Ready fighters matter more than a battlecruiser's paper strength

The Rimward Stars attack plan depends on reaching the enemy before its fighters can organize a defense. A launch at maximum range gives the battlecruiser ten minutes to respond, so the attackers seek a closer approach with substantial initial velocity. Their actual launch leaves only three minutes and forty seconds before impact. The battlecruiser takes about a minute to alter course and more than two minutes to open fire, while its fighters emerge with less than a minute remaining. Its heavy weapons and strong protection cannot compensate for that delay. Veteran crews are contrasted with conscripts whose delay leaves their available fighters unable to stop the attack.