Killed By Death

The Dino and ABBO fleets meet in battle.

Vosun-Voth join Bolitic Confederacy

The shattered rump of the Vosun-Voth Star Empire has formally joined the Bolitic Confederacy, the first non-Dino members of the Bolitic. The Vosun-Voth (still named even though the Voth left and joined the DDS) will have it's independence guaranteed by the Bolitic Emperor in return for the Vosunites taking part in Bolitic military adventures.

Not that the Vosun-Voth bring much to the party, their current fleets stands at 3 ships patched up from the war against the Bolitic and an army of 150,000 men (who compared to Bolitic warriors are rather anemic). However the Bolitic Emperor Aliowaki wants to change the image of the Bolitic Confederacy away from the current bunch of drunken Dino savages who like killing aliens and listening to death metal (preferably at the same time) to a more professional orderly outfit (i.e. one that doesn't start fighting each other when they run out of enemies).

Benito wants permanent HCS deployments and military industry

At the moment HCS units rotate to deployments in the eastern half of the Clone Star Empire just like any other posting. Only a small number of units are permanently posted on Austini 55 including the 2nd Legion which is Benito's personal guard and now drawn from Clones who have migrated to his part of the empire. However Benito wants this to be the norm by the end of 2110 (i.e. the end of next year).

As Benito currently has under his command 6 Legions, 3 Air Armies and 57 space craft that may be a bit of a tall order however. Benito says that soldiers who do not wish to re-locate should transfer to units in Captain Clone's part of the empire. Captain Clone is reported to have said that it would stagnate the forces in that part of the empire if they do not rotate anymore though it is likely he would prefer any soldiers who prefer living under Benito's rule out of his units in any case.

Benito also wants to set up a military industry on Austini 55 and Woloron 12 to equip and maintain his forces. At the moment there are few indigenous weapons plants Benito can count on (an AR-100 rifle factory and T-55Z factory on Austini 55 and a missile plant on Woloron 12) which means that he relies on supplies from the western half of the empire to equip his forces. A situation he wants to change by 2112 (again another tall order!)

OTA surrenders, HCS move in

The Oscar Terran Army (OTA) after weeks of bitter fighting against the Clone Army of Oscar (CAO) deep in human territory has surrendered to the CAO after a promise by the CAO that there would not be reprisals against humans by the victorious Clones. The CAO said an independent third-party would ensure the safety of the humans. Within hours of the agreement elements of the 15th Legion of the HCS landed near OTA positions from 3 Intruder landing ships and took up positions around the human capital.

The DDS have called upon the HCS to leave Oscar but know that is unlikely at the moment. They know the DDS are too stretched at the moment and not inclined to risk war against the Clones over Oscar. The HCS have said that they will not be adding Oscar to the Clone Star Empire under "current conditions".

Around 200 OTA and senior human officials have fled Oscar with the help of DDS Prowler units. It is thought the "lack of reprisals" promise was not enough to persuade them!

Dinos to build 5th RS plus will make good all battle losses

On Dino-Land Senator Zanus, the Minister of Defence, has said that the Dinos will build a 5th Dinomark RS as well as update the existing 4 with extra weapons and communications equipment. Zanus also said that the Dinomark PT production line would re-open to replace any PTs lost in battle. The PT line had been put on hold pending the next evolution of the design but now will re-open to build a limited number of battle loss replacements.

Improvements to shielding across the fleet is being rush rolled out, the software update better optimises the shields to handle ABBO weapons.

Current deployments (31/03/09)

Ships in brackets are part of deployment but not on station (e.g. on route)

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
D154 Evolution
F161 Sea Of Tranquility
F134 Mediterranean Sea
A103 Constellation
A144 Jetstar
AS02 Youanki

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS12 Gerlam Untim
F122 Permian
F145 Arafura Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

F123 Devonian (flag)
(D153 Progress)
F152 Aral Sea II
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Force

C125 Positron (flag)
C130 Kaon
RS-DF1-03
RS-DF1-05
F143 Andaman Sea
(F131 Caspian Sea)
A151 Gasoline
DR182 Lord Verin
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DR190 Lord Argox II
(DR188 Mira II)

Remedian Minesweeping squadron :

F119 Precambrian
M104 Hesiod
M107 Orpheus
A143 Liftmaster

Ships returning to HQ

F125 Pliocene
D152 Advance
F139 Banda Sea
F101 Cambrian
A108 Galaxy
D154 Evolution
F133 Baltic Sea
A112 Liberator Express
A154 Kerocene
C107 India
F144 Flores Sea

Dino-ABBO skirmish near Oscar / DDS attack 2nd fleet

Dino and ABBO forces have skirmished near Oscar. It is thought that a group of ABBO ships returning to their space from the battle near Xi were jumped by a Dino patrol. 5 ABBO ships are reported destroyed and 1 Dinomark NG was lost though most of the crew were able to evacuate.

The Dinos are preparing a raiding party to head to ABBO space according to reports. The Dinos may be intending to bring the battle to the ABBOs.

Meanwhile details have emerged of a DDS attack on a second ABBO column which included troop ships. Operation Fire Spark is understood to have involved the ships of the Ensuring Passage deployment along with 4 Dino ships. The Dinos and the Aritan Solaris ship in the deployment lured the escorts of the ABBO column into a trap which were then destroyed. The DDS then attacked the vulnerable troop ships with main weapons and an attack force of Ferret UCVs (a Missileer carrier is in the deployment), wiping them out. 16 ABBO ships were destroyed to no allied losses though 1 DDS ship did sustain moderate damage. The destroyed troop ships are estimated to have contained over a million ABBO soldier drones.

DDS unveil Real-Time Space Map

Real-time tactical information of all DDS and allied space assets will now be relayed to the entire fleet using a new dedicated subspace channel called Real-Time Space Map (RTSM). The encrypted and highly concentrated data stream is updated once every second and relays to all receivers the precise location, nature, course of DDS and allied space craft but other relevant tactical information. This is information sent back to DDS GHQ via the existing subspace telemetry channel. Now this data is instantly collated, filtered and broadcast back for use by DDS ships.

This allows a DDS ship to know what else is in it's area or what is scheduled to arrive in it's area in a later date. The Dinos have been running a similar system for some years now and have found it a highly useful way of keeping track of assets. Cloaked ships will not appear on the RTSM obviously though will still be able to receive updates.

RTSM is now transmitting though ships will require modifications to their communications and navigational/tactical systems to be able to use it. Some ships have already received this such as Isometric ILU. The whole combat fleet should receive RTSM support by the end of the year. The Aritans and Raegris are also planning to add support. The DDS are in talks with the Dinos to create a bridge between RTSM and the Dinos own system though this would of course only allow the other side to see a sub-set of the information.

More details emerge of Dino-ABBO battle

The Dinos have officially said that they lost 17 ships in the battle with the ABBOs but destroyed 48 ABBO ships and disabled 17 others (which were later destroyed). 3 of the lost ships were NGs (including a ship destroyed before the battle), 9 XTs and the rest PTs. 4 other XTs were damaged severly enough to be written off and placed in storage.

The Dinos have recalled 70 XTs from the reserve back into the Dino Army, these ships will take over general duties on Dino-Land to allow up to 50 more Dinomarks to be sent to the front line. The Dinos think however the ABBOs have suffered a big enough loss to be knocked out for some time.

There is still no word as to what has happened on Xi though it has been noted that extra special forces are being rushed from Dino-Land.

Future Of Def
Special FX's Prowlers have a special treat... kill Dinos

The Onion speaks

Hello guys The Onion here, Admiral of the Fleet and Supreme Master of the Cosmic Powers Redjec is away busy setting up the new Internal Affairs Department so has asked me to write his column. I don't really know what to write, Uber Gruppenfuhrer Redjec just told me to put "i hate Quarz" in every paragraph for some reason. Personally i don't even know him.

I am Field Marshal Million Redjec's cousin though actually we were bought up together as my parents were arrested when i was a youth for some sort of highly complicated fraud involving a pyramid scheme and the Duke of Lower Uppenheim's second wife's gardener. Growing up with Redjec, sorry i mean King of Kings Redjec, was not that easy. As you know he is a very modest man and very easy to get on with.

I am quite good with IT, of course Grandmaster Redjec calls me a sad geek loner who will never get laid. Now that is interesting because i have done a little analysis of our lives to date. I have had 3 girlfriends and Redjec none. I have had sex a lot more than Redjec too, unless you count making love with your hand in that case then Redjec is the clear winner. Topdog Redjec is very important and has thought of his career first. Of course i am a geek so spreadsheets and statistical analysis is available on request.

Hmm i hope Redjec doesn't read this. Mind you the only thing he did actually read had a ring-pull.

Dinos defeat ABBOs but what has gone wrong?

The Dino and ABBO fleets have met near the border of the Dino Republic and unclaimed space in the vicinity of Xi. The battle was large according to sigint enthusiasts (as a rule the Dinos do not comment on ongoing operations) who recorded the telemetry of over 150 ships, around 70 being Dino and the rest ABBO. Comparing traffic before and after notable Dino Army geek The 3lite Tr33t (who obviously doesn't have a girlfriend) says the Dinos won the battle and destroyed over 40 ABBO ships for the loss of around 14 of their own.

However the true story is the unknown incident that occurred afterwards, on Xi. At the same time as the battle there was a Level 1 Lockdown on Xi. Eyewitnesses say the SS is everywhere. It is speculated that a second ABBO force made an attack on Xi.

Poll results

Cheddar was the favourite cheese of those polled with 44%, oddly enough Windy's knob cheese did not win the poll.

Western Pheonix ends

Operation Western Pheonix has officially ended with a gala dinner aboard the flagship D154 Evolution for senior officers of the DDS and Aritan ships which took part plus Voth officials. Some ships have already begun the journey home though some will remain at Voth and be attached to Force Voth for a short period to allow Force Voth ships to have some R&R before returning to GHQ.

The Aritan ships are also preparing to return to New Arit but will be replaced by a Solaris class frigate. The Aritans say they will maintain a ship in Force Voth as part of their commitment to the DDS efforts in the area.

The DDS are already looking to their next exercise deployment with 4 Pulsar bombers being selected for the as-yet unnamed operation which will include live nukes and a variety of ground attacks. The deployment will begin late in April.

DDS offer to help Dinos against ABBOs

The DDS have offered to help the Dinos in their war against the ABBOs. Currently the Dinos are assembling a fleet on the border of the Dino Republic where it is expected to encounter a large ABBO fleet by around the weekend. The DDS have a deployment in the area, Ensuring Passage, which was originally intended to assist and escort UNP and DDS ships in the area after some ABBO attacks. Now though the DDS say the ships in Ensuring Passage are available to assist the DDS if the Dinos want it. As yet there is no word from the Dinos.

As for the Dino fleet it now comprises 64 warships headed by a Dinomark RS. 47 more ships are currently en route from Dino-Land, though won't arrive in time for the battle, and around 39 older Dinomark XTs are being held at Xi as a reserve.

DDS preparing to test "Level 4" cloak?

The DDS are rumoured to be about to test a next generation cloak which could be the first Level 4 example. This new cloaking technology is said to work at such a low level of the space-time continuum that even neutrino analysis cannot betray the cloaked ship. The first field test of the new cloaking device is understood to be planned in a few weeks aboard a Rome class corvette.

For the record Level 1 cloaks work at suppressing EM radiation, Level 2 cloaks bend detection rays around the object and Level 3 cloaks locate the ship at a lower level of subspace even allowing phasing through other objects. Only the DDS and Dinos have the latter technology.

Current deployments (24/03/09)

Ships in brackets are part of deployment but not on station (e.g. on route)

Western Pheonix

The Western Pheonix deployment has now ended, most ships are returning to GHQ though a few have been attached to Force Voth for a short period.

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
D154 Evolution
F161 Sea Of Tranquility
F134 Mediterranean Sea
F144 Flores Sea
A103 Constellation
A144 Jetstar
AS02 Youanki
AS05 Tulan Lanu

Dino Voth squadron :

DM14
DM30
DM56
DM83
DM235
SS-28

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS12 Gerlam Untim
F122 Permian
F145 Arafura Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

C107 India (flag)
F123 Devonian
F152 Aral Sea II
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Force

C125 Positron (flag)
C130 Kaon
RS-DF1-03
RS-DF1-05
F143 Andaman Sea
A151 Gasoline
DR182 Lord Verin
DR185 Lord Logan
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DR190 Lord Argox II

Dino Loeuss squadron :

DM59
DM62
DM179
DM185
DM208
DM209
DM272

Remedian Minesweeping squadron :

F119 Precambrian
M104 Hesiod
M107 Orpheus
A143 Liftmaster

Ships returning to HQ

F125 Pliocene
D152 Advance
F139 Banda Sea
K103 Augustus
F109 Oligocene
M101 Thucydides
M105 Pindar
A145 Globemaster
F101 Cambrian
A108 Galaxy
D154 Evolution
F133 Baltic Sea
F107 Palaeocene
A112 Liberator Express
A154 Kerocene

Defeating TPM weapons, the Utrek plans

The DDS have managed to get a hold of a top secret report by the Utrek military into transphasic weapon technologies as used by the DDS. The report is understood to have been discovered by Raegris agents working in the Utrek Federation and then passed to the DDS. The report details all the Utrek know about transphasic weapons, the possibility of producing their own weapons and how to neutralise the devastating effectiveness of the weapons such as the TPM which destroyed scores of Utrek warships in the Utrek War.

The Utrek are quick to discount any quick development of their own transphasic weapons with a stark admission that their research and knowledge in this area is years behind even the Clones. The emphasis is thus on trying to neutralise the advantage.

One idea seems to be to develop a new kind of warship to a cellular design. The ship would consist of multiple separated elements that worked together but the ship could still work with the loss of some of them. A TPM would be contained in one of the cells, destroying that cell but the rest of the ship would still work. The Utrek think this kind of ship would have too many disadvantages and be too expensive however.

Another idea the Utrek have is rapid micro-movement. The ships would be constantly making small lateral movements using a random pattern which could foil the TPM's terminal re-phasing mode so it either re-phases too early or too late to detonate inside the ship. It is thought that TPM-2 greatly reduces the time taken to re-phase and this should eliminate any advantage of micro-movements. Sensor spoofing is another possible strategy, again something TPM-2 should guard against. One interesting aspect of the report seems to be the Utrek have yet to appreciate the great improvement of TPM-2 over -1. "They may discover this when their fleets get wiped out again." an unnamed DDS source quipped.

Large ABBO fleet heading for Xi

The Dinos are reporting detecting a large ABBO fleet heading for Xi in the Dino Republic. At least 60 ABBO warships plus a second column including 30 warships and 20 troop ships have been detected by a Dinomark NG doing point duty near the border. At current speed it is estimated the ABBOs will cross the border in 2 days and be at Xi in 4.

The Dinos will aim to meet the ABBOs long before that though. Consul Cruggson is assembling a warfleet from the Dino forces in the area and as there are around 97 Dinomarks reported in the vicinity of Xi there are no shortages of possible ships though a lot of them are older XTs used for support work. A Dinomark RS has recently arrived at Xi and will act as a flagship in any Dino force.

Ships Of The Galaxy : RC-2 Yel'Tema / Cosmos (updated)

The backbone of the HCS Fleet is the Cosmos cruiser, a powerful and reliable ship of Raegris design. The RC-2 Yel'Tema is the latest in a line of Raegris ships : powerful and sturdy though lacking in performance and firepower. In the 2090s the HCS bought 6 of them as they were becoming worried about their fleet being too Utrekian based, it proved to be a good move as when the Utrekians attacked the HCS the bulk of the HCS fleet was rendered helpless due to hidden control codes left by the Utrek. The remaining HCS fleet led by the Cosmos then proved their worth in averting total disaster.



After the war the HCS embarked on mass production of the Cosmos in one of the biggest space building programmes ever known. In less than 10 years they have built over 100 of the ships, the latest batch being the upgraded S standard. Production has now ended, originally the Clones wanted over 120 but production has now ended just short of 110. The HCS have improved the Cosmos design a lot especially in terms of firepower and performance. The Cosmos is equipped with the Super Cannon, a massive weapon second only to the DDS Z cannon. Speed has been nearly doubled from that of the original Raegris exports.

The Raegris are going to upgrade their fleet of RC-2s on similar lines, using DDS technology. The sheer number of RC-2/Cosmos in service means that they will be a common sight for the next couple of decades at least. Some earlier Cosmos are likely to be withdrawn over the next few years but the core will remain will into the 2120s. The HCS have found them to be the most survivable of their ships and have a high availability. The Cosmos does look somewhat archaic with it's unconventional design but looks are deceptive. Cosmos S cruisers are highly capable and would give anyone a run for their money.

DDS and Dino ships collide

Rome class corvette K111 Ovid and Dinomark DM215 have been involved in a fairly serious collision which has left 6 crewmen on the Rome injured and an unspecified number of Dinos also injured. The incident near Loeuss in the Remedian Belt occurred because both ships were operating under cloak and did not see each other. The Rome was able to make it to Loeuss for emergency repairs, including to the reactor battery which suffered damage. DM215 escorted the Rome to Loeuss and provided assistance to the engineering crew.

A DDS spokeswoman quipped that it showed the effectiveness of DDS cloaking technology. The Dinos have yet to explain why they were cloaked in DDS controlled space. The Rome has been patched up and is now en route to Solaris for full repairs.

Fleet news (20/03/09) updated

Two more Intruders have been delivered to the DDS by the Clones. Work will now begin on completing and localising L113 Laurentia and L114 Baltica. Now processes are in place the DDS estimate they can complete both ships in around 2-3 months. The DDS are planning for a major amphibious exercise in the late Summer though the exact timing will depend on when these 2 ships are available (see separate story).

Two of the original Coril class shuttles have been earmarked for refurbishment and conversion for special forces use. A564 Sharon and A565 Julia are in the best condition of the original shuttles and will be fitted with specialised communications devices and improved teleporters and quarantine / brig facilities for use by special forces like the Prowler units. The work will begin once sufficient new Corils are in service to take over their duties. New Coril A573 The Shiner has also joined the fleet.

P136 Vulture is the latest Fighting Falcon class littoral combat ship to enter service. Now the DDS have 6 in service they are happy enough with them confird orders for a further 6 with 2 options with the Dinos. The existing ships are currently being used in the general patrol pool.

DDS in talks with Dinos for major amphibious exericise

The DDS are planning for a major amphibious exercise later in the year. The timing depends on two things, the completion of the 2 latest Intruder LPDs (the DDS want to use all 4 on the exercise) and the status of the Dino-ABBO conflict. As the DDS Army is still not in any shape to be meaningfully used the Dinos have been asked to provide the ground troops to be deployed in the exercise. However the Dinos have said it depends on the status of the ABBOs conflict.

The as-yet-unnamed exercise will be a major undertaking with Prowler special forces and Dinomark littoral ships also being involved (both DDS and Dino examples). This is separate from the strike bomber exercise also planned for the Summer.

Poll results

100% oddly enough believed that Bolt's job of cleaning out the various orifices of Real Doll after a night of violent penetration by Henry was worse than cleaning the DDS' toilets!

First Clone transport aircraft arrive for DDSAF

Last year the DDS and HCS surprised everyone by agreeing a deal for the Clone Aircraft Corporation (CAC) to provide 35 C-440, 10 C-491 and 12 VC-370 transport aircraft for the DDSAF. The first 5 aircraft (3 C-440s and 1 each of the other 2 types) were delivered to the DDS today, though not delivered to a DDS base yet. The DDS have hired an ex-HCSAF airbase in Ailier for their training and evaluation process. Thus Clone military airlifters are currently flying across Cloneworld space, piloted by DDS pilots...

The DDSAF team is supported by a Friendship transport which has been allowed in Cloneworld orbit though the transport is too small to take the aircraft back to the DDS intact. A Provider transport will soon also go to Cloneworld to begin preparations for bringing these aircraft to DDS GHQ.

Mighty White Sandwich
Huge ABBO base discovered, just call in the B Team baby!

Dinos destroy ABBO base

The Dinos have announced they have successfully attacked and destroyed a large ABBO base on an unnamed planetoid. The base, a standard ABBO staging post with some 300,000 ABBO soldiers stationed in it, was destroyed by an attack force of Dinomarks. 3 Dinomarks were destroyed in the battle. The ABBO base was utterly destroyed.

It is understood Dino special forces infiltrated the base to disable the base's main defences beforehand.

Porquat 640 interested in becoming DDS allies

Porquat 640, who of course in the early part of this decade went to war with the DDS and other Central Powers over New Arit (and... basically... got their asses handed to them), have contacted the DDS about becoming allied to the DDS. They say they wish to retain their independence but take part in helping the DDS out with deployments. Have training exchanges and maybe some technology transfer.

One obstacle of course will be the Aritans who are now key DDS allies themselves and their hatred of the Porquatians is still high. It might be suspected the Porquatians are really interested in getting their hands on TPM technology. For now the DDS may resist the offer.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Intruder LPD (updated)

The Intruder LPD is one of the key weapons in the HCS armoury and has revolutionised the deployment of land forces to planets, so much so that the DDS took the unprecedented step of buying an Intruder of their own!

The Intruder is based on the HCS' second generation Type C Transport design but includes a number of detachable landing pods which are launched from the Intruder in low orbit and then travel down to the planet. Each pod can include up to 40 troops and 2-3 AFVs. Intruders can carry a variety of configurations but the usual load is 20 pods meaning that one Intruder can deploy a HCS armoured batallion in minutes. Intruders would be used to deploy the first wave of an invading force.

When the DDS was looking at their equivalent they did look at trying to copy the design but the Intruder works so well they decided it would be pointless to go to the effort of re-inventing the wheel when the HCS were willing to sell. One Intruder was loaned/sold outright to the DDS while negotiations between the DDS and HCS were carried out about a proper DDS Intruder. Unfortunately over the last few years relations between the two superpowers have been somewhat fraught and at one stage the project was cancelled with just 1 ship completed and another half-completed ship the object of a legal tug-of-war. Pragmatism has now been restored, never let hostility get in the way of zarks they say. The Clones produce Intruder hulls which are then completed by the DDS with localised systems and engines to form the Pangaea class. Because of the delays the DDS are behind schedule though as the actual DDS Army which would be deployed by the Intruder is even more delayed it hasn't proved that big a problem yet!

Current deployments (17/03/09)

Ships in brackets are part of deployment but not on station (e.g. on route)

Western Pheonix

D154 Evolution (flag)
AS02 Youanki
F144 Flores Sea
F133 Baltic Sea
F107 Palaeocene
A112 Liberator Express
A154 Kerocene

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F101 Cambrian
F134 Mediterranean Sea
A103 Constellation
A144 Jetstar
AS05 Tulan Lanu
(F161 Sea Of Tranquility)

Dino Voth squadron :

DM14
DM30
DM56
DM83
DM235
SS-28

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS12 Gerlam Untim
F122 Permian
F145 Arafura Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

C107 India (flag)
F123 Devonian
F152 Aral Sea II
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Force

C125 Positron (flag)
C130 Kaon
RS-DF1-03
RS-DF1-05
F143 Andaman Sea
A108 Galaxy
A151 Gasoline
DR182 Lord Verin
DR185 Lord Logan
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DR190 Lord Argox II

Dino Loeuss squadron :

DM59
DM62
DM179
DM198
DM208
DM209
DM272

Remedian Minesweeping squadron :

F109 Oligocene
M101 Thucydides
M105 Pindar
A145 Globemaster
(F119 Precambrian)
(M104 Hesiod)
(M107 Orpheus)
(A143 Liftmaster)

Ships returning to HQ

F125 Pliocene
D152 Advance
F139 Banda Sea
K103 Augustus

Ayatollah Clone XE resumes duties

Captain Clone surprised the Clones last month by admitting that The Friar was Ayatollah Clone XE and now the cleric appears to have returned to public life. XE appeared on Clone TV's breakfast show "Clone Morning" and said that after a short illness he was going to resume his duties immediately. He said he was no longer going to pretend to be The Friar. He also said the secular path of the Clones had not worked and that Oojok Madness would return, stronger than ever.

The return of XE is news to the DDS who are adamant they possess the real XE, it has been reported The Friar's identity was confirmed as XE through DNA tests. A DDS spokesman said the Clones were trying to cover up the loss of XE by hiring an actor to pretend to be him.

Pentekonter to be withdrawn by Summer

The 10 remaining Pentekonter OPVs are to be withdrawn from patrol duties by the Summer though 4 will be retained by the DDS as minesweeper Pentekonter-Ms. The DDS announced that following the conclusion of their existing patrol circuits all ships will enter a period of refit and modification for their new roles/owners.

The other 6 Pentekonters will be given to DDS allies, the DDS have finally chosen to give 2 each to the Aritans, Sirikwanese and Vothites. The Aritans are likely to get their ships first as they are already Pentekonter operators.

X105 Xerxes and X114 Cleon are already in departmental service, these are likely to remain so but will receive Pentekonter-M equipment so can act as reserve minesweepers. The other 2 ships to become minesweepers are P103 Pericles and P109 Euripides. The allocation of the other ships has yet to be decided.

Gale-III Development Build 19 launch

The HCS have surprised people by launching Build 19 of their next generation strategic missile, the Gale-III, just over a month after Build 18. Up until now there have been months between each test. Like Build 18, #19 was a test of the ICBM version of the Gale platform. It is thought the aerodynamics and IR suppression systems were further developed (which will play a part in the development of CSM). Build 19 took off from the test site in Micom and landed at the West Clone Republic test range.

It is thought the HCS are looking into yet another use for the Gale-III, that being to launch short-life emergency communications satellites. The rationale behind this being that if the HCS communications networks are destroyed then a hidden Gale-III could launch a low-orbit satellite with pre-programmed orders perhaps to launch CSM and other missile assets at pre-programmed targets. It is not thought Build 19 was part of this.

Build 20 will be the next CSM test and as this will reach space it could be this could also be used to develop the emergency satellite ability.

HCS Navy update

D01 Olana, leadship of the new Olana class destroyer, has left port following modifications to address a number of issues with the propulsion system and topweight that came to light during inital trials and operation. The main radar has been moved further along the structure and the main mast shortened. The HCSN have denied extra ballast has been added to the ship though. If the modifications solve the topweight problems (which are not critical though the ships have been advised not to venture out into very heavy seas) then the other 2 ships will be similarly modified. Future Olana including the soon to be completed D04 will all have these changes from the off.

The HCSN have ordered 6 ex-Dino Army Dinomark XTs with underwater capabilty. The first is due to arrive next year following refurbishment and localisation. To assist with early training the Dinos have loaned to the HCSN an old Dinomark XT/86W until the end of the year.

A programme to upgrade the navy's SH-26 force has begun with improved datalinking for interoperability with manned and unmanned seaborne assets including the highly useful Long Watch UUV.

MBH's Imperial Power
MBH rants, Henry pounds his doll and Bolt's slow death continues...

Ships Of The Galaxy : Panther

In the early 2101s with the Pulsar starting to look a bit tired and the Quasar not quite living up to expectations the DDS began to investigate a new kind of warship that would be the most formidable fighting ship known. The ship would have tremendous firepower, speed, agility and resilience. At first the DDS looked into a new battlecruiser, the Starscorpion, but when that proved too costly they instead considered a light cruiser, the LCX. Finally they decided upon a new destroyer that would set new standards for combat performance. The D-X programme that resulted in the Panther.



The D-X programme is one of the most expensive in DDS history though has also drawn on development work from the Starscorpion and LCX work. The result is a ship slightly bigger than a Velocity and Isometric with twin engines and triple distributed power systems. Panther is the first production class designed to exceed 1000c (the target is 1100c though at the moment ships are only able to make around 1028c but work is continuing on optimisation).

Much of the Panther is dedicated to weapon systems. Panther is the first major combat ship built in the post-TPM universe and it is said the ship is designed around the need to fire as many TPMs as possible. Panther has twin quad-bank missile launchers and can carry up to 96 missiles (though at maximum firing rate that would only last 6 seconds!) A turreted Z5i cannon is also carried. The combat system of the Panther can simultaneously track and engage dozens of intercepts.

The Panther is not a flying missile launcher though, its a fighting ship. It has the highest thrust-mass ratio of any ship in the known galaxy (except the Neptune which was a research ship) and incredible agility. Panther is designed to be able to defeat anything the enemy can throw against it. Of course as yet the Panther has not yet been fully tested. It did not play a role in the Utrek War but the next time the DDS do have to fight Panther will be ready.

A multi-role version of Panther was considered at one stage but was later cancelled as it was felt the Panther is flexible enough to become multi-role itself instead of creating another class. Panther is the first 4th generation DDS ship meaning modularity is a big part of it's combat role though as yet the only module created for Panther is a reconnaissance module which has yet to be used. Panther is due to remain inservice until the middle part of this century and is sure to play a big role in the DDS' future adventures.

UV139 : Sin Will Be Punished

• Squeeky Bum Time - Windy closes in on The Friar...
• Pride + Anguish - The rest of The Friar's life is about to become rather unpleasant...
• ABBO Attack! - A Dinomark comes under attack from the ABBOs...
• The Battle Of Halin 4195 - The Dinos suffer a humiliation at the hands of the ABBOs...
• Team Redjec - Team Redjec has a new role...
• MBH's Imperial Power - MBH has a rant, Henry uses his doll and Bolt has a new chore...

Ships Of The Galaxy : Velocity (updated)

The Velocity class destroyer was the third and final part of the DDS' so-called "Generation 3" warships, a fast and powerful destroyer. However as the prototype was being built the DDS had a change of policy and no longer needed ships of it's type. The order of 12 was cancelled though the prototype was considered too far gone to cancel so construction was completed.

The Velocity emerged as a highly useful warship able to sustain high speeds for long periods of time and thus proved highly useful as a long-range scout and rapid-response warship. The DDS decided to build some more examples, however the rig intended for the class had already been taken over for the Terran Sea frigate so a small rig used for singleton class ships was used instead. This meant that only one Velocity at a time can be produced and as the ship was complicated the DDS could only complete one every 11 months.



The last few to be build were to the Velocity S specification with higher performance and updates. The Velocity survived by a thread but now is one of the most popular classes in the DDS and has filled a useful niche. A third variant called the Solaris III is about to enter service, it is being built by the Raegris on a much bigger jig which means the old problems of slow building will end.

Solaris III has a larger hull and improved weapon-load and performance. Over time the Velocity has fitted into the DDS portfolio as a long-range scout, command ship for smaller fleet detachments and excellent capital ship escort. After a long and difficult entry into service the Velocity seems finally to gaining momentum.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Isometric (updated)

In the mid-2090s the DDS began to look at a successor class to the Starsystem frigate using G3 technologies. Initially the DDS considered an updated version of the Starsystem and the Isometric Prototype was indeed that, a rebuilt battle damaged Starsystem with far greater performance and firepower. However the DDS decided to evolve the design using experience from the new Quasar cruiser. The result, the Isometric, is an evolution of the Starsystem in many ways but also shares a lot of design similarities with the Quasar especially in terms of the smooth streamlined design of the Quasar (although of course there are no aerodynamics to consider in space a smooth design does bring advantages to construction and warp-field efficiency as well as looking cool).

When the Isometric arrived on the scene it immediately bought a great boost to DDS capabilities having a cruise speed over 700c together with advanced sensors and firepower. Later on the Isometric was improved still further with a version of the Z-cannon that could be attached for combat missions. Nowadays though most Isometrics carry these all the time (and the ILU programme will finally make these Z-cannon fittings permanent). All Isometrics can also carry TPMs and also have a basic ground-attack capability.



The Isometric is a sturdy and reliable ship, one example SS Carboniferous has been used for a number of very long range missions against the Rectoids and other enemies by Windscorpion and succeeded of course. Windy was so impressed by the ship he made it his flagship. The Isometric has been largely superseded in combat missions by it's later brother the Terran Sea but the Isometric remains one of the best ships in the DDS fleet.

The Isometric has begun it's first major update the ILU programme which greatly improves the ship's performance and combat ability. The ship remains the backbone of the fleet, although a plan for long-range modifications (the Rhombus class) was eventually cancelled some ships have been fitted out for minesweeping command by installing the Pave Yellow system.

Dinos detect large ABBO base

A source close to the Dino High Command (Ronald's twitter account in fact) says that a large ABBO base has been detected on an unclaimed planetoid just outside of Dino space. It was first detected earlier this month when SS-D special forces followed various ABBO ships covertly. Now an SS-D unit has found a large base in the typical monolith ABBO style.

The base is said to be heavily protected which means that a full-on attack could be very costly. The Dinos are thought to be considering their options however. Such a base could be a staging point for an ABBO invasion of Xi.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Quasar (updated)

Although the Pulsar was the principal DDS ship and proving to be easily able to make mincemeat out of the HCS the DDS began a project in 2095 for a new cruiser based around the Z cannon, then in development. The Quasar took advantage of much data gathered during the Tarbotian war and it's design was heavily influenced by the Tarbotian Kenora cruiser. The Quasar was the first of G3 or 3rd Generation DDS warships designed with a much more simpler structure and shell (for ease of maintenance and improved hyperspace field dynamics) and great firepower and performance. The Quasar was the second ship to use Neptune technology for it's engine and was the first DDS cruiser to be able to exceed 800c.

The Quasar arrived in 2101 just in time for it to help turn the tide in the war against the Utrek then ongoing. The Quasar has incredible performance and firepower, but then the problems started. Development had been rushed and the Quasar to found to have a seemingly endless number of bugs. Although few of these bugs were in critical systems there were several occaisions when a Quasar had to break off from a winning position because it's weapons or sensor suite had decided to shut down. It took several years to iron out these bugs and the Quasar unfortunately gained a bad reputation from crews. Also in that time the Pulsar received it's ILU and then MULE updates to bring it back to the forefront of the DDS fleet. The Quasar had been intended to be the new flagships but now was pushed into a position of supporting act.

The Quasar has been gradually restoring it's reputation and the ILU update has bought the Quasar back to the cutting edge of the DDS. At one stage the DDS did not really like the type though and sold several to the Raegris, with DDS attention switching to the Panther class as primary combatant. The Quasar probably missed out on it's chance for greatness but then again has another 25-30 years service in it so maybe it's time is yet to come.

The latest role for the Quasar is as a strike bomber and it will eventually replace the Pulsar in that role. The ILU has also improved the C3 facilities of the Quasar meaning it will be the command ships of future operations. The DDS have recently begun exploring the possibility of re-opening the production line to build an upgraded variant to replace the Pulsars when they are withdrawn from 2110-2. The Quasar story may have only just begun.

Raegris Quasar, some say the future Quasar builds could be like this.

Windy to take extended break, releases flagship back to fleet

After a hectic few years with literally trillions of miles of space travel behind him Windscorpion has decided to take some leave from the DDS. He has travelled to Earth where he will be spending time in Stoke, Wales and "other fleshpots". He said he will be back in around 4-5 months unless there are any emergencies. Firefly has taken over command of the DDS for now though Sea Urchin will take over the reins when Firefly has a break himself in a couple of months.

Windy has released his flagship F103 Carboniferous back to the DDS combat pool and it is likely the Isometric ILU will soon be deployed to Force Starbot. Windy's personal ship SS Stoke City is remaining in Earth orbit, it is thought he has something special aboard that he needs to "attend to".

Ships Of The Galaxy : Pulsar (updated)

The Pulsar Heavy Cruiser is still a key weapon in the DDS fleet though the fleet is now entering it's final few years with final withdrawal planned for 2112.

After some mixed success with it's first generation of singleton class warships (USM, Solaris et cetera) in the late 2080s the DDS selected two types for it's second generation : Pulsar and Starsystem. The Pulsar was designed as the backbone of the fleet, a very powerful heavy cruiser able to beat anything else in space. The first Pulsar cruiser entered service in 2094 and eventually 17 were built when production ended in 2102 (though production was not continuous during these years). Being at the forefront of DDS operations has meant nearly half of the Pulsars have been lost in action and currently there are 9 in service.



The Pulsar is a solid chunky design built around a highly powerful engine and reactor bank. Initial fire power were 3 large laser cannons though in subsequent years the Z-cannon and latterly transphasic missile launchers have become the major weapons. The Pulsar also has a number of secondary weapons though in practice these have not proven to be that useful and a mooted future update considered removing some of these weapons. The Pulsar is designed for survivability, the command module can detach from the rest of the ship should the ship receive critical damage. The sheer size and bulk of the ship means that weapons have to penetrate some way before they can reach the reactors.

The Pulsar has received 2 major updates. The first, ILU, added the Z-cannon and later the MULE improved systems and performance all across the ship. MULE kept the fleet viable until the mid-part of the 2110s when it was originally planned to rebuild them again (Pulsar Life eXtension PLX) for service into the 2120s however the PLX was cancelled as a cost saving and the fleet will be phased out early in the 2110s.

One problem with the Pulsar is it is a G2 design and later DDS technologies such as Open Architecture and FIDO are difficult to fit to the Pulsar because it's core architecture is of an older generation. While engines and weaponry continue to be updated the Pulsar is falling behind later designs such as the Quasar, Panther and Isometric because of the age of it's architecture. The cost of maintaining the Pulsar is also huge and was a major reason for the decision to phase it out of service. Maintaining a Pulsar is said roughly to be around 170% of the cost of maintaining a Quasar with further costs on top of that because of having to maintain and store non-standard components.

That is not to say though that the Pulsar role has not continued to evolve. During the Utrek War the Pulsar was turned into a formidable nuclear bomber and extensive communications & control equipment was gradually being added to the fleet also. Although still one of the most formidable warships in the known galaxy it's primary role is now as a strike bomber and command ship. Occasionally there are thoughts of keeping at least a handful of Pulsars in service maybe even in an orbital command post role but the DDS are determined to not let sentiment divert them from the truth that the Pulsar is a ship that belongs to an earlier time and after nearly 2 decades of service it will be finally time to end it's story.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Terran Sea (updated)

The Isometric frigate class was highly successful but an expanding DDS fleet saw the need for more. At first the DDS was going to simply build an improved Isometric with experience gained from combat. This "Isometric-B" eventually became different enough to become the "Isometric II". In 2106 the first of these ships began construction and by now it was known as the "Terran Sea" class.



The Terran Sea is more powerful and advanced than the Isometric, intended more for a fleet escort role than the Isometric which is designed primarily for patrol (though both can perform the other role excellently). The Terran Sea's most noticeable change was a permanent Z-cannon (though all Isometrics now carry the same). Apart from that the Terran Sea looks largely identical to the Isometric though internally is very different.

The Terran Sea uses greater wireless control and new technologies like Open Architecture. As production continued the DDS have improved the design. The Terran Sea-B (later Barents Sea) had an improved engine and ECM, the Terran Sea-C (later Arafura Sea) introduced improved passive sensors and FIDO VR technologies. The DDS are now seeking to bring the whole fleet up to the final C2 standard with 360 CIWS and have already merged the A & B.

At one stage the DDS were to replace production with an up gunned Isometric III but this was cancelled and some of the technology rolled into the C (creating the final spec C2). After the Utrek War the DDS decided to build a small number of uprated Terran Seas based on part of the Isometric III plans and work on the Raegris DF-1 Isometric. This was the Terran Sea D Sea Of Tranquillity class the first of which has just entered service. This is probably the end of the Isometric/Terran Sea story at least in DDS terms as future frigates are likely to use the Rome/Berlin platform.

In combat the Terran Sea has served well though a number have been lost, this is not down to any shortcomings with the design but simply a reflection of the fact they have been so often at the forefront. The Terran Sea fleet is due to remain in service until the early 2140s and forms (with the Isometrics) the backbone of the DDS fleet. This is likely to remain so for the next few decades which means the DDS will be working hard to maintain these reliable and popular birds' edge. The Terran Sea ILU is due for early in the next decade.

DMS begins trials

The replacement for the SPECNES minesweeping system, a HCS system which has now been cut off from the DDS because of the cooling of relations between the 2 superpowers, DMS (DDS Minesweeping System) has been fitted aboard an unnamed Pentekonter-M and has begun service trials. It is hoped DMS will be cleared for use by the end of the year and the DDS can begin phasing out SPECNES, which works well but is tied to the HCS for updates. DMS has been created by the Raegris and is based on their own minesweeping system.

Relations with the HCS are good enough though for a final SPECNES update to have been agreed in a 13 million zark contract signed last week. All Pentekonter-Ms will receive the updated SPECNES system this Summer during natural cycle refits.

The other half of the DDS minesweeping system Pave Yellow is also to be replaced by a Raegris designed system. Pave Yellow 2.0 is expected within the next couple of years (DMS is compatible with the existing PY). PY 2.0 will be smaller and will be fitted to Romes/Berlins as a combat module thus releasing the 3 Isometrics fitted with Pave Yellow to normal duties.

Molab orders extra Extender and updates

Molab has added another Extender-E to the 1 it has on order (and 2 already in service). It was hoped Molab would order Velocity-E and Isometric-Es but the row over whether Molab could be sold TPM-1 (at first agreed then vetoed by Windy) has angered the Molabites. It is thought Molab will order the other ships later but just want to gain a bit of face first.

They have however ordered an update for their 2 Isometric-EMMs (which interestingly were sold with TPM-1 launchers which lie unused). The updates are mostly software and stem from Isometric ILU development. They include improved integration with Ferret-E (Molab are still negotiating ordering the UCV), improved sensor filtering and covert communications. The updates will be carried out by a DDS team next month which is travelling to Molab.

Quasar 2109 Update A

The Quasar fleet will have it's first update of the year over the next couple of months. The fleet is still fresh from it's ILU/ILU2 programme so the Quasar 2109 Update A is not that extensive.

The MRM software and datalink system will be updated and the MRM pylons modified because of some issues revealed in simulations that showed under some flight regimes (especially in combat) an MRM launch could potentially damage the carrier Quasar. The SAS-Q attack system will also receive a new SAR and improved data processing. 18 other systems will also receive software upgrades. Each update is likely to just take a couple of days and will be carried out as the fleet receives it's normal cycle of refits and restockings.

Originally it was planned to add an Info Warfare Centre (IWC) to the Quasar but because of cost reasons this will now be put off until 2110 though firewalls and data security systems are among those receiving updates.

NDAA begins second phase of flight testing

The prototype NDAA, the light attack aircraft for the DDSAF, has begun the second phase of it's flight testing. It now has the full avionics suite fitted and and improved build of it's turbofan. It will be joined by the second prototype to help complete an extensive series of tests for the second phase of flight testing.

In the late Summer the NDAA will be fitted with a development build of it's attack avionics and software and it is hoped to begin phase 3 testing which will include weapons training in the Fall.

Poll results

66% believed the Dinos would prevail against the ABBOs. Please check out our latest poll, who has the worst job? Trojan Warlord cleaning toilets at the DDS or Bolt cleaning out Henry's real doll after a night of violent penetration?

HCS Space Transport arm to be revamped

The HCS Space Navy have announced improvements to the Transport Auxiliary Fleet. Chief of these is the introduction of the latest version of the backbone heavy lifter the Type A7. This has a speed boost to 230c as well as greater automation thus requiring a smaller crew. The oiler version of the A, the J, will also be produced in Type J7 standard.

Type A seen with Kalahati Tuul cruiser

This could be an admission that the HCSSN is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit enough personnel. It has been reported before that some patrols are occaisionally cancelled because of a lack of crew. One unconfirmed report has stated that the HCSSN are trying to reduce crew levels on transport ships so they can transfer personnel to the combat fleet.

A 120 million zark contract has also been granted to develop the Type A8 which will have a new engine (though similiar performance), the new engine will be smaller and require less maitenance.

The other major transport ship, the Type B, will receive a refurbishment over the next couple of years which will prolong their lives until around 2120.

There is still no word on the replacement super-transports the Type Z which will be required to transfer major items (like HCSN warships) between planets. The Type U has already been withdrawn but the HCSSN has postponed any news on the Z for now.

Final phase of Western Pheonix begins

The final phase of the DDS's first exercise deployment of 2109 Western Pheonix has begun with mock combat operations against Force Voth ships taking place near Voth. Dino ships have also taken part in the exercise on both sides.

Two more mock combats will take place over the next week before the ships spend around a week at Voth for end of deployment events before most ships return to the DDS. One or two ships may remain attached to Force Voth for a short period.

Silurian completes Isometric ILU

F102 Silurian has become the first "normal" Isometric to complete it's ILU (the flagship SS Carboniferous has already had it's ILU but it is a special case) though will not return to service for around a month to allow for full testing. The ILU changes are so extensive as to make the ship almost a new type. Training and engineering manuals also need to be developed for the rest of the fleet when they receive their ILU. F104 Triassic will be the next ship to receive the update though this will not start for a couple of weeks because the ship is currently on a patrol.

The Isometric ILU programme is a major rebuilt and update of the Isometric frigate fleet which many consider the backbone of the DDS. Changes include TPM-2, Z5i, iSAS, OA 2.0 and IWC.

Raegris to take part in deployments

For some time now the DDS have asked the Raegris to take part in deployments like the Aritans have to ease the strain on the DDS fleet. Up until now the Raegris have said their fleet has not been strong enough to protect their space and take part outside in deployments however with their recent fleet expansion that argument no longer holds water. Finally the Raegris have agreed to take part in deployments and to start with 2 of their DF-1 frigates (their version of the Isometric) will take part in the Remedian Border Protection Squadron for the next 3 months when they will be replaced by 2 other Raegris ships.

The 2 frigates are expected to arrive on station next week which will allow the DDS to release 2 of their own frigates back to base where they will be given a minor refit and then be available for deployments elsewhere. The Raegris have also said they will send one of their ex-DDS Quasar cruisers to Force Voth within the next few months.

Team Redjec
Redjec goes to Windy's chambers and comes out a better man and not a blood stained broken wreck.

Current deployments (10/03/09)

Ships in brackets are part of deployment but not yet on station (e.g. on route)

Western Pheonix

D154 Evolution (flag)
AS02 Youanki
F144 Flores Sea
F133 Baltic Sea
F107 Palaeocene
A112 Liberator Express
A154 Kerocene

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F101 Cambrian
(F161 Sea Of Tranquility)
F125 Pliocene
F134 Mediterranean Sea
A103 Constellation
A144 Jetstar
AS05 Tulan Lanu

Dino Voth squadron :

DM14
DM30
DM56
DM83
DM235
SS-28

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
(R105 Grenadier)
AS12 Gerlam Untim
(F122 Permian)
F145 Arafura Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

C107 India (flag)
F123 Devonian
(F146 Bohol Sea)
F152 Aral Sea II
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Squadron

C125 Positron (flag)
C130 Kaon
D152 Advance
(RS-DF1-03)
(RS-DF1-05)
F139 Banda Sea
F143 Andaman Sea
K103 Augustus
A108 Galaxy
A151 Gasoline
DR182 Lord Verin
DR185 Lord Logan
DR187 Remedia Prime II

Dino Loeuss squadron :

DM59
DM62
DM179
DM208
DM209
DM272

Minesweeping squadron :

F109 Oligocene
M101 Thucydides
M105 Pindar
A145 Globemaster

Provider & Extender fleets to be updated

The Provider and Extender fleets are to receive an update over the next couple of months, Unified SUP 2109 Update A will be fitted in around the hard working ship's programmes. Each update is expected to take around 2-3 days and thus can fit in around a standard 5-day refit and restocking. All ships will receive Cannister TPM support and be able to carry up to 6 of the weapons (standard load will be 1 however). The ship's tactical sub-system will be upgraded to add TPM support and allow external data sources for targeting.

The communications system will also be upgraded to improve self-defence against info-weapons. Ship security will also be improved with more security force fields fitted and the ship's internal sensors boosted. The Extenders will also receive improvements to their refuelling and nuclear fuel handling systems.

Pulsar 2109 Update A

Said to be the penultimate Pulsar update with 1 more planned for next year before the fleet is run down for 2112 Pulsar 2109 Update A will be rolled out over the next couple of months as ships come to the end of their current programmes. The update will only take a few days each per ship and can be carried out at a number of DDS ports.

The update focusses on the communications and data sub-systems with the main databus receiving an update to increase the bandwidth for data linking. It will be able to simultaneously update 5 MRMs in flight as well as local weapons. An Info Warfare Centre (IWC) is also being fitted to the bring and will synchronise existing data security systems. Around 40 other systems will also be receiving software upgrades.

Quarz's home revealed

OMG, this shocking photograph reveals the true depth of sadness behind Quarz, whom i hate. Captain Redjec Esq VIP here by the way. This photograph i received from a valuable source and purports to show the "guest quarters" at Quarz's home. Imagine the horror there as Quarz hungers and drags another doll to his lair. Disgusting. He should be shot. I hate him!

Vindication!!!

Captain Redjec Esq here, yes Captain as i have been promoted! Vindication at last for my tireless work in exposing the loserdom of Quarz, whom i hate. Team Redjec, as you may have heard, is the new anti-espionage unit of the DDS. We are spycatchers now. We will continue our existing duties too, like running this website. Trojan Warlord will also continue as a toilet attendant.

I must admit i was rather worried when Windscorpion summoned me to his office but i shouldn't have worried. He has been very impressed with Team Redjec's existing haul of spies and wants me to build up my team and continue crushing spy rings. I have recruited Google Boy to Team Redjec. As you know he is the foremost computer expert in the DDS. I have asked him to begin electronic surveillance of a number of targets and also find me some good Asian girl porn. I feel like celebrating. We are on a roll now, unlike Quarz who's only success is in blocking the toilets with his endless poo! I hate him and i hate his shit!

A couple of my operatives question a suspect, or are unwinding after a hard day's work. Its hard to know with some of these dudes.

I am now trying to get Team Redjec allocated it's own ship. We are already working with the new Prowler units. Trojan Warlord has already fallen foul of these hyper-violent brutal young men when he broke their toilet. They then ran a train on him and broke his ass! If only that could happen to Quarz, whom i hate you may be surprised to know.

So onwards and upwards. Team Redjec is going places and that place is Death-To-Quarz-City!

Dinos and ABBOs clash

The Dinos are smarting for revenge against the ABBOs and have gained a small measure of it. 6 ABBO warships are understood to have been ambushed by a superior Dino force and destroyed. The ABBO force was tracked for 3 days and the Dinos waited until they had a 3:1 advantage before striking. One Dinomark PT was disabled and 2 Dinos lost their lives but no Dino ships were destroyed.

The Dinos also think they have detected an ABBO base on an unclaimed world just outside of their space.

Redjec to form anti-espionage unit

Team Redjec is proud to announce that it's leader, mentor and pin-up Redjec has been given the task of created a dedicated anti-espionage and counter-intelligence unit in the DDS. The as-yet unnamed unit will work on Team Redjec's outstanding work in breaking and tracking several spy rings and there are more successes to come.

Redjec has also been promoted to the DDS Governing Council and will have full voting powers (the other members are Windy, Firefly, Salamander, Sea Urchin, The Shiner, Lord Argrox and S101 - Ronald's place in the council was given up when he left power on Dino-Land). Redjec was genuinely surprised at this promotion to the upper echelons. When he was summoned to Windy's Chambers this morning he appeared to be fearing something else would be given to him.

Cruggson promises strong response to ABBOs

Consul Cruggson, speaking from Xi, has promised that the Dino Army will "punish" the ABBOs for their devastating attack on Dino space and land assets on Halin 4195. He said another legion had been mobilised on Dino-Land and would be travelling to Xi next week.

The other Consul MBH meanwhile has been scathing in his criticism of Cruggson, speaking from the governor's palace on Pulsin he said, "Another useless performance from the generation of yes-dinos that Ronald's corrupt and feeble reigns fostered. Cruggson wouldn't even be Chief Toilet Attendant if chosen on merit. Only in MBH can the Dinos see dynamism and focussed control!"

Ronald himself was unavailable to comment, he had gone bowling with GBH.

Ensuring Passage begins patrols

The 6 month Ensuring Passage task force to protect DDS, UNP and allied assets operating in the space between the Rim Worlds, HCS and Dino Republic has begun patrols. Two ships are still en route but the task force commander Caratore has been able to begin protecting DDS transport ships and when the full force is assembled including an Aritan ship all allied assets will be covered if possible.

Ensuring Passage will use Arit as it's base though the main staging post for ships betwen patrols interestingly will be the irradiated wastes of Zoneland. SS Stratotanker and an escort are likely to remain there supporting the other ships. As the force includes a Missileer carrier some patrols and inspections will be carried out by Ferret-E UCVs, a first for the DDS.

HCSAF news

Production of the F-45A is winding up for the HCSAF (though will continue for the HCSN for a couple more years). Production of the next generation F-45C is not due to start until 2112 at the earliest (and is likely to be delayed until 2113/4). To bridge the gap at the factory some 200 of the earliest of the 900 F-45As built will be updated and refurbished.

Another refurbishment programme is the F-40S rebuilds and updates of selected F-40s in the still vast F-40 fleet (there are still 2500 in service). Extra funding has been allocated to push the number of F-40S up to 200, the HCSAF are still hopeful they can reach 350 eventually. As mid-programme F-40s are now beginning to reach the end of their lives the fleet will gradually begin to be run down though the HCSAF are hoping to keep around 1000 late-programme F-40s and F-40S into the 2130s.

The stealthy reconnaissance drone RQ-1 has been unveiled to the media, interestingly it uses elements from the now withdrawn RS-80 Spyder stealth bomber which saw some service during the Clone Wars. RQ-1 could begin flight testing in the early 2110s.

Around 45 of the oldest members of the core transport C-440 fleet will be refurbished and re-engined using the next generation engines used in the forthcoming C-440C. The C-440AM as it is known will also have a new glass cockpit and improved cargo handling equipment. The first C-440AM is expected to be rolled out by the end of the year.

Funding has been secured finally to restore 15 stored AH-50 Dragonfly anti-tank helicopters to service. The 15 refurbished and updated helicopters will join the existing fleet of 254 forming a powerful elite anti-tank arm.

Poll results

Unsurprisingly 100% of respondents thought that The Friar/XE's fate in DDS custody would be a knife shoved half way up his ass. He might be lucky if that is all that happens to him...

Dinos suffer at hands of ABBOs at Halin 4195

Reports are coming in of a serious defeat by Dino forces on the planetoid Halin 4195. The planetoid is normally uninhabited but was being used as a staging post for Dino Army forces preparing for battle with the ABBOs. A force of ABBOs lured away the protective screen of Dinomark PTs and then another force of ABBO warships attacked the Dino amphibious fleet in orbit and the troops on the ground.

12 Dinomarks were destroyed, 2 NGs and the rest XTs. A SX-98 landing ship chartered from a Terran company was also destroyed and 2 others damaged. Several hundred troops died on the ground in a brief but intense bombardment by ABBO warships.

Consul Cruggson has taken personal control of the Dino forces on Halin, the Legate in charge of the screen whose rash actions led to the fiasco has committed suicide.

The Battle of Halin 4195
The ABBOs hit the Dinos hard

Fleet news (04/03/08)

The DDS are facing problems with overstretch of their Extender oiler fleet with the current number of deployments and commitments but things should get slightly easier as A156 Pentane has just joined the fleet. The DDS will build 3 more Extenders this year out of the 4 Provider/Extenders to be due in the rest of the year (initially it was to be 2 each). A141 Extender will also have it's first major refit/overhaul postponed until next year.

L112 Gondwana is the second Pangaea class LHD and has joined the DDS though as yet the amphibious landing force is yet to enter service. The lead ship Pangaea has been working on training and surveying missions recently and it is expected Gondwana will do the same though later in the year the DDS plan to set up their first Amphibious Squadron.

Coril class shuttle A558 Christine has been withdrawn. The ship required reactor refuelling but as it's service life is very limited the DDS thought it uneconomic.

Minelayer part of future DDS fleet plans

The DDS have issued a requirement for a mine layer as part of their "Mine Warfare 2.0" strategy which also includes an increase in the Pentekonter-M force and next generation minesweeping equipment. Up until now however DDS mine warfare efforts have been in removing mines, now the DDS wish to lay some of their own to protect strategic points.

As a temporary measure the Raegris have offered the use of their Quasar cruiser fleet which has a mine laying capability though the DDS say they have no immediate plans to lay mines (or have any actually in stock). The DDS are looking at a number of options including a dedicated minelaying fleet or a mission module for an existing type. The Quasar has been ruled out already as a G3 design it lacks the modularity and is already being prepared for the strike bomber role so the DDS wish to keep them for that. The Panther is the most likely candidate as it would be able to carry a lot more mines than the Rome.

Hunt begins for a planet... to nuke

The DDS have begun a hunt for a major exercise planned for later in the year which will involve it's Pulsar strike bomber force culminating in live use of nuclear missiles. Obviously the DDS require an uninhabited planetoid to use for it but with a reasonably thick atmosphere to represent "real world" situations. Another requirement (though not actually expressed) is that the planetoid should be in a reasonably noticeable location so potential enemies can see how well the test went...

The exercise will also involve tactical reconnaissance, non-nuclear ground attack and electronic defence suppression. When the planetoid is chosen the DDS will construct a number of targets including an underground bunker to see how effective it's weapons are.

Current deployments (03/03/09)

Western Pheonix

D154 Evolution (flag)
AS02 Youanki
F144 Flores Sea
F133 Baltic Sea
F107 Palaeocene
A112 Liberator Express
A154 Kerocene

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F101 Cambrian
F125 Pliocene
F134 Mediterranean Sea
A103 Constellation
A144 Jetstar
AS05 Tulan Lanu
DM14
DM30
DM83
DM127
DM235

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS12 Gerlam Untim
F122 Permian
F145 Arafura Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

C107 India (flag)
F123 Devonian
F146 Bohol Sea
F152 Aral Sea II
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Squadron

C125 Positron (flag)
C130 Kaon
D152 Advance
F139 Banda Sea
F143 Andaman Sea
K103 Augustus
A108 Galaxy
A151 Gasoline
DR182 Lord Verin
DR185 Lord Logan
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DM59
DM80
DM102
DM179
DM208
DM209

Minesweeping squadron :

F109 Oligocene
M101 Thucydides
M105 Pindar
A145 Globemaster

ABBO Attack!
The ABBOs attack a Dinomark on patrol.

DDS book archive opened

The new DDS book archive has been opened at DDS GHQ by local celebrity Brenda Brenda (you may remember she came 7th in Big Brother Proxima Series 15). This new state-of-the-art facility will hold the priceless DDS book collection in a protected and controlled environment. The collection includes a number of older books including some of the classic New Wave series plus every book in the UV series that continues to the present day.