Construction of Corkscrew prototype begins

Construction of the first Corkscrew 51A MCS has begun at a production jig in orbit over Solaris. Construction was bought forward 9 months because of the accelerated production schedule and increased order book. The ship is expected to enter extended trials later in the year and will eventually be the lead ship of the type. Work on the next Corkscrews (which will be built for the Remedians) will begin early next year.

Beginning construction now is a bit of a risk as some details of the Corkscrew specification have yet to be finalised however Director of Technology Sea Urchin said these final few details would be "nailed down" within the next few weeks and would not be a problem. Some new technology for the Corkscrew will not be ready for the beginning of trials though should be ready by early 2114.

• The DDS have dropped the alert status to CYAN, the lowest state.