| From: | acgetchell@*******.edu (Adam Getchell) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Killing in Shadowrun... |
| Date: | Sun, 26 May 1996 19:04:56 -0700 |
>They just sit out in space and wait to be dropped on their target(s). I
>wonder why you haven't realized yet that I've said several times in no
>uncertain words that nukes are a major no-no in 2057. Use of one (known
>possession of one as well) would get the found target nailed badly by every
>nation/corp in the world.
Hmmm. I don't recall reading anything in Shadowrun that says anything about
"Thor" weapons one way or another. In my game, UCAS and any other
corp/nation in orbit has 'em.
And as far as possession, Ares has them, and the UCAS definitely has an
arsenal. The balance of terror on the North American continent is the NAN's
Great Ghost Dance versus the UCAS nuclear arsenal.
>Can't intercept a thor-shot. You know what it is? A steel rod with a
>dog-brain homing system that drops from space at a velocity that allows for
>explosions that make nukes look like firecrackers. No explosive in 'em.
>Just REALLY fast and high mass. Mass driver is the popular phrase for such
>a thing.
Actually, one can easily intercept a thor-shot with an endoatmospheric
nuclear-tipped SAM, or just a plain kinetic-kill device (if you want to
knock out the electronics, or knock it off course). I worked for a quarter
on an Aerojet design for a "Theater Ballistic Missile Defense" system with
just this capability. Old ABM treaty allowed for these, and the Nike
facility in the 70's could do it with ease. A thor weapon is not
particularly hard to track and intercept.
Second, a de-orbiting kinetic kill device is NOT a massdriver. A massdriver
is a device using magnetic fields to propel a projectile.
Third, a thor shot does not have the same energy density as a nuclear
weapon. The kinetic energy of a thor is large for tactical purposes, but
not on the same scale as a nuclear weapon. If that was true, we could fire
ICBMs without the bother of putting warheads on the tip, as an ICBM
acquires a substantial fraction of orbital velocity (especially the
high-angle shots over the poles). Also bear in mind that all the energy you
get from the thor was paid for in the cost of lifting the device to orbit.
One could make a kinetic kill device to rival nuclear weapons out of, say,
a handy asteroid or nearby comet. But it would be childs' play to track and
destroy with nuclear weapons. Plus, all the nations and megacorps of the
world would look with extreme suspicion at the perpetrator:
"What? No, this 80 kiloton asteroid is in LEO for, uh, ease of mining. Yes,
we positively guarantee that no unfortunate, uh, accidents will occur.
Really."
>Good luck getting near the Orbital with any military might, the stuff that
>place has makes the old "Star Wars" program of the 80's look pitiful.
Actually, as mentioned on p. 89 of Corporate Shadowfiles, it's not hard to
chuck a Surface to Orbit Missile at Zurich-Orbital and leave a peice "just
about big enough to make a nice paperweight."
>The UCAS isn't stupid. They would never bring down that kind of hell on
>themselves. They know better.
Yes, the real reason Z-O isn't capped off is the economic sanctions the
Corporations would bring to bear. Not military: the megacorps together
don't field enough military assets to give nations like UCAS, CIS, or
Imperial Japan a problem. It is the economic and political influence of the
megacorps that counterbalances the military might of the nations.
Well, that and plenty of black-ops like assassinations and stuff. But not
overt, military pressure.
>TopCat at the bottom...
