This is bad. That means the conflict cannot be resolved in the short term.
That is not entirely true.
It will cost us, but now that we know they are there we can device a blockade smashing strategy.
For starters: they only have so many fire controls, and while they have a lot of guns it is possible to overload that.
So we send through fighters. A *lot* or fighters. Hundreds of them. As many as we can gather.
They jump first. For sure, we'll lose a bunch, but it will also soak up their initial volley of missiles at 9 minute reload timers, and the really big laser shots that need 20-25 seconds.
They scatter immediately to get out of laser range and start firing at the biggest threats to the fleet.
Then, 5, maybe 10 seconds later the rest of the fleet comes through. Depending on their fire delay, we time this to happen right after they fire their ASM missiles.
It will be in jump shock. So we'll still take some hits but we'll minimize losses because the big lasers need to recharge and the missile wave is used up. So we're talking small lasers at less than point blank because we can use squadron jumps, and size 1 AMM which is still representing some danger but won't penetrate armor immediately and may be targeting fighters at any rate. And the Sarthe's laser batteries when they recharge -- those are the real danger at that point.
Then, when our fleet gets out of jump shock, we kill them.
Did the scout sacrificing itself only report on the immediate fleet in the vicinity or would it have told us of more fleets in the system?
Only the immediate vicinity I reckon.
Could we send a scout roundabout through other jump points?
No. That depends on us finding some other entry point and that requires exploration which may trigger more enemies.
What are long-term projections? Can we build-up meaningful technological an/or economical advances?
Of course. The 'blockade that entry point and forget about them' option exists. Long term chances that we'll out economy them aren't terrible. They don't have any colonies yet, their mineral base is bad and they only have one unimpeded way out of the system. That may lead nowhere, or into a swarm/precursor/NPR system, or into a mega system that takes years to cross. Who knows.
