The Lem 619 government has reported that two Clone Space Navy warships have been spotted in their system. The ships were not approached by any Lem ships, though Lem only has a couple of unarmed shuttles and a transport in any case.
A Clone source at first denied the ships were there but later said that two ships were on a training mission.
The Clones have said that a Molab registered freighter, on charter to the Molab government, has travelled to Lem 619. The planet is rumoured to be the planned target of a Clone military incursion though this has been denied by the Clones. Why they mentioned Molab sending a ship to Lem is therefore unknown.
It is rumoured the freighter contained parts for several thousand aerial drones as well as Molab armed forces advisers. Molab have not commented on the ship.
Six Intruder amphibious assault ships plus two Tiamon aerial assault carriers are reported to have arrived at Targargi as a military build-up continued. Several thousand troops are understood to be also en route to the planet. Six Cosmos ground attack cruisers are also reported to be at Geulis.
It is rumoured the Clones are planning to attack a minor planet, to add it to the empire. Lem 619 being the most likely target. However, this has been denied by the Clones. A UNDF source has admitted that the Clones could just be planning a major exercise.
Molab have unveiled a mass producible space drone for orbital defence or swarm attacks. The drone is designed to be buildable from the sort of common "space junk" available anywhere in the galaxy including spent oxygen tanks. The displayed prototype was literally based on a bin!
The drone has a solid rocket motor, which can be fuelled by a variety of different chemicals. As with the air drone, it has a very flexible design. Molab have placed their designs into the public domain.
The Dinos have said that the Clones are planning to invade the independent mining colony of Lem 619 in unaligned space. The planet was settled by humans some years ago and is said to have a population of around 7 million, including half a million Clones. Lem 619 has rich mineral deposits though these have yet to be fully exploited.
Lem 619 has little in the way of a military. Janes' Fighting Spaceships list two Coril type shuttles and a civilian transport owned by the government, none of them armed. A land defence force of around 6,000 men are maintained, though have little in the way of heavy weapons. They have been investigating Molab type drones however.
UNDF think the military build-up and reconstruction work taking place in the Taragargi sector of the Clone Star Empire is due to plans for a Clone attack, however they do not think the UNDF will be attacked. The alert status is being kept at it's current elevated level and UNDF will continue to deploy extra assets to UNDF South as a precaution.
Four Molentic Tuul cruisers are reported to have arrived at Taragargi. Six transports are also en route to the planet from Cloneworld, it is rumoured they are carrying men and equipment from the 4th Armoured Division of the Clone Army.