Aslan and Vargr in the Domain (just visiting)

I'm glad I'm not alone in my view that the Aslan and Vargr threats to the
Domain are implausible.

Steve Higginbotham writes:
>1) the Vargr. Face it. The Vargr aren't a credible threat to anyone.
>A Vargr Navy needs bases just like the next guys do.
>
>2) the Aslan. Has anyone ever done a detailed analysis of an assault
>across the Rift against an enemy operating close to his own bases? A
>TL15 fleet is MUCH better than a TL13 fleet. A TL16 fleet makes that
>TL15 fleet look kind of sick. The Domain can raise (under TCS
>guidelines) somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 trillion credit
>squadrons of TL16 warships (almost entirely from Vincennes/Deneb 1122).

I don't think that I'd allow Vincennes to have it's full supply of ships
at TL 16. For one thing it'll take some time (minimum 10 years) from the
time they converted their starship production to tech 16 to replace their
old tech 15 fleet. For another, no TL 16 planet in my universe is more
than borderline TL 16. I might allow them to have a prototype TL 16 courier
(and in my universe you can build a J7 engine at TL 16 ;-), but not an
entire fleet.

>That force alone should be worth 1500 squadrons of Ihatei. The TL 15
>squadrons from Glisten, Trin, Rhylanor, and Mora are worth 1000
>squadrons. All in all, the aslan are going to have a very hard time
>subjugating any part of the Domain (unless they earn their land by
>helping smash the Vargr to Coreward).

Which is such a lovely idea that I'm kinda sad that the Vargr really
isn't any threat. Perhaps we can use the idea that Imperial citizens
pay relatively less tax than citizens of small states to make the
Domain fleet smaller?

>Admittedly, the Aslan have enough firepower to be a threat in spite of
>the problems. Assuming they can operate without bases for extended
>periods.

And assuming they can agree on who goes first.

>The real question for the Aslan is why anyone in their right mind would
>go that far looking for land when most Aslan systems are NOWHERE NEAR
>FILLED UP. The Aslan systems include about the same fraction of High
>Pop worlds as the Imperial sectors do. So 92% of the Aslan systems have
>LARGE amounts of extra space for the taking. And they are all close by
>to home. Makes you wonder...

It does indeed. And I just checked the maps: There are _no_ aslan world on
the trailing side of the Great Rift that is not closer to Reaver's Deep
than to the Domain. And that's even if you just count the crossing as
ordinary space...


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     [email removed]
- ------------
        "And now to conclude and to finish my song.
         Let us hope that these hard times, they will not last long.
         I hope soon to have occasion to alter my song;
         and sing: All the good times of the Empire.
              In the Empire are jolly good times."