cthia wrote:Loren Pechtel wrote:
I disagree. These aren't tactics that have to be practiced. They are orders to use their already-practiced skills to accomplish a particular objective. Think 9/11--pilots were told to get their birds on the ground ASAP. Nobody practiced grounding all the planes, pilots already know how to get their birds on the ground ASAP. ATC already knew how to keep two planes out of the same piece of air or runway.
And from what we've seen the IT security on board anything other than a GA warship is atrocious. I think it's a matter of the crews not being competent--putting in good security would keep them from doing their jobs.
Considering the contingency plans in question, we are talking about a much more complicated task. Nobody practices anything related to committing EE violations in general. Those plans would have to be known beforehand just to have time to brief the crew on them. You don't want your XO threatening to have you arrested for issuing such orders. Or causing officers to mutiny and ignore your orders in the heat of battle.
However, if you wait to read the orders after everything has gone to hell in a handbasket, then you may have already committed yourself too far and are now in the incorrect position to tactically carry out those orders.
Jonathan_S wrote:First, neither of the two plans we know were found were (necessarily) EE violations. The parts of the Verge that OFS is likely to be pressuring are unlikely to have large enough orbital habitats for even a surprise destruction of their orbitals to rise to the level of an EE violation. (Remember, even Manticore didn't have that level of orbiting habitation -- the destruction of it's stations was specifically noted as not being an EE violation).
But also, just because a order has abhorrent results doesn't mean it is technically difficult to carry out. (A willingness to carry it out might be harder to find; but the skill aren't). Any warship that cared to could easily carry out an EE violation simply by targeting their missiles at a habitable planet and firing. They've plenty of training on aiming missiles -- and aiming them as at planet is easier than at a ship that might maneuver.
And any warship would be just as technically capable of targeting their missiles on an orbital or on a merchantman. Those aren't difficult tasks -- they're easier than the targets they practice shooting at. As Loren Pechtel said -- this is just applying skills they've already trained on.
But, now - which one of them - Fabius?, is an EE violation, isn't it?
At any rate, it is true that the planets targeted out in the Verge have little orbital industry, but they also most likely have no defense against any of it falling. No tug (probably only one in the entire system) or anything of the sort that wouldn't already be very busy. And the level of modernization on planet would most likely fare far less than modern buildings when the dust settles. And a system so poor would recover far less from the much greater impact (pun not intended) of such an attack.
At any rate, I also assumed that orders would be given to disguise the attacks in some sort of way, lest the Galaxy hears about them, which means carrying them out before contact has been made. And that means before any of those "preconditions" can occur.
Though, for the life of me, I cannot think of a single precondition that a system out in the Verge could manage to fall under facilitating such orders. And a sector governor would have to be already in contact with them to insist, which would nullify the possible "anonymity" of the attack. Actually, I wouldn't think a sector governor would be in on such an attack.
Now, systems that are more prepared to defend themselves might cause OFS to "break glass." But out in the Verge, I can't see anything other than Kews being necessary.