Lord Rotarios to tour the DDS!

Lord Rotarios, hail to his glory!, shall be undertaking a brief tour of the DDS over the next month. He shall be visiting DDS forces on Rathun's World next week before moving onto Malau and Delta 9, two outposts of the DDS that have never been visited by a DDS Commander before. Then Lord Rotarios, how we worship thee!, shall conclude his tour by performing the official opening of the DDS Training School on Solaris at the end of july.

Lord Rotarios said, "The New DDS, which stands for cleaner speed cameras, road discipline and a fair deal for all asylum seekers, shall be honoured by Lord Rotarios visiting it. Hail to Professionalism! Sanctimonia of voluntas!"

DDS Fleet update

The Orchid held a press conference at DDS Fleet HQ where she revealed the names of the three next warship classes to be built. The D-X destroyer class is to be known as the "Panther" class and will be named after big cats such as Panther and Tiger.

The Isometric 3 class will be named the "Battle" class and named after famous battles in history. The LRF will be named the "Explorer" class and named after famous explorers such as Davro. The Orchid also gave details of the Pentekonter patrol ship including the expected performance (340c) and weapon systems. The Pentekonter will carry a specially cut-down varient of the Z-cannon the Z5m. Full details are available on the DDS fleet webpage.

The sale of the 3 withdrawn Intrepid II destroyers was also announced. The ships have been sold to the New Arit Space Force in a 350 million zark deal which includes minor refurbishment and modifications to suit the Aritans. Negotiations with the Raegris for the sale of 6 Quasars are still on-going.

A short interview with Dr Forbidden

Dr Forbidden, the head of DDS Research, gave this short interview with New DDS LVN's reporter Carl Vincent before he went off on his vacation to Ibiza.

Carl Vincent : Dr Forbidden, your announcement of the Long Range Frigate is very interesting. But don't you worry that the DDS is over extending itself with the Terran Sea, Isometric 3, D-X, Pentekonter and now LRF all in production or development at the same time?

Dr Forbidden : Not really as we made some considerable cost savings with the cancellation of the Sparta cruiser, and should be able to sell the surplus Quasars for 6.7 billion.

CV : But the DDS has a total debt now of over 50 billion zarks.

DF : True but it is manageable debt and the DDS has increased it's cash flow dramatically.

CV : Now our readers have become very interested in you Dr Forbidden, you have become a bit of a cult figure amongst our readership. How did you become head of DDS Research?

DF : Its not a long story, my rise to the top has been rather quick. I graduated from Birmingham University at the age of 21, my degree in space engineering. I also have a Masters in space research and media studies at Promixa 7 Central University. I joined the DDS 5 years ago to take up a post in the DDS Research Group. I became it's head 6 months ago after Dr Unknown's... unfortunate arrest for crimes against children.

CV : So are you from Terra?

DF : Yes, I was born in the People's Democratic Republic of Wales but moved to England after the nuclear exchange between Wales and the Kingdom Of Cornwall. I now call Proxima 7 my home though. Once you are tired of Hexian City you must be tired of life!

CV : Away from the DDS what do you like to do?

DF : Clubbing and women. Thats why I'm to Ibiza innit? I also like stamp collecting.

CV : When will the readers be able to see you? They are very curious about your looks.

DF : Soon, I believe some new official photographs are to be taken soon.

CV : Finally where do you see the future of DDS warship design?

DF : Smaller ships of great firepower and performance. OK I must go, Ibiza and the fleshpots await!

2nd Annual Inter-House Sports Day Results

The 2nd Annual Inter-House Sports Day was once again a great success for professionalism! Again The Orchid's House was triumphant which should ensure they once again win the prestigeous House Shield in a few days time.

Under a blazing hot sun the events began with the 100m which was won by Quarz, who seemed to gain assistance by being chased by Delicate Flower. Delicate Flower also won the long jump after he seemed to have been promised something by his House leader Orchid.

Horsehead won the shot putt as expected, unfortunately the shot landed on Redjec's foot in a pure accident. There was more unpleasantness for Redjec as his anus was penetrated by the javelin as he unfortunately was bending over tending to his foot during the event which was won by The Orchid for the second year in a row.

Ronald to retire?

Ronald, Emperor of the Dino Empire, is rumoured to be considering retiring. Over the last few years he has complained of the strain of the throne. Now Jimmy has been installed as a strong Co-Emperor it is thought he is now looking at stepping down. Its well known that Ronald has been interested in Windscorpion's role in the DDS as "Protector", given a free rein to cherry-pick the most interesting missions. It is thought likely that Ronald will seek such a role for himself in the Dino Empire.

Ronald has been Emperor twice, the first reign lasting nearly 50 years. The second, following the death of the maniacal One-Horn, since 2099. However Ronald did not intend to become Emperor again but felt he had to because of the the turmoil of the Empire at the time. Now it is stable again thanks to the twin-emperor system and a much stronger administration which he has built up over the years.

The question as to who shall succeed him is an interesting one. Its thought likely that Ronald would prefer to retain the same mix of adventurer-administrator as he and Jimmy have. Possible contenders include Cruggson, El Diablo and Smellyson. The latter, Ronald's eldest son, is the current bookmaker's favourite.

New Frigate Announced

At the Q&A session held by Dr Forbidden, the head of DDS Research, last thursday a new frigate class was announced. The new class, to be built as well as the current Terran Sea and future Isometric 3 programmes is to be a long-range patrol ship to replace the Solaris II in that role. Dr Forbidden called the programme the LRF programme or Long Range Frigate and said the design would be based on the Isometric platform but would be enlarged for longer range missions. Dr Forbidden said the LRF would reach operational status in Q2 2107 with the design being unveiled hopefully by Q1 2106.

The current Solaris II fleet would be relegated to secondary patrol tasks including space mapping which is going to become a growth area of revenue over the next few years. Recently the DDS won a contract from the UNP to map the space in the former Rim Worlds worth 3.7 billion zarks.

Character of the week : Windscorpion

The apogee of man. Windscorpion is the DDS' icon, it's totem, it's life blood. The greatest warrior in history and still driving the offensive might of the DDS onward with his professional skills. Windscorpion was one of the earliest recruits to Ronald's Heavy Attack Squad, the force from which the DDS was formed. A mysterious youth from the wilds of Stoke on Terra, Windscorpion employed the latest military technology to create his armoured suit. Windscorpion carried enough firepower to take on huge enemy units and win, and he won many times.

Soon he became DDS Commander but despite his generalship and inspiration to the troops, whom he loved fondly (especially the young blond ones), the DDS was now outmatched by the HCS and fell. Windscorpion resigned as DDS Commander. He instead became the DDS Protector, given free reign to lead the army in battle. He led the fightback against the HCS as it attempted to destroy the UNP. He caused the invasion of Terra to be bogged down and finally masterminded the HCS' horrific defeat on Randalf 74 that caused 1 million clone deaths.

As the war moved more into space fleet combat Windscorpion proved an excellent admiral, leading the DDS fleet to a great victory over the HCS. But Windscorpion's enemies were gathering. Captain Clone and Rotarios slew Windscorpion during an attack on DDS GHQ. The DDS fragmented.

Windscorpion's brother Firefly bought Windscorpion back to life using the power of the occult and Windscorpion fought hard to bring the DDS back from the brink of oblivion. He masterminded the DDS' resurgence and the end of the Clone Wars. Windscorpion now leads the 1st Space Fleet, a paragon of professional status!

Isometric update announced

The Isometric frigate fleet will receive a 600 million zark upgrade later this year. The upgrade is known as IIU1 (Isometric Intermediate Update 1) and will help keep the fleet competitive until their ILU programme that is due to start in 2109. The update can be done at Grade B DDS ports and will probably take 5 days for each ship. Changes include :

• ML4 missile launcher with greater rate of fire
• Improved sensor suite including multi-phase scan
• Software upgrade for main computer system
• Increased bandwidth on the main and tactical databuses
  
• Improvements to shields, cloaking device and main cannons
• Equipment for distributed staffing

The programme is due to start in the late summer and will be completed by the end of the year. 3121 CAINOZOIC has already had the upgrade during the test programme and the crew has reported a notable improvement in capability.

1st Fleet sets out

The 1st Fleet has set out from the orbital DDS base at Sanger Alpha 6329. The Pulsar and Quasar ships that set out from GHQ have been joined by escorts and supply ships. The full listing of ships is :

Pulsar class cruiser : 1005 North America, 1014 Europa (flagship)
Quasar class cruiser : 1209 Boson, 1213 Lepton
Velocity class destroyer : 2201 Velocity
Isometric class frigate : 3102 Ordovician, 3120 Mesozoic
Provider class transport : 7902 Skytrain, 7905 Cargomaster
Extender class oiler : 7201 Extender

The fleet will be joined by the Solaris class frigate 3802 Capricorn en route. Two Isometric class frigates are within 2 days of the fleet's destination on their current patrols and may join the fleet too. The fleet is the most powerful to set sail since the Porquat 640 war and Lord Rotarios, hail to he!, called upon them to uphold the professional status of the New DDS.

Austini 55 Update

Last week we reported on an uprising by HCS troops on Austini 55, one of the key planets in the Clone Empire. Although the HCS immediately cut all communication links and imposed a media blackout we understand that the former unit of the dissidant Benito Clone, the 2nd Legion, has attempted a coup against the other forces on the planet loyal to the Empire and the Governor Fortran.

The HCS refused to confirm or deny these events, though Dino observers have confirmed land and air battles in several places across the planet. To make matters worse for the authorities the ethnic Eritrans have siezed the opportunity to rise up themselves. A batallion of RP is rumoured to have been ambushed by Eritran rebels and massacred in the Yu'Tal province.

Three troopships have been spotted heading to Austini from other planets by DDS monitors, our sources have informed us that the HCS has despatched the powerful 14th Legion and the 5th RP Infantry Brigade (a unit with a reputation for brutality) to bolster the loyalist forces. The Dinos are reporting that the capital Austini City has been surrounded by the 2nd Legion.

Character Of The Week : Z-B-H

Z-B-H is one of the rising stars of the Dino Army, currently a tribune in the legions. Z-B-H has been in the service for some time, yet for years was quietly going about his business in the 6th legion. Then promotion to El Diablo, Razorback and Stinkyson to high-command left Ronald without an elite team for special duties. Thus Z-B-H and his cronies Crickson, Xaron and Pircasa have seized the opportunity to become Ronald's new "fire brigade", a special group for secret missions that can vary from surveilance of a known dissidant to taking over a military task force.

Z-B-H was promoted to legate after his heroics, especially during the Cabal crisis, but was demoted back to tribune again after the accidental manslaughter of a prostitute. Z-B-H had been set up by his old cadet school rival Irix, by now a crime boss. Z-B-H managed to save his career but the manslaughter has put a black mark on his record.

Z-B-H has responded to this with a string of new successes including saving a children's hospital from a collapsing telecom tower. Z-B-H is destined for greatness. He is a commander of skill and charisma, who leads his team with humour and imagination. Z-B-H is very popular amongst high command and could well be a future army commander.

1st Fleet Update

General Windscorpion gave a press conference as the 1st Fleet prepared to leave the DDS base at Sanger Alpha 6329. He confirmed that all the DDS ships have had extra auxiliary laser cannons fitted to handle the expected swarms of Tarbotian fighters. Scientific equipment has also been removed to allow for extra ammunition. Windscorpion said that the DDS would be taking a numble of nuclear tipped missiles as well as the standard transphasic missiles.

Windscorpion said that he expected to turn the Tarbotians into a kebab with his sword. Vodaphone, speaking via tele-link, quickly added that the intention of the mission was to scare off the Tarbotians after their sneak attack on the SS Hydra.

DDS Fleet announce D-X destroyer

Earlier today the New DDS Director Of Communications Vodaphone announced the DDS would built a new fleet of destroyers, dubbed the D-X class. The DDS have lacked a competitive destroyer for a long time and the existing Intrepid II fleet is being withdrawn. The new class (a formal name will be announced later) should enter service before the end of 2106.

Vodaphone confirmed that it would be a very powerful and high performance design. Block 1 (the first 5 ships) will have a top speed over 900c and Block 2 is hoped to exceed 1000c. Firepower includes twin ML5 missile launchers than can launch up to 4 missiles each per second and a Z-cannon. The D-X will be able to handle up to 90 targets at once and will include full wireless control links and distributed staffing services. Vodaphone said at least 12 would be built in a 5 billion zark programme over 4 years.

Vodaphone also confirmed that production of the Pentekonter will begin in the autumn.

Another exclusive excerpt from Lord Rotarios' book!

(from page 190)
And Lord Rotarios has always been the complete zenith of the universe, his powers are matchless among all. The true apogee of man. Not the unspeakable one who shall remain unspoken. Lord Rotarios has come to the DDS to give them the benefit of his unparalleled intellect. Maybe if Lord Rotarios can impart just 0.000001% of his greatness on the DDS then they will improve by several billion percent.

Lord Rotarios also would like to thank Lord Rotarios for helping him as he is nothing but a modest man.

The HCS Tank Story

In an exclusive for readers of New DDS Latest Victory News we present a document issued by the New DDS, which stands for clearer fonts, shiny toilet paper and toilet webcams. This is the story of the HCS main battle tank, listing all the types used by our former enemies. The document is in Acrobat format, click here to read it.

Uprising on Austini 55? (Unconfirmed reports)

Reports are coming into us of a possible uprising by rebel troops on Austini 55, the "eastern capital of the Clone Empire". The HCS immediately placed a media blackout on the planet and cut all non-military communication links however press reporters on the planet did manage to get a couple of messages out before the blackout. They reported the powerful 2nd Legion had seized control of the capital city and furious gun battles were taking place between these troops (who were the former men of Benito Clone) and Religious Police (RP) units.

Benito is thought to be behind rebel activity on the planet and the authorities have been attempting to capture him for some time. As the 2nd Legion is behind this uprising then it could be that Benito is behind this insurgency. More as we get it.

Exclusive excerpt from Lord Rotarios' book!

New DDS Latest Victory News is proud to bring you an exclusive extract from Lord Rotarios' (hail to his worshipfulness!) forthcoming autobiography "Why I'm Great". The book is expected to be published in the run up to the Christmas holiday and should be on all professional's wish lists...

(excerpt from Page 128)
And Lord Rotarios like to thank all those whose sweaty backs Lord Rotarios has stepped on to reach the zenith of his powers to date. Their sacrifice has allowed Lord Rotarios to achieve his destiny and become the true apogee of man. Lord Rotarios is perfect in every possible metric unlike another Unspeakable One whose name shall remain unspoken.

Lord Rotarios would also like to thank his manager and most of all would like to thank Lord Rotarios.

Character Of The Week : Megara

Megara, former HCS special agent and now ODS agent, inhabits the shadowy world of the special operations agent. One of the few humans to prosper in the Clone Empire Megara has quickly risen through the ranks after a series of amazing successful exploits including changing the election on Proxima 5 to enable a DDS unfriendly candidate to win, stealing plans for a new DDS weapon and destroying a plot amongst HCS officers to launch a coup. Recently has come Megara's greatest mission yet, of which more later.

The HCS Special Operations Unit has recruited people from a number of alien species for years, including humans like Megara. His early life is shrouded in mystery but it is known he was a classmate of DDS hacker F33k who was born on Cloneworld like Megara but unlike him he defected to the DDS. Megara sought his fortune in the Empire itself and soon prospered.

He proved to be a brilliant field officer though often came into conflict with his peers who he universally regarded as inferior. Infact it is thought Megara regards everyone as inferior to himself. Its thought unlikely he has ever had any friends. Megara has been noted for a disregard for life and kills creatures with total coldness.

Following Rectoid operations on Cloneworld Megara uncovered their plot to engineer war between the HCS and DDS. Megara himself then came under fire from the Rectoids. It was then that he was approached by the ODS. They faked his death (he had a HCS funeral with full military honours) then became Oojok's most secret agent to fight the Rectoids.

Megara infiltrated the DDS and got a place aboard Windy's mission against the Rectoids. It was Megara who switched the DNA codes of the biogenic weapons that massacred the Rectoids on their home planet. Billions died but for Megara it was a tuesday.

How the Rectoids were defeated

Exclusive to Latest Victory News is this story, as yet unpublished elsewhere! Humanity's Greatest Crime shows how the Rectoids were finally defeated thanks to the plotting of Megara, the ODS secret agent.

Lakes elected SS Commander

Lakes has overturned the odds and the polls to win the first (and probably last) election for the SS Commander post. Turnout was high as the entire SS was eligable to vote though tensions were high between the camps of the 3 candidates. Two SS regiments even started shooting at each other. The deathcount is said to be in the tens. Lakes had been trailing badly in the polls but somehow the former acolyte of The Chosen One (M-B-H) turned it all around and won through. Co-Emperor Jimmy made no secret of his displeasure at the result. Unfortunately his reaction is unprintable.

Character of the week : Sea Urchin

Sea Urchin, the head of the DDS 2nd Fleet is one of the legends of DDS history. However over the recent years he has also become off-message and a critic of the Lord Rotarios, hail!, regime that stands for shiny toiletpaper, cold showers and 24hour propaganda.

Sea Urchin joined the DDS during it's great expansion in the early 2090s and soon became one of Windscorpion's trusted lieutenants. Sea Urchin has always been never afraid to speak his mind and often he criticised the leadership of The Shiner and the direction of the DDS. However Sea Urchin continued to serve with distinction and has been decorated for valour over 6 times.

Sea Urchin is one of the most respected commanders in the DDS and is regarded as one of the few sane ones. However he has a reputation of being too straight and playing things by the book too much. Despite his off-message transgressions Sea Urchin is valued by Central Committee as a key professional.

To his peers Sea Urchin is also valued, but also is often ridiculed as his helmet looks like something out of a habitat catalogue.

Beyond 1000c : An interview with the Head of DDS Research

in an exclusive interview we talk to the Head of DDS Research, Dr Forbidden, and ask how about some of the future technologies currently being developed for the New DDS Navy, which stands for battleship grey, bigger turrets and Hello Sailor.

LVN : Welcome Dr Forbidden, as you know the Sparta class cruiser programme was recently cancelled, but we have heard that the DDS is developing a new cruiser idea.

DRF : Indeed. Though its a long way off yet. The trend for warships now is smaller yet more powerful. Huge jugganauts like the Pulsar are, conceptually at least, obsolete now. What we think the future has in store is smaller ships that combine the power of a Pulsar sized cruiser with the running and building costs of an Isometric. We will soon publish details of Concept K, our idea for a future DDS cruiser design. Now this doesn't mean we will build such a beast, though Concept C some years ago did turn into the Isometric frigate class.

LVN : Can you tell us more about Concept K?

DRF : 1000c is the speed barrier we have found hard to break, one reason for this is that the larger the engine you develop the more mass it has to move, thus the less benefit from the extra thrust you receive. Therefore Concept K is Intrepid destroyer in size yet includes a new design of fusion reactor half the size and mass as in the Pulsar now, yet greater in power output. Thus we have a ship the mass of a destroyer but with the thrust of a cruiser, the much less mass we hope will make cruising speeds of 1000c possible.

LVN : But isn't the conventional hyperspace method of faster than light propulsion a dead end? The Dinos have been working on wormhole technology.

DRF : Yes it is a stopgap as even with the Concept K we think 1100c will be the fastest speed we can reach. Wormhole technology is interesting but it is also very dangerous. The Dinos, after several years of very intensive and expensive development still only have a 15% success rate, it will be maybe 10 years before it is safe enough for everday usage.

LVN : So the DDS is not going to pursue this?

DRF : No, instead we are looking at something a Dino scientist discovered some years ago strangely enough. That is another layer of subspace "below" the current layer we use for superluminal travel. This has been called subspace-B. In theory the amount of power needed to travel x times the speed of light is much less if we can reach subspace-B. A ship that can go 1000c in subspace now might be able to reach 8 or 9000c with the same power output. In theory that is as no one has yet been into subspace-B.

LVN : So the DDS are exploring this avenue of research?

DRF : Yes we gained several million zarks in funding from the DDS and UNP and we plan to build a probe that will attempt to reach subspace-B. It will probably be a long time before ships can use this layer of subspace however, even if it is possible. As far as we know no one else is using this, but if we can do it the speeds will increase dramatically.

LVN : Thank you Dr Forbidden, good luck in your research.

Central Facility vs Operational Staff match descends into chaos

The cricket match between CenFac and OpSys descended into anarchy and farce as off-message elements in the New DDS, which stands for strategic career re-evaluation, strict upsizing and a package of messages to improve growth, sought to counter their inferiority with unseemly conduct. We do not wish to name names though we are warning you Horsehead!

Headbutting the umpire is off-message.

For the record CenFac won after they scored 117-8 with Lord Rotarios, hail to his willow blade!, top scoring with 43. OpSys made 98 all out in reply. The pace of Lord Rotarios, hail to his leather balls!, taking 4 for 17. CenFac won rather easily despite an unfortunate injury to wicketkeeper Redjec who received a heavy blow to the groin...