Which of These Terran Governments would you join in 2681?

[junior]

Honestly, what would be the point of doing something like that to a Ferret?
So it can go REALLY fast. Yeah. Except that the engine is so big that the only way you'll realistically get the Ferret and the engine into one unit is to strap the two together. So now you've got a Ferret lashed to the top of a Corvette engine.
Okay. Now you've got a REALLY fast Ferret. Two mass drivers, possibly a couple of heat seeker missiles (depending on whether or not you're flying the SO1 Ferret). And you handle like a brick, because the manuevering thrusters on the Ferret weren't built to handle the mass of the corvette engine. Which means that when you come flying toward me to engage, I fire off a couple of missiles. You can't maneuver, they hit you, you go *boom*!
End of story.

I think I'd rather fly a Scimitar, and currently, I'd almost rather fly a freighter than a Scimitar.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Single mass driver.

 

[TC]

because the manuevering thrusters on the Ferret weren't built to handle the mass of the corvette engine

Ah! The Confed Handbook tells us that one changes direction of thrust via the redirecting of your main thrust. So your ability to turn would increase in a proportional manner with your ability to go forward.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Well junior, it's all in FA. It's pretty well described, along with other Landreich antics. I never said any of it was smart, but they got the job done, at least until Bear got them to go galavanting off to Earth to 'save the day'. A ferret with a corvette engine is obsurd, and I thought I made that clear with the "holy cow" bit, but they did it. The extra mass, power, and general explosiveness would make for a great kamikazi fighter, which undoubtably thats exactly what happened with it. They use quite a few human torpedoes in the novel... dire straights man. Their homes weren't jumps off, they were in the very system they were fighting in. If they lost there'd be no where to go, so they chose the alternative... take a few with 'em, and that they did. Confed would have a steaming shit if any commander allowed their fighters to do that (those Rapiers are over 5 billion credits to build son! heh), and have another about cannibalizing a corvette just to ubgrade a ferret into a flying bomb, but it's not Confed... and even Confed was in a bind, and didn't delay in their own rammings if it meant at least halting the Kilrathi.

 

[junior]

Originally posted by t.c.cgi
The extra mass, power, and general explosiveness would make for a great kamikazi fighter, which undoubtably thats exactly what happened with it. They use quite a few human torpedoes in the novel... dire straights man.

And people on this list actually think its a great place to live?

*shudder*

 

[Ladiesman^]

Originally posted by junior


And people on this list actually think its a great place to live?

*shudder*

Nowhere in WC seems particularly incredible to live. I mean, if your on Earth for a few centuries your life sucks, with the pandemics and all. Then you've got a big war, a big half-century war, a near-civil war, a few years of peace, then an alien invasion.....not to mention a struggling economy for most of those years.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

The Lesnick System is a great place to live.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Originally posted by junior


And people on this list actually think its a great place to live?

*shudder*

Yes, because they are living in extreme freedom, independant of Confed or any other form of government other than it's own. It may not be the best place to live for the average bloke, but anyone who wants to be left alone, or pioneer, would find it better than most. And cheap to boot, I doubt Kreiger would stop anyone with have a brain from joining his ranks hehe. After all not everyone is an unheard of outstanding citizen. I mean Bear got assaulted by the press on Earth. On Hell Hole he got free beer. I don't drink alcohol, but beer doesn't sound bad!

 

[junior]

Originally posted by t.c.cgi


Yes, because they are living in extreme freedom, independant of Confed or any other form of government other than it's own. It may not be the best place to live for the average bloke, but anyone who wants to be left alone, or pioneer, would find it better than most. And cheap to boot, I doubt Kreiger would stop anyone with have a brain from joining his ranks hehe. After all not everyone is an unheard of outstanding citizen. I mean Bear got assaulted by the press on Earth. On Hell Hole he got free beer. I don't drink alcohol, but beer doesn't sound bad!

ANY government that builds manned torpedoes is a lousy place to live.

Period.

If you don't like Earth, then there are plenty of other planets to disappear onto within Confed. Blair apparently managed to do quite a good job of it following the Kilrathi War.

 

[Ladiesman^]

Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
The Lesnick System is a great place to live.

pfft....I say settle down in beautiful "Ladyman" quadrant....

 

[Bandit LOAF]

It's named after David Ladyman.

 

[t.c.cgi]

The point isn't that they were kamikazi, the point was what they were kamikazi'ing for. All the fighting they did up until BoT was right in their home system. Confed for the first time tasted the frustration that Landreich pilots had on at least a monthly basis. And I'm sure a few of them were Confed kick outs from bad psyc profiles. Like I said Kreiger is probably happy to take anyone who could tell a joystick from a throttle.

P.S. The government didn't order the construction of the ferret. You have to keep in mind Landreigh's government was no more than Kreiger and what little military he had. Another bonus of the system : anyone short of pirates was tolerated, and welcomed if it meant something in return for them.

 

[TC]

Originally posted by t.c.cgi
You have to keep in mind Landreigh's government was no more than Kreiger and what little military he had.

Except for all that government that they had... You know... False Colors...

 

[t.c.cgi]

Haven't read FC... why doncha mail me a copy

 

[TC]

Yes... because that makes sense...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Originally posted by junior


If you don't like Earth, then there are plenty of other planets to disappear onto within Confed. Blair apparently managed to do quite a good job of it following the Kilrathi War.

Yeah. But they still found him.

 

[Ladiesman^]

Originally posted by Ridgerunner



Yeah. But they still found him.

I don't think he litterally meant disappear....besides, Blair was still in the reserves...of course they knew where he was...they had to know where to send the check....

 

[junior]

Originally posted by t.c.cgi
The point isn't that they were kamikazi, the point was what they were kamikazi'ing for. All the fighting they did up until BoT was right in their home system.

There's a big difference between a fully loaded fighter which kamikazes and a unit that can ONLY kamikaze. A fighter that kamikazes is regrettable, but heroic. A manned torpedo is what is commonly referred to as an execution.
Think about it. A manned torpedo has one purpose only - i.e. hit an enemy ship and blow up. Anyone assigned to one has just received an effective death sentence. Even a guy in a space suit, floating through the middle of the battlefield, and armed with catnip, has a better chance of survival (because a 0.0000001% chance of survival is better than a 0.000000% chance).
A fighter can be used as a kamikaze craft, but it can also be used for other combat purposes that don't kill the crew. A torpedo only has one use, and any successful application of such guarantees the death of anyone on board.
Finally, while it may sometimes be viewed as a good idea to suicide into an enemy ship, such thinking should be discouraged until cold, hard, reality insists otherwise. The mere presence of a weapon that can only be used in a suicide attack encourages, rather than discourages, such thinking.

 

[junior]

Originally posted by Ladiesman^


I don't think he litterally meant disappear....besides, Blair was still in the reserves...of course they knew where he was...they had to know where to send the check....

Pretty much my take on it.
Blair wins the war. Probably the usual interviews for a few months. Runs off to become a farmer on some nondescript world.
Of course the military knows where he is. Militaries typically keep their veterans on reserve status for several years after they retire. That way, if a war starts, they have an easily available core to build a larger army.
The key, though, is that the public at large apparently doesn't know where he is. The only people in the bar who appear to recognize Blair are Seether and Maniac, both of whom were probably sent by Tolwyn. The bartender probably knows who he is just from past acquaintance, but the vet that asks for charity doesn't appear to have a clue who he is.

 

[Ladiesman^]

Originally posted by junior

Pretty much my take on it.
Blair wins the war. Probably the usual interviews for a few months. Runs off to become a farmer on some nondescript world.
Of course the military knows where he is. Militaries typically keep their veterans on reserve status for several years after they retire. That way, if a war starts, they have an easily available core to build a larger army.
The key, though, is that the public at large apparently doesn't know where he is. The only people in the bar who appear to recognize Blair are Seether and Maniac, both of whom were probably sent by Tolwyn. The bartender probably knows who he is just from past acquaintance, but the vet that asks for charity doesn't appear to have a clue who he is.

Although, that makes sense in a way....I mean, take WWII for example (since WC is WWII in space...). I could defiantly identify FDR, Patton, MacArthur, but if you showed me a picture of the crew of the Enola Gay that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, I wouldn't know who they were.

It's kind of the same thing, I think. The REAL glory probably went to Tolywn and Paladin and such. Blair was probably mentioned on the news or whatever shortly after and then fell into obscurity. I'll bet everyone knows the name "Christopher Blair", but not everyone really knows what he looks like. Catscratch is a perfect example...he had no clue Blair was Blair until Maniac said it..but once he found out who he was he damn well knew him.

People know WHO Blair is...they just don't neccesarily know what he looks like.