3070 - June - Naval Operations
Meanwhile the Davion raider flotilla's ran rampant...
That is ... dangerous. Very dangerous. A lot of the norms of the 3rd Succession War have fallen by the wayside, but Jumpships were still pretty taboo. An occasional seizure or what not is one thing, but a massive and systematic looting of the entire DCA fleet isn't just an attack on the DCA/DCMS ... but very much attack on the Combines viability as an interstellar state. A massive strategic attack.
I mean
I'm all for it ... but its very much the kind of thing that would get Nukes handed out like candy to defend against the Combine as they would have little left to use. For that matter, retaliation attacks against FedSuns civilian planets and soft targets with nukes and bioweapons. Possibly small and a pointed example at first, to make it very clear that a line has been crossed, but if you push the DC into a corner...
You MIGHT want to try hostage negotiations. Announce that the jumpships are being held until hostilities are over and the Federated Suns will give them back, no charge, when the Kuritians are ready to talk.
Operation Paris
Captain jumped the gun by popping the dropships early. But still a good result. Surprising that the yards are actually intact enough that they can be repaired rather than rebuilt after three days of careful shooting the f*#k out of them. But even so, it'll freeze the Combines warship construction for years - and indeed make it incredibly hard to even repair the ships they have! Not a bad outcome.
Operation Nightfire
If you use Black Boxes to the Lyrans you should be secure - especially if have one-time pads exchanged with the Lyrans.
With that said, far better to take no chances given the situation!
I personally also would have tried to send, for political reasons if nothing else, more units that came from the FedCom days. Like the Revenants and more of the Dragoons from the FedCom days. But, obviously, there are practical reasons why thats not going to happen and I fully agree with focusing on speed rather than theatrics.
I am really looking forward to the stalwart, exhausted but utterly implacable defenders on Hesperus getting a strange fax of 'Look to our coming, at first light, on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East' and nothing else. So with a shrug on the fifth day at dawn some scouts pop out a sally hatch to have a look...
Cue
music & avalanche drop preceeded by a f*#koff huge naval weapons barrage that smashes the MD line wide open, followed by the awed Lyran commanders watching the feed muttering comments about how the damn Federated Suns ALWAYS has to make an entrance of things and be the Big Damn Heroes...
In any event, looking forward to FINALLY seeing the showdown between the Toaster Worshipers and the Fleet Carriers strike wings carrying enough Canned Sunshine to make even the Taurians grudgingly nod in appreciation :D