Laithan xenobiology, sociology and history.

[DarkOmen]

how do the projectile weapons work in space? if it is a chemical reaction like modern firearms, then it wouldnt make sense since there is no oxygen to fuel a reaction... maybe something like a rail gun.

Also.... as far as weapons that are purely kinetic, essentially just bullets like i would imagine the chain gun would be, i have a hard time believing they would do any damage to a ships hull, no matter how many there are... in one of the enterprise episodes, the small shuttlecraft took several hundred rounds of .50 cal ammo from the attacking fighters with no effect. i know those are our era ammunition, but take into account a modern starfleet vessel has very thick hull plating reinforced by a SIF. i think something like a mag-rail gun would be much more effective against a modern ship.

Good addition to the development of your species though

[Mikey]

Very detailed and cohesive. Nice work.

Bear in mind that I have no fluency regarding what I am about to ask, but here goes:

Am I correct in reading in your reports that these anthropomorphic bugs actually speak a relative of Gaelic?

[DarkOmen]

Bear in mind that I have no fluency regarding what I am about to ask, but here goes:

coulda fooled me

[Mikey]

No, really - I don't speak a word of Gaelic.

I mean, I can order myself a neat Jameson, but that's as far as it goes...

[Sionnach Glic]

Very interesting - the mention of flak barriers as a form of defence conjures images of nBSG.

That's where I got the idea from. I see no reason hundreds of explosions wouldn't screw with energy weapons and torpedoes.

Regarding population, do the Laithans have any Coruscant-esque city planets?

They do have planet-wide cities, but nowhere near as impressive as Coruscant.

how do the projectile weapons work in space? if it is a chemical reaction like modern firearms, then it wouldnt make sense since there is no oxygen to fuel a reaction... maybe something like a rail gun.

That's something I should have explained better (well, I did write it up quickly).
Rather than being a convevtional shell as we know it, these shells are propelled by a booster engine built in to the shell itself. Basically, its an unguided balistic missile.

Also.... as far as weapons that are purely kinetic, essentially just bullets like i would imagine the chain gun would be, i have a hard time believing they would do any damage to a ships hull, no matter how many there are... in one of the enterprise episodes, the small shuttlecraft took several hundred rounds of .50 cal ammo from the attacking fighters with no effect.

True, but these weapons contain small explosive charges which do the damage, not powerfull enough to do anything to a large ship, but enough to drive off or shred small vessels.

i know those are our era ammunition, but take into account a modern starfleet vessel has very thick hull plating reinforced by a SIF. i think something like a mag-rail gun would be much more effective against a modern ship.

*shrug*
I stick to the idea of 'yield is what's important'. All the SIF's in the world wouln't save you against a teratonne level shell. (no, they don't have terratonne level shells, that was just an example)

Good addition to the development of your species though

Thanks, a couple of people had asked me about the Laithan military, so I decided to whip something up quickly.

[DarkOmen]

ok.. i didnt realise all of them were explosive, i figured some of them were just kinetic.

[Sionnach Glic]

Damn internet connection. It's not posting everything I wan't to.

Very detailed and cohesive. Nice work.

Thanks.

Bear in mind that I have no fluency regarding what I am about to ask, but here goes:

Am I correct in reading in your reports that these anthropomorphic bugs actually speak a relative of Gaelic?

You win a cookie for being the first person to notice that.
Yes, I simply used Irish words for Laithan terms, simply because I'm probably the only person on the board who knows how to speak it.

Run the words and phrases through a translator if your interested in what they really mean.

I mean, I can order myself a neat Jameson, but that's as far as it goes...

If you're in Ireland, that's all you need to know.
That and 'Where's the nearest pub?'

[Captain Seafort]

how do the projectile weapons work in space? if it is a chemical reaction like modern firearms, then it wouldnt make sense since there is no oxygen to fuel a reaction... maybe something like a rail gun.

If they're using fixed ammunition, with a good enough seal round the breach, that wouldn't be a problem. They may also be using a chemical reactions that doesn't require oxygen.

Also.... as far as weapons that are purely kinetic, essentially just bullets like i would imagine the chain gun would be, i have a hard time believing they would do any damage to a ships hull, no matter how many there are... in one of the enterprise episodes, the small shuttlecraft took several hundred rounds of .50 cal ammo from the attacking fighters with no effect. i know those are our era ammunition, but take into account a modern starfleet vessel has very thick hull plating reinforced by a SIF. i think something like a mag-rail gun would be much more effective against a modern ship.

Trek ships have trouble withstanding low-speed impacts from ships much smaller than them - the Klingons going down to JH bugs in Tears of the Prophets probably being the best example of this. Modern guns are also remarkably powerful - the Schwere Gustav the Germans built during WW2 had a KE of over 3.5 gigajoules - and I find it easy to believe that an interstellar civilisation could produce weapons many times as powerful.

[Mikey]

Of course, the Gustave was considerably larger than many modern office buildings, and required a crew of 500 (for just the one gun!), and ended proving remarkably ineffective in influencing the war at all.

[Granitehewer]

not just the karl gustavs, but also think about saddams' supergun, yes i am old enough to remember that

[DarkOmen]

If they're using fixed ammunition, with a good enough seal round the breach, that wouldn't be a problem. They may also be using a chemical reactions that doesn't require oxygen.

yeah... i was just thinking if you went into space with a modern firearm and pulled the trigger, i dont think much would happen... the primer would start to ignite the powder in the case witht the small amount of oxygen sealed (if it was sealed, like a laquer coated bullet like the AK47/SKS shoots) but as soon as the pressure got high enough to break the seal around the bullet, the reaction would fissle out from oxygen starvation, and the slug would meander out the barrel at a lazy few miles per hour. lol. im sure your right though about it being a different type of reaction..

[Granitehewer]

well thankfully,i have no idea about physics or chemistry,it saves space for other things,but darkomen,you sound right

[Granitehewer]

ps love the art, and have a request

[DarkOmen]

Of course, the Gustave was considerably larger than many modern office buildings, and required a crew of 500 (for just the one gun!), and ended proving remarkably ineffective in influencing the war at all.

ROFL

[Granitehewer]

Freud would spin in his grave