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Hey everyone,

As discussed in the previous post, I'll be charging for this one as a "payment in advance" for chapter 144. Thanks to all of you for your kind words of support!

I thought I'd include a bonus on this post, so I added my character glossary. I refer to this frequently when writing TSM and it includes some of my notes about the individual places or characters in the story.

Anyone scored through is dead!

WARNING! There could be some mild spoilers in this document. I've gone through it and removed some of the more glaring ones, but I might have missed something. 

I hope you enjoy reading it.

Tefler

Comments

Anonymous

Unexpected surprise, Thank you

Tefler Fan 007

002…..Tefler you rock!!!!

Anonymous

This is awesome and very much appreciated, but I can't bring myself to open this file in case there is the slightest spoiler. I love your work waaaaaay to much to take the risk, at least until a braver soul confirms there isn't a risk! Still, extremely grateful and as always I look forward to the next installment!

Anonymous

Nice valu-add bro. Much appreciated.

Tefler Fan 007

Worth the money…only one little spoiler I noticed but it’s hard to put it in context and will be a few chapters away. Nice seeing Tefler’s character’s, locations, and technical information in one spot. Doesn’t seem to have been updated recently since it said Calara was a Commander. Worth the money.👍👍

TF4EVA

pppfffff sorry indeed! this list is gold. I think I spotted one potential 'spoiler' now my mind is running wild and like fan boy 007, believe context is soooo important.... thank you for this and look forward to the next two chapters

BrianM

Thank you very much for the Character Glossary. Super useful resource!

Evan

Thank you, Tefler! Very interesting reading!

Bp Hlpt

Thanks, Tefler!

Whoriar

Someone is going to be updating the wiki soon I guess

Jedi Khan

Yup. Spotted one name that we've never seen before. Gonna be interesting to see the reveal in story for that one.

Michael56Smith

.9: Okay, who, what, when, and where is this new Asshat -- "Wael'rakash" ?? was he one of the conquests of Larn'kelnar (in his trophy room),..? Or is this a new evil and cruel Asshat that John and the girls must soon reduce to room temperature? huh? '-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.10: I know it's not right, and is quite disrespectful,.. but I really enjoy calling those cruel, despicable, and evil Progenitors, Asshats,... and I can type it lots faster too,.. exiting stage left, havering all the way,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

Really excited to see this, thanks

Anonymous

Had a quick look, not realising there could be spoilers. Got about a page in and started realising I was reading slight spoilers. Can't say I've ever closed a Tefler document quicker!

Brian Woods

…so, remember when Gahl was destroying Rahn’s ship on Arcadia? Valeria was watching him, as were the other bridge officers? He got progressively angrier until he decimated a console with one of his axes, and then mentions he wanted to invade Wael’s domain and ‘bathe in the blood of his thralls’, so Wael’rakesh is likely a neighboring Progenitor to his empire. Which, oddly enough, brings up an interesting point about how much your garden variety Progenitor knows about the others out in the universe, given Larn had a detailed map locating several dozen…food for thought…

Anonymous

We now have our answer to GK's home world: Galkiran or Galkiras Empire

bigdawguw65

He was the Progenitor GK was planning to attack before Xar sent him to take care of john....fyi

Anonymous

I noticed one and possible two spoilers. I also noticed an error. You have Faye name crossed out. I know she's not gone because they will bring her back. So yeah you crossing that name off is mean, evil, and vile cause it makes people think she's gone gone. (I will keep my irrational optimism she will be back until you type the words "The End")

Tefler Fan 007

For me personally, this glossary was worth the charge. If you want to charge for 144 I would not be against it😁. Tefler you might want to take a poll to see how everyone else feels.

Anonymous

I was saying he should do a go fund me if he wants a separate fund stream for the roof. In the case of this release it gets a bit confusing.

Michael56Smith

.33: Yeah, it was both, in one spot it was crossed out, and in the other it was not,.. thus Tef signals that our pretty, perky, purple pixie, Faye is in Limbo at present,.. right? ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

I would like a pronunciation guide on all the names

Anonymous

Chapter 143 you could hope that if you say the name of their late master and ask for a parlay and if they listen then inform them of all that has happened until now including John claiming the Milari sending them all the videos and Doc's supporting this, telling them you are the desendents of Mael and that the one's that killed their Master is your Enemy too! let them see the twinswithout their helmets on to reinforce this then see if Little foot can show them Faye to see if they can help

Anonymous

Maybe John and the team will show up at the right time when Gal is fighting Wael and get a two for one. A little progenitor royal rumble

Michael56Smith

.39: "Little Foot"?,.. Oh Kenny, you probably meant to write "Little one" or Daphne as she is now known,.. shame on you,.. next time stop to look it up,..!!! But excellent point in trying to supply that adversarial AI on Kythshara with some data to bolster their sides points and arguments,.. ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.40: Unfortunately, Gahl'kelgor is on the opposite side of the galaxy from Wael now, and his war/attack plans have possibly permanently been postponed,.. so no conflict for John to exploit on this side of the galaxy,.. nice try though,.. And you are right in that it would not take much to get these adolescent Demi-Gods to rumble at each other,.. maybe John can use the Distraction of 'other' wars with each other to defeat those Asshats,.. ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.41: I too vote Yes,.. and voting fashionably late cause I would have thought helping out our (okay one of our,..) favorite authors in a fairly tight financial bind, and a time crunch, with a really small individual donation, would be a no-brainer,.. but all together we tossed him a few grand (nothing to sneeze at, for sure),.. and I'm loving the glossary and how it's laid out,.. although parts are out dated, and a few are just wrong, (not Tef's TSM canon, an oopsy was made). So, put me down as a yes please, thanks,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

Jade going out of action in the middle of action is becoming a pattern: Slept through the rescue of Niskera, went AWOL during the battle of Terra and now she froze up. The current situation does provide a very setup to advance her arc, interested to see how it plays out. Hopefully she'll be a bit more reliable after this.

Michael56Smith

.43: Yeah, that TSM Character Glossary, will really need some major league up dating on all of the Nymphs soon, as well as all the refit of Invictus and the Auxiliaries info,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Now that the raptor is thoroughly destroyed, how about they build their own custom gun ship? They can make one that is stronger faster and more deadlier with all the new technology. They can use it as a test bed before they make their new Auxiliary ship/destroyer.😁

Michael56Smith

.45: And the new and improved gun ship can have more hard points to attach weapons to,.. a problem with the old / current Raptor gun ship, was too limited. And with an Etherium enhanced Maliri crystal hull and superstructure supporting the awesome 35 shaped CA armor plus being runed,.. Also a gun ship is small enough to use some Crystal Alyssium for various relatively small parts, like landing gear, and fuel tanks,.. I like your thinking in using this gun ship redo to learn from before they build that 'dreadnought buster' Auxiliary vessel,.. ;-p TTFN

Anonymous

Looking forward to the next installment, your stories kind of remind of my childhood (late 40s) in San Francisco. I used tog go to the movies in Saturday, cost 25 cents. Got to features, a cartoon, news reel and a serial-usually a cliff hanger-so you had to come back every week to see what happened. Your stories are something like that at times but I love them. I may have to go back to the beginning and start again!

Who Me

IF they make it off the planet AND have enough time to build it

Tefler Fan 007

We can kind of guarantee that they’ll make it off the planet. Not like Tefler is going to end the story now.

Anonymous

Didn't the Raptor get repaired? I seem to recall John using it to retrieve the wayward MecBots.

Michael56Smith

,50: Okay,.. wow,.. alright,.. back shortly after the Invectus was cut in half, and 3 maintenence 'bots were sucked out into space, the Invictus had only reached low orbit at that time, so it was pulled back towards the planet, the 'bots too. The ship's two main half's landed pretty much safely,.. The gang killed Larn'kelnar and took his Ascendency class shuttle ( high end-Progenitor use only ) to reach the planet and the broken Invictus,.. The poor broken Raptor was still floating in a higher orbit,.. they did use that Ascendency class shuttle the next day (after Gahl'kelgor shot up the place and left via his dreadnought's Worm-hole Generator),.. the Progenitor shuttle handled quite well,.. they retrieved the 'bots,.. and all were sad about losing Faye,.. After they put the Invictus back together, they picked up the broken Raptor as they left Arcadia and did it's repairs enroute to their next destination. Later, Alyssa blasted a big hole in that Ascendency shuttle, just because she really didn't like it's looks,.. And of course you saw them give the Raptor a quick upgrade to it's armor just prior to their Mists/Kythshara mission, good thing too, huh? So, no they didn't use the Raptor to retrieve the maintenence 'bots,.. ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.52: Sorry DHC, but now you know that the Raptor got shot up, but land well enough to safely bring John and the girls to Kythshara,.. what did you expect them to fail?,.. to get shot out of the sky?,.. but don't worry,.. Tef left us a bit of a cliffhanger (when doesn't he?), so you will have avoided that by waiting,.. (dang, but you have much more will power than I do,.. or is that won't read it yet power?),.. anyway, good job with the support while waiting for the complete chapter,.. good man! pip-pip! ;-) TTFN

Who Me

I abso-positively LOVE the Character Glossary! Well Done!

DemonHunterCole

Man, I was really unlucky. Your post was the first of the two shown when I opened the site to finally read the half chapter and instantly regretted deciding to read it right then.

Anonymous

Yes in chapter 106, both Calara and Rachel were promoted to Captain.

bjcreek

Already knew from reading so far that the Maliri were a ton to keep up with. Now I can see they are several tons to keep up with, and rapidly expanding. Hats off to you, Tefler!

DemonHunterCole

So, the ultimate question… did anyone spot any spoilers in this?

Anonymous

Ch107, Underworld "The disconcerting lightshow stopped as suddenly as it started, the amber illumination briefly revealing a tan-coloured figure that scuttled away, disappearing into another darkened area." I would love it if Tefler revisited the Enshunu and the Achonin. So many tantalizing hints made, but no closure in sight.

Michael56Smith

.61: Yeah, what he said! More Ancient Achonin revelations,.. the Nymph connection,.. the Shroud connection,.. Were they psychic? Were they shape shifters? ,.. I don't like the Enshunu much, what about their females? evil or good, slaves or equals? ;-) TTFN

Jedi Khan

You're going to have to wait for the sequel. Tefler has said that he'll revisit the Enshunu then. Along with the Shroud and a few other things that are left unfinished.

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

It is getting to the point I am expecting the rest of 143 to be published. I absolutely didn't mind helping Tefler out. But he did make a promise in return. And it will burn him later if he procrastinates. That isn't a threat from me. I don't mind helping him out. But others may be less forgiving and I would hate to see any ramifications from that perceived breach of trust.

Tefler Fan 007

Personally I think it will be around the 15th. Two weeks would be ok and possibly up to three weeks. Personally I think the glossary was worth the extra charge on its own and was nice to see his train of thought. We will just have to see how it goes and Tefler did say he was dealing with a lot right now so 2-3 weeks is reasonable. Just my opinion 😁.

Nonconformist

when Tefler made the ask I took it to mean that the rest of the chapter as well as the next would be in late October. That was how I read the info in his request.

Michael56Smith

.69: -- those are as good of guesstimations as you'll get anywhere,.. cum on part 2,.. ;-) TTFN

raymond sisko

I plan to give him the time to do what he needs to do. After all he's only human not John!😂 I'm the patient type.

jdg45

71 Errata and spoiler? * UWS-01 Strike Valkyrie Ultra (Ultima Weapon System) – 20m Ch. 78 Arriving at her destination, Dana flipped a switch to shift from flight mode to battle mode and landed the thirty-metre-tall mecha on the vast silvery hull of the Legacy. * Raptor – 30m Ch. 20 The gunship was big for a ship of its class, measuring 40 metres in length... * And the spoiler is the AI listed as dead at 2 months old. Then there is "/10k+"! That age can only be the AI on Kythshara. And as Daphne has all the notes and records left then maybe we are about to witness a reincarnation? Of course the requisitioned AI will have to adapt and agree to join the crew - so maybe there will be some differences?

Michael56Smith

.72: Yeah, 30m for the Mech. nearly 100 foot tall, and 40m for the Raptor gun ship, but maybe, when they totally redo it this time, maybe it will be even bigger to give them more weapons hard points,.. Also I'm fairly sure that 10K+ refers to the 'hacking deck that Tashana found and then gifted to her sister as some proof of her studies into Mael'nerak. And yeah, will it really be our Faye that they restore?,.. but with a good bit of her 'love' studies memories, an her core personality from the 'hacking deck' the same, then it should be our beloved purple pixie, or at least a fairly close 'psuedo' Faye,.. And maybe they will feel a need to save this newer, improved, NEXUS type AI and transfer it or a copy into the Invictus systems, before ultimately granting him an Avatar body to run around in,.. So, that's a lot of maybes, but what will Tef really do? we'll have to wait and see, squirming and gnashing our teeth,.. but waiting,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

SPOILER ALERT!!! Ok now that I have given people who have not read the glossary proper notice, the only spoiler I noticed that has not happened yet was were it talked about Kali’s assassins. Avelissa and Renaya (House Loraleth assassins – Kali orders them to protect Helene). Without context we don’t know why they were needed to protect Helene. There is a bunch of possibilities but I think it will be when Helene is trying to help her people that were rescued by the Maliri.😁

Tefler Fan 007

Whenever they are talking about sizes in meters I internally switch to yards and compare it to a football field. Tachyon lances 10m = roughly 10 yards. Raptor 40m= roughly half the length of a football field. Invictus 750m = roughly 8 football fields or two laps around the track around a high school football field.😁

Michael56Smith

.75: Alright, excellent catch there TF, I had to go back and really, really look even after your comment told me what to look for,.. I'd skipped over it because it was buried in among info on various Fleet commanders, and those hot-shot Maliri fighter pilots,.. So awesome catch, not just a numbers typo, but some real, juicy, likely coming up soon spoiler info,.. I hope part 2 drops soon, so we can see it unfold,.. ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.76: And it's too bad that the Brimorian's don't have hair on their scaley craniums, 'cause Deep Lord Athgiloi would be snatched bald-headed by this time, with all the reversals he has taken recently,.. poor guy is almost totally clueless,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

I gave everyone 10 days to read before posting about it because I felt bad for DHC when he saw my post about the Raptor and it spoiled it for him. Granted I can’t wait a day before reading each part but some people like to wait for whole thing.

DemonHunterCole

I was only upset because I wasn’t expecting that to be a comment on the glossary. I’m over it now.

Brian Woods

…I think there is another ‘spoiler’ to be found in the glossary, or rather not to be found. What’s missing is just as important as what’s actually there, specifically the missing names for all those in Larn’kelnar’s capital city. Like Aurelei and her fellow students, the men clearing the capital, one can only suppose this is a powerful indication that he has currently developing plans for them in the story, say in 3-5 chapters or so. Quite the cliffhanger if I do say so myself!

Tefler Fan 007

The Brimorian's are about to get ass fucked….by the kirrix 😁. The deep pool is going to shit themselves when their worlds start to fall.

Michael56Smith

.81: SAVE the Abandoned!! help. help!! I thought that the bugs didn't like those water worlds,.. or to fight underwater,.. is this and emergency program that they had in the planning stages, with some limited training and equipment,.. then their plans moved up due to John and company drying up many or all of their other sources of hosts for their eggs,.. well the Brimorians can shit themselves, while the Bugs go fishing,.. and the Kirrix can all drown for all I care,.. Flush the Deep Pool!! ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

A possible solution for the Abandoned issue would be a role reversal. The abandoned (renamed the Arisen?) become the rulers of the Enclave and the Brimorians become subservient to them as penance. It solves the infrastructure and transportation issues (you simply can't move billions of people in a meaningful time frame with the technology available). The Brimorians can help with education and keep the Enclave running... And farm some kelp of course.

Tefler Fan 007

The bugs are just going to poison the water and force the Brimorians and Abandoned to the surface 😁. John with rush to save as many abandoned as he can and leave the Brimorians to be ass raped by the bugs.

Anonymous

I think the Bugs are done for. They're in "be nowhere near Blake" mode. But the water poison idea is a cool solution for them to get "the chattel". Nice.

Tefler Fan 007

There is still one dreadnought and fleet heading towards the Brimorians to collect the abandoned slaves that the Maliri already rescued. Gahl will probably wipe out all the rest of the bugs but that one fleet will end up being the last. The queen on board, being the last, will probably have to make some sort of deal with John in order for them to survive.

Anonymous

Not happening, but a changed Kirrix queen tickles my imagination. Far more alien than even Tamolith, it does make you wonder. He might be able to change her in such a way that they can procreate non-destructively.

Brian Woods

Remember that Rachel understands genetic engineering much more than anyone else in the sector, so perhaps John won’t need to ‘recruit’ a Kirrix to fix their problem. But…my money is on a hybrid species carrying on the futures of the Kirrix and Vulkat together, which John may indeed join in to give Nkkrrit a peaceful and fulfilling end.

Tefler Fan 007

When I said John would help the kirrix I did not mean add them to his group. He might give then a world in Brimorians space and tell them if they leave the system John will wipe them out. Sort of quarantine them to one system or Rachel could come up with a way to alter their DNA so they could breed with that other symbiotic species again and bypass the shroud. But at no time am I suggesting that John adds them to his network. But with Gahl at Arcadia as his base of operations it is more than likely he will wipe out the Kirrix home world. With Queens only riding in dreadnoughts and we know they are sending the last one in a fleet to collect the abandoned slaves from the Brimorians it’s a good guess that queen will be the last. Either John will help them somehow or he will exterminate them from the galaxy😁.

Anonymous

I totally agree that John would never add them to his network. I just couldn't help wondering what a humanoid Kirrix would look like. That chick from Starcraft was a nice blend of scary and hot.

Tefler Fan 007

Damn it’s been so long since I played Starcraft 😁. Your right that chick was scary hot🤣.

Tefler Fan 007

Radom thought- John and Rachel could combine Kirrix and Vulkat dna to help bring the Vulkat back from extinction.

Brian Woods

Yeah, Fan007, that was one of my musings as well. Nkkrrit, as a spider race, is a vastly powerful psychic and capable of laying her own eggs, provided proper genetic material of course. If the Hive Queens of the Kirrix were able to lay eggs like the Vulkat, from some sort of disposable sack, their innate psychic abilities would probably overcome the interference of the Shroud that forces them to use sentient beings as incubation tools. Thus, a new breed of Kirrix modeled after the Vulkat, could possibly be a way for Nkkrrit to save her people…

Brian Woods

It might also solve the moral dilemma of ‘saving’ the Kirrix after all the genocide they’ve committed; after all, the ‘new Kirrix’ won’t have ever done what the old race did, and the old Hive Mind and species would be prevented from procreating upon pain of death :0.

Michael56Smith

.94: Wow!,.. you guys are Really talking about playing God with two separate Alien species,.. and I think that the Shrouds effect on Kirrix Grubs is to free them from the powerful and over controlling minds of their lazy, ignorant brood mothers,.. and the bugs don't know how to raise independently an minded brood of young bugs, so they kill them,.. the Shroud could have been a real evolutionary gift to the Kirrix, but they could not, would not change,.. bugs! :-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

John is at least a Demigod so why not try and bring back the Vulkat. Mael created several species including mankind so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. Even if they decide to completely wipe out the kirrix they should do something to bring back the Vulkat.

Anonymous

I very much like TF007's the idea of restoring the Vulkat. I'm not really on-board with using the Kirrix to that end. They ideologically opposed and aside from both being psychic really have little in common. If Rachel could scrape DNA from deceased Vulkat to use as a base for enough genetic diversity for a new generation of pure Vulkat would be a more fitting solution imho. She could use Mael's clone lab (which they're probably about to find) to grow new specimens.

DemonHunterCole

This post has 99 comments, but an update ain’t one. Hit me.

Michael56Smith

.100: I really liked Tef's glossary,.. well worth the extra charge on Sept's monthly bill,.. I have a messy, notebook with some of the same types of info in it, but not nearly as neatly organized,.. but Tef really needs a handy reference like that considering the size and scope of Three Squire Meals,.. my notebook is mainly useful to me when I need to check the spelling of TSM related items for this comment section,.. but then after typing Mael'nerak or Bael'thelas a few dozen times you begin to remember them,.. I expect with the gang exploring Kythshara and then recovering Larn'kelnar's dead fleet of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, that I'll need to make more messy notes of new things to spell and make a reference to (like something to help restore our Faye). ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

i cant wait to find out more about Wael’rakash thrals it says black meaning black skin so when john makes them his the hair turns white they look like drow elves so hot

Michael56Smith

.102: Ole Wail'rakash was left behind in the greater Progenitor part of the galaxy,.. a neighboring empire to our current troublesome Asshat, Gahl'kelgor, that Gahl had planned on invading/attacking before Xar'azuith sent him after Bael'thelas,.. so we may only see him and his thralls when John gets around to ending that cruel Progenitor as part of his overall plan to wipe out all of the Progenitors (and maybe restore the Kyth'faren, he already has Alyssa,..),.. But, yeah, fascinating, all the different seeded thrall species, various colors, shades, and tints,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Are there pink, purple, albino, or yellow thralls? I do believe Alyssa saw Yellow thralls as psychic echos on the legacy when she passed out but not sure. With 40 other thrall races (1 per progenitor) there is only so many colors there can be before you have to do different shades of each color (light, medium, dark complexion).

Tefler Fan 007

Random subject- when the wedding takes place on Oceanas John needs to have them design the island so there is a small island (100m x 100m) next to the main island that’s all flat for Progenitor training. It will be connected to the main island by an elevated walkway. There will be many guests and probably some admirals so John and Sakura could give a full demonstration of progenitors doing battle. Jack and his sons will be shocked. Maria will get horny😁. The admirals will finally understand what they are going up against and be glad John is on their side. Maybe Maria will cash in her “free pass” the night before the wedding and Jack will be distracted by a bunch of horny Maliri that think he’s hot.🤣. Just a random idea.

Michael56Smith

.105: And you just keep on thinking those 'randy', err random thoughts,.. nice thunking there TF! ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.106: And do some of those other thralls come in stripes or spots, like the Nymphs? or maybe half and half, split down the middle, like that TOS Star Trek episode,.. ;-) TTFN

Jedi Khan

While John and Sakura going at it might provide an idea of how Progenitors themselves might fight, that doesn't do anything to demonstrate what the Terran admirals would be facing: the rank and file Thralls. Having the TFed admirals try their hand at the game that the team developed to end the Maliri civil war would be a better demonstration of what they'll be up against. Just update the game with Thrall and TFed ships instead of Maliri, lower the competency of the opposing commander so they aren't facing Calara, then have the Admirals give the game a go. Maybe even give them five minutes before the Thrall ships return fire.

Jedi Khan

Demonstrating the power and ferocity of a Progenitor fight might be shock and awe to the TFed admiralty, the real eye opener would be demonstrating just how outclassed the TFed military is by the rank and file Thrall forces.

Michael56Smith

.109: Yeah, and in the demo game the invading thralls can be either striped or pokka-dotted just for fun when they storm the Admirals command ship,.. not that they would actually need to, but just to show off how tough the thrall ground/boarding troops would be, a little bit anyway,.. And even when the (Demo-VI) Asshat in command of the thrall fleet makes a mistake or three, the Admirals still can't win,.. They'll swear it's a rigged game! ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

I like the idea of the virtual demo. When the admirals ask about the weapons and the armor the program can show them a picture of a soul forge sucking the life out of thralls. That should shock the admirals and give them a good idea off what there facing. Even if John shows them the tech for the weapons they still don’t have anyway to make them without the black metal. The program will say that John refuses to use a soul forge and has to come up with an alternate way to make the weapons and armor.

Jedi Khan

Yeah, I don't see any reason to reveal the Soul Forge or anything like it to the TFed. That's Need to Know only info, and the Terrans don't need to know.

Anonymous

Random thought (never going to happen): John converts a Kirrix queen who can then procreate normally again. All variants look lot less nightmarish. They become part of his alliance. The Ashanath can talk to the drones. Drones become Ashanath mounts. Silver cowboy hats optional.

Tefler Fan 007

Hell NO!!!! John will help bring back the Vulkat first before he ever thinks about adding kirrix to alliance.

Anonymous

TF007, I know. Hence, the "never going to happen" disclaimer. It just seems hilarious to me to see a Grey ride a drone 😉

Jedi Khan

Just because they can't build it doesn't mean they can be told about its existence. Best to keep the Soul Forge a secret. If the Terrans or anyone else asks how the Progenitors weapons and armor are made, John can just say even he can't reproduce that tech (which is true) and that he's working to find an alternative (also true).

DemonHunterCole

Well, it’s the 16th and no update from Tefler. I’m going to assume he hasn’t changed his schedule to accommodate this financial emergency and we won’t get the second half of this chapter until the end of the month.

Brian Woods

…Why do I have a picture in my head of Rico from Starship Troopers riding one of those giant slug aliens dropping a hand nuke into a hole in it’s head?

Michael56Smith

.123: Yeah, I thought that movie it was pretty good too! almost 10% as good as the book,.. except for the awesome shower scene, that was way better than the book,.. and Heinlein was the Master! ( I refer you to the Man from Mars, Mike Smith, in Stranger in a Strang Land--either version) '-) GROK TTFN

Anonymous

let the man take his time it’s worth the wait

Anonymous

Well here's the rub with that. Tefler has always been notorious for having an inconsistent delivery schedule. And that in and of itself is not a major issue and your comment applies. Remember he gets paid per chapter. He has missed many payment opportunities because of this behavior. Again fine, it's his business. Now he has a financial crunch. One that he probably would not be in if it weren't for the facts mentioned above. To solve his problem he made some clear promises to his customers in order to validate what is basically an up front payment. So far he hasn't really met the expectations set by himself... Again. But now there is money involved. That is not a healthy situation and it is entirely avoidable. Note that we have also not gotten anymore feedback about progress or other relevant information.

Anonymous

I agree, he is delving in legal areas now that could spell trouble, I enjoy the story very much and would hope it continues.

Tefler Fan 007

Ok, the first payment this month was for the first part and Tefler doesn’t charge for the second when he finishes the chapter. Now a lot of people seem upset about the second payment and seem to think that the second payment would speed up the pace of the second part. I can understand people’s frustration and I know what Tefler said in his post asking for permission for the second payment, but at the time we didn’t think we would get anything for the second payment. However Tefler surprised us with the glossary and in my opinion it was worth the second payment. But originally Tefler indicated the second payment was for 144 so I understand why some people are anxious and cranky expecting 2 chapters this month however that is not a realistic time frame for the quality of work we have come to love from Tefler. I think people need to take a step back and not rush Tefler into putting something out we don’t like. Plus once finished, he still needs his editors to go through it and that takes time too. On top of all his hard work he is also dealing with structural problems with his house and the stress that goes with it. Please don’t add more stress to Tefler during this time. If Tefler fails to come through with his ambitious time frame then next time he asks for help you are free to say no. Me personally the $2 I pay per chapter is not going to break me. Tefler was upfront at the beginning that this was a stressful time. To Tefler: please don’t rush to put out unfinished work if you are not happy with it. Thank you for all your hard work on TSM.

Michael56Smith

.128 : Yes, that is so right, and I agree with TF007, that the glossary was worth the 2nd payment,.. so we have not been cheated,.. and reading Tef's request to his fans, yeah, we could expect a #143, part 2 by this time,.. but he is Tefler, a little bit late is on time for him,.. and we still might get more than just part 2 before the month is out (fingers crossed), so be of good cheer,.. And with our political leadership making mistake after mistake, we will be stuck at home for quite a while, so we might as well enjoy a good erotic space adventure,.. I plan on doing so. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

To be clear, he never stated he would deliver 2 chapters in 1 month and I'm not expecting that. However he did state an additional dedication to getting content published faster. I chose to interpret that as 1 ch/month. Per his way of working that would mean 1 part/2 weeks. It seems quite a few others have a similar interpretation of what was said which is why they're getting a bit antsy because we've passed the 15th and there's been no word. This is, again, all about expectation management. Only now the situation is compounded. I think a better approach would be to set clear deadlines and if a deadline can't be met: provide an update. This would help a great deal towards calming everyone down and would show a lot more consideration.

Anonymous

Actually according to his post Chapter 143 and the glossary are paid post. He also said he would finish 143 and releas 144 free in October. I was planning to release the first half of chapter 143 to you later tonight, but I have a big favour to ask. To avoid further damage to the kitchen, I need to get the building work started immediately, before the rain causes any more problems. I'd like to create a second paid post at the end of this month, then finish chapter 143 and 144 for you in October.

DemonHunterCole

I disagree. The glossary is a good-faith effort to show he was going to maintain his promise of delivering 1.5 chapters in October. It is not something I would pay for, as I myself used to maintain my own glossary. I only stopped updating and using it when Tefler published the first book on Amazon.

DemonHunterCole

And I’m not trying to rush Tefler. He made a promise and I would expect at least some type of update saying what’s up.

Michael56Smith

.144: Hey DHC, it's not yet the 20th, when he said TSM #143 would be complete,.. Let him keep to his schedule,.. I know that he has over promised in the past, and has the bad habit of not leaving us updates to let us know the latest, but hey, that's our Tef,.. but he has been pretty much a 'Good Boy' lately, so let's just wait and see,.. Alright? ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.134: Okay Kal'adayn, Beware of your Assumptions, and give the wonderful author of this exceptional erotic, sci-fi, space adventure tale,.. and the poor guy has a leaky roof--no fun at all,.. a break please! He Might not be able to complete TSM #144 by end of October (happy Halloween!) but I think it will be close, if at all late,.. but he has hinted that he is about ready to drop something very shortly,.. so sit back and relax, put your feet up, and chill,.. the exploration (albeit a hasty exploration) of Kythshara awaits! ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

To be honest, my expectations were set with the last part of the 143 part 1 post, as in: "I'll wrap up the rest as quickly as I can.". I am happy that the rest of chapter 143 is coming, anything from 144 would just be a bonus - As I have said numerous times, I am happy to be patient because the story is compellingly good. If Tefler rushed to finish everything then it WOULD show in the writing. I don't think any of us would be as invested in the storyline as we are if Tef didn't wait till HE was happy before posting the updates...

Anonymous

Just had a random thought, what if? Resettlement of the Abandoned to to outer rim colonies hit by the bugs? They provide the labor, federation supplies the raw resources and with multiple worlds to settle on, reintegration to their ancestors society, building/adding infrastructure, it might be a win for everyone.

20 ton

The malari have many planets with oceans and much of their cuisine involved fish. With the declining population the must be sufficient living space in port cities throughout the protectorate. My feeling is there are far less Abandoned the first estimated due to trade with the bugs. The problem with this theory is Helene would have been sent off long ago unless she were protected by the elders.

Anonymous

I honestly don't think (complete) resettlement of the Abandoned is feasible. Let's say there's ~10B Abandoned. And John has a transport capacity (from the Brimorian invasion fleet) of 1M. Account for 2 week round trip (being very generous there). Then it would take over 380 YEARS to move them all. And that doesn't take into account a myriad of other issues.

Anonymous

Actually I think the numbers of Abandoned make sense. The enclave is a major Empire, so it probably controls hundreds of worlds. Let's say that they have just 10 fully ocean-formed worlds that are well populated (highly unlikely imho). Ocean worlds have a lot more living area than terrestrial ones because you're not limited to land-masses (quite the opposite) and have no real need for them. Arguably it's also easier to build in 3D as you can go deeper into the Ocean. So saying that there's 10 worlds of 10B Brimorians each would probably be an extremely conservative estimate. Add 1B Abandoned to each world. That gives us a ratio of 10:1 master-slave. Look at Dubai, a modern state that runs on slavery; the locals are massively outnumber by the foreign "work force". Just culling off the elders that no longer breed does in no way limit the growth of the population. Your argument about Helene is valid, but maybe they just regarded her as an able-bodied worker which was more valuable to them than as a tradable commodity to the Kirrix.

Anonymous

@Shawn, that could be interpreted as finish 143 pt2 on the 15th and release 144pt1 on the 31st. That would still be 1 ch/month and is in line with historical performance. Then again "finish chapter 143 and 144 for you in October." would strongly imply 2 ch/month. Right now he seems closer to 1pt/month and it doesn't look like that will change. I'm ok with that, I just wish he wouldn't set expectations like this.

DemonHunterCole

When and where did he say it would be completed on the 20th? I haven’t seen that mentioned until now.

Michael56Smith

.143: The idea of settling at least some of the Abandoned onto the approximately 20 Maliri worlds that Edraele thought might be suitable may be worth trying, the Maliri would able to lift them slowly from nearly stone-age primitives to something a bit more modern, and some of their kids go on to be doctors and engineers,.. Again the biggest early problem is transportation to those worlds, secondly they would need at least some infrastructure to keep them living and eating okay,.. just sharing some of my 'Abandoned' thoughts,.. keep working those brain cells,.. and we'll see what Tef decides,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

I grew up on Heinlein, Such an imagination. However, I think for single minded universe building, Tefler is winning (or standing on the shoulders of giants, such as Doc Smith).

Tefler Fan 007

My personal opinion is that the Enclave will either kill a large portion of the Abandoned, use them human shields or the kirrix will kill a bunch. That last dreadnought and fleet probably have a way to cull ocean planets by either poisoning the water to force them to the surface or some sort of depth charge. When the Maliri relocate a bunch of them it will probably be a few million (20-30) to Maliri space. The TFed will probably have to move the rest, probably to the original colonies that they were abducted from. We also know that the enclave have been trading them as slaves for decades (100k a month) to the kirrix. If we use that math then in 40 years they would have killed 48 million Abandoned. Plus we don’t know how many others were killed by the enclave or and other predators in the oceans. In the end the I believe the easiest solution will be to keep them on the current worlds after John, Maliri, Kintark, TFED, and Kirrix crush them. Set them up as an minor empire within the TFED or Maliri Protectorate on the worlds those empires claim once the enclave is no more. 😁

Anonymous

@TF007, yeah I basically suggested the same thing (keeping them where they are) some time ago. Moving them (all) is simply impractical on a useful timescale.

Anonymous

Random thought: Would the Brimorians make good sushi? (feel free to interpret this in multiple ways).

Michael56Smith

.148: And I have saved back a jug of 100 proof 'Kool-Aid',.. and I have a readable copy of 'Tefler Maniacs' lyrics, and I'm not afraid to start belching out a tune (mostly off key, of course),.. so beware if at least the TSM#143, part two doesn't drop soon, I may bust out the old shtick! so watch it! ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Maybe a fish fry?🤣 Deep Fried makes everything taste better 😁. Might taste like tuna as a red meat. Might need to cut into their tail to check meat quality and fat content and don’t forget the core sample🤔. Maybe they could get $10-15 credits per pound🤣. Wicked Tuna (Brimorian) for the win!!!!! They could make a new TV show for the new Maliri broadcasting channel 🤣🤣🤣.

Tefler Fan 007

YESSSS!!!!! My ‘kool aid’ is still fermenting, trying to get to 150 proof.

Michael56Smith

.150: BURP, BELCH, and Poot a little gas,.. "where oh where,.." press F5 key,.. (I can feel myself slipping,..) :-0 TTFN

jdg45

152 The 10 billion was an estimate but now we know all the older Abandoned were sold off to the Kirrix. So a much lower population is probable.

Anonymous

looking forward to 143 part 2 but want 144 asap lol

mistwolf_2k

I fully agree with your stance here. At one point we were promised 2 chapters a month. Now we are usually at one chapter every other month. I realize his chapters are large and well written; but for the love of cheesecake at least clear the air with new expectations. Don’t just disappear for months. Fans can quickly turn into a lynch mob if they are continually fed excuses.

Anonymous

I dont think 144 will be this month as "expected" ... Perhaps 143 dot 2 if we are Lucky.

Anonymous

Patreon updated the app. Dark mode is nice. Non-indented replies are not so nice.

Michael56Smith

,156: Regarding TSM chapters #143 and #144; on 30 Sept Tef posted both the TSM #143, part one and his TSM Glossary, and if he hadn't raised any expectations for October, then us getting TSM #143, part two at the end of the month would have been our only anticipation,.. so far we have gotten an 'extra' with the Glossary,.. and maybe we still might see TSM #144 earlier than at first thought,.. right? Tef could still surprise us with 'more' at months end,.. maybe,.. I do wish he had a secretary or helper that would pass on updates for him, it would certainly cut down on fan anxiety. (hic,.. burp!) ;-) TTFN

DemonHunterCole

I’m still trying to find the reference you mentioned of Tefler promising to have 143 completed on the 20Th.

Rouge Dions

Good Evening new patron here. I can't find 141 part 2 . Can anybody post the link . Thank you

Anonymous

The way things are at the moment Tefler owes us 1 and a half chapters, the money he makes has been spent on building work and at his present output he will be having a very quiet Christmas with no income until January.

Jedi Khan

It's in chapter 141 (complete). Tefler did not post it separately.

Anonymous

Or, and I know how unlikely this is, he could publish more content and everyone will have a very merry xmas indeed 😊

DemonHunterCole

That is a very likely outcome. And I would be happy with that if he would just keep us updated.

Anonymous

let us really hope so, I love the book and I want Tefler to have a great christmas.

Myrnalin

Entitlement is strong with this one, Tefler doesnt owe you anything. You pay for each subscription not on a monthly basis and you even have the option of enjoying his content for free.

DemonHunterCole

Myrnalin, it is not entitlement when Tefler took an advance based on the words of a few from the Discord server without asking in advance on here. As of right now, Tefler owes everyone signed up to his Patreon 1.5 chapters, that he promised to deliverer in October. I’m sure the majority would be happy if he at least kept us updated on what was happening.

Anonymous

| Tefler doesnt owe you anything At the time of writing this is technically incorrect. The worst kind of incorrect. He made a promise. **He charged us for that promise.** As yet he has not delivered on that promise. This has nothing to do with entitlement.

Anonymous

I think a reasonable course of action preceding the current situation would have been: Put up a poll on Patreon to gauge how his backers felt about an upfront payment. Not all his backers are on Discord and certainly not at some arbitrary point in time.

bjcreek

I'm new to this, so please bear with me. I have the comments set for newest to oldest, but that doesn't seem to work out. Unless comments that are recent enough to fall into some kind of "batch" are clustered, but sorted oldest to newest? And then the remainder are sorted newest to oldest? There does seem to be an indistinct box around the most recent group. But it still doesn't make any sense to me to deviate from just a straight-forward "newest to oldest". Thanks, and I apologize for the confusion on my part.

Michael56Smith

.170: And should he post TSM #143, part two and TSM #144 by the evening of 31 October 2021, then he will have kept all he promised,.. although there is possibly some confusion on the #144 chapter,.. might post in November(?),.. I hope not,.. but,.. For an Author, Tef can write his update(s) in a scattered thought process, aiding the chapter promise confusion,.. I just don't know when to start pressing my F5 key in this confused environment,.. should I wait until the end of month? Yeah, I would love it if Tef gave us even a fraction of the updates many other Patreon Authors do,.. :-l TTFN

Michael56Smith

.171: Well BJ, I have left my setting on newest to oldest, and have not had any trouble with it, I sometimes need to click on the 'load more comments' to read comments that have scrolled too far back,.. usually they just just show the latest two or three comments, unless you ask them to load more,.. play with it a little, it's pretty intuitive,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Oh where, oh where has our Tefler gone, oh where oh where can he be. 😩😢. Holding out for end of the month for part 2 of 143 and part 1 of 144. We just need to have faith that Tefler will reward us soon for our continued support. If you don’t have anything positive to add go complain somewhere else. We need more people to post random, crazy, stupid, and totally off the wall ideas so we can help kick start Tefler’s brain. So on that note. When John meets the AI controlling the robots and defenses I believe it will be female and she will be lonely and Daphne will help somehow. Also the AI will probably tell John it’s purpose was to protect Valada but when it finds out it failed because Mael didn’t update her DNA for the scanner it will be upset. In the end John will probably end up leaving the planet with very little and have to wait to see if this new AI will choose to help the Maliri.🤔😁

Michael56Smith

.172: I'm sorry Kal'adyn, but if on one hand you have some poll, and on the other hand you have a number of chapter pages written and proof read,.. well I know which hand gets my vote. -- I really don't like the idea of claiming the 'right' to 'force' an Author to proceed in some way that is decided by some lame a** voting,.. Sorry, I'll watch my language in the future,.. -- Maybe, to give the voting some gravitas, you could charge around a $100 bucks per vote, that would keep the kooks and the rif-raf down,.. but what would you dictate the Author to do, write more updates? We already are asking him to do that,.. but trying to force him?, not a good idea, that would be both childish and morally bankrupt,.. (A poll about feelings?,.. pheew! a big waste of time!) ;-) TTFN

DemonHunterCole

Michael, you are misunderstanding what Kal’adayn is saying. He is saying he would have preferred a poll on here, Patreon, rather than whatever method he used on the Discord server before Tefler took this course of action.

Jedi Khan

Tefler didn't use Discord to gauge the reaction of his backers regarding the upfront payment. He put a post here on Patreon explaining the situation and asking if it was okay for him to double charge for the month even though he was only giving us half a chapter. The response to the request was an overwhelming Yes. Don't believe me? You can check out the post below, titled "Three Square Meals - Chapter 143 status," for yourself. If you were a subscriber at the time he made the post, you should have gotten an email notification about it. Since it was the end of the month when he made that post, he couldn't wait a day or two to allow folks who were offline to give a response. He waited the few hours he could to get as much of a response as possible, then carried on. "Hold on a minute, Tefler only waited a few hours! He had more time before the billing cycle ended! He could have waited longer!" This is true. Tefler waited only 3 hours after making his request before posting the first part of 143. It is also true that Tefler lives in London, UK, and Patreon is based on the US Pacific Coast and that is what they base the billing cycle due-by time on. It was already the middle of the night for Tefler when made his request, as opposed to being the middle of the afternoon for Patreon. The man needs his sleep, and if he had gone to bed after making his request, he probably would have missed the billing deadline and it would be another month before he could be paid. As for the reference he made to a Discord conversation, it was earlier in the month and not related to upfront payment. It was regarding his plans to try to get back to his previous two chapters a month schedule. I should know since I'm the one who asked him about it. The only time upfront payment was discussed on the Discord server was when Tefler made his post here on Patreon asking about it. That was it. And before you go complaining about not getting what you paid for, remember that Tefler charges by the chapter, not by the month. He only gets paid if he releases a chapter, not like other Patreon creators who charge monthly regardless of their productivity. This is the first time ever that Tefler has billed us for a post that did not include a chapter, and we gave him permission to do so. He will follow through and give us the rest of 143 and the complete 144 without billing us again. The only other situation where Tefler has billed more than once for a chapter is when the chapter is double length (60k words) or more.

Anonymous

Maybe the kick start ol’ Tef needs is to not have all of us obsessively suggesting plot ideas. It’s hard enough at this stage without a bajillion faulty plot ideas piling into his head that has its fair share as it is. Just my two cents.

Tefler Fan 007

Well Tefler has been stuck before and has used some of our ideas in the past. He even has thanked us in posts for the ideas. Plus posting random thoughts and ideas is better than complaining and still not getting anything. If we piss Tefler off he could always decide it’s not worth it and stop the story before it’s finished. I would rather support him however I can to make him continue this great story. If one idea out of a hundred helps him then it is worth it.😁.

Michael56Smith

.179: That John might end up leaving Kythshara learning a very tiny bit, but gaining very little is my worry too,.. but they need to find a Hyper-Warp gate to let them retrieve all those war craft left by Larn'kelnar. They at least need something that will let them get those lost fleets! And time is fast running out,.. How about they find Mael's prototype for the Star Forges, Dana gets it up and running correctly, and they run the Invictus through it, White metal hull and superstructure, weapons on top of weapons, Worm hole generator, etc,.. plus a few extra 'Dana' modifications to make it even better,.. look out now Gahl'kelgor, you asshat! Or maybe the AI mentions the Trankaran's (Miner's) have six Star Forges,.. and they make a quick trip to visit their favorite Glowing Queen,... while the Maliri stage the retrieval of all those ships,.. How's that for a fevered, random thought or two TF007? -- I have my F5 key and my Jug of 100 proof Kool-Aid on stand by,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Sounds great and bad at the same time😁. I have the same fear as you but in hoping ( praying) at very least they will at least find a way to bring back Faye. Faye Forever!!!❤️❤️❤️

Tefler Fan 007

Random thought - in chapter 109 Sakura pilots the valkyrie into battle equipped with solid shield matrix. The shield matrix gives ships hard shields so how does she land and walk on the dreadnought and the ground? The shields would prevent the Valkyrie from touching the ground or the ship. It would be like a hamster in a hamster ball. Just a random thought 🤔.

Anonymous

would also be kinda nice to see faye return i kinda got a lil attached to that cute sprite of a ai

Michael56Smith

182: Good thunking there TF007,.. I would have to guess that our ships cyber wizards, Irillith or Faye ( since that was pre chapter #120 / #121 ),.. they could have programmed some environmental exceptions / modifictions into the sheilds projectors,.. maybe,.. It would be like when they activate their personal shields, but are not lifted off the ground, or at least not too far up,.. and I wonder just how devastating the Valkyrie will become once Dana applies her new found knowledge to it's upgrade,.. can you say AWESOME? ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.185: YES, we NEED Faye back!!! Yeah, I miss Faye too,.. But assuming she is restored, then will she still be Faye? They have a large bit of her memories (All Love Related), and they have her core personality,.. if they can get (Kythera AI) an operating system very close/similar or preferably the same as she had before,.. then they MIGHT make a Faye that is fully restored,.. but what if she is just close,.. a Faye 2.0 which is very good, but not how she is remembered,.. or like a related AI, like a sister to Faye?,.. Yeah Tef could throw many differing monkey wrenches into her return,.. might make a good story to read, but would she really be Faye?,.. sniff, sob,.. COME BACK FAYE!!! ;-[ TTFN

Michael56Smith

.186: And this time Faye's server is going to be backed up, and also well protected behind several foot thick walls of Mael's White Metal, and maybe some force shields too,.. ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Need to make mini server and place it inside her body. Then add portable progenitor shield to her body. Then her back up server should be protected by 2 meter thick 35 shaped crystal alyssum.😁

Anonymous

or give her the ability to transfer her data stream through com beacons that she undoubtedly would be able to go through the security systems of, that would be placed on it, And just move it around to several different chassis that she would have available to her by various means aka one chassis on the maliri home world one on the ship etc etc... But will have to wait and see what tefler decides to do and doesnt do... only time will tell!

Michael56Smith

.189: Questions - would 35 shaped CA be stronger or less resilient than Mael's White Metal,.. the simpler Crystal Alyssium that was processed like Black Metal through a Soul Forge,.. tough like a dreadnought's hull,.. And could even John reshape a wall that's six and 1/2 feet thick of CA 35 times? and then do that feat 5 more times? - and I don't know if she would need a micro server on her,.. but, yeah, more back up this time, definitely!!! -- Faye!!! ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.190: Or servers in all those places, remember, Faye is the server and not the chassis,.. no matter how cute it is,.. like I say, much more and better back up this time! - Faye, come back Faye!!! ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

naw faye isnt the server she is a product of the maliri hacker deck that was left alone on the ships servers to spy for irilith initially so cant really call her "her own server" as she was growing up in the invictus internal database or "cyber realm" i believe it was called at some point in the story iirc

Michael56Smith

.192: Sorry Thomas, but she "died" when Larn'kelnar's dreadnought fired a very powerful energy beam at the Invictus, designed to cripple the ships power by destroying the power couplings to one of the ships main power cores (no shields!), and do to the angle of the shot, Faye's server was in the way, that is until it was 99.7% vaporized! That, and the initial need, a couple of months earlier, to get Faye into that server to save her life,.. she was running out of memory storage,.. she was rapidly out growing her original 'hacking deck',.. So when Faye is restored, she will need a new home, a new server,.. it's were she lives, and thinks at mega speed,.. She can travel through Cyber space, and interact with other digital creations (and her Creator) in the cyber realm, but she was just a visitor, she didn't 'live' there,.. I really do miss Faye though,.. and I hope the Faye that comes back to us (restored) is the 100% fresh perky purple pixie that we fell in love with, and not a close copy,.. So Thomas, you made some good points, but just missed the mark by a little bit,.. if Faye didn't 'die' with her server, then when they restored the Invictus's computer network and it's gateway server, she too would have been restored,.. didn't happen,.. Next time John will insist on a lot more back up and redundancies to keep her safe,... and also with Daphne and the Invictus collective at this current refit; back up memory and power supply at the bare minimum,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

yea she needed a server she came from the hacking deck but faye in herself is not a server as previously stated unless i read that completely wrong :) you wrote .190: Or servers in all those places, remember, Faye is the server and not the chassis,.. no matter how cute it is,.. like I say, much more and better back up this time! - Faye, come back Faye!!! ;-) TTFN doesnt that mean you are calling her a server in that post m8 :)?

Anonymous

faye can never be the server she is an Artificial intelligence meaning she can communicate with electronic devices ect, but that does not make her into a server that would be like calling a car an airplane

Anonymous

As an artificial construct Faye's programing and memory files were stored on a Server. ( the one that was destroyed) In the same way that your operating system and memories that make up your personality are stored in your brain. if we eliminate the brain the body still exists but generally no one considers the remaining body the "person" That does not mean she didn't connect via electronic communication.

Michael56Smith

.196: Thomas are you skirting around a concept and trying not to say that Faye was a 'real' person and had a soul? Also, it is in Tef's own writings that someone, Dana I suspect, said that Faye was the server and not the chassis,.. the server is/was where her consciousness resides ttfn

Anonymous

no im not michael :) im just saying you cannot call faye a server as you did in your previous post that is all im saying :)

Michael56Smith

.199: But Thomas, I was just quoting Tefler's own dialog from TSM, and what do you find that's wrong about Faye's (an AI) being a server (a complex electronic data processing device),.. like saying a human's consciousness is in the brain,.. Only in poetry is it in the heart,.. And Faye's server was an ultra advanced Progenitor model,.. none better, at least until Dana and Irillith get busy on computer upgrades,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

Theory: The nymphs are a replacement for the vats (as described on Larns dreadnought). They could pleasantly obtain the goods and then be used to transport it. They even come with an efficient delivery mechanism. Idea does not address: gun aversion, why they were retired (would imply that Mael stopped recruiting, which would be odd), memory wipes, etc.

Tefler Fan 007

Faye was originally a hacking deck and then Dana built her a server. Server got destroyed and Faye died (Temporarily hopefully). Fayes body was the server and when it was destroyed she didn’t jump into her android body because it was just an extension of her server. Fayes brain was her software and her body was her server. Without one you can’t have the other.

Tefler Fan 007

I think Mael used the nymphs as disposable batteries when he fell in love with Valada and the Maliri. That way he didn’t have to kill Maliri to fuel his powers. The reason Valada was so happy and proud of Mael when he released the nymphs was because Mael was able to show compassion towards a non thrall race and was growing emotionally.

Anonymous

Both are possible. Neither really address the gun aversion or the memory wipes. We may find out very soon considering they are going to look for answers regarding Jade's current condition :)

Michael56Smith

.204: Well said, well said there TF,.. the only other thing I can think of is that MAYBE some (hundreds/thousands?) of pre 72,000 years ago Nymphs were possibly captured from Achonin space by some of the Progenitors of that time, and they too were used as Psychic power batteries,.. and over the centuries they have been fought over, and outright killed by both sides in a conflict (and they always had some conflict going),.. so many, if not all have since died out there,.. If that was the case then you would think more would have challenged Mael'nerak to get more of 'his' Nymphs,.. so he must have really busted a few heads in his early days under the Shroud,.. maybe,.. but only Tef and the Achonin know and neither are telling,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

faye is an ai we agreed on that we also agree on that she lived in the invictus server that dana build for her yes, we can also agree on she came from iriliths hacking deck but evolved way past that somehow. But again the server is not faye it is merely her home just as you have a house or an apartment. and thats pretty much all i had to say lol

Anonymous

she is a self containen entity based on an Ai least how i see it that. I fail to see how you can describe a thinking individual as self concious ai as a server please do explain that one to me m8 thats all im waiting on

Brian Woods

Sooo….there is another theory out there, gentle people. Back before Mael came to Achonin space, Alyssa theorized that he had faced dire odds against a Progenitor like he did with Rahn, shown through visions of yellow at Thralls on the Legacy. The idea is that, in order to beat back his enemy at the time, Mael came up with a new species of Thrall that could serve him better than the Maliri. With more potential as a psychic battery, tougher and stronger than a normal person, the simple mental capacity to answer every order with a smile, and an ability to transform into whatever you find attractive at the moment, they gave him the strength to overcome an invader with more power than they expected. However, subsequent testing after the battle discovered irregularities in the design, and while they were proliferated amongst the other Progenitors, the issues caused their deaths after Mael had left. Mael, though, discovered that by keeping them out of battle, i.e. programming them to eschew guns and armor, kept them alive for millennia. Most likely, with Valada’s gentle encouragement, he believed he did not need the extra energy they provided to build his new metal, so he left them to a simplistic existence that would keep them from the battlefield. His death left them unprotected, however, because who else would know about their planet and what was needed to keep them safe? Valada? She was facing a painful tumor and had to reorganize Maliri society. The Ashanath? They were practically a slave race, untrusted with his master plans. No one else could defend them, leading to their near extinction. Which leads us to now, wherein we discover all the hidden secrets…on Kyth’shara…;)

Michael56Smith

.208: EXCELLENT Brian, well stated, and I like quite a bit about your thoughts and suppositions, It does imply that he (Mael'nerak) took some genetic material in one form or another from Ancient Achonin,.. were they a race of shapeshifters?,.. And was Mael'nerak sent into Achonon space by Xar'azuith, or did he come himself, to tidy up after his Nymphly exploits,. Speculations: I wonder what he did to them and how pissed the Achonin were with him,.. and then the Achonin were likely ramping up their war / battle capabilities,.. Mael then struck them before they got too strong, wiping out their empire and destroying their worlds,.. wow,.. And just how close to the basic Achonin are the Nymphs?,.. that they have been modified is a given, but by how much? And I wonder if the 'only can be breed by a Progenitor' was modified into them After Mael took over this Space and wiped out the only other breeding source, the Achonin themselves,.. thus the few Nymphs taken by other Progenitors could not be bred or in any way be reproduced with the Achonin gone, and their Nymphs would slowly die out,.. I wonder how many Nymphly psychic power batteries that yellow thralled Progenitor had? -- somehow the Nymphs are most likely a key to why the Ancient Achonin Empire was obliterated,.. Well Brian, this has been fun, inventing a past history (72,000 years ago) and the backdrop for the loss of a powerful star spanning empire, let's do this again soon, okay? ;-) TTFN

PLRus--Founding member of the TSM F5 club.

A server is not a program. It runs a program (AI), It is physical architecture only....as in a computer system. Programs are needed to make a server useful. While this is esoteric to some, it is an important distinction to those in the business.

Anonymous

so in short a server gained sentience? im sorry but am i just thinking that just sounds plain wrong that way......then why would you have 2 different things for it... i mean a server is one thing an ai is another no?

Michael56Smith

.211: I see the server as much like a human brain, and yes the programming, the software, is what made Faye, Faye,.. but destroying that server killed her brain and she died,.. there really should have been back ups in place,.. but they thought they had it all covered and there was so much else to do,.. And I just know Tef is gonna weasel his way out of restoring Faye right away,.. not having the exactly right operating system,.. and he's right, the Faye made from a slightly different operating system would not be 'our' Faye,.. maybe close, like a sister, but not really her,.. but Faye is going to return sooner or later,.. And this time more back ups,.. dang nabit! ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.212: Also, I have this theory, based on a few short lines from Faye's last chapter, she noticed 'something' and wished to talk to John about it, but ran out of time,.. Around that time Larn'kelnar's cloaked dreadnought was sniffing about,.. what if the dreadnought's advanced progenitor sensors and computer systems made a copy of Faye only hours prior to her death, maybe this copy is inactive, or is securely locked away,.. but should she get free reign in that ships data processing systems. then that dreadnought, now Rahn'hagon's, could be safe for to 'come out' ,.. and while something of a coward, John's Progenitor father is not an Asshat that wants to hurt Faye's friends,.. She could talk to Jessica and find a way to get back to the Invictus,.. lot's of if's and maybe's and Tef's story is only going to proceed his way,.. but Faye saw 'something' and it may help restore her, or why did Tef write it into that chapter? Faye come back please! ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

.213: One more try,.. when you point out a lovely woman at the beach or a pool, it is her body that you are addressing, not her brain or her soul,.. it's like that with Faye's server, just looking at her body (her server) and not her programming,.. I know her sexy chassis looks cute in a bikini,.. as her chassis sashays down the beach,.. ;-) TTFN

Anonymous

omg hahah i got it already a while i just still think calling faye's server on the invictus that she was transferred to from the hacking deck due to her memory banks having outgrown it which was also mentioned in the earlier chapters if im not mistaken. Kinda goes to show that it wasnt the server that was faye but the server that was there to accomondate her as a new home if you get what i mean? :) and thanks for the laugh from that comment m8 that was just priceless

Anonymous

Jade could also be The last original Achonin. That all came from her. Another thing of note the Achonin was reportedly pacifists. And do not recall right now to tired. Could the Shroud be linked to the Nymph race and indirectly the Achonin or even the Ashanath thenselves indurectly maintaining the Shroud as well

Anonymous

Andrew, interesting take. The only issue with the theory is that the Achonin station is very well armed which would seemingly contradict the pacifist idea. Ofc you could argue that was defensive only.

Anonymous

Remind me to only read stories that are finished. I binged read this and now that I’m caught up I can’t stand the wait.

Michael56Smith

.218: Yeah, it's just too bad that this story is so darn good and you can't stop,.. And I agree that the waiting is torture,.. - but that's life - ;-) TTFN

Splatz

Yeah. I'm not normally a reader, found this on lit a few months ago and it just sucked me in. Was caught up by mid august, having to wait after reading so much, so quickly, is torture especially given that I suspect there's only a dozen or so chapters left.

Splatz

It has been my theory for a while now that Jade and the Lenarrans are the source of The Shroud created by the Achonins (The last of the Kynfren another Theory) as lure/gift for progenitors to cut them off from Xar. The only thing that makes me doubt this is Rachel has said Mael's genetic engineering fingerprints are on the Lenarrans but that could be explained by Mael learning from and using cloning facilities he captured from the Achonins, that would explain why Maels Homeworld is called Kythshara

Anonymous

S Rednit, ok that theory wins the prize for being most original.

Jedi Khan

I proposed the theory that the Nymphs were designed for the purpose of distributing a Progenitor's spunk back when we first saw Jade's tentacocks. And yes, Mael did stop recruiting. When Rahn invaded, Mael said that the invasion was because he had become weaker. Only way for a Progenitor to become weaker is for them to stop recruiting. The invasion happened after Mael freed the Nymphs.

Tefler Fan 007

When I first found this story it took me two weeks to read all the chapters on a free website. When I learned there were more on patreon and only cost a few bucks a chapter happily donated to the cause. Great story and a great writer. You can see how Tefler improved from earlier chapters to today.

Michael56Smith

.223: Yo S Renit, fear not, and rejoice! There has been much fan talk that Tef is planning on sort of continuing this erotic Space opera with a sequel to TSM, while it moves the Invictus crew and friends into the background; it will be a new story focusing on some new players,.. all still in the 28th century,.. although I imagine there will be a little over lap, and guest appearances,... sounds fun, right? ;-) TTFN

Michael Cummings

You could always do what a lot of TSM followers do and reread! I have reread the series at least four time from chapter one on and several times from different start points!!!!

Metheus108

There was about a year where I was rereading between chapter postings from the beginning, but I slowed down a little on the rereads after maybe the 15th one to just a couple times a year

Tefler Fan 007

Finally Found it- For awhile now I have been looking for the name of the device that Dana mentioned that would help supply enough power to support using all the weapons (including quantum flux cannons), progenitor shields, and cloaking device at the same time. I finally found it- Quantum Power Augmenter. During the ship refit this piece of tech is a must. Just think, the Invictus cloaked and shielded being able to attack thrall ships using quantum flux cannons, quantum disintegrators, and tachyon lances. Larn used his cloaked and shielded Dreadnought to fire on a Terran Dreadnought at regulus and cutting Invictus in half.

Michael56Smith

.229: Yeah TF: that was way back in chapter #119, the chapter where they visited Vulkat space and got that huge archive, those pictures of that Progenitors Destroyer, and some of it's equipment gave them several pieces of new progenitor technology, such as the Quantum Power Augmenter, and that added to the Zero Point regulators that also gave them a big power boost,.. Already integrated into the Invictus after 'Dana's day' ( 24 hours of John time),.. And they now have so much new and improved stuff to once again integrate into the Invictus,.. and it's been a week or two since John passed all that progenitor info on to Dana, you know her mind has been busy checking it out, reworking and upgrading some of it,.. modifying other bits to suit their needs better,.. she likely has a lot of the next upgrade done in her head already,.. I can scarcely wait, this upgrade/refit/makeover should be AWESOME! ;-) TTFN

Tefler Fan 007

Don’t think Quantum Power Augmenter has been installed yet because the need for black metal. The Vulkat archives gave them hard shields, zero point modulator, Null inertia gyroscope, and tachyon lances. I was looking for the Quantum Power regulator for a while and finally found it. It’s the one thing that makes everything work power wise.

Anonymous

They need a third power core to balance it all out they currently have two.

Tefler Fan 007

They currently have three cores. A progenitor dreadnought has only 4. When they lengthened the Invictus they added two cores a midship for shields and weapons. Original core location runs everything else including engines.

Anonymous

In order to run shields and cloak they'll need one more core

Michael56Smith

.234: ,.. will this be an upgrade, a refit, or a complete redo or makeover? They'll need to change, improve, add, so many differing and powerful pieces of equipment. And Dana said she'd need to redo to front of the ship to accommodate certain weapon systems,.. And with the ultra strong White metal and hopefully the use of the Star Forges,.. this time the Invictus is really gonna be some kind of Beast! (a Star Beast) Can I have a Hallelujah? ;-) TTFN

TF4EVA

Am I hard enough? Am I rough enough? Am I rich enough? I'm not too blind to see......

Tefler Fan 007

Well we pretty much can guess the the nova lances will be upgraded to Quantum Disintegators, heavy cannons to quantum flux cannons, new progenitor shield and progenitor engines/ thrusters. I think the armor will stay as crystal alyssum so they can do rapid repairs. We still don’t really know how strong 35 shaped crystal alyssum is because we don’t know how strong the defense turrets were to damage it. Mael made the defenses to defeat a dreadnought so they probably won’t be standard issue.

Tefler Fan 007

My biggest fear is they leave without the warp gate and then John will have to talk to his father to get access to his. Not that it would be bad for them to talk, I just want them to move forward and start wrapping up story lines.

Tefler Fan 007

Oh and I believe they will take off the old ( original) tachyon lances and give them to upgrade Maliri ships and make new ones with 35 shaped crystal alyssum barrels (instead of current 15 shaped) so they can pump more power through them without melting. Easy upgrade for more damage.

Tefler Fan 007

They could add 2 per cruiser and make them able to be deadly. Battleships have two Nova lances so cruisers could have 2 tachyon lances. Easy upgrade to Maliri current ships.😁

Michael56Smith

.241: With all the myriad loose ends TSM has right now, even before we get any more from this risky mission,.. it might well take several more years (real world time) for Tef to wind this story down,.. except for the pieces he still needs left open for the sequel,.. i.e. : the ancient Achonin, the Enshunu, the Shroud,.. the Abandoned,.. the list goes on and on,.. and will Tom Walker be resolved in TSM or the sequel? oh well, can't hardly wait,.. ;-) TTFN