Early ships of the DDS

In it's early days the DDS operated a rag-tag fleet of one off spaceships as it learnt the ropes of operating a space fleet. What happened to those ships operated in the early-mid 2090s?

Starhunter UM

A medium-sized scout ship rebuilt from a commercial design. It was used for reconnaissance and light attack. It was destroyed in combat with the Clones near Sandworld.

Solaris

A prototype long-range scout ship based on a UNP Space Patrol design. Solaris was withdrawn from service in the early 2100s due to fatigue and obsolescence. The Solaris was used as the basis of the upgraded Solaris II production class which served with distinction in the early 2100s. The original Solaris is now in the Proxima Space Museum.

Dinomark ZX

The ZX was a prototype ship built by the Dinos in the 2180s, their first large warship. The ZX was withdrawn due to poor performance, the Dinos later building the much more successful Dinomark RS. The ZX was sold to the DDS to give them experience in operating a large warship. However, it's combat potential was limited due to a lack of power and it only saw limited use. It was withdrawn when the DDS has sufficient Pulsars in service. The ZX's fate is unclear, it is thought to have been scrapped.

The Historian : The First Dino Space Age

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Its been some time since i have written for this website. For the last few months i have been on Dino-Land researching the once mythical First Dino Space Age, which thanks to Ronald's mission last year is now somewhat less of a myth...

The First Dino Space Age is the name given to the first technological civilisation on Dino-Land which rose around 6000 years ago. Little trace of this civilisation remains on Dino-Land and much of what is known about them is wrapped in myth. Even what the civilisation called itself is unknown.

These Dinos developed technology and finally reached out to the stars. Their space faring technology was thought to be fairly primitive, possibly using warp drive and not hyperspace technologies meaning that they were limited to around the speed of light. However they managed to set up colonies on planets near to Dino-Land and further afield. These colonies were not an empire due to the difficulties in maintaining communications which was only by ship (FTL communications was unknown to them) and even ship travel took years or even decades. Later on these Dinos managed to discover natural wormholes which allowed them to spread further afield in a limited manner (the Bolitic use these wormholes to this day).

So around 5000 years ago a Dino space faring civilisation was beginning to develop. Unfortunately on Dino-Land itself things were turning sour. An obsession with the occult and black magic had given rise to the Acheron faction who tapped into secret and hidden knowledge from earlier, alien and even less known civilisations. The Acheron began to use genetic engineering to create a "super race", among the improvements being in massively increased psychic powers. These augmented beings were known as the Chosen.

The Chosen sought to take over the planet and enslave the non-augmented mass of the population. War ensured, which soon escalated into a full nuclear onslaught that destroyed the First Dino Space Age and left little trace. Dino-Land was left in ruins, a small number of survivors left in the Dino equivalent of the Stone Age. However these Dinos did eventually form the Dino Republic we know today.

The Dino space colonies were also affected by the war and similarly devastated or left cut off from supplies and also regressed. These colonies sometimes died out but many survived and now form the likes of Sirikwan, the Repicans and the Bolitic Confederacy. In some cases the racial memories of the war have survived in the form of hatred of the mother planet.

The furthest colony managed to avoid the war though they did struggle when cut off, however they did manage to keep their civilisation and technology intact. This is the Malanas Assembly, whom Ronald met last year and helped provide which much of the above information. Because of their largely unbroken technological development over the millennia the Malanas possess technology and a culture far in advance of anything else we know of in the galaxy. So it could have been for all of the Dino colonies perhaps if the Acheron had not risen. However our human history is likely to have been greatly changed too. While it is not thought Dinos from the First Dino Space Age visited Earth it surely would have happened sooner or later and they may have conquered us, fostered us, or even eaten us...

The Historian : Downfall of the New DDS (Interview)

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

In future years the New DDS Project which ran between 2103 and 2112 will be seen as a truly fascinating period in DDS history when the organisation appeared to be run by the insane. Here Professor Horlick from Proxima City University has been kind enough to discuss the New DDS with me.

The New DDS came as an answer to the decline and fall of The Shiner regime, but why do you think it lasted so long?

The Shiner had been in charge of the DDS for a long time but by the early 2110s his regime was crumbling. However that isn't why the New DDS came about, as we could have seen the DDS easily move in another direction. No the New DDS came about because of two senior DDS officers who had dramatically different aims and motivations.

Vodaphone and AP.

Indeed, Vodaphone was a fascist who believed in hard discipline, self-denial and obedience. He saw the DDS as weak because it needed an ideology. AP on the other hand felt marginalised and disrespected by the other DDS senior officers. He wanted power and control. Although their motivations and aims were different they did combine to form the heart of the new regime, and when they recruited Rotarios as their figurehead then... well the rest is history as they say.

In 2107 Windy deposed Rotarios and Vodaphone was killed, yet the New DDS survived. How so?

Windy did not have an ideological replacement for the New DDS at the time, his Windy Massive was weak and also was not acceptable to most DDS. With the Hoods gone underground Windy felt he could use the New DDS power structure to maintain control at what was a dangerous time for the DDS, the war against the Utrek was still ongoing of course.

And AP survived, was this a mistake by Windy?

Indeed in hindsight it was but AP was a vile individual, he somehow managed to minimise his role in the DDS and he convinced Windy that he was an opportunist and not an ideologue, which was probably true in any case.

Now we move to the final phase of the New DDS, AP seemed to go mad!

Yeah its quite astonishing to think of his crimes. Killing The Orchid, the Panther crew, the PRB false flags, and the final battle where he sacrificed several 1000 DDS in one incident. AP is a case, i think, of power corrupting totally. He had finally achieved his dream of being DDS Commander and was desperate to protect his position. Once you have begun these crimes then i guess it can be easy for things to get out of hand.

Now the New DDS has been finally destroyed or has it?

Firefly has ushered in a new phase of the DDS, and is working hard to renew the organisation and sweep away the debris of the past. The New DDS Project will never rise again.

The Historian : History of the New DDS (6) : The downfall of Rotarios

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Rotarios tightened his grip on the New DDS but he remained tantalizingly short of total power because of his failure to deal with Windscorpion. Rotarios' ego drove him to think he could control The Apogee of Man however Windy was waiting for his moment to bring down Rotarios, a man he loathed and despised beyond all others.

The moment came when the Utrek, with their Zone allies, launched an attack on the DDS (Second Utrek War). While the rest of the DDS held the line in Remedian space with Dino help Windy was sent to crush the Zones and knock them out once and for all. Windy's fleet engaged with the Zones and crushed them, the DDS then launched a nuclear strike on Zoneland itself.

Vodaphone followed in the Hoods' own ship to launch a second strike on Zoneland with Cobalt-60 warheads to render Zoneland uninhabitable. This is when Windy made his play. Vodaphone and the Hood ship was destroyed by Windy's flag. Windy then returned to GHQ via New Jakarta where the Hood training camp was destroyed from orbit.

Rotarios and the Hoods were unsure what was going on, there were rumours however that Windy was coming to destroy the New DDS. With the Hoods beginning to panic Rotarios made a challenge to Windy to face him in the Hall of Heroes at GHQ for the final battle. Rotarios vowed to crush Windscorpion and finally complete the New DDS Project.

Windy agreed, but of course Rotarios never had any intention facing Windy alone. He assembled every last Hood remaining at GHQ and stormed the Hall. Windy was waiting for them... in an exo-war suit. Windy mowed down Hoods by the score. The rest fled, to be hunted down and killed by Windy's supporters (though a fair few escaped). As for Rotarios well Windy pounded him into a small dense pile of scrap iron.

The New DDS Project had been aborted. Windy was proclaimed the DDS Commander. The Hoods and the old regime were consigned to the dustbin of history. Or were they...

The Historian : History of the New DDS (5) : Bringing Windy into the fold

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Rotarios was now the DDS Commander and began a series of measures to facilitate the New DDS Project. Under Vodaphone's guidance (usually buried in baffling jargon and buzzwords) and threat from AP's Hoods the DDS was reborn as the "New DDS". However soon there was a cloud on the horizon.

Windy was approaching full health and began to venture outside on Rathun's World (now Liberation). He was soon picked up by CCTV and word got to Rotarios that his Nemesis was still alive. AP was despatched with a legion of Hoods and DDS special forces to kill Windy.

As Windy and Salamander evaded the DDS net Rotarios had a change of mind and ordered Windy be captured instead. He saw that Windy could be a potent asset if he could be controlled and he had a sufficiently massive ego to persuade him to try where all else have failed. Windy was thus bought into the New DDS under strict control though this was eased when Windy was duped into revealing the location of his fan club the Windy Massive. They were massacred by the Hoods.

The Rotarios-Windy relationship was troubled to say the least with Rotarios continually thwarted and fooled by The Apogee Of Man. Windy quietly began restoring his power base, recruiting a new generation of the Windy Massive. When the DDS went to war with the Utrek Windy saw his chance to bring down the New DDS Project...

The Historian : History of the new DDS (4) : Taking Power

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Windy was assumed dead, The Shiner's grip on power was unravelling by the day. Now the final part of taking over the DDS : getting Rotarios in as DDS Commander.

The Shiner had to be removed first and as Hood attacks at GHQ stepped up he finally stepped down. Vodaphone now had to get his man in in place. Back in 2103 the election rules were different to as they are today, instead of a wide vote across the whole DDS the Commander was decided by the DDS Council.

When the debate began to decide on the new commander Vodaphone stepped in immediately suggesting Rotarios much to the disgust of Sea Urchin, however the vote went ahead "so we could move onto more sensible suggestions". To Sea Urchin's shock Rotarios was voted for by Vodaphone, Lord Argox, The Shiner and... S101!

Before the election Vodaphone had been busy securing the votes he needed. Sea Urchin, Horsehead and The Orchid would never vote for Rotarios he knew (though The Orchid later became a loyalist of the regime). But he could do without those as long as he got the other 4 votes on offer. The Shiner was threatened by The Hoods and Lord Argox was bribed by AP. S101's vote was the clincher and again Rotarios' hold over him again came in use. S101 was threatened with his role in Windy's death being made public if he didn't vote for Rotarios. S101 almost abstained but in the end went through with it.

Rotarios was now the DDS Commander.

The Historian : History of the New DDS (3) : Killing Windscorpion

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

To secure the New DDS and to get Rotarios in as the new commander Vodaphone needed to bring down the Shiner regime. However Windscorpion loomed large over the DDS as a colossus and he would have to be disposed of too...

That is easier said than done of course, many have tried to kill the Apogee Of Man but nearly all have failed. Rotarios of course did kill the original Windy but he had the resources of the HCS behind him that time. However an opportunity did arise to kill Windy thanks to a strange chain of events on Starbot.

Its a little known fact but the K-series of Starbotian have a design flaw in their brains. This flaw only manifests itself in later life and can cause feelings of anxiety and depression if not detected and treated. K-1, the eternal companion of S101 and B-B, had this flaw unknown to everyone including himself. It finally came to the fore when a Starbotian ship he and B-B were on was attacked and destroyed by the Rectoids. K-1 panicked and used the only escape pod seemingly dooming B-B to death. K-1 was later rescued and felt ashamed by what he had done but everyone just assumed B-B had been caught in the initial explosion. K-1 played along with this.

B-B however had survived. The Rectoids beamed him off the ship before it was destroyed and sent him to a prison planet. Later he was found by Windy, S101 and the Triad who also ended up Rectoid prisoners and were sent to the same prison. After they escaped and returned to Starbot B-B told the truth of K-1's betrayal and he was banished from Starbot.

Later on the K-series Head K-2 approached S101 and told him of K-1's mental illness and how it probably caused his actions. S101 and B-B headed off to find K-1... Unfortunately by now K-1's condition had deteriorated and he had ended up in the hands of hackers who wanted to use him for their crimes. They removed his moral safeguard circuits to turn him into a killing machine. The first thing K-1 did was kill the hackers and then began a rampage across a little known planet beyond Eritran space.

S101 found K-1 but was forced to fight the deranged K-1. When S101 subdued K-1 it was found his brain had been badly damaged by the hackers and the illness and he was literally hours from death... unfortunately Starbot was weeks away. A ship with a worm drive was needed, back in those days (2102) they were few and far between though S101 knew Professor Piss had one. S101 was forced into a deal with the Devil in order for Piss to take K-1 back to Starbot where he was saved by medical personnel there. The price for S101 was to give Rotarios the command codes to Windy's ship...

Not long after the DDS was preparing the first battle in a short war with Porquat 640. During the battle Rotarios used the command code information to turn off the shields of the Pulsar resulting in its destruction. Windy was badly injured. Knowing that Rotarios was involved Firefly encouraged Windy to fake his death and he remained hidden on Rathun's World until he was strong enough.

Rotarios now had a clear run at becoming commander however there was still work to do...

The Historian : History of the New DDS (2) : The Rise Of The Hoods

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Vodaphone had bought in AP to help him bring about the DDS regime change he wanted but he needed some foot soldiers. AP bought in a couple of thugs into the circle to assist with the destabilisation of The Shiner's regime Vodaphone needed.

AP got the thugs (whose identity has never been disclosed) to disguise their appearance with white robes, its not known if AP intended to copy the KKK robes or just that he had some white sheets handy but the appearance of the Hoods (as they became known) quickly became a key part of the New DDS image and indeed was reflected in the new logo which came about later. AP and his acolytes began a series of random beatings of DDS personnel across DDS GHQ.

The attacks did weaken The Shiner's regime but not to the extent Vodaphone needed. AP bought in more Hoods despite Vodaphone's misgivings about the dangers to secrecy. A training camp for Hoods was also set up on New Jakarta. The attacks increased in frequency and The Shiner's regime began to crumble, The Shiner himself finally was subject to a Hood beating and it has been reported in Tsunami's memoirs ("Diary of a Yes Man") that this is when The Shiner first considered stepping down as DDS Commander.

There was one final hurdle for Vodaphone and his plans to bring in Rotarios however : Windscorpion. There would be no way Windy would allow Rotarios to be commander so Vodaphone had to devise a way to get rid of The Apogee Of Man. Help came from an unexpected source...

The Historian : History of the New DDS (1) : Origins

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

The death of AP and the rise of Firefly to become DDS Commander finally bought to an end the New DDS era, the attempt at rebirth and rebranding of the DDS first under the leadership of Rotarios from 2103 and latterly under AP. But what was the New DDS and how did it come about? In this multi-part series i will examine the rise and fall of the New DDS and the personnel involved in this mysterious and often bloody epoch in DDS history.

History of the New DDS (1) : Origins

Although Rotarios was the DDS Commander who bought about the New DDS the architect behind the scenes was Vodaphone. Quite why he set about creating the New DDS Project can never fully be revealed as he did not write anything down on these topics and of course took his secrets to his (nuclear explosion assisted) grave...

However we can find hints here and there and one big "hint" was the state of the DDS at the end of the Clone Wars. The DDS at the start of the 2100s was in turmoil. The disastrous end of the 2nd Clone War and the death of Windscorpion sent the DDS into a tailspin with the HCS running rampant across the galaxy. The return of Windy and the successful ending of the Clone Wars did help restore the DDS to an even keel but the damage was done. Vodaphone began to openly criticise The Shiner's leadership of the DDS. He made no secret of the fact he didn't like how the DDS was being run. Vodaphone in later years also openly displayed his hatred for Windy and his dislike for Windyism.

Therefore we can infer that Vodaphone feared The Shiner's weak leadership of the DDS was crumbling and that Windy would take over, a situation he considered unthinkable. For whatever reason we know for sure that Vodaphone went along the path of regime change and sought a new leader.

But why Rotarios, again this is unclear but Vodaphone recruited the ex-HCS general sometime in early 2103 (or late 2102). Vodaphone may have considered himself to lead the New DDS but as an intelligent man no doubt realised his profile was too low to have a realistic chance against established warriors like Windy and Sea Urchin and perhaps Vodaphone did not want the top job anyway. Rotarios is a man with a proven track record of command, a man of great charisma, a man also possessing great cruelty and megalomania (though obviously Vodaphone didn't think these latter flaws a problem...)

Once Rotarios was secured as the potential new leader Vodaphone then needed an ally, and he found this in AP. AP was a DDS journeyman who was considered a rather grey but competent administrator (he was City Commander at the time) who thirsted for a more active role in the DDS operationally. He was frustrated in his attempts (and often humiliated by the likes of Sea Urchin). Vodaphone found turning AP fairly easy, although AP at first was aghast at the thought of Rotarios in charge of the DDS he was quickly seduced by the thought of the likes of Sea Urchin having to call him sir. AP was a rather venal man, accomplished and intelligent but also very insecure. AP was thus easy to buy off with the concept of power.

With an ally and a leader-in-waiting Vodaphone now needed to destabilise the existing regime in order to bring about the new. To do this they needed an army... they needed the Hoods.

Next : The rise of the Hoods

DDS25 (18) : The race for 1000c

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Even in the worm-drive era the fact that the DDS were the first to send a ship through the 1000c barrier (using hyperspace drive) in known-space is still a great source of pride and a feat that few have yet emulated. The Dinos have more or less settled on around 900c (and even the latest PTs fall short of that). The Tarbotians are rumoured to have a ship that can reach 1000c but its not known how many they have in service. Other factions like the Clones still fall well short.

The first ship to break the 1000c barrier was the singleton research ship SS Neptune. It was basically built around a new engine (also called Neptune) which came from a DDS Research project in the early 2090s which basically started from scratch with engine design. As Dr Forbidden has told me the Neptune project was a true "clean sheet of paper" project. "We tried to reinvent the spaceship engine, everything was examined from the reaction chamber downwards, everything was stretched, redesigned, enhanced in order to create an engine with vastly more power than had ever been created before."

The original Neptune engine thus powered the Neptune 92X ship, Neptune the ship was rather crude in many ways. It was described by one crewmember as "an engine with a few other things bolted onto it" but this amazing ship managed to break the 1000c barrier in the late 2090s and also helped pave the way for the next generations of DDS warship.

A development of the Neptune engine itself was later used in the Quasar 15A cruiser (though this could not reach 1000c until its ILU). The Meson (which powers the Isometric family) and Gluon which powers the (Panther) are direct descendants of the Neptune. The Panther probably represents the maximum that can be wrung from hyperspace design with a sprint dash speed of 1100c.

The DDS do not plan to try and reach any higher speeds, DDS Research think that 1200c is probably reachable but the massive expense is simply not worth it anymore now that wormdrive can propel a ship at the equivalent of near 5000c!

DDS25 (17) : The New DDS Project

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

The New DDS Project was the name given to the renewal of the DDS by Rotarios who became DDS Commander in 2103 following 9 years of rule by The Shiner. There had been a general feeling that The Shiner had caused the DDS to stagnate although to be fair he did navigate the DDS through the Clone Wars successfully.

The Shiner's emphasis was on sustainability and financial prudence, Rotarios said the New DDS Project would completely change the DDS and put the emphasis on professionalism and expansion. This he managed to achieve though some questioned the influence of The Hoods and Rotarios' increasingly dictatorial and brutal leadership. Those who questioned often ended up badly beaten of course.

Windy finally ended Rotarios' reign in 2107 and although he did draw back the worst excesses of Rotarios' regime he kept the basic thrust of the New DDS Project intact. This meant that when Windy stood down in 2109 the hidden infrastructure that had backed Rotarios was still largely intact and able to gradually take over again in The Orchid's and later AP's regimes. Although the Hoods and much of the old philosophy have returned it should be noted however that this second wave of the New DDS Project is somewhat less extreme than before.

One question some ask is what is the final goal of the New DDS Project? Maybe one day we will find out.

DDS25 (16) : What is the Local Group?

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

From time to time the "Local Group" is mentioned in the media especially in the UNP (and i have mentioned them a few times in this series) but what exactly is the Local Group?

Basically the Local Group is a short-hand way of referring to the races, political entities, factions and civilisations in our area of space. It includes the DDS, Dinos and Clones but also minor races and areas like the Rim Worlds, Vegans, Eritrans and so on.

There has been no official definition of what the Local Group actually contains (and maybe more importantly doesn't)  but it usually stands for space around 100-150 light years from Proxima Centauri so that includes the powers mentioned above but not the Utrek and Tarbotians and 7 Sa Sao who more or less provide the borders of Local Group space.

DDS25 (15) : The Second Utrek War

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

The DDS and its allies defeated the Utrek in the early 2100s but the Utrek military power was hardly dented and it was clear they had unfinished business.

In 2107 they launched an invasion of the Remedian Belt, a pincer movement intended on crushing the DDS and its allies and thus be able to continue onwards to invade the DDS and Dinos. The Utrek also hired the Zones to join the attack and force the DDS to fight the war on two fronts.

It was a time of great turmoil for the DDS. Windscorpion finally fought back against the Rotarios regime and slew the dictator. Windy then led the DDS to victory, first crushing the Zone fleet and turning Zoneland into an irradiated wasteland (forcing the survivors of the Zone race to flee to their Clone cousins). The Utrek were then pushed back out of Remedian space and a de-militarized zone set up.

The war was a watershed for the DDS, it helped prove the deadliness of the new TPM weapon and the DDS designed two entirely new weapon systems (Missileer and Panther) around this new weapon. These and the Ferret UCV which was also largely born in this war will be the backbone of DDS military power well into the 2120s.

Despite a brief skirmish a few months after the end of the war when the Utrek broke the ceasefire terms there has been peace between the Utrek and Local Group ever since (though the Utrek have supplied weapons to the Bolitic). Most of this is due to their long-running and very bloody war against the Mantae however.

DDS25 (14) : The Rectoids

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

If the 2110s can be bookended (more or less) by the Tarbotians (albeit only indirectly in the case of the ABBO-Bolitic War that ended the decade) then the middle of the decade was dominated by both the Utrek and the Rectoids.

The Rectoids are ethnically Sa Sao though the DDS encountered them before any of the other 7 Sao Sao factions (the Rectoids are not part of their grouping) and their territory is a long way away even with worm drive. They first came to the DDS attention when they destroyed New Britannia (see full article).

The Rectoids were finally stopped by Windy using biogenic weapons which Megara hacked to cause mass murder (see full article). The shock and revulsion caused by this caused the UNP to stop deploying biogenic weapons routinely by the way, and the latest generation of weapons are much harder to hack. The weapons remain in DDS silos though would only be deployed if the DDS / UNP was in serious danger of destruction.

The Rectoids managed to recover somewhat from the loss of their homeworld and much of their fleet (which committed mass suicide) and the DDS have not had any further serious trouble from them apart from the occasional attack by a rogue element. The Rectoids remain a potential enemy though the DDS do not envisage them being in a position to launch an attack for decades. The DDS have attempted a rapprochement though as yet relations are (understandably) tense.

DDS25 (13) : Remember these too...

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Some more who fell by the wayside...

Opticon

Opti-who most people will say these days but the one-eyed robot was indeed DDS Commander for a time. A good field commander he helped stabilise the DDS after the disaster of the end of the 1st Clone War but he fell in battle after a short reign. His rule helped pave the way for The Shiner's record breaking reign as commander.

Horsehead

Horsehead was a psychotic maniac, to his friends. A very violent man who had a rare gift for generalship and indeed led his troops well in many battles though often it must be wondered if his men were more scared of him or the enemy. Horsehead perished in a space battle.

Delicate Flower

Delicate Flower was a curious individual, a revolting geek who was also a military genius but he preferred to spend all of his considerable mental energies trying to ensnare the man he loved Quarz. DF never quite managed to get his man though Quarz did indulge him with a bit of rimming.

DDS25 (12) : The First Utrek War

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Controlling a vast empire the Utrek (or to give them their proper name the Urlik Utrek Federation) had for some time being a looming menace over the Local Group. In 2101 the Utrek finally attacked and sent vast fleets to conquer the DDS, Dinos, Clones and other nations.

The DDS, HCS and Dinos were forced to team up to combat the Utrek invasion. Other nations like the Remedians (who lost any remaining pretense at being an independent power) fell by the way side. New weapons and sheer grit helped stem the tide forcing the Utrek to withdraw.

However the Utrek threat remained but in 2102 the DDS was under attack from the Rectoids too. Windy then mounted one of his most ingenious operations by manipulating the Utrek and Rectoids into a war against each other. This helped keep both enemies occupied for a few years (though the DDS had to fight both again - and defeat both again - in the years to come).

DDS25 (11) : Remember New Britannia?

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Remember New Britannia? Many haven't as it was never one of the most well-known members of the UNP but 10 years ago it ceased to exist anyway. It was destroyed by the Rectoids in a horrific display of their power. Though it was all a fix...

It appeared at first sign that the Rectoids had the power to destroy a whole planet when their battlecruiser hit New Britannia, a new UNP colony with a population of around 50,000, with an energy beam. The planet exploded seconds later wiping out the population. The DDS were thrown into turmoil, if the Rectoids possessed such power then could Proxima 7 be next? Should they surrender?

In reality the beam did not damage the planet at all (except maybe for some scorching of the surface). New Britannia had been carefully chosen by the Rectoid months before, they discovered the planet had some serious core stability problems, something the UNP Geological Service only discovered later on by going over old data. The planet should never have been a colony as it was one major event away from collapse.

The Rectoids provided the event by secretly burrowing deep into the crust of New Britannia at various points and placing large nuclear warheads. The Rectoids detonated these warheads simultaneously when the beam hit the planet, the shockwaves finally collapsed the planet's core resulting in the planet killing event that horrified the UNP and DDS.

It still remains one of the most horrific events in DDS history though has led to the UNP carefully re-evaluating the stability of all member worlds (all fine so don't worry).

DDS25 (10) : Logography

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

The DDS has employed 3 logos during its 25 years existence. For most of the DDS' life the logo was simple, a skull and crossbones thus symbolising the rough-and-ready mercenary roots of the early DDS. The skull continues to be used here and there, for example some warriors like Windy continue to use them on their shoulder pads.

When Lord Rotarios came to power and began the New DDS Project he thought it was time the DDS, as part of the general spirit of renewal, updated its brand. The new brand 2 interposed triangles with Hood imagery showed the galaxy that Hoodism was at the core of the project. However when the Hoods were discredited as part of the downfall of Rotarios the new regime thought it was time to rebrand again.

That takes us to the current star brand, symbolising the might of the DDS as a galactic force. There has been talk of making this brand much more visible than earlier ones though this is still a work in progress...

DDS25 (9) : The Hitman

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

He is pretty much unknown nowadays but in the very earliest days of the DDS it was The Hitman who was the icon not Windscorpion. When Ronald was on his sabbatical it was The Hitman, Hank Wolfmann, a Vegan psychopath who helped him fight off the angry Oojok.

The Hitman thus was one of the founding members of the DDS along with Ronald (Windy did not come along until a few months later). The Hitman was the top warrior of the DDS and took part in many of the earliest battles against the HCS on Earth and later on Cloneworld. However as the DDS began to expand beyond being a gang of mercenaries into a proper army and Windy began to exert more and more influence The Hitman drifted away.

He did return now and then but was no longer a core DDS member. He was killed in battle a few years later. Nowadays he has largely been forgotten though his influence on the very earliest DDS should not be understated.

DDS25 (8) : The Porquatian War

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

In 2103 the DDS, recovering from the first phase of the Rectoid War, was attacked by Porquat 640 of all people. The aggressive Porquatians attacked DDS GHQ as part of their plan to enable it to conquer New Arit and get away with it...

The DDS linked up with the Dinos and the Clones (though the latter left the alliance before the Porquatians were defeated) to liberate the Aritans. Once the allies had managed to sort out their command structure and strategy then the Porquatians were whittled down by sheer weight of numbers and their fleet was almost totally wiped out.

The war was not without its cost for the DDS, the Pulsar was destroyed in one of the battles, Windy almost dying in the battle. After the defeat of Porquat 640 New Arit became a UNP protectorate and the DDS began to rebuild its fleet. However nowadays New Arit has now joined the DTA instead and Porquat 640 has become a powerful DDS ally...