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Chapter 168 (placeholder) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-08-01 02:47:21
Imported:

Content

Hey everyone,

My family is away next week and thankfully I'm not stuck in hospital at the moment, so this will finally be "Catch up August".

I want to thank all of you for persevering with me and TSM over the last year. I know that a lot of you have been really disappointed in the drastic slowdown in chapter releases, and me charging for placeholders. I promise I will keep striving to catch up on the chapters I owe you, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.

The next couple of chapters are all planned out by scenes, I just need a clear run of not being hospitalised with gallstone complications to actually complete them.

Anyway, thanks again. Your ongoing support has made a tremendous difference to me and my family during these difficult times.

Best wishes,

Tefler

Comments

Anonymous

It is good. We want to see the rest but health comes first.

Anonymous

How about you don't wait until the end of the month to post the stuff you owe us.

Michael56Smith
>>114699818

.73: scattering lots of Troll Chow about, ... that's right Timtom, you're telling Tef how to do his own story, .... I really sympathize with your need for new TSM pages, .... -- So, about how many fans read your story each month? ... ;-) ttfn

Anonymous

Attention All Connoisseurs of Redhead Beauty!!! Please visit us at the the new and improved Discord server. Oh yeah, we also talk a lot about some space story, written by some guy... But it has a Redhead in it!!! https://discord.gg/tXEPg9PuhM

Michael56Smith

.88: I do not enjoy tying up comment space with Troll Chow, but some of these miscreants do need a bit of push-back from time to time, ... just to let them know that they might not have a proper understanding of the situation, --- Most just ignore them when they raise their negative voices, but then they learn nothing, so I do my bit to help, .... happy August people, enjoy the rest of the summer months, ... ;-) ttfn

Jim lynch

Any chance of catching up a bit this month tefler ? Please

Newnotsure

Michael56 Smith you put out the most and clog it all up please stop

vardic d

Just finished bum-rushing through this series, can't wait for the next chapter.

Michael56Smith
>>115018140

.94: sure, when the haters cease and desist, ... until then we're stuck with each other, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith
>>115031774

.95: yeah, I am rereading it too, (for about the 7th or 8th time), and I am fast closing in on the incredible chapter #100 again, ... the Kintark are coming, .... the Kintark are coming, .... so, where's the Lion? -- I really love that series of chapters, -- in them they find Helene and the Abandoned, also Nkkrrt and the Eternity Crystals, .... the Invictus crew upgrades their shields, and they flip off (not really, but almost) the Brimorian Deep Lord, Athgiloi, ... before they are racing off to face the Lizards, ready to save Terra, again, ... it is a fun time with a whole lot of action packed into a few chapters, ... only a couple weeks pass in TSM time, (mostly with travel time) but it took Tef months to write it, ... -- So, welcome to the waiting for our Author to write the next thrilling chapter club, ... it has a rather large and vocal membership, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

.99: ... and can they find the time to build Daphne a progenitor / Nexus style server, and will it work for her? yeah, 12 processing streams could probably help out John's little girl, ... we'll see if Tef agrees, ... -- the mass fabricators have made a couple of those servers already, they could likely make another one, that the maintenance 'bots could put together, ... So, no tying up Dana or any of her minions, ... --- Although Dana and Irillith (and papa John) might wish to monitor Daphne's download into the new server, ...;-) ttfn

Anonymous

I popped in with a head of steam and then read a few of the comments who beat me to it and all the will to yell left me. Bro, go ahead and toss 3 or 4 more placeholders down, it's fine And if the British Healthcare is turning into Canadian Healthcare instead, well its been great

Michael56Smith
>>115170748

.102: oh Richard, darn it all, ... don't say things like that, ... Tef will be around telling his stories until the 28th century, at least, -- So, no Troll biscuits (cookies) for you, sorry .... ;-) ttfn

Anonymous

Somehow, I think it will probably be the second half of 164 and another two placeholders. Cant wait for the excuse this time .... we should run a lottery!

AzureReader
>>115240998

Statistically in 2023 Tef is delivering half a chapter a month and billing for one full chapter. But if he goes under the knife in September he probably won’t deliver anything and will issue another placeholder. So by the end of September you’ll probably be right.

Puttanegra Ficondo

Just make peace with the status quo. You are paying a constant monthly subscription that gives you roughly ten chapters a year. The moment you start looking at it that way and transcend the bullshit, it gets a lot less upsetting. I don’t understand why the billing is not changed to flat monthly and we stop this constant need for justifications. It is obvious that he will never catch up. The only way would be to compromise severely on the chapter quality, which would be much worse than a well-thought chapter late. We saw a few months ago what happened if we push too hard. We had a chapter that was all fluff and filler. Writing is hard, and writing TSM now has become daunting with a lot of substories, loose ends, and a world to keep consistent. The pay-per-chapter model simply does not work anymore for TSM

Newnotsure

But at what cost per month promises still don't cut it

Michael56Smith

.111: Okay, disappointment, it is just past the mid-month weekend and still no early in the month catch-up chapters, nor any partial chapters (#164) to complete a chapter, ... it looks like while he waits for his Gallbladder surgery Tef is back to his old, familiar EOM habits, ... -- as was commented earlier, I too would be quite happy if he just finished #164, and ecstatic if he also dropped #165, even to adding another placeholder (#169), .... I really hope he can do some real catch-up, but I think that #164 completed and #165 would really be awesome, ... fingers crossed that his pesky gallbladder doesn't disrupt his writing muse, ... get well soon Tef, we're all pulling for you, ... ;-) TTFN

Michael56Smith

repeat: .98: Okay, now the Invictus crew must race (wormhole) off to Kythshara, and protect Mael's Lab and Faye's body, set up the Planetary / Nebula wide defense with Daphne running some of it, give the Maliri Marines a pep talk, ... also Dana has a ton of upgrades just waiting for a little free time when our Grand Engineering Overlord could rapidly do a few of them, from fairly minor ones like needing to complete the fix of the nausea wormhole effect, to shields and weapons upgrades, and they need to lay down those spyder mines too, ... Prioritize all this for them John, .... -- the battle of the Loralar Nebula awaits, and maybe a Progenitor Dual awaits us too (come on magic hungry rune sword), .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

.120: does anyone wish to talk about TSM storyline / possibilities? ... ;-) ttfn

Anonymous

Do you want to see the stars? Do you want be a part of something bigger? Are you ready to give all that you can? The Terran Federation Navy is looking for you. Start your journey at the new Discord sever https://discord.gg/tXEPg9PuhM

Michael56Smith
>>115302640

.123: nice plug Tony, ... you got a good thing going in Discord, ... finally something actually good in Discord, .... So, start your journey at the new Discord sever https://discord.gg/tXEPg9PuhM ;-) ttfn

Anonymous
>>115288918

I’m afraid the apathy is starting to set in. More harsh than I mean to be but this sort of feels like life of a new hire’s path. Much further down on a good path but slowing significantly over the last 2 years. Hope I am wrong on this but afraid not. Difference between the two is free vs. payments. Also, people will put up with a lot but will not accept the feeling of being played as a fool. That feeling creates genuine anger. I have expressed frustration but am still here, not sure how much longer I will go. I don’t honestly think there is an intentional effort to scam or lie to people but the radio silence creates a lot of angst.

Michael56Smith

.130: --- repeat repeat: .112: ... any thoughts on Rahn'hagon getting his quite conservative / cowardly ass involved in the Progenitor War, ... and if he does throw his dreadnaught (Larn's) into the mix, where will he drop off Jessica, ... and will his jumping into the mess, be a good or a bad thing for John? Can one older Progenitor, in one older dreadnaught make much of a difference? A distraction maybe? Perhaps he has recruited a few Terrans for his bridge crew? thoughts anyone, ....;-) ttfn -- please tell me what (in TSM) you are thinking, ....

Rayce Royal
>>115339317

I don't see John's dad getting involved yet. He's still trying to figure out what his boy's got up his sleeve, and how John plans on eliminating the rest of the progenitors. Question, though: will John eventually have to fight the dead ones in the astral plane?

Anonymous

Just came by to see what's "cooking". 16 of the last 26 posts are from ttfn. B O R I N G! Apparently ttfn takes his cheerleading responsibility seriously. Anthony Kester's discord server is more interesting than ttfn. Later! Wait... wait... wait...

Anonymous

Teller, Vince is pulling for you, on yourhealth and your story. I hope you are doing well. And..., I hope to see some craftiness from our favorite progenitor.

Michael56Smith
>>115473285

.141: Hey Vince, FYI the "ttfn" is short for saying ta ta for now, I got it from Tigger of Winnie the Pooh, it really isn't my name or even a nick name, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith
>>115473434

.142: and another FYI, it's Tefler, and not Teller, ... but you were close, ... ;-) ttfn

Anonymous

Lots of hardships abound at home and now a hurricane is headed directly towards me. Made me pause and wonder what wonderful reasons this month will generate a new placeholder. Wish I could post a few placeholders here... damn

Anonymous

are you going to post anymore

Anonymous

11 more day's for chapter 165 & placeholder 169

Anonymous
>>115602166

Nah, we will get the rest of 164, and the placeholder for 169.

Michael56Smith

.151: Yeah, 11 days to go, ... so, how much writing can our TSM author get done? I would think that it largely depends on how he is feeling prior to his scheduled surgery, ... you know he'll be trying to put out as many new pages as he can produce before that surgery knocks him over the moon with pain, ... and he'll be trying to keep his Progenitors straight as well, ... -- I expect we'll see a completed chapter #164, and hopefully a complete #165 too, as well as the expected placeholder, ... (#169), .... got my fingers crossed for at least that much, but more would be welcome, .... '-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

.152: ... other fingers are crossed, ... maybe while he is laid up after his surgery, Tef can do a quick review of TSM chapters #146 and #147 and send them on to the free sites, ... those poor folks have been waiting forever for new material, ... their summer reading has been rather bleak, .... ;-) ttfn

Vizth Hal

Honestly, I'm not expecting much of anything except maybe another placeholder until after he gets his surgery, my wife has gallstone issues and when it acts up she's in so much pain pretty much all she could do is try sleep and take a crap load of anti-inflammatories. Concentrating a complex task is basically impossible. We don't have lovely socialized healthcare here so all we can do is manage her pain.

Evan

I agree. It would be nice to see chapters 164 and 165 completed this month (not to mention 166, 167 and 168), but given Tefler’s gallstone issue, he may not have anything completed at all. I am concerned about the continuing placeholder chapters being added to as we’re currently 4+ chapters out, but I also understand the mitigating circumstances that have lead to that situation. Getting back to the story, I recall that Dana indicated that the Invictus couldn’t have any more power cores due to their not being able to be in that close proximity to each other as they would cause interference with each other. I also recall that the station had a ton of power cores to power all of the guns on the station, not to mention the Quantum Devastators which can’t be removed from the station. So, how are they going to transport so many guns and power cores (which combined, may well outmass the Invictus itself) back to Kythshara? We currently have a very complex situation in TSM with a number of outstanding threads that need resolution: The removal and transportation of all the movable guns from the station Providing for the powering of all the movable guns after their removal The return of the Invictus to Kythshara and setting up its defenses The return of the Maliri-crewed thrall fleets to Maliri space The actions of Rahn’hagan after observing the arrival of these fleets The interactions between Jessica, Rahn’hagan, John and the crew The interactions between Gahl’kalgor, Valeria, Ashryn and Narzera The upcoming communications between Gahl’kalgor and John (and …?) The upcoming confrontations between Gahl’kalgor and John (and …?) The rebirth of Faye and her interactions with the crew and the Collective The Trankaran Starforge (Mael’nerak’s new Soul Forge) and bringing it *fully* online Lynette’s desire for a harem of her own for Charles (Lina and Tamar) Lynette’s continuing efforts to be a remarkable Fleet Admiral Addressing the Terran Federation’s situation with the Outer Rim colonies Dealing with the new territory acquired from the Kintark empire Tamolith and the diminished Kintark empire The Brimorians being punished and the Abandoned being rescued The interactions between the Maliri matriarchs and the male elders Tom Walker’s trial (and the Maliri hacker and her group who framed him) And for possible future threads… Recognizing that Soul Forges are made of metal that was forged in a Soul Forge and that all Soul Forges are thus linked to an original Soul Forge and that all Thrall and Progenitor constructs made of that black metal are thus all psychically linked to the original Soul Forge, which was probably made by Xar’aziuth. Making new Progenitor-grade equipment for the Invictus using their own purified Soul Forge and the Trankaran Starforge that won’t be psychically linked to the ones that the Progenitors are using. Locating the original Soul Forge and using that link to weaken all of them by infusing a huge amount of positive energy into the original Soul Forge, destroying it and thus weakening all the subsequent Soul Forges such that they destroy themselves when in use in a cascading chain effect. Progenitor (and Thrall) realizations that their equipment has now been weakened to the point where firing overpowered weapons or activating wormhole transportation will likely cause catastrophic failures. Even running drives at maximum power won't be possible. How are they going to wage their wars without proper equipment?! Oh, the horrors! And much more that I’m sure I haven’t even thought of. This is a huge amount of work and all of these threads need to be woven into a proper pattern. This will take time and we need to have patience while it’s done properly, and Tefler’s health issues just add to the complexity and difficulty of achieving this with the quality that we’ve observed to date in Tefler’s writing. Castigating Tefler for taking the time to get it done right never helps, and certainly not while the man is in pain. And yes, I do think that he should at least post - either here or on Discord - a sentence or two to let us know how he’s doing a couple of times a month, but I’ve never been able to get him to do that, so why should I expect otherwise after so many years of trying? Tefler, I wish you all the best and look forward to your next communication, as always.

Michael56Smith
>>115640178

.155: Wow! You said a whole lot, Evan, and you said it well, .... good summary for the next chapter or three to work from, .... -- and one of your points was regarding Rahn'hagon, and what might he stick his nose into now? I am hoping that Tef doesn't choose to kill off ole Rahn in some 'noble sacrifice' move as some of the commenters had once suggested, .... I want to see more of both Rahn and Jessica, ... they both will be so interesting as they learn and relearn so many things, ... --- and how much more food and drink is left on that Dreadnaught? What was running low for a big crew, will still be a lot left for just those two, ... but I bet they'd love some tea and coffee, ... -- and I am very much left in wonder about how they'll punish the Brimorians and set the Abandoned free, ... --- I too am hoping that Tef can still write quite a few more new chapters before he undergoes his surgery, .... because it will likely be a while afterwards before he will feel up to being creative again, ... Feel better soon Tef, ... you have fans praying for you, ... ;-) ttfn

Steven

The story only says that each new Progenitor first makes his own Soul Forge and doesn't alude to how it was specifically created. The Progenitors had the knowledge and ability to psychically shape so I'm guessing also had knowledge of the source black metal and they did it themselves. Unfortunately I suspect that Tefler will leave it as an unspecified. So, probably no one ring to control them all. Evan I also liked your summary.

Evan

A few more items… The Deep Lord still has his Nymph. Mustn't forget her rescue (which involves her Master's departure from the current realm of existence). The DNA used to produce Faye's 'prototype' came, in part or in sum total, from Irillith. Therefore, Faye *should* also possess the talent of being able to enter Cyberspace just as her Creator (mother) can. Could Faye be 'brought back' as an organic entity able to 'possess' a Nexus server and use it? Either way, her communications with the Collective should be greatly enhanced over that of most other ‘pure’ organic beings. The Progenitors don't have the power that they do unless they 'make a deal' with Xar’aziuth which presumably grants them the knowledge and power required to create a Soul Forge and begin their reigns of conquest. I am hypothesizing, based upon Gahl’kalgor's reactions under the Shroud, that they may have to use their parents and/or other 'loved ones' under Xar'aziuth's influence as part of this process. Furthermore, I also believe that they can't psychically shape the black metal on their own, because it was never designed (nor desired) by Xar'aziuth to be so shaped. The Soul Forges and the black metal that they generate are leashes upon the Progenitors that use them. Consider that the Progenitors' powers derive in part from and generate flow back to Xar'aziuth. I believe that their Soul Forges are similarly connected. Consider that it has been said that the death of every bound thrall (and Progenitor) feeds Xar'aziuth. Key word there is 'bound'. If they're not bound, then there's no power in their death or suffering for Xar'aziuth. The Progenitor is the key, as when the Progenitor is killed, the bond is broken between the thralls and Xar'aziuth. This then lends itself to my belief that the Soul Forges all share a common origin and common psychic link point, and I do believe that to be Xar'aziuth's original Soul Forge.

Steven

Agreed on Celphna. I'm hoping you're wrong on Soul Forges because then Tefler can easily wrap the story much too quickly. Leaving many threads unfinished. Current word count slightly over 4.24 million words.

Evan
>>115682307

Steven, I don’t disagree with you about wanting Tefler to continue this story for years to come, however, I also don’t want to see it just become battle after battle after battle for dozens of Progenitors, even if John manages to keep those battles confined to eliminate excess casualties. Even if they’re all just dozens of assassinations of individual Progenitors, it would get too repetitive, to me, after the first several.

Michael56Smith

.169: -- And how are those 95,000 newly relocated and saved from the Bugs, Abandoned (merfolk) doing? And are they ready for few million more? -- Mostly it will be the Maliri to aid them, but Lynette might send a few hundred councilors, and a few thousand other useful-skilled folks every month to help our Abandoned brethren, it's a start, ... but they'd all need to be sworn to secrecy about the Maliri, and how beautiful they are, ... Baen'thelas might need to say something, ... and forget defending against Progenitors, they'll need to keep the Maliri defenses strong to protect the pretty blue space elves from the lusty Terran mobs, ... -- As one of the more basic incentives for Terrans to help out, ... You might have the Angel of Terra to provide her eldritch, special, deluxe health exams (wind the clock back a decade or two) for some of the better trained and qualified personnel, after all they'll be needed for a long time, as it is a big job, ... -- Just how quickly and how well, can the Maliri absorb those, newly freed, teal-skinned merfolk? and a BILLION of them, wow, that's a lot, ... Edraele once said the Maliri might provide twenty of their worlds, ... With an even splitting of a Billion Abandoned, it would work out to be around 50 million added Abandoned per world, ... and some of the very fertile worlds could handle more, while others would do less, ... share the wealth, right? and more seafood in the Maliri diet, ... -- and will the Abandoned change their name to the Mermaids formerly known as the Abandoned? ... or maybe something to do about frying up the Brimorians, ...? ;-) ttfn

Evan

The Abandoned could easily fit within the abandoned homes of all the deceased Larathyrans OR Maliri, given their respective population declines, however, would either be truly suitable for an aquatic race, even if they're amphibious? Even aboard the Invictus, Helene spends at least half the day swimming, more often than not, within the Lagoon that they've set up. I mean, she spends so much time in there, she wasn't even seen in chapter 163! As for trainers for the Larathyrans, do they really need them? They have all of their knowledge archived and their infrastructure is setup for this event to take place over and over again, as are all of the Thrall empires. This is all by Xar'aziuth's design, after all, for the greatest harvests to take place and then the fields to be quickly sown anew to prepare for the next ones.

Steven

It's always going to be something with you isn't? Lol

Steven
>>115752500

Evan, question on your Soul Forge theory. If a Progenitor's Soul Forge is destroyed then he can not remake it in place by himslf. He would have to go somewhwere to the source Soul Forge to replace it. Do I understand that correctly?

Anonymous

A week left in Catchup August....Why do I feel we will end up with mustard all over the place?

Anonymous

Hendrix grow up

Evan

Consider some things that we think we know. 1 - Normally, in Progenitor conflicts, Thralls fight Thralls until there are almost no more Thralls left to fight on the losing side at which time the Soul Forge of the defeated Progenitor is located and destroyed. 2 - The destruction of the defeated Progenitor’s Soul Forge weakens what was made from it, including the Cloaking Device (and everything else?) that was made from it. At that point, the winning Progenitor can locate and target the defeated Progenitor. 3 - Xar’aziuth gains power from each Thrall killed on both sides up until the Progenitors battle and one is slain. At that point, any further deaths amongst the dead Progenitor’s former Thralls are worthless, providing no power. 4 - Killing the Progenitor who claimed the losing Thrall race ends the conflict *immediately*, as the winning Thralls no longer wish to even be in proximity to the defeated Thralls. 5 - ‘Soon’ thereafter, a new ‘baby’ Progenitor is seeded amongst the defeated Thralls, to be raised amongst them until he makes a deal with Xar’aziuth, builds his own Soul Forge and claims the race that he grew up amongst as his own. This reestablishes the link between the Thralls and Xar’aziuth allowing their deaths in the Soul Forge and elsewhere to provide him with additional power. Perhaps the ‘seeding’ is even done by the Progenitor who defeated the previous Progenitor and it’s quite literal in nature? 6 - Mael’nerak lived under the Shroud in relative peace for tens of thousands of years, maybe as much as 50K or more. It was only after 60K years under the Shroud, as best as we can determine, that Rahn’hagon was sent to this area to find and destroy Mael’nerak. So, what was the impetus for this dispatch? Could it have been the destruction of Mael’nerak’s Soul Forge, ending the flow of power to Xar’aziuth via the Thralls drained in that manner? 7 - When Mael’nerak destroyed his Soul Forge, did he already have the Star Forges in place? If so, why were all of the Maliri buildings and ships built of the golden crystal, including his shipyard, Genthalas? Perhaps he was only able to manufacture the white metal in limited quantities or at a later date to start, so the Maliri first transitioned to the golden crystal and just never got the chance to transition to the newer, improved technology that Mael’nerak was making for them to be able to use? Perhaps he and they simply ran out of time? Just some thoughts for consideration…

Anonymous

Fellow Patrons of Tefler: I would like to pass on some sad news about one of our members who was a Tefler recognized fan-fick author writing stories about the minor empires of TSM. She has passed away from cancer. According to her friend: she passed quickly and with little warning at about 1350 on the 21st of August. She had been mostly stable with pulse and breathing for the last couple days, but with increasing fluid in her lungs. She took a few slower breaths, one big one, and slipped away. You can read her works at Max Intel: Melinoe - Chapter List (pchotshots.com) and you can leave a message in memoriam at https://discord.com/channels/352559623724728339/1144048086260400258. Her primary editor will, at her request, continue her story.

Greg Hill

What happened with David and Madison, and their entire Sentinel Mech. division...with all the time spent building their romance they simply disappeared from the storyline...nothing at all with them, or the actual traitor who set the fleet up for the Callopean(sic) Shoal massacre...or anything else about the Maliri that were working with the Brimorians as agents in the planting of false evidence.

Evan
>>116055486

I did mention: Tom Walker’s trial (and the Maliri hacker and her group who framed him) in the list of unresolved threads that Tefler has yet to resolve. I didn’t mention the Terran traitor currently in possession of an outmoded, old Brimorian Cruiser class vessel (nor how he’s managing to operate a Cruiser class vessel by himself), but you’re quite correct that he’s still out there, too.

Evan

Whatever happened to Rahn’hagon’s Soul Forge and Thralls? The Soul Forge was left intact, but all of his Thralls are dead, possibly drained, just like Larn’kelnar’s were. How do we know this? Well, we know because it’s his old Progenitor Cloaking device that’s currently providing the cloak for the Invictus, since it was ‘requisitioned’ from Rahn’hagon’s old ship and it’s still working, which it wouldn’t be if the Soul Forge had been destroyed. It was also stated that Rahn had to drain his Thralls in order to survive Mael’nerak’s trap. Now, let’s assume, just for a moment, that he didn’t in fact drain every single one of them, as his Matriarch was dead and he was alone on Arcadia. Every single one of them would still have passed away naturally within a few hundred years, and he had no way to make more. So, while he may have drained some, many or all of them, other than from a moral perspective, it wouldn’t have made any difference at all over the last 10K years in terms of historical events. Nothing of consequence would be different.

Steven
>>116066310

Can we use Mael's dreadnought to prove or disprove the theory of overall or limited failure of "all things" created by a Soul Forge?

Steven

#

Evan

Why would Rahn’hagon, Larn’kelnar & Gahl’kalgor each feel that he himself is a slave after entering the area of the Shroud, refer to it as a treasure and vow never to leave it? How was it created and why? Might it be extended to an area? Might it be removed from an area? Knowing the details of this might give John and the girls so much insight into the Progenitors and potentially how to defeat them all. It might even help remove the menace of the Kirrix without requiring genocide.

Michael56Smith
>>116129329

.200: it has been speculated that the Shroud was originated by the Achonin, .... maybe, .... that would mean Mael'nerak was the first Progenitor to experience it, .... so, he and quite a few of his Thrall fleets set up to stay in Shrouded space, .... they founded Kythshira (about 72,000 years ago) and millennia later Valaden and her sister worlds, ... but just how much did Mael figure out, and did he know where, by whom and how the shroud was formed? .... I think that it's effect on the Bugs was a fluke, something unintended, by the Achonin(?) ... maybe there's something buried in Mael's oldest records, ... ;-) ttfn

duff

I'm honestly fine with waiting but it's really hard not to notice a pattern here. For longer than a year now there is always something that happens at the last minute stalling progress. Either his house breaking down, an accident, a family member's illness, now it's tefler himself. It's clear that he is going through something else and treating his followers like trash.

Anonymous

EXCITING CONVERSATIONS!!! INTERESTING DEBATES!!! LOTS OF PHOTOS OF REDHEADS!!! Coming to a Discord near you, "The Invictus, a Three Square Meals Forum". https://discord.gg/tXEPg9PuhM

Anonymous

Tefler has reached the point he is an empty producer. As an independent writer he should have prepared for eventualities. Independent anything plans for outages. I’ve said it before, he would make more money if he kept his promises.

Michael56Smith

,213: Rahn'hagon's thoughts: ".... a fact confirmed by his son, who claimed that he only had a thousand thralls in his network. Such a pitiful number would make little to no difference, but there was no denying just how powerful John had become. It was becoming very clear that his son had approached his Progenitor legacy in a radically new way, with spectacular results. Establishing multiple matriarchs, gifting psychic abilities to his Terran thralls and... Alyssa... whatever she was, were all conundrums that Rahn'hagon desperately wished he had answers to." --- And he still doesn't know anything new, ... And Jessica would love to beg her son's forgiveness and become friends with ALL his fiancé's and baby momma's. It has been a fair number of chapters, but we haven't gotten any answers to any of these questions or desires, ... well, maybe Rahn will do something in the next few chapters, ... maybe, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith
>>116177332

.214:.... and because he knows it all, the 'Full Producer', Mike Saxion's new book has just came out, and a couple of studios are bidding on the movie rights, ... he knows how to make lots of money with stories, ... right? ;-) ttfn

Newnotsure

Okay here is a thought I have been finding that when an author takes a long time to do the next chapter people tend to look to other authors and really don’t care if and when the author starts again they kind on to the next good author. I could be wrong but just a thought

Unresolved Plots

I'd encourage all of the positively inclined patrons to join the Tefler Discord through the permanent invite https://bit.ly/TeflerDiscord Lots of additional story resources are available there, like the free in depth timeline that Cignal maintains, fanfictions by Recurve (who has just sadly passed) and Kin Asdi etc... We also have many interesting story discussions there, going in depth with lots of interesting ideas. As an example, a while back on Discord, I proposed that the Great Wheel that the Trankarans refer to in their oral history might not actually be Genthalas as appears obvious, with some reason's why that may be the case. I've also proposed origins for the Nymphs and Mael's cloning chambers that might completely change what appears to be accepted by most. Those and many other ideas are constantly discussed there, without any of the negativity that is constantly posted here.

Unresolved Plots

Hope Tefler is doing ok. Looks like the second part of Ch.164 is going to be the build up and preparation for the battle(s) to come in Ch.165. They have a number of tasks to complete before the battle and probably have about 10 hours. The Kythshara defense platforms need to be brought back online and controlled, they need to protect Mael's cloning facility and Faye's body, bring the robotic thrall army online and control it, possibly retrofit the Larathyran fleets that have returned with weapons from Genwynn and they need to come up with a plan to isolate Gahl'kalgor so they can defeat him without him husking his thralls!

tony

i was not aware that Recurve passed.....R.I.P. Recurve

tony

tefler, i want you to be able to finish this exciting tale, that being said i'm sure you know starfleet carl passed in the 1st part of july, and i want to read the sequal as well and won't be able to if you pass from health complications, so get healthy because i want to read your future non-TSM works too.......tony

Anonymous

Between Family and Health you have had quite the Year, I hope all are on the mend and you can finally catch a brake yourself!

Anonymous

We love you, Tef!!

Rayce Royal

ONE MORE DAY! ONE MORE DAY!! WOOOHOOO!!!! I'm gonna be greedy and hope for TWO chapters, but I'll settle for Mr. Tefler being in a much healthier, happier state and being able to write again without pain. Still, my brain keeps chanting ONE MORE DAY!!

Anonymous

This must be a game to tefler now 😐

Anonymous

Rounding out the 8th month so this year, and here's our stats: * 3 chapters delivered * 8 chapters charged What's the current bets? Do we start month 9 at: * 3/9 * 3/10 * 4/9 * 4/10

Michael56Smith

.241: No more Placeholders, and he'll work to catch up, .... so no more complaining, right, .... unless you are just an unrepentant complainer, .... in that case I'll be praying for you (Rev?), .... ;-) ttfn

Tom Ray

Michael56Smith, F U and the horse you rode in on. I am tired of your mouth. you post nothing but crap on every patreon site you are on. get a life. O Wait.... this is your life.... LOL

Michael56Smith
>>116905211

.243: Hmm, ... Tom Ray, shows himself to be a hater and a basher, .... hmmm, .... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

.246: ,,, and remember the Invictus crew's several Motto's: Forgive and Forget (nah) Wipe out ALL the Bad Guys, ... - Fuck 'em, they're ALL Bad Guys, so all bets are Off! Loot the best tech (requisition) Recruit the Galaxy's Hottest girls! lifted (mostly) from chapter #58, page 8, ...... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

.251: ... Tef says he won't engage with anymore placeholders (for now), ... and after he finishes chapter #164, he will knock out the remaining placeholder chapters #165 through #168, ... ---- Now Tef's life has yet to return to what passes for normal for him, .... he still needs his gallbladder surgery, his wife's arm needs a few more weeks to completely heal, ... and the kids are back in school, so they will be sharing the sniffles and such with their classmates, .... fun and more fun, .... -- and John Blake, the Lion, is still battling Gahl'kalgor, .... I forget, has he yet to hear the 'bad-guy' Asshat's actual name? .... It is taking an extra-long time to defeat this Progenitor due to all the chapter delays, ... SMH, oh well, ... ;-) ttfn

Michael56Smith

So sad, yeah, the family went away, but then came right back, when Tef's wife broke her arm, so the vacation / camping trip was a bust, and catch-up August became doing the housework and driving the kids everywhere August, ... then, he needed his gallbladder worked on / removed, ... Complications, ... and with the UK healthcare system, we still don't know if it has happened yet, ... anyway, the best laid plans of mice and men, .... ;-( ttfn

Michael56Smith

.256: Okay, more stuff that John and crew needs to do, let's make a list: (in no particular order) 1) defeat Gahl'kalgor, but not kill him, ... (keep Xar'aziuth in the dark) 2) protect Kythshara, Mael's Lab and Faye's organic body, ... 3) find and man the remaining 7 of the 11 huge weapons platforms from Mael'nerak, ... and uncover the other (besides Genwynn) hidden stations, at Geniya, Genkiri, and Genirath, all hiding the other weapons platforms, .... 4) look into the Tom Walker trail, and save him before he is executed as the Rat of the Federation, ... (real Rat is the not so dead Mason Neumont in his old Brimorian Cruiser) 5) bring Faye back to life, ... fight the nightmare Astral monsters 6) investigate the Star Forges of the Trankarans, ... get Dana to fix/upgrade them, ... test it by making super good main guns for Raptor 2.0, .... Dana to leave the Republic lots of new ship plans, ... 7) start to build John a modified/superior Dreadnaught using the Star Forges, .... smaller, faster and better 8) check with Lynette on Outer Rim problems 9) Get the Brimorians to turn over the 1 billion plus Abandoned 10) deploy the requisitioned Laranthyran fleets, and the surviving Galkiran fleets to best protect the Maliri 11) Add a few Galkiran, Laranthyran ladies. and Ashanath (Gray) ladies to the new ship's crew, because they'll need a bigger crew for manning the big ole dreadnaught, .... maybe add a few retired / crippled T-Fed officers as well, .... bridge - pilot, tactical, also medical, security and more, ... (all restored to their prime health) 12) Jehanna runs a number of Documentaries and interviews regarding all the panic / excitement from the Galkiran invasion, on her new Maliri News Network, (MNN) --- can you think of a few more activities to keep our heroes busy? (I mean besides a whole lot of sex) ... ;-) ttfn

Anonymous
>>121013077

Perhaps resolve the issue with the Lahlenori hacker Shanryl. I'm assuming she is a Maliri but I cant quite track down the Lahlenori reference.

anand srivastava

I think Gahl'kalgor will be killed, and his forces added to John's forces. And since Xar'aziuth cannot do anything under the Shroud, sending more Progenitors will be a losing case, as more Progenitors will be destroyed, making John stronger. The story will end there I think. To be continued in the sequel, where John takes up creating the Shroud everywhere in the Galaxy. The Shroud would have been created by the Achonins, during the war as a final act. That is another thing remaining for John to find how to create. The best way to destroy Xar'aziuth is to create shroud everywhere in the Galaxy. It makes the Progenitors non-malevolent, as they are no longer controlled by Xar'aziuth. And with no more massive deaths and destruction, things will become better in the Galaxy, without having to kill all the progenitors.

Michael56Smith
>>121545551

.265: Hey there Anand, they do Not want to Kill Gahl'kalgor, his death lets Xar'aziuth know what he learned under the shroud, ... John and Calara would want to avoid granting the evil Devour any intel, ... That ignorance gives John a slight advantage, .... timing, .... expectations, .... and Progenitors learning about freedom under the Shroud, ... -- I also hope that they can find the ancient mechanism that generates the Shroud, and then Dana could make multiple copies of shroud generators to cover all the other Progenitor's Empires, .... blank the Devour out, .... and maybe let our heroes reform a number of the Progenitors, .... or kill them off. ... ;-) ttfn

anand srivastava

This is the most amazing scifi fantasy story I have read. The growth of the characters and story is phenomenal. First we find out about progenitors after so many chapters and then that there more of them, and then there is someone even more powerful.

anand srivastava (edited)

Comment edits

2023-11-12 00:25:21 I find all the whining pathetic. How many free chapters did people get? And crying over just paltry 4.5 chapters. I know that charging for advance chapters was not correct but he was trying to make his living based on the money here. Which he now understands wasn't going to work, with a family. Now he has gone back to work, as he had to, to support his family. I am surprised how insensitive these whiners are. They are behaving like little children, whose toy has been taken away. I hope Tefler will post soon. Patience is important, which you learn with age. I hope the whiners will grow up over the months, that it takes Tefler to post to post the next chapters. He will come back to the story because he is writing for himself. But it will be much slower now that he has a day job. Anyway it is what it is. I wish for his continued good health, and that his family issues are in the past. Wishing everybody enlightened self interest :-). Peace.
2023-11-08 09:43:21 I find all the whining pathetic. How many free chapters did people get? And crying over just paltry 4.5 chapters. I know that charging for advance chapters was not correct but he was trying to make his living based on the money here. Which he now understands wasn't going to work, with a family. Now he has gone back to work, as he had to, to support his family. I am surprised how insensitive these whiners are. They are behaving like little children, whose toy has been taken away. I hope Tefler will post soon. Patience is important, which you learn with age. I hope the whiners will grow up over the months, that it takes Tefler to post the next chapters. He will come back to the story because he is writing for himself. But it will be much slower now that he has a day job. Anyway it is what it is. I wish for his continued good health, and that his family issues are in the past. Wishing everybody enlightened self interest :-). Peace.

I find all the whining pathetic. How many free chapters did people get? And crying over just paltry 4.5 chapters. I know that charging for advance chapters was not correct but he was trying to make his living based on the money here. Which he now understands wasn't going to work, with a family. Now he has gone back to work, as he had to, to support his family. I am surprised how insensitive these whiners are. They are behaving like little children, whose toy has been taken away. I hope Tefler will post soon. Patience is important, which you learn with age. I hope the whiners will grow up over the months, that it takes Tefler to post the next chapters. He will come back to the story because he is writing for himself. But it will be much slower now that he has a day job. Anyway it is what it is. I wish for his continued good health, and that his family issues are in the past. Wishing everybody enlightened self interest :-). Peace.

Myrnalin

After Patroen allowed us to block other users, this feed has been pure positivity and encouragement... And I have not blocked more than 10 in total. 10 People who ruins it for the rest of us. I strongly suggest blocking the whiners.

Andy Kay
>>121793771

You can block other users? Thank you for pointing this out, now I'll never see another ttfn comment again.

20 ton

If Tef had written 1/10 of the words as Michael since Aug 31, would we we have our promised finish to 164. Been a long couple days . Not keeping his word or simply communicating is the real problem. That’s not whining, that’s a statement of fact from someone that has checkered the site daily for months.

Michael56Smith
>>125785918

.130: Well yeah, but the way Tef vcompleted chapter #164 was way better than I could've written, .... quality vs quantity, .... he's the best, and TSM is wonderful, ... so, he dropped the completed #164 on us on 3 Feb 2024, ... after 6 months of silence, .... but now, we at least know that he's alive and that the story continues, ... yay! -- ... and chapters #165 thru #168 were already paid for, and Tef stated that he is done with advance (placeholder) payments, .... so, no Patreon money since last summer, and now no money yet until he is caught up, ... I hope the financial strain will not cause him problems and that the epic tale does continue, ... ;-) ttfn