Sun Apr 13, 2003 9:11 pm
Essay on House Threats.
I've composed an essay that puts into perspective the possible technologiacl gap between the Houses and a possible threat from the Coalition- that is if Digital Anvil wants to use them in an addon/sequel. It's in the form of a "FanFic" article, so the name is fiction, and the reference to a new Kusari torpedo is fictional. Enjoy!
By: Cdr. James Patterson, Liberty Navy to Liberty Naval War College, West Point Station, New York System
In the 800 years since we left the Sol System, we have grown as a people, and have just survived our greatest trial- the Nomad Crisis. As the Crisis fades into memory, we look at possible new threats, including the Houses’ oldest nemesis- the Coalition on Terra. The thought of Coalition ships entering Sirius space either with exploration or military interests shakes all House leaders to the core, for the problem we fled from over 800 years ago may come back to us, whether we like it or not. The purpose of this short essay is to highlight two flaws in House military doctrine and equipment, and how they may be corrected.
POINT 1- Technological (dis)Advantage
In our first sustained combat against a foe since the 80-Year War, House forces overwhelmed the Nomads in the decisive battle at the Nomad Dyson Sphere. However, we mustn’t be overjoyed by our victory, and look at how we may be at a disadvantage facing a Coalition threat. Considering the fact that we are approximately 200 years behind because of our journey to the Sirius Sector, or situation may not be as dire as it may seem for two reasons: First, We now have access to Nomad weapons, which give as much damage as Level 10 Access weapons, yet use virtually no energy. As of now, examples are being studied in Cambridge and here in Liberty at Willard Research in California. If these weapons can be manufactured in large numbers, and even refined, there can be virtually no weapons advancement the Coalition could offer to match this. Unfortunately, Nomad ships carry no shields, so no radical advances are foreseen in shield technology. However, the Nomad Crisis has given the Houses an incredible leap with cloaking technology. Rhineland, when under Nomad influence, had its entire Naval Forces equipped with cloaking technology. Equipment gathered after the Crisis shows that even though the technology is far beyond our knowledge, this technology can be duplicated easily here in Sirius. The possible problem with this is unauthorized naval movement outside of the Boorman Treaty. However, Liberty created a satellite network to detect cloaked movement, and this technology could be spread throughout Sirius space, circumventing this problem. This alone could circumvent Coalition advantage in weapons because of a complete freedom of movement. The other reason for a possible technological gap is the fact that a trip from Sol would have to go through Sleeper ships, like us, negating technology gains through time, because the whole concept of Hyper Gates, which the Houses are preparing to explore, is millennia ahead of our science, and it would be foolhardy to think that Terran scientists could discover them.
POINT 2- Tactical Crisis and Need for Improved Capital Ship Systems
Throughout the entire Crisis, tactics against capital ships, and capital ships themselves, have shown to be terribly flawed. Capital ships have been shown to be useless against small ships, and can be easily destroyed. Immediately, the Houses, especially Liberty and Rhineland, should look into heavier anti-aircraft defences after the debacles at Willard Station, Omega 3 and twice over Manhattan. In the case of Willard Station, Liberty Cruisers, and the battleship LNS Harmony were unable to engage Rhineland gunboats, and had to rely on meager fighter coverage to not only take them out, but the Rhineland fighter cover, and Rhineland Bombers because of a lack of fast-firing guns and a lack of integrated Air Defence systems, relying only on organic air power to protect themselves. This is a flawed tactic which has shown itself since the Second Terran World War. The other is the possibility of capital ships suffering catastrophic losses from minor torpedo attacks from fighters. The RNS Wotan and Donau , and the LNS Unity were lost, or were crippled by torpedoes. The Rhineland ships were lost from minor torpedo hits which fatally damaged vital equipment. As for the Unity, though it was destroyed by Walker’s cruisers, was damaged by torpedo attacks by aircraft. Capital ship design must go back to the drawing board, with an increased emphasis on survivability, and operations in hostile air environments. If we were faced with a Coalition threat with a fleet on equal technological terms, our combined fleet would probably be in shambles within a year. Our goal should be for ship designs to survive and be operational even after a major attack on them by weapons three times its magnitude. Right now, the two most powerful types of torpedoes are the Sunslayer Level 10 Access torpedoes, and the Kusari “Long Lance” enhanced antimatter torpedoes, which have a large Shield disruptor capable of punching a hole in a ship’s shield, and allow the massive blast from the antimatter warhead to focus on the target’s hull. If we can create ships that can survive major attacks from torpedoes and main ship guns, the safety of Sirius would be well on its way to being a total reality, even from our oldest foe- the Coalition.
"If there are other intelligent beings in the Universe, why aren't they here?". - Enrico Fermi
(Also known as the Fermi Paradox ...)
By: Cdr. James Patterson, Liberty Navy to Liberty Naval War College, West Point Station, New York System
In the 800 years since we left the Sol System, we have grown as a people, and have just survived our greatest trial- the Nomad Crisis. As the Crisis fades into memory, we look at possible new threats, including the Houses’ oldest nemesis- the Coalition on Terra. The thought of Coalition ships entering Sirius space either with exploration or military interests shakes all House leaders to the core, for the problem we fled from over 800 years ago may come back to us, whether we like it or not. The purpose of this short essay is to highlight two flaws in House military doctrine and equipment, and how they may be corrected.
POINT 1- Technological (dis)Advantage
In our first sustained combat against a foe since the 80-Year War, House forces overwhelmed the Nomads in the decisive battle at the Nomad Dyson Sphere. However, we mustn’t be overjoyed by our victory, and look at how we may be at a disadvantage facing a Coalition threat. Considering the fact that we are approximately 200 years behind because of our journey to the Sirius Sector, or situation may not be as dire as it may seem for two reasons: First, We now have access to Nomad weapons, which give as much damage as Level 10 Access weapons, yet use virtually no energy. As of now, examples are being studied in Cambridge and here in Liberty at Willard Research in California. If these weapons can be manufactured in large numbers, and even refined, there can be virtually no weapons advancement the Coalition could offer to match this. Unfortunately, Nomad ships carry no shields, so no radical advances are foreseen in shield technology. However, the Nomad Crisis has given the Houses an incredible leap with cloaking technology. Rhineland, when under Nomad influence, had its entire Naval Forces equipped with cloaking technology. Equipment gathered after the Crisis shows that even though the technology is far beyond our knowledge, this technology can be duplicated easily here in Sirius. The possible problem with this is unauthorized naval movement outside of the Boorman Treaty. However, Liberty created a satellite network to detect cloaked movement, and this technology could be spread throughout Sirius space, circumventing this problem. This alone could circumvent Coalition advantage in weapons because of a complete freedom of movement. The other reason for a possible technological gap is the fact that a trip from Sol would have to go through Sleeper ships, like us, negating technology gains through time, because the whole concept of Hyper Gates, which the Houses are preparing to explore, is millennia ahead of our science, and it would be foolhardy to think that Terran scientists could discover them.
POINT 2- Tactical Crisis and Need for Improved Capital Ship Systems
Throughout the entire Crisis, tactics against capital ships, and capital ships themselves, have shown to be terribly flawed. Capital ships have been shown to be useless against small ships, and can be easily destroyed. Immediately, the Houses, especially Liberty and Rhineland, should look into heavier anti-aircraft defences after the debacles at Willard Station, Omega 3 and twice over Manhattan. In the case of Willard Station, Liberty Cruisers, and the battleship LNS Harmony were unable to engage Rhineland gunboats, and had to rely on meager fighter coverage to not only take them out, but the Rhineland fighter cover, and Rhineland Bombers because of a lack of fast-firing guns and a lack of integrated Air Defence systems, relying only on organic air power to protect themselves. This is a flawed tactic which has shown itself since the Second Terran World War. The other is the possibility of capital ships suffering catastrophic losses from minor torpedo attacks from fighters. The RNS Wotan and Donau , and the LNS Unity were lost, or were crippled by torpedoes. The Rhineland ships were lost from minor torpedo hits which fatally damaged vital equipment. As for the Unity, though it was destroyed by Walker’s cruisers, was damaged by torpedo attacks by aircraft. Capital ship design must go back to the drawing board, with an increased emphasis on survivability, and operations in hostile air environments. If we were faced with a Coalition threat with a fleet on equal technological terms, our combined fleet would probably be in shambles within a year. Our goal should be for ship designs to survive and be operational even after a major attack on them by weapons three times its magnitude. Right now, the two most powerful types of torpedoes are the Sunslayer Level 10 Access torpedoes, and the Kusari “Long Lance” enhanced antimatter torpedoes, which have a large Shield disruptor capable of punching a hole in a ship’s shield, and allow the massive blast from the antimatter warhead to focus on the target’s hull. If we can create ships that can survive major attacks from torpedoes and main ship guns, the safety of Sirius would be well on its way to being a total reality, even from our oldest foe- the Coalition.
"If there are other intelligent beings in the Universe, why aren't they here?". - Enrico Fermi
(Also known as the Fermi Paradox ...)
) since Starlancer? I mean, the cap ships had shields, they had jumpgates that could be fitted on fighters, they had cloaking (wich, by the way, looked much better in sl than in fl