my pet theories that they were the race the Progenitors had built to conquer all of those that were now free and independent from Proj control. And hence would be along with the Progenitors the big baddies n the final battle. seeing as they've turned up early, they must be little more than a Souped up Local Drakar equivalent for the Trankarans to fight. Will Niskera join the Matriarch net? I still think it unlikely. John hasn't done this with the governments of anyone else other than the Malari. and from an early chapter he says he's creeped out by Ashanath and Trankarans. so you'd think not by choice. Even if Niskera forces herself onto him. Why would Johns progenitor nature let this happen? As for the Timeline Rescue and trip might be just one chapter, so it could be one chapter less

If they are similar to today's secure conference rooms, no comms lines at all in the actual meeting room. All messages are by messenger, by hand only. A little slower, yes, but no chance of a passive tap on the phone line. Another idea, though... I'm sure all these vain-assed admirals love their wrist comms, no reason Irillith couldn't find a way to tap into one of those or all of them!

Tefler

You're welcome!

Tefler

Those should be some fun scenes to write! Glad you liked it! :-D

Tefler

Thanks Morris, I'm pleased you enjoyed the character focus on this one!

Master Laurent

OK, does anybody remember my predictions about a White Queen a number of chapters back? Anybody want to speculate that Chancellor Niskera was kidnapped by the Kirrix and that John and crew are going to have to go on a rescue mission. Upon saving the Chancellor she will be on the Invictus and fall head over heals for John and will "force" herself on him and become a White Queen Matriarch for the Trankarans? - My estimates will be some were around chapter 92. 91 (2 Days) will be the aftermath of the Rescue, 90(1+ Day) will be the Rescue, 89(2 Days) is the rest of the chapter 88 Trip to the Trankaran empire space.

Tefler

A month or so before Alyssa's. ;-) Sorry to be vague, I've deliberately avoided specific dates to make life easier. I might try being more precise in the sequel.

Tefler

Nice catch! Thanks, I'll fix that. :-)

That injury bothered me for so long, I can believe it’s gone.” Shouldn't that be can't rather than can?

Mjk154

thank you Tefler

Master Laurent

Question? why has John not had Irillith place a digital recorder in the area that the Admiralty have their meetings. I am sure that the conference rooms all have speaker phone equivalents and Irillith could piggyback the data on some other stream.

Anthony Kester

Damn Tefler. Another great chapter. Keep them coming. Looking forward to find out how the Terran Admirals do a foot-mouth maneuver.

Benj

When is John's birthday? Jade has one. Maybe the girls could give him a surprise party.

Morris Crawford

not gonna lie that was well done good sir... especially how you allowed us to refocus on the charecters at such a deeper level. not gonna say any more cause i dont want to do spoilers but again a hat tip to you

Tefler

Hey, great to hear you're loving it! I liked your suggestion, I've changed it accordingly. :-)

Tefler

Thanks ML, it was fun to wrap up a few more loose ends!

Tefler

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

Master Laurent

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

Tefler

Ah, well spotted, thank you!

Hey Tefler! Loving the chapter so far! I do have a question though. "Kind, caring, loving, you can tell you’re Maria’s daughter even if you didn’t inherit her beauty". This sentence makes it sound like Calera isn't beautiful. I think "...even if you hadn't inherited..." will work better for what I think you intended here. :)