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.