ReaderPaul

Hope for the future. We shall see.

Good and caring chapter.

Good and caring chapter.

Well done. A delicate balance.

Very enjoyable chapter. One thing occurs to me -- some persons have sensitive stomachs when major diet changes take place. Sudden introduction of large quantities of food one is not use to eating can cause stomach and elimination systems upset. Especially true in the case of major grease level changes in food. Hopefully, Joseph has a VERY adaptable stomach. I do think he will very likely enjoy the taste of most UK food he eats.

The exact quote in at least one version of the musical was -- “Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread around, encouraging young things to grow.” -- Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!" Since I have not yet read the original version or the rest of this one, I will throw some wild speculations around: Spec 1 -- It is learned that Joseph has a younger brother -- additional paperwork needed. Spec 2 -- It is learned that Joseph has a sister -- new complications to the plot. Spec 3 -- "John" finds that DNA "evidence points to Kevin and Joseph being fourth cousins. Now he has a UK connection via bloodline. Spec 4 -- Other.

Fascinating chapter.

I think Joseph is somewhat, at least, aware of his less-than-secure position. He is hopeful at meeting Kevin and Ian.

Good chapter. Will we be given the name of the other driver? It is not a major detail if we do not learn that. It sounds like the younger kids will miss Joseph when he goes to another country.

Something I don't recall seeing in this chapter, or the previous one, is whether Joseph is going through puberty, has gone through an early puberty, or still has most of puberty ahead of him. The hormonal changes of puberty can cause emotions to range all over the proverbial map. Good signs so far in this chapter. Enjoying the story.

Wow, what a great group of authors and stories. I want to comment on the Super Hero segment -- @astone2292 and @Geron Kees certainly present differing takes on super heroes than one usually sees. Excellent stuff at angles I had not considered. In the Spy-Fi, @drsawzall and @Myr have excellent stories, and I can see I have to come up with more reading time to add @Xfighter1984 to my reading list. My main complaint with Myr is that he needs 3 or 4 times the number of hours in his day to write more stuff, and still get enough rest for his busy schedule. These Deep Dives help expand my reading lists. I wish my reading day could also expand.

If memory serves from a previous story -- Marty might have some contacts of his own -- and they might or might not be the same as the Major's contacts.

When I hear of financial theft such as this, it angers me. I hope for karma as well as a good home for young Joseph.

Bryce probably would have had more red tape to being admitted if his true age had been known. I started first grade at age five (kindergarten was not common in my rural area growing up), with the understanding if I was not doing okay by the time reports had to be turned in to the county at the end of November, all records of being in school would simply be erased. Now it would be almost impossible for me to do that if I were a five-year-old. (BTW, I did fine.) I agree with @Bill W and @akascrubber on the author guess and on the fact that the ancestors might keep "marrying in" to this line of humans. The most recent alien ancestor might be as recent as one or two centuries ago. I also suspect @quokka as the author -- For the reasons others implied, and the use of the names Bryce and Hamilton -- names often used in the stories of quokka.

Another excellent story, Geron. Love sometimes takes unexpected turns. Well done.

What Geron said in the intro page of this story. Sometimes custom can drive a wedge between two well-matched persons. How it was overcome in this case, at least partially, makes for an unusually good story. Very much recommend this story.

This is an excellent story well worth reading, in spite of suffering from very necessary -- "J R R Tolkien syndrome" -- meaning that the first two chapters, especially, seem to move a bit more slowly as the necessary-yet-fascinating world-building takes place. But in each following chapter, the story continues to build and grow as Jem, Nico, Nita, and the others learn more puzzling facts. I was reminded of the second Door tale by this story; in that one Difris told Mike that (paraphrasing) "Earth would probably now be invited to join the Empire. It might be surprising what the Empire tolerated in the way of bad manners." (End of paraphrasing.) Sometimes, what seems to be a bad or questionable thing is understandable when one has more facts to interpret. I would give this six stars out of five -- but the system will not let me. It is THAT good. Over the coming years, I look for sequels.

With authors such as @JamesSavik, @dkstories, @W_L, @AC Benus, @quokka, @Bill W and @Altimexis -- it's hard to go wrong. "In the Shadow of the Dragon" by James Savik is one of the best stories I have read on here.

All right! Another winner from @Geron Kees. This is almost as good as the Doors series, the adventures started in "The Case of the Short, Short Prince," and as good as the Charlie Boone series, and "The Sport of Kings," which I hope will arrive at GA soon. I hope to see Jem, Nico, Nita, Bzup, and Azim working together in a future adventure. And we still have the mystery of the siffle to solve. I might have more comments later, after pondering the story more. Very well done.

Bzup-kind thinks killing is wrong or a last resort. I am not so sure about Azim-kind. Really good chapter.

Currently, Geron's highest word count for one chapter is -- according to the GA listed word count -- "The House of Storms" -- with 56.882 words. Second highest word count -- 52,014 words in one chapter -- "The Charm of Being a Pig." So, a chapter of a mere 25,000 words or so would be nothing to our talented Geron. The longest single chapter of a story I've read was about 93,000 words -- and it was NOT on GA.

Adding questions to the list on my comment from the previous comment page -- L. Does Earth or Benteen technology allow surveillance of the Righoff lines in the same way Bzup-kind is showing in this chapter? M. How can Bzup-kind on the One Ship know humans are on the incoming ship? Have they been on other planets of humans or human colonists without the knowledge of humans? N. Is communication possible over the Righoff lines from one planet to another, or do ships have to convey the messages?

Mysteries still to be solved -- A. Why the siffle are acting together more often. B. Why Jem was singled out by Bzup. C. Why Azim feels so strongly that Azim-kind and Bzup-kind must leave Benteen if more humans are coming. D. Are there more kinds than just Bzup-kind and Azim-kind on the One Ship. E. Is the ship on the way from Earth or one of the other colony planets? (Yes, I am aware the text says "Earth" -- ) F. Are the Righoff lines the same ones that originally led from Earth to Benteen, or have different ones formed? G. Are Jem and the others wrongly assuming that the ship is from Earth, or is Geron playing with us using the ass-u-me method? H. Even though the text said a ship is coming from Earth -- is it the Benteen universe Earth originally which colonized Benteen, or do the Righoff lines sometimes go to a parallel universe/alternate universe when they shift? I. When the Righoff lines shifted away from the previous Earth-Benteen route, were there NO Righoff lines still connected to Benteen, but just ending in space without leading to a desirable destination? J. Has Earth discovered an alternate type of Righoff line not originally known? K. Have other orx-hunting ships started to use the double-mounting system now operational on Master Terpin's ship? Will @Geron Kees answer some or all of these questions in the remaining chapter or will he have to write a lengthy epilog -- or sequel -- to answer these and more?

Considering how much we still want to know, I hope the next chapter is about twenty-five thousand words!

This story is a sensitive reminder that not all outcomes are positive. @Mancunian has managed the difficult task of being caring without being "sappy." The story is short but meaningful. Very worth reading.