Chapter 3. Threat Models

“And by the way, we are belittling our opponents and building up a disastrous overconfidence in ourselves by calling them pirates. They are not—they can’t be. Boskonia must be more than a race or a system—it is very probably a galaxy-wide culture. It is an absolute despotism, holding its authority by means of a rigid system of rewards and punishments. In our eyes it is fundamentally wrong, but it works—how it works! It is organized just as we are, and is apparently as strong in bases, vessels, and personnel.”

Kimball Kinnison in Galactic Patrol—E. E. “DOC” SMITH

3.1 Who’s Your Enemy?

The correct answer to most simple security questions is “it depends.” Security isn’t a matter of absolutes; it’s a matter of picking the ...

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