FIDO the future for the DDS

"FIDO is the future of the DDS!" Dr Forbidden proclaimed at a media briefing held at DDS Research. What is FIDO? It stands for Fully Immersive Distributed Operation and is a synergy of distributed operation, VR technology, holographic projection and improved encrypted laserlink communications. What does that mean then? Well it means that DDS personnel can work on a ship even if they are really lightyears away (most likely at the large DO Centre being built on Solaris) and using Virtual Reality their end and a holographic projector on the ship for all intents and purposes it will be like they are really there.

"This will bring a high degree of flexibility to the DDS." Dr Forbidden said, "For example, an Isometric frigate encounters an asteroid and needs to run a geological analysis for minerals. They have no one with geology expertise aboard however. No problems, someone at the DO Centre or another ship will have the expertise they require and using FIDO they can then become part of the ship's crew and work and interact as if they were really there. This will also be highly useful in combat and engineering situations."

The Quasar ILU and Velocity VS will be the first ships to have full FIDO capabilites and the hope is that every ship in the fleet will have this by the end of the decade. The Terran Sea Block 2 has an earlier version of the technology which lacks the holographic technology though personnel elsewhere can work on the ship. Its possible if funds can be found the final examples of the Terran Sea will have full FIDO.

Dr Forbidden also hopes that before long FIDO will be perfected to the extent that crew members forget where they are. "We hope that crew will soon need reminding if they are on Solaris or actually on a ship! In future we may be able to have full FIDO crews in highly dangerous missions allowing us not to risk our most valuable asset : our people."

DDS and Tarbotians battle again

The DDS task force sent to investigate Rectoid temporal activity has had an unexpected run in with a Tarbotian fleet that is suspected to have been on a surprise raid on DDS facilities on the Dino-DDS border. The Tarbotians were discovered thanks to a faulty cloaking device in a Samara III frigate. When this was investigated the rest of the Tarbot fleet was uncovered.

The two fleets battled for a short time before the Tarbotians retreated, two of their ships were badly damaged and one is thought to have been destroyed. On the DDS side the Pentekonter patrol ship SS Thucydides and the Pulsar cruiser North America both received damage but nothing serious.

Fourth Velocity ordered plus VS update

A fourth Velocity class destroyer has been ordered and should be ready to enter service by the end of the year. The fourth ship, to be named Progress, will be to the Velocity Special (VS) specification. The other 3 ships will be bought up to this standard next year. The VS includes an improved engine with sprint speed over 900c plus numerous equipment and weapon updates including (some would say finally) the ability to fit a Z-cannon like the Isometric class.

UV96 : Sex & Violence

Two major new storylines begin in the latest DDS book UV96. In Starting Forever Again a young reporter from a conspiracy magazine is given startling information from a mysterious old Dino. He uncovers evidence of a massacre, one which the old Dino claims was caused by Ronald. The DDS' financial problems force Lord Rotarios to extreme measures, in Old Photographs he brings in his brother Voltaj to head a secret crime gang to fund the DDS through crime.

The war against Benito takes a turn for the worse for the loyalists in Fightback Against Eye as Akiwati's plans to crush Benito using the RP fail disasterously. In 6 Nations Quarz is forced to take the new Pentekonter patrol boat on it's first combat mission, toilet roll on standby! Finally in Hardcore Begins the new recruits we met in UV95 struggle in the brutal physical regime of their sadistic Decurion.

UV96 is available in all patrol stations on Luna and brothels in Erdington. UV97 Purity Of Purpose will be released at the end of next month.

Thousands rally in support of Windy

In an unexpected show of support for Windscorpion thousands of young men on Solaris held a rally to celebrate the latest victory by Him. Who him? Him who. Oh Him.

Unit in focus : The Hoods

The feared police force of the New DDS is the Hoods a.k.a. those white-sheeted fucks. They heralded the new age in the DDS with a series of brutal beatings that forced The Shiner to resign. It was then announced that the Hoods were the new wave of the DDS and heralded in a glorious new age of LORD ROTARIOS! The sloth of friendship, girls and beer was replaced by the true joys of endless crushing toil, self-denial and uncomfortable underwear!

The initial cohort of Hoods were merely thugs whom Action Painting and Vodaphone used to attack old regime personnel. The next wave of Hoods were idealists however, young earnest men who turned their back on the evil distractions of sex and daytime TV in order to spend their time more profitable in study and punishment. The Hoods are not designed as a fighting force, more an internal police force. They guard the morals of the New DDS from the sloth of the old obsolete way.



They are fanatics, devoted to the regime of Lord Rotarios and the bizarre mixture of New Labour, media studies and Mediaeval Christianity he has turned the DDS into.

Motto : Pure in our professional hearts, Lord Rotarios will punish the sinners!

DDS announce CIWS update

Although the battle against the Tarbotians last year was a success there were several issues that arose from analysis of the combat by DDS Research. The Tarbotians used a mass of their small bomber spacecraft to attack the DDS fleet, while these small ships did not have the firepower to do any real damage the sheer volume of fire and the confusion caused allowed the main Tarbotian warships to gain an early advantage. The DDS ships were unable to handle these small craft due to their size and speed.

Dr Forbidden has announced a CIWS (Close In Weapons System) update for selected Pulsar, Quasar and Terran Sea warships. The update includes modified sensor and fire control systems to better cope with small combatants and two batteries of laser cannons. These each hold 20 independantly targeting guns allowing the ship to engage with 40 small combatants simultaneously. Existing auxilary weapons are also to be updated to increase response time. All DDS ships will be receiving a software upgrade to their shield control system to better optimise the shields for smaller weapons.

Each CIWS update costs 35 million zarks, because of budget limitations the DDS will only update a small number of ships which are currently allocated to the Tarbotian flank. The forthcoming Pangaea class may have the CIWS fitted as standard. Pulsar cruiser 1010 Arctic was fitted with the CIWS for testing and evaluation, two other Pulsars are currently being fitted with it.

Unit in focus : Emperor Special Body Guard

The ESBG is the cream of the crop, the kings of the beats, the top dogs, the big cheeses, the head honchos, the top bananas... i.e. they are the best of the best. The ESBG is tasked with the personal protection of the Dino Emperor. Each man is an expert in warfare and fighting. People do not apply to the ESBG, they recruit you. And they only pick the very best.

The ESBG is a very small unit with only around 8 or 9 active soldiers at any one time plus a support unit of around 30 men. The ESBG are deployed in parties of around 3 or 4 men and one party is always accompanying the Emperor no matter where he goes, well except the toilet maybe. Sometimes the ESBG is also called in for anti-terrorist operations but their primary role is to protect the Emperor.

They are commanded by ESBG Commander Smellyson, the son of Emperor Ronald.

Motto : No Boy Scouts Allowed

F-10S Shark 2100 has first test flight

The next generation DDS fighter, the F-10S Shark 2100 had it's first successful test flight last month the DDS has reported. The flight was judged a total success and an intensive test programme has begun with the aim of the aircraft entering service in 2107. The F-10S is a development of the F-10A Shark with new engines, a more blended stealthy design and new avionics.

The upgraded version of the F-10A is due to enter service in the summer.

Vodaphone speaks to LVN!

Director Of Communications Vodaphone was very kind to grant Latest Victory News a brief interview as he took time out from his busy on-message schedule.

Latest Victory News : Mr Vodaphone, is it true the DDS faces a financial crisis?

Vodaphone : Crisis is too strong a word. We feel the need for some financial restructuring.

LVN : So the DDS isn't 30 billion in the red?

Voda : I can't give you a ball park figure but lets just say we have made many investments lately to enhance the ability of our professionals to achieve their goals. We are very goal focussed in the New DDS.

LVN : But investment will continue or are programmes like the Panther in trouble?

Voda : At the New DDS we believe in value for money, and a greater bang for our buck. The Panther DX programme is a shining example of that and is totally safe. At the end of the day the DDS is working for you.

LVN : Moving on, is it true you are angry at Windscorpion for putting the Pentekonter in danger?

Voda : Mr Windscorpion sometimes is a difficult member of the team, sometimes he needs to remember that there is no I in Team but he is still a valued professional and brings a lot to the table.

LVN : So are you angry at him or not?

Voda : Its not a question of anger but a question of responsibility. We all have responsibility to the Purity Of Professionalism! His responsibility was sub-optimal in this occaision.

LVN : So is that a yes or a no?

Voda : Professionalism will prevail, now if you will excuse me i have a focus group meeting to attend.

Rotarios furious over use of Pentekonter in combat

LORD ROTARIOS, beat us unworthy scum for 10 ice ages for daring to utter his professional name, is reported to be furious with Windscorpion for using the brand new Pentekonter patrol boat on a combat mission against the Zones where it sustained damage. The incident happened near to Oscar. Windscorpion called for the Pentekonter ship, Thucydides, to join his fleet detachment. There he placed Quarz in charge of the ship and sent him to investigate a Zone base.

The Thucydides was detected by 3 Zone ships, it managed to destroy one but the other two damaged it. Six crew members sustained injuries. Windy however came to the rescue and destroyed the Zones using his Pulsar class cruiser. The Thucydides will be out of action for about 2 weeks.

Unit in focus : The Immortals

The HCS 1st Infantry Division is known as the Immortals and is regarded as the elite of the regular HCS. This mechanised infantry unit is much stronger than is usual, taking it's inspiration from the "Immortals" of the ancient Persian empire in Terran history it is 10,000 men in strength and equipped with the latest weapons in the HCS.

The Immortals are tasked with defending Central District on Cloneworld which includes GHQ and the capital Ailier City. However to keep the men battle-trained and at their peak at least one regiment in the division is sent abroad to wherever the action is. The Immortals consists of 5 infantry regiments, 1 armoured regiment and an artillery batallion.

Motto : Because we can

Two new ships enter the DDS fleet

Lord Rotarios, Holy Emperor Of The Universe (Hail To His Glorious Polished Helmet!), announced at a media briefing that two new ships have entered DDS service. 2203 Advance is the third ship in the Velocity destroyer class. It is to a higher standard of equipment to the two previous ships including improved sensor systems and a new mainframe. The other two ships will be bought up to this standard at a later date.

The other ship is 3210 South China Sea, the 2nd in the Terran Sea Bloc 2 class.

Fuzzy appointed new DDS Liaison Officer

Legate Fuzzy has been appointed the new DDS Liaison Officer by Emperor Ronald. Since Gibson left the job several years ago the post has remained vacant but with the recent thawing of relations between the Dinos and DDS Ronald has decided the job needs doing again. Indeed relations between the Dinos and Clones have cooled in recent months as the Clones have concentrated on their internal problems, the Dinos have instead pursued greater co-operation with the DDS instead.

At a media briefing Ronald said Fuzzy was the ideal candidate for the job as he has worked with the DDS several times before. He was the Dino commander during the joint operation to protect New Arit from the Porquatians several years ago. He also was in command of the Dino ship that assisted Windscorpion against the Rectoids last year. Last month he was in command of the ship that detected the Rectoid temporal experiments. When Ronald was asked if Fuzzy would suffer the same "problems" that Gibson did in the job (i.e. violent buggery in return for Dino secrets) Ronald said that Fuzzy was probably the most het Dino around so hopefully would be ok!

HCS seek a "Dino" style future

Captain Clone, in a speech to HCS officers, said that the HCS needed to become more flexible and swifter of foot. He said that the days of massive monolith land forces was over and that the HCS needed to fight in smaller, fluid, information rich units.

He cites the Dino Army which emphases air units and small data-linked land units as the model the HCS should adopt. "The Dinos don't see airpower as just something to call up when the land boys reach an obstacle or set back. Their air units are an integral part of their force, operating in partnership with the land forces throughout the entire battlesphere."

He added that the HCS had cancelled planned updates to it's T-89C MBT fleet to instead spend the money on increased helicopter assets. The iconic AH-26 would finally be replaced by the next decade by the H-AX programme. "We need long-legged flexible air assets that can remain on station for extended periods to support and lead the battlefield operation." New generations of AGMs were also in development.