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Click hereAlyssa knelt beside Rachel and smiled as she gently stroked the comatose girl. "You managed to put her lights out with that last one."
Dana giggled as she cuddled the brunette, arms and legs wrapped around her protectively. "Any chance I can ask for a do-over? I want some of that too!"
There was laughter from the rest of the girls and murmurs of agreement, especially from the Nymphs who were gazing at John in awe.
He turned to look at Helene and saw a look of astonishment on her pretty face. "Are you alright, honey?" he asked with concern, finally getting his breathing back under control.
She blinked and looked his way, her shocked expression turning into a self-conscious blush. "I just never thought that making love could be quite so... vigorous."
John beckoned her over. "Rachel asked me to be a lot rougher than normal. I hope that didn't frighten you?"
The aquatic girl smiled and lay down beside him, joining Calara in running her fingers over his muscular chest. "No, I wasn't scared. I was just surprised at how arousing that was."
He chuckled and stroked her back. "Good to know..."
"We'll arrive at Valia Gate in just over an hour. Why don't you have a quick nap?" Alyssa suggested to John. "We'll get topped up while you rest."
John smiled when he saw the flash of excitement in Calara's and Helene's eyes at that prospect. He relaxed on the bed with a contented sigh. "Now that sounds like a wonderful idea."
***
Fleet Admiral Lynette Devereux sat cross-legged on the sofa, wearing only a white dress-shirt that was several sizes too big for her. She had folded back the sleeves and was wearing her fiancé's shirt like a dress, very much enjoying the soft fabric against her skin. Her hazel eyes flicked over the half-dozen holo-screens arrayed before her, scanning through progress reports submitted by all the admirals in High Command.
Admiral Hugo Chapman was being obstinate and stubbornly refusing to make any serious attempt to address the funding issues Lynette had raised. She understood his instinctive reluctance to abandon so many fields of military research, but the tech John was handing out like confetti would take decades, if not centuries to develop themselves. There was simply no point in blowing trillions of credits on research that would be made obsolete with a simple data transfer from humanity's benefactor. She resolved to give him another week to begin taking steps, before she stepped in and did something... drastic.
Lynette was pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastically the other senior officers were embracing her new policies. Admiral Hamilton Garbert-Smythe seemed to be on a mission to transform the Espionage Division, scything through the ineffective staff under his command in a spate of discharges or transfers. Lynette found herself looking forward to seeing what his modernised departments might accomplish when he was finished.
As much as she had been jealous of Admiral Van Den Broeck when she thought the sultry redhead was vying for Charles' affections, Lynette was forced to admit that Lina was proving to be extremely effective in her new role. Progress on the civilian sections of Olympus Shipyard was proceeding at an unparalleled pace, with contractors practically falling over themselves in their haste to bid competitively for contracts. In all her years in the Admiralty, she'd never witnessed anything quite like it.
The Propaganda Division that Lina had departed was reeling from swinging cuts to staff and resources, with many of her old staff outraged at having to transfer to new disciplines within the military. Several of her senior staff had contacted their old commanding officer, their furious messages bordering perilously close to treason. That Lina had forwarded those messages to Lynette herself had impressed the new Fleet Admiral with her loyalty, but she also realised that the redhead must be an inspirational leader, to have engendered such dedication in her own staff.
*Alyssa, do you have a moment?* she asked, as she mulled over the reports.
*Of course, beautiful,* the blonde replied, sounding pleased to hear from her as usual. *What's up?*
Lynette smiled to herself at the friendly reply, relishing the warm sense of camaraderie. *I was just wondering where John stood on additional recruitment? I've been very impressed by Admiral Van Den Broeck...*
*Your love rival?* Alyssa teased her with a melodic laugh. *I thought you wanted to claw her eyes out!*
*The very same,* the brunette replied, relaxing on the sofa. *And I've had a change of heart; she's actually a very impressive officer.*
*Oh yeah, she was a real vixen...* Alyssa purred, the sudden sultry shift in the matriarch's voice was unmistakable. *Just imagine those lovely green eyes gazing up at John as he pumps her stomach full of cum... Maybe Lina and Dana side by side, a couple of gorgeous redheads eager to be bred...*
Lynette squirmed on the sofa, feeling herself flush with arousal. *That sounds like a yes...*
Alyssa suddenly sighed with resignation. *If it were up to me, I'd agree without a second thought... assuming Lina wanted to join us of course.*
Now it was Lynette's turn to laugh. *Do you honestly think she'd turn that offer down?*
*I think John's hesitancy must be rubbing off on me... No, of course not,* the blonde replied with a telepathic grin. *Unfortunately, I know he's worried about setting up secret Lionesses, especially with Jehanna struggling being apart from us.*
*She's head over heels in love with him,* Lynette said with sympathy. *If it weren't for her concerns about her family, I think she'd give up her career and ask to join you on the Invictus.*
*We'll have to make some time for her next time we're near the Core Worlds. She obviously needs some help deciding either way,* the blonde mused.
*I agree, but I was thinking about something a little different for Lina,* Lynette said, bringing up a personnel file of the redhead and studying her picture. *Besides, more allies are always helpful and I believe we can trust her... but I'd like to be absolutely certain.*
*That's a slippery slope, Lynette,* Alyssa said with a playful lilt to her voice. *Soon you'll be asking John to turn the entire Admiralty into Lionesses. I think a few questions might be asked about affirmative action being taken a bit far if every admiral is female... barring Charles, of course.*
*But just think what we could achieve with everyone united behind us...* Lynette murmured, a wistful look in her eyes. She suddenly blinked in shock. *Oh my God! I remember John threatening to do exactly that if High Command stepped out of line... now I'm longing for it!*
*Your outlook is a little different now,* her matriarch said quietly. *You truly understand what's at stake if we fail.*
The brunette froze, her eyes wide as she stared across the room. *No... it goes far deeper than that.*
*He'd never make you choose between your loyalties, Lynette,* Alyssa said, her voice soothing. *Relax, nothing's changed.*
The Fleet Admiral nodded distractedly. *How's the liberation effort progressing?* she asked, desperate to change the uncomfortable subject.
*The Kirrix abducted almost the entire population of Karron,* the blonde replied, her voice turning bleak. *We tried to catch the fleet, but it'd been wiped out... by the Kirrix fighting amongst themselves.*
Lynette was overwhelmed by a sudden outpouring of sympathy for the young woman. *Oh, Alyssa... I'm so sorry. Karron was your home wasn't it?*
*I grew up there, but it was never much of a home,* the blonde replied sadly.
Remembering something else Alyssa had said, Lynette started in surprise. *Wait a second... You said the Kirrix attacked their own forces?! That's unheard of!*
*It seems I accidentally triggered a civil war when I confronted the Hive Mind,* Alyssa said, her voice heavy with regret. *Now the entire species is killing each other over keeping the colonists, or returning them so that we don't obliterate their homeworld in retribution.*
*My God...* Lynette muttered, as equally shocked by the revelations about the Kirrix as she was about the incredible power the blonde possessed.
*Anyway, we'll be arriving at Valia Gate soon,* Alyssa continued, shaking off her melancholy mood. *We're waiting to see what the situation is there before we decide where to head next.*
*You might be interested in a report I received from Admiral Zelig. Treatment of the infested on Carolus III is proceeding well and those colonists who were killed in the invasion have been identified and relatives notified. His fleet has also started returning citizens to Tasmaris Prime... and he wanted to let you know that they've been able to drastically reduce the waves of suicides.*
Alyssa sounded greatly relieved as she gushed, *That's great news! Please let me know about Brecken's World if you hear anything from Governor Vaughn? I'd like to know if the efforts we went to with those colonists made a difference.*
*Of course,* Lynette immediately agreed. *We're already trying to make contact with the colonies to verify their status and inform them that assistance is on the way. I've dispatched freighter fleets to the Outer Rim, bringing them an abundance of supplies. Buckingham might have abandoned those colonies, but I'm keen for them to realise that things are very different now.*
*Nice work, Lynette. They really need to know you care,* Alyssa said, her voice full of approval. *Oh, one other bit of info... The Maliri fleet completed their refit on Trankara and are heading for the Kirrix lines. Between the Maliri and the civil war, I seriously doubt the Kirrix will make any further attacks on the Terran Federation from that direction.*
Lynette brightened considerably. *Oh, excellent! Admiral Kester's been complaining about twiddling his thumbs on the border and we're desperate for operational fleets. How soon will it be until the Maliri engage the Kirrix?*
*They should reach Dun Gerluhr this afternoon, but based on Trankaran reconnaissance reports, we think the not-quite-so-bad Kirrix won in that system,* Alyssa replied, sounding thoughtful. *If those Kirrix are returning the colonists to the planet, we'll send the Maliri to liberate another occupied world. I assume you'd like to wait until the Maliri start stirring up some shit before moving Kester's fleet from the border?*
*Yes, exactly,* Lynette replied. *I don't want to take any risks denuding that border, especially after what happened on the Outer Rim.*
*Very sensible,* Alyssa agreed. *Okay, I better go, John's waking up now... unless there's anything else you wanted to discuss?*
Quickly going through her mental checklist of high-priority issues affecting the Terran Federation, Lynette replied, *I think we covered everything. Oh, one last thing! We've finished modification of our fabrication facilities and begun construction of Brimorian Shield Generators, so we'll be able to start refitting our ships tomorrow. Dacres' fleet has already been upgraded with our best heatsinks and as soon as we've installed all the new shield generators, he'll be heading to the Brimorian border.*
*Sounds good... John doesn't trust the Brimorians as far as he can throw the sneaky bastards,* Alyssa muttered.
*I've seen how strong he is,* the brunette said with a wry smile. *He could throw them pretty far!*
The blonde's amused laughter echoed through Lynette's mind. *Yeah, that's true... but still, keep an eye on them.*
*Will do,* the Fleet Admiral agreed. *Thanks for the chat this morning, it's always good to speak with you.*
*Likewise!* Alyssa said cheerfully. *Enjoy your breakfast...*
Lynette bit her lower lip and flashed a glance at the adjoining bedroom, her stomach rumbling in anticipation. *You're incorrigible...*
*I've been a good girl this morning,* Alyssa purred. *I've had mine already...*
*Goodbye, Alyssa,* Lynette said with a giggle.
Her matriarch blew her a telepathic kiss, accompanied by a loving surge that swept through the Fleet Admiral's mind and made her tingle down to her toes. Lynette sighed with contentment, feeling a lovely sense of serenity that she'd never really known until this past week. She flicked another longing glance at the bedroom, then straightened her shoulders, reminding herself she still had a job to do and her fiancé needed his sleep. Turning her attention back towards the holo-screens, she flicked through more reports and status updates, rapidly sorting through hundreds of messages.
"Lynette?" Charles murmured groggily, sounding like he'd just woken up. "Everything okay?"
She was up like a shot, bounding across the lounge and into the bedroom. "Good morning, darling!" she gushed, a dazzling smile lighting up her exquisitely beautiful face. "Did you sleep well?"
Charles had propped himself up on one elbow and he laughed as he flopped back on the bed. "How can you be so cheerful at this hour?"
"The love of a good man," she purred, prowling across the room and climbing onto the bed.
He looked at her with disbelieving eyes. "How long do you think it'll be before I stop waking up and thinking I'm still dreaming?"
She sat up on the bed and tapped a finger on her chin as if thinking it over. "Perhaps when we don't start your day with a long sensual blowjob?" Her eyes twinkled as she continued, "So basically never..."
Charles shook his head in astonishment as she ducked under the covers, then groaned as his fiancée engulfed his rapidly-hardening cock in her mouth. "I don't know about 'long', Lynette!" he gasped, running his hands through her hair as she deep-throated him effortlessly.
Her wanton moan and eager suction let him know she didn't mind a bit.
***
Lieutenant Beth Andrews approached the closed door to his quarters and pressed the door chime, then waited anxiously for a reply. She stared at the name on the embossed nameplate, realising that it had been recently updated to read "Commander Tom Walker". Rather than feel pleased for him, she felt her heart sink... Tom hadn't even told her about his promotion, let alone come to the bar to celebrate with his friends. Her heart ached for the man, knowing how much pain he was in, but as much as she longed to comfort him, she hadn't seen him in days.
Giving up on the door chime, she tried knocking instead. "Tom? It's me, Beth. You haven't been to the bar in days..."
That was met with silence, so she waited another twenty seconds and tried again.
"I'm worried about you, Tommy... please let me in."
She stared at the military-grey door that faced her impassively, a stubborn uncaring guardian that was preventing her from looking after her... friend. Beth glared at the door in frustration, then turned on her heel and strode off down the corridor. It wasn't far to her next destination and it was a place she knew well, where she'd spent many an evening... and many nights. Those days felt like an eternity ago though, a better time that seemed more innocent now.
Heaving a weary sigh, Beth stopped beside the next doorway and pressed the door chime. She'd barely had time to read the name "Commander Mason Newmont" on the embossed plate, before the door swished open.
"Oh, it's you," Mason muttered, his pensive expression barely flickering.
Beth looked at him in shock, hurt by the lack of warmth in his voice and alarmed by the way he was behaving. "Mace? What's the matter?"
"I'm fine, Beth," he replied sullenly. "What do you want?"
She knew he definitely wasn't fine, but was hardly in a position to interrogate him, especially since she'd turned down his proposal. Beth hesitated, worried about her ex-boyfriend, but not sure how to get him to open up. Tom was always the one that could reach Mason, no matter how dark his moods, but then again Tommy was always wonderful with everyone.
Mason rolled his eyes and snapped impatiently, "I've got a shift starting in ten minutes and I need to finish getting ready. Just spit it out..."
Beth took a deep breath, then said, "I'm concerned about Tom. I haven't seen him in days and when I spoke to Chen, he was worried about him too. He said Tom looked like he'd had his heart ripped out!"
Mason's eyes narrowed, his expression growing colder. "That was always our problem, wasn't it, Beth? Your 'concern' for Tom..."
She gaped at him in shock, having had no idea that he knew. "Oh God... I'm so sorry..."
"Commander Walker has been transferred off the Bridge crew, I neither know nor care what he's doing now," he said in glacial tones.
Wringing her hands together, Beth pleaded, "Mace, please, we need to talk about us. I never-"
"Leave me alone, Bethany," he snarled, whirling around and sealing the door behind him.
Beth stared at the grey door, her heart sinking like a stone. She'd tried so hard to never let either of them know how she truly felt. That was why she'd turned down Mason's engagement proposal, because as much as she cared for the handsome, loyal, dedicated man... Beth had realised that she'd fallen in love with his best friend.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she walked away, cursing herself for hurting a good man so badly.
- COMMENTS
. .... and Dana got an awesome field testing of her Tachyon rifles' new, improved and lemony fresh RUNIC penetrator ammo, ... they worked really good against all those Butt-Ugly Astral (Asshat) Monsters, ... but it'd wager you a big lunch at a drive through window, that the next time she'll make up about 3 or 4 times what she'd realistically figure that they'll use. ... because they will use a lot more, they always do, ... those trigger-happy Thrall / Wards, .... and afterwards, they'll need a cuddle too, .... they're good girls, deadly, but good, ...
--- and yeah, a 28th century fission reactor, ... Could catastrophically spew excess heat and shrapnel-like pieces throughout the Power generator area, ... But it would NOT be a nuclear detonation, ... right, ...? It could also, just shut down to its standby mode settings, ... ;-) ttfn
“… when he was fully impaled inside her…”
I think it was her that was actually impaled, don’t you?
while I get what you're saying, I also think it's less wrong than you think. A simple boiler explosion has a significant amount of force behind it, and while it's not anywhere close to the power of an actual nuclear weapon (or even large conventional ones) it can still be more than enough to level a building, and that's before considering issues caused by contamination. Or the more catastrophic theoretical possibilities (groundwater explosions and such.)
All that being said; I do think nuclear power is one of our better (and probably one of the safest) options, but it's not a good idea to downplay the issues that do exist with it. Catastrophic failure due to cut corners and shoddy maintenance is one of those.
While you can make a semantic distinction between a meltdown and an explosion, saying a failure of that magnitude is functionally equivalent to an explosion is far from a stretch (and may be accurate, a boiler explosion is still called an explosion)
john problem is not that he is a progenitor.. his problem is that he is emotionally uncontrolled.. and seeks said emotional control in those that surround him, to feel a fleeting sense of control.. he is more interested in controlling others through what HE views as happiness, to make himself feel happy, yet he has zero interest in being happy.. because he is not interested in being.. merely feelings.. his subjectivity is a major crutch.
Okay, once again I remind you all that a Fission nuclear reactor can only melt down, but the only way it can EXPLODE is if a bomb was smuggled in and set off, .... and a boiler explosion would not really do a great deal of damage, ....
-- but poor Tef was likely badly misinformed by a UK education system, ... just like they are doing to many of those young minds full of mush here in the good ole USA, .... Although in some areas they have already brain-washed the kids, .... many of whom have grown up and are now of age to voter, so they are making bad decisions.... by the real 28th century I hope that this ongoing problem has gone away, and that the liars and the technologically confused are keep far away from educational positions, ... ;-) ttfn
-- Question regarding Trankaran Comms Beacons, please note: "There has been no word yet," Thandrun replied, sounding worried. "Although it will take Warden Brokurlun some time to return from Dun Gerluhr to the closest comms beacon."
--- now why couldn't that fleet have some replacement Comms beacons along with them, at least enough to for allow regular communication? ... It seems to me that with a couple hours and the Star Forges they could have had plenty built to replace the destroyed communication beacons, ... ;-) ttfn
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Get some sleep, John. Don't worry about a thing, I'll keep you all safe."
This John guy is a real piece of work isn’t he?
Tefler, I know you’re trying to make him seem like the best guy who’s always looking out for the best for the girls no matter what, but perhaps having him actually listen to what they’re telling him once in a while would be a decent thing? Last chapter, niskera says one thing, he later goes “well, she says this but no way I’m letting that happen” ok buddy, it’s not like she’s a grown ass person who can make her own decisions or anything, she’s just a petulant child who’d be lost without you.
Same thing in this chapter. Multiple people say “hey, I’m not into this idea” and he goes “yeah, but I don’t care, I think it’s good for you so I’m doing it”
That isn’t a good person. That’s a .. well. A narcissistic ass
This John guy is a real piece of work isn’t he?
Tefler, I know you’re trying to make him seem like the best guy who’s always looking out for the best for the girls no matter what, but perhaps having him actually listen to what they’re telling him once in a while would be a decent thing? Last chapter, niskera says one thing, he later goes “well, she says this but no way I’m letting that happen” ok buddy, it’s not like she’s a grown ass person who can make her own decisions or anything, she’s just a petulant child who’d be lost without you.
Same thing in this chapter. Multiple people say “hey, I’m not into this idea” and he goes “yeah, but I don’t care, I think it’s good for you so I’m doing it”
That isn’t a good person. That’s a .. well. A narcissistic ass
An after the Astral battle debrief, ... a bit more Tom Walker stuff (mildly interesting), ... lots of Lion and lioness sex, ... a few little updates like Lynette wearing one of Charles shirts, .... and Admiral Zelig's fleet returning colonists to their home worlds, and the suicide rate was reduced, .... the trip to Alyssa and Dana's Karron was filled with some surprises, and only 3 survivors, ... Faye is more and more helpful to the Invictus crew and their guests, .... this story is growing deeper and wider, ... ;-) TTFN
Tacyon rifles and bullets with destruction runes. Now they are slaying Astral monsters by the truck load. Way to go Sparks
Alrighty then some more, ... The gang speculates that the power plant reactor in Karron was set to shut itself down if some routine maintenance was not performed on time, this to possibly prevent an explosion, like the one on Tasmaris Prime. My question is this: WHAT changes to Fission technology occur in the next 7 1/2 centuries (in Tef's universe) that could allow a Fission power plant to explode, ... a fission power rod might melt down, but that is completely different. -- I speculate that 'extra' power was provided from recycled T-Fed Power cores, and that was what exploded on Tasmaris Prime. Tef sure has them explode on various ships often enough. Whew! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, ... ;-) TTFN
Strangely enough, I was routing for the astral plane monster to put John out of his misery.
Alrighty then, Helene's 4th time receiving a load of psychic cum, and Tef states it takes her 6 hours to absorb it. And with other Lionesses such as Dana or Calara, they can absorb a full load (4 20oz pints) in under 4 hours. Now we have the girls getting their topping up at approximately 1-hour prior to arriving at their next colony world that has had a Kirrix (Bug) problem. So just how long can a 1/2 pint or so of psychic juice last in one of the Lionesses' toned and sexy tum-tums? It must be more than two hours, or they just wasted over half their top off. (4 pints last around 2 to 4 hours, and 1/2 pint lasts over 2 hours also?) ... I need Space Magic expert to 'splain it to me... ;-) TTFN
The following is reasonably real-world accurate while also trying to be consistent with 27th century technology as revealed by the story so far. Apologies for any inconsistencies.
A practical fusion reactor used for power generation is a blob of high temperature/high pressure plasma trapped in a magnetic containment bubble. If the magnetic bubble ever fail for any reason, the plasma more than hot enough to immediately dissolve the containment structure. It's the magnetic fields that keep the plasma contained, as the metal and ceramic components cannot withstand temperatures and densities far hotter than any welding torch or bomb. In the real world, we're not yet using fusion reactors to produce power; instead, they're interesting because they're one of the only ways of conducting lab research into the conditions found within a star.
Once the magnetic bubble fails, the plasma will try to do the same thing the air in a ruptured balloon does: spread out and achieve pressure equalization. Given that the tenperature and pressure is similar to what you'd find in a hydrogen bomb explosion not long after ignition, the practical result of a fusion containment breach would be very similar. True, there would be less primary radiation contamination than a straight fission reaction, but high-energy particle bombardment would induce intense secondary radiation in nearby debris, shortly before the plasma explosion turned it to dust and blasted it all over the region.
Such a containment failure can be caused by anything that interferes with the magnetic bubble's integrity, such as wobbles or power failures in the regulators managing the magnets, or the cooling systems needed to keep the magnets and power lines stable and non-melty.
A fission reactor is a different beast, with different failure modes. It's overall much simpler, but requires regular teardown and rebuilding due to neutron embrittlement, and the equipment becomes radioactive as an unavoidable side effect of merely being in operation. One upside is that, for a well-designed fission reactor, most failures at most release a few grams of radioactive xenon, or some slightly-contaminated water (which cannot remain meaningfully radioactive for very long). Most such incidents are of such low statistical hazard as to be meaningless in terms of risk. Note that a badly-designed reactor can represent a dramatically higher risk, and one that is both poorly designed AND being operated unsafely can turn into, well, Chernobyl.
Safely operating a fission reactor is much simpler than operating a fusion reactor, but maintaining a fusion reactor is much simpler than maintaining a fission reactor. In a colony, it's harder to find people competent to maintain a reactor, while it's not too hard to find appliance operators to turn knobs and keep dials in safe zones.
Military/naval reactors have different trade-offs, and thus aren't all that similar to stationary infrastructure designs.
Under normal conditions, a fusion reactor failure would only cause long-term problems because of the destruction of infrastructe and physical vaporization/cratering. It would take much less than 10 years for any remaining radiation hazard be meaningless. Whether a colony in the hinterland could afford to make good the damage is a different story, of course.
On the other hand, a mild Chernobyl-style failure of a fission plant could result in non-trivial radiation hazards remaining in effect across hundreds of square miles for a few decades. A worse meltdown could leave an area of tens of square miles uninhabitable for a few hundred years. This is another reason that main colony-wide power plants would generally be based on fusion rather than fission. Small-scale utility fission reactors (tens of kilowatts, sufficient to power a couple of blocks of housing) can be made much more safe and much less maintenance prone, but they're not sufficient to power a whole colony.
Maybe Karron's and Tasmaris Prime's fission reactor's had some recycled spacecraft power cores rigged up in parallel with the older system to handle increased power demands and there were maintenance mistakes at Tasmaris Prime,.. after all Calara gets ships power cores to explode all the time. That certainly makes a lot more sense than a nuclear fission reactor going boom on it's own. ;-) TTFN
A fission nuclear reactor could melt down if low on coolant, but explode? Only if you brought in a bomb. And I would expect with an extra 5 or 6 centuries of tech progress that even an old fission reactor on a mining asteroid should be safer still. Makes for a nice bit a terror in the story, but not realistic even in the 21st century. TTFN
I'm glad you amused yourself with your maths but what exactly are you calculating and why? How far John can throw Admiral Zelig? Are you referring to this section of the story, "...*Sounds good... John doesn't trust the Brimorians as far as he can throw the sneaky bastards,* Alyssa muttered..."? It's actually the Brimorians that John doesn't trust and Alyssa and Lynette end up bantering about him being able to throw someone quite far, but they never mention Admiral Zelig.
By my rough estimates, and making the following assumptions
Zelig is a 62 kg adult male human
The 900m ship was thrown at 10 m/s,
and was roughly 9x9x3=243 times the mass of the ISS
And was accelerated to this speed over 1 second
This gives Zelig a launch speed of (roughly) .05 times the speed of light
This DOES let John throw him arbitrarily far in vaccuum, in theory at least.
In atmosphere, however, Zelig disintegrates inside 2 m (assuming my math checks out)
This is my new favorite story on here. I read it all in one sitting, then read Tefler's other two stories (Can't wait for the next chapter of Setting Sail on a Black Sea), and then immediately reread it all again. Please keep up the great work. If you enjoyed this series I highly recommend the works of BurntRedstone and writerannabelle who, in my opinion, are equally talented.
Ok guys, here is a hint. Lahelenor is a city referenced in Chapter 82 page 1. Go back and read that chapter and you should be able to figure out who and what Shanryl is.
That is just the game here: "When will the next chapter appear here?" and it comes with a lot of whining in often funny ways of expression. Tefler has just announced thet the first part of 117 will be available soon on Patreon, but he will publish the chapters here in due time.
He also announced on Patreon that there will be printed versions of book 3 and 4 soon...
I hope that they will appear soon... because I am addicted to this story but I have a few stories to follow here as well. I am thankful that I have more than one addiction...
I submitted chapter 115 for moderation this morning. Hopefully it'll be up by the weekend!
Tefler
Perfect, exciting, awesome and thrilling as usual, waiting for ch.115
I've been thinking the "Star Forge" might actually be the Soul Forge but the Trankarans don't know the Progenitor was chucking Thralls in with each batch of metal for the "Soul Component"!
Dear Hillcountrycowboy, Whitewhalehunter & Wolverine006,
Yes - "Shanryl of the Lahelenori" sounds very Elvish - whoops, I mean Maliri. So, very probably, a splinter group of 'dark' Maliri - who knows what mischief they may cause!
The only other humanoid race we currently know of that hide their true appearance are the Enshunu. They seem to use a very different naming style. I suspect they also are a thrall (or ex-thrall) race. Probably not Larn'kelnar's - as he and his ship's thralls seem to have come recently from a different sector of the galaxy - so maybe Ranagon's? Would explain why they seem to especially hate the Maliri. I wonder if, behind their masks and cloaks, they have yellow skin and red hair?
Time, and ensuing chapters, will, no doubt, tell.
AL
Wow, so you actually thought of physically going in through the portal into the astral plane? That's pretty cool - just think: when the astral monsters came out into reality they seemed to be immune from most physical weapons - photon lasers and so on - so I wonder, if you physically went into their plane, would you be immune to them?
But, as you were warned, how would you get back out if the portal closed and you were trapped there? It seems that to create a portal to allow material transfer, someone in the physical world needs to astral-project into the astral plane and somehow combine with someone who lives there, in order to create it, as John did (involuntarily) with the Leviathan. Is there anyone else, less dangerous, in the astral plane who might be able to do this? Yes, Athena! So, you need to learn to astral-project like Alyssa, Edraele and John can, then, with Athena's help, you should be able to make a portal at will. If that's not possible for you, suggest it to Alyssa or John - maybe they can do it themselves. The reason for pushing this? Well, as distances in the astral plane are meaningless, you could go in one portal, and come out from another anywhere - instant teleportation! Dana wouldn't need to worry about squeezing out the wormhole drive tech, you'd be able to go instantly from anywhere to anywhere else through astral portals!
On another matter entirely, I'm a bit concerned for you, Sakura. You seem to be becoming a bit cold, like your kryokinesis attribute. John has made you very powerful, an instrument of justice, NOT vengeance - the two should be quite distinct. Particularly for someone with your powers, justice should be tempered by mercy. If you forget this, then Mikaboshi will ultimately have won: you will become Shinatobe, feared and dreaded by all.
I sincerely hope that doesn't happen. Learn to love, and rejoice in good things, as your parents, and John, want for you. I look forward to hearing how you come to terms with this, and improve you psychic powers, in the coming chapters.
AL
If there is one thing about Tefler, he has stayed consistent with his naming practices. So looking at the subtle clues: Shanryl (...the twins call themselves Rill and Shan) of the Lahlenori. (Replace the first L with an M... Mahlenori; and the "eno" with an "i"...Mahliri).
Also, the "eno" can be rearranged to give "one" or "neo".
It's that or a thrall race.
As usual, up to your usual high standard Tef. I just wanted to reiterate that so many personnel have come into this story expecting...hell I don't know...something else. Then they start drooling at your wonderful epic. Hell, I've gone back and started reading from chapter 1 to the preset 3 times now...still am surprised at how much I forgot or didn't catch the first time through. Thanks again Tef, You the Man...True dat...
I'd like to comment on the impression that some chapters do not seem to put the story forward and appear like fillers. I had the same impression sometimes, but it did not last. If those chapters would be part of the usual 400 pages story, I would agree and recomment to shorten them. But not in TSM. One of the characteristics of TSM is that the author takes the luxury to really care for the various story lines. This makes the book way longer than others, but it also makes it a joy to read. In retrospect I would not like to miss those chapters which are not bringing the main story line forward but are necessary and usefull to support the detail in the side lines. I doubt that all those characters would appear so real if Tefler would cut down on the amount of detail here. A character is defined by the small things, not by the main story line.
So I hope that Tefler will continue to hold up the detail level in this masterfully written story.
How much do you take from the comments?
Some of them are really impressive in how deep they look into the story. Some of the questions are extremely insightful too. So how much has this affected you making changes to your story?
Has there been any instances where someone spotted a plot point that made you have to rewrite or abandoned something that you wanted to include?
Some chapters seem like filler pieces or just don’t seem to move the story very far. Have you ever just waited to see comments to get the creative juices flowing again?
What are your inspirations for writing?
Where did the original idea for this story start?
And the Actors Studio Questions:
1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on?
4. What turns you off?
5. What sound or noise do you love?
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
7. What is your favorite curse word?
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Thank you for the hard work you have done and I hope you continue to do.
Teller,
I found your story a little over a month ago and I’ve been trying my darndest to not read the entire series in ONE sitting, because it is the greatest story I’ve ever found. I’ve finally caught up and I’d like to say a couple things. The fact that I can feel exactly what each character’s personality is, is amazing considering how in depth each character is explained. The vastly complicated, action packed, sex filled universe you’ve created has blown my expectations away. The ONLY thing I’ve ever had a complaint about was John discussing his feelings with Lynette, and his intentions for the future. I completely understand him wanting her to have a life instead of throwing it away to be with him, but it just seemed too odd to me that Alyssa would bond with her, as she did with all the other Lionesses, just to want to hear her fucking Charles instead of John. It was bizarre that John basically said that she should go sleep with Charles, his best friend, for a few decades and then he’ll take her later. Considering how protective he is of his girls, it was just odd to me that he would want that, even though I know Lynette hasn’t slept with him yet. The only other complaint is him refusing to impregnate or bring on too many women to his harem of girls, when the Maliri culture has evolved over thousands of years to not have a man constantly in the picture! John should be bonding with and impregnating as many girls as he can to increase his power and build a greater connection network, where I can see little to no downsides. Once again these are my only concerns, but the story is still way beyond a 5 rating and you’ve done an amazing job so far, so keep it up Telfer! Papa bless.
Holy granma's titties! How did we miss that?! Yeah? I am curious now. As for the Alyssa thing i think it was unnecessary and way to risky for a payoff that really isnt that much of a big deal. I understood the need for Sakura but for the rest its just pointless and risky pandering. I've complained before about what i view as John's poor priorities and oft-times poor decision making process which has only become worse of late because of mollycoddling and overprotectiveness over the girls and Alyssa's immaturity enabling him. They might need someone to die for them to get a much needed wake up call. Tbh, I hope the Kirrix scenario might help with that.
I’m reposting a question I posted on chapter 113 right before 114 came out, so I bet no one read it. Here it is:
Unless I missed something, no one has speculated about who are the Lahlenori?
Deep Lord asshole Athgiloi calls Shanryl of the Lahlenori, who is a female wearing an opaque helmet (sounds familiar) who has taken refuge in the Brimorian Enclave (which we know abuts Maliri space). Who is she? Who are they? What mission is he sending them on?
My wild guess is they're part of the Maliri black marketeers who fled the crackdown on cybernetic parts. The Enshunu are the only other armor wearing race that comes to mind. (At some point those Enshunu slave trading bastards need to be dealt with)
On chapter 114, I wish John could have saved his ruse using astral projection to exhaust his guide for his final showdown with his alter ego, but while they were in Karron, it was time to help Alyssa. (By the way, how is there gravity in Karron? Karron doesn’t seem big enough to have substantial natural gravity, and when the power went out, wouldn’t artificial gravity go out too?)
Ironically, it seems like Alyssa unintentionally took a page from Larn’kelnar’s book on weakening an opponent, in this case, by turning the Kirrix against themselves instead of against another race. I wonder if the ‘shroud’ on the Kirrix was created to ‘weaponize’ the Kirrix against the surrounding species.
Thanks again Tefler!!
LOL! Just joking around Tefler, well sort of anyway. I am looking forward to the next chapter but I know it is weeks away.
litreader9696, I agree about skimming over the sex scenes, I do it too. In my case being over 60 I know how it is done so sex scenes are not a big deal for me. In some cases they can add to the story but in others they can take away from it. TSM is not to bad and the base story is excellent so I do not mind at all.
Another great chapter. I'm curious what's going to happen with Tom and Mason. I like these little character tangents and look forward to them almost as much as the main plot line. Way to go Jade on the promotion too.
Thank you for another brilliant chapter. I love how you zig when I expect a zag. I now has to get on Amazon to buy e-book 4. I hope we can get another chapter this month, but I will just have to reread this series from the start again. Thanks for sharing your great talent with us all.
As always, a great read, and I enjoyed this one enormously.
But, and I hesitate to say it, I was left with a slight feeling of 'same-old', which was disappointing. They are running around and doing lots of good things, but the plot doesn't seem to be advancing at much more than snail's pace.
Thank you for the read though, and I look forward to the next one.