Combat is nothing but distance and execution. In space, the distances were too long. How could a projectile hit a moving target from so many miles away?
"And this is our answer," the engineer declared as he unveiled the latest warship. The latest propulsion, sensors, communication, yes, of course. What impressed the observers was the mock battle. Time after time neither combatant scratched the other, but this time, the prototype reached out a hundred miles away and socked the opposition with a big punchy arm. Space combat was solved.
The period of unwilling peace ended, and the country sent its warships against the foe only to find something that shocked them: Ships with two big punchy arms. The harsh lessons of war, already forgotten, again were learned.
Finis
Showing posts with label space battles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label space battles. Show all posts
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Friday, February 2, 2024
Burning Science Fiction Concern
Do the space mechs work on land, or do you need different ones? This is crucial to your setting.
Friday, October 27, 2023
The Main Problem With Space Battles
Spaceships don't scream in anguish when they're hit. Sure, space dragons and space whales do, but that's pretty one-sided, you know?
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
The Newest Multimedia Franchise
Make it about CHARLEMAGNE but it's in the FUTURE and there are SPACE BATTLES and his flagship is named JOYEUSE.
Monday, January 9, 2023
Those Who Forget
"Gentlemen! Between Mackenzie Extraplanetary Engineering's Love Cannon and Ad Astra Design's Friendship Accelerator, we're falling behind in a race we didn't know was being run. Good, clean business, the kind that made our Pan-Oort Services Consolidated what it is today, is no longer enough. Innovation is what we require, not just to stay even, but to stay ahead. Imitation won't do us any good, since all of us worked so hard to build this company that we lost our wives and friends."
The men around the table nodded and shed a few tears.
"There is, as you know, a power stronger than love. History. Just as we look through our old earnings reports when there's a dip today, all mankind finds strength in its past. That's why our engineers have developed the History Driver."
The men around the table applauded as the viewscreens showed the History Driver along with the crews working it, the sprawling exoplanet docks where several competitors repaired their cargo freighters, and the closest office of the excise people. The Driver began to fire projectiles across hundreds of millions of miles of space which tore through the hostile facilities at a constant rate as the crews loaded shell after shell.
"What are we using as ammunition?"
"Futurists frozen in the hope their brains would be thawed out, time capsules filled by bored students, books expounding grand theories based on little or no evidence that tell us more about their own era than the ones they hope to explain, transcripts of court cases that give insight into the laws and economic realities of past generations, paintings by the ancient masters, pottery made with techniques no longer understood, and that kind of thing."
"It sounds like people might want keep some of those things around."
"Yes. More than our own products. That's why we have to get rid of them."
The men around the table applauded again.
Finis
The men around the table nodded and shed a few tears.
"There is, as you know, a power stronger than love. History. Just as we look through our old earnings reports when there's a dip today, all mankind finds strength in its past. That's why our engineers have developed the History Driver."
The men around the table applauded as the viewscreens showed the History Driver along with the crews working it, the sprawling exoplanet docks where several competitors repaired their cargo freighters, and the closest office of the excise people. The Driver began to fire projectiles across hundreds of millions of miles of space which tore through the hostile facilities at a constant rate as the crews loaded shell after shell.
"What are we using as ammunition?"
"Futurists frozen in the hope their brains would be thawed out, time capsules filled by bored students, books expounding grand theories based on little or no evidence that tell us more about their own era than the ones they hope to explain, transcripts of court cases that give insight into the laws and economic realities of past generations, paintings by the ancient masters, pottery made with techniques no longer understood, and that kind of thing."
"It sounds like people might want keep some of those things around."
"Yes. More than our own products. That's why we have to get rid of them."
The men around the table applauded again.
Finis
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Addendum
The final stage is no warships at all. Your cybermaturgically enhanced warriors fight in the void unaided.
Friday, July 22, 2022
Deep Science Fiction Musings
Space strategy games usually start you out with small warships and make you work your way up. I bet it would be the other way around.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Friday, September 17, 2021
Emergency Plot Q&A
Q: I can't figure out what the bad guys are after in my scifi story!
A: Combat data
Q: Now I'm not sure what the good guys are after.
A: Combat data
A: Combat data
Q: Now I'm not sure what the good guys are after.
A: Combat data
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Monday, May 3, 2021
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Science Fiction Advice
If your science fiction setting seems unsatisfactory, try making everything bigger. Much bigger. Small junk is for fantasy.
Monday, September 28, 2020
The Future of Humanity
I don't even know what the point of space travel is if we can't have Star Wars, or at least The Last Starfighter.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Space Battles
"What is it that humanity dreamed of when we set out for the stars?"
"Beachfront property."
"No."
"Religious and ideological freedom."
"No."
"Ensuring the survival of humanity somewhere in the galaxy in the face of possible annihilation by asteroid impacts, plagues, nanomachine swarms, AI threat, and who knows what else."
"No! So we could have space wars! With cool spaceships shooting torpedoes and mass drivers and stuff at each other. Cocky fighter pilots serving under stoic captains with brilliant tactical minds. Glory and romance on the endless stellar sea."
"Yeah, I don't know. I think most of them wanted nice property with good weather, shorter tee times, and to give their kids silly names without it being seen as low class." Manfred Borninspace Winkler leaned back in his chair. "At least the ones I know. And they got it. So I don't think anybody's going to war across space."
"That's easy to say now," Alexandros Ilias Werther-Patel said. "Discord can arise anywhere, anytime. Just look at all this xenolily being loaded." He waved at the manifest. "Those bigshots back on Earth are crazy about its culinary properties and alleged medicinal benefits! Just think what would happen if the supply were interrupted."
"I'm thinking absolutely nothing. Xenolily is a marketing name; it's just a kind of lily that could grow on Earth if they wanted. Growing it here and moving it in container freighters is a tiny bit more efficient. Even that's only true because nobody's in a hurry to get any of the luxury goods we send out."
Alexandros was scowling harder than Manfred thought a non-cartoon person could. "Fine, sure. What about this, though: The next freighter crashes into the depot! Clearly an act of war."
"Nothing will be clear about that when nobody from here invades Earth's lily fields in the confusion or whatever you think we're going to do. It'd be ruled an accident and they'd put some more items on our safety checklists. Unless you're going to arrange it yourself, which you don't know how to do, and also I would rat you out."
"Are dreams dead?" Alexandros asked. Manfred snorted.
"The machine empire!" Alexandros had regained his optimism the next day.
"What is it this time?"
"Imagine this: An inorganic civilization governed by AIs bent on human destruction. Their superior technology renders their fleets all but invincible. How will humanity defeat them?"
"Space battles, I imagine," Manfred said.
Alexandros was beaming. "Right! So what do you think?"
"I think fights way out in space don't become any more likely with AIs calling the shots. Less so, since they don't have your attachment to the concept."
"Fine, well, just accept the exercise for a second. What would get them to build and use space fleets?"
"Uh, maybe if they were programmed by some mad scientist to do cool stuff instead of smart stuff, but you're the only person who wants space war, and you can't do it."
"I can't, huh? We'll see about that."
"Sure we will, buddy."
Months later, Alexandros had something to show Manfred. "I rented a slot around a moon and set up a camera satellite."
"You rented what? How rich are you?"
"Pretty rich. I only have a job to get out of the house. Anyway, look at this."
The recording showed two spaceships which looked unlike anything in use. Bereft of mounts for containers, satellites, or tether repair equipment, it would be unclear what their purpose was to anyone not involved in the earlier conversations. Manfred said, "You actually built warships? How? You'd better not be a genius as well as rich or I'll have some things to say to the universe."
"Well, they're just small drones, but I can build and program them to fight." While Alexandros spoke, the ships maneuvered and launched tiny missiles at each other and generally carried on a thrilling space battle.
"See? Space fights are both possible and ultra cool. I mean, they're not real AIs, and the ships are tiny, but I could make them attack Earth I guess. That would start a real war."
"Well, no. You'd need the whole machine empire, not a proof of concept. Now let's suppose a mad scientist, we'll call him 'you,' did create a machine empire to attack Earth for fun. If you lose, the show's over. Worse than that, it's over if you win, too. Even if you can instigate a war, you can't keep it going."
"Oh, yeah."
"Don't act like your puppy died. Make your drones fight each other."
"Oh, yeah!" Alexandros frowned. "No, but, that will get old fast. The tactics and technology will be completely stagnant if I'm running both sides. And I'm not rich enough to build enough of these things. There should be hundreds on each side. Thousands even. They have to blow up too, or it's pointless."
"You're right. You'd better get other people involved."
"The problem is, I've been asking around and I think maybe not a lot of people do want space wars. Not enough, anyway." "So give them what they do want. Buy a bunch of stuff and offer it as prizes. Get your own ski lodge and set up vacations for the winning team."
"Make fun of me all you want," Alexandros said, "but I'm doing it."
"And that's how Space Battle League was founded. This concludes our tour." The tour guide bowed as the lights came back on. "We hope you enjoyed it and will continue to support us through the upcoming 6,500,000 point season and beyond."
"Wow," one of the tour members said. "That was much dumber than I expected. Aren't businesses usually a little more thought out or, I don't know, mature?"
"Maybe in the past." A man sitting in the back of the theater stood up and made himself known.
"Hey, that's Manfred!" The tourists went for their cameras.
"Maybe in the past or on Earth," company co-founder Manfred Borninspace Winkler went on. "I used to think humanity began settling the stars to create picturesque lakes and write crank newsletters. I was right, but I've realized it isn't just that. All those things are expressions of a deeper truth: We left Earth because one planet could never have enough room for all the silly nonsense people want to do. Humanity's capacity for buffoonery is infinite, and so we will continue expanding until the entire galaxy is filled with our stupid junk."
"Beachfront property."
"No."
"Religious and ideological freedom."
"No."
"Ensuring the survival of humanity somewhere in the galaxy in the face of possible annihilation by asteroid impacts, plagues, nanomachine swarms, AI threat, and who knows what else."
"No! So we could have space wars! With cool spaceships shooting torpedoes and mass drivers and stuff at each other. Cocky fighter pilots serving under stoic captains with brilliant tactical minds. Glory and romance on the endless stellar sea."
"Yeah, I don't know. I think most of them wanted nice property with good weather, shorter tee times, and to give their kids silly names without it being seen as low class." Manfred Borninspace Winkler leaned back in his chair. "At least the ones I know. And they got it. So I don't think anybody's going to war across space."
"That's easy to say now," Alexandros Ilias Werther-Patel said. "Discord can arise anywhere, anytime. Just look at all this xenolily being loaded." He waved at the manifest. "Those bigshots back on Earth are crazy about its culinary properties and alleged medicinal benefits! Just think what would happen if the supply were interrupted."
"I'm thinking absolutely nothing. Xenolily is a marketing name; it's just a kind of lily that could grow on Earth if they wanted. Growing it here and moving it in container freighters is a tiny bit more efficient. Even that's only true because nobody's in a hurry to get any of the luxury goods we send out."
Alexandros was scowling harder than Manfred thought a non-cartoon person could. "Fine, sure. What about this, though: The next freighter crashes into the depot! Clearly an act of war."
"Nothing will be clear about that when nobody from here invades Earth's lily fields in the confusion or whatever you think we're going to do. It'd be ruled an accident and they'd put some more items on our safety checklists. Unless you're going to arrange it yourself, which you don't know how to do, and also I would rat you out."
"Are dreams dead?" Alexandros asked. Manfred snorted.
"The machine empire!" Alexandros had regained his optimism the next day.
"What is it this time?"
"Imagine this: An inorganic civilization governed by AIs bent on human destruction. Their superior technology renders their fleets all but invincible. How will humanity defeat them?"
"Space battles, I imagine," Manfred said.
Alexandros was beaming. "Right! So what do you think?"
"I think fights way out in space don't become any more likely with AIs calling the shots. Less so, since they don't have your attachment to the concept."
"Fine, well, just accept the exercise for a second. What would get them to build and use space fleets?"
"Uh, maybe if they were programmed by some mad scientist to do cool stuff instead of smart stuff, but you're the only person who wants space war, and you can't do it."
"I can't, huh? We'll see about that."
"Sure we will, buddy."
Months later, Alexandros had something to show Manfred. "I rented a slot around a moon and set up a camera satellite."
"You rented what? How rich are you?"
"Pretty rich. I only have a job to get out of the house. Anyway, look at this."
The recording showed two spaceships which looked unlike anything in use. Bereft of mounts for containers, satellites, or tether repair equipment, it would be unclear what their purpose was to anyone not involved in the earlier conversations. Manfred said, "You actually built warships? How? You'd better not be a genius as well as rich or I'll have some things to say to the universe."
"Well, they're just small drones, but I can build and program them to fight." While Alexandros spoke, the ships maneuvered and launched tiny missiles at each other and generally carried on a thrilling space battle.
"See? Space fights are both possible and ultra cool. I mean, they're not real AIs, and the ships are tiny, but I could make them attack Earth I guess. That would start a real war."
"Well, no. You'd need the whole machine empire, not a proof of concept. Now let's suppose a mad scientist, we'll call him 'you,' did create a machine empire to attack Earth for fun. If you lose, the show's over. Worse than that, it's over if you win, too. Even if you can instigate a war, you can't keep it going."
"Oh, yeah."
"Don't act like your puppy died. Make your drones fight each other."
"Oh, yeah!" Alexandros frowned. "No, but, that will get old fast. The tactics and technology will be completely stagnant if I'm running both sides. And I'm not rich enough to build enough of these things. There should be hundreds on each side. Thousands even. They have to blow up too, or it's pointless."
"You're right. You'd better get other people involved."
"The problem is, I've been asking around and I think maybe not a lot of people do want space wars. Not enough, anyway." "So give them what they do want. Buy a bunch of stuff and offer it as prizes. Get your own ski lodge and set up vacations for the winning team."
"Make fun of me all you want," Alexandros said, "but I'm doing it."
"And that's how Space Battle League was founded. This concludes our tour." The tour guide bowed as the lights came back on. "We hope you enjoyed it and will continue to support us through the upcoming 6,500,000 point season and beyond."
"Wow," one of the tour members said. "That was much dumber than I expected. Aren't businesses usually a little more thought out or, I don't know, mature?"
"Maybe in the past." A man sitting in the back of the theater stood up and made himself known.
"Hey, that's Manfred!" The tourists went for their cameras.
"Maybe in the past or on Earth," company co-founder Manfred Borninspace Winkler went on. "I used to think humanity began settling the stars to create picturesque lakes and write crank newsletters. I was right, but I've realized it isn't just that. All those things are expressions of a deeper truth: We left Earth because one planet could never have enough room for all the silly nonsense people want to do. Humanity's capacity for buffoonery is infinite, and so we will continue expanding until the entire galaxy is filled with our stupid junk."
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