message 0017

• Tully's mission - Human/Compact contact
• Comparison of the military powers of the Compact vs. Earth warships

>From: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin>
>Subject: CherryhList
>Date: Mon, 19 Oct 92 9:37:13 BST

> >From: nancy ott <ott@ansoft.com>
> Maybe he runs into the Knnnn and is hauled off to parts unknown.  :-)  :-) 
	That's once theory I've been thinking about. Sort of. Short of the
Knnn, though, I recon even one Fleet ship could tear right through the
compact. The way I see things they would hit it most likely in Kif space
or else the edge of Mahendosat. (Unless the Earth ships who have fired
on the Knnnn are, in fact, The Fleet.) But if you compare the fighting
styles and equipment the Fleet, even jury rigged after long running,
is a professional warship whereas most Compact ships rate as armed
merchants. Even the Kif and Mahen hunter ships are really only suited
for solitary action, often with at least the pretense of being incognito.
Whereas a warship with riders is only and obviously a war vessel. Also
the psycology of both the Mahendosat and Kif preclude the organisation
necessary to repulse such a force that can individually overwhelm them.

> >From: seth@cie.uoregon.edu (Seth Scott)
>Tully names himself an 'Earth-man,' and I do remember that there were 'three
>human Compacts,' which would be Earth, the Belt, and the farther colonies, 
>yes?
	No. Union, Alliance and Earth. Even in Heavy Time the Belt is no
longer really a seperate entity. Seperate culture, yes, but wholy dominated
by the EC.
	At Tully's time Earth had just finished building a huge new fleet
(one of the snippets in the Boardgame mentions that Mazian has to hold
back Union for "just a few years" until their new fleet is finished).
Unfortunately peace breaks out leaving EC with the brand new, powerful,
and expensive fleet to justify. I think they send it out ostensibly to
seek out and eliminate the last of Mazian's pirates before they run into
the Knnn. Then then, more or less, discover the Compact.
	 From their contact with Compact ships they would get indications
that they have military superiority but with incidents like the Knnn they
can't be sure they know exactly what the capacity of the Compact is. The
Mahendosat certainly wouldn't tell the same story twice. Of course they
desire trade with the Compact but more importantly: it gives their fleet
something to do.
	As we see in the trilogy, the fleet is more or less frustrated and
sent back empty handed and purpose bereft. I wonder what they will do next?
	Back to Tully's mission: I beleive he was definately on a military
vessell. Probably on a spook mission. Then they met what they weren't 
expecting. That's not to say that the people who sent them weren't expecting
them to meet the aliens. Remember Cooko's Egg?

			Jo