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Three Square Meals - Chapter 150.1 (complete) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-03-23 04:14:59
Edited:
2022-03-23 21:08:16
Imported:
2026-06
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Hey everyone,

Here's the completed release for this chapter. As I mentioned before, I'm going to make chapter 150 bigger than normal, so this will be the first ~20k chunk of that.

Please let me know if you spot any typos. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Cheers

Tefler

Note: You haven't been charged for this post.

Comments

Ben Kramer

Thats cool, I only finished 149 last night :)

Braw

cheers mr

Tefler

Oh, you can jump to the new content by searching for the # symbol.

Cignal

Thanks Tefler

Bp Hlpt

Thanks, Tefler!

Michael56Smith

.10 YAY! the first 20K of a 'bigger' chapter, thanks, Tef! ;-) TTFN

Antoine Scrivener

Much appreciated. Many threads look set to come to a head.

Emma B

Great... I'll have something to look forward to when I get back

Amathew2

“What other their other ship characteristics?

Amathew2

Man I can’t wait for the next part, I hate how slow everything seams knowing that it’s gonna get real interesting soon.

Bp Hlpt

The missing thrall ships? We suggested several alternatives, but... WARNING!!! Spoilers in this thread! WARNING!!!

Splatz

Ok so possible correction or IDK WARNING!!! Maybe Spoiler

Negative Energy

I think I found an error: ”It feels incredibly reckless, especially when our ships are at a severe tech advantage.” Souldn't it be disadvantage?

TF4EVA

yes a number of threads coming together. We know Gahl is headed for the ‘Porphyrion’ which is located where?? How is Tom going to be saved? and what is first contact with Auralei going to look like.... so much to look forward to...

Negative Energy

”...as long as you promise to change back against afterwards.” I think you meant ”back again”?

Grandizer

but Valeria discovered she wasn’t able slide all the way down to his root. but Valeria discovered she wasn’t able to slide all the way down to his root. Sent out the order for all of them to report back with their findings. Send out the order for all of them to report back with their findings.

Bp Hlpt

Here's a copy of the post Patreon "ate" I'm about half-way thru so far, and these are the typos I've seen so far: ch 150.1 typos They walked down the ramp into the Combat Bridge -- into > onto They walked down the ramp onto the Combat Bridge he could see that the fleet was located near to a large blue gas giant. -- near to a > near a he could see that the fleet was located near a large blue gas giant. But these spaceship are terrifying! -- spaceship > spaceships But these spaceships are terrifying! He faced Helen, his expression solemn. -- Helen > Helene He faced Helene, his expression solemn. # -- remove extraneous mark after next round of edits as emotionally compromised by disposing of all those corpses. -- disposing of all > the disposing of all -or- disposing all as emotionally compromised by the disposing of all those corpses. -or- as emotionally compromised by disposing all those corpses. As emotionally compromised? - Italicize 'As' to emphasize it. Alyssa'a voice would have indicated this. As emotionally compromised? are intended to assist us with parsing a wide range of scenarios as we performed our duties. -- performed > perform (Except for this and the next typo, the rest of this part of the conversation is all in the present tense, not the past.) are intended to assist us with parsing a wide range of scenarios as we perform our duties. These subroutines you revisit... were they related to Faye? -- were > are These subroutines you revisit... are they related to Faye? to see that grief in the synthetic girls eyes -- girls > girl’s to see that grief in the synthetic girl’s eyes Whatcha looking at? -- looking > lookin’ Whatcha lookin’ at? especially when our ships are at a severe tech advantage. -- advantage > disadvantage especially when our ships are at a severe tech disadvantage. until his was blanketed in their nubile bodies, -- in > by until his was blanketed by their nubile bodies,

A. Herring

*Leave it,* she said with uncharacteristic firmness. “I’ll explain after breakfast.* - mixing asterisk and quotes

Arrowglass

The word is well worn, but still says it all...AWESOME!

Brittany I.

I’ve asked Irillith to prepare a set of hacking guidelines for you to pass on to the Fleet Admirals Should be Fleet Commanders

Tom Turner

What other their other ship characteristics? Sent out the order for all of them to report back with their findings.

MeCherAmigos

Suggested edits: current text -- suggested edited text It goes against all my instincts... but I think you’re right. I would never normally condone splitting up our forces, then sending unsupported fleets on long-range missions into enemy territory. It feels incredibly reckless, especially when our ships are at a severe tech advantage. However, the circumstances are exceptional and being too cautious might actually be detrimental here. ... at a severe tech disadvantage. I’d need to give it some thought to make the list as succinct as possible, but I could definitely tell them the steps I used to break through. I’d need to give it some thought to make the list as succinct as possible, but I could tell them the steps I used to break through. Sakura returned the friendly acknowledgement and the thirty-metre-tall Valkyrie mirrored the wave goodbye. Sakura returned the friendly acknowledgement, and the thirty-metre-tall Valkyrie mirrored the wave goodbye. *Leave it,* she said with uncharacteristic firmness. “I’ll explain after breakfast.* *Leave it,* she said with uncharacteristic firmness. *I’ll explain after breakfast.* She nodded in triumph as his silence spoke volumes. “That’s why they’re all dead men walking,” she declared, turning and flouncing off into the kitchen. She nodded in triumph as his silence spoke volumes. “That’s why they’re all dead men walking,” she declared, turning, and flouncing off into the kitchen. John shook his head and gave her a reassuring kiss. “I get that it was just meant to be a joke, but I could have killed you, honey! You caught me totally off-guard and I was acting instinctively to defend myself.” John shook his head and gave her a reassuring kiss. “I get that it was just meant to be a joke, but I could have killed you, honey! You caught me totally off-guard, and I was acting instinctively to defend myself.”

MeCherAmigos

Written text -- suggested edits John shook his head and gave her a reassuring kiss. “I get that it was just meant to be a joke, but I could have killed you, honey! You caught me totally off-guard, and I was acting instinctively to defend myself.” Take a look at the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. Take a look at the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. He’d been so sure that Tom had been telling the truth, but the evidence was proving firmly to the contrary. That meant that the earnest young officer was either the victim of one of the most elaborate framing attempts he’d ever heard of, or Tom Walker was a remorseless psychopath, and the most convincing liar he’d ever met. He’d been so sure that Tom had been telling the truth, but the evidence was proving firmly to the contrary. That meant that the earnest young officer was either the victim of one of the most elaborate framings he’d ever heard of, or Tom Walker was a remorseless psychopath, and the most convincing liar he’d ever met. She beckoned him to follow after her, and they walked around behind the huge stack of ore crates. The floor beyond was covered in pre-built components, and he recognised many of them from the old Raptor, such as the comfy pilot’s chair and the bathroom fittings. She beckoned him to follow her, and they walked around behind the huge stack of ore crates. The floor beyond was covered in pre-built components, and he recognised many of them from the old Raptor, such as the comfy pilot’s chair and the bathroom fittings. solid blocks of Crystal Alyssium ore had been transformed into the sleek framework for a brand new spacecraft. solid blocks of Crystal Alyssium ore had been transformed into the sleek framework for a brand-new spacecraft. Valeria stalked through the halls of the Imperial palace, her amber eyes flicking from side to side, alert for danger. Thralls walked past as they went about their duties, but without exception, they all darted sly, speculative glances in her direction as they passed. She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair, and tried to suppress the urge to burn the life from both of them. Valeria stalked through the halls of the Imperial palace, her amber eyes flicking from side to side, alert for danger. Thralls walked past as they went about their duties, but without exception, they all darted sly, speculative glances in her direction as they passed. She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair and tried to suppress the urge to burn the life from both of them. Instead she stood aloof and refused to acknowledge their presence, while continuing her journey deeper into the palace. Instead, she stood aloof and refused to acknowledge their presence, while continuing her journey deeper into the palace. It took every bit of Valeria’s self control not to dance with glee at his praise, the day just getting better and better. It took every bit of Valeria’s self-control not to dance with glee at his praise, the day just getting better and better. As Gahl’kalgor sat in his ornate Command Chair, Valeria called out, “I want a detailed status update from each of the scouts. Sent out the order for all of them to report back with their findings.” As Gahl’kalgor sat in his ornate Command Chair, Valeria called out, “I want a detailed status update from each of the scouts. Send out the order for all of them to report back with their findings.” The Progenitor leaned forward on his chair, his face alight with anticipation. The Progenitor leaned forward on his chair; his face alight with anticipation.

Adam Palmer

Given the references to the thrall network, and how they don't like the husking, wonder if John/alyssia would investigate trying to sever the psykic link between the thralls and the matriarch to deprive the progenitors their power??

Myrnalin

This chapter made me feel like im holding my breath untill the next

Michael56Smith

.52: Yeah, a few typos... but this is all building to a big ole battle, and maybe to a few Progenitor 'secrets' that could be uncovered, and that John could use, ... ;-) TTFN

Sceptre

I actually feel anxious about this next chapter. John is completely out of the area and unable to get back in 12 hours and Zelig has 0 idea what's about to descend on him.. My stomach doesn't like cliffs apparently.

Michael56Smith

.53: Case in point, the current evil Asshat, Gahl'kalgor, and his dark haired and red skinned minions will not be attacking the Fleet Admiral on the Outer Rim, but will be making a large-scale assault on Admiral Nathan Zelig's fleet, tonight, ... and John too far away to help, ... ;-) TTFN

Brian Woods

So…wonderful continuation of the chapter, first of all. Sad to see, but it looks like there will be a cliffhanger at the end of 150 after all. Reason why? Because either the chapter will end having the Gahl’kalgor fight begin over nearby Brekken’s World with John’s one recovered Thrall fleet, Lynette’s advanced T-Fed forces, and John wormhole-traveling from Larathyra in spectacular style, or we will end with the fight finishing up and John having to sleep hard afterwards and him possibly meeting Xar’Aziuth in the Astral after a quick and dirty recruiting of Auralei. Either cliffhanger will be super saddening, just from the standpoint of having to wait another month or so to conclude such gripping plot points. To follow up with other’s points, I also feel really sad that Zelig is about to be seriously tortured by an individual that makes Emperor Nero look mostly sane. Can’t wait for the rest, though. Thanks!

AzureReader

Nice chapter so far. Drama building on several fronts. Ship upgrades and Raptor replacement. Dana still needs to do something with those massive crystals. Sure hope they can construct a wormhole generator really quickly out of 35x shaped metal.

Bp Hlpt

ch 150 pt1 - remaining typos I'm aware of, some found by others their youthful Doctor replied. -- Doctor > doctor their youthful doctor replied. (I wasn't sure about the above, but most references I found said something like this: Like other titles, the word “doctor“ is only capitalized when used as a title associated with a person’s name. But if the word is unnatached to the name of a specific person, then it is not capitalized.) wondering if he she’d mind delaying -- delete "he" wondering if she’d mind delaying “Relax, it’s not for a couple -- delete extraneous leading space “Relax, it’s not for a couple around them at a high speed, -- delete "a" around them at high speed, She shimmered in a brown haze, -- brown > black (Since Marika is black and silver, and the haze when the Nymphs shift is usually of their primay color?) She shimmered in a black haze, the sharkskin a tawny brown -- sharkskin > shark's skin (since we're talking about the skin of a shark shaped creature) the shark's skin a tawny brown You caught me totally off-guard and I was acting -- add comma after "off-guard" You caught me totally off-guard, and I was acting Prioritising the mental wellbeing of the living -- wellbeing > well-being Prioritising the mental well-being of the living grabbed her hover car’s keyfob -- hover car’s > hovercar’s (In ch 147 hovercar was one word. Have you changed your mind?) grabbed her hovercar’s keyfob selection of tools, including all her mother’s favourites and loaded -- add a comma after favourites selection of tools, including all her mother’s favourites, and loaded into the back of the hover car. -- hover car > hovercar into the back of the hovercar. load them up in her hover car, -- hover car > hovercar load them up in her hovercar, The dark clouds of depression rolled back as the warmth -- add "in" after "back" (otherwise, to me, "rolled back" == "rolled away") The dark clouds of depression rolled back in as the warmth recording their confrontation. -- confrontation > meeting ("confrontation" implies adversarial, and the lawyer is 'supposed' to be on his side) recording their meeting. the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. -- remove extraneous space before "claims" the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. the evidence was proving firmly to the contrary. -- syntax (you might have started out saying "prointing firmly to the contrary" ??) the evidence was firmly proving the contrary. stared away into the distance. -- delete "away" -or- away > off stared into the distance. -or- stared off into the distance. She beckoned him to follow after her, -- delete "after" She beckoned him to follow her, the sleek framework for a brand new spacecraft. -- brand new > brand-new the sleek framework for a brand-new spacecraft. from furniture to war trophies all of which had been hacked to pieces. -- add comma after "trophies" from furniture to war trophies, all of which had been hacked to pieces. he said nodding his approval. -- add comma after "said" he said, nodding his approval. She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair, and tried to suppress -- remove comma after "pair" She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair and tried to suppress Instead she stood aloof -- add comma after "Instead" Instead, she stood aloof It took every bit of Valeria’s self control not to dance -- self control > self-control It took every bit of Valeria’s self-control not to dance he tapped on the room for the upper deck -- room > rune he tapped on the rune for the upper deck Sent out the order for all of them to report -- Sent > Send Send out the order for all of them to report leaned forward on his chair, his face alight -- change comma to semicolon leaned forward on his chair; his face alight

Bp Hlpt

There are also 101 instances of extraneous spaces at the end of a paragraph.

Robert P. Heck

Tefler, have you finished CH. 150 now, or is more to come. Tefler. I see that this is the first half. Thank you, and hope you and your family are well.

Jedi Khan

The Terrans just cannot catch a break, can they? Any chance Zelig's fleet will surprise GK with the ferocity and effectiveness of their weapons? Terran projectile weapons are famous for their ability to shred armor, but we haven't seen how those weapons will fare against PBM. I hope those cannons prove to be effective. Now if only GK would underestimate the Terran ships and have the Thralls attack without shields.

2ndAndrocentric

On several occasion I have commented that Tefler is not a good writer on several technical points but that is of little importance to me. Tefler tells an interesting story. His characters, and they’re so many, are not only complex and nuanced; but psychologically believable. Having re-re-read 150.1 and thought about it; Tefler again amazes me with his instinct as a story teller. Sending Gal against Nathan Zelig is brilliant story telling. This is why I think so. While every Progenitor is a psychopath, even most of John in the past (his now dead guide plus himself at times); Larn was not a completely unhinged out of control madman. Nobody with an Imperial Botanist is completely bad. So while certainly a bad guy, there was somewhat a shade of grey to Larn. OK, a very dark grey, but Larn didn’t have a Gladiatora as a matriarch and his empire was not dotted with outright bloodlust even among his own. This Gal is being painted as total black. Now we have the story of the “boyscout” Nathan, called that by Kester when Nathan decided to once again object to Alyssa’s black/white view of things. Remember that Alyssa had to be taught about shades of grey (oh, and she does love 50 shades when with John, doesn’t she?). She “tagged” someone for an abortion, right there with Nathan Zelig watching. So Alyssa had to begin accepting some shades in her moral outlook; just as she totally welcomed the 50 shades of her sex life. The complexity of her selling herself for food as a child and to John on first meet, her “secondary virginity” oh that is long arc storytelling indeed. However Nathan Zelig, despite some thought after speaking with Alyssa, remains rather rigid in his moral outlook. This has been causing him guilt after killing his wife’s ex, even in self defense. Well, now the boyscout is going to meet Gal. This guy makes the Kirrix look good (at least they can plead survival AND that non telepaths aren’t real people). Gal has so far been painted about as evil as one can get. Now Nathan is going to meet what Alyssa’s been trying to tell him in spades: yes, there is black and white. We are about to go from yes, there are some grays to no, there is also black and white. I have no idea if Tefler set this up consciously; but if not, at an unconscious level he has weaved this “leitmotif” through his entire story as a truly genius story teller would. Like how he wove Novitsky, a totally different “leitmotif”; with the “man whore” explaining so well the fundamental sexual dimorphism of humans. I really could go on as to how well crafted, if not so well written, this Space Opera is. I keep comparing it to classical music. Mozart is the most perfect composer, especially of the small piece. His music is so mathematically perfect that some of the smaller pieces have been proven to reduce seizures in children: they literally calm the mind that much. However, he is not a Wagner, a Tchaikovsky. He does not tell a grand, complex saga well at all. I am tempted to go back to chapter one and see how many different threads weave through this tapestry. I have read even more complex and tightly woven sagas, but none written this century. Well done, Tefler, well done. I am quite willing to wait, wear out my F5 key as you miss deadlines, ignore spelling, grammar, utterly disregard basic science WHATEVER; as long as you continue to write a psychologically believable story on so many levels. Today in Clown World I see a lot of technical prowess with no believable soul. I see once great Space Operas hijacked and destroyed by the politically correct opinions. Gene Roddenberry’s last written Star Trek episode warned of this. PS, for those thinking I am some sort of woman hating incel wo a life; soothe your minds with that. Do not disturb the sounds of silence. Funny how the 60s generation so emphatic on free speech have become the new Inquisition. Be careful fighting monsters for you may look in the mirror one day and see yourself.

jdg45

.67 I noted Sakura taking a close look at the thrall battleship and wondering about getting through the defence grid. Hope she remembers that the Inviticus now has progenitor hard shields and so should the battleship?

Big Orca

Does anyone know where Zelig’s fleet is positioned? He is likely near the Kintark space or maybe the Brimorians?

Christopher Miller

Did anyone else catch Valaria's lil bombshell? A single ,albiet large, load from Gal's quad if sent to the vats could enlighten (recruit) THOUSANDS! John needs to get a hold of that tech ASAP. The Malari AND the Larathyrians could be mass recruited entotal within a year!

Christopher Miller

As for Gal's showdown with Nathan.....outcome poor. Barring Rahn showing up in Laern's old dreadnought and actually putting his neck on the line (sheaah right?) I don't see Admiral Zelig, or any of his command surviving. Even if John used Rahn's stargate to get to Kirrix space he'd take at least a day to get to the gate in Laern's territory and at least another day to get from Rahn's gate to Menganis IV. Barring John instantly acquiring a Wormhole drive he has no way to get there in time to save Zelig's fleet.

Akram123456

Is it possible to build a wormhole generator in 12 hours?

Bp Hlpt

This post became MUCH longer than I originally intended, but there were lots of idle thoughts to process. Christopher Miller and Jedi Khan had an interesting conversation earlier, paraphrased below. Chris remarked about Valaria mentioning that a single, albeit large, load from Gal's quad, if sent to the vats, could enlighten (recruit) THOUSANDS! So if John used that approach he could recruit 35,000-50,000 per month and maybe a half million Maliri (and/or Larathyrans) a year. This could be the means to "debitchify" Maliri culture by quickly recruiting the aristocracy, of which there have to be millions of them spread out through the 19 houses. Jedi correctly noted that John would be unlikely to do this because it lacks the personal touch that John is fond of. Daisy-chaining the Nymphs together using Jade's tenta-cock trick to achieve higher recruitment numbers per load, would probably be as impersonal as John is willing to get. This exchange brought all sorts of responses to mind. First, the numbers. We all knew, or had at least assumed, what the purpose of the "vats" was. This was just the first time any numbers had been "officially" assigned within TSM. We still don't know exactly what "thousands" mean, but we'll carry on regardless. Since "thousands" is plural, does that mean a minimum of two? And as to how often a "contribution" is made to the vats, I think we've seen that John is quite capable of performing at least three times a day, it is TSM after all, and still continue his other activities. So 2000 x 3 x 365 is over 2 million per year. With a Maliri's, ie Thrall's, useful working lifespan of over 150 years, it's easy to see that a Progenitor's psychic network can be at least 300 million. If "thousands" equals six, and there are four contributions per day, then we're well over 1.25 billion. Longer lifespans make the number even bigger. The more personal Nymph/tenta-cock approach yields significantly lower numbers. Assuming 25 per episode, from when John worked with the engineers, daisy-chaining all six Nymphs, and three times a day, gives about 450 per day. But sustaining that rate, not to mention the logistics of moving John and/or that many folks around, would be problematic, and would definitely interfere with John's other activities. Even at 500 a day and 100 days a year, that only (!) allows 50,000 recruits a year, or about 7.5 million for a total potential network. Impressive, but is it necessary? The network will really only be required until the Progenitors and Xar are defeated. John then plans to retire, and Alyssa plans for this to be accomplished in the next few months so she can be "knocked up while I’m still eighteen." So we're not talking about building up a network over the next 150 years. I'm assuming that John wants the Maliri and any any other Thrall society to eventually be as much like the original Kyth’faren as possible. Xar came from such a society, so who knows what will happen in the future, but that's what sequels are for. We've already seen that the size of the network isn't the determining factor for the psychic power that John has available. It was more exhausting to John and the girls to defeat Mael's defenses at Kythshara and rescue Jade, and Mael and all of the Achonin are dead, than it was to defeat Larn and his entire living network. The old quality vs quantity argument. And John's approach not only gives him as much or more psychic power, but also gives him allies with power of their own that in some ways rivals his, which the progenitors have never seen before and don't know how to comprehend. This approach also contributes more than just psychic power to the network, as the girl's contributions have been invaluable to John and his extended family, and a lot of fun! I would also assume that wanting to do whatever they can out of love for John is a much better motivation than having to do what they must out of fear, like the Thralls under a progenitor have to do. As to "debitchifying" the Maliri aristocracy, I really don't think that's a problem, mainly because I don't think there are "millions of them spread out through the 19 houses." I think that the total remaining Maliri aristocracy consists of Edraele and the Matriarchs. All other members of the aristocracy have been wiped out. Because of the Maliri culture and the way the previous House Matriarchs each clung to as much power as they individually could, there just aren't multiple levels, not like we're used to seeing in human aristocracy. Sure, there are planetary governors, etc, but that's it. And the Matriarchs have all noted that their interactions with their houses have vastly improved as their own attitudes have improved. What about the Larathyran and other Thrall aristocracies? Do you really think that a progenitor would allow ANY aristocracy to exist? No. The Maliri aristocracy only existed because there was no progenitor. So, do I think that John doesn't need to recruit anyone else? Absolutly not! Besides increasing the size of his network, and the psychic benefits that brings, I see the following areas where recruitment would provide other benefits, benefits that would continue even after John retires: 1) Whether they are recruited or not, I have always advocated that John should increase the size of his crew, so they are not depending on a single individual for each role. They have each needed a helper or assistant for each of their tasks at times, so imagine how much more productive they could be if they had those assistants full time, or they could work in shifts? Yes, Daphne and the Collective are being a huge help, but I still think John needs a bigger crew. I'm sure there are many Maliri that would love to join the crew, and terrans have volunteered, though they weren't aware of what that really entailed. Whether they are fully recruited or not is another question, and up to John and the girls. An extension of this would be the staff at Saelihn Immanthe, which John has at least hinted that he might be willing to recruit. 2) Even Edraele is aware of the benefits of having closer relations with some of the Maliri military, and the resulting telepathic communication benefits that brings; hence her recent "activities" with Amlaril, her Fleet Commander. As an extreme example, in the coming Progenitor war, imagine the coordination that Calara could bring if, at a minimum, every Maliri Fleet Commander, ship captain, ship navigator, etc were all telepathically connected. 3) While the Matriarchs are doing much better managing their Houses, I agree that they could probably do even better if some of their staff, assassins, and at least a few on each planet, the governor, etc, were all "brought on board." How much of the military and planetary recruitment should also be carried out in the other Thrall species, the Larathyrans and all of the others, is debatable, but until Xar is defeated, I would think that John should fully claim each one, for their protection, if nothing else. To accomplish all of the above, I believe that John needs to utilize BOTH the vats and the more personal approach. He needs to distinguish between the purposes the two different approaches can be used for. The personal approach, including one-on-one encounters, is for those that he has an on-going personal relationship with, whether or not they choose to produce children together. While the vats can be used mainly to just allow the connection and communication benefits, where John might not ever even meet the individuals in person. Whether John is able to agree to that is still to be determined. If you've manged to read this entire post, what are your thoughts?

Diego

Re: Population numbers in thrall empires I've seen estimations that a population of about 300 million is needed to sustain a modern technological society. If we allow for more automation and a longer productive lifespan, I'd say a thrall empire needs a minimum of 100 million people to be stable, and more if it wants to expand. The red thrall empire is starting to face population shortages, so it might be near that limit. Interestingly, John might be sitting on a population base much larger than any thrall empire, as seen by the amount of fleets the Maliri and Terrans can field versus the only 6 fleets Larathyrans have.

Christopher Miller

I agree that he should use both methods of recruiting. Even without intensive "getting to know you time" every Maliri's existence would be improved by being recruited by John. They would be more attractive to Maliri men and their personalities would be influenced for the better. As to the Malari aristocracy as I understand it it's a much, much bigger issue. The aristocracy isn't just the noble houses themselves and the planetary governors. It's a huge caste that contains a fourth?, A fifth?, of the whole population. Why do I think that? It's been made clear several times that Malari commoners don't have the money or influence to be able to court the station males. They have ZERO hope of becoming a mother to so much as a single child. Remember how astonished the Genthalas engineers were to be given an opportunity to travel to Geniya? How about how astounded the rank and file soldiers and sailors on the Trankatan relief force were when John announced he was going to make sure they all got the chance to be mothers? Remember Cereden's daughters? Their mother was a noble, but the only job any of them was mentioned as having was a "glorified clerk" position. She as a "noble" was a very minor bereaucrat. Basically nobles aren't just noble houses, they're the granddaughters, nieces, great-great granddaughters, cousins, great-grandnieces, etc, etc. They hold the more prestigious positions, access to weath and are probably the top third or fourth of the population. But I may have assumed to much.

Christopher Miller

Good ideas Evan. I agree with both you and JK. It's a long term project on the back burner ATM.

TF4EVA

what part will John's other allies play in the upcoming fray? we keep concentrating for good reason on the Maliri and terrans.

Big Orca

There seems to be an issue with this upcoming Zelig ending Attack: Gahl’s purpose in this area. He must have received very specific instruction to hunt down the rogue progenitor, and side tracking to attack some Thrall like race would take him off his primary mission. It seems like a possible scenario that as Gahl gets ready to attack, that he somehow receives a stern reprimand from Xar to “get with the damn program”.

TF4EVA

Maybe we need some Drakkar pod mothers to help even the odds while we are waiting for Rahn or John to do their thing....

jdg45

.133 For a change of pace... Irillith said ages ago she needs to develop a script to run when she has hacked an opposing ship. Now that she has full access to Larn's fleets a script to get distant fleets to the warp gate unattended could be developed?

Malcolm Rickarby

If Gahl is easily enraged beyond reasonable fear of danger,it might be possible to get him to chase the Invictus too close to a star where Alyssa has calculated her slingshot effect, but the far greater mass and slightly less power to weight ratio could lead to disaster for Gahl and his dreadnought. It is one area that we know that the Invictus is superior to progenitor technology.💫💥✨

AzureReader

As the drama ramps up I’m concerned about the Maliri trading stations. If Gahl is going to be where Zelig is ‘by evening’ it seems like he could be at the trading stations in less than 2-3 days. Sooner with a wormhole jump. Whatever plans they were just beginning to form for the stations would seem to be too late unless Gahl’ gets distracted from his mission by ‘bathing his sword in the blood of…’ blah, blah, monologging. Or if Zelig sends him in the wrong direction before he gets killed - like to Brimor.

Kensyi

There is one thread that we haven't touched on since it was brought up, the presence that was in the Brimorian Net that watched Irillith.

Michael56Smith

.141: Oh yeah, like we need another thread, rediscovered, ... again with the long-term planning Tef, ... A theory: a highly advanced AI, purpose and mission unknown, ... possibly it is something Mael'nerak developed, but had to abandon during the War in the Heavens, .... on a par with Nexus? Or possibly it is from another highly advanced race that was very interested in an Aquatic culture, ... (Friend or foe?) ;-) TTFN

Bp Hlpt

ch 150.1 - Typos There are several instances of extra spaces. There is one extraneous space at the beginning of a paragraph: “Relax, it’s not for a couple -- delete extraneous leading space “Relax, it’s not for a couple There are two cases of double spaces within a paragraph: the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. -- delete extra space before "claims" the bank account the prosecution claims belongs to you. a shot of hard liquor. *I’m worried about him, -- delete extra space before *I'm a shot of hard liquor. *I’m worried about him, There are 101 instances of extraneous spaces at the end of a paragraph: three of them double spaces: After - fix whatever has gone wrong.” After - an intense firefight on the border.” After - he would rain down upon them. The remaining instances can be fixed by using your word processor to find a space followed by a Paragraph End Mark, set it to replace that with just a Paragraph End Mark, and replace all. ch 150.1 - Remaining Typos I'm aware of, some found by others their youthful Doctor replied. -- Doctor > doctor their youthful doctor replied. (I wasn't sure about the above, but most references I found said something like this: "Like other titles, the word “doctor“ is only capitalized when used as a title associated with a person’s name. But if the word is unnatached to the name of a specific person, then it is not capitalized.") wondering if he she’d mind delaying -- he she’d > she’d wondering if she’d mind delaying around them at a high speed, -- a high > high around them at high speed, She shimmered in a brown haze, -- brown > black (Since Marika is black and silver, and the haze when the Nymphs shift is usually of their primay color??) She shimmered in a black haze, the sharkskin a tawny brown -- sharkskin > shark's skin (since we're talking about the skin of a shark shaped creature) the shark's skin a tawny brown You caught me totally off-guard and I was acting -- add a comma after "off-guard" You caught me totally off-guard, and I was acting Prioritising the mental wellbeing of the living -- wellbeing > well-being Prioritising the mental well-being of the living grabbed her hover car’s keyfob -- hover car’s > hovercar’s (In ch 147 hovercar was one word. Have you changed your mind?) grabbed her hovercar’s keyfob selection of tools, including all her mother’s favourites and loaded -- add a comma after favourites selection of tools, including all her mother’s favourites, and loaded into the back of the hover car. -- hover car > hovercar into the back of the hovercar. load them up in her hover car, -- hover car > hovercar load them up in her hovercar, The dark clouds of depression rolled back as the warmth -- back > back in (otherwise, to me, "rolled back" == "rolled away") The dark clouds of depression rolled back in as the warmth recording their confrontation. -- confrontation > meeting ("confrontation" implies adversarial, and the lawyer is 'supposed' to be on his side) recording their meeting. the evidence was proving firmly to the contrary. -- syntax (you might have started out saying "prointing firmly to the contrary" ??) the evidence was firmly proving the contrary. -or- the evidence was firmly proving the opposite. stared away into the distance. -- stared away > stared -or- away > off stared into the distance. -or- stared off into the distance. She beckoned him to follow after her, -- follow after > follow She beckoned him to follow her, the sleek framework for a brand new spacecraft. -- brand new > brand-new the sleek framework for a brand-new spacecraft. from furniture to war trophies all of which had been hacked to pieces. -- add comma after "trophies" from furniture to war trophies, all of which had been hacked to pieces. he said nodding his approval. -- add comma after "said" he said, nodding his approval. She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair, and tried to suppress -- remove comma after "pair" She gritted her teeth at the fleeting looks she received from the next pair and tried to suppress Instead she stood aloof -- add comma after "Instead" Instead, she stood aloof It took every bit of Valeria’s self control not to dance -- self control > self-control It took every bit of Valeria’s self-control not to dance he tapped on the room for the upper deck -- room > rune he tapped on the rune for the upper deck Sent out the order for all of them to report -- Sent > Send Send out the order for all of them to report leaned forward on his chair, his face alight -- change comma to semicolon leaned forward on his chair; his face alight

AK Furry

Thanks for the combined chapter Tefler! What a monster ! Here's a small typo that I don't think was reported yet. She opened her mouth to raise another point, then feel silent. fell?

Steven

I just finished reading chapter 150.1 where John is struggling with the decimated Larathyran thralls. It would be fascinating if one of the unknown attributes of his runesword could be to cut the bond to his opponent's thralls (batteries) and connecting the bond to him (John). Thereby isolating the opponent, saving the Thralls and making himself more powerful so that eventually John could effectually challenge Xar’aziuth.