So... assuming that we capture Ganthel... and assuming that it possesses significant naval-compatible manufacturing... and assuming that we can reconfigure said manufacturing... What should we do with it? Would we actually want a super star destroyer if somehow we could get one? I mean, sure, they are a bit impractical, but sometimes having a strongpoint can be a pivotal factor in a battle, and they do not, generally, go down without a rather sizeable fight. Is there such a thing as too much focus on Hunter production? They seem decent, and can fill a lot of roles, and are what we have access to, but would we benefit from them so much that it would be better to leave the big ships to stagnate? Star Destroyers? Frigates? Interdictors? Fighter-heavy refits? Spinal gun refits*? refit our entire compliment of T.I.E.s to something else? Put a spinal-mounted gun and some vectoring-thrusters into a moon? Enough naval mines to drown the local space-lanes and preferable fleet-approaches?
I actually like the idea of defensive facilities. They may not be as effective in a military campaign as a mobile force is, but they tend to be worth it in any battle they actually participate in, and I do not feel that Vaere is inclined towards conquest. I mean, yes, we are right in the middle of conquesting right now, but that feels more like an obvious low-hanging fruit and political pressure, rather than the desire to expand our holdings. With only two or three systems to fortify, we could, I feel, actually do a very comprehensive job of it.
*I mean, I cannot see us getting ahold of superlasers, nor installing them in our available ships, but maybe we could rig up some support systems for a turbolaser to get it up towards the thousands-of-shots-per-minute range. Sure, we couldn't aim it without turning the whole ship around, and it would likely drain enough power to require a mess of other systems be shut down, but I always felt that it takes way too long for capital ships to blow one another up, and I feel as though a steady beam of turbolaser could do the job pretty quickly. Really, all one needs to do is get the shields down and the target will very rapidly find themselves having a bad time. There have been enough super-weapons in history that we ought to be able to dig up something that can be stuck a third-of-the-way down a Victory-class with a hold to the tip that can ruin a cruiser's day, if one doesn't mind sacrificing a few things like fighter compliment...
I actually like the idea of defensive facilities. They may not be as effective in a military campaign as a mobile force is, but they tend to be worth it in any battle they actually participate in, and I do not feel that Vaere is inclined towards conquest. I mean, yes, we are right in the middle of conquesting right now, but that feels more like an obvious low-hanging fruit and political pressure, rather than the desire to expand our holdings. With only two or three systems to fortify, we could, I feel, actually do a very comprehensive job of it.
*I mean, I cannot see us getting ahold of superlasers, nor installing them in our available ships, but maybe we could rig up some support systems for a turbolaser to get it up towards the thousands-of-shots-per-minute range. Sure, we couldn't aim it without turning the whole ship around, and it would likely drain enough power to require a mess of other systems be shut down, but I always felt that it takes way too long for capital ships to blow one another up, and I feel as though a steady beam of turbolaser could do the job pretty quickly. Really, all one needs to do is get the shields down and the target will very rapidly find themselves having a bad time. There have been enough super-weapons in history that we ought to be able to dig up something that can be stuck a third-of-the-way down a Victory-class with a hold to the tip that can ruin a cruiser's day, if one doesn't mind sacrificing a few things like fighter compliment...
