Call to Arms

Currently available on B&N website as download.

Don

n7axw wrote:Currently available on B&N website as download.

Don

Been there (actually Amazon) done that

saber964 wrote:

n7axw wrote:Currently available on B&N website as download.

Don

Been there (actually Amazon) done that

and read yesterday.

Just finished the hardcover. Different style to the mainstream books but a good read.

Daryl wrote:Just finished the hardcover. Different style to the mainstream books but a good read.

Anybody know if three is a significant difference between the final and the earc?

Theemile wrote:

Daryl wrote:Just finished the hardcover. Different style to the mainstream books but a good read.

Anybody know if three is a significant difference between the final and the earc?

Don't know, but I think four might be

Sorry couldn't resist

It's also available on the Baen site (of course), and was included in the October 2015 Baen Bundle.

WARNING! Thar be spoilers ahead! Stop here if you care!


I can't avoid the conclusion that if the Volsung fleet had come thundering across the hyper limit in one concentrated formation and drove straight to Manticore they would have won the war in three hours with minimal losses. Instead, that idiot Volsung "admiral" completely blew it with an over-complex battle plan that scattered ships around beyond practical communication range, much less support range. He gets extra points for lousy execution, timid tactics, and dithering when the Manticorans don't do exactly what they're expected to. It's no wonder the Andermans sacked his ass.

I also can't help thinking that two Shrikes would have made wreckage of the entire Volsung fleet, limited only by the time required to get from one ship to the next.
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When someone does a foolish thing, you should say it is a foolish thing. They may still continue to do it, but at least the truth is where it needs to be.

Imaginos1892 wrote:It's also available on the Baen site (of course), and was included in the October 2015 Baen Bundle.

WARNING! Thar be spoilers ahead! Stop here if you care!


I can't avoid the conclusion that if the Volsung fleet had come thundering across the hyper limit in one concentrated formation and drove straight to Manticore they would have won the war in three hours with minimal losses. Instead, that idiot Volsung "admiral" completely blew it with an over-complex battle plan that scattered ships around beyond practical communication range, much less support range. He gets extra points for lousy execution, timid tactics, and dithering when the Manticorans don't do exactly what they're expected to. It's no wonder the Andermans sacked his ass.

I also can't help thinking that two Shrikes would have made wreckage of the entire Volsung fleet, limited only by the time required to get from one ship to the next.
--------------------
When someone does a foolish thing, you should say it is a foolish thing. They may still continue to do it, but at least the truth is where it needs to be.

Well considering the fact that he lost a battle cruiser to a light cruiser and a damaged frigate nailed another battle or heavy cruiser.

******** Spoilers Abound ********


******** You've been warned ********

Imaginos1892 wrote:WARNING! Thar be spoilers ahead! Stop here if you care!

I also can't help thinking that two Shrikes would have made wreckage of the entire Volsung fleet, limited only by the time required to get from one ship to the next.

Oh my, yes. Amazing what 400 year of military improvements will do for you.
The RMN's Salamander-class DD had a max accel of 153g. A Shrike-B, without any refits, could do 4 times that (635.5g)

The RMN's missiles (which seem comparable to the Volsung's) are capable of 3500g at what I assume is 50% power for what I assume is 180 seconds (we see the practice shot run for 160 seconds "2 minutes 40 seconds"). That would give it a terminal velocity of 6,174 km/s and a range of 555,660 km.
The Shrike's missiles should be capable of 13 times that; 46,000g for 180 seconds - giving a terminal velocity of 81,144 km/s and a range of 7,302,960 km. Oh and their laserhead standoff outranges the autocannon defenses at 30,000 km vs 150 km; heck it outranges the CM defenses which are only 1,300 km range.

Then a Shrike carries 20 shipkillers, more than the 18 aboard RMN's most modern light cruiser, HMS Casey.

(And not that she'd need them, but she's got more CMs than probably any ship in the engagement and they're even more of an improvement over their counterparts of the era than her shipkillers are - since those are almost assuredly reaction drive CMs: Volsung CMs have 1,300 km range, Shrike CMs should have around 2,000,000 km range)


Then, a Shrike can raise a bow wall yet fire though gunports in it, while I got the impression that ships of that era couldn't open gunports at all- so most of their missiles and energy weapons were spinally mounted firing through the open ends of the wedge.




Yeah, a single Shrike could devastate the Volsung fleet from beyond their own missile range (and likely the first thing they'd see would be the impossibly powerful/fast missile wedges - they're slow enough the Shrike could achieve intercept vector at an accel low enough to hide it's wedge using ECM). Then when it slashed through the cripples with it's ludicrously more powerful graser (vs their slow firing lasers), behind sidewalls more powerful than anything of the era ever contemplated?
Complete and utter slaughter.

Jonathan, you didn't mention the better sensors.

Those various Volsung groups "sneaking up" from various
directions, might as well be broadcasting their positions
and velocities when Shrike sensors are looking at them!
(Not to mention the Recon Drones.)

Whereas the Shrikes would not be seen, even close-up,
unless they wanted to be ... and maybe not even then,
if the Volsungs were less than perfect with sensors.

A pair of PT boats would wipe out an entire Viking fleet,
if only they brought enough ammo. But if they didn't,
then they would have time to go back and get it.
see also "Many Halfs of Grantville."

HTM, just tapping my fingers on the keyboard
while waiting for the next Multiverse snippet.

Jonathan_S wrote:******** Spoilers Abound ********


******** You've been warned ********

The RMN's Salamander-class DD had a max accel of 153g. A Shrike-B, without any refits, could do 4 times that (635.5g)

The RMN's missiles (which seem comparable to the Volsung's) are capable of 3500g at what I assume is 50% power for what I assume is 180 seconds (we see the practice shot run for 160 seconds "2 minutes 40 seconds"). That would give it a terminal velocity of 6,174 km/s and a range of 555,660 km.
The Shrike's missiles should be capable of 13 times that; 46,000g for 180 seconds - giving a terminal velocity of 81,144 km/s and a range of 7,302,960 km. Oh and their laserhead standoff outranges the autocannon defenses at 30,000 km vs 150 km; heck it outranges the CM defenses which are only 1,300 km range.

Then a Shrike carries 20 shipkillers, more than the 18 aboard RMN's most modern light cruiser, HMS Casey.

(And not that she'd need them, but she's got more CMs than probably any ship in the engagement and they're even more of an improvement over their counterparts of the era than her shipkillers are - since those are almost assuredly reaction drive CMs: Volsung CMs have 1,300 km range, Shrike CMs should have around 2,000,000 km range)


Then, a Shrike can raise a bow wall yet fire though gunports in it, while I got the impression that ships of that era couldn't open gunports at all- so most of their missiles and energy weapons were spinally mounted firing through the open ends of the wedge.




Yeah, a single Shrike could devastate the Volsung fleet from beyond their own missile range (and likely the first thing they'd see would be the impossibly powerful/fast missile wedges - they're slow enough the Shrike could achieve intercept vector at an accel low enough to hide it's wedge using ECM). Then when it slashed through the cripples with it's ludicrously more powerful graser (vs their slow firing lasers), behind sidewalls more powerful than anything of the era ever contemplated?
Complete and utter slaughter.