cthia wrote:kzt wrote:The MAN is very careful to follow the accepted laws of war, much more scrupulously than the SLN. They might obliterate the orbital infrastructure but they won't directly strike the planet. It certainly will be a very bad day, but it's not genocide.
I somewhat agree. That is why I surmised the MAN would utilize their stealth ability to effect a completely surgical strike rewriting the book on EEV because their tech puts the capability into their hands. And because the MAlign would surely know as well as we know that in the case of genocide a galaxy wide APB would be put out on their heads.
Yet, obliterating the Sanctuarians' orbital infrastructure could end with the same results, intentional or not. How many tugboats do you suppose the Havenites have in Santuarian space that could intercept errant fragments? Huge fragments in the Manticoran case of Oyster Bay. (BTW, I wonder what the butcher bill would have been if no fragments were intercepted during Oyster Bay?)
Especially in light of the fact that the MAN may feel the GA has the ability to detect them now, they may go in hard causing orbital debris that could severely damage the planet, though the planet itself may not have been targeted.
What can be said to the Sanctuarians in that case besides
"Oops."
JohnRoth wrote:Take a deep breath.
Remember who's the commanding Admiral in Bolthole. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had a "development" version of Moiarty in place long since, and have upgraded it to a "development" version of Mycroft. It probably doesn't look a whole lot like the production version though, since parts of that come from Beowulf.
Perhaps so. OTOH, there could be complacency born out of a sense of security because it is hidden and there isn't any
or little expectation of being invaded. Which would allow the MAN to find themselves as fortunate as did the American fighters finding Yamamoto's carrier—with the system basically naked and unprepared as far as Mycroft and the ships are sitting in orbit with wedges down. One big happy family waiting to get reamed.
JohnRoth wrote:Also, the MAlign decided not to try a second strike because it would be too likely to fail. That was Albrecht's decision. Now that Albrecht is out of the picture, Rufino C. at least, is considering going deeper into the shadows. What Benjamin or Colin will decide is something I don't know, but we don't know that they survived.
Perhaps so John. But we don't know if the MAlign would adhere to their schedule if they caught wind of the existence and location of a Havenite Bolthole,
or if they'd momentarily detour their plans again, as they did with the Manticoran home system.
As my unmassaged memory 'membered as has been pointed out, most of the concern was based on the MAlign's lack of cannon fodder, meat for the butcher. As soon as they can "grow" or what ever the hell it is that they do to get crew, that may change.
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