Re: Tugs and Such

Ryan M Gill wrote:

>  From looking at the Joint Modular Lighter System and Side Loading
> Warping Tugs (sectional causeways with their own power) has me
> wondering if there would be some means of a major military deploying
> what amounts to a portable Beanstalk or not.
> 
> That or perhaps cargo containers that could be easily dropped on
> their own using some sort of Aerobrake/heat shield and then would
> land in a given LZ after a automatic controlled decent through the
> atmosphere. Both capabilities for even non manned cargo containers
> would have a profound effect on the ability to support an opposed
> landing of a given planet.

Well what we aren't looking at is that the point system for FT is based
on combat effectiveness, not money cost to build. It's a system to
balance fleet effectiveness. In real life an FTL drive might cost 30x's
mass to build where a pulse torpedo only costs a total of 5 units. 

Bean stalk ships would be very economical if FTL was expensive. Instead
of having to pay out to have your own you could rent space on a
interstellar transport. Navies would be mostly FTL ships for the
flexability of it but civilian craft may only have a small percentage of
FTL capable craft.

Each bean stalk would have a route that it "flew" and a schedule so you
could plan on ship tranfers to get to your destination. A s hip would
arrive every few days or weeks. That or it instellar trade was very big
you'd have lots of these ships making regular runs as soon as their
drives were recharged so that a transport would be leaving system every
few hours.