All Comments on 'Three Square Meals Ch. 081'

I think a good number of those threads will be closed in the next few chapters. Some are incompatible. For example, the Invictus doesn't have room for docking other ships, quantum weapons, and the wormhole generator. They're going to have to pick one or build a new ship.

Also, you left off Seb Mortimer and Rupert Grant. Either one of them could have been the person that hired Mikaboshi and both are due for a comeuppance.

-aderi

So, IS Faye gonna pull a HALL5000 with "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave", or is she going into more of a Cortana thing from Halo? A companion, giude, emergency alert and or rescue?

Graphene is 21st century technology. Since this story is set in the 28th, I had assumed that graphene's properties were already integrated into anything they might be useful for.

On the subject of 21st century tech, no one has yet created 3D graphene, that I'm aware of. People speculate that some of the observed microscopic properties will scale to the macroscopic but that hasn't been demonstrated yet.

-aderi

You said, "Graphene is 21st century technology. Since this story is set in the 28th, I had assumed that graphene's properties were already integrated into anything they might be useful for."

And you are correct....except:

Graphene, because of its 2 dimensional lattice, has to be attached to something. Pure Graphene sheets are impossible to make in this century for that reason. AAAAnd, if Graphene were freely available for use, they would be using it instead of a titanium or titanium alloy plate on their ships. Dana, with her abilities to manipulate things now at the molecular level (making things magnetic for example) may be the only person in those centuries capable of making pure layers of Graphene scrim. That is my story and I am sticking to it....grins.

I included Seb Mortimer in with Karron...though I did neglect Rupert, thank you for that addition. Also, about the mutually exclusive things I mentioned...the discussion Dana and John had was to go with two ships first, then go with progen weapons as they became available. I am thinking the worm hole drive will be fitted into a currently unused room.

The black ship is likely to be designed before the wormhole tech even if not than they would need lots of bunk beds and large mess hospital area and armoury and other stuff to house a big attack force where as john dont need a big ship with he's small crew oh yea dont forget the black ship will have someone like jade on broad or he would take a longtime to get his crew

'

I see what you are saying.

I rather think John likes his ships being white...which is why I offered a viable alternative to the Progen shield tiles.

As for crew: I am thinking the storyline lends itself to the crew being about as big as it is going to get. He may add two or three more...say 2 gunners with Rachel's abilities, and someone like Jehenna in charge of public relations...but that will be about the extent of it I am thinking. Alternatively: Jehenna may double as the other gunner with Rachel taking over tactical, Faye working the Raptor and two gunships that will concentrate on the highest threat to the Invictus at any given moment.

another possible story line to add in is the Diablos, the original gang that think they own Dana, (well the Sparks version of her anyway). They swore revenge back on the last page of Chapter 10

Yeah, when I listed Karron I intended that to include the miners, the orphans, the gangs, and the ore.

Might we all be over thinking Athena survival ? John created her once , what would keep him from doing it all over again . He originally created her to guide Alyssa thru her growth , not really being conscience of what he was doing & we know he can instill a new personality in a blank mind(Edraele) so he wouldn't have to transfer Athena's mind in some physic/cybernetic mind swap .He would only need to find a suitable body(female) that was alive but brain dead . Her powers came from also

John so he should be ok there too. . Just spit balling an idea to save a lot of moral dilemmas about body snatching or mind wiping .

I'm thinking of a crew size of 12 & John , just seems right on so many levels . I think he will have an extended crew/family ( the white haired Maliri , Carla's family , maybe they get to live their dream of having all the family(less Carla) on one Invictus like ship) but on the ship itself I'd rather see it remain small & intimate .

Earlier I spoke of the structural strength of Graphene, here are some other interesting things.

Carbon sublimes at a temperature of 5,530°C (9,980°F). Thus, carbon remains solid at higher temperatures than the highest melting point metals such as tungsten or rhenium.

Under normal conditions, Graphene has the highest thermal conductivity of all known materials. Materials of high thermal conductivity are widely used in heat sink applications.

So not only will Graphene provide a frictionless cannon tube, it can also be used to pull heat through a cannon barrel and provide unprecedented heat dissipation if wound around the barrels as multi layers of spiral scrim with Crystal Alyssium as an epoxy substitute...same with the laser tubes. At that point, the whole barrel is actively drawing heat to the outside of the weapon so the regular heat sinks can dissipate it.

Now just waiting to see if Chapter 82 posts today. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thanks again Tef!!

While reading some recent chapters again, one small thing jumped out at me, during the last battle while Calara was coordinating the Ashanah forces she granted Faye full authorization to fire all Invictus weapons. It may be insignificant, but no mention was made of rescinding that authority. I assume Alyssa is aware of Calara's action, but John may still be unaware. So if Faye goes a little nutty she has the entire firepower of the Invictus at her disposal. On the other hand, if she has to swoop to the rescue, she has the entire firepower of the Invictus available.

I think Faye has the Pinocchio syndrome (she just wants to be a real girl). She’s been a voyeur to all the lovin that’s been going on and she wants to be a part. After all the rest of the Progenitors created their own race of Amazon warriors. What If the carved stone pillars turn out to contain the bodies of former warriors (Athena) or to be the devices used by the Progenitors to create the different species of aliens. It would help Dana and Rachel out with getting Faye a body.

As for Athena, I think John picked up her spirit on their first trip to the Ashanah home world when they were show the carved stones. Alyssa saw her echo aboard the rebuilt Progenitor ship the Ashanah used during the attack. Athena was the Matriarch for the invading Progenitor and ruthlessly killed countless Maliri. Does John really need three Matriarchs? Do you think Athena would except a lessor position, or is she just using to obtain her release so she can set out to find her former master?

Good that you noted a small point when you re-read a few chapters.

Does Faye still have full control of those weapon systems?

Looks like it. Does that mean jack or is it profound? Not sure.

Welcome to the busy world of conjecture called 3 Square Meals.

You are right to look for 'minor' detail and seemingly throw away sentences. Our friend Tef builds his narrative with small clues and facts that make sense two, ten or twenty chapters later.

It's fun when your pet theory is right though isn't it?

The Other Dave

The Other Dave is absolutely right about the fun of conjecture. Comparing predictions with other readers is half the fun of the story for me.

On that note, I can't say that I agree with your thoughts on Athena. Athena, herself, has stated that she was created by John in the exact same way that PJ was created by John's father. While Tefler has demonstrated an understanding of the concept of an unreliable narrator (see Truckstop Takedown*), that hasn't been a component of the 3SM story so far and it would be exceedingly strange to introduce it after a million words or so. I don't think the fans would care for that sort of sudden change in tone.

I think the pictographs are pretty much exactly what they are described as being, illustrations from a thrall recruiting facility on the planet currently known as New Eden( which is the crews destination after Terra and could, conceivably, be the location of the cloning facility). Also, assuming that Athena died aboard the Legacy thousands of years ago, how could her spirit or whatever have been bound to a bit of rock elsewhere. Nothing in the text so far indicates such a thing is possible. At the most we see psychic echoes. Also also, Athena is described as looking just like Alyssa but radiant (less so as Alyssa becomes the stronger member of the pair) and Mael'nerak's foes are described as having yellow skin and flaming red hair. Not exactly a match.

-aderi

*seriously, if you haven't read TT, you should. I still think it's the best thing that Tef has written. Katie is bad ass.

Ch82 is not even up for moderation

I hope it didn't get rejected tefler

Could you check it up with literotica man ????

Ch82 still not posted tefler

Please check what the problem is

Hey Tefler,

Do you have any news on the release of Chapter 82? Its been two days. I hope it comes out soon. In the mean time, great story and thanks for posting for free on Literotica.

Other, can we not overthink this as it is, after all, a story mean or entertainment;-)

- APilotD

Hands ms904191 a double shot of Bacardi 101 rum and smiles as (s)he downs it in one gulp to calm his/her nerves only to find she/he takes in a sharp breath at the burn and keels over in a coughing fit. Looks down and asks, "will that tide you over until the release?"

This is how I see the general story line going down from here.<--- spoiler alert!--->

There is a two prong attack against both John and the girls as well as the Invictus by Mikaboshi. I base this upon the last words we heard from Mikaboshi that he would be taking from John what John took from him. What John took from him was his favorite assassin and his battleship.

So:

I see Faye planning to leave with the Invictus, but waiting around until to watch her 'family' get their awards. Just as the bomb goes off at the awards ceremony, she gets a security warning from the motion sensors in the access hallway. Faye is so distracted by the explosion that she hesitates but eventually effectively deals with the intruders after contacting John and sending the Raptor to the rescue; realizing the flaw in her logic streams which neglected to take into account antagonistic forces would seek John and the girls out even without the Invictus.

The bomb is under the podium at the awards ceremony. Just like at Karron, Alyssa hears the voice of the person who is going to set it off just a moment before it blows, giving her just enough time to shield the family. That shielding redirects the blast wave right at the Admirals and all but Admiral Harris and Admiral Devereux are instantly killed.

Our brave Sgt who was transferred from Port Medea to Com Sec rallies the loyal troops in attendance to help support John and the girls as well as provide time for Rachel to completely heal Admiral Harris but Admiral Devereux sustained a massive brain injury leaving only her autonomic nervous system functional. Rachel heals her but she is effectively brain wiped due to the explosion.

Meanwhile, a small group of assassins within T-Fed who work for Mikaboshi attempt to finish off John and the girls in nano-weave invisibility clothing. They have both underestimated John and the Girls and over estimated their stealth capability when Alyssa/Athena do the mind walk/body glow thing they did in the underworld station and identify the good/bad guys. The red glow eminating from the bodies of the assassins cloaked in the invisibility suits gives them away and Alyssa, John, Jade (in Tiger form), Calara, and Sakura engage in close combat to kill them in VERY short order...in front of cameras that are still rolling.

Both Admiral Harris and Admiral Devereux are medi-vacked out in the Raptor with John and the Girls to the Invictus.

After they are safe and things settle for a moment, Faye confesses with tons of guilt which John deals with very effectively...promising her pilot control over the Valkyrie, the Raptor, and the two Cruiser gunships to be stored in the large hanger so she can help protect the Invictus and project power/work the battle plan during space battles with the promise there will be no more crew/family-involved boarding actions after they destroy Mikaboshi.

There is a media shit-storm over the bombing, and the reveal of the crew's abilities. The Invictus is denied permission to leave until everything is sorted out and John invites Jehenna onto the Invictus as a way to get the truth out to the Terran public. Athena transfers her consciousness over to Devereux, rewriting her memory engrams in the process. John 'feeds' her and gives her the 3rd helix and opens it completely, making her another female Progenitor. She takes over as Fleet Commander, being the only Senior Staff left alive other than Charles, and the two of them take over T-Fed command. Devereux's lapses in memory are explained away as PTSD and are quickly ignored due to her rank and the needs of the Federation for a strong leader...which she obviously becomes in the short term to help John in the upcoming battle with BSP. Athena/Devereux works closely with Admiral Harris, using his expertise, and allowing him to groom into the future Fleet Commander.

Calara's father is quickly made an Admiral and our Sgt from port Medea is given a promotion to head of Com Sec. Our promoted Sgt then pulls in and promotes his Lt friend to whom he shows loyalty.

John then visits the Brimorians (either before the revenge on Mikaboshi or immediately thereafter...depending on where his base is (New Eden in the same mountain range where John and the girls go skiing on vacation?), and gets their most advanced shield tech by ceding over the disputed worlds with T-Fed (which also normalizes relations with T-Fed and gains John some notoriety with the Brimorians).

John then shares the lower grade shield tech with the Ashanath, Maliri, and Terrans...keeping the military level shield tech (with Dana's upgrades) for himself.

In the last Genthalis based Invictus refit, John finally impregnates the four Noble House Matriarchs, along with Edraele as a surprise.

All this fits with the narratives provided, including the pulling together of all the major races to face BSP. BSP has not been procrastinating and playing games as some expect. He has been systematically weakening all the races in the area while waiting for his minions to arrive from another part of the Galaxy (they do not have wormhole drives). However, BSP is now not the only Progenitor after John because he has broken the 'law' and given unapproved powers to his girls and must be destroyed as a result...sequel anyone? Lol. However, there is the surprise reveal of John's parents to help with this new threat.

"Other, can we not overthink this as it is, after all, a story mean or entertainment;-)"

Sorry you feel that way APD. Many of us enjoy the conjecture. Also, Tefler enjoys it as well, often using some of our ideas in the story...making it even better. I guess you could refrain from reading the comments.....but that is part of the fun! LOL

-

It still shows as "Pending" in my list, so there must just be a long moderation queue at the moment.

Tefler

Well as much as I want to admire your imagination and make it a reality pLr I don't drink and he wants to stay a non-drinker all his life

Well at the very least you got a good enough if rather amusing fantasy going in your mind man

Apparently DesoulTales' account was nuked or something and he resubmitted at least a dozen chapters at once... If the timing was unfortunate those will be 'moderated' first I guess...

Whatever it is we'll just have to wait a little longer or go over to Patreon...

One or two extra days between chapters and PLRUS makes.like JC_the continuer. :-)

Hey PlRus,

I see your point and at times I enjoy it as well but I am just reminding everyone to keep it friendly;-)

APilotD

I think we're in agreement on the broad strokes.

I do expect the attack on the award ceremony to wipe out most of the TFed ceremony but a bomb in the podium should be too easily detected. I expect more than one, anyway. Also, I think Sakura will see someone she recognizes from her time as Shinatobe and that will serve as the tip off rather than Alyssa suddenly hearing someone's thoughts. That's been done enough times. Alternatively, it could be John that hears the thoughts. His telepathy has been trying to break through for about 20 chapters now. I certainly don't believe that he's just gotten really good at reading the rest of the crews body language.

I'd have to reread a bit to see if SGT Gibbons (? was that his name) could make it to the ceremony on time to do what you've suggested but, I can buy that except for the part about an NCO being given command when Officers are still around.

My feelings about Athena continuing to exist are well documented. However, if she is going to survive, I think it should be because the crew discovers Mael's cloning facility on New Eden rather than merging with Devereaux. If Athena becomes the new ruler of the TFed on accident she is going to have to stay with her new empire rather than be with John. Being with John is why she wants more than merging. Wouldn't be very fair to her or that story arc.

I see Harris taking over the TFed and negotiating the release of the Shoals in exchange for shield tech while John gets the upgraded version, of course. Obviously, that won't happen until after the Trankarans have been put back on their ass again which will be more difficult now that they have Brimorian shield tech.

My proposed schedule for the near future (probably not stretching things out enough):

82 for travel and trade negotiations

83 for the award ceremony and immediate aftermath

84 for dealing with Faye

85 for discovering the cloning facility on New Eden and saving Athena

86 for familial reconciliation on New Eden and discovering Yomi-no-kuni

87 for eliminating Mikaboshi once and for all, perhaps we even find out who hired him in the first place. My money is on Seb for the absurdity of it.

88 for travel to Jericho and the start of the vacation

89 for training and more vacation scenes

90 for departure, completion of refit, unveiling of new gear, test fire of upgraded weapon systems

91 for travel and team building

92 finally reach Brimbor to find that the Kintark are already there

I'm looking forward to ch 90

-aderi

Absolutely no offense meant. My poor attempts at humor i guess. BTW: LOLs @Father sin......

I can see your scenarios as well. Have to respectfully disagree with you on Athena, though.

We've been in disagreement on Athena for a long time now. Nothing to worry about. I won't be surprised if Tefler has something completely different in mind to make us both wrong. Well, maybe a little surprised. I think we've covered most of what's possible within the narrative, until Tef's next curve ball, that is.

In the matter of Athena, I must admit that I think that Athena should not survive. Perhaps that is a bit barbaric of me, but I feel that there must be some sacrifices and not all good things' so to speak. On other matters, I finally got an account... Haha about time :-)

APilotD

If it's barbaric of you, then it's barbaric of me and few other commenters though I think we're in the minority. I can't think of any reason to keep her around other than preserving John's perfect win record. He needs a loss and this would count as one, even if it's largely symbolic.

I, also, only created an account on Lit to make multiple comments on 3SM. Lit's restriction on making multiple anonymous comments from a single address is pretty annoying. I didn't even know they did that until I tried to get into the conversations happening here. I get that they're trying to cut down on trolls and spambots but still...

Yeah, I would make an account only for that reason to, but I just don't feel like making one yet. Maybe when I hit the comment ceiling that you spoke of. Athena is not going to die. She is not going to get her own body, she is going to merge with Alyssa. Athena is basically just Alyssa anyways. Just enhanced.

How about Sensae?

Seems kinda cold blooded to speculate about who to do away with. Which one is wearing the red shirt? That's who always died on Star Trek.

:-)

Hillcountrycowboy

No worries PLRus.

I do a version of forward path speculation.

I have done lists longer than your outline just on options for a single plot point.

I just try not to post my ideas in comments anymore.

Everyone carry on, because I noticed that ch82 is not in moderation yet.

There have apparently been some plagiarized stories posted so all moderation delays need to be given perfect understanding.

The symbolic loss doesn't, necessarily, have to be a death (and I wouldn't count the merge as a death, anyway). John needs to fail at some goal without accidentally tripping backwards into success like he often does. John is too much of a Marty Stu.

Losing Athena to the merge would count, to me. It's something that he wants but can't have. If Eito were to show up for the final confrontation with the assassins and not survive, that wouldn't count because it's pretty much expected. As long as Mikaboshi dies, Eito is avenged.

As for disposable crew members that could be lost without fucking up the story, my original list was just Sakura and Tashana. Now, it's just Tashana. Tefler hasn't even bothered to give her a role yet. That being said, I don't think she's going anywhere because there has been too much build up for her and Tefler's initials aren't GRRM.

-aderi

Chapter 83 is well started so at this rate you might see 82 and 83 within a shorter than most chapters span due to the delay for 82.

As a tease, I am also making an argument for Tefler to step out of the main storyline for some side stories.

They would be optional though they might be full of foreshadowing.

The purpose would be to switch categories for a few stories and make stories that target the Most Read Toplist. If you see the type of stories that rate on that list it is a major clue of content. Seeing 200000 reads in a month is the goal I have suggested, and I suspect that at least 20000 will be easy.

It is the old truth, that a change is as good as a rest. Something slightly different would be good I think. Some, shorter three page side stories to alternate with chapters. Just as a poll, how would readers here feel about a slightly longer overall story volume, counting the side stories?

"I just try not to post my ideas in comments anymore."

Since you're one of the official editors rather than one of us Patreon suckers paying for the privilege of finding errors in the draft, I imagine your ideas would be fairly tainted by spoilers. I have a hard enough time avoiding that with just a little bit of foreknowledge.

-aderi

I'm all in favor of side stories. You don't have to look far from this comment to find me saying that Truckstop Takedown is the best thing Tefler has written.

However, I don't agree with adding incest to the story just to get clicks. I seem to recall that Tef's lowest rated chapter was the one that was initially posted in the incest category before getting moved back to SciFi. When it fits the story, fine, no problem. Twisting things to fit the current trend in porn and no other reason, no thanks.

-aderi

I agree, but...

The chapter you reference did not belong in incest so it was rated low.

There are story lines that do belong in incest, but could be avoided by readers that prefer to leave that out of the story. It would not be intended as a necessary read for following the story.

It would be a bizarre and very different story type.

perhaps some sort of crossover with TT and both the minor good and bad characters the crew has in their orbits. i just read Takeover this weekend and today started re-reading TSM tonight. i would like to see more done with the Takeover storyline but not at the cost of TSM,lol yes im that darned hooked on this. i would do patreon but thats just beyound me since i found its a subscription not a one time thing. Tefler you have a true gift man and thank you for this saga. i still think the 'Loss' that John and the crew suffer should be the ship itself.

I need my fix man, i keep lookin lol

Tazzy

I am very disappointed with literotica

Either they should have rejected the ch if there were problems in it or they should have posted it by now

What the hell is the problem I don't even understand

Its frustrating man

What I don't get is why Tefler doesn't just upload the chapters to StoriesOnline at the same time as he releases them on Literotica. Waiting for this moderation time is just silly.

Anon: Exactly what I was wondering.....

Timbo

The moderation process is there for a reason. All kinds of stuff can get through from less responsible authors. The rules are the rules.

I sent a message to the site admins to ask if they could look into it. Hopefully they'll be able to fix whatever the issue is. :-)

Tefler

This is EXACTLY why I am a Patreon

$1 a month is worth my sanity.

A well done and very entertaining yarn...keeps you guessing about what is coming...I'm hooked!

If you have not read to ecomments section of each chapter you may want to do so...lots of good information and discussion.

Sorry we seem so impatient, we're waiting with bated breath!!

hillcountrycowboy

this delay is killin me......

Mikey

WTF is this Web site stupid, loco, ₩£&/!×#*¥¥&"××:;¿¿¿....... Something like that.

Jupp, the wait is killing us. But even worse now the entire story is gone from the sci-fi list. I had to search for the author to find the story.

The latest chapter is up. Thank you site admins! :-)

Tefler

Ok, so I love your story. its incredible how you've been able to write this universe so cleverly.

saying that, your character's are really lagging behind now.

1. smiles kisses and laughter - I get that they are a happy bunch of people coming down of an emotional high from battle, but you really really overdid it with the smile smiile smile. in the space of a couple paragraphs everyone had smiled at everyone else in the region of ten times. I get there are nine people, but there are other words than 'gave blah blah a smile', 'smiled at blah blah' or 'said with a simile'

2. Alysa - aside from her teasing, smiling, giggling naughtiness... shes rather flat. I've not seen her have any doubts or real character depth in the last few chapters. granted you've got a lot of people to work into chapters, but she is the second, if not now the main person in this story. she had a hard life and those experiences are still not far behind her. sure she's living in a fairy tale dream now which will make her super happy, but c'mon, there is never anything other than teasing impishness and being a running case of innuendo's.

3. sashay and grace - even when they're running around quickly its still grace grace glide smooth glide grace sashay svelt hip movements. something else might be a good word choice change, or maybe when they're feeling low you can reflectthat in their movements. the only time you ever see them move is when its with grace, even when they're sad upset or troubled.

Every author has their style of writing and word choices they use, and believe me when I say that yours is legendary, but don't fall into the trap of filling a word count.

you aim always to write a set amount of words, and in this one you've slipped slightly in that you say things along the lines of 'irillith and tashana stood up to hug, then john joined them in standing and gave them a hug' fair, nothing wrong with that, but you did just say they stood up, if he's joined them, we know he's stood up. over explanation to fill a word count or to get the exact imagery you want the audience to understand is alright, but I've seen you use far better methods of building the imagery for your readers

love the work, just not this chapter.

hope the critical feedback is good to hear, I know I crave it in my writings

JC

Yea! Yea!

This is a seriously phenomenal story.

Thank you, again, for your work on it.

Yeah. Tefler has been known to get blinded by his own success and fill pages to feed his fans. He is in a bit of a plateau but there are plenty of writers that would find this level of plateau pretty breathtaking.

I think I have scared him a few times telling him he is going get much better and more successful before he is close to his top form. I may have set this up. I told him a year ago he would have $2000 per chapter from Patreon and it happened when I told him it would. Now that he is bouncing on that milestone, it is a scary thought of what if that is the peak, which is rubbish. He won't be going downhill.

He goes autopilot, but he is constantly improving in ways that I never imagined so I shrug through edits and stopped coaching.

You are absolutely correct that it is all about the characters. They deserve more attention and I will task him on that. Getting better is nothing if he takes some steps back on basics.

Thank you again for sharing this story. I don't always agree with the constructive criticism but that's what makes us fans unique. I love your writing and am enjoying it thoroughly. Thanks again and I love your imagination. Dawn

Re-reading the story (still amazing the second time through!) and at this point there's a tension with Irillith that I hope you can play around with (and hopefully redeem) as you continue the story. Right now her character and relationships with the others is the most fragile. 1. She was the only girl that John did not choose to add to his crew (as she took the third feeding without his consent), making her the only forced "thrall" under alyssa. 2. Her relationship with Tashana is somewhat of a facade, as her knowledge of the betrayal was removed to make their relationship "easier" (this was for Tashana's short term growth, but can there be true forgiveness if one sister is ignorant of the truth?) 3. Despite john and the girls nurturing the pains of each other's past, a lot of the time everyone treats irillith's path harshly, reminding themselves (and her) of what a bitch she was (in the next chapter, john jokes about her being an ice queen). Only edraele seems to truly understand of the pain and auffering irillith wemt through and why she was the way she was. Despite her change of heart, it cant feel good to be constantly reminded of your past sins (especially when everyone else was a victim, while irillith is shown as the only alyssa thrall who didnt "deserve" johns gift) 4. Other than calara (whos reasons were family oriented) irillith is the only thrall that john has skipped proposing to. (Spoiler: john has just proposed to sakura, despite her having a shorter time with him). Im assuming this is for twin reasons (dual proposals is very cute!) But the fact remains.

I write all this because this all makes for a girl who is very different than the rest. Its clear that john loves her, but A villain with this knowledge could really test irillith's relationship. Make her feel inadequate and unworthy of his love (pushing the narrative that her relationships are a lie), or even make her feel like she's being used by a family that sees her as a mistake. I hope you can play with this tension and ultimately make her a stronger heroine by overcoming these cracks in her foundation. Whatever you do, thanks for crsfting such an incredible adventure with awesome characters.

..... and now the Galactic GoT epic moves toward new challenges. This chapter was well needed by what to me are some of the most vividly developed characters on the site. And to some of our self-aggrandizing nitpickers, just read and enjoy the great story and stop obsessing over a few words and phrases here or there by a (thank-goodness) extremely prolific author. Only hope Faye does not go off any deep end.

I am so enjoying this remarkable story and all of these wonderful characters, but now I am really worried about whatever is happening with Faye!

It looks like it's Faye's turn to save everyone's asses.

I too am concerned about the lovely Faye! Logically the only way to protect her "friends" from all harm is some form of perpetual isolation, as in a proverbial High Tower prison cell, or worse! I don't want Clan Blake stuck in a blue event horizon or some such! I want Faye to become a Real Girl!!!! Or at least something like Westworld...

faye, I think your going to be trouble in the future and that is not good. your and Ai and this spells trouble.... cant wait to read the rest of the stories....

In an attempt to seem intelligent, someone decided to give their analysis of the next several chapters for the Faye/AI foreshadowed challenge. If they were truly as intelligent as they wish to seem, they would have put this analysis at the end of the section they were discussing in their comment. Instead, they decided to reveal the story ahead of time for all you first-time readers.

Don't read his comment - Tefler is a far better storyteller.

thank you, Anonymous for the heads up. Hate it when people drop spoilers. It's just not cool.

It seems the anon that attempted to spoil things has had their comment removed, so spoilers have been purged!

Alyssa always does her own thing, she does what John asks her to do, when she thinks she knows best. Who is she to get angry at Edraele? Because of her decision to split up and the selfish behavior of her best friend Dana (who Alyssa was not angry with) John needed all the energy Edraele was giving him. I never liked Alyssa but after this action I start to her dislike her.

So the anon dislikes alyssa? For what? Getting mad at Edraele? I can't blame her for being upset. Edraele wasn't using her physic reserves, she was using her own life force. Which mean too much and she dies. The consequences of that are enormous. First John would be emotionally destroyed and would never forgive himself. Would he then refuse to use the girl's energy? What if they send him their life energy like she did. He would be worried about that and it would limit his effectiveness in combat.

Also if Edraele died, what happens to her people. Irillith is to far away to claim leadership of the house. So who would take over house valden? What could they do before he could get back to rectify it?

Ok so she didn't die but the chance for it wasn't worth the risk.

Second what selfish behavior by Dana? Guarding the legacy like John told her to, Risking her life to protect the high counsil so the leadership wasn't wiped out? She stood on the deck and face multiple dropships. Selfish would have been to run or hide and let them at the legacy. She stood brave and attempted to fight them off by herself. She tried to get out of the way of the missiles but the controls were to sluggish. She then tries to destroy the Dropship that shot missiles at her and gets sideswiped.

If anyone was to blame for her getting hurt and needing healed, I say it was Calara or John. Calara in her tactical planning and John from experience, neither planned for the drop ships? I mean how many time can they talk about how the Darkkar love boarding actions, or how they are fierce in boarding action. To know this and not plan accordingly is a lack of leadership.

Just my thoughts and opinions. Enjoy reading.

Raven

This chapter was a lot of recovery. consolidation, and preparation for the next chapters... a lull before the storm? ... I like the power of the Invictus at around this stage, after the current upgrades are completed... I would have loved for them to save the Invictus at is point, and for any further improvements, and upgrades have it be on a new superstructure... the Genthalus Shipyard and hundreds of engineers are available for this, so stop tearing up Charles' old ship please... ;-) TTFN

John is weak compared to others in his team (excludding his ability to buff them up). If we are talking about being merchants and making money, Alyssa, Dana, and Rachel could easily be more wealthy than him. If we are talking about combat, Alyssa is definitely more powerful. Calara is more powerful - she kills thousands with her tactical expertise and space weapons. Sakura is possibly more powerful and knowledgeable as a soldier/ assassin. Alyssa is almost always acting as the leader. When she disagrees with John, she persuades him to her way. At the same time, John seems chauvenistic - 'honey', 'little nymph', and 'good girl', for examples. It's almost like he feels he must protect them, that he is superior, even when they are the ones that are typically furthering his cause. I think John is an idiot and terrible at correctly identifying priorities. He really needs to face his 'guide' (aka progenitor-John); he must do whatever necessary to prepare and then be brave. Giving Dana whatever she needs to excel (more cum?) should be one of his highest priorities - even above new recruits. She is absolutely crucial to their success. She still has to work out the quantum flux cannon, wormhole generator, progenitor armor, and other progenitor tech. Which is another thing. Why are they running around to get alien tech when in all cases alien tech has been inferior to progenitor tech. They should be focusing on obtaining progenitor tech however they can. More girls makes him stronger. So get more girls. He should also be doing what he can to strengthen the Maliri and his power there. I think their vacation should be with the Maliri - if they had one at all at this point. After all, who knows when they may be attacked by something with progenitor tech. The Maliri are his staunchest allies. Preparing to meet the progenitors or what destroyed the progenitor is of paramount importance. Making sure that the galaxy's greatest assassin isn't alive to kill him is the second most important. Going to an announced awards ceremony is an invitation for an assassination. A sheduled vacation could also be dangerous. Will John be prepared for an assassination attempt? At this point, I'm just skimming over the lesbian content - that helps a lot in moving the plot along.

I constantly wonder why John or Rachel doesn't store his sperm in liquid nitrogen for emergency healing or to boost other abilities.

John might have avoided Tashana's rebellion if Rachel had administered his sperm as a healing sedative to Rachel when she was badly injured and traumatized after rescue from the barren wastes.

Also packing small units in the trauma kit for when Rachel and Alyssa were injured in field combat skirmishes. (Sorry to disturb your plot devices)

Whoops, the cat was already out of the bag in regard to Tashana’s experiences; John was blocking Edraele, but neither Alyssa or Tashana were.

Sweet chapter of things buried, in so many ways. And so headfirst into more dangers, looks like an attack during the ceremony or when visiting Charles.

Dana has found more good tech (power couplings and heat sinks and others) that will again, double the Invictus's awesome fighting capabilities, ... the crew fucks, builds stuff, and prepares for the award ceremony, ... samo, samo, ... Sakura in the improved Mecha, .... awesome! .... Tashana controlling her flame, and getting training, more awesomeness, ... and with all the recovered info from Tashana's dig-site data crystals. and with Irillith's download from Nexus, the girls and Faye have a lot of rediscovered information to plow through, .... and that junior league Asshat, Mikaboshi, is just asked for a good ass whooping, I hope that Sakura is the one to give it to him, ... ta-ta until next time, ... ;-)

chur m8 awsum story

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page 6

Sounds reasonable to me," Dana said with a shrug. "Our armour's already highly reflective; the capacitors just make it almost impervious to laser fire, unless we get hit by anything really fucking nasty."

wondered why it only took 1 shot, cause it was really fucking nasty lol

I've wondered why they don't all vials of his sperm for emergencies also seems so simple lol

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*You drained your own life-force?!*

Our lovely Dana has found more good tech (power couplings, better heat sinks and other good stuff) that will again let her double the Invictus's awesome fighting capabilities, Rachel has them all working in an efficient and organized manner, ... and as we would expect in this chapter, the crew fucks a lot, and they builds stuff, and they prepare for the award ceremony, ... Samo, Samo, ... Sakura gets to test the improved Mecha, .... awesome! .... Tashana is better at controlling her flame, and she's also getting combat and rifle training, and I love when Dana and Jade gift her with new and better pistols, .... more awesomeness, ... and with all the recovered info from Tashana's dig-site data crystals. and with Irillith's downloaded files from Nexus, the girls and Faye have a lot of rediscovered information to plow through, .... and that junior league Asshat, Mikaboshi, has just asked for a good ass whooping, I so hope that it is Sakura that's the one to give it to him, ... lots to enjoy in the next chapters, ... so, ta-ta until next time, ... ;-)

Oh, and besides the upgraded capacitors, supporting the armor, that will aid the ships armor protection from high energy, I hope that they can soon get to the point of making the CA immune to Laser fire, .... they are already at 4x (quad shaped) and 5x (penta shaped), and Athena 10x (deca) shaped the Raptor already, ... so more CA upgrades to the Invictus outer hull, to a laser-proof 8x (octo) shaped in a few more chapters would seem to be reasonable, I would think, right? ... ;-) ttfn