Concerning the Orbital Bombardment System, No Spoilers

Ok, I've been bothered by the assumption that the Orbital Bombardment System is a single cluster of satellites orbiting Safehold.

In Off Armageddon Reef, Aug YoG 890, Chapter VII, we have the only real description of the OBS.

I'm quoting from the chapter in no particular order.

Quote 1

The kinetic bombardment platforms which had been used against Shan-wei were still there, sweeping silently in orbit around the planet.

End Quote

Quote 2

"Anything more on your analysis of the Rakurai platforms, Owl?" he asked.

"Affirmative, Lieutenant Commander," the AI replied, then fell silent, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"In that case, tell me what you've come up with on how to take them out."

"I have not been able to devise a plan to destroy them, Lieutenant Commander," Owl said calmly.

"What?" Merlin sat straighter in his couch, eyes narrowing. "Why not, Owl?"

"The kinetic bombardment and solar energy platforms are nested in the center of a sphere of area defense systems and passive scanners which no weapons at my disposal can hope to penetrate," the AI told him.

End Quote

Quote 3

And it's got six loaded cells, each capable of covering half a continent at need, by Owl's best estimate. Not good. Not good at all.

End Quote

The text evidence definitely refers to several kinetic bombardment platforms as well as solar energy platforms and defensive satellites.

My belief is that each kinetic bombardment platform (KBP)is widely separated in orbit from the other KBPs.

Each KBP has one or more solar energy platforms and several defensive satellites.

The OBS is IMO set up so that every point on Safehold is in line of sight of at least one KBP.

The quoted "it's got six loaded cells" may refer to six KBP with the "it" referring to the OBS.

On the other hand, the "it's got six loaded cells" may be referring to one of the KBPs.

In other words, the Orbital Bombardment System is a single system with several KBPs (perhaps six) covering all of Safehold.

On the Gripping Hand, I could be wrong but I await the "Word Of Weber" or further text evidence to show me that I'm wrong.

By the way, when Merlin and OWL were checking the response of the OBS to steam power, there was nothing to indicate that they had to "wait" until the OBS was "in sight".

In the text evidence, the assumption was that the OBS was always in sight.

Always in sight of the populated land masses. Perhaps some of Safehold's surface isn't covered because there are very few people present.

DrakBibliophile wrote:By the way, when Merlin and OWL were checking the response of the OBS to steam power, there was nothing to indicate that they had to "wait" until the OBS was "in sight".

In the text evidence, the assumption was that the OBS was always in sight.

Depending on how high (from the surface) the orbit is and the orbit's inclination to the equator, I suspect that only the extreme polar regions are "out of sight".

Of course, I doubt that the surviving archangels worried about what has happening at the North or South pole.

PeterZ wrote:Always in sight of the populated land masses. Perhaps some of Safehold's surface isn't covered because there are very few people present.

DrakBibliophile wrote:By the way, when Merlin and OWL were checking the response of the OBS to steam power, there was nothing to indicate that they had to "wait" until the OBS was "in sight".

In the text evidence, the assumption was that the OBS was always in sight.

There is an apparent contradiction in that argument. If the (singular) OBS is surrounded by a (singular) security sphere including the OBS sensors, and the OBS sensors are positioned to see both sides of the planet, then the sphere has to include the entire planet and cover the entire near-space region.

Unless the OBS offensive sensors aren't included in the sphere. They weren't explicitly mentioned in those quotes, which only refers to defensive sensors.

The OBS wouldn't really need to be able to react instantly to any sign of emerging technology. A delay of a couple of hours until the orbit carries it into LOS, or the planet rotates the target into LOS, or even launching the weapons onto a trajectory that can reach around the back of the planet shouldn't be a problem (though that last would imply a slower, lower-energy attack).

As to whether or not the offensive sensors have 360-degree coverage of the planet, the textev seems ambiguous. They might not need to in order to do their job, though coverage holes would allow use of techniques similar to contemporary ones to spoof and mislead recon satellites traveling in known orbits. So, they probably would require 360-degree coverage. They could, however, be stealthed.

System is this sort of situation refers to something that can have "separate" parts in different locations.

For example, a corporation's computer system can have separate computers in different cities.

All the computers constantly interact with each other even though the computers are not in the same building complex or in the same city.

For the Safehold OBS, I see several KBPs with support platforms constantly communication with each other and spread out enough that almost every location of Safehold is in "line of sight".

Each KBP will have Solar Energy platforms associated with them and will be surrounded by a defensive sphere made up of defense satellites.

While in theory, you could have a single cluster of KBPs that would not be constantly in "line of sight" for a given Safehold location, I'm not sure the evidence (especially when we add the steam power test) defends that idea.

Rugdumph wrote:There is an apparent contradiction in that argument. If the (singular) OBS is surrounded by a (singular) security sphere including the OBS sensors, and the OBS sensors are positioned to see both sides of the planet, then the sphere has to include the entire planet and cover the entire near-space region.

Unless the OBS offensive sensors aren't included in the sphere. They weren't explicitly mentioned in those quotes, which only refers to defensive sensors.

The OBS wouldn't really need to be able to react instantly to any sign of emerging technology. A delay of a couple of hours until the orbit carries it into LOS, or the planet rotates the target into LOS, or even launching the weapons onto a trajectory that can reach around the back of the planet shouldn't be a problem (though that last would imply a slower, lower-energy attack).

As to whether or not the offensive sensors have 360-degree coverage of the planet, the textev seems ambiguous. They might not need to in order to do their job, though coverage holes would allow use of techniques similar to contemporary ones to spoof and mislead recon satellites traveling in known orbits. So, they probably would require 360-degree coverage. They could, however, be stealthed.

Taking the risk of stating the obvious, I am presuming that each cell would consist of one KBS. Visualized in that light, I can't see what else it could be. Your logic seems sound to me.

I find myself wondering if the system is fully functional. If violating the proscriptions is really the threshhold which sets it off, it should really have reacted to steam. To be sure, it reacted to Owl's attempts to probe. But could it be that it's software has been corrupted to the point where it can no longer carry out its assigned function? Or could it be that like the defensive system on Pardal, it requires human input to react? In that event, since knowledge of the need for such input and how to do it is apparently lost to the temple, the system would be rendered harmless.

Another thing bothers me... When Father Paityr describes the computer under the temple, he describes how the computer is to be used to call out for help "in the hour of the church's deepest need." Then the warning is given that it can only be done once. What is it that can only be done once?

Dunno...More questions than answers.

Don

In one of David Weber's Safehold FAQs, he sort of implied that it might not be completely functional.

Of course, there are times that we have to be very careful in reading his "hints" so that what we think he said matches what he actually said.

n7axw wrote:Taking the risk of stating the obvious, I am presuming that each cell would consist of one KBS. Visualized in that light, I can't see what else it could be. Your logic seems sound to me.

I find myself wondering if the system is fully functional. If violating the proscriptions is really the threshhold which sets it off, it should really have reacted to steam. To be sure, it reacted to Owl's attempts to probe. But could it be that it's software has been corrupted to the point where it can no longer carry out its assigned function? Or could it be that like the defensive system on Pardal, it requires human input to react? In that event, since knowledge of the need for such input and how to do it is apparently lost to the temple, the system would be rendered harmless.

Another thing bothers me... When Father Paityr describes the computer under the temple, he describes how the computer is to be used to call out for help "in the hour of the church's deepest need." Then the warning is given that it can only be done once. What is it that can only be done once?

Dunno...More questions than answers.

Don

"Bombard to enforce the writ" is a rational possibility for which there is no evidence that I can see. However, I tend to be picky about character knowledge in an authorial omniscient voice text.

The Word of Weber is that based on warnings in the Writ, the Inner Circle believes that the OBS will react to generation of electricity.

Mind you David Weber was playing coy about the OBS actually reacting in that situation.

Of course, at this time the characters aren't (for good reasons IMO) willing to risk the chance.

phillies wrote:"Bombard to enforce the writ" is a rational possibility for which there is no evidence that I can see. However, I tend to be picky about character knowledge in an authorial omniscient voice text.