UV211 : The Spiral

• So Fit - The Starbotians come under attack.
• Uzi 9mm - SFX is given another last chance.
• 22:06 - Crickson is given a new suicide mission.
• Hello Everybody - Has Kalifei reached her limit?
• To The Final Salute - Can iP Services save Kalifei?
• Hot Zone - The Onion begins an investigation into Quarz's disappearance.
• Look At That! - The Dinos encounter the Terrasaurs.

Ship Building Plan 2115/6

The Ship Building Plan for 2115/6 has been published. There were a couple of changes from the provisional plan presented a couple of months ago with an extra Mulberry and 2 extra Alphas added. The Alpha 121 entry is also interesting as it lists the 5 new Nano Fighting Ships to be built as Alpha 121A/B. A new variant of the NFS has yet to be announced by the DDS though it is rumoured a longer-ranged variant is in development.

The plan is combat heavy with 4 bombers, 2 carriers (the first of the new Olympus Balista 23M), 7 Fleet Combat Ships and 4 Medium Combat Ships to be built. The Amphibious Warfare fleet will also be completed and a new hospital ship built.

K-2 pushes for Starbot election

Opposition leader K-2 has begun a petition on Starbot. Under the planet's constitution an election can be forced if a petition is signed by a million Starbotian citizens. K-2 said he is confident he can get the support for an election and then stand against S101.

K-2 said Starbot had been greatly weakened by being in the DDS and by being neglected. "The organics do not care for us, mechanoids, as they do their own. They are content to let us be a bit more expendable. I'm not saying they do it consciously, i'm sure they think we are valuable allies but in their hearts they cannot accept Starbotians as equal. Why should we die for them?" K-2 said at a rally on Starbot.

S101 meanwhile called the petition a "joke" and said Starbot was much stronger and safer as part of the DDS. "For one who claims to not like or understand organics and their emotions K-2 certainly has developed a sense of humour." he told reporters.

Story #2122

Insta Mam
There is unrest on Starbot.

DDS to reinforce Starbot

The DDS are to send 3 ships to strengthen Starbot's defences and have taken over responsibility for protecting Aldebra. DDS Commander Firefly said that Starbot was one of the DDS' oldest allies and they would stand with them firmly in this difficult time.

Meanwhile on Starbot there have been mass protests and riots against the government's handling of the Aldebra situation. A DDS liaison office was also firebombed. B-B has appealed for calm.

DDS-Starbotian alliance tottering

The Starbotians are (with the Remedians) the oldest and closest allies to the DDS having joined as Tier 1 allies back after the First Utrek War. However the Argon-Aldebra situation which has so far cost Starbot 2 ships from its small fleet and a perceived dithering by the DDS has put the alliance under pressure.

The main opposition leader on Starbot K-2 has blasted the DDS response as being "invisible". "The DDS seem content to let the Starbotians die while they wander around lost wondering what to do." he told a rally. K-2 is thought to be seeking S101's job and a rising discontent and anger on Starbot is boosting his profile dramatically.

Even the Starbotian leadership are having doubts. B-B, S101's deputy, is reported to have wondered what the DDS are doing.

Starbotian ship destroyed

A Starbotian ship, I-44 Flint (a Freedom 41B Medium Combat Ship) has been destroyed but not in combat against the Argon. They fled when the Starbot-DDS fleet entered the Aldebran system but almost at the same time a mysterious freighter entered Starbotian space.

The ship claimed to be a "Kalon freighter" but when SS Flint intercepted it the freighter exploded, destroying the Starbotian ship also. Telemetry data indicates Flint detected large nuclear warheads on the freighter before it exploded.

The Starbotians have put their space on full-lockdown. S101 has turned his fleet around to return to Starbot, the DDS ships in his fleet are remaining at Aldebra.

• The DDS has raised its alert status to ORANGE.

Story #2121

The Battle Of Aldebra
The Starbotians close in on the Argon fleet but events take an unexpected turn.

Other Fleet News (17/02/15)

• The Dinos have completed 2 Dinomark XTs and a Provider MX. They have also received their first 25 Ferret UCVs.
• Porquat 640 has built a Quagan 665.
• Molab has received its first Dinomark XT.
• The Bolitic are reported to have built 2 Meltinans.
• Helinox have received 2 Pentekonter Protector 252Hs.

Two new factories to be built for Darli

Two new factories are to be built to produce the DAR-L1 (or "Darli") laser rifle which the DDS wants to be standard issue for DDS Terrestrial Forces and ISSF by 2117. An existing facility is operating on Sanger Alpha (part of the DDS' in-house SMA arms manufacturer) but cannot scale up production sufficiently due to a lack of space in the parent site.

Two new facilities will be built on Proxima 5 and Starbot and will be hopefully operational and producing rifles by the end of the year. Both will be operated by local companies under SMA oversight.

DDS lock down Saeou and Malau

The DDS have raised the local alert status on Saeou and Malau to RED including a maximum security lock-down of all DDS bases and the full mobilisation of DDS forces and UNP agencies. It is seen as a sign that the Starbotian led fleet is approaching Aldebra and could soon attack the Argon fleet.

A Starbotian source has said that S101 is not in the mood to talk and is likely to send his fleet straight in to engage the Argon ships.

DDS to trial new shield concept

The DDS are to trial, on SS Isometric, a new concept in shield technology which could greatly increase the protection on DDS and allied ships if it works as planned. The new technology, which has been jointly developed by DDS Research and the Dinos, is called Active Zonal Shielding (AZS).

Instead of a uniform shield all around the ship (which is wasteful of energy and difficult to keep resiliant) with Active Zonal Shielding only areas under attack are given full protection using a series of "shield zones" which are activated as needed by sensors around the ship. A shield zone can be raised within microseconds though in the event of beam attacks this is too slow so sensors look for energy beam weapons about to fire and predicts which zones to activate.

The benefit of AZS is that it is much more efficient, using 50% less power than conventional shielding, and can concentrate protection some 300% higher in a way impossible with uniform shielding. Thats if it works of course, key to the success of AZS will be to perfect the prediction and detection sensors.

Isometric will trial AZS from next month, a Dinomark PT will also be fitted with the new technology.

Story #2117

Look At That!
The Dinos encounter the Terrasaurs.

Story #2116

Hot Zone
The Onion begins an investigation into Quarz's disappearance.

Ground Shock 2115 to go ahead

The first of 5 DDS exercises this year, Ground Shock 2115, is due to begin next month. The DDS have confirmed that there will be no delays or cancellations despite the Argon situation. The exercise will include ground attack and amphibious warfare elements and will take place with a full DDS fleet.

However the exercises will take place in DDS South and not DDS Centre as originally planned which will allow the ships involved to be quickly redeployed if needed (and act as a threat to the Argon).

DDS North to be cut back as DDS refocus

The DDS are to shut 2 bases it maintains in Remedian space (DDS North sector) and transfer a third to the Remedians. About 450 million zarks is expected to be raised by the sale of land and the DDS will save about 75 million zarks a year in ongoing costs. The bases to be shut are a training facility on Loeuss and a listening post on Mila. A base on Remedia Prime will be transferred to Remedian control.

The DDS will use the money saved to boost defences in DDS South and facing the Rim Worlds, seen as a much more immediate threat than the Utrekians. An improved listening post is expected to be built on New Jakarta and improved orbital and ground facilities on Saeou and Malau. A new Combat Support Squadron has been formed and will be based at Malau, part of a number of changes in the DDS ORBAT as some ships are moved to DDS South.

K3 Pterodactyl flies with production ducted fan

After an interim period with a turbine powered fan to prove the reliability of the ducted fan propulsion system the Clone Air Force's new advanced trainer the K3 Pterodactyl has flown with a production hybrid ducted fan without a traditional jet turbine back-up for the first time. The fan is powered by an onboard electric motor fuelled by fuel cells and energy recovery systems. Performance was said to be lower than expected (about 92% of expected according to a CAC source) though CAC expect to be able to recover that by fine tuning the fan and boosting the electric motor. The K3 is expected to enter service next year.

The close-support variant the K58 will come a little later and had been officially named the Raptor by the CAF. A production date of 2118 is now being mooted.

Starbot order 5 Corkscrews

The Starbotian fleet is not that large though adequate for defending their space, however the Argon crisis has shown how inadequate their fleet is when called upon to operate away from their space. They have just 10 Medium Combat Ship or larger class ships of which 2-3 are unavailable at any one time due to maintenance.

It is thought that of the 7 ships currently available 5 have been sent to Aldebra leaving just 2 to defend Starbotian space. Its why Molab has been bought in to take over some Starbotian patrol commitments.

S101 has placed an urgent order of 5 Corkscrew 51As to boost the fleet. The DDS say the order will be prioritised and Starbot will receive the first of its ships this year with the balance by the end of 2116. As with the Panthers and Isometrics in Starbotian service the ships will have dual identities and have DDS as well as Starbotian pennant numbers.

Panther update to go ahead

With the DDS at an AMBER (or higher) alert status all maintenance and upgrade work has to be cleared by DDS Operations before it can take place unless the ship(s) in question are out of service anyway. The go-ahead has been given for the 2115 Panther upgrade which will begin in a few days.

This is a sign the DDS do not think the Argon situation is one for long-tern concern. Indeed it is rumoured the DDS may revert to GREEN status soon (with DDS South remaining on a higher alert).

Dinos unveil final Dinomark XT model

The Mark 125 Dinomark XT has been unveiled by the Dinos which will make up most of the 12 ships on order for the Dino Army plus DTA and export orders. The XT/125 has a boosted Solarburst GX-990 engine giving a hyperspace speed of 675c and improved acceleration and agility. Ships fitted with worm drive retain the 4950ec speed of the Mark 120.

The XT/125 also has a number of enhancements to armament and defensive electronics including a new databus with built in security measures.

DDS South strengthened

In the wake of the Argon attack on Aldebra the DDS has strengthened the DDS South sector which is the closest UNP territory to the colony. Additional ISSF and DDS Terrestrial Forces have been deployed to Saeou and Malau plus TPM-A armed F-10A and F-10S fighters will become operational on both planets plus Delta 9 by the weekend.

Six extra warships have been deployed to DDS South with patrol rates to be increased. Five more ships will also be sent there once their current patrol circuits elsewhere come to an end. The ISSF Rapid Deployment Force (ISSF-RDF) has been sent to Liberation.

DDS rescue captured officer

The DDS via its iP Services "subsidiary" is reported to have rescued an ISSF officer who was captured by the Argon when they attacked the DDS/Starbot liaison office on Aldebra. Two Prowler soldiers were found to have been killed in captivity though their bodies were recovered and will be given funerals with honour.

The ISSF officer is said to have been brutally tortured by the Argon though did not reveal any secrets. DDS Commander Firefly has commended the officer who will be treated on a DDS hospital ship that has been despatched to rendezvous with the DDS task force in a few hours.

The DDS has dropped its alert status to AMBER for operational reasons though DDS South remains on ORANGE.

Story #2115

To The Final Salute
Can iP Services save Kalifei?

Story #2114

Hello Everybody
Has Kalifei reached her limit?

Fleet News (03/02/15)

• S124 Wasp is the latest Warrior 16A bomber to enter service.
• X704 Epsilon is the latest Alpha 121A NFS to enter service.
• A186 Zulu is the penultimate Zephyr 76A oiler to enter service.
• M109 Palaeozoic has been fitted with a worm drive.

Test TPM field fabricator builds missile in less than 4 seconds

The DDS are working on a "field fabricator" for the TPM which could be deployed to ships like the Missileer and produce new missiles rapidly, even in "real time". That might still be some way off but in a recent test at DDS Research a fabricator managed to build a TPM-2 in 3.8 seconds!

The missile is built from a pool of parts though some major parts such as the shell are 3-D printed when needed. Dr Forbidden said that such a fabricator could be used to build customised TPMs depending on strategic need. "Say for example a long range strike is needed then a fabricator could build a TPM with larger fuel tanks." he suggested.

The fabricator is not expected to be ready for service use until the end of the decade at least though a test version will be carried aboard a Missileer next year.