Last use for SL SD captured

cthia wrote:Unless there is something that can be done to disable the ships until further notice.

Weird Harold wrote:Adm Gold Peak "triggered the security meltdown" (owtte) on all but one survivor of Adm Bing's task force. That slagged the computer systems, making the ships entirely inoperable until the computers were repaired and reprogrammed.

Of course that would require towing anything given back to the SLN -- unless you waited until you arrived in Earth orbit before slagging the computers.

cthia wrote:Um, Harold. I think "driving" them back to Solly space would fall under the heading of an even worse idea. If you are taking them back it will be without weapons. So you have quite a bit of your needed manpower sitting naked in the bowels of worthless Solly junk. And even if you have adequate escort, it isn't going to help the many souls trapped inside the bowels of Solly junk when the MA's round two goes into effect...

JohnRoth wrote:He said "towing," not "driving." Without those computers, the ships are not going anywhere without a tow, so there's no reason to have anyone on board. Even assuming that the life support would work without some of that computer support.

JohnRoth wrote:

cthia wrote:Unless there is something that can be done to disable the ships until further notice.

Weird Harold wrote:Adm Gold Peak "triggered the security meltdown" (owtte) on all but one survivor of Adm Bing's task force. That slagged the computer systems, making the ships entirely inoperable until the computers were repaired and reprogrammed.

Of course that would require towing anything given back to the SLN -- unless you waited until you arrived in Earth orbit before slagging the computers.

cthia wrote:Um, Harold. I think "driving" them back to Solly space would fall under the heading of an even worse idea. If you are taking them back it will be without weapons. So you have quite a bit of your needed manpower sitting naked in the bowels of worthless Solly junk. And even if you have adequate escort, it isn't going to help the many souls trapped inside the bowels of Solly junk when the MA's round two goes into effect...

He said "towing," not "driving." Without those computers, the ships are not going anywhere without a tow, so there's no reason to have anyone on board. Even assuming that the life support would work without some of that computer support.

The obvious thing to do is to just drop them into an orbit somewhere around Neptune, and then tell the Sollies approximately where you left them.

Weird Harold wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:He said "towing," not "driving." Without those computers, the ships are not going anywhere without a tow, so there's no reason to have anyone on board. Even assuming that the life support would work without some of that computer support.

I think cthia was referring the option of "drive them there and then slag the computers." Of course, slagging the computer would render any missiles aboard useless as well, there's no reason to remove them for the ferry ride.

Either option is really more attention than the scrap-yard queens deserve.

cthia wrote:I've got a nagging suspicion that this notion falls under the heading of a very bad idea. It conjures up flashbacks of the predicament Alfredo Yu found himself in while at the helm of Saladin. After you make the exchange of all of those captured ships (possibly with as many warm bodies needed to more than just steer the darn things), what is stopping them from turning around at some point and attacking you again with those same ships -- refueled, restocked and repaired, with reinforecements that have benefit of upgrades and the fact that they now have the tactical knowledge born of experience and a do over?

I'll assume that the missiles have been removed, but if you're going through the trouble of returning the ships I'll imagine you didn't trash them. Bit of a problem tearing into them anyways. But what is stopping them from planning for the entire ordeal and bringing several fleet trains and a fleet of repair ships and stashing them somewhere awaiting a rendezvous?

Recall any one of the old movies where there is this type of an exchange and the touchy hair-trigger moments that are dangerous and nerve-racking where each party backs away from each other keeping an eye on any sudden movements. How long to replace PDLCs or whatever innards the RMN may rip out -- still leaving the ships "operable?"

Unless there is something that can be done to disable the ships until further notice.

What am I missing?

Jonathan_S wrote:

cthia wrote:I've got a nagging suspicion that this notion falls under the heading of a very bad idea. It conjures up flashbacks of the predicament Alfredo Yu found himself in while at the helm of Saladin. After you make the exchange of all of those captured ships (possibly with as many warm bodies needed to more than just steer the darn things), what is stopping them from turning around at some point and attacking you again with those same ships -- refueled, restocked and repaired, with reinforecements that have benefit of upgrades and the fact that they now have the tactical knowledge born of experience and a do over?

I'll assume that the missiles have been removed, but if you're going through the trouble of returning the ships I'll imagine you didn't trash them. Bit of a problem tearing into them anyways. But what is stopping them from planning for the entire ordeal and bringing several fleet trains and a fleet of repair ships and stashing them somewhere awaiting a rendezvous?

Recall any one of the old movies where there is this type of an exchange and the touchy hair-trigger moments that are dangerous and nerve-racking where each party backs away from each other keeping an eye on any sudden movements. How long to replace PDLCs or whatever innards the RMN may rip out -- still leaving the ships "operable?"

Unless there is something that can be done to disable the ships until further notice.

What am I missing?

I don't think gesture of returning the ships is worth any effort, but we're told that retrofitting SLN SDs into half decent ships is significantly more time, effort, and resources than building a clean-sheet SD(P) design. So it's a benefit to the RMN and the Grand Alliance if the SLN was tempted into attempting to turn those obsolete junkers into ships that were combat effective in the modern MDM combat environment. (Same reason the RMN doesn't want to blow up the SLN reserve)

Now unlike most of the Reserve, if you didn't disable the ships before the SLN took possession they'd be perfectly capable of being used against members attempting to succeed from the League - enough of them could overcome any likely tactical superiority of even the most large and modern SDFs [size=70[(and remember than maybe as many as 5 or 6 SDFs may even have wallers at all)[/size]
So handing them back, intact, might let the League force members to hang together - so another reason not to hand them back.

But purely against the RMN anything that tempts to SLN to try to refit and upgrade Scientists and Vegas is an advantage for Manticore.

kzt wrote:They can come and pick them up.

Weird Harold wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:He said "towing," not "driving." Without those computers, the ships are not going anywhere without a tow, so there's no reason to have anyone on board. Even assuming that the life support would work without some of that computer support.

I think cthia was referring the option of "drive them there and then slag the computers." Of course, slagging the computer would render any missiles aboard useless as well, there's no reason to remove them for the ferry ride.

Either option is really more attention than the scrap-yard queens deserve.