Windy ends his vacation

Windy has ended his long vacation after a hectic few months and resumed command of the DDS from Firefly. He has returned his flag to SS Carboniferous and the Isometric frigate is due to depart early next week for Starbot where he will hold talks with the Starbotians as well as see for himself the potential threat from the 7 Sa Sao.



Last month the 7SS made a reappearance near Aldebra though did not try and make any contact with the colony which it previously warned was violating it's territory and would have to move. Since then long-range sensor stations have reported unidentified ships a couple of times in the area, and last week one as deep as Saeou in DDS territory.

SS Stoke City will be accompanying Windy's flagship. It is reported Windy spends all of his leisure time on the ship nowadays.

DDS think no Bolitic threat to Voth

The DDS do not think the Bolitic are planning to attack the Voth. Spies in the Bolitic Confederacy are understood to have confirmed there are no plans to attack but the Emperor Aliowaki wanted the DDS and Vothites "given a reminder" and so instructed Baron Savroki to make sure his fleet was seen by a Raegris merchant ship.

The DDS will continue to keep the rotated ships in Force Voth in the area for another week. F161 Sea Of Tranquility will stay at Apassara for the time being. The two Fighting Falcon ships attached to Force Voth will soon join it.

The Melitacons

The DDS encounter a very strange alien ship...

Bolitic fleet seen near Voth border

A Raegris merchant ship has reporting seeing a fleet of Bolitic warships near Apassara on the northern border of the Voth Free Republic. The Bolitic ships were in unclaimed space but only a couple of days from Apassara. Raegris spies in the Vosun Star Empire have also reported a division of the Vosun Army recently left Vosun for unspecified "maneuvers".

Force Voth has been put on full alert. The detachment was in the middle of a ship rotation but the rotated ships in the deployment have had their return to the DDS put on hold (incidentally if this is a Bolitic attack its very bad timing as Force Voth is currently at double strength!)

F161 Sea Of Tranquility has been sent to Apassara and is expected there later today.

Rathun's World to become Liberation

The interim revolutionary government that seized power from the evil hebephile King Rathun has decided to change the name of the planet from Rathun's World to Liberation. The name change was decided unanimously after a public vote (no doubt helped by the fact there were no other options).

The DDS and UNP have both agreed to the name change and it should be ratified within the next few weeks. Fighting has erupted between socialists and loyalists to the King but such incidents are isolated. The loyalists are small in number and their cause is pretty much lost. DDS peacekeeping troops are now keeping order.

Dinos seek more allies

In a further sign that the old isolationist policy of the Dinos is over a Dino diplomatic team has headed off on a 2 month mission to meet the governments of Za'Enyu, Telvin 802 and Artensis 60. All three stars lie in the region of space between the Voth Republic and the ABBOs. Until recently this region of space was virtually unknown even though it wasn't that far from the Dinos.

The Dinos are hopeful of forming alliances with the 3 governments. They would like to build a monitoring station on Artensis 60 to keep an eye on the ABBOs and a refuelling point on either Za'Enyu or Telvin 802. Of course they would also like to sell weapons to all three governments!

The DDS have already visited Artensis 60 and have plans for the other 2 systems, they are hopeful that their alliance with Putri 500 which is also in this area (and the most powerful system) will open doors (and wallets) into the others.

Kelsan bomber begins development

HCS Space Navy Fleet Day + 1 is known as the "Technical Day" when HCS Space Engineering discuss some new projects. The first presentation was on the new Kelsan bomber which has now started in production. The prototype is expected before the end of the year with an entry into service early 2110. This is around 6 months earlier than previously thought.

The HCS said the Kelsan would be a simple but reliable ship. "Its a missile carrier, that's where the advanced technology will be so the actual ship itself can be reasonably simple." Kelsan will be designed to be stealthy though may use unmanned assets like Nybble for EW and as decoys. The design will be unveiled soon but a DDS source says it has a large circular main hull with a long engine and storage area.

Clones to ramp up Type A production

The news from the Fleet Day continues. The Clones will increase Type A freighter production this year from it's current rate of 4 a year to 6 a year until at least 2111. This is because a number of the fleet, the backbone of the HCS Space Navy transport service and thus the arteries of the empire, are approaching their end of life dates. Twenty Type As are to be refurbished by the DDS of course, a contract which began last month, but these refurbs are of Type A3s and A4s. There are a lot of older Type As which date from the first great fleet expansion in the First Clone War which are coming to the end of their lives and it is not considered economic or practical to refurbish them.

A Type A transport (seen here with a Kalahati Tuul)

A DDS Upgrades spokesman working on the Type A contract said the older ships had been considered for refurbishment too but are simply too old to make it worthwhile. "To get any more than 10 years more out of them we'd have to practically rebuild them, its therefore much more practical for the Clones to replace them with new ships which would last for at least twice as long and have improved performance."

Another reason for replacing these aging ships is so they can be sold to other navies as they recently did with Artic who bought 3 ships. The HCS can sell them cheap to customers after a minor refurb to keep them going for 5-6 years more and this is considered a way into the lucrative spaceship export market the DDS have had largely to themselves so far.

Shark being considered for minesweeper replacement

The head of the Cloneworld Space Squadron Admiral Hyper was unusually lucid at a goodwill meeting of HCS and DDS space ship crews held yesterday. The goodwill event was a great success with only 6 fights and 2 rapes reported.

Hyper said that the HCS might use the Shark as it's next generation minesweeper, taking a lead from the DDS in using patrol boats perhaps though of course he did not admit that. A special version of SPECNES had already been developed to fit in the Shark's mission gondola. If the HCS decided to go ahead with a minesweeper force based on the Shark then they would further extend the Shark force, to the "mid-30s". Hyper said that Kalahati Tuul S would continue to serve in the minesweeper director role.

Hyper said a decision was expected soon and that it was likely to be the Shark as the legacy Derinny fleet is crumbling at an alarming rate. Officially 15 are still in service but it has been reported less than 10 are actually operational.

HCS Space Navy news

The HCS are generally secretive about their new developments apart from when they have events and parades when they have a tendency to give most of those secrets away! Yesterday the HCS Space Navy held it's annual Fleet Day at Cloneworld with a display of military might. One highlight for the DDS visitor was the unveiling of the first Molentic Tuul M.

This is a major update and normalisation of the MTA, MT-GX and MTV fleets into a new standard. The three ex-VIP Molentic Tuul V ships are the first to be updated. Speed of the MTM was given as 650c though the armament does not seem to have changed much with three cannons and a missile launcher though thought to be of an improved standard. The EW/C3 fit has been fully updated too.

The Shark featured in the parade and the announcer let slip that 3 more would be constructed over the next 12 months to make an eventual fleet of 28. It is thought the follow-on Thresher class has been delayed to let some systems mature, Thresher is now expected in early 2111.

Sear N7 become latest DDS export customer

Sear N7 is an Eritran ethnic planet, not especially rich but in need of some space craft for sovereignty and communications. They have placed an order with the DDS worth 1.1 billion zarks which has been offset by some exclusive mining rights to some specialist minerals found on asteroids in the Sear N7 system.

The order is for 5 Coril-E and 2 Extender-Es. Delivery dates are yet to be determined. 20 cadets from Sear N7 will also be inducted in the DDS Space Academy as part of the deal and technical assistance will also be given to help Sear N7 set up their space force infrastructure. Sear N7 is hopeful of buying Pentekonter-Es at a later date.

Final 4 original Corils to be upgraded

The final 4 of the original Coril 79A fleet are to be fully refurbished and upgraded which should allow them to operate until around 2120. The upgrades will take place later this year and will include reengining with the CFM WSN-865J powerplant used in the next generation Coril 79B. The ships will also be fitted with specialist sensor and communications equipment, improved accommodation, improved airlocking facilities and a triage facility for their new role supporting DDS special forces.

With the new engine the ships will be speed boosted to 200c which is the maximum the frame is able to maintain, this is less than the 250c the Coril 79B can reach but is not considered a problem as the engine will be lower-rated to reduce emissions. Its is thought the ships will be fitted with extensive cloaking technologies. When asked why the DDS was re-using old ships instead of just building 4 new Coril 79Bs the reasons were cost, a refurbished older Coril is cheaper than a new one and also the new Coril's internal space is reduced (as the ship has been designed to be stronger for higher speeds) so was less suitable for the SpecOps needs.

The first upgrades will take place in the late Summer and all will be completed by the end of the year.

Starbotians buy Extender

The Starbotians have bought an Extender oiler for their fleet. The ship, which will be one of the Extenders constructed this year, will operate like the Panthers bought by the Starbotians in that it will officially be a DDS fleet ship but operated by Starbotian crews and usually allocated to Starbotian defence.

The oiler will support Force Starbot which will soon come under full Starbotian control when the Starbotian Panther D109 Cougar becomes flagship (though the force will continue to be commanded by a DDS Admiral).

Current deployments (26/05/09)

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

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F161 Sea Of Tranquillity
P131 Fighting Falcon
P134 Merlin
A144 Jetstar
(R107 Archer)
F136 Barents Sea
(F116 Cryptozoic)
(M102 Demostenes)
(M103 Sappho)
(A146 Argus)

Atomic Fist

C101 North America (flag)
C103 South America
C106 Africa
C108 Europa
C110 Eurasia
R101 Missileer



D101 Panther
F112 Holocene
F141 Sulu Sea
K107 Pliny
K112 Seneca
K119 Titus
E105 Fleming
A109 Flying Boxcar
A153 Butane

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
R105 Grenadier
F148 Solomon Sea
AS01 Kalanham (New Arit)
A142 Stratotanker

Force Starbot

D153 Progress (flag)
D109 Cougar*
F152 Aral Sea II
F126 Mesozoic
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

* Starbotian crewed

Remedian Border Protection Force

C122 Photon (flag)
D151 Velocity
F110 Miocene



A150 Refinery
RS-DF1-03 (Raegris)
RS-DF1-05 (Raegris)
+ Remedian Police Customs Patrol

Ships returning to HQ

D101 Panther
F131 Caspian Sea
A157 Pentane
F134 Mediterranean Sea

Awesome Job

We enter the world of Windy's mobile terror ship...

CAUTION : story contains adult themes and may offend!

DDS to build experimental battlecruiser

For some time now the DDS have been mooting a new cruiser type to replace the Pulsar. Now finally the DDS have given the go-ahead for the construction of a new experimental cruiser. The one-off ship is likely to be called the Pulsar II and could enter service sometime in the next decade.

The ships is also said to going to be the first "5th Generation" design. It will "integrate unmanned combat vehicle technology", observers say this means the Pulsar II will be able to "detach" part of itself to act as a UCV. The DDS have apparently been working on this design for some months and now the green light has been given to build the ship designs will be unveiled soon.

Two Starsystems to be placed in reserve

When the DDS decided to turn it's surviving Starsystem 91X frigates into training ships little did it know what a vital role they would soon make for themselves. Being mostly free from scheduled operations the Starsystems became the "space taxis" of the DDS as one was generally always available. Such was the workload that the DDS bought back 3 withdrawn ships to make a fleet of 9.

Now however their usage as taxis has largely gone, newer ships like the Friendship and Thames have taken over the role as general purpose ship (and are more suitable for these kinds of mundane duties). As a cost saving measure the DDS have decided to place in reserve 2 ships, T106 Mira and T108 T.S.Eliot. Both ships were due to undergo a refueling and major refit of their reactor bank. The DDS have decided to postpone this for at least a year which means in effect both ships are now unavailable for service. Without main power they will not be able to move at superluminal speeds though the DDS will continue to use them as static classroom facilities. The DDS say they will restore the ships to service in time but this measure will save 57 million zarks which is better served elsewhere at the moment.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Extender

If you ask DDS fleet commanders which ships are the hardest worked in the fleet then the answer will be unanimous : the Extender oiler fleet. These ships provide a vital role in supplying and supporting the DDS fleet while away from base. Although called "oilers" for historical purposes the Extenders refuel DDS ships with nuclear fuel (to be more specific the reactant used in DDS fusion reactors, the main fuel source only needs changing every few years and is usually done at base, though Extenders can do this also). They also resupply ships with water, food and other supplies and can perform repair and maintenance.

When the DDS fleet was expanding in the early 2100s it was clear that a fleet of replenishment ships would be required. Naturally the then in development SUP (Standard Utility Platform) was used as the basis for this new ship and in 2105 the first Extender entered service. Since then the Extender fleet has put in the hard light years, supporting DDS ships away from base no matter where they may be. An Extender always accompanies a DDS deployment. Extenders, which are of course huge ships, also include extended leisure facilities to "refuel" ship crews also.

At the time of writing there are 17 Extenders in service with 4 more on order. The expanding DDS fleet and increased frequency of deployment means that the Extender fleet may have to keep growing even beyond that. Such is the intensity of their workload that an update of the earliest few ships had been postponed for a year as the fleet simply could not operate if it had to lose a few Extenders for a month each! It is hoped by this time next year the fleet will be large enough to finally release the pressure.

CSM Space Stage begins testing / Nybble

The space vehicle stage of the Clone Space Missile has begun flight testing. The Nuclear Space Vehicle (NSV) was originally thought to only be a ground test rig but the HCS surprised watchers by releasing footage of the NSV on one of it's early test runs, traveling between 2 points in the Cloneworld system. It is thought the confusion was caused by the NSV Stage 2 which will have superluminal capability, it is this which will begin testing next year.

NSV is based on the Nybble USV, crudely it is the parts of the Nybble needed for movement and control crammed into a missile body with a warhead on top. NSV will have it's first launch atop a Gale-III launcher later this year. Meanwhile the latest Gale-III build, Build 21, was an ICBM test but it did also debut modified engines with a lower IR signature.

As for the space drone Nybble it has now been fitted with a new engine ready for the first superluminal test next month.

Rising Star deployment ends

The brief joint-exercise with the Raegris, Rising Star, has now ended after a final mock-battle between DDS and Raegris forces. The three ships of the DDS deployment, headed by D151 Velocity, are now heading to join the Remedian Border Protection Force where they will relieve most of the DDS ships already in that deployment.

The DDS have announced their first amphibious warfare exercise which will begin in a few weeks. The as-yet unnamed deployment will include both Pangaea class landing ships, Aritan army units and also one of the Dinos' SX-98 landing ships (which of course will also be bought by the DDS). More details of the deployment will be given soon.

Type 63A will be the Oceania class

The DDS have named the forthcoming Type 63A landing ship class as the Oceania class. This has raised eyebrows as Oceania was originally a name given to a Pulsar class cruiser which was destroyed some years ago thus the first ship will actually be called Oceania II.



Indeed the first 4 ships to be named are all names reused from lost Pulsars. It may be the rest of the fleet will take names from Pulsars which are withdrawn as the Pulsar withdrawal will dovetail with the introduction of the Type 63A from next year.

Coril-E sales

The DDS have added to their export portfolio with an export version of their reverse engineered Coril 79B shuttle. The Coril-E has a very similar specification but has a wide range of interior options to suit alien anatomical needs especially in terms of toilet facilities. The DDS have high hopes for sales of the type especially to existing operators of Tarbotian Corils which are on average so old they predate their crew's grandparents. Its estimated some 30 known space faring races operate the type so there is a large potential market. It could also act as a way into new markets for the DDS.

The Aritans are the launch customer with an order for 3 to supplement their ex-DDS Coril 79As. Putri 500 have also placed an order for 5.

8 SX-98 ordered by DDS

The DDS have ordered 8 SX-98 landing ships as the Type 63A. A name has yet to be chosen for the type which will enter service next year. The ships will be similar to those operated by the Dinos but will have a number of internal changes. They also have slightly uprated engines with a resulting speed boost to 310c.

The Type 63A will supplement the eventual fleet of 6 Pangaea 62A and 3 Tethys Ocean 65A assault carriers with a planned introduction into service of all ordered ships by 2112. Some wags have said the DDS Army might be partially ready to deploy by then.

Fleet news (21/05/09)

Controversial Solaris III class destroyer D162 Epsilon Eridani has joined the fleet. It is rumoured the Clone Empire Ambassador to the UNP was invited to the ceremony as he often is for major ships but declined as a protest at the ship being named after Cloneworld's star. D162 has joined the 2nd Fleet.

A157 Methane is a much needed Extender oiler, it is reported the internal layout of the ship has been modified for efficiency and security improvements. If the changes prove successful then the rest of the fleet will be similarly modified at major refit. Thames class transport A223 Seine has also joined the fleet.

Another new ship is the Coril shuttle A576 Rollerball however it suffered a mishap on it's second day of service. A meteorite struck the ship after a failure in the shields, the meteor created a large hole in the shuttle though no crew were hurt and no major systems damaged. The ship is now under repair. It is reported that when the ship returned to dock an engineer said "Gee there is a big hole in Rollerball!".

UNP to help Rathun's World transition to democracy

The UNP will help Rathun's World in it's transition to democracy in the wake of the apparent suicide of King Rathun, the despised tyrant. One major decision for the new administration will be what to change the name of the planet to! The capital Rathun City has already been renamed Liberation.

The DDS have returned their forces to the planet and an extra batallion of DDS ground troops is on the way to help maintain order.

A Horror Beyond All

Its the end of the line for King Rathun.

Rathun committed suicide?

There are reports coming in that state King Rathun may have committed suicide. He was holed up in the terminal building at Rathun City Airport with an angry mob outside. The mob was waiting for army units to come from the capital before storming the building and seizing Rathun and his final handful of supporters.

The terminal building exploded suddenly and was reduced to rubble. It is thought Rathun blew himself and his fanatical supporters up rather than face the fury of the mob.

A UNP team is now negotiating with the leaders of the rebellion. The head of the army has been put in temporary charge.

Rathun "lost control of his planet"

UNP officials are reporting a total law and order breakdown on Rathun's World as police and army units switch allegiance to the rebels from the King, that he has "lost control of his planet". Rioting and disorder has raged across the capital and provincial areas with dozens reported dead. King Rathun himself is now holed up at the main airport, it is thought he tried to escape the capital but protesters blocked the runways and destroyed any aircraft and helicopters present at the airport.

There are rumours the DDS may rescue Rathun. It has been reported both Windy's flagship SS Carboniferous and his support ship SS Stoke City have left dock within the last few days.

Current deployments (19/05/09)

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

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F161 Sea Of Tranquillity
F134 Mediterranean Sea
P131 Fighting Falcon
P134 Merlin
A144 Jetstar
(R107 Archer)
(F136 Barents Sea)
(F116 Cryptozoic)
(M102 Demostenes)
(M103 Sappho)
(A146 Argus)



Atomic Fist

C101 North America (flag)
C103 South America
C106 Africa
C108 Europa
C110 Eurasia
R101 Missileer
D101 Panther
F112 Holocene
F141 Sulu Sea
K107 Pliny
K112 Seneca
K119 Titus
E105 Fleming
A109 Flying Boxcar
A153 Butane

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
R105 Grenadier
AS01 Kalanham (Aritan ship)
F148 Solomon Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Rising Star

D151 Velocity (flag)
F110 Miocene
A150 Refinery

Force Starbot

D153 Progress (flag)
D109 Cougar*



F152 Aral Sea II
F126 Mesozoic
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

* Starbotian crewed

Remedian Border Protection Force

C122 Photon (flag)
RS-DF1-03 (Raegris ship)
RS-DF1-05 (Raegris ship)
F131 Caspian Sea
A157 Pentane
+ Remedian Police Customs Patrol

Ships returning to HQ

F122 Permian
D101 Panther
C125 Positron

Power Of Heavy Metal

Lakes, Henry and Bolt go undercover...

Dino-Land calling!

Greetings Captain Redjec Esq here. I am currently on Dino-Land on a secret mission. I can't tell you what it involves of course except that unfortunately it does not include torturing and abusing Quarz, whom i hate.

That is a shame as that loathsome individual deserves nothing less than pain and humiliation. Just like my childhood. Those incidents with Mr Vulture i won't go into. But it made me the man i am. I had to fight hard for everything i have got. That's why i am a SUCCESS not like the FAILURE that is Quarz. Quarz = EPIC FAIL. I hate him.

Whilst on Dino-Land (which is a dreadful place by the way) i have met a Dino who is probably as pathetic and low as Quarz, whom you may know that i hate, imagine that?! That Dino is called Bolt and he apparently is on MBH's staff. Bolt is the gopher for Henry who is a real piece of work. Bolt's duties seem to consist of being a footstool for Henry and cleaning out Henry's sex doll. Bolt even has to salute this thing, which Henry calls Centurion Real Doll. Its given me some ideas for what to do with Quarz. I really should make him clean out a sex doll which i have used, that would crush his soul. Of course it means i would have to use a doll which would be a sacrifice i would have to make. As you all know i have fabulous success with women.

Quarz doesn't of course. His "success" involves being stalked by Crystal Ribbon. Its what he deserves as i hate him.

2 more Panthers to be ordered

Two more Panthers have been added to the existing order which will give an eventual fleet of 19 ships. Of the 2 extra ships 1 is to be funded by the Starbotians and will form the 3rd ship in their detachment (though also available for general DDS use).

These 2 ships plus #16 and 17 of the existing order will be of an improved specification. Panther 35B will include DAC, pylons for MRM, a modified internal layout to allow increased missile stowage and other changes over and above the PEC09 update which is being carried out on the first 15 ships (Panther 35A2). It is expected that the first 15 ships will be bought up to 35B standard at a later date.

Jimmy likely to face an easy run to Consul

Thoughts are starting to turn to this year's Consul elections to replace MBH at the end of the year. It is likely that the Liberal Party candidate (which is almost certainly to be Jimmy) will have a free ride to electoral success. Veritas = Truth has now been abandoned by MBH and Imperial Order are not standing this year in return for the Liberal's abstention last year.

There are dozens of smaller parties but these will struggle to gain more than a handful of votes. Parties on the fringe tend to be either ultra-nationalist or fascist parties like the "Death To All Aliens Party" or obscure one-issue parties like the Yavilanda Better Garbage Collection Party.

None of these parties are likely to get the threshold to face Jimmy in the run-off even if they do get second place. That threshold is 5% and no party other than the big 3 has so far managed to get even a tenth of that. Imperial Order and the Liberals will finally face each other next year.

One question is where the large block vote from the SS will go now that Veritas = Truth is no more. A party celebrating brutal homo-erotic fascism has been mooted by some SS officers though is unlikely to have mass appeal.

New DDS ship name angers Clones

The next ship in the Solaris III class of destroyer is currently undergoing proving trials and testing before it joins the fleet in a few weeks. It has raised eyebrows because of it's name. Now the Solaris III class are to be named after stars and the second ship D162 will be called Epsilon Eridani.

This has angered the Clones because that is the UNP name for... the star in the Cloneworld system (the Clones just call the star "Star"). Ultra nationalist nutcase Rejan Hewaki has called the naming of the destroyer an "affront to the Clone nation" and a "seizure of Clone sovereignty by fascist hew-mon forces". The DDS meanwhile deny any offence was meant, "We already have some ships named after stars, the Starsystem class, and there arn't that meant reasonable star names in our area of space to use. We don't really want to start naming our ships stuff like Delta Laambe 780419B." Sea Urchin told reporters.

Atomic Fist update

The first live nuclear attack of the Atomic Fist deployment has been made when C103 South America destroyed a target on the planetoid being used for the exercises. Exercises AF2 and AF3 both went well though in AF3 one of the Pulsars suffered a failure in it's SAS (attack system) and had to pull out of an attack. This has now been repaired.

K107 Pliny was repaired by a DDS Engineering team and took part in AF3 which involved all 3 Romes using their attack modules using target data from a Pulsar.

R101 Missileer has joined the deployment and it's Ferret-E UCVs will play the part of "the enemy" in exercises AF4 and AF5 which will be against heavily defended opposition.

DAC to make debut on Isometric ILU

Distributed Adaptive Computing (DAC) is the latest new technology (and acronym) to enter DDS service and will make it's debut on an Isometric ILU later this year. DAC as developed to try and reduce the degrading of ship abilities due to battle damage. With DAC damaged systems can be automatically diverted and their functionality taken over by alternative systems.

On a test rig the DDS demonstrated the power of DAC earlier this year. The tactical system was shut down to simulate battle damage yet the ship was able to fight on by automatically reassigning other systems to take over the tactical role. Of course the tactical ability was reduced but the ship was still able to defend itself whereas if the ship had been without DAC it would be defenseless.

DAC is expected to be a future part of all DDS combat ships though at the moment there are only plans to fit it to Isometric ILUs and the forthcoming Berlin class.

Rathun calls for DDS assistance

King Rathun's brutal regime is reported to have lost control in 3 provincial cities and a general strike has crippled the planet. Opposition parties have united to demand Rathun steps down, rioting is now a daily occurrence in Rathun's World's cities and the authorities are struggling to cope.


Its amazing what you can find if you Google search for "police brutality"

Rathun has requested the DDS assist with law and order, demanding DDS forces return to the planet from their mysterious sudden exercises on another planet. The DDS have said they cannot spare any forces at the moment but called upon both sides to call a truce and begin talks.


It is unlikely the situation on Rathun's World is like this

DDSAF news

The first F-10ASE has been rolled out and begun flight testing. This is an update of the F-10A(S) with numerous electronics and communications upgrades. It will also be able to operate the airborne version of the TPM-2 though this is not expected to be out until well into next year. All of the F-10A(S) fleet will receive the ASE upgrade over the next year.

The K-18D close support aircraft is proving a hit with DDSAF testers and DDS Army liaison. Three pre-production versions of type are now undergoing an intensive evaluation. The K-18D is a localised version of the Dino K-18. Two further pre-production examples are expected later in the Summer which will be compatible with the full DDSAF air to ground portfolio.

The atmosphere capable Ferret-G will come under the DDSAF though will almost certainly be operated mainly by the space fleet. The DDSAF have given the type the designation MQ-5B.

Current deployments (13/05/09)

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

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F161 Sea Of Tranquillity
F134 Mediterranean Sea
P131 Fighting Falcon
P134 Merlin
A144 Jetstar

Atomic Fist

C101 North America (flag)
C103 South America
C106 Africa
C108 Europa
C110 Eurasia
R101 Missileer
D101 Panther
F112 Holocene
F141 Sulu Sea
K107 Pliny
K112 Seneca
K119 Titus



E105 Fleming
A109 Flying Boxcar
A153 Butane

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS01 Kalanham (Arian ship)
F148 Solomon Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Rising Star

D151 Velocity (flag)
F110 Miocene
A150 Refinery

Force Starbot

D153 Progress (flag)
F152 Aral Sea II
F126 Mesozoic
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet



Remedian Border Protection Force

C125 Positron (flag)
(C122 Photon)
RS-DF1-03 (Raegris ship)
RS-DF1-05 (Raegris ship)
F131 Caspian Sea
A157 Pentane
DR182 Lord Verin
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DR188 Mira II
DR190 Lord Argrox II

Ships returning to HQ

F122 Permian

Dinos announce big upgrade of base facilities on Xi

Consul Cruggson has announced a 2.7 billion zark upgrade of base facilities on Xi to help strengthen the southern flank of the Dino Republic in the wake of the ABBO war. Forces allocated to Xi have already been strengthened but base facilities on the planet have remained rather neglected, that will now change with a major new Dinomark repair and fuelling facility and a new intelligence hub which will work with fixed and mobile intelligence assets.

A new army base will also be built on the planet and storage facilities for weapons and other equipment. On Xi's moon a communications array will be built and a Dinomark depot will also be built in orbit. Work will begin in the next few months with the majority of new bases available for use by 2112.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Small navies

Over the last few years we have seen a dramatic military build up in our region of the galaxy as all the major powers have been building new warships and also in some cases forming military alliances, especially in the shape of the DDS. Smaller powers have also been getting in on the act also with the DDS, especially, benefiting from the desire to build naval power.

However what are the navies of minor powers like Molab and Putri 500 for? Why are they buying Isometrics, Pentekonters and the like? At first glance it seems obvious, to defend against foreign aggression, but which aggression? Do Molab really expect that a handful of ships, never mind how good, can hope to survive against a HCS invasion fleet? How good would the Putri 500 fleet be against a mass ABBO attack (they used around 200 ships in the brief Dino-ABBO war and that is quite a small force for them).

The answer is these minor powers do not expect to hold against major foes but what buying into the DDS system does afford these powers is the potential to interoperate with the DDS and join with them in fighting off a major foe. Quite whether the DDS would assist Molab or Putri 500 is another question of course.

Their navies are effective against more minor foes and also general policing and sovereignty. A fleet can also give these minor powers some clout. Even though Molab would not win against the HCS it is likely a war would be costly for the Clones which then makes the strategic calculations more difficult and makes relations with rival powers more on a level footing. The presence of a fleet also gives the minor power more confidence and prestiege. That is why Molab and the like are throwing billions at their fleets, and the DDS are very glad they are!

UV141 : Cold Cock

• Back Four Or Five - Can Smellyson's CSS save Cruggson?...
• Back To The Future - Windy is tasked with saving the future of the DDS... so gives the job to Redjec...
• Resist Or Die - A HCS ship investigates Eritran terrorists....
• Crime Scene - Internal Affairs investigate the murder of a DDS officer....
• A World In Flames - The Oscar humans begin to fight back against the Clones....
• Certain Death - A day in the life of Henry....

Certain Death

A day in the life of Henry.

DDS Exports round-up

Molab have taken delivery of their 5th Pentekonter-E and have placed an order for a 7th. It is expected their order will be completed this year though Helinox's Pentekonter delivery date has been bought forward and they will receive their first ship this year. The minesweeper Pentekonter-EM has officially been added to the portfolio and will use an export version of DMS. Interestingly SPECNES will also be an option which means (probably cheekily) the DDS may try and sell this to the HCS who are struggling to build a new minesweeper.

Molab are still undecided about a 3rd Isometric-EMM which means only's Putri 500's order is currently outstanding. However 2 nations (who have not been named) are understood to be interested in the low-end Isometric and are currently negotiating on price and spec.

Putri 500's Velocity-E has begun construction and is likely to be delivered early next year. Putri may order a second example when they have had a chance to try out their ship.

Sirikwan buy 2 Type B freighters

Sirikwan have bought 2 ex-HCS Type B freighters off the Clones. The elderly ships, so old they transported equipment during the invasion of Earth in the New Rome war, were withdrawn from the HCS Space Navy 6 years ago and have remained in storage until now when the Clones finally decided to let them go.

The ships have been bought for just 24 million zarks though it is thought more of the cost is included in an offset for Sirikwanese submarine technology. The Clones will refuel and refit the ships to enable them to operate for the delivery journey to Sirikwan where they will receive a more extensive refit. The Sirikwanese intend to use these ships for about 5 years until they will be replaced by Provider-Es.

Revolt on Rathun's World

Rathun's World has been a powerkeg for some time now, last year the DDS were almost drawn into a situation where they had to fire on UNP citizens when King Rathun invoked the mutual defence pact. Since then the DDS have told Rathun and the rebels to talk however these talks broke down last month due to irreconcilable differences i.e. King Rathun wants to remain in charge and the rebels want him hanging from a lamp post. Now there has begun a campaign of civil disobedience and protest.


Police meet the peace protesters

The DDS have taken steps to make sure they arn't involved in any unpleasant internal affairs this year. The DDS garrison on Rathun's World mysteriously departed en masse last month for training on Saeou 6. So would be unable to assist and kill innocent citizens on behalf of a sadistic and brutal dictator who, when he was a DDS soldier, ran away when in danger and left his comrades to a lingering and agonising death at the hands of the HCS. Other than that the DDS are happy to help.

Bolitic build base on Vosun planet

Melsan 90510 is a pretty unknown planet to the DDS but it is (now) the second planet in the Vosun Star Empire (don't laugh). The Vosunites have kindly agreed to let their Bolitic allies place a base on the planet including ship refuelling and maintenance facilities and a garrison of up to 5000 Bolitic soldiers.

This matters because Melsan is very strategically situated to strike the Raegris Union including the Velocity-N shipyard on Jikustik and the Raegris Central District. The Raegris have strengthened patrols in the area of their space nearest to Melsan. At the moment only a couple of Bolitic ships have been reported on Melsan which is likely just being maintained as a strategic option for now.

Dinos to review military

Consuls Cruggson and MBH (who made a now rare visit to Dino-Land) have announced a major review of the Dino armed forces. Cruggson said that after a conflict it was always a good idea to review how the armed forces had performed and see if anything needs to be improved.

It is expected that intelligence and reconnaissance are areas the review, which will be chaired by Senator GBH, will especially look at. These are areas the Dinos have already thought were weak. Its known that all weapon systems performed at least as expected or beyond that during the war against the ABBOs though tactics may be reviewed.

There are also rumours a new kind of larger Dinomark, larger than the PT/NG/XT but not as much as the RS, is being looked at to act as a battle group leader. The review will report by the end of the year.

Sea Of Tranquility Addenda 09A

The 2 Sea Of Tranquility 43D frigates (and the 3rd example currently in final building) will all receive modifications and improvements known as SOT Addenda 09A. This is common for a new type and basically involves including new system versions that were not ready for the ship's introduction into service and also modifications to rectify issues found during the ship's initial operation.

The major problem is with the ship's reactor fuel mix. The SOT has a new type which is more efficient than the type used in older Isometrics (though will be retrofitted to all Type 43s at some stage), at high speed the new mixer got overloaded due to imperfections in the build. An improved mixer will be installed on both ships in service (F161 Sea Of Tranquility is currently in Force Voth, the new part will be sent out on the next ship sent to the squadron).

Around 43 other issues are also being dealt with, mostly software upgrades. Improvements to the tactical data multiplexor and passive sensors will also be made. Each update will only take a few hours. Indeed F162 Sea Of Serenity has already been updated and F161 has had all updates apart from the mixer.

Character of the week : Quarz (Updated)

Quarz (pronounced Quartz) is probably the wimpiest person in history. The slightest danger sends him into a quivering wreck and a seemingly endless supply of shit. He is known as the "Sewage Plant" by his peers. The smell of shit seems to always be following him around. Quarz was amazingly the captain of the Isometric for a few years despite being the biggest loser in history (or so Redjec claims), a job he liked as its one of the fastest ships in the fleet and thus could retreat very quickly indeed...

Quarz has a number of enemies, most notably Redjec who has dedicated his existence to the downfall and crushing of Quarz. Windscorpion also has terrorised Quarz sexually for years, Quarz's greatest fear is that he will become the plaything and toy of The Windy One...

Delicate Flower was the closest Quarz had to a friend and ally, unfortunately for Quarz Delicate Flower is also aiming to pack Quarz up the ass. He has saved Quarz from death and worse fates many times though never managed to get Quarz to stay long enough in his quarters in order for them to "do the dirty". Perhaps the fact DF liked wearing a rubber gimp outfit with crotch cutaway had something to do with it.

The Hoods finally killed DF leaving Quarz vulnerable. However then DF's sister Crystal Ribbon came to save Quarz, unfortunately for Quarz CR is so demented and weird she makes DF look ordinary. Following a period out of favour during the Late Rotarios regime Quarz has now been given the command of a Friendship class transport though Windy is still said to have big plans for him.

Tensions rise over Oscar

Tensions between the DDS and HCS have risen again following the resumed insurgency against HCS forces on Oscar and the massacre of human villagers by the IG. The DDS have condemned the Clones for their "brutal crimes" and in return the DDS have been condemned for supplying weapons to the insurgency. An interesting point to note is that the DDS have stopped denying it.

Ambassador Sleeze has said humans are welcome to live on Oscar in peace though also said a battalion of Zone troops would be soon coming to Oscar to assist with security.

Shark class completed

The 25th and final Shark class frigate has been delivered to the HCS Space Navy. Construction of the class was amazingly fast with the bulk of the 25 built in just 1 calendar year. This was due to the urgent need to replace withdrawn Kalahati Tuul classics and KT2s, of course this urgency was generated by the fact the Shark class was delayed for so long thus the ships it was intended to replace wore out before it could arrive to fill the gap (a similar fiasco now which has befallen the minesweeping fleet).

However that is now the past and the HCSSN are very happy with the Shark. Work is now underway for the follow-on Thresher class which will be a larger and more capable ship based on the Shark design.

A World In Flames

The Oscar humans begin to fight back against the Clones.

Character Of The Week : Ayatollah Clone XE (Updated)

For many years Ayatollah Clone XE was the spiritual leader of the Clones and the head of the Church of Oojok. Then he incurred the wrath of The Windscorpion when he executed Windy's boyfriend live on TV (a form of reality TV popular on Cloneworld : Celebrity Firing Squad). XE was forced to fake his own death and was resurrected as Akiwati.

When Oojok was usurped by the secular forces of the Triumvirate Akiwati went underground again. This time he thought long enough to resume his true identity of XE. He formed a terrorist group known as the Sword Of Truth that was dedicated to overthrowing the evil of the secular regime. To that end his men flew airliners into buildings, set off suicide bombs and mortar attacks. The SOT campaign died out as Captain Clone and the Friar cracked down on security on Cloneworld.

Then XE had a route back to power. MBH began a secret project, with his SS-CINT linking up with remnants of the RP and SOT to restore Oojok back to the Clone Star Empire. Using manipulation and mind control Captain Clone was persuaded to allow a return of the teaching of Oojok and the return of Oojok as a ceremonial head of the empire. The Friar was increasingly marginalised. Then XE set his most devious plan yet. He got Windscorpion to believe that The Friar was XE and he had escaped death all this time by pretending to be The Friar. Windy snatched The Friar who is now enjoying a long painful and grisly death. XE then came out of the shadows as the new spiritual head of Oojok Madness though is pretending to be a fake masquerading as XE so that the proles do not know what Windy did to the real one (Friar) who wasn't really XE.

Confusing we know but no more than the average Colombian soap opera.

Terran Space Defence Service finally disbanded

The Terran Space Defence Service (TSDS) has finally been disbanded after nearly 70 years though for the last few decades it's role has largely been taken by the DDS. The TSDS was set up in 2041 when the UN bought together the 3 existing space forces on Terra (the USAF Space Combat Command, Royal Space Force and People's Liberation Space Army) to form a multi-national space defence force to defend Terra.

In the early 2040s the TSDS bought it's first major combat ships the huge Titan class battlecruisers. By the standards of today they were huge and lumbering beasts, only capable of around 10c with a crew of 400, armed with nuclear missiles and primitive chemical lasers. Three of the five Titans built were lost, and the later Charon and Phoebus class battlecruisers also suffered a notable loss rate though all losses were due to accidents not enemy action. This was the time before defence shields and CIWS, careful mapping and early warning of objects. An object the size of a pebble could destroy a ship if it hit it at FTL speed. Calculating a safe journey at FTL took days of computation and deep scans, a process done in seconds now.

The TSDS also had a number of sub-light orbital policing craft and it was these it retained as the large cruisers were withdrawn and the DDS took over interstellar duties. This policing role will now be taken over by a UNP Space Police Agency with DDS support.

HCS deny reprisals on Oscar

Following a devastating attack, thought to have been a truck bomb, on a HCS camp which left nearly 40 HCS soldiers dead it has been reported a battalion of the new IG (Imperial Guard) slaughters dozens of human villagers in a reprisal. The HCS have denied this but said some humans were accidentally killed in the battle with the insurgents.

The IG is the replacement for the Religious Police and has only recently been declared operational. They are in charge of internal security and counter-espionage, a role similar to the Dino SS. Though the IG is as yet still a small organisation with only a few 1000 troops. The SS by comparison is more powerful than most military powers on it's own.

Ronald celebrates 60th anniversary of first contact mission

In his first major public appearance since stepping down as Consul (and thus becoming a regular guy) Senator Ronald has led celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the beginning of Operation Tel'yahor Nuagg (Long Contact). This was the daring mission from Dino-Land to Earth to initiate first contact with the Hewmons. Ronald (then known as Takola) led the expedition which took some 9 months to reach the Sol system (it takes around 12 days to go between the two planets nowadays). The Ronald led expedition then spent several months monitoring Earth before initiating contact on January 1st 2051.

It was a very different time, human activity in space was in it's infancy with Proxima 7 still a barely populated outpost. First contact changed the histories of both the Dinos and Hewmons, Ronald returned to Dino-Land a hero and soon took over from the corrupt boy-buggering drug addict Juliawaki (otherwise he was great) to begin his first glorious reign as Dino Emperor. Dino technical assistance also greatly helped Hewmon space engines and soon the Hewmons were able to develop engines that could take them to their colonies in weeks instead of months and years. The UNP was set up several years later when colonies began to become independant of Earth.

In return Hewmon culture had an unexpected effect on the Dinos including their names. Dougson's early translation machine made a real hash of trying to convert Dinoese names into English. Takola was translated into Ronald for example which Ronald at the time did not enjoy that much thinking that Ro-Nald made him sound like a toilet disinfectant. However these names stuck.

EA-X begins full field test

The new energy absorbent layer EA-X is still on track to begin full production in Q1 2110 but will be fitted to 2 Panther destroyers over the next couple of months as they receive their Panther Enhanced Capability Update 2109 (PECU09). The 2 Panthers have not yet been revealed but are likely to be whatever ships are undergoing their update when the material becomes available. Fitting a EA-X layer will add 3 days to the update, EA-X is applied as a paste which is then subjected to high intensity rays. The Panthers will not look any different though officially will be around 4-5mm bigger!

EA-X is intended as a last line of defence to allow a ship to absorb the energy from a weapon strike in the advent of shields failing. EA-X 1.0 can take a full shot from a medium level energy weapon such as the secondary armament on a Pulsar or a Molentic Tuul's main weapons. Energy then needs to be bled off (which takes a few seconds) before the next strike can be absorbed. Future versions of EA-X should be able to absorb more energy, the DDS are also working on using the absorbed energy in a ship's own weapons.

Fleet news (05/05/09)

Two more Coril 79B shuttles have been delivering which will relieve the pressure on the depleted DDS shuttle/VIP fleet, A574 Witchdoctor and A575 Ronald have already entered service. The original order for the type has been increased to 12.

The first 2 Thames 75B class transports have also been delivered, these are improved versions of the Friendship 75A class which is officially for UNP communication duties though have been heavily used by the DDS for their own missions.

Pangaea 62A class amphibious warfare ships L117-120 have been cancelled which means the 2 current hulls being built by the Clones will be the last built (these will be L115-116). Instead the DDS are likely to purchase up to 8 SX-98 docking ships though the order has not yet been made.

Operation Rising Star

Three DDS ships have joined a Raegris exercise known as Rising Star. The short exercise which will only last a couple of weeks will develop interoperability between the DDS and Raegris fleets and train the Raegris against an equal foe. The 2 DDS combat ships taking part are to be the "enemy" in a number of training exercises. The ships in the DDS part of the deployment are :

D151 Velocity (flag)
F110 Miocene
A150 Refinery

The exercises will take place in Remedian space near Loeuss (and it is expected though not confirmed yet that Dino forces based on Loeuss will also take part). After Rising Star ends the 3 DDS ships will take over the DDS part of the Remedian Border Protection Force which is now being steadily reduced, the minesweeping squadron recently returning to Solaris.

Current deployments (05/05/09)

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

Force Voth

D107 Lynx (flag)
F161 Sea Of Tranquillity
F134 Mediterranean Sea
P131 Fighting Falcon
P134 Merlin
A144 Jetstar

Atomic Fist

C101 North America (flag)
C103 South America
C106 Africa
C108 Europa
C110 Eurasia
R101 Missileer
D101 Panther
F112 Holocene
F141 Sulu Sea
K107 Pliny
K112 Seneca
K119 Titus
E105 Fleming
A109 Flying Boxcar
A153 Butane

Ensuring Passage

F108 Eocene (flag)
D101 Panther
R105 Grenadier
AS01 Kalanham (Arian ship)
F122 Permian
F148 Solomon Sea
A142 Stratotanker

Rising Star

D151 Velocity (flag)
F110 Miocene
A150 Refinery

Force Starbot

D153 Progress (flag)
F152 Aral Sea II
F126 Mesozoic
A141 Extender
+ Starbotian fleet

Remedian Border Protection Force

C125 Positron (flag)
RS-DF1-03 (Raegris ship)
RS-DF1-05 (Raegris ship)
F131 Caspian Sea
A157 Pentane
DR182 Lord Verin
DR187 Remedia Prime II
DR188 Mira II

Ships returning to HQ

A151 Gasoline
F119 Precambrian
M104 Hesiod
M107 Orpheus

Insurgency erupts on Oscar

If the HCS thought occupying Oscar would be peaceful they are mistaken, after a few months quiet human insurgents have begun a serious campaign against HCS forces. In the first attack an F-40 was shot down with a SAM, later on 2 Tapir IFVs were destroyed by IEDs while on patrol. Following that were a number of other attacks by a shadowy enemy who are well trained and have advanced weapons.

Indeed the HCS have accused the DDS of supplying the insurgents. The DDS replied that the insurgents must be using weapons left behind or discarded by the OTA.

New style UNP Star Map enters trial

The UNP have developed a new 2D Star Map with a greater degree of accuracy and zooming. The new map is now available on the galactic internet and shall replace the old style map once it completes it's beta test programme.

DDS to hold exercise with Raegris

The DDS have announced they will hold an exercise with the Raegris later this month. Around 4 ships will take part in the exercise, as yet un-named, along with a Raegris battle squadron. It is thought the ships will carry out joint exercises in Remedian space thus allowing Raegris ships from the Remedian Border Protection Force to take part.

Remedian Police Kalahati Tuul2s may act as the "enemy" in 1 of the exercises.

Crime Scene

Internal Affairs investigate the murder of a DDS officer.

Panther Enhanced Capability Update 2109

The Panther fleet is to receive improvements under Panther Enhanced Capability Update 2109 (PECU09). This will bring the whole fleet up to the improved Panther 35A2 standard as introduced with D110 Topcat. There will also be further improvements too to keep the Panther at the cutting edge.

• TM-07A-J engine, boosting dash speed to 1125c and cruise to 980c
• Z5ti cannon with multi-mode
• iSAS-PAN attack system
• Info Warfare Center (IWC)
• Combat Ware 2.0 support
• Improved computer systems and databus increasing bandwidth and speed
• Compatibility with MRM and latest TPM-2
• Modifications to docking bay to improve flexibility
• Dozens of other tweaks and fixes

Each update will take around 4-5 days and will be carried out as the ships receive refits at the end of their current deployments.

Two Pentekonters transferred to Aritans

Pentekonters P115 Pausanias and P117 Herodotus have left the DDS fleet and been transferred to the Aritans. They will join the 2 existing Pentekonters currently operated by the Aritans on a joint-Arit/Artic ownership basis. Some localisation will be required but mostly to physical surfaces (Aritans need very strange toilets) as DDS user interfaces are already customisable to Aritan needs.

Two ships each will also been given to the Sirikwanese and Vothites.

Oojok returns as Emperor... sort-of

Oojok has been restored as Emperor of the Clone Star Empire, though this time a purely ceremonial role with power officially in the hands of the Ruling Council but defacto in the hands of Captain Clone. However Oojok is only Emperor of part of the empire, Benito has refused to acknowledge Oojok and instead has begun moves to make himself Emperor of the eastern part of the CSE.

A dual-monarchy may be the way forward as the two halves of the empire slowly drift apart. Oojok will be invested later this month.