174/3

Under The Lash
The DDS come under Bolitic attack (Ash Death P3)

174/2

Hyper Reality
Both the DDS and Dinos begin their respective missions (Ash Death P2)

HCS to develop "cold rocket" for Gale-IV/CSM2

The one Achilles Heel in the Clone Space Missile system is with the booster stage, despite countermeasures the Gale-III derived booster is a rocket and thus is a large IR source. Current DDS tactics call for the missile being targeted in this first stage where it is vulnerable before it enters space and cloaks. The HCS think they can solve this with a new form of chemical rocket which gives off a cold flame and has very little IR and indeed optical signature.

Funding has been given to a Clone science lab to field test this new technology by 2115. If successful then it will be a major part of the next generation HCS ICBM (the Gale-IV) and also form a key part of the planned next generation interstellar missile the CSM2 planned for the early 2120s.

DDS give show of support to Free Eritran States

The DDS have given a show of support to Molab and the other Free Eritran States and have accelerated plans for a joint exercise with Molab to February or March. Deputy DDS Commander Shiner said that any aggression against DDS allies would be a "mistake". He called on the HCS to end talk of expansion and threats. The Clones again repeated that they have not threatened Molab or any other named state.

The DDS were planning a joint exercise with Molab for late in 2112 or early 2113 but will now do so much earlier in the war. Details of the exercise have not yet been revealed.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Are the Clones going to war?

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The sudden sabre-rattling by the Clones, calls for expansion and fleet redeployments has caught the galaxy off-guard. It genuinely seems to have come out of nowhere. Its as if Oojok lost his usual speech and so ad libbed something about "living space" and events then took a life of their own. His speech caught the HCS out especially, as their amphibious forces are probably at their lowest readiness for years because of some upgrades being carried out to the Intruder fleet and new equipment being bought for key amphibious units (such as the T-55ZDM2).

So are the Clones heading for war? Should Molab really be fearing an invasion? Even with the chaos of reorganisation the existing HCS amphibious force dwarfs anything most other powers can put together at the moment (except for the hyper powers like the Tarbotians of course) so the HCS could invade Molab though they would be without much in the way of a reserve if things went wrong and many of their first line units are currently unavailable.

Of course the HCS could just aim to attack in space, however that is not how the HCS like to do things. They don't like to attack an enemy and just leave his fleet in ruins, they like to invade and conquer and annex. The HCS could wage a space war against the Molab, they would win but the price would be likely to be high thanks to Molab's DDS imports. The Clones would then look at their ravaged fleet and an uninvaded foe and ask where is the beef?

So no i don't think the Molabites should be hiding their royal family in bunkers yet, the Clones are months away from being ready for any war. If they did curtail their amphibious reorganisation though and send the 1st Armoured Brigade (the elite of the HCS and the key amphibious unit) to Austini 55 though then it probably would be time to worry.

HCS ramp up pressure with ship redeployments

The HCS Space Navy have announced that the 7th Attack Wing will be redeploying to Austini 55 from Randalf 74 next month. The force, which includes 4 Kelsan KS bombers, will be stationed at the capital of the CSE-E for at least 6 months for "training and operational purposes". Molab and the other Free Eritran States are taking it as a sign that the Clones are planning an attack.

The Clones however have denied that Molab is a target. "We have had improving relations with the Molabites so why would we be their enemies again now?" Marcus the Deputy Emperor of the CSE-E said at a media briefing today.

• Consul Jimmy, in what may be his final public address before he steps down at the end of the month, has called on the HCS to be mindful of causing "discord". Jimmy also called on the new Bolitic Emperor Melson to "act like a sovereign leader and not the boss of a gang of interstellar thugs".

Molab goes on high alert

Molab has put its fleet and army on the highest alert and called the other Eritran Free States for an emergency meeting after Oojok said the Clone Star Empire needed to expand. Although Oojok did not say Molab and the Eritran Free States would be a target analysts were quick to point out it was one of the more likely areas. "Lets face it, if you had to choose between attacking the DDS and Molab what would you choose?!" a UNP analyst who wished to remain unnamed said.

The DDS, who have not gone on alert, have also said that the CSE should be mindful of not escalating tensions in the galaxy. The Clones have replied that other powers are too quick to assume the Clones are warmongers. "The Clones are a peaceful people, it says more about other nations that they assume expansion means war." a spokesclone said, though he did not elaborate.

Oojok wants CSE to continue to expand

In an end of year address Emperor Oojok of the Clone Star Empire-West has said that the empire to continue to expand. "Stagnation is our great enemy." he said, "It breeds contentment, laziness and sloth which in turn leads to decadence and decay." Its unknown yet though where the CSE-W can expand into, however the CSE-E under Benito has more scope for expansion though it would likely involve war with the Free Eritran States.

Benito was on Cloneworld for talks with Oojok and attended the speech though did not address the audience, comprising the top clones in the empire. It is thought that Oojok would not have made his remarks without informing Benito beforehand thus it may be that Benito himself is also eyeing more territory. Relations between the 2 sides of the empire are currently very good which means that Oojok would be easily willing to aid assistance to any military adventures by Benito.

DDS to upgrade orbital defences

The DDS have announced an early Christmas present for orbital defences across key points in the DDS. Orbital docks around Proxima 7, Proxima 5, Solaris, Terra and Liberation will all receive weapon upgrades in a 1.4 billion zark programme over the next 2 years. All stations will receive a new TPM-2 launcher that can fire up to 4 missiles per second, Z6ti turrets, improved tactical computers and enhanced internal security.

Chief of Operations Knobhead said that static defence was a vital part of the DDS equation. "If our bases are strong enough to stand tall then it means we need less ships tied up defending them and instead they can be used hitting the enemy elsewhere."

The 2011 DDS Christmas Quiz

So how well do you know your DDS Universe? Take this quiz to find out if you are a member of the Triad or Trojan Warlord's underpant ironer...

Q1) The Indie is...
a) A development of the Panther
b) A planet in the UNP
c) A new DDS super warrior who doesn't take any smeg

Q2) Who took over the SS for a period earlier in the year?
a) Gibson
b) Ronald
c) Solax

Q3) Where did SS Isometric perform a reconnaissance earlier in the year?
a) The ABBOs
b) Clone Star Empire
c) Bolitic Confederacy

Q4) Who was kidnapped earlier in the year during a bungled heist?
a) Ronald
b) Quarz
c) Craig Thomas

Q5) Who is the head of DDS Technology?
a) Dr Forbidden
b) Knobhead
c) Sea Urchin

Q6) What is SS-CINT?
a) Counter intelligence / espionage force
b) Military unit of the SS
c) Magazine for lonely SS stormtroopers

Q7) Who kidnapped the Proximan Defence Minister?
a) Bolitic
b) Tarbotians
c) PRB

Q8) What rank in the Bolitic Confederacy is Joshi now?
a) Squire
b) Baron
c) Knight

Q9) Who unexpectedly became an in-law of Windscorpion?
a) AP
b) Truman
c) Oojok

Q10) What is Yeng?
a) Part of the DTA
b) A Dino Senator
c) A ship in the DDS fleet

Q11) Who shocked the DDS by resigning and becoming a free agent?
a) AP
b) Windscorpion
c) SFX

Q12) How come Megara is back from the dead?
a) He faked his own death
b) He was bought here from an alternative reality by a being from the future
c) Its someone else in a mask

Q13) Who won the Consul election this year?
a) Ronald
b) AP
c) Oojok

Q14) Who took over Jimmy's special operations unit from the deceased ZBH?
a) Crickson
b) Solax
c) Ralph

Q15) What is Corkscrew?
a) Forthcoming DDS warship
b) New DDS character
c) A military exercise involving the DDS and Raegris

Q16) The scientist kidnapped by the Tarbotians was
a) Dr Forbidden
b) Trojan Warlord
c) Professor Collins

Q17) Under the new DDS type name scheme frigates are now known as
a) Medium Combat Ships
b) Light Space Escorts
c) Destroyers

Q18) Who destroyed a HCS ship near Molab?
a) Molab
b) 7 Sa Sao
c) An as-yet unidentified alien race

Q19) Who is the Minister of the DTA in the Dino Senate?
a) GBH
b) MBH
c) Ronald

Q20) Who is the DDS Commander?
a) Windscorpion
b) Trojan Warlord
c) AP

You can see the answers below but please do not peek! After you have checked you can then see how well you did by our rating...

17-20 Right answers - You are ready to join the elite, Windy needs a new valet...
13-17 Right answers - Pretty good, a career in DDS middle management beckons.
9-12 Right answers - Useless, get back to some revision.
4-8 Right answers - You obviously did not pay attention, you will be taken in hand by TTG for... re-education.
0-3 Right answers - O Hai Trojan Warlord, hadn't you get busy masturbating and hating yourself?

Answers
1a 2b 3a 4a 5c 6a 7c 8b 9b 10a 11b 12b 13a 14c 15a 16c 17a 18c 19a 20c

174/1

Incest In Paradise
Windy has a new mission (Ash Death P1)

DDS considering move from GHQ

The DDS are considering a radical departure from their existing estate strategy which would entail closing GHQ (and selling off the land) and opening a new GHQ on Proxima 4. These plans have come to light since the near disaster at GHQ following a plane crash, although the DDS are going to move their nuclear fuel storage from GHQ anyway they are now considering moving the nerve centre of the DDS completely. One major reason for the idea is an interim valuation of the land which GHQ occupies of 17.3 billion zarks. The current plans being considered entail:

• Moving command, crisis management and data processing to a new facility on Proxima 4. The planet can sustain life though is fairly marginal and thus the new GHQ would require an enclosed environmental sphere. This however would aid security in many ways, the proximity of GHQ to Hexian City has always caused problems in this area. A new orbital station would become the new DDS transport hub.
• Non-military departments, like DDS Payroll & HR Services, would remain on Proxima 7 but move to commercial offices across the planet.
• Weapon and waste storage would move to new facilities on Proxima 7's moon Luna.
• A new airbase would be built at Hexian City's airport for air defence and transportation needs.

A decision on whether to proceed with early planning to more structured and details plans will not be made until the new year.

UV173 : Under Huge Pressure

• Conflict 69 - Rathun's terrorists strike again (PRB P6)
• Power Of Dreams - Windy closes in on Rathun's terrorists (PRB P7)
• What Already? - Can Windy save the Minister? (PRB P8)
• Who Next? - Who will be the new SS Commander? (To Lead The SS P1)
• The Probe! - The Liberals get their candidate (To Lead The SS P2)
• Precision Chef! - Can Pircasa survive the election? (To Lead The SS P3)
• TTG Xmas - Santa TT

Q&A with Sea Urchin, the head of DDS Technology

Sea Urchin is the head of DDS Technology and thus is in charge of the technical powerhouses behind the force including DDS Engineering and DDS Research. He gave the following Q&A with the technical media:

Q : When will EA-X become common-place in the fleet?
A : We are rolling it out as fast as we can, all new ships since the late Summer have had it though our production facilities are still not sufficient to retroactively apply to existing ships yet. A new factory is currently being built on Liberation and when that is online late next year we hope to then get going with applying the energy absorbent layer to the rest of the fleet. It will still take a number of years though.

Q : Two legacy platforms, Pulsar and the Kalahati Tuul, have been withdrawn this year. One major reason being the higher maintenance cost of older ships. Is the Starsystem also under threat?
A : No, the Starsystems will still be in service at the end of this decade. Unlike the Pulsars the Starsystems are secondary assets and so are not pushed as hard as the Pulsars were. This eases the wear and tear and lessens the need for maintenance. If we got rid of the Starsystems then we would need some ships for the training and R&D role anyway so there would be no saving. If, for example, we redesignated some Isometrics then we would need to build new MCS to replace them. No i think that will have to wait until we have plenty of Corkscrews.

Q : How much work is being put into traditional propulsion now that worm-drive is here?
A : Not quite as much but still a heavy investment. Our focus has changed though, no longer are we striving for as much power as possible but now we are more interested in efficiency and ease of maintenance. The next generation of engines will reflect these changes of focus.

Q : We know that the Dinos and Clones have more or less worked out how to protect against TPM-1 and other powers are probably close too, are you worried about TPM-2 being negated soon? 
A : Not worried, it is obviously a strategic concern but no weapon remains invincible for ever. The key thing to note though is that no one has worked out how to shield against a phasing weapon rather they have developed stratagems to trick the phasing mechanism or have spaced shields to limit damage. We are working on negating both of these defences both through a more active phasing mechanism, dephasing countermeasures and higher yields. I am confident our weapons will remain effective well into the future.

Q : The new generation of Bolitic info-weapons seems to have defeated DDS defences lately, is this a concern?
A : No, as with the last question the battle between the designers of offensive weapons and defensive counters never ends. We are also working on our next generation of IWC and will be rolling out an interim cyber security enhancement DDS wide early in the new year.

Q : When will the DDS field offensive cyber weapons?
A : Maybe we have already [laughs]? It remains a secret of course but i can say that we are working on a  range of cyber warfare options.

Q : What piece of technology a foreign power possesses do you wish the DDS had?
A : The Tarbotian EMP weapons they used to destroy the ABBOs are highly interesting. We have been analysing telemetry and sensor data and also some ABBO "carcasses" but haven't worked out yet how they managed to make their EMP weapons quite so deadly. It would be a useful weapon to have in our arsenal of course.

Dino view : A split is on the cards

Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security Council

I've been tracking the possibility of a breakaway Bolitic faction for some time now though i assumed that the end of the War of Succession would bring the barons who have their power base off Castarian back into the fold. However it seems it hasn't, Baron Erinthorn who bought together 8 major houses and 27 satellite houses back in March into a pact of "mutual cooperation" is understood to have refused an order of tribute to the Emperor.

I've thought this might happen for years, in the old days all the major houses were based on Castarian with only outcast small houses and depots of large houses being off world but the trend for major houses to move away mostly to Relia Magnus has begun to destabilise the Bolitic state.

So what if Erinthorn and his pact members split away? It is actually very serious for the Bolitic Emperor. Despite the huge war losses the Bolitic Confederacy is still a major power but a split will mean around 40% of the Bolitic armed forces and territory will be lost. The remaining Bolitic Confederacy will be reduced to being an upper second-rank power, a Raegris instead of a DDS.

So what can Melson do? Sending a fleet there would be difficult, his major supporters are still rebuilding and his own fleet would not be enough to take on Erinthorn and his pact. Diplomacy makes Melson seem weak and brings Erinthorn to the same level as the Emperor, if Melson did this he might as well kill himself right there and then to save an assassin the bother. Melson could seek to break up Erinthorn's pact, as the Bolitic are generally a selfish and treacherous lot there is no doubt plenty of scope to weaken Erinthorn's hand. This might spark off a civil war though which the Bolitic could do without though.

Maybe Melson's best bet is propaganda, threats and simply ignoring Erinthorn and just hope an external threat or opportunity comes along soon. Only one thing truly can bring the Bolitic together, hatred of infidels and to the Bolitic we are all infidels.

Fleet News (15/12/11)

• Just 1 ship has been completed before the holiday shutdown, H126 Intrepid is the latest Indy 35B to join the fleet.
• H102 Jaguar has been fitted with wormdrive.
• The DDS have revised the 2112/3 Ship Building Plan adding another Indy 35B, this does mean the overall number of the fleet has now been risen to an eventual 9. The finalised plan will be issued in the New Year.

Balgason sworn in

Balgason has been sworn in as the new SS Commander and has taken an oath before joining the Senate of the Dino Republic. Consul Jimmy presided over the ceremony, his last official act before he stands down in favour of Ronald on January 1. Balgason promised he would renew the SS, push for greater funding and bring a harder more professional edge. It is thought also that he will outlaw the speaking in a faux-German accent which many SS have adopted over the years (though has been in decline).

Balgason also said all SS would renew their vow of loyalty to Ronald (whom he referred to as "the living God")  and also MBH, though he did not refer to the Chosen One by name instead made frequent references to "the Two Headed Pheonix" which is what many SS call Ronald and MBH who they regard as the true rulers of the Dinos (with all over senior Dinos being irrelevant).

• F-45A production has officially ended after a 25 plane order for the Cloneworld HCSNAS (Naval air arm) was canceled. To keep the production line occupied until retooling for the F-45C begins in 2113 (with production in 2114) the first production builds of the A (Builds 6 and 7) will be upgraded to the later standard (Build 9). Around 182 aircraft will be upgraded. Improvements will include IR sensors, fuel systems and some internal arrangements to ease maintenance.

Winter Candle ends, DDS begin shutting down for Christmas

The final exercise of the year Winter Candle has ended with a special forces "raid" in the Rim Worlds. The ships in the deployment are now returning to base. Other patrols and deployments are also running down ready for Christmas.

This holiday period will be much happier for the DDS this year who were in the middle of a desperate war with the ABBOs this time last year. Indeed the battle for Delta 9 was raging last December with heavy land fighting and space bombardments taking place. The DDS was also in turmoil with New Arit leaving the DDS to join the DTA a year ago today.

Commander AP, before he left for his holiday, said that the DDS was in the process of healing and also becoming stronger than ever. "2111 will be a good year for us though it did start badly of course. I am confident however that 2112 will be a year of renewal, strengthening and refocusing more on the new astralpolitical environment rather than the immediate post-war."

Dino View : Changes at the top

Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security Council

The recent election victories of Ronald and Balgason have thrown the political battlesphere of the Dino Republic into chaos. Old alliances are now obsolete and new alliances are being eagerly sought. As expected Ronald and MBH will remain the top 2 but behind them its all change...

Ronald's Consul victory returns Imperial Order to the top table though the victory of Balgason gives MBH control over both the SS and SS-CINT and thus in a very powerful position in the Republic. Balgason will join the Dino Senate and give MBH a third vote (though Imperial Order still have 4).

The Liberals have been further diminished though Pircasa seems back in the fold now and as Deputy SS Commander will give Jimmy's party some influence (though not a Senate vote). If El Diablo commits fully to the Liberals then Jimmy has 3 votes too though he has said he prefers to be an independent aligned to the Liberal Party for the moment.

When Balgason joins the Senate there will be 12 members (the maximum size Ronald has always wanted). None of the three parties have enough to gain a majority thus there will need to be plenty of horse trading from now on, and the small number of independents will be able to gain a serious amount of power!

Balgason wins SS Commander election

MBH's candidate Tribune Balgason has won the SS Commander election with 51.2% of the vote following a hectic last couple of days electioneering which saw the previous frontrunner Roscoe's support drop to 29.3%. A mysterious accident where Roscoe's campaign HQ was destroyed by a bomb that appears to have been accidentally dropped from a passing SS Dinomark did not help his cause. Pircasa won 11% of the vote.

Roscoe is understood to have gone into hiding pursued by angry supporters, gloating opponents and a furious Ronald. His life expectancy has dropped somewhat. Balgason will be officially installed later this week and sworn into the Senate (SS Commander being a rank equivalent to Senator). Pircasa is likely to be made one of the two Deputy Commanders though Solax is probably going to be the other.

Balgason gave thanks to his God (Ronald), Master (MBH) and gimp (Thing That Does Not Deserve A Name).

173/6

Precision Chef!
Can Pircasa survive the election? (To Lead The SS P3)

Tarbotians to deploy 6 legions to Kantalda

The Tarbotians are reportedly building vast barracks facilities on Kantalda, the former ABBO homeworld and the planet which will be the capital of its new province from next year. It is rumoured that the entire Tarbotian 4th Army, some 6 legions of troops, will be moved there from New Tarbot from 2113 to 2115. There are also docking facilities being built in orbit to handle up to 120 ships.

The DDS declined to comment on this though they are naturally concerned at such a large amount of military force being assembled close to their border (though little DDS space actually borders the new Tarbotian territory, however a great deal of the Clone Star Empire does). The Clones are said to be considering strengthening its defences along the border.

• Voting has begun in the SS Commander election. Tribune Roscoe is the front runner though his lead is slim.

Pircasa enters SS election

SS-Centurion Pircasa has sensationally entered the SS Commander election, backed discreetly by the Liberal Party. Pircasa was once part of the Liberals' elite team commanded by the late ZBH but he sold out Jimmy and the Liberals in return for MBH's coin and helped facilitate MBH's Consul election success.

Pircasa was rewarded with a senior role in the SS though he fell out of favour with MBH and ended up, it is reported, at a remote SS listening station. Jimmy has used his Consul powers to return Pircasa to Dino-Town and enable him to stand in the election though as the Liberals are almost universally loathed by the SS the Liberal connection has been kept very much in the background.

Pircasa has opened with a decent poll rating over 10%, he appears to be splitting the vote between Roscoe and Balgason (though the latter is being affected more). Over 40% of SS personnel are said to be undecided, meanwhile supporters of Roscoe and Balgason are continuing their battle across Dino-Land.

XE wins backing for reborn religious armed force

The spiritual leader of the Clone Star Empire, Ayatollah Clone XE, has won backing from Oojok for a resurrected religious based armed force and more importantly has secured 270 million zarks to kickstart development of the force which will be known as the Oojok Holy Brigade or OHB. The OHB will be much smaller than the old, and controversial, Religious Police which formed a legion strength force with dedicated space ships at its height. The OHB will contain "6-10 regiments, mostly infantry but with at least one armoured regiment" according to insiders.

Whereas the old RP was intended as a "full spectrum" bolster to the regular HCS and ensure the "spiritual purity" of Clones the OHB will be mostly concerned with defending religious sites and providing a ceremonial and actual bodyguard to Oojok and senior clerics. It is possibly in future though that the OHB could provide a back-up for the regular HCS though this is thought unlikely for some time.

With a number of HCS regiments due for disbanding there will be plenty of potential trained recruits for the OHB which XE is hoping to have operational by 2113.

• Winter Candle, the final DDS exercise of 2111, has begun with 2 Panther 35As performing a 3 day reconnaissance mission with their tactical reconnaissance module with the task group flagship A304E Fleming performing real-time data analysis and direction.

173/5

The Probe!
The Liberals get their candidate (To Lead The SS P2)

Wayne King-Meiouf : Rebalancing the Clone defence budget

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The recent news that the Clones are urgently looking into recapitising their data network is no surprise to me as the HCS, since the end of the Clone Wars, has been pumping money into visible "sexy" weapon system projects and neglecting the vital yet boring infrastructure that holds everything together.

When the Clone economy recovered from its crippling shock after the war billions of zarks were spent on a new navy, a huge fleet of space ships, advanced new warplanes and weapon systems like the CSM. Spending on infrastructure was actually cut. This is the total opposite of the Clone defence budget during the Clone Wars. The Clones spent heavily on their infrastructure, often to the expense of new weapon systems.

This gave the HCS an infrastructure that was the envy of all, their Virtual Universe for example where the Clone Empire is represented virtually with every single weapon system down to the lowliness truck and missile continuously sending location and status information back to HCS GHQ so a real time map of the HCS is available at any one time. That infrastructure is now beginning to crumble, though the past heavy investment has at least meant the HCS have some time before it all collapses and sources indicate there is a genuine fear that it will...

Forget shiny warships and missiles, the most important component of a modern fighting force is information. That information is always multiplying as new systems come online with improved capabilities and hence enhanced data needs. The DDS reckons it needs to totally regenerate its data network every 10-15 years (and a vast project to do just that is currently ongoing). The HCS however have not kept their network up to date and its starting to show.

Regeneration is estimated to cost north of 30 billion zarks (and most likely over 40) because of the years of neglect, even the Clone Star Empire with its huge resources cannot afford that. So i am hearing the Clones are considering something a little different... and a lot cheaper.

The HCS are planning two new core networks based around the two capitals (Cloneworld and Austini 55) with the major planets in the empire connected by a new ultra-high bandwidth network. The existing network will remain in place with only necessary maintenance but upgrades via software such as improved data multiplexing and compression. A source told me the HCS think they can squeeze 15% more capacity out of the legacy network with these updates though i think these might be a bit ambitious. An improvement of 10% plus the new core backbone taking traffic away however will probably be enough to keep the HCS network viable until the 2140s. An estimated cost of this plan is said to be around 12-15 billion zarks.

A lot cheaper but still very expensive, some planned weapon systems are likely to face the chop or be downsized/delayed to allow for this money (which will be needed over a 6-8 year period if the Clones start next year - and they need to). This is not a bad thing though, the HCS will have a more balanced budget between toys and the vital glue which makes the toys work. It will be a bit painful in the short-medium term but in the long term will be a great benefit to the Clones.

Dino and HCS special forces to work together

The Dino (SS-D and CSS) and HCS (Red Lizard) special forces are to work together in a series of joint exercises and work towards a set of shared protocols and systems for future joint operations. The Dinos want to improve cross border security and interoperability and also invited the DDS though they declined (however they did say they might be interested in future).

A joint exercise will be carried out early next year, probably both in DTA and HCS territory. Consul Zanus said that the astralpolitical environment was getting ever more complicated, "Future threats are likely to affect more than one of the Central Powers thus i think we need to work towards how we will cooperate in such a situation."

• S201 Missileer and S202 Lancer have completed their upgrade to Missileer 21B standard and have been returned to the fleet. The remaining 2 21As S203/4 have now begun their upgrade and will be completed early next year.

NDAA cleared for production

The Next DDS Attack Aircraft (officially known as the A-12 but generally NDAA is used) has been cleared for production following extensive proving tests by the prototype fleet. Experience from the ABBO-Bolitic War was applied to the NDAA to refine the design ahead of these proving trials. The DDSAF say the NDAA, the first of 120 of which will enter service by the late Spring, will be a highly effective part of DDS air power.

NDAA is a light attack aircraft intended to fill the gap between the F-10S and LLAD and smaller UAS and COIN aircraft. One key role will be UAS direction, NDAA can operate with up to 6 drones providing targeting information and battlespace directives with its extensive communications and data filtering suite. One potential problem though is that the NDAA is a single seat aircraft and there are concerns about pilot workload though NDAA has been designed as an easy to fly and stable airframe that can be placed in a pseudo UAS mode during data intensive operations.

HCS Fleet News (05/12/11)

• A Cosmos CG and an Omiten TYJ oiler have joined the fleet.
• 2 Freighter TYA transports have been withdrawn.

SS election descends into violence

Consul-Elect Ronald has stood down as SS Commander, a post he was only intending to hold temporarily in any event, an election has been set for later in the month for the head of the SS role, which carries Senator equivalent rank and is truly one of the most powerful positions in the Dino state.

Two Tribunes have emerged as front runners in the election, Tribune Roscoe head of the SS Central District and 7th SS Infantry Brigade and Tribune Balgason head of the 4th SS Infantry Brigade. They both have powerful backing, Ronald is known to favour Roscoe and MBH Balgason. The election campaign has quickly turned ugly though with Balgason leading on attack on Roscoe's compound just outside Dino-Town which saw dozens of deaths and many more rapes.

It is rumoured Consul Jimmy wants a Liberal Party backed candidate too but at the moment its too close to call between Roscoe and Balgason with analysts saying either could win. Both are solid SS officers though both also have various skeletons. Roscoe is rumoured to have committed crimes against children and Balgason is half-Bolitic with an alleged blood link to the Emperor Melson.

Dinos developing MRM equivalent

The Dinos have not yet fully committed to joining the HCS and DDS in developing an interstellar strategic missile (though are interested) but they are developing a space launched missile with a range of up to 5 light years (the same as the DDS MRM). The Dinos have called their missile the GAM (Galactic Attack Missile) and will be deployable by Dinomark RS/PT/XTs and also Sirikwanese Pentekonters and Helwins. Sirikwan is a key partner in the project and has contributed 40% of project costs though the GAM will be available to all DTA members the Dinos said.

The Dinos said GAM is hoped to enter service by 2115 and its interstellar stage will be also the basis of a strategic missile for some time in the early 2120s, unlike MRM which shares little with LRM, if the Dinos decide to go ahead with this project.

173/4

Who Next?
Who will be the new SS Commander? (To Lead The SS P1)

HCS warned that communications infrastructure "on verge of collapse"

The HCS has been warned by its official inspectorate that the key communications network backbone of the HCS is suffering from years of lack of investment and unless urgent investment is made over the next 18 months could be the verge of collapse by around 2114.

At the height of the Clone Wars HCS communications systems were second to none, indeed the DDS used them as their model when they were recreating their systems after the Utrek War. However the Clone economic difficulties in the early 2100s saw various multi-billion zark projects to upgrade the systems cancelled and as data usages have risen the infrastructure has not kept apace, equipment has also become worn out. As the economy improved then money was diverted to "sexier" projects like the new navy and CSM rather than essential (though dull) infrastructure upgrades.

The HCS have begun to ration non-essential traffic during periods of  "peak usage" such as military exercises because the limit on capacity is being reached. Deputy Emperor Sleeze has promised that action will be taken by next year. He has requested a prioritised list of the most urgent upgrades required and has pledged 4 billion zarks will be made available over the next 3 years. One source however says the HCS need to spend more like 25 billion over the next 10 years to avert a total collapse by the end of the decade.

DDS to offer SUP export upgrades

With a growing number of SUP based ships (Provider-Es and Extender-Es) in service with space fleets across the galaxy (at current count 23 are in service) the DDS have decided to offer an upgrade package. Molab has signed up as the launch customer for the upgrade for its 3 Provider-Es and 5 Extender-Es in a 110 million zark contract that will begin next year.

The upgrade includes improved navigational sensors, internal security systems, cargo handling systems, an improved docking bay and a new computer system. The ships will also be fitted for Canister-QPM (though the actual missiles will not be fitted for the moment just the infrastructure). Putri 500 have also shown an interest.

Other Fleet News (01/12/11)

• The Dinos have completed 2 Dinomark PTs, 2 Dinomark XTs and a Dinomark MX this month. The first Dinomark XA (their equivalent of the DDS Nano Fighting Ship concept) is also reported to have begun bench testing ahead of field trials early next year though has not yet joined the Dino Army fleet. It should be noted though that several Dino rumour sites state that a prototype has been in service for over a year now, though one site says it is personally owned by MBH.
• The Bolitic are reported to have completed a Snarl and 2 Meltinans.
• A number of export ships have been delivered. Molab have received 2 Coril-Es, Sear N7 a Coril-E and an Extender-E and Castaris a Coril-E.

DDS begin development of Nano Fighting Ship

The DDS have announced they have begun the development (though some sources say development actually began back in May) of a new type of warship. The Nano Fighting Ship (NFS) will be similar to the Dinomark XA in being a very small ship fully equipped with worm drive and transphasic weapons. Unlike the XA the DDS say that the NFS (which has been allocated the type number 121A) can also act as an unmanned combat vehicle. It is thought that technology developed for the Stoat UCV concept will be used in the NFS.

Work will begin on a prototype in the new year, the DDS say they hope to begin trials by the end of 2112 with production of a later series version possible by late 2113. NFS will be equipped with a Zip cannon and EA-X, possibly with direct energy recycling. It will have a crew capacity of 0 to 5 though the DDS say that unmanned operation will probably be seldom used. It will augment the small crew capabilities with existing remote crewing technology FIDO-VR.

• The DDS have also begun work on an improved version of its new generation Coril shuttle. The Coril 86C draws on improvements driven by export sales and will have a new cockpit, improved navigation and passive sensor systems. The DDS are also looking into the feasibility of increasing the speed to 275c (the current engine can be uprated to achieve this with a few modifications) with a few modest structural changes. 
• The DDS has partnered up with Consolidated Spacecraft to use their M100B commercial launcher for the boost phase of LRM. Using a proven launcher precludes the need to design, build and test a DDS launch rocket. The DDS said that M100B will be modified to increase its payload by about 5% and also have measures to reduce IR signature. The first test of the LRM booster could now happen next year.

Ground Shock 2111 ends with final landing on Mars; Winter Candle

Ground Shock 2111 has ended with an "invasion" of Mars by the entire DDS 1st Division utilising nearly all of the DDS' Amphibious Warfare Squadron. Supported by Prowler and Mars Defence Force troops the landing took place near New Helens, a battalion of Proximan Army troops acted as "defenders" and opposed the landing.

The troops and ships are now returning to Proxima 7 and Solaris. The DDS has announced its next operation for December will be Winter Candle. This will be a special forces and reconnaissance mission according to a spokesman. Two Panther 35As will be fitted with the tactical reconnaissance module and seek an "enemy base" somewhere in the Rim Worlds. Once found then Prowler special forces will be sent in to "take it out". The ships to be involved in the operation will be:

A304E Fleming (flag)
H101 Panther
H104 Lynx
M121 Freedom
M155 Sulu Sea
A145 Argus

Wayne King-Meiouf : The 2113 Gap

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The first draft of the 2112/3 Ship Building Plan was interesting reading but one thing that stands out from it is the fact that a few of long standing ship classes will be coming to the ends of their production lives. The Type 35 will come to an end when the last Indies are made and the Extender will be finished (at least as built by the DDS). Although some Isometrics and Solaris will be outstanding for 2113/4 there are only a few left of those too.

In 2114 the DDS is due to begin production of the Dragonfly 16A* bomber and the Corkscrew 51A medium combat ship but that does mean that in 2113 we could have a quiet year ship building wise!

Reconfiguring the production jigs will take some time of course (though the Extender/Provider line will be rejigged from late next year ready for the new bomber) but the DDS may have to try and fit in a few extra ships from somewhere, i'm sure no one apart from DDS Finance will complain about a couple more Indies! (By the way the Type 35 jig will be used for the Corkscrew now as the Isometric jig will be needed for the Terran Sea ILU and Unification programme around 2115.)

The DDS will want to keep all jigs maintained though so is there a new ship class as yet unannounced that is waiting in the wings?

* The official name of the new bomber has yet to be revealed though i have heard that Dragonfly is a current favourite.

DDS issue first draft of Ship Building Plan 2112/3

The DDS have issued the first draft of its ship building plan for the next financial year following on from the 2111/2 plan that will end in April. At first glance the plan for next year is more modest than the current plan with 16 ships planned to build compared to 19 this year however there may be additions before the plan is finalised next year as some of the ships in the plan are for the Starbotians so not out of DDS budget. The plan includes:

• 2 Olympus 23A
• 2 Indy 35B
• 3 Solaris 37C
• 4 Freedom 41B
• 2 Oceania 63A
• 1 Tethys Ocean 65A
• 2 Extender 73A

Its notable that next year's plan will bring to an end some long running ship class building programmes with the last planned Type 35s and Extenders being built.

Defence Minister rescued by DDS

The Proximan Defence Minister Jab Glorek has been rescued by a DDS unit at a remote location on P7. It is thought the Proximan Renewal Brigade were using the location, an abandoned farm, as a way point before moving onto a permanent base. Windy is understood to have led the operation which saw all PRB members killed though one unconfirmed report says that one PRB member was captured alive but seriously injured and was taken to SS Stoke City for medical attention.

Knobhead said that all known PRB members were now accounted for, Glorek was a little bruised but otherwise is reported to be fine.

• Ronald, the Consul-elect, has given up one of his existing roles that of SS Commander. He said he had only taken on the job on a temporary basis anyway and now was the time for a new permanent leader of the Dino security apparatus. An election will be held next month.

173/3

What Already?
Can Windy save the Minister? (PRB P8)

Wayne King-Meiouf : Moving home?

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

Recent events have forced the DDS to finally address a question that has been rumbling in the background of Proximan politics for some time, should the DDS have its GHQ so close to Hexian City, the capital of Proxima 7 and the home of the UNP? And they are close, as both the city and GHQ have expanded there is now little countryside remaining between the two. Hexian City have suffered from its proximity (pardon the pun) a number of times, for example during the Great Tarbotian War of the 2090s Hexian City suffered substancial damage during the attack which devastated DDS GHQ.

Discontent with the nearness of GHQ did not really arise in Hexian politics until the Utrek War when the city and its million inhabitants (Hexian City is a fairly average sized city though is well spread out so there is a lot to hit!) when a new political party called for GHQ to be moved. After the ABBO War the party won seats in the Hexian Assembly and now the issue has entered party politics. Now i don't expect the Proximan government to expel the DDS any time soon (or far) but if the DDS did decide to move what would be its options?

Moving to another location on Proxima 7 would be the easiest option though Hexian City was chosen because of its proximity (sorry another pun) to the civilian infrastructure of the capital (back when GHQ was first built P7 was a fairly sparsely populated world) and access to the population centre for workers. Apart from Hexian and a few other cities along a fairly narrow strip of land much of P7 is still fairly wild and untamed, we must remember that a hundred years ago P7 wasn't even known to humans, and colonisation only began around 60 years ago. Thus if the DDS moved it would either have to move near to another city (and have the same problems again) or somewhere undeveloped and have the cost of establishing infrastructure.

Moving off-world is another option, Proxima 5 is even less developed than P7. Solaris would be an option though the DDS already have much of their engineering and science base there and the policy has been for decentralisation to avoid the loss of 1 planet crippling the DDS fatally. Liberation is too unstable, going to Terra would be risky because of the fractured nature of politics on the old home world and would be culturally very difficult for a human race now intent on spreading away from old Earth.

So a space station? An orbital base would be good on a number of points, easier to defend and move though a base the size of GHQ would be the largest man made structure ever constructed in space and therefore rather expensive. The DDS could give up building anything else... like warships for a decade or 3. P7's moon Luna is a possibility though would also be very expensive and take years to set up.

So the best bet for the DDS is for them to stay put and rebuild a consensus with the Hexian people. The DDS need to derisk GHQ by moving facilities like the radiological reprocessing facility away (the fact this has remained at GHQ for so long is a disgrace in my view) and continuing the decentralisation policy. If GHQ can slowly shrink then if the DDS do have to move at one stage in the future then it will be much easier.

TPM-VLS tested for first time

The Solaris 37C HCS H172 Progress has tested out the TPM-VLS system it is testing, the vertical launch system for TPM-2 consists of a 32 cell pack of missiles that can be fixed externally to a ship very quickly and immediately connects to a ship's tactical systems via wireless datalinks. In practice ships could carry multple VLS packs and be resupplied within minutes with fresh packs.

The VLS was tested out during an exercise with 2 Ferret drones (the TPM rounds were not fitted with warheads) and worked "within parameters". More tests will be carried out before an expected entry into service next year.

Proximan politicians want to expel DDS from P7

The main Proxima 7 opposition party has called for the DDS to leave the planet "as soon as possible". Although there is little chance their calls could be turned into government action this is the first time the DDS have faced opposition on the planet they have called their home for decades.

Our correspondent Professor Wayne King-Meiouf however says the trouble has been bubbling for some time. "If you read the media widely you will come across these calls fairly frequently,  they have become more common over the last 3 years. The DDS can't take its status on P7 for granted, it needs to start engaging with the population. The reprocessing plant needs to be moved off world as soon as possible."

• Following a successful deployment on Proxima 5 the Ground Shock 2111 exercise has now moved onto Mars for more amphibious exercises. Several ships have been put on standby however in case they are needed for other duties due to the current situation at P7. 

173/2

Power Of Dreams
Windy closes in on Rathun's terrorists (PRB P7).

Terrorist attack in Hexian City

A car bomb has caused "significant casualties" and devastated a DDS office in a suburb of Hexian City. The Proximan Renewal Brigade are being blamed for the attack and internally the DDS are beginning to think the PRB also caused the plane crash that devastated the fuel depot at GHQ. Sea Urchin has reported that the fire is now under control though there is a danger of the DDS losing control again if the wind changes direction within the next day or two.

With anti-DDS riots already taking place across Proxima 7 Commander AP has pledged that the radiactive waste processing facility, which was in peril due to the fire, will be relocated off world "as soon as possible".

Sea Urchin : "Danger averted for now"

Sea Urchin, who has taken charge of the efforts to put out the fire raging at the fuel depot at DDS GHQ on Proxima 7 - and more importantly stop the fire reaching a nuclear waste reprocessing facility - after yesterday's plane crash, says that while the fire is still raging hard a fire break has successfully been put in place to protect the nuclear waste processing facility.

Sea Urchin said "The danger is averted for now but if the wind picks up we could be in trouble again. The fire is still not under control but we are managing the chaos so to speak."

GHQ remains evacuated though and the nearby city of Hexian City is also on short notice to also evacuate. The incident has sparked anti-DDS protests in the city with a liaison office in the centre being ransacked by an angry mob.

Plane crashes at GHQ, evacuation called

A C-440 transport plane has crashed into the main fuel depot at DDS GHQ on Proxima 7. As yet the cause of the crash is not known though a DDS source was not ruling out terrorism. The fuel depot is currently on fire and in danger of raging out of control. The main cause for concern is the radiological waste storage facility adjacent to the fuel depot where spent fuel from DDS space craft is reprocessed. A DDS source said that if the fire reached the facility it could be "catastrophic".

So much so Commander AP has evacuated DDS GHQ and put the DDS on the highest alert status. The P7 government is also preparing to evacuate Hexian City, the capital, some 5 miles away! Luckily Hexian City is not that large a city though still would take some time to evacuate. At the moment DDS Weather Services say the prevailing winds would take radiological releases away from the city however this could change over the weekend.

173/1

Conflict 69
Rathun's terrorists strike again (PRB P6)

DDS think minister is off-world

After a planet wide search by the DDS and Proximan Army the DDS now think the kidnapped Defence Minister has been taken off-world by the Proximan Renewal Brigade. Now ships in orbit are being checked and ships that have left orbit over Proxima 7 over the last few days are likely to be intercepted by DDS warships for possible searching.

However this is not going to be an easy job, the Proximan system is the busiest commerce hub in the known galaxy with hundreds of freighters in the system at any one time. One analyst has estimated the DDS may have to intercept and search several dozen ships.

• The DDS40 think tank, so named because much of the fleet is due for replacement in the 2140s, is starting up again after a hiatus.

DDS to go "full spectrum" with UNP help

For years there has been a tension at the heart of the DDS between becoming a full spectrum armed forces like the HCS with land, sea, air and space forces or to concentrate on the space fleet with a fairly small land and air component for defensive and expeditionary purposes. The latter direction has taken hold since the war under the direction of AP however there is still a desire to become a full spectrum armed forces.

The problem being that in doing so will take a long time and cost a lot of money, money needed for other areas. At a media briefing earlier today DDS Commander AP said he had found a "third way". He said that UNP armed forces would become more tightly integrated with the DDS to help the DDS become a "virtual full spectrum" force.

He announced that from next year the Proximan Army and Navy will begin a process of "DDSification". They will adopt DDS communications protocols alongside their own, join the DDS computer network and much more frequently train with DDS forces. If this trial is successful then AP says the Solaris Army and United Terran Army would also join up from 2115.

The initial benefits will not be that great, the Proximan Army is not that much larger than the New DDS Army and is not as well equipped or trained though the Proximan Navy will be a useful boost to the DDS portfolio, especially its special forces who will tightly link up with the Prowler Corps.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Welcome to the newest hub

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

Over the last few years the DDS has conducted parallel programmes of decentralisation from GHQ and collecting around a number of "hubs". These hubs, located in the Proximan, Solaris and Liberation systems are if you like the traffic islands of the DDS where most shipping transits through and where major production and infratsurtcure bases are located.

Now is looks like Loeuss will become the 4th hub in the DDS, the planet is located deep in Remedian space and is fairly close to the Utrek and Bolitic borders so might not seem the most obvious location for a "hub" but with the army looking set to move many of its units there and the planet already used extensively for training (and DDS Training may move their HQ there indeed) Loeuss will become one of the major planets in the DDS system, it is also the most logical point for shipping in transit to and from the Raegris to the core DDS worlds.

Loeuss is also, of course, a highly strategic point in the DDS due to its location as mentioned above. If the DDS get into any more wars with the likes of the Utrek and Bolitic in future (which is fairly likely lets face it) then they will have a ready made launch point for any operations. On the flip side they will also present their enemies with a very tempting target...

DDS to take over Dino facilities on Loeuss

The DDS have paid the Dinos 25 million zarks for their extensive base facilities on Loeuss which the Dinos are to give up by early next year. Although the base was leased from the Remedians there was extensive infrastructure built up by the Dinos which will now be left in place instead of dissembled and returned to Dino-Land (though sensitive equipment will be removed).

The DDS will move the 2nd Division of the New DDS Army to Loeuss which will be its new home and training environment, Army chief Zeppelin expects the move to be in place by 2114. The army will also move much of its training facilities remaining on Solaris and Proxima 5 to Loeuss which is likely to become the main hub of the army by 2120.

Fleet News (15/11/11)

• Two Solaris 37Cs have joined the fleet, one is the new build H168 Epsilon Eridani (the re-use of this name already sparking protests from the Clones) and the other the rebuilt H172 Progress. The latter's completion now means the Type 37A class no longer exists.
• A166 Ethanol is the latest Extender 73A oiler for the DDS fleet.

First Benito Clone CVH enters trials

The first of 2 Benito Clone class helicopter carriers for the Austini 55 Flotilla of the HCS Navy has begun sea trials ahead of an expected entry into service next year. This carrier is similar to the Cloneworld class carrier though is a little smaller and does not have fixed wing aircraft equipment.

It is expected the Benito Clone carriers will operate around 12-15 SH-26 helicopters to support ASW and amphibious operations. The second carrier is likely to enter service around 2114 and be joined by the Austini 55 class singleton fixed wing carrier the year after. When the Benito Clone carrier completes its trials on Cloneworld it will be transported whole by the new Megalift TYZ super transport to Austini 55 for final trials and commissioning.

In other carrier news the HCSN have put back the entry into service date of its next generation carrier until 2119 at the earliest.

The Historian : A couple of what-ifs

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Eminent historians such as myself often employ "what-ifs" to explore historical events by extrapolating via learned and informed intuition what could have happened should certain events had happened differently...

I though it would be illuminating to explore a couple of these what-ifs in the context of the DDS universe...

1) What if Windscorpion had died at the end of the First Clone War?

The titanic battle of Cloneworld saw the DDS nearly completely wiped out, and the senior staff including Windscorpion also barely survived. As it was Windy's survival helped facilitate the rebirth of the DDS but what if he had died...

Following the crushing of the DDS the UNP sued for peace with the Clones who began to rampage across the galaxy annexing planets like Randalf 74 and Solaris. I can forsee Proxima and Terra also falling as the UNP armies were no match for the HCS and there was little space fleet to speak of back then. Controlling the core UNP worlds though would have been taxing for the HCS therefore i forsee more of a merging of the UNP and HCS rather than an annexation.

In 2111 therefore the United Planets of Cloneworld & Proxima (UPCP) covers a vast area ranging from Terra to Molab, a recent war with the Utrek has left the UPCP battered but unbowed and now the leading power in the Local Group with the Dinos likely to sue for peace unless their plans for an alliance with the Aritans, Remedians and Raegris can get off the ground...

2) What if the DDS had won the First Clone War?

Early on in the Clone War the DDS came very close to total victory, their land forces were in sight of the outskirts of Ailier City, only heavy rain and desperate suicide attacks managed to stem the DDS advance. Recent analysis has indicated the rain was key as it held up ammunition supplies and the DDS simply ran out of bullets before the HCS ran out of Clones...

So what if the rains had held off, the DDS would have ground their way into Ailier City. The Clones wouldn't have been defeated yet but the end would have been in sight. Oojok fled East but his convoy was caught by DDS warplanes and he died when his vehicle was hit by cannon fire.

The HCS collapsed and the DDS regained control of the planet. This might seem that everything is hunky dory right? Maybe not... without the Clones in rebellion the main raison d'etre for the DDS no longer exists. The UNP cut funding to the bone and within a couple of years the DDS no longer exists, Windscorpion and other key personnel moving on elsewhere.

The Tarbotian attack at the end of the 2090s catches the UNP unawares, without the honing gained by combat against the HCS the UNP space fleet is butchered in short order. Tarbotian ground troops occupy Hexian City as the Tarbotians sweep into the Local Group.

On Cloneworld however the advance is stopped by a powerful group of Human and Clone insurgents led by a former DDS soldier called Windscorpion. The Cloneworld Defence Force led by Windy begins the fightback against the Tarbotians, culminating in an epic battle near Proxima Centauri where Windy leads CDF, Dino, Remedian and Starbotian forces in a grand alliance against the Tarbotian fleet. Dr Slow is killed and the Tarbotian fleet crushed.

The new leader of the UNP, Windscorpion, pledges to rebuild the UNP and form a new strong military. He chooses to resurrect an old name for it... the DDS.

DDS looking into improving combat performance of heavy combat ships

The DDS are looking into improving the performance of its 3 classes of Heavy Combat Ships (which are given the ironic acronym of HCS in the DDS fleet list) - this means the Panther 35A, Indy 35B and Solaris 37C classes, the Remedian Perimpaz and legacy Velocities although officially HCS are considered "transitional types".

Dr Forbidden has announced a joint-programme between DDS Research and DDS Engineering to examine ways to improve agility, protection and tactical capabilities. It is thought the DDS will be looking to retrofit vectored thrust at some stage and one of the final Indies may trial a test version.

The 3 types will also be fitted with a next generation combat suite known as 6509-A to replace the 5036 derived systems used on these classes (and the Isometric and Rome fleets). Not much is known about the new suite at the moment but it is thought it will use massive parallelism and artificial intelligence in order to collate, filter and interpret vast amounts of instantaneous tactical data from the ships' own sensors and from other sources.

Dr Forbidden said that it might take some time to see the fruits of any changes, one possible date is by 2114 when the Panther fleet is scheduled to receive a major update to bridge the time until its ILU rebuild at the end of the decade.

UV172 : What Windy Did Next

• Don't Tell The Wide - Justini closes in on the DDS fleet (Dark Wave P5)
• Aggressive Nutmeg - Will Justini's plan succeed and kill AP? (Dark Wave P6)
• Its (Not) Good To Be The King - Rathun's miserable life takes a turn for the... (PRB P1)
• Hunting For A Nonce - Rathun has the chance for revenge (PRB P2)
• The Aggressor - Rathun's PRB strikes! (PRB P3)
• Polar Pine - Windy is on the case (PRB P4)
• Streetfight Rules - Windy moves in (PRB P5)

Operation Ground Shock 2111

The DDS have begun assembling ships and troops for the 2111 running of their annual main amphibious exercise Ground Shock. 2111 will be on a biggest scale than last year's which was of course held in the shadow of the war and will apply lessons learned during the conflict. The entire 1st division of the New DDS Army will be landed in the main set-piece of the exercise though there will also be other smaller landings involving special forces and other troops.

Proxima 5 is the host for most of the landings, the DDS will be operating alongside Proximan Army troops, the main theme of this year's Ground Shock being co-operation with UNP forces. There will also be landings on Terra and Mars. The ships involved (not many escorts have been allocated as the exercise takes place in core UNP/DDS areas) :

L131 Tethys Ocean (flag)
L111 Pangaea
L114 Baltica
L115 Columbia
L151 Oceania
L152 Asia
L154 Arctic
M107 Oligocene
M115 Permian
M126 Fury
A106 Flying Boxcar
A112 Trader
A150 Gasoline
A301E Marconi

Explosion in Proximan city linked to PRB?

A building is reported to have exploded in the Proxima 7 city of Hastings, some 200km from Hexian City. The Proximan police have not said what caused the explosion but unconfirmed reports state a DDS Security team was seen in the area after the explosion appearing to take 2 injured DDS soldiers back to GHQ, one report even states one of the soldiers was Windscorpion.

The DDS and Proximan Army are still hunting for the Proximan Renewal Brigade though a PA source said the trail had gone cold.

• The DDS have decided to order a 6th Oceania 63A assault ship, 1 is already on order. The new ships will be L155 Europa and L156 North America though both will be part of the FY2112/3 ship building plan.

172/7

Streetfight Rules
Windy moves in (PRB P5)

Proximan Renewal Brigade issue demands

Defence Minister Glorek has apparently been kidnapped by a group calling themselves the Proximan Renewal Brigade. They hi-jacked Proximan TV earlier today to show they had Glorek and also to issue demands. They want Proxima 7 to leave the UNP and DDS and to stand alone as an independant nation. If these demands are not made the terrorists promise to kill Glorek and also "unleash a firestorm of rage across the planet".

No Proximan, UNP or DDS official has yet made a reply. Proximan and DDS troops are still searching for the terrorist base.

• Sea Urchin has ordered a review of data security across the DDS following recent successful cyber attacks by the Bolitic and terrorist groups.

HCS Fleet News (08/11/11)

• 2 Sharks have joined the fleet, 1 a SKH minesweeper and the other a standard SK.
• The final Nybble NL drone has joined the fleet, the next Nybble will be the first upgraded NLB.
• A Freighter TYA has joined the fleet.

Panther 2112EC (Enhanced Capability) Upgrade

The DDS have announced the Panther 2112EC (Enhanced Capability) Upgrade which will apply to the DDS' fleet of Panther 35A heavy combat ships from next month with the upgrade being completed by next Spring. The upgrade will "enhance the Panther's fighting capabilities across many areas" and "improve the type's operational flexibility" according to a DDS Engineering source. The upgrade includes :

• New engine management computer to improve engine efficiency
• FIDO-VR with 26 holographic projectors fitted in key areas of the ship
• Preliminary Open Architecture 3.0 support
• Interface fitted for TPM-VLS, though the extra weapons will not be fitted yet pending trials
• Anti-matter Spray Cannons fitted
• Improved communications suite
• IWC upgrade including offensive capability
• Various other minor updates

Ronald wins Consul election

As expected Ronald has won the Consul election by taking 98.7% of the votes cast, Ronald expressed gratitude to the Dino people and promised to lead the Dino Republic back to glory after the disaster of the Bolitic war. "We will become stronger, more united, more dynamic, more prosperous! Woof!" he told supporters.

Although Ronald will not take over from Jimmy until January 1st 2112 he has already begun detailing his policy list which he will put before the Senate, it includes a 5% increase of the defence budget and the establishing of a fund for the improvement of other DTA militaries with a 5 billion zark donation with Sirikwan also expected to contribute.

172/6

Polar Pine
Windy is on the case (PRB P4)

DDS announce third generation F-10

The DDS have announced the F-10NG, the third generation of its mainstay combat plane. The NG will follow on from the current SEP from around 2118 though the DDSAF will not get the SEP-B model as originally thought, this has been cancelled to release development funds. It is expected that the NG will replace the remaining first generation F-10ASE which will be coming to the end of their service lives around then.

The DDS said the NG would have new engines, new avionics and redesigned aerodynamics, it would also have a much improved ground attack capability. When asked the DDS said the NG was not an answer to the Clones' F-45C. "The HCSAF are way ahead with their exotic technologies like mission adaptive wings and active G-force cancellation and the like on their next generation fighter." Sea Urchin told reporters, "But thats fine because the F-10NG is not intended to dogfight F-45Cs over Cloneworld. The NG is intended to support DDS operations, hence the greater emphasis on ground support though it will have enhanced A2A capabilities."

• DDS Commander AP has transferred his flag back to P101F Cicero which has now been fitted with worm drive and improved C3 equipment. He will leave for a trip to Liberation tomorrow and also visit Porquat 640.

DDS help in search for minister

DDS troops and security personnel have joined the Proximan Army in the search for their kidnapped Defence Minister. DDS aircraft are also conducting sweeps of the countryside around Hexian City plus a DDS warship (thought to be a Rome 46A) has entered low orbit to conduct deep level scans.

As yet though there is no sign of the minister, what is thought to be the helicopter used has been found burnt out near a farm outside Hexian City though there are also signs another helicopter was used so it could be the minister was taken hundreds of miles away from the capital. The DDS are now sifting through aircraft radar telemetry to see if they can track the helicopter (much of Proxima 7 not having radar coverage).

• The Voth have sprung a surprise by asking the Raegris if they can buy 3 new build RC-2C Yel'Tema cruisers and have asked for a quote and delivery schedule. These ships (the original design behind the HCS Cosmos) would be the same specification as the pending new build ships for the Raegris only without sensitive DDS technology. The Raegris have yet to reply officially to the request.

Other Fleet News (02/11/11)

• The Dinos have completed 2 Dinomark PTs and 2 Dinomark XTs this month, 1 old XT has returned to the civilian reserve.
• The Bolitic is reported to have completed 2 Meltinans, 1 the last K and the other the first confirmed L.
• New Arit have accepted 2 more Kalahati Tuuls into service.
• Sirikwan have withdrawn a Reliwan.

Proximan Defence Minister kidnapped by terrorists

John Glorek, the Proximan Defence Minister has been kidnapped by a group of terrorists in Hexian City near to DDS GHQ. Bombs were also left in the ministry building which detonated after the terrorists departed in a helicopter, extensive damage was caused to the building and 7 deaths are reported.

In a sign that the as-yet unnamed terrorist group have formiddable resources a cyber attack was launched on the DDSAF communications centre just prior to the attack meaning that the DDS could not launch any aircraft until the terrorists' helicopter had gone out of radar range. DDS troops are helping the Proximan Army secure the building and patrol the capital.

The terrorists have not yet made any demands.

Wayne King-Meiouf : The viability of the DTA

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

Yesterday i returned to Proxima 7 after my intriguing business trip to Dino-Land. On the voyage back i reflected on my experiences there and put some thought into the DTA as a whole and how viable the young project is.

And young is the word, we shouldn't forget that the DTA only came into being officially on November 16th 2110 (the Dinos do not seem to be going to anything to mark this 1st anniversary). Very quickly following on from Yeng, Sirikwan, Voth and New Arit left the DDS orbit and joined the DTA. Over the last year however the hard work has begun in integrating these very different nations with the Dinos.

So is the DTA working? It is hard to tell for sure at this early stage as the Dinos dominate everything in the DTA from military strength to economic might. The Dinos are trying hard to make the DTA an association of equals though the Dinos will likely always remain firmly "first amongst equals". One interesting problem the DTA do have though is in integrating different alien races into an alliance.

Sirikwan and Yeng are fairly easy to integrate in many ways as they are Dinos essentially (although cut off from the ancestral homeland for millenia and thus developing very different cultural identities), the Aritans and Voth are more problematical (Artic seem to have taken to the DTA like a duck to water but then again Humans and Dinos do generally get on well).

Much of the DTA's teething troubles have been with the Aritans whom recently the Dinos have accused of not pushing their weight. Much of this might be down to alien differences with the Dinos generally being a relaxed but industrious race but the Aritans are rather paranoid and lazy in comparison. The Dinos and the Aritans are having to adjust to the reality of working together, something the Dinos have seldom done with aliens before.

If the Dinos can learn to do this then the DTA has a viable future, otherwise it will just become the Dinos and their satellites. This may be also viable but it won't be the DTA. It will require a sizeable cultural shift by the Dinos to this (and the other races too) to make the DTA a success, can they do it? We'll find out in the years to come.

Solaris ship to test TPM-VLS

H172 Progress has just completed its upgrade to Solaris 37C standard (and thus means the Type 37A no longer exists) and will return to service in a few weeks following proving trials. As well as the other updates Progress has been fitted with a new vertical launch system for TPMs. The system includes 32 cells loaded with TPM-2s and can fire at a rate of 6 a second.

The cells can be replaced by a new fully loaded set within minutes, as it is clipped externally to a ship, speeding up reloading during combat situations greatly. The VLS will be trialed with Progress for the next year and may then become a standard fit for all of the DDS's bombers and Heavy Combat Ships.

• DDS Health Services' mainframe was knocked out for several hours following a cyberattack the DDS have reported. It is not known who launched the attack but analysts said it looked like the work of the Bolitic. DDS Engineering were attacked last week though that attack was not as successful.

172/5

The Aggressor
Rathun's PRB strikes! (PRB P3)

Ronald details DTA vision in speech

Ronald gave a speech to an audience of several hundred Legates and Tribunes last night at Central AFB as part of his brief election campaign ahead of tomorrow's vote. The speech concentrated mostly on the DTA and how Ronald expects it to develop over the next few years.

• Ronald expects several new members over the next few years but the central core would remain Dino-Land, Sirikwan and New Arit for foreseeable future.
• The armed forces of the DTA would be developed in "concert" with some members becoming specialists in some areas (such as Sirikwan with mine warfare) for the benefit of the DTA as a whole.
• A common computer network and communications backbone would be set-up by the end of next year. Interestingly Ronald said Yeng would be the location for the mainframe and other core services.
• A DTA equivalent of CSM/LRM interstellar missile would be developed by 2118 (ahead of the DDS' plans for LRM) with silos located on Dino-Land, Yeng, Sirikwan, New Arit and Voth. This may surprise the DDS who did not think the Dinos had such a programme though Sirikwan do have mature ballistic missile technology which could be used.

172/4

Hunting For A Nonce
Rathun has the chance for revenge (PRB P2)

DDS do army shuffle

The New DDS Army has completed a "cascade" of brigades between its 3 divisions to allow some brigades time to regenerate after active service and for newer units to take their place in full readiness. The 2nd and 3rd Fire Support Battalions have also been declared operational though the 4th (which never got much beyond existing on paper) has been disbanded.

New DDS Army Commander Zeppelin said the cascade of units would be carried out every year to keep units in the full readiness 1st Division fresh. Two light brigades will be "upgraded" to heavy brigade next year once armour and vehicles has been procured for them, the DDS are said to be looking at the surplus tanks the HCS will soon put on the market.

New Arit to expand fleet

Stung by criticism by Dino-Land and Sirikwan New Arit have pledged to increase their defence budget from next year and will expand their fleet so they can play a bigger role in the DTA. Exact figures have not been given but a source said the budget would increase by 3% from next year, there would also be an extra 500 million zark one-off boost in 2113.

The Aritans turned to the Clones for their extra ships, they have bought the 4 Kalahati Tuuls the HCS recently withdrew and these will be added to the 7 KTs bought from the DDS. The bigger deal however is the order for 8 Shark-E frigates which will be delivered from 2114. The Aritans will also buy 3 Dino built Provider-EDAs.

However to help afford these ships the Aritans say they wish to sell their single Pentekonter-E and have asked Sirikwan and the DDS if they would be interested in buying it. The Aritans said the sale was partly to raise funds and also partly because it did not make sense to have a single example of a ship with the resulting extra maintenance problems.

The Dinos have said they will accelerate the deliveries of Dinomark XTs to the Aritans with 2 second hand examples to enter service by the end of this year.

HCS to withdraw 1,500 tanks

The HCS have announced the disbanding of all of its remaining reserve armoured regiments which will be completed by the end of next year. Nine regiments in total will be disbanded along with 4 infantry regiments in a separate cut. The reserve regiments are the last remnants of what was once scores of regiments which backed up the Category A armoured force at the height of the Clone Wars. In latter years these regiments have been slowly wound down and in most cases are at a fairly low level of readiness with decaying equipment.

The cuts will enable the withdrawal of 1,500 tanks, 1,200 being T-88s (nearly half the remaining force of this type) and the rest older T-55Zs. Six bases will also be closed and the land sold off. A total of 210 million zarks a year will be saved, the HCS will try and sell the withdrawn tanks.

A HCS spokesclone said despite the cuts the HCS would still have nearly 25,000 tanks in service. The aim is to reduce the total force to around 20,000 by the end of the decade with a 50:50 mix of T-89s and T-55Zs.

Explosion aboard Windy's ship

An explosion has been reported about Windy's personal ship SS Stoke City which is usually in orbit over Proxima 7. The purpose of this ship is unknown but it has been rumoured that prisoners are questioned here (there are other darker rumours too but we cannot publish them here for fear of sparking mass panic...)

Two people are reported to have been killed in the explosion. The reason for the explosion has yet been established.

• A HCSAF A-85 COIN aircraft has been reported as being shot down by insurgents on Lornaca Melnig, though other reports indicate it may have crashed due to technical problems. The two crew were lost.

Wayne King-Meiouf : The mysterious world of Dino politics

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

While on Dino-Land for a business trip i have been able to experience at first hand the mysterious world of Dino politics. Democracy is a fairly recent innovation for the Dinos who were led by a line of Emperors for centuries until the establishment of the Dino Republic by Ronald a few years ago.

Then for the first time the leaders of the state (2 Consuls) were elected. However democracy is still limited, the decisions are really taken by the Senate (the Consuls mostly being Senators with a few extra perks like power of veto) and the Senate are unelected.

There is an Assembly at a lower level in each Dino province though the link between these and the Senate is fairly limited. The Dinos seem to like leaving the mundane every day job of running the planet and the job of running the Republic to separate spheres. Each Senator has a minister role and officially runs a ministry feeding into the Assemblies but in reality the ministers only interest themselves in high-level decisions such as which alien civilisation to fight next while the Assemblies and the ministry workers get on with everything else. The only real consideration the Assemblies have with new legislation and governing is to apply a simple rule to everything they do : if it would make Ronald angry then don't do it.

Thus Assemblies have vast powers and can get away with so much as long as they obey that simple rule. This i think satisfies the Dino population who do not then mind not being able to vote for their Senators, in any event the Senate is more like a group of rock stars to your average Dino than politicians (and being Dino of course its ear splittingly awful Dino death metal - honestly do they not listen to anything else?!)

For most aspects of their lives the Dinos have a democratically accountable Assembly, for everything else they leave in the hands of demi-gods (or in Ronald's case an actual god). And it they don't like it then some gentlemen from the SS will be around for a chat... dissent is not tolerated here much actually.

Its a mysterious system that seems to mix democracy, fascism, authoritarianism, theocracy and celeb watching in equal measure. Somehow it works.