Just for fun, whilst "Sharkhunting"

... a GSN cruiser scouting yon uninhabited system in nether region not otherwise claimed ...

"Commander, I'm getting something twitchy on the grav arrays at bearing XYZ at about 6 light minutes..." Then, "My God, it's massive!!"

'Tis a new wormhole junction that does not eventually lead to Darius, the MAlign or close to League space... ergo presumably not on rfc's current plotline(s).

Now what?

SharkHunter wrote:... a GSN cruiser scouting yon uninhabited system in nether region not otherwise claimed ...

"Commander, I'm getting something twitchy on the grav arrays at bearing XYZ at about 6 light minutes..." Then, "My God, it's massive!!"

'Tis a new wormhole junction that does not eventually lead to Darius, the MAlign or close to League space... ergo presumably not on rfc's current plotline(s).

Now what?

I think we would have to know something about where they do lead. It could be as worthless as what the Peeps discovered. It could actually turn out to be a junction that brings you right back to where you started. Essentially the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris with no exits.

"WTF! "

Isn't that wormhole near Mannheim? Doesn't the MSDF keep a low profile picket in system as well to keep an eye on it?

Don't know if I'd want to be on a solo cruiser running into that picket. They took out the Harvest Joy with a picket of BC's (plural).

Granted, they knew it was coming from Torch and probably beefed the picket up but even a latest generation Grayson/Manty non pod laying cruiser is going to find its' hands full with one BC if surprised inside their missile envelope much less multiple cruisers of reasonably recent design. Don't forget the mauling Oversteen took from the 3 or 4 Solly cruisers at Refuge- and Mannerheim's SDF is supposed to be more advanced than the SLN.

cthia wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:... a GSN cruiser scouting yon uninhabited system in nether region not otherwise claimed ... Commander, I'm getting something twitchy on the grav arrays at bearing XYZ at about 6 light minutes..." Then, "My God, it's massive!!"
'Tis a new wormhole junction that does not eventually lead to Darius, the MAlign or close to League space... ergo presumably not on rfc's current plotline(s). Now what?

I think we would have to know something about where they do lead. It could be as worthless as what the Peeps discovered. It could actually turn out to be a junction that brings you right back to where you started. Essentially the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris with no exits.

"WTF! "

I'm thinking something along the line of either "story series", new planets for treecats, OR.... who knows? But if we want to stick strictly within the Honorverse "needs for the next X years..." until they find the MAlign... How about a GSN bolthole and maybe Grayson II for emigration. Because it wouldn't be any good if our for fun imagined wormhole led to a bunch of star systems full of space rocks and nothing else!

jtg452 wrote:Isn't that wormhole near Mannheim? Doesn't the MSDF keep a low profile picket in system as well to keep an eye on it?

Don't know if I'd want to be on a solo cruiser running into that picket. They took out the Harvest Joy with a picket of BC's (plural).

Granted, they knew it was coming from Torch and probably beefed the picket up but even a latest generation Grayson/Manty non pod laying cruiser is going to find its' hands full with one BC if surprised inside their missile envelope much less multiple cruisers of reasonably recent design. Don't forget the mauling Oversteen took from the 3 or 4 Solly cruisers at Refuge- and Mannerheim's SDF is supposed to be more advanced than the SLN.

The idea in this post is that the discovered junction goes... "where no man has gone before", aka nowhere near the RF or MAligned space. Sort of like taking elements of RFC's universe, one culture (the Graysons), and saying what would happen if they found something giving them the ability to be the next MWJ -- without mixing it up with the Solarian League plot lines. Not fanfic by the way, just "what would we do if we were the armchair admirals, Protector, etc.?"

SharkHunter wrote:

jtg452 wrote:Isn't that wormhole near Mannheim? Doesn't the MSDF keep a low profile picket in system as well to keep an eye on it?

Don't know if I'd want to be on a solo cruiser running into that picket. They took out the Harvest Joy with a picket of BC's (plural).

Granted, they knew it was coming from Torch and probably beefed the picket up but even a latest generation Grayson/Manty non pod laying cruiser is going to find its' hands full with one BC if surprised inside their missile envelope much less multiple cruisers of reasonably recent design. Don't forget the mauling Oversteen took from the 3 or 4 Solly cruisers at Refuge- and Mannerheim's SDF is supposed to be more advanced than the SLN.

The idea in this post is that the discovered junction goes... "where no man has gone before", aka nowhere near the RF or MAligned space. Sort of like taking elements of RFC's universe, one culture (the Graysons), and saying what would happen if they found something giving them the ability to be the next MWJ -- without mixing it up with the Solarian League plot lines. Not fanfic by the way, just "what would we do if we were the armchair admirals, Protector, etc.?"

Oh, I know what you meant. And you've got an interesting, and quite exciting point. It would be just like that meddling Demon Murphy to make the truly evil MAlign a significant super power by giving them the long term financial means afforded them by Providence. And, I posited in another thread how much more interesting storyline would get if this new junction exited right into the RMN's backyard. Or even in Bolthole's backyard. Or Grayson's for that matter.

Most likely a cruiser, even one from a first rate navy like the GSN, doesn't have a the sensors or skill to reliably confirm that the grav disturbances they detect are definitely a wormhole (much less that it's a junction). RFC has mentioned in posts here, if not in the books, that there are lots of grav phenomenon that are "false positives" for wormholes.

Still if they see something that looks like it's a wormhole they'll probably whistle up assistance from the Royal Manticoran Astrophysics Investigation Agency -- get a specialized survey ship like the lost Harvest Joy to come out and carefully plot the area to confirm whether it's a wormhole and carefully nail down the approach vectors. But Grayson should be able to claim ownership of the system and its Junction.

Once that surveying is finally done and the RMAIA is ready for a first exploratory transit they'll finally figure out that (per your scenario) the remote termini of the wormhole don't go anywhere plot interesting.

Well almost without exception new wormholes bring economic benefits and increased trade. If this Junction creates shipping benfits between existing systems or existing parts of the wormhole network then those benefits come sooner. If all the termini go deeper out in the far verge (or even beyond it) then the benfits will come more slowly. But there will likely be a rush of surveying for potential colony planets - whether that's done by Grayson firms or whether Grayson simply collects transit tolls on other people's survey ships. But given time new colonies lead to increased traffic and trade (especially if the wormholes make them closer (in transit time) to the first world systems.

And so whether in the short or long term the discovery is likely to lead to a nice boost to the bottom line of Grayson's economy. More than enough to justify the costs to maintain their claim on that Junction and a toll collecting presence.




But something that is so distant from the plot isn't a good candidate to appear in a novel.
At most this is the kind of thing that gets thrown in as a one time mention to flesh out some dialog. (say on GSN naval budgets and we get a line like "Yes, High Admiral, we are going to be able to fund that extra squadron you wanted. We're fortunate that the distant Jericho junction is finally generating enough revenue to support naval expansion, and only a decade after first noticed by GNS <insert name here> on its scouting patrol. Now, on to more immediate matters, what shall we do about...")

Well, Mr. Weber's designs and plans that there will not be star-fareing ( and agressivly militarist aliens) not withstanding, there could be some truly long wormholes leading to places like Barrayar, Kobol, Tran, or perhaps someplace the Puppeteers have planted a colony.

Or they could find themselves with a system founded by fugitive scientists who were responsible for the Skags and bio-weapons of Earth's "Final War", who have kept right on working with their own specialites of genetics and weapons in general and have reached some truly interesting places in technology/ medicine and politics that makes the Alignment look like a bunch of purring kittens?

Inquiring minds want to know

Brigade XO wrote:Well, Mr. Weber's designs and plans that there will not be star-fareing ( and agressivly militarist aliens) not withstanding, there could be some truly long wormholes leading to places like Barrayar, Kobol, Tran, or perhaps someplace the Puppeteers have planted a colony.

Or they could find themselves with a system founded by fugitive scientists who were responsible for the Skags and bio-weapons of Earth's "Final War", who have kept right on working with their own specialites of genetics and weapons in general and have reached some truly interesting places in technology/ medicine and politics that makes the Alignment look like a bunch of purring kittens?

Inquiring minds want to know

That's a scary Mary. Humans who are no longer human. Wait... that is the MA.

I've always wondered what it would mean strategically if Manticore was faced with a junction which opened into their back yard which belongs to someone else. The galaxy is already accusing Manticore as being expansionists. But, by necessity, mustn't they become "junctionists?" Manticore can't make the mistake of the SL of failing to realize a direct military threat leading right into their backyard.

Junctionists. I can just see someone in the galaxy coining any future need of Manticore to collect junctions as "junkies."

The Basilisk Simplex.

cthia wrote:I've always wondered what it would mean strategically if Manticore was faced with a junction which opened into their back yard which belongs to someone else. The galaxy is already accusing Manticore as being expansionists. But, by necessity, mustn't they become "junctionists?" Manticore can't make the mistake of the SL of failing to realize a direct military threat leading right into their backyard.

Junctionists. I can just see someone in the galaxy coining any future need of Manticore to collect junctions as "junkies."

The Basilisk Simplex.

As I picture an Honorverse character informing Elizabeth that "Your Highness, they're not calling us Manties after Laccoon II, they say we're a bunch of greedy Junkies..." What was the name of that imaginary dungeon Princess Ruth is afeared off?

But that WOULD be a fun twist in the Honorverse tales!, lol.