Why so little Manticore Ascendent?

Fox2! wrote:

Roguevictory wrote:
Will the Axelrod fleet even move in without confirmation that the system has been taken? In any case my guess is that fleet is mainly troop transports and support craft with at most a light escort.

I would expect a light cruiser, and a couple of destroyers and frigates. Which should run when a battle cruiser starts heading their way, even this version of Nike.

It would be nice to be able to mousetrap them, and get proof positive of what's going on, at least as much as the local commander knows. Which may not be much. The System Governor to be would be a much richer prize.

Yeah your force is about what I would expect as well. Or maybe a Destroyer as flagship with a couple of frigates and the troop transports plus the would be governor's yacht.

NHBL wrote:I have seen almost nothing about Manticore Ascendant...is there a reason for this? It seems an interesting series, and well done so far.

I guess for me the book was a bit of a disapointment in that the end half was old material, and I had been hoping that more would be revealed! So there was not much to chew on.

The next book will be all new, so probably will be much more discussion

My understanding was that they would not move until
sent for. They have not been sent for.

HTM

Roguevictory wrote:
Will the Axelrod fleet even move in without confirmation that the system has been taken? In any case my guess is that fleet is mainly troop transports and support craft with at most a light escort.

Fox2! wrote:

NHBL wrote:I have seen almost nothing about Manticore Ascendant...is there a reason for this? It seems an interesting series, and well done so far.

One question I have is, what happens when the "fleet" that Axelrod has arranged to be the "official" occupying force shows up? Will the RMN have at least tactical warning? Will the surviving RMN have enough strength to deal with them? Will they turn around when they don't find the Volsungs in possession of the system? Do they know that they are fronting for Axelrod?

I would assume that the very first thing that the SKM did after the battle was to speed up the refit on the rest of the battle cruisers. As well as increasing the supply of active ships to 100% missiles and auto-cannon rounds.

Of course, that would just be my natural reaction if I was attacked for the first time in a hundred years or so when I thought I was perfectly safe. Re-arm everything I can to full readiness just in case.

Regarding Gustav and the BB design, I would think he might have played the early role of 'the shooter' in the SLN's version of the Weapons Development board. EG, he provided the tactical expertise during the design phase that allowed the designers to optimize the BB for actual combat. Where missile launchers are placed, where auto-cannons are placed, where lasers are placed. The optimal mix for a ship the size of the BB. Etc.

Erls wrote:I would assume that the very first thing that the SKM did after the battle was to speed up the refit on the rest of the battle cruisers. As well as increasing the supply of active ships to 100% missiles and auto-cannon rounds.

Of course, that would just be my natural reaction if I was attacked for the first time in a hundred years or so when I thought I was perfectly safe. Re-arm everything I can to full readiness just in case.

Actually that's not a certainty. There appears to be a faction in the house of Lords including Travis's brother that wants to unilaterally disarm so as not to look like a threat to the Andermani. Hopefully they get overruled. Actually we know they will get overruled or Honor would have been born in a Solarian Protectorate not in the free Kingdom of Manticore.

biochem wrote:

Erls wrote:I would assume that the very first thing that the SKM did after the battle was to speed up the refit on the rest of the battle cruisers. As well as increasing the supply of active ships to 100% missiles and auto-cannon rounds.

Of course, that would just be my natural reaction if I was attacked for the first time in a hundred years or so when I thought I was perfectly safe. Re-arm everything I can to full readiness just in case.

Actually that's not a certainty. There appears to be a faction in the house of Lords including Travis's brother that wants to unilaterally disarm so as not to look like a threat to the Andermani. Hopefully they get overruled. Actually we know they will get overruled or Honor would have been born in a Solarian Protectorate not in the free Kingdom of Manticore.

Based on sparse details in HoS(DN section), they'll build 12-16 BBs once they discover the wormhole. However, those BBs will end up anchored to the system for a century, due to "a succession of isolationist foreign policies".

I'm seeing one of Gavin's famous compromises at work here. The RMN gets its build-up, but is only permitted to venture away from the home system with lighter units. Perhaps as a public policy, to "reassure" the Andermani.

I find Manticore Ascendent refreshing after the main series just became so very overwrought and cumbersome, with 10s of thousands of missles flying in every salvo and people dying by the millions, and the books getting heavier and heavier. And didn't mind Call To Arms having recycled material, because of the all the added materials mixed in (what happened after the short story, what about the rest of the action, will Travis ever get any (because he is slightly aspergers? and winces when Lisa bites crunchy uncooked pasta). What's going on with Chomps?

It's a fun book series, not an ordeal. If only someone would hit Gavin and Breakwater over the head with shovel, it would be perfect, for what it is.

Note: I suspect that Travis has already found the wormhole, just doesn't know it yet: read "sensor ghosts" right before the battle. What do you think?

I'm pretty positive that the 'sensor ghosts' were the mercs on their way into the system. The RMN just got faint whiffs of them as they translated into n-space outside of sensor range.

Also, I believe I remember reading somewhere that the SKM found the first clues as to the Junction in the computers of captured ships.

Erls wrote:I'm pretty positive that the 'sensor ghosts' were the mercs on their way into the system. The RMN just got faint whiffs of them as they translated into n-space outside of sensor range.

Also, I believe I remember reading somewhere that the SKM found the first clues as to the Junction in the computers of captured ships.

These particular ghosts were the mercs, but if I remember (don't have book on me) Travis is thinking that sensor ghosts were not uncommon in this sector, he looked into it, and nobody knew why, but there was some theory that it involved "interactions between the binary star field and uncharted grav waves." This was specifically added within the text of the original short story. With the tendency to tie loose ends together...

In numerous books there are references to sensor ghosts, but they are always something, because i guess it would just be boring to have grav tech see a sensor ghost and nothing come of it. But it has to happen a lot or everybody wouldn't keep saying "nah, just a sensor ghost".

My thought: they discover the wormhole hint (after now spy Chomps somehow gets Llyn), and Travesty remembers "hey, we always had that problem in sector X".

And somebody else gets the credit.

Fox2! wrote:

NHBL wrote:I have seen almost nothing about Manticore Ascendant...is there a reason for this? It seems an interesting series, and well done so far.

One question I have is, what happens when the "fleet" that Axelrod has arranged to be the "official" occupying force shows up? Will the RMN have at least tactical warning? Will the surviving RMN have enough strength to deal with them? Will they turn around when they don't find the Volsungs in possession of the system? Do they know that they are fronting for Axelrod?

Will Travis and the fair Lisa get together for more than a discussion of tactics?

Will all be revealed in "A Call for Vengeance?"

I know, that's seven questions.

My understanding is that because of the time lags still involved in space travel, once the Volsungs left the whole plot is set in motion, Llyn didn't wait around, and the occupation fleet is on the way. Should be fun.