Post-UH: Bigger problem --> the MAlign or "Hail Hydra!"

Having been absent for a while, and with the admittance that I haven't read UH yet [waiting for the actual book!], something which I've been thinking about relative to what I do know from some of the spoiler(s). Also, I am acknowledging that the that the SEM/GA's most dangerous imminent threat is from the silver bullets, etc., then any Spider drive warships being used in active operations, aka they have to stop the wholesale carnage.

Meanwhile... the RMN has decapitated the capital snake and ONE sector governor (Verocchio), gained the allegiance of another (Barregos), is basically building a Beowulf-centered third pillar. The GA can't police the galaxy -- not enough ships, so the SLN still has to do that work... and FF loyalties are suspect and somewhat for sale. That leaves not only the RF but a number of other former OFS high-mucky mucks who are precisely the folks that are likely to go Revanchist and work together pull an SLN based Thunderbolt on Manticore, etc.

Which is the bigger problem?

without going into spoliers OFS is kind of dealt with. maybe some bad eggs to deal with but they will be rogues with no mandarins of FF admirals to cover for them.

MA is still the much greater threat but because with Mesa dealt with, though there are some problems with mesa I won't detail, they don't know where to find their enemy.

so shadow war, via spies like black victor or more likely the devious duos new third and fourth members. who thanks to their new bond are really hacked off with the MA, one has family to avenge and the other is just plan tired of constantly having to work for the lesser evil.

--snipping--

Dauntless wrote:without going into spoliers OFS is kind of dealt with. maybe some bad eggs to deal with but they will be rogues with no mandarins of FF admirals to cover for them.

Sort of my point... seems like there are now at least nine-mandarin cliques to deal with, no? Until a new league government shows that they can do better, these other sector governors likely have plenty of personal power and arms to be a pain. Sort of how MOST of the former Soviet Union "republics" are currently nothing of the sort, they're run by strongmen who are basically warlords with more firepower than everyone else. In the Honorverse, the RMN can smash any of them, but only if they want to be the police force for 1900+ inhabited systems and who knows how many planets.

That said, I've led myself to another question. Does the SEM need to retain permanent control of all of the Laccoon II wormholes to make sure nothing revanchist happens? I think I'd argue that yup, they're the only ones who've been proven trustable over a long period of time to do so... and it's the only way to keep an eye on things and keep the golden hammer available for use on oligarchic wannabees. Yes/No?

you make an excellent point that the SL will have to deal with their bad decsions re goveners but enough of the fleet was left that they should be able to deal with it.

maybe the odd joint op with the GA or Maya sector but as you say the SL needs to show that they can do things.

keeping the wormholes? i'm half and half GA mangement would likely be vastly better then what they had before but does the GA need the annoyance that managing them will be.

they are already an incredibly wealthy system and yes a lot of the econnmy will be devoted into rebuilding local and then empire industry (quadrant especially) and the extra cash flow from more termini would be useful, but the extra costs (wear and tear on the navy and political) would not be minor

Dauntless wrote:you make an excellent point that the SL will have to deal with their bad decsions re goveners but enough of the fleet was left that they should be able to deal with it.

maybe the odd joint op with the GA or Maya sector but as you say the SL needs to show that they can do things.

keeping the wormholes? i'm half and half GA mangement would likely be vastly better then what they had before but does the GA need the annoyance that managing them will be.

they are already an incredibly wealthy system and yes a lot of the econnmy will be devoted into rebuilding local and then empire industry (quadrant especially) and the extra cash flow from more termini would be useful, but the extra costs (wear and tear on the navy and political) would not be minor

Whatever other governors do is speculation since RFC has announced that Barregos was about to start Operation Sepoy in one of his posts long long ago. As for the GA/SEM being the galactic police force or not would be a spoiler.

Wormhole retention would require some military presence, at least a small crew to maintain the WHJ forts/Moriary & whatever recondrones they would have swanning around. I'm ambivalent over keeping v releasing them. On the one hand each one represents a micro drain on military resources. On the other hand coming to an honest agreement over operating expenses and revenue sharing with the star nation on each side of the WHJ/HB would go a long way to insuring who gets which money for their resources. SEM only needs enough to cover actual expenses.

--snipping--

pappilon wrote:Wormhole retention would require some military presence, at least a small crew to maintain the WHJ forts/Moriary & whatever recondrones they would have swanning around. I'm ambivalent over keeping v releasing them. On the one hand each one represents a micro drain on military resources. On the other hand coming to an honest agreement over operating expenses and revenue sharing with the star nation on each side of the WHJ/HB would go a long way to insuring who gets which money for their resources. SEM only needs enough to cover actual expenses.

That was pretty much where I was headed with my thoughts. Basically, the RMN/GA acts as guarantors of a secure wormhole network for pennies on the dollar earned...leaving most of the dollar (probably 95%+) on the table. Monitoring the wormholes and helping the locals develop them presumably also ties the hands of the MAlign a little bit... and earns the systems with non-corrupt governments a fair return to the citizenry of both the wormhole and nearby systems, I think.