Loose Ends: Tidying up a war's end

[Gadrin]

What sort of conventions would there be for stopping
post-hostilities actions? Obviously there will be some. But might there be
accepted precedents for how to tidy up without leaving a chain of
retaliations that restart a war.

The same communications channel that organized it can be used to dismantle
it, guaranteed that in something as complex as a multi-system,
multi-subsector action that they'll have backup plans; or if it's seriously
compromised, use the backup.

Main force engagements can be prevented easier: they
can simply order every starfleet to retreat one parsec from a nearby fleet.
And ground forces can have similar arrangements. Forces that are not in
contact simply stand down.

Likewise I'm sure they'll plan for contingencies like this.

But in the meantime, every picket, marauder, etc has to
get the word somehow. Perhaps there is a conventional "grace period" in which
any military action is "charged" to the last war, and thus does not interfere
with negotiations. And how does this sort of thing affect ransoms and prize
law?

I imagine during the surrender or armstice, they'll discuss the extent of things
knowing full-well that holding back will only aggravate things. In some cases
it may be they simply take a ship w/personnel recoginizable to system X and
give them the news. I doubt that a force entrenched would believe public broadcasts
or news -- at least the officers wouldn't, the average guy might want to believe
anything to get him out of a foxhole or rain-soaked planet Y.



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