cthia wrote:Imagine Fearless sitting broke down and needing spare parts from the Home System. Nodes or something...
"Tell them we need that part pronto! And streak it here!"
"Might even have made enough of a difference for White Haven to have been a factor -- all dressed up as the cavalry -- when he hypered in to assist Honor with the Q ship.
Streak drive is definitely useful - but I think you're overselling it. It's not the difference between ships and planes, or even prop planes and jets.
It's more like if the strategic cruising speed of a WWII fast convoy speed was increased from 10 knots to 14 knots. Or a DC-3/C-47s cruise speed from 207 mph to 300 mph. Very useful, but not exactly overnight air delivery.
That said, sometimes getting there 30% sooner makes a real difference. Certainly cutting 30% each way off summoning White Haven's BC squadron would have saved a little over a day each way - enough that they'd most likely be on-station when Thunder of God showed up; eliminating Honor's death ride.
But even that quick little run of 31 LY still takes over 2.5 days with streak drive. Still all else being equal I'd rather have the faster strategic speed.
There have been a couple of times the plot has hinged on precise timing of reinforcements - The one above and Admiral Park's returning to Hancock in the nick of time come to mind.
Though I can't imagine RFC letting faster transit times ruin his plot twists ; he'd just adjust the timelines so things still happened as he wanted.