Future Space Lords

Well the scenario given is that they die as a fluke side effect of the Oyster Bay attack so while RMN's ship and missile building capacities are trashed the fleet and officer corps are still in decent shape.

BrigadeΔ wrote:My thought was that if something managed to get through to kill every current space lord then the RMN is probably almost completely destroyed and the only logistic or command structure big enough to support the remains would be Haven. Also haven is so much bigger that they would be able to hide the new command post much easier and better then what was left of Manticore.

I have to disagree - the Space Lords do most of their day-to-day work in Admiralty House. Bombing that building or flying an air vehicle into it could create the conditions necessary to require replacement of all the Space Lords, without having to fight past Home Fleet.

After all, if someone did manage to defeat the RMN, Manticore itself would be compelled to surrender. Unless Silesia and Talbott has been significantly modernised, has enough remaining ships and contains significant shipyards, that's it for the Manticoran Binary System. Game over. No point in appointing new Space Lords.

The assassination approach would be difficult against the security precautions all GA members are taking against MAlign deep-cover agents and nanotech, but it's significantly easier than joining the list of two million Havenites and three million Solarians who couldn't do it through force of arms.

In few wars commanders which were similar to Space Lords commanded in field. Why we didn't see any Space Lord in field yet? For example Polish hetmans were regularly commanding in field. And often Space Lord in field is a good idea when are we dealing with a lot of diplomacy and we need somebody to have high enough rank to sign treaty. Officers have right to do that, but it's better if somebody with higher rank sign it.
I'm thinking about exchanging White Haven for administrator, because he's one of the greatest space commanders of GA and he would be better as Second Space Lord or as a commander in field.

Draken wrote:In few wars commanders which were similar to Space Lords commanded in field. Why we didn't see any Space Lord in field yet? For example Polish hetmans were regularly commanding in field. And often Space Lord in field is a good idea when are we dealing with a lot of diplomacy and we need somebody to have high enough rank to sign treaty. Officers have right to do that, but it's better if somebody with higher rank sign it.
I'm thinking about exchanging White Haven for administrator, because he's one of the greatest space commanders of GA and he would be better as Second Space Lord or as a commander in field.

The Polish Hetmans were not the equivalent of the Space Lords. Poland at the time did not have anything equivalent to the Space Lords. The Hetmans were the equivalent of Honor Harrington--the top officers in the field.

The Manticoran Navy is not modeled on the Polish navy of that time. It is modeled on the navy of the British Empire. The Space Lords are administrative roles, not field roles. Look up the Sea Lords, which were military half of the Lords Commissioner of the Admiralty. That's what the Space Lords are modeled on.

BrigadeΔ wrote:If things are this bad you may as well consolidate the RHN and RMN leadership as a single organization at some place like Bolthole. This would be interesting as it would make Thomas Thiesman effectively First Space Lord and cause problems with Hamish Alexander as well as he is Secratary of War to. R&H would hate it though, Sonja Hemperhill and Shannon Foraker would be in the same navy and chain of comand and article 119 would be a problem to Rose's plans.

I was about to squawk that I thought this was a fantastic idea - until you brought up Article 119.

...but they wouldn't technically be in the same chain of command, would they?

Draken wrote:In few wars commanders which were similar to Space Lords commanded in field. Why we didn't see any Space Lord in field yet? For example Polish hetmans were regularly commanding in field. And often Space Lord in field is a good idea when are we dealing with a lot of diplomacy and we need somebody to have high enough rank to sign treaty. Officers have right to do that, but it's better if somebody with higher rank sign it.

Manticore regularly rotates senior admirals from field to staff assignments, to keep them acquainted with current realities on the sharp end despite prolong-exploded career lengths. So you can figure White Haven, Alexander-Harrington, Gold Peak, Sarnow, and previously Kuzak, or d'Orville are or were all of similar seniority and nearly the same rank. Alexander-Harrington and Gold Peak particularly have been tapped as plenipotentiaries or the next best thing for the Queen.

So yeah - the RMN's senior field commanders aren't just waiting for word back from home before making important policy, in conformity with their understanding of their orders, established policies, and their position as satellite brains of the SEM.

JeffEngel wrote:

Draken wrote:In few wars commanders which were similar to Space Lords commanded in field. Why we didn't see any Space Lord in field yet? For example Polish hetmans were regularly commanding in field. And often Space Lord in field is a good idea when are we dealing with a lot of diplomacy and we need somebody to have high enough rank to sign treaty. Officers have right to do that, but it's better if somebody with higher rank sign it.

Manticore regularly rotates senior admirals from field to staff assignments, to keep them acquainted with current realities on the sharp end despite prolong-exploded career lengths. So you can figure White Haven, Alexander-Harrington, Gold Peak, Sarnow, and previously Kuzak, or d'Orville are or were all of similar seniority and nearly the same rank. Alexander-Harrington and Gold Peak particularly have been tapped as plenipotentiaries or the next best thing for the Queen.

So yeah - the RMN's senior field commanders aren't just waiting for word back from home before making important policy, in conformity with their understanding of their orders, established policies, and their position as satellite brains of the SEM.

See also: Michelle Henke charging off for Mesa and then kindly informing her station commander, the Admiralty, and her monarch about it.

(That said, I suspect the only way they'd get Michelle Henke behind a Space Lord's desk is with a stun gun.)

roseandheather wrote:I was about to squawk that I thought this was a fantastic idea - until you brought up Article 119.

...but they wouldn't technically be in the same chain of command, would they?

But Isn't Sonja already the 4th space lord, if so that would put her on the dead list and R&H going to south carolina to complain in person (lucky her I used to live there) it would also kill off several of my current favorite characters (though I still miss McKeon)

BrigadeΔ wrote:

roseandheather wrote:I was about to squawk that I thought this was a fantastic idea - until you brought up Article 119.

...but they wouldn't technically be in the same chain of command, would they?

But Isn't Sonja already the 4th space lord, if so that would put her on the dead list and R&H going to south carolina to complain in person (lucky her I used to live there) it would also kill off several of my current favorite characters (though I still miss McKeon)

Sonja was away at Bolthole and no one will ever convince me otherwise. *stubborn glare*

But yes, if the unthinkable happened, RFC would know exactly how I felt about it. At extreme volume.

As would the rest of North America.

Yow wrote:I thought Admiral Hemphill was already Fourth Space Lord wouldn't she then be out also. I nominate the ball and chain, the beauty and beast, that dynamic duo: Scotty and Horace for Fourth Space Lord.

Why not Second Space Lord for those two? Sir Horace's knack for inventive use of computers is perhaps exceeded only by Anton Zilwicki and Princess Ruth Winton.