Possible Solutions, Part II

See here.

Suggested by Mjambo, owner of Jo-Boy Technical Services:
bomb the Borthudian home planet.
Objections by van Rijn:
repeats what he said to Torres;
plus - to kill billions is both wrong and wasteful.

Suggested by Firmage of North American Engineering:
limited action against the Borthudian navy.
Objection:
"'...we cannot afford it.'" (The Van Rijn Method, p. 149)

Suggested by Firmage:
subversion.
Objections:
we will but it takes too long;
competitors beyond the Kossaluth are taking over the Sagittarian frontier now.

Suggested by Firmage:
improve evasive action.
Objection:
eighty five percent do evade but the fifteen per cent loss is unacceptable;
cutting engines and lying low does not work very well.

Suggested by Firmage:
convoy the ships.
Objection:
it would mean running at a loss.

Suggested by Firmage:
arm our ships.
Objection:
an unarmed ship needs four men whereas an armed ship needs twenty - again, too expensive.

Suggested by Mjambo:
give our ships pressor beams to hold the enemy away.
Objection by Kraaknach of the Martian Transport Company:
beams are powered by the engines and naval engines are more powerful than merchants'.

Suggested by Mjambo:
give League crews small arms.
Objection by van Rijn:
four men cannot hold off twenty.

Suggested by Gornas-Kiew of the Centaurian conglomerate:
reduce profit just enough to invest in military equipment for the duration of the emergency.
Objection by van Rijn:
repeats earlier arguments against military action;
find a way to make continued attacks unprofitable for Borthu...;
ten percent of everyone's Antarean profits for ten years to anyone who solves the problem at his own risk and expense...