Talk:Damocles/@comment-44997843-20200804215804/@comment-46344077-20200804225952

To clarify, the technology to build this damocles wannabe exists now. The US wanted to make an orbital silo back in the 60s; in fact the Apollo missions were originally envisioned as putting a base on the Moon to counter whatever real or imagined systems the Soviet Union possessed. Its not even that complicated really, picture something like the International Space Station merged with a nuclear submarine (not literally that but you can get the idea). The problems are twofold: govt permissions as you've said, there's been multiple international treaties prohibiting weaponizing space (the fact one expired a couple years ago bodes ill for the future) by mutual agreement, for the same reasons as anti-nuclear proliferation acts; in laymans terms that's a path you don't want to travel on, because bad things will happen. Second is the enormous cost for little gain, because why would you build a huge obvious station when you could make very steathy subs, somehwhat cheap bombers, or very straightforward ICBMs? The only other justification for Damocles would be for a decidingly non-military purpose: exploring dpace, with an eye on the Moon for a start. We know that thing can reach the Sun (its how it was destroyed) so despite a price tag that could buy the Republic of Ireland it could heavily pay off. Which Schneizel had no intention of doing in favor of his forced peace plan, so that leaves it right back to square one.