As this is based upon the Starship Troopers Dystopia, the general idea is that the word is run by the military...<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Heinlein's original background concept</div><div class="spoiler_body">Robert A Heinlein wrote the story Starship Troopers basically as a protest against the way Vietnam war veterans were being treated in the USA in the 1970s. His basic presmise was that after WWIII between Russia and the USA, which the USA lost, the war veterans came home and were treated even worse that the Vienam vets. They had been pulled out, leaving a huge number of men behind, too, and were not happy about this. So, they got together and staged a coup d'etat. Basically, the USA got taken over by military veterans. These veterans then restarted the war, re-invaded the country they had been kicked out of, and freed the POWs being held from that war - and some from a previous war. (This is in reference to the number of US servicemen listed as MIA during the Vietnam war, whom the NVA later admitted to having captive but never released).<br/><br/>This time, with the war officially won (the object was to release the POWs) the veterans turned their attention to civilian matters. They basically declared that, because of the sorry way Veterans were treated in a democracy run by civilians, only veterans could become citizens and only veterans could vote. ANYONE could serve in an appropriate capacity. If you had one hand and no legs but could write your name, they would give you a job filling out requisition forms. If you were bright enough you got to join the fleet as a bridge officer. If you weren't but had full use of all your limbs, you got you pick of the infantry roles. If you were fond of dogs, you got K9 corps. If you weren't good for anything else, you got Mobile Infantry.<br/><br/>You signed up for three years or the duration whichever was longer. At the end of your three years or at the end of the war, you retired honourably and received the right to vote.<br/><br/>Now, in terms of dissent, basically in Heinlein's novel you could be a non-citizen from birth to death and no-one would bother. But I imagine if you started openly criticising the government you might not survive long...<br/><br/>Heinlein's world is actually a lot less totalitarian than that in the films, but he doesn't really go into that side of things much.</div></div><br/>As for the actual state of the battle, I agree. I don't want my character knowing what is going on. However she is a veteran. She knows that the troop ships are the core of the invasion fleet. Without the troops, there is no invasion. So they will be screened by the fleet. They are the military's most valuable asset in terms of the war, even above the capital ships and flag ship, because if all the troop ships are lost, the battle is lost before it has even begun, and not only that, but the loss of so many troops would seriously weaken the Imperium's defensive capability!<br/><br/>So, Kerry is smart, she's a vet. She knows the score. She knows that if the troop ships are under attack, it means things are not going well... Her main purpose, though, is to stay alive and keep her men alive, in order to be able to accomplish the mission, and survive to accomplish the next mission.