Unlettered fool
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Hi /lit/,
I thought maybe some smarter people can help me with one sentence. I'm reading this pleb-tier sci-fi novel, and I stumbled upon this passage:
“That’s how we’re going to fight,” she told them. “No more attacks by squadrons in tight formations, no more grouping the squadrons to increase their punch. Now we split up into two and three ship groups. No matter how good the enemy is, they can’t keep track of all of us all the time. From now on we harass, disorient and badger the enemy until we see a solid opening, then we rip their guts out.”
“But how do we close in?” Rudd asked.
“Jammers and decoys, plus coming at them from 360 degrees, will get us inside their command and response time,” Emily countered, hoping it was true. “Then we use the lasers until we’ve got a clean shot at something good and pound them with the missiles.”
What does the sentence "will get us inside their command and response time" mean? From the context I guess it means "will get us close enough", but I don't understand what "command" has to do with it. Could you please you explain/paraphrase it?
>>8214223
Emily means that they won't give the enemy enough to time to issue commands to its fighters and for the fighters to respond.
So "get inside someone's response time" means do something before they can respond? is it a set phrase?
As anon said. It's "command time" and "response time", with "inside" meaning "under". People who are used to expressing this sort of idea would probably use "within" or "under" instead.
I guess you're trying to practice reading English or something but this sounds like a horribly shitty book
That's exactly what I'm doing. It's Alarm of War by H. Kennedy Hudner. Thanks a lot!
>>8214257
>"command time" and "response time"
(meant "command-and-response time", as opposed to "command" and "response time" being separate elements, but you got that)
