Daryl wrote:Thanks all, I do appreciate the feedback. One clarifier, in regard to the inherent in light speed operations, I never considered ships. However multistage missiles do crowd C where E=MC2 gets interesting above 0.9C.
As some wag once postulated, it isn't true that in SiFi no object can achieve exactly C. At C, mass is infinite, so one can, one per universe.
As mentioned, MDMs were not part of the original foundation of the Honorverse - in fact were mentioned to be impossible until they were introduced with a previously unconceived widget that allowed someone to cheat previously known physics.
In the original books, High c fractional impacts could only happen in the most contrived of situations against moving targets, and they always were a concern against stationary objects, which got the blanket cover of not happening because no one wanting to poke the sleeping SLN with anything approaching an Eridani Edict violation.
Once MDMs were added, it seems David never went back and revisited their full implications on the basic foundations of the series. Of course, <handwavium> can always be used to cover any plot holes.