ThinksMarkedly wrote:There's also a question of opportunity and cost of opportunity.
Deploying a division of Leonard Detweiler capital ships involves a cost in personnel, expendables, and if nothing else, opportunity: the ships that are waiting for a target to show up are not elsewhere.
I agree, somewhat, but in a different fashion. More on this down below.
ThinksMarkedly wrote:There are plenty of systems in the Star Empire, in the Republic of Haven and in the Andermani Empire that will have long-range gravitic sensing much smaller than the capitals. So it's totally feasible to insert a couple of ships two light-days out and have them go completely unnoticed by the defenders.
I agree with the tactic, but not with the strategy. The maiden voyage of the LDs will carry a very important element in its cargo holds called
Surprise! That element should not be squandered on small fry. The maiden voyage of the LDs should go for the juggler in the MBS. They will be there to kick the shit out of Home Fleet and lay waste to the system. Any other allocation of the Spiders and their element of surprise would be the real waste of resources. As I stated on several occasions, the MA cannot afford for the Galaxy to get too many looks at its weapons. If ever a Navy should aspire to a short victorious war, it is the MA. For once in the history of the Galaxy, the MAN just might have the weapons, means and surprise for a short victorious war.
We shall continue to agree to disagree on how many Spiders will have been hatched when it comes time to spin their web.
ThinksMarkedly wrote:An LD can sustain an acceleration of 150 gravities, which means they can go from zero to 0.8c in 45 hours. In that time, they can cover just over 18 light-hours. That means an insertion 36 light-hours out takes 90 hours; anything further will incur coasting at 0.8c: so if they inserted 2 light-days out, the extra 12 light-hours add 15 hours to the trip, for a total of 105 hours of insertion.
And then they have to wait. How long does it take for a suitable target to arrive? And what's a suitable target? Is this attack force going to announce itself to the planet by taking out half a squadron of destroyers that came in on patrol? The GF has a thousand destroyers, plus a couple hundred cruisers more. The MAN dedicating 2 out of its 50 LDs is a completely wasteful allocation of resources, and I'm being generous with 50.
So they wait for a minimum of a BC division to arrive. What's the average time between visits of a BC to arbitrary system in Silesia, Talbott, or Haven? Two months? Three? Because I'm pretty sure the time between visits of a battle squadron is going to be measured in years.
And for how long would this tactic work? After the first ships are lost to this tactic, the inhabited planet in the system will warn any new incomers that there is a danger and transmit any readings it obtained. Those arrivals will turn back and hyper out with the information.
So I'm not saying this tactic wouldn't work. It would... a few times, against small fish, for a huge allocation of resources.
Which is why the Spiders should never waste all of that trouble on small fry. If they do that to the MBS, they don't have to wait for anything. All of their objective(s) will already be there. Waiting, maybe even sitting like ducks. All dumb and happy. Never expecting the
allegedly most fortified system in the Galaxy to be attacked. Therefore, the MBS will be completely oblivious to their recent infestation of Spiders.
I don't see any logic in wasting the element of surprise on some place like Talbott. For what purpose? Even testing the stealth of the LDs on an inferior system's long range gravitic scans is useless. Plus, the MA does not want to risk a Case Zulu being sent out.
The Mesan Alignment has never engaged in small-minded thinking. BIG egos begat BIG plans.
So, spend that cost in personnel and expendables on something worthy of the grandiose plans of an Alpha.
The Mesan Alignment will not adopt the popular strategy of nipping at peripheral systems. They cannot afford an attritional war. If all 100 of the Spiders
are hatched, the Alignment can take the time to infest the Home Systems of the entire GA and wait to attack all three simultaneously.
With the streak drive, somehow they may be able to pull off the first
galactic coordination of forces.