Of Mike and Mesa

Well, the last thread I could find dealing with this petered out about 15 months ago, so I guess opening a new one won't ruffle any feathers (not that I am highly concerned on that score).

Plus the last thread was pre-Cauldron of Ghosts, so we know a lot more about Houdini and conditions in Mesa.

A couple of points to kick off, then we'll see where the thread goes from there (maybe in the crapper, you never know, but hopefully with some energetic discussions).

Point the First: Where's Mikes ships? We know from textev in Shadows of Freedom that she had 28 SD's and/or CLACs with her at Meyers and that her intention was to take them all (along with Oversteengen's BC's) to Mesa.

We also know from textev in Cauldron of Ghosts that:

The conference room door flew open, and heads snapped around at the unceremonious, unexpected, and unacceptable interruption.
“What’s the mean—” Brandon Ward began thunderously.
“I’m sorry, Sir!” his senior aide cut him off. “I’m sorry, but…but this is—”
She slithered to a stop, as if groping for words, and Ward’s frown turned even darker.
“What the hell are you talking about, Andrea?!” he snapped.
“Sir, Perimeter Tracking just reported a hyper footprint. A big hyper footprint—at least a dozen ships-of-the-wall!"

Bold and italics mine. Now an accurate count might be too much to ask, but missing by 250%? Mesa's tracking has to be better than that, given the enemies it has. So where's the rest of them?

My guess is that they are currently footprinting close to the Mesa-Visgoth wormhole and taking the necessary actions to close that wormhole (and maybe send a dispatch boat through to Beowulf-Manticore telling them they have arrived in Mesa). It is the quickest way of getting the news home (about a week, IIRC). Other guesses are welcome--ignored by me, but welcome....

Point the Second: What of the Mesan Navy? We know from various textev that it is not a very large force (the largest ship we've seen is a BC) and not well-considered as a well-run or formidable SDF. And Mike Henke is leading the most capable warships (that anyone knows of right at this moment) ever built, so they don't stand a chance opposing her...

Still and yet, they are citizens of Mesa, it is their homeworld, and I suppose for many of them they do love it, and they are seeing what can only be considered an invading (and conquering) force approaching--combined with the reports from the actions of Cauldron of Ghosts, it wouldn't be surprising if the MSN (and many Mesans, for that part), see this as a coordinated attack on their system by the dastardly Manties, aided and abetted by the Ballroom planet Torch and those unmitigated bastards of Beowulf.

So will they fight--and die--to the last ship or will sanity rule and they surrender/scuttle their ships as happened in Mobius?

Truth to tell, I have an opinion on it, but I'll leave it for later.

Interesting times...

Hopefully Mike's arrival at Mesa, -assuming it is Mike and not the AIN- will be the first chapter of the next book.

T&R
GJS

I think your quote where there is obvious horror at the arrival of an unknown (but guessed to be Manticoran) large hyper footprint suggests that it is Mike.

It could of course be a red-herring; if the estimate of around a dozen ships-of-the-wall is accurate, then I would also be curious where they're hiding, lurking or - as RMN doesn't pussy-foot around - about to drop in on for a wee chat.

Quite simply, it is much too long since the last book.

Or, those might be merely the first dozen of the ships
to be noticed! It is the First Report, after all.

HTM

Tail Twitcher wrote:I think your quote where there is obvious horror at the arrival of an unknown (but guessed to be Manticoran) large hyper footprint suggests that it is Mike.

It could of course be a red-herring; if the estimate of around a dozen ships-of-the-wall is accurate, then I would also be curious where they're hiding, lurking or - as RMN doesn't pussy-foot around - about to drop in on for a wee chat.

Quite simply, it is much too long since the last book.

Hutch wrote:Point the First: Where's Mikes ships? We know from textev in Shadows of Freedom that she had 28 SD's and/or CLACs with her at Meyers and that her intention was to take them all (along with Oversteengen's BC's) to Mesa.

We also know from textev in Cauldron of Ghosts that:

The conference room door flew open, and heads snapped around at the unceremonious, unexpected, and unacceptable interruption.
“What’s the mean—” Brandon Ward began thunderously.
“I’m sorry, Sir!” his senior aide cut him off. “I’m sorry, but…but this is—”
She slithered to a stop, as if groping for words, and Ward’s frown turned even darker.
“What the hell are you talking about, Andrea?!” he snapped.
“Sir, Perimeter Tracking just reported a hyper footprint. A big hyper footprint—at least a dozen ships-of-the-wall!"

Bold and italics mine. Now an accurate count might be too much to ask, but missing by 250%? Mesa's tracking has to be better than that, given the enemies it has. So where's the rest of them?

Still sitting in Hyperspace waiting for a "Paul Revere" to give them coordinates for dropping out in the path of potential escapees.

That's the tactic she used at Meyers, and should work equally well at Mesa.

Well, it's not definite that it's Mike that crashed the party. Clearly it's someone who was hostile to the Mesan government, if not definitively friendly to Anton and Victor's people. The obvious suspects would be the Andermani, who we haven't heard from since Manticore passed on the information implicating the MA in the assasination attempt on Gustav's relative (nephew?). Maybe the IAN have been biding their time, or maybe they decided to go in and kick over the anthill.

Hutch wrote:Point the First: Where's Mikes ships? We know from textev in Shadows of Freedom that she had 28 SD's and/or CLACs with her at Meyers and that her intention was to take them all (along with Oversteengen's BC's) to Mesa.

Remember Mike's strategy at Meyers - leaving part of her force in hyper to catch any fleeing ships.

From Zilwicki and Cachet's first visit to Mesa, we know that Mesa is a busy commercial hub. If Mike wants to repeat her Meyers strategy, catching the people attempting to flee (probably the best way to *catch and identify* Mesan Alignment members) then she need a much larger force ready in hyper to catch the fleeing cockroaches.

Hutch wrote:Well, the last thread I could find dealing with this petered out about 15 months ago, so I guess opening a new one won't ruffle any feathers (not that I am highly concerned on that score).

Plus the last thread was pre-Cauldron of Ghosts, so we know a lot more about Houdini and conditions in Mesa.

A couple of points to kick off, then we'll see where the thread goes from there (maybe in the crapper, you never know, but hopefully with some energetic discussions).

Point the First: Where's Mikes ships? We know from textev in Shadows of Freedom that she had 28 SD's and/or CLACs with her at Meyers and that her intention was to take them all (along with Oversteengen's BC's) to Mesa.

We also know from textev in Cauldron of Ghosts that:

The conference room door flew open, and heads snapped around at the unceremonious, unexpected, and unacceptable interruption.
“What’s the mean—” Brandon Ward began thunderously.
“I’m sorry, Sir!” his senior aide cut him off. “I’m sorry, but…but this is—”
She slithered to a stop, as if groping for words, and Ward’s frown turned even darker.
“What the hell are you talking about, Andrea?!” he snapped.
“Sir, Perimeter Tracking just reported a hyper footprint. A big hyper footprint—at least a dozen ships-of-the-wall!"

Bold and italics mine. Now an accurate count might be too much to ask, but missing by 250%? Mesa's tracking has to be better than that, given the enemies it has. So where's the rest of them?

My guess is that they are currently footprinting close to the Mesa-Visgoth wormhole and taking the necessary actions to close that wormhole (and maybe send a dispatch boat through to Beowulf-Manticore telling them they have arrived in Mesa). It is the quickest way of getting the news home (about a week, IIRC). Other guesses are welcome--ignored by me, but welcome....

Point the Second: What of the Mesan Navy? We know from various textev that it is not a very large force (the largest ship we've seen is a BC) and not well-considered as a well-run or formidable SDF. And Mike Henke is leading the most capable warships (that anyone knows of right at this moment) ever built, so they don't stand a chance opposing her...

Still and yet, they are citizens of Mesa, it is their homeworld, and I suppose for many of them they do love it, and they are seeing what can only be considered an invading (and conquering) force approaching--combined with the reports from the actions of Cauldron of Ghosts, it wouldn't be surprising if the MSN (and many Mesans, for that part), see this as a coordinated attack on their system by the dastardly Manties, aided and abetted by the Ballroom planet Torch and those unmitigated bastards of Beowulf.

So will they fight--and die--to the last ship or will sanity rule and they surrender/scuttle their ships as happened in Mobius?

Truth to tell, I have an opinion on it, but I'll leave it for later.

Interesting times...

answer to point one

10th fleet probably didn't go screaming in with every thing in her OrBat from Meyers. I posted this in another forum a month or so ago.

10th Fleet OrBat
20 SD(P)
8 CLAC
16 BC

Main Body
8 SD(P)
2 CLAC
4 BC

Terminus Force
4 SD(P)
2 CLAC
2 BC

H-limit Intercept Forces x4
2 SD(P)
1 CLAC
2 BC

2 BC Pony Express attach MB

saber964 wrote: answer to point one

10th fleet probably didn't go screaming in with every thing in her OrBat from Meyers. I posted this in another forum a month or so ago.

10th Fleet OrBat
20 SD(P)
8 CLAC
16 BC

Main Body
8 SD(P)
2 CLAC
4 BC

Terminus Force
4 SD(P)
2 CLAC
2 BC

H-limit Intercept Forces x4
2 SD(P)
1 CLAC
2 BC

2 BC Pony Express attach MB

Friend saber964, except for slightly different proportions on the heavyweights (I postulate 16 SD(P) and 12 CLACs, leaving a division of SDP's at Tillerman), I have no trouble with those dispositions.

Am curious about what you mean my the Battlecruisers as "Pony Express"? Do you mean carrying messages back and forth between the terminus and the planet and the hyper limit?

I would think Mike might have brought a dispatch boat or two along with her.

IMHO as always.

Hutch wrote:Am curious about what you mean my the Battlecruisers as "Pony Express"? Do you mena carrying messages back and forth between the terminus and the planet and the hyper limit?

Also known as "Paul Reveres" -- two ship to alternate relaying N-space tactical data to waiting H-space intercept forces.

I would expect a squadron of DDs or CLs to be in the mix for such duty as well as for chasing down escaping warships -- also a bigger portion of LAC wings assigned to round-up of escaping merchantmen.