Eridani Edict Violation of the most Dismissive Kind...

kzt wrote:

Duckk wrote:He said that missile impellers cannot be restarted. I cannot recall any instance of him saying microfusion plants cannot be dialed down, then back up.

"The tiny fusion plants in question require an external power source to initiate the reaction, and that power is now provided from the missile launchers rather than in the form of capacitor charges while the missiles are still in the magazines."
http://infodump.thefifthimperium.com/en ... gton/174/0

That's what all the plasma conduits are for. So unless you have a running conventional fusion plant bolted to your recon drone it's going to be hard to restart the micro reactor.

And it seems I mis-remembered, the reactor in the recon drone is similar but bigger. So it's not identical.

Which is, IIRC, why Mk23 pods all have a microfusion reactor of their own. It's used to fire up the missiles' reactors. (And once you've got all that power on hand might as well shoehorn a tractor emitter into the pod)

I'd guess that it would have to spin them up sequentially - that such a small reactor couldn't generate the plasma to simultaneously start 9 or 10 similar sized reactors.
So I wonder if a podnaught was rolling pods for immediate firing if it has the hook-ups to ignite all those missiles' reactors itself or if it always has to light just the pod's reactor and let it fire up the missiles after the pod has been rolled.

Jonathan_S wrote:So I wonder if a podnaught was rolling pods for immediate firing if it has the hook-ups to ignite all those missiles' reactors itself or if it always has to light just the pod's reactor and let it fire up the missiles after the pod has been rolled.

Don't know. But exactly how are the system defense pods supposed to work? They defenders are supposed to service them once a week, and they have a running fusion reactor all the time? Kind of simplifies they whole map the defenses trick when the pods are all glowing from radiated heat.

kzt wrote:

Jonathan_S wrote:So I wonder if a podnaught was rolling pods for immediate firing if it has the hook-ups to ignite all those missiles' reactors itself or if it always has to light just the pod's reactor and let it fire up the missiles after the pod has been rolled.

Don't know. But exactly how are the system defense pods supposed to work? They defenders are supposed to service them once a week, and they have a running fusion reactor all the time? Kind of simplifies they whole map the defenses trick when the pods are all glowing from radiated heat.

I though it was just normal shipboard pods used as impromptu system defense that required that frequent a servicing interval. I got the impression that the real system defense pods (even before they started stuffing them with 4-stage MDMs) had much longer service intervals because they were designed for prolonged deployments.

Good thing authorial implicit fiat means that IR isn't normally much of an issue in Honorverse stealth. The combat would be far different if that wasn't the case.

Jonathan_S wrote:.

Good thing authorial implicit fiat means that IR isn't normally much of an issue in Honorverse stealth. The combat would be far different if that wasn't the case.

Yeah, especially with the question of "how long should be the radiators, so the typical SD would not melt down a second after her powerplant was ignited"

What can you do when you KNOW you could end up having to abandon recon drones (particularly GR) in a enemy environment and not have them captured?

It has to be something that is already part of the drone, not something you add before launch and it has to be really robust so that it can still destroy a damaged drone.

Auto destruct and anti-tampering just like your combat missles is the 1st option though someone is probably going to notice things like warheads going off even outside of a system on a ballistic course. You might set up a program to have them scuttle themselves in the local star and just be vaporized when they get close enough so you don't get them to go BANG.

You might just have them go ballistic out of the system and set the timer for a month... a the rate most drones would be traveling, even if they were no longer under stealth-level acceleration, a month would put them a long way away from a system when they slagged themselves or used whatever internal demolition charge they are equiped with.

All they have to do is stop venting the excess heat from the fusion pile, the the drone will vaporize itself in short order.

fallsfromtrees wrote:All they have to do is stop venting the excess heat from the fusion pile, the the drone will vaporize itself in short order.

Quite interesting question - how spider-drive ships dealt with all their heat? They are forced to use directional radiators, and they are huge. Of course, they may just carry a few million tons of liquid hydrogen onboard to vent it during cruising, when their reactors are cold...

A Letter to the Northpole



I was remembering something that my father taught me. Our parents forever live in our hearts and are with us even when they are not.

"That seems very unlikely dad."

"The unlikely only takes time my son. It is recognized as the unlikely, time and circumstance."

I would like the MAlign to be the greatest foe the Manticorans have ever seen. I would like to see the MAlign reemerge as the greatest foe the Manticorans will ever face. I want the MAN to descend like dark Sharks of ominous clouds. I want their stealth to be frightening and I want the Lenny Dets -- accompanied and screened by the Sharks to wreak "complete and utter chaos." And I want it all now!


"Only if I really have to play fair father." Perhaps simply "utter chaos."


I want it to be the greatest test, by far, for Honor Harrington.

It is a far and fatal thing that we do, when we unleash the full force of the Salamander.

I want those Sharks to show us why they are so aptly named and I want the Lenny Dets to descend out of the clouds and settle on plots merging with zero/zero intercepts with destruction.

This is the very last thing I will ask for for Christmas (fingers crossed) and I don't mind if it is belated. I will simply think of it as being early.

But, well, as my parents always taught us. "It isn't always about what I want."

So, so much for all of that.



Sincerely,
cthia


P.S. Just in case there really is a Santa.

Dilandu wrote:

fallsfromtrees wrote:All they have to do is stop venting the excess heat from the fusion pile, the the drone will vaporize itself in short order.

Quite interesting question - how spider-drive ships dealt with all their heat? They are forced to use directional radiators, and they are huge. Of course, they may just carry a few million tons of liquid hydrogen onboard to vent it during cruising, when their reactors are cold...

All the thermal stuff is pretty much plot devices and hand waving. I's as important as it needs to be for the plot today, and when its not important it can't be detected.

cthia wrote:I would like the MAlign to be the greatest foe the Manticorans have ever seen. I would like to see the MAlign reemerge as the greatest foe the Manticorans will ever face. I want the MAN to descend like dark Sharks of ominous clouds. I want their stealth to be frightening and I want the Lenny Dets -- accompanied and screened by the Sharks to wreak "complete and utter chaos." And I want it all now!

"Only if I really have to play fair father." Perhaps simply "utter chaos."

I want it to be the greatest test, by far, for Honor Harrington.

It is a far and fatal thing that we do, when we unleash the full force of the Salamander.

I want those Sharks to show us why they are so aptly named and I want the Lenny Dets to descend out of the clouds and settle on plots merging with zero/zero intercepts with destruction.

This is the very last thing I will ask for for Christmas (fingers crossed) and I don't mind if it is belated. I will simply think of it as being early.

But, well, as my parents always taught us. "It isn't always about what I want."

So, so much for all of that.

Sincerely,
cthia

I greatly fear that Santa won't grant your wish. It would certainly be both entertaining and gut wrenching, but I don't see it happening for two reasons:

1) This book ends the story arc.

2) Honor is considered "Too senior to be commanding fleets" according to RFC.

So unless a large pile of admirals abruptly drop dead, Honor won't see a command bridge again. With the Manties still the baddest boys in the galaxy when it comes to high tech, her personal touch won't be needed. It would come in handy for ordering fleets around from a leather chair in Landing as First Space Lord, but as for facing down enemy fire again, sorry.