[Crybertrance]

Aye, just pinpoint the location of one Solaris and then send in a Hunter-Killer group.
If they have jump drives akin to those of the Carthage or Atreus, they could even escape with minor damage.

And what prevents the Solaris from warping out?

To sum it up: And what prevents the Solaris from already having a nice escort?

Yeah, I mean since all three Solarises are very high priority command carriers... I doubt the UEF will leave them just lying around unescorted. Surely they will have a considerable escort and fighter cover. Maybe that's why the GTVA haven't tried hurting them till now.

[crizza]

They are high priority targets, we all now that.
But we also know, that for the run on the Carthage three frigs were waisted, so they are no longer a threat.
For this huge ambush, the UEF had to use a major part of second and third fleet and I highly doubt that they had the assets to bind the Impervious even if they had known the carrier was still in system.
This takes us to the argument of the escorts untill first fleet don't kick their asses into overdrive, the Tevs will most certainly simply pount the third and then the second fleet to dust.
A single Karuna Mk2 won't make a difference.

[Crybertrance]

They are high priority targets, we all now that.
But we also know, that for the run on the Carthage three frigs were waisted, so they are no longer a threat.
For this huge ambush, the UEF had to use a major part of second and third fleet and I highly doubt that they had the assets to bind the Impervious even if they had known the carrier was still in system.
This takes us to the argument of the escorts untill first fleet don't kick their asses into overdrive, the Tevs will most certainly simply pount the third and then the second fleet to dust.
A single Karuna Mk2 won't make a difference.

But during the events of Delenda Est, while the Federation lost only 3 Frigs, 2 Cruisers and 1 AWACS and say 2~3 wings. The GTVA lost a hell lotta fighters (maybe 5~6 squadrons) 4 Corvettes, 3 Cruisers. That totals to a lot of ships! just to waste a few frigs?

I feel that the Imperieuse was waiting for the Destroyers to show up, but decided to go for the kill anyways..

[crizza]

It was a trap.
Assuming that the escorts of the Carthage would jump out, Steele didn't care about the fighters, 'cause he got the numbers and while he lost many strikecraft, the Feds lost three frigs and their strikecraft too, while the Indus was severly damaged, so she is out of the game too for a while.
And Steele? We don't know for sure, but I would bet neither he nor Serkr have sustained heavy damage.

[MatthTheGeek]

But during the events of Delenda Est, while the Federation lost only 3 Frigs, 2 Cruisers and 1 AWACS and say 2~3 wings. The GTVA lost a hell lotta fighters (maybe 5~6 squadrons) 4 Corvettes, 3 Cruisers. That totals to a lot of ships! just to waste a few frigs?

You don't know that. As said multiple times already, there were engagements all over the system. The Federation could have lost many other assets somewhere else in addition to the loss of the Wargods.
The GTVA lost many ships and fighters ? They don't care, they eliminated the only UEF task force that, in 18 months, managed the feat of striking back and do any significant sort of damage to the Tev war machine. The result of the engagement might be even militarily-wise, the Tevs scored a major point in term of morale and, after 18 months of war, that is worth as much as a whole destroyer battlegroup.

EDIT: not to mention that we don't know what happened to the disabled warships of the Carthage battlegroup. Steele could have prepared contingencies for that event and kept ships in reserve to rescue them.

I feel that the Imperieuse was waiting for the Destroyers to show up, but decided to go for the kill anyways..

Excepted that the Toutatis did show up, it was even engaged and significantly damaged by elements of Serkr team. I'm pretty sure the Carthage engagement was a higher priority because, instead of killing a destroyer, it could there save a destroyer and deal a major blow to the UEF morale by wiping out their prized taskforce.

This is Steele we're talking about here. He's not the kind of man that only consider the purely military aspects of a war. With the Imperieuse surprise, he clearly demonstrated his superior tactical skills. I don't think the UEF morale has ever been lower than at that point.

[Crybertrance]

Excepted that the Toutatis did show up, it was even engaged and significantly damaged by elements of Serkr team.

When did the Toutatis show up during Delenda Est... Neither in the Credits!

[MatthTheGeek]

...as said MULTIPLE times, you only see a small part of what happened during the events of Delenda Est. Your engagement was only the critical part of a system-large scale attack on Tev positions, in order to prevent as many Tev assets as possible from disrupting the attack on the Carthage.

As such, (and I've just been confirmed that by The_E), the Eris (I mixed the two desties in my earlier post) was keeping the rest of Serkr busy, while the Toutatis was going toe-to-toe with the Atreus. You can bet 2nd or 3rd fleet elements were busy with the Hood and the rest of the Tev battlegroups too.

EDIT: extract from DE's briefing:

We're not fighting alone. Our attack on the $r Carthage is the centerpiece of a huge strategic push. Admiral Calder and Admiral Netreba are posturing their artillery near Jupiter to keep the $r Atreus and its battle group tied down. The $r Hood is still undergoing repairs from the thrashing we gave it, and our source says the $r Imperieuse is still in Delta Serpentis resupplying from the Blitz.

[The E]

Excepted that the Toutatis did show up, it was even engaged and significantly damaged by elements of Serkr team.

When did the Toutatis show up during Delenda Est... Neither in the Credits!

It's happening offscreen. Remember that WiH uses a very focused perspective by sticking close to Laporte at nearly all times. Just because Laporte doesn't see something happening doesn't mean it isn't happening. See also: http://www.moddb.com/mods/blue-planet-war-in-heaven/news/release-2-preview

[Crybertrance]

...as said MULTIPLE times, you only see a small part of what happened during the events of Delenda Est. Your engagement was only the critical part of a system-large scale attack on Tev positions, in order to prevent as many Tev assets as possible from disrupting the attack on the Carthage.

As such, (and I've just been confirmed that by The_E), the Eris (I mixed the two desties in my earlier post) was keeping the rest of Serkr busy, while the Toutatis was going toe-to-toe with the Atreus. You can bet 2nd or 3rd fleet elements were busy with the Hood and the rest of the Tev battlegroups too.

EDIT: extract from DE's briefing:

We're not fighting alone. Our attack on the $r Carthage is the centerpiece of a huge strategic push. Admiral Calder and Admiral Netreba are posturing their artillery near Jupiter to keep the $r Atreus and its battle group tied down. The $r Hood is still undergoing repairs from the thrashing we gave it, and our source says the $r Imperieuse is still in Delta Serpentis resupplying from the Blitz.

Damn. The UEF is in really bad shape, isn't it?

[MatthTheGeek]

They've been fighting a loosing war for 18 months, one of their three fleets is in shambles, the only task force that managed to strike back was wiped out in a single, masterly orchestrated trap, and they're a few weeks/months from complete logistical collapse.

So, what else is not new ?

[Crybertrance]

They've been fighting a loosing war for 18 months, one of their three fleets is in shambles, the only task force that managed to strike back was wiped out in a single, masterly orchestrated trap, and they're a few weeks/months from complete logistical collapse.

So, what else is not new ?

I still rooting for a UEF win though!

[Aesaar]

Bah.  Buntu pacifist.

[MatthTheGeek]

Bah. Tev murderer.

[Deadly in a Shadow]

Bah.  Buntu pacifist.

Bleh. Tev warmonger. All I say.

It would be a to obvious conclusion if the GT(V)A just wins the war. Something cool is going to happen.

[Crybertrance]

Bah.  Buntu pacifist.

Bleh. Tev warmonger. All I say.

 

It would be a to obvious conclusion if the GT(V)A just wins the war. Something cool is going to happen.

Amen to that!

[CT27]

My guess would be Calder.

Byrne's secret project will probably ensure he's needed plotwise, and his 1st fleet is probably in the best condition of all 3.

Netreba has received the least amount of characterization out of all 3 admirals, so I feel that his death would have the least amount of impact if he were to be killed off. He's also got the remainder of the 2nd fleet at his disposal.

Calder's obsession with revenge against Steele and the decimation of his 3rd fleet make him prime material for kamikaze/going-down-with-the-ship situations, and he has the least amount of fleet assets to provide protection.

I'll take a slightly different track.

I agree that Byrne will be kept around for plot reasons (whoever wins in the end).  However, since Calder seems like the 'obvious' choice to bite the dust first, I think that it will actually be Netreba.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

BTW: Let me take the opportunity to say that the GTVA is just an over-pampered pile of ****. 

They are crazy prepared. Dealing with the destroyers of the universe twice in a hundred years would do that to anybody.

[Crybertrance]

BTW: Let me take the opportunity to say that the GTVA is just an over-pampered pile of ****. 

They are crazy prepared. Dealing with the destroyers of the universe twice in a hundred years would do that to anybody.

I know but they are very (excessively so) well funded and supplied. And they have *absolutely* no pinch for any of their losses. Just take a look at Delenda Est, The GTVA lost 5~6 squadrons EASILY, plus 5 capitals if you go for the kill. Now if the Imperieuse was in-system waiting for the wargods and if Steele had any moral sense, He could have easily deployed the Imperieuse earlier.

[crizza]

As was stated, Steele doesn't care about the squadrons.
And the Imp appeared, when she could do the maximum damage, 'cause the Frigs had received a serious pounding.
I doubt that a simple shock jump at all four frigates even if their ECM was down at this point would've succeeded, 'cause for all four Frigs it would take the Imp 2 minutes, and I guess, that when the first Frig goes down, the beams would be soon follow.

[-Norbert-]

Could it be that Steele is even glad to be rid of those pilots?
They were after all very loyal to Lopez and she to them. And Lopez did have problems with the way Steele is leading the war. In short Steele might consider Lopez a bit too great a risk, so he's limiting her influence, without appearing to do so. Not necessarily because he mistrusts her, but it's better to be save than sorry.

Now that the Carthage lost pretty much all her pilots, he can move some of his own people into the vacant positions, to keep a closer eye on Lopez in addition to getting rid of pilots that were more loyal to Lopez than to him.