This has come up in my "hmm radar" a time or three and I thought I'd take this time to comment.
SVW Chapter 30 wrote:You're right, Ma'am. They've got to be drones."
Genevieve Chin gave Commander Klim a sharp nod and turned from the master display. She stalked back to her command chair and sank into it, locking her shock frame with slow deliberation, then looked at DeSoto.
"Lay in new firing orders. They're concentrating on Waldensville; let's give them a little of their own medicine. Pick two BCs and hit them with everything we've got."
"Aye, Ma'am!" Matching hunger sharpened DeSoto's reply, and Chin smiled a thin smile. They'd been suckered and they'd taken their lumps; now it was time to hand out a few in reply.
* * *
The sudden shift in fire patterns took Sarnow's missile defense officers by surprise, and the first, concentrated salvo blew a hole through their countermissiles, sweeping into attack range of Defiant and Achilles. Defiant took only three hits, none critical, but a dozen lasers lashed at the open rear of Achilles' impeller wedge, and damage alarms screamed as five of them blasted deep into her hull.
"We've lost Graser One-Six and Laser One-Eight, Sir. Five casualties in Radar Eleven. Missile Five-Two's down, but damage control is on it."
"Acknowledged." Captain Oscar Weldon didn't even look up at his exec's report. He only looked at the flag bridge com screen and saw the same awareness in Commodore Banton's eyes. It had been only a matter of time until the Peeps concentrated their fire; now they knew who their targets would be.
Achilles shuddered as another salvo flailed at her, and the battlecruiser writhed into a fresh evasion pattern while two light cruisers closed in tighter on either flank to add their weight to her defense.
My bold.It sort of seems to me that the XO, at the very least, should have alerted the missile defense officers of the possible tactics that may be coming. The missile defense officers may not have been able to conceive of the particular change in tactics, though the XO and Captain certainly should have.
Or perhaps the missile defense teams are expected to be that tactically savvy. Certainly the position of Tactical should be up on it if whoever is at Tactical is a Harrington, Foraker, Hearns or "Guns."
TBH, the missile defense teams may have been expected to realize that the Peeps may decide to concentrate their fire during this reengagement. In fact, that the chances would be quite high. Even while considering the good times when the Peeps seemed completely oblivious to the notion. But... all in all it seems to me to be a slip of the XO or the Captain for not broaching a cursory reminder for assurance.
shrugMuch like what Honor does here with Rafe...
HotQ Ch. 34 wrote:"We should be able to run a fair plot on Saladin with our belly radar, Rafe, but tracking missiles through the grav band will be difficult."
Cardones nodded, and his face was very still. Honor saw the understanding in his eyes, but she had to say it.
"I intend to hold the belly of our wedge towards her all the way in. We don't have the ammunition to stop her with missiles, so we're going to close to pointblank range unless she shears off. Set up your fire plan on the assumption that I will roll to bring our port energy broadside to bear at twenty thousand kilometers."
Cardones simply nodded once more, but someone hissed. That wasn't energy weapon range; it was suicide range.
"She won't know exactly when we intend to roll," Honor went on in that same, calm voice. "That should give us the first shot, and at that range, it won't matter how tough her sidewalls are." She held Cardones' gaze with her single eye and spoke very softly. "I'm depending on you, Rafe. Get that first broadside on target, then keep firing, whatever happens."