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Where did the fleet get its ammunition?

>From: Onno Meyer <Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de>
>Subject: cherryhlist
>Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1993 10:51:49 +0200 (MET DST)

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(...). An almost unrelated problem: where did the fleet get the ammunition? They could use the same fuel merchanters use, the same engine spare parts, if their engineers were creative, the same food, but earth should have been the only source of advanced weapons, unless a station constructed a whole new industry. Since the stations claimed they were neutral (see the beginning of _DS_), I doubt this was the case.

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>From: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin@maths.tcd.ie>
>Subject: CherryhList-- Norway GIF/Reactionless/Inertialess
>Date: Thu, 3 Jun 93 13:10:20 BST

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> (...) An almost unrelated problem: where did the fleet get    
> the ammunition?

Again her essay with the game she says the carriers (and presumably their riders) use particle beams, lasers, and shells. Lasers and (I think) particle beams don't require ammunition. But she often says that the relative speed difference between ships is important one can assume that a significant amount of the damage is through missiles/shells.
The stations may claim neutrality but they already supply both side with food, spare parts, etc, etc. I'm sure they also supply them with shells too. If a carrier docks and doesn't find shells they might do something nasty. Of course we assume that they aren't using ultra smart bombs or anything. *That* would require particularly special manufacturing facilities. Simple shells could be made in any shop. (Apparently the Somalis recover old shells and fill them with match-heads. They work about 30% of the time!)

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Jo

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>From: Onno Meyer <Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de>
>Subject: cherryhlist
>Date: Sat, 5 Jun 1993 13:21:59 +0200 (MET DST)

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>(...)
>Simple shells could be made in any shop.
>(...)

I don't think simple shells have a chance to hit anything but a station at point-blank range.

	Onno

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>Date: Tue, 8 Jun 93 13:16 PDT
>Subject: cherryhlist
>From: Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow)

(...)

> That's possible. An almost unrelated problem: where did the fleet get the
> ammunition? They could use the same fuel merchanters use, the same engine
> spare parts, if their engineers were creative, the same food, but earth
> should have been the only source of advanced weapons, unless a station
> constructed a whole new industry.

A civilization that can produce a jumpship probably has developed small-scale processing and fabrication to a much higher level than we have today. We're just starting with desktop engineering (create a metal or plastic part with something like a desktop printer); I expect a carrier in DS's time to be able to fabricate common small parts with ease, and process raw materials into various alloys, chemicals, etc. They might not have the ability to fabricate the latest technology items and some special items (requiring huge forges or whatever), but they can modify gear taken from stations and merchant ships.

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Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca

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>From: Onno Meyer <Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de>
>Subject: cherryhlist
>Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1993 14:46:31 +0200 (MET DST)

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> A civilization that can produce a jumpship probably has developed small-scale
> processing and fabrication to a much higher level than we have today.  We're
> just starting with desktop engineering (create a metal or plastic part with
> something like a desktop printer); I expect a carrier in DS's time to be able
> to fabricate common small parts with ease, and process raw materials into
> various alloys, chemicals, etc.  They might not have the ability to fabricate
> the latest technology items and some special items (requiring huge forges or
> whatever), but they can modify gear taken from stations and merchant ships.

That sounds nice for a warship that is designed to last a long time, but when engaging in space action, a ship that leaves it's factory at home would have a great advantage. A couple of factory ships, guarded by a carrier or two, would result in a much more maneuverable fleet. Thinking about it, why are the roles of space combat craft and troop transport combined?
Without troop quarters, their lifesupport equipment, their medical facilities and their supplies a warship could be build much smaller/ lighter and thus faster with the same engines or sturdier with the same armor mass.

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