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Surface Warfare in the 23d & 24th Century...
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Baloo: [QB] A fleet of spacecraft glides silently into orbit over a class M planet. A voice begins transmitting on broadband frequencies: <Blockquote>Voice of James Earl Jones: "We are the [insert name of invading people here]! We have destroyed your satellite system and over one hundred ships are poised to crush any resistance! Surrender and we will be merciful! Resist and be destroyed!" As the last syllable of that message fades into the ether, sixty ships of the invading fleet are vaporized by lances of energy originating from the surface. Voice of Don Knotts: "Oh yeah? You and what army? If you want this planet so bad, then come and get us!"</blockquote> Now what does the commander of that particular fleet do if his mission is to enslave the population and capture the resources and infrastructure of the planet in as close to serviceable condition as possible? Does he just blow it to kingdom come as a warning to others? Does he turn around and go home? What if there's another fleet coming to the rescue? How long can they maintain their blockade? How can he be sure he knows the location of all surface batteries and destroy them should they open fire? The reason you need to land troops is to ensure that you actually control the area you plan to occupy. I'd imagine it isn't always possible to destroy a surface installation from orbit, at least, not with a single shot. After all, you can have HUGE shield generators and power supplies on a planet. You could have multiple installations, all unmanned, which are intended to fire just a few times before the orbiting vessels can generate effective counterbattery fire. You KNOW it's hard to hide an orbiting ship. How difficult is it to conceal a phaser battery or photon torpedo launch facility when you have an entire world to hide it on? How difficult is it to create a decoy installation that is the 23d/24th century equivalent of artfully painted wood and canvas? Keep tearing at it folks. We really don't know anything except that almost anything is possible. Anything except that surface combat is obsolete. It's difficult as hell, but it's never been an easy task, and probably never will be. --Baloo [/QB][/QUOTE]
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