Sigs wrote:ywing14 wrote:So if we went with you 400 number that would still be less than the combined GA fleet. Which doesn't include the Andy's would I'm sure would be thrilled to contribute ships to the destruction of the MAlign.
No one from the GA knows where the MA is located but the MA knows where almost every GA system is located with the exception of Bolthole. The GA might have a numerical superiority but the MA can pick and choose which systems to go after with little fear of repercussions.
You're right, but so far nothing the MAlign has done as indicated they plan on a direct military campaign.
And when/if they do so it would be too late. My point is that just because they haven't done any purely military operations yet does not mean that they won't do purely military operations in the future. By the time you realize they are going with the military option you are 24-36 months from getting new SD(P)'s and likely longer for any serious numbers to come out.
All of their military actions have essentially been convert in nature with the intent of stoking the fire between the GA and the SL.
And since this didn't work what is the GA to assume? The MA will dig in and hide for another 600 years until there is another large corrupt nations to try this one more time? Or do they realize that their plan was too complicated and had too many factors outside of their control so they try a more direct approach.
I don't understand your obsession with the 46 million who were killed at Beowulf for the justification for building more ships.
Because the MA has shown that they have no concern about inflicting massive casualties on civilians so you can't assume they will show restraint in the future. Are you suggesting that when the MAN sails into a system and kills tens of millions of people that would be the time to militarize?
The attack there wasn't caused by a MAlign fleet action.
Ok Got it, wait until they slaughter your civilians in fleet action before you start building a fleet...
It was caused by bombs.
And the next one might be caused by warships, the time after that by biological weapons, the time after that by crashing a cargo ship into a planet the next time might be blowing up nukes on a planet the time after that could be any number of other ways. Are you not willing to look at what could happen next and prepare or are you the type of person who deals with something only once it happens never in advance?
Additionally, how would it be the opening chapter in a long war? The war started in the Talbot sector a while ago. What happened in Beowulf was merely a continuation of that war. One in which despite a GA fleet, Mycroft, and tons of recon drones was still successful.
Yep and the war has lasted about 2 years. The war with Haven lasted 10 years, the second 3 years and that is when the two sides new where their enemies systems were with the exception of Bolthole. It has been 2 years the GA still doesn't know if the MA has 1 system or 100 systems, or if the MA has a guy in a spacesuit armed with a .22 for a navy or 1000 SD(P)'s of their own. Unless they get really really lucky and find Darius at which point it would be a long occupation.
But your own argument about what we know and what the GA knows works against you here. The GA knows to this point they have not been attacked conventionally by the MAlign. There is no indication they will be attacked conventionally with the intent to occupy any GA worlds.
So once again do they only build up their military only AFTER the MA has shown up and slaughtered their citizens? And the first indication of a conventional attack would be a conventional attack... which would be slightly late to start preparing for.
A) their faster and in the case of LACs you might be able to swarm a Lenny Det and possibly get close enough to get some useful data.
MIGHT or you might get your LAC's slaughtered for no return.
B) You need to protect your merchant marine against pirates who will likely spring up with the dissolving of the Protectorates.
Sigs wrote:Since so many people keep bringing the anti-piracy and commerce protection as the main mission the GA has to be worried about let me ask you this:
How many systems would benefit from that anti-piracy?
How many systems would benefit from commerce protection?
How many lighter combatants (BC(P) and below) would you need?
How would you keep them supplied?
How do you decide which system benefits from anti-piracy patrols and which systems do not?
How do you decide which of the potentially 600 to 1000 systems are important enough for GA patrols?
How do you sell it to the GA public when all those manpower intensive ships require a large fleet train and logistical support closer to their patrol bases and all of it costs a lot of money for little return on investment?
How do you maintain 2,000 or 3,000 BC(P) and below in hundreds of systems and patrol routes and have them in sufficient strength that the GA doesn't end up losing a few of them with all of their nice technology to the MA?
How do you react when the MA sends out a coupe of dozen Leonard Detweiler class and Shark Class ships to intercept and destroy quite a few of the patrols? Do you give up and go home? Do you double down? Do you send heavier ships you don't have to support those endangered missions?
Its one thing to say we need anti-piracy patrols and we need lighter ships to do it when the actual mission is vague and the size and scope of the mission is vague as well. But one of the most important questions is how do you prevent the GA from turning into the League and Frontier Security?
Finally C) You'll need them to scout systems to try and find Darius.
And what do you do when you find Darius? Expose your systems in order to concolidate your ships into a fleet capable of attacking Darius or wait 5 years to build the fleet?
