RE: Communication and Travel

> A secondary consideration is that a colony will *probably* use 2nd
> or 3rd tier technology for it's defense forces. I mean imagine
> trying to engage a battalion of American M1 or British Challengers
> with Russian T-34s or German Panthers! Those particular tanks were
> stupendous for their era, but compared to a Chobham armored turbine
> driven tank armed with a hypervelocity smoothbore that is deadly
> accurate at 40 mph over terrain coupled with realtime satellite
> recce....
> 
> Michael Wikan, Game Designer
> Accolade, Inc.

So you spend vast amounts of resources partly terraforming a planet 
for hopeful proper colonisation from the overcrowded core world, and 
then defend it with rubbish? Seems unlikely to me.

Colony worlds get potent defenses if you can manage to get it there. 
Habitable planets are the most valuable resource around. Living 
space.

However, I do agree with the problem of mounting space fleet borne 
assualts on a planetary surface. My guess is to target the power 
distribution systems and/or threaten planetary bombardment, which 
could easily be pinpoint attacks.... then again, if you blow the 
powerplants to peices, what are you going to use once you occupy the 
place?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Slattery	     richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
I've noticed that one thing about parents is that no matter what stage
your child is in, the parents who have older children
always tell you the next stage is worse. 
     Dave Barry
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