puzzled by Cauldron of Ghosts timelines

munroburton wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:While Mannerheim has the largest fleet in the RF, it doesn't have "at least a dozen ships of the wall," to quote the text. Otherwise there wouldn't have been a lot of worry in that RF meeting about military power, and Detweiller's comment that, putting all the SDFs together would make a pretty decent navy. As things go, a dozen ships-of-the-wall makes a pretty decent navy all by itself.

We can't rule them out either. Mannerheim has a "Task Force 4" whose flagship is a DN augmenting a "Battlecruiser Squadron 6".

IMO, the worry was more about how openly they can afford to use the RF's forces, knowing that the RMN or RHN could swiftly defeat them if a connection to the MAlign were discovered.

JohnRoth wrote:

Theemile wrote:The only variable would be an interested 3rd party with wallers - perhaps an RF member like Mannerheim - who would be interested in quelling the violence on their terms - in which case 10th fleet is only days away.

While Mannerheim has the largest fleet in the RF, it doesn't have "at least a dozen ships of the wall," to quote the text. Otherwise there wouldn't have been a lot of worry in that RF meeting about military power, and Detweiller's comment that, putting all the SDFs together would make a pretty decent navy. As things go, a dozen ships-of-the-wall makes a pretty decent navy all by itself.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the Mannerheim high command knows that Mesa is a sacrifice and that the MAlign is somewhere else. This is especially the case since Mannerheim, like all the RF systems, is officially on record as being absolutely, positively, totally and thoroughly against genetic slavery. There is no way they'd send a fleet to relieve Mesa, even if they had one to send.

Jonathan_S wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:
While Mannerheim has the largest fleet in the RF, it doesn't have "at least a dozen ships of the wall," to quote the text. Otherwise there wouldn't have been a lot of worry in that RF meeting about military power, and Detweiller's comment that, putting all the SDFs together would make a pretty decent navy. As things go, a dozen ships-of-the-wall makes a pretty decent navy all by itself.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the Mannerheim high command knows that Mesa is a sacrifice and that the MAlign is somewhere else. This is especially the case since Mannerheim, like all the RF systems, is officially on record as being absolutely, positively, totally and thoroughly against genetic slavery. There is no way they'd send a fleet to relieve Mesa, even if they had one to send.

Theemile didn't say that a Mannerheim fleet would be there to relieve Mesa - just to end the violence "on their terms".
That could mean to burnish their anti-slavery bonafides by (finally) occupying Mesa to end the crushing of the Seccies. That would also put them in a position to covertly prevent the discovery or following up of any dangling threads the over-hasty Houdini bug-out might have left behind.

I don't personally thing that's the case, but it doesn't seem impossible that one or more RF members might intervene ostensibly on behalf of the Seccies and Slaves and against the Mesan transstellars.

Jonathan_S wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:
While Mannerheim has the largest fleet in the RF, it doesn't have "at least a dozen ships of the wall," to quote the text. Otherwise there wouldn't have been a lot of worry in that RF meeting about military power, and Detweiller's comment that, putting all the SDFs together would make a pretty decent navy. As things go, a dozen ships-of-the-wall makes a pretty decent navy all by itself.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the Mannerheim high command knows that Mesa is a sacrifice and that the MAlign is somewhere else. This is especially the case since Mannerheim, like all the RF systems, is officially on record as being absolutely, positively, totally and thoroughly against genetic slavery. There is no way they'd send a fleet to relieve Mesa, even if they had one to send.

Theemile didn't say that a Mannerheim fleet would be there to relieve Mesa - just to end the violence "on their terms".
That could mean to burnish their anti-slavery bonafides by (finally) occupying Mesa to end the crushing of the Seccies. That would also put them in a position to covertly prevent the discovery or following up of any dangling threads the over-hasty Houdini bug-out might have left behind.

I don't personally thing that's the case, but it doesn't seem impossible that one or more RF members might intervene ostensibly on behalf of the Seccies and Slaves and against the Mesan transstellars.

Louis R wrote:Which is exactly why I said you can't rule Mannerheim out. However, the timing would argue against it. Unless Mannerheim is within a few days travel of Visigoth, there shouldn't have been time for them to hear about it, become sufficiently outraged, and mount an armed expedition outside the boundaries of the League. Nevermind _get_ it there through hyper, as they don't appear to have used the junction - and would [ostensibly] have had to negotiate passage with Visigoth, adding to the delay if they had used it.

Plus, I think that the entire RF is probably still in heads-down mode and would therefore not want to draw any attention to their capacity for long-range power projection.

Theemile wrote:They do have the forces at Felix available from the job, which should be semi close to Mesa. The question is how they would explain their proximity and response.

kzt wrote:

Theemile wrote:They do have the forces at Felix available from the job, which should be semi close to Mesa. The question is how they would explain their proximity and response.

"We saw the news reports and decided that we would not tolerate this sort of savagery. Particularly from Mesa."

JohnRoth wrote:
Proximity is the issue. If they use the super-secret Felix junction to get there faster, people are going to ask questions. Real hard questions. We don't know where Mannerheim is, and if they have to use the known wormhole network, as Solarian League members they might well be denied passage by the Manties.

Theemile wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:
Proximity is the issue. If they use the super-secret Felix junction to get there faster, people are going to ask questions. Real hard questions. We don't know where Mannerheim is, and if they have to use the known wormhole network, as Solarian League members they might well be denied passage by the Manties.

They wouldn't have to use the junction, they have a fleet AT Felix - which is somewhere clos-ish to Mesa in physical space. The question then goes back to why the fleet was at Felix - which is obviously something the MAlign and Mannerheim do not want examined (as you mentioned above).

prasad wrote:HI

I just read Cauldron of ghosts, and I'm a bit puzzled. In Shadow of Freedom Michelle Henke starts for Mesa after Anton and Victor get home. Its mentioned in the last chapter that she "wondering about stuff since Anton and Victor got home". This is upheld by the fact that Dame Honor shows them her correspondence to Queen Bethv as well.

However, Anton and Victor are able to get full body surgery to disguise them, Berry arrives after the COURIER gets to Torch and back, then Granny El's frigate gets modified, then everyone does to Mesa and plays merry hell on ground for a couple of MONTHS. AFTER Michelle has already left for Mesa!

And after ALL that right at the end, there is a mention of a fleet coming in. It doesn't say if its Michelle Henke, Dame Honor or the Andermani or anyone else.

So am wondering of someone could clarify one of the following

1. Am I missing something?
2. Did Michelle Henke get lost in space?
3. Did Michelle and her crew decide they needed a holiday?
4. did her crew decide to PUSH the ships all the way to Mesa in skin suits....