Information I'd love to know

Iirc the on-mount weapons stations are their own life pods. But in general I believe the pods are distributed around the hull to some are near most battle stains. Certainly pods would be getting destroyed during a battle but it's usually not commented on.

Thought at Salon wasn't Michelle feared lost because Artimis had lost too many life pods for all the crew to evacuate?

Jonathan_S wrote:Iirc the on-mount weapons stations are their own life pods. But in general I believe the pods are distributed around the hull to some are near most battle stains. Certainly pods would be getting destroyed during a battle but it's usually not commented on.

Thought at Salon wasn't Michelle feared lost because Artimis had lost too many life pods for all the crew to evacuate?

Right. Evacuation plans assume the use of the boat bays; the life pods are just to cover some extra, and the evacuation plans may well not even assume 100% of nominal crew able to evacuate. (Not unreasonable: if you have to leave that badly, plenty of you are probably already dead. And skinsuits will do in a real pinch.)

Artemis' big problem was the loss of use of the boat bays, though it turned out to be temporary.

cthia wrote:

cthia wrote:
This seems risky though. What would prevent very frightened, Pavel Young-like, officers from ill-advised precipitous launches?

JeffEngel wrote:What prevents them from eating a pulser dart? Good bye, good riddance. Mark that pod to pick up last.

Apples and oranges. Fear vs. cowardice.

Care to expand on that? I don't follow as it is. Someone's at a life pod, it's their call to use it. I can see a problem with someone leaving in a life pod before everyone else who needs to use it is in it, but if the proposal is to stop that by having a central system make sure no one else is going to need it and it can afford to wait, it's begging for a failure that leaves the people at the life pod needing to leave unable to do so at all. That's not worth it. These have to be systems that are robust under wide-spread damage. The system that you're going to be able to rely on in this sort of case is going to be a human brain at the life pod. It's not a perfect system by any means, but you're unlikely to get one that won't introduce more failures and more serious ones under the relevant conditions.

JeffEngel wrote:

Jonathan_S wrote:Iirc the on-mount weapons stations are their own life pods. But in general I believe the pods are distributed around the hull to some are near most battle stains. Certainly pods would be getting destroyed during a battle but it's usually not commented on.

Thought at Salon wasn't Michelle feared lost because Artimis had lost too many life pods for all the crew to evacuate?

Right. Evacuation plans assume the use of the boat bays; the life pods are just to cover some extra, and the evacuation plans may well not even assume 100% of nominal crew able to evacuate. (Not unreasonable: if you have to leave that badly, plenty of you are probably already dead. And skinsuits will do in a real pinch.)

Artemis' big problem was the loss of use of the boat bays, though it turned out to be temporary.

Ajax, not Artemis. Ajax was Mike's flagship at Solon, Artemis is Mike's current flagship (10th Fleet) in the Talbott Quadrant.

Vince wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:Ajax, not Artemis. Ajax was Mike's flagship at Solon, Artemis is Mike's current flagship (10th Fleet) in the Talbott Quadrant.

Oops. Thanks for the correction - I didn't double-check before posting

During the formation of the GA when Eloise came clean with Elizabeth regarding the tampering of the diplomatic correspondence was it also formally divulged that Pierre-St. Just was behind Operation Hassan?

cthia wrote:During the formation of the GA when Eloise came clean with Elizabeth regarding the tampering of the diplomatic correspondence was it also formally divulged that Pierre-St. Just was behind Operation Hassan?

Yes, IIRC Le Pic reveled it to Pritchart Thesman and Montrose plus the fact that InSec had KRIII killed.

cthia wrote:During the formation of the GA when Eloise came clean with Elizabeth regarding the tampering of the diplomatic correspondence was it also formally divulged that Pierre-St. Just was behind Operation Hassan?

No.

Chapter 43 of Mission of Honor is where they discuss the correspondence. There is nothing there that mentions any of the assassinations.

Of course, that may well have come out later, but it isn't in the text.

cthia wrote:

cthia wrote:This seems risky though. What would prevent very frightened, Pavel Young-like, officers from ill-advised precipitous launches?

JeffEngel wrote:What prevents them from eating a pulser dart? Good bye, good riddance. Mark that pod to pick up last.

Apples and oranges. Fear vs. cowardice.

JeffEngel wrote:Care to expand on that? I don't follow as it is. Someone's at a life pod, it's their call to use it. I can see a problem with someone leaving in a life pod before everyone else who needs to use it is in it, but if the proposal is to stop that by having a central system make sure no one else is going to need it and it can afford to wait, it's begging for a failure that leaves the people at the life pod needing to leave unable to do so at all. That's not worth it. These have to be systems that are robust under wide-spread damage. The system that you're going to be able to rely on in this sort of case is going to be a human brain at the life pod. It's not a perfect system by any means, but you're unlikely to get one that won't introduce more failures and more serious ones under the relevant conditions.

Eating a pulser dart is cowardice. There's no place in the Navy for a Pavel Young - as you say 'good riddance.'

Fear, on the other hand, is human. I'm sure there were times in her career that even the Salamander was frightened. You'd like to calm the 'seas of fear' of the young, the inexperienced and or the just plain frightened. That's why a commander never lets fear show on their face -- like when Honor said "scare us up a few sandwiches. We've got time for a snack the way this jackass is maneuvering." Think that didn't calm a few frightened seas? Like when Ensign Wolcott, IIRC, enquired on the chances of victory in Fearless going after a Q-ship and the cute, little white lie that was given to her to ease the knot in her belly.

I'm not saying the system of life pod launching is flawed. I was only enquiring, observing and commenting. I can imagine Middy Cruisers to be so frightened that they may launch prematurely. That's understandable fear - which begs - indeed deserves - compassion and understanding. Not "good riddance." IMO.

My concerns stem from not knowing the system and protocol of pod launching; is why I enquired a few posts back. I can imagine a few sessions of intense drills as part of the Academy training.

However, I also imagine there is some instruction that can't be taught or overlooked while gripped by the jaws of fear. What about pod launches into the maelstrom of explosions? Such as...

Ashes of Victory wrote:The life pod hatches sprang open as the ministers turned the final bend, and two of Ney's assistants were waiting. They threw their charges into the pods, slammed the hatches, and armed the eject sequence, and then they simply stood there, staring at Ney while their chests heaved with exertion.

He stared back, and his brain whirred. Part of him wanted to launch the pods now, but if those were laser heads and the people who'd launched them had anticipated such a move, the slow pods would be sitting ducks, despite their armor. Better to leave them where they were. A laser head would shred the unarmored yacht like tissue, but the small, well-armored life pods would have an excellent chance of surviving. Ney and his people, none of whom were in skinsuits, would not, but it was the best chance the men they were sworn to protect had. But if it was an old-fashioned contact nuke . . .

If it's a laser head, they've got a chance, Ney thought. Please, God—please let it be a laser head! he prayed, and bowed his head, waiting.

An Ensign on her Middy cruise may not have enough experience to know that. And, as part of my other concerns, what about pod launches made too closely to lamed ships uncontrollably exiting the wall of battle. Is it possible to launch pods right up a ships wedge? Into a ship's sidewall?