The DDS votes on its next leader

Knobhead and Von Kane have been addressing supporters at DDS City and GHQ respectively on the final day of the DDS Commander election. Voting is now open. All voting is done electronically so the result when polls close at midnight will be known almost immediately.

The DDS will not announce officially until lunchtime tomorrow however to allow for security and consistency checks.

• The DDS has dropped its alert status to AMBER though will maintain ORANGE in the Aldebra area.
• Sixteen ships and 3 regiments of DDS Terrestrial Force are to return to DDS Centre from their current assignment in the Aldebra theatre. Strong forces will be maintained on Aldebra for the forseeable future however.

Story #2156

Fascist Regime
Back in 2080 Ronald confronts Oojok.

Clones fly production spec K3

The second K3 Pterodactyl prototype with a boosted ducted fan and improved power cells has begun flight trials and performance is now said to be to specification. The only black mark is that the acoustic signature, while much lower than a conventional jet in pure duct fan mode, is higher than expected. This is not so important with the K3 which is a trainer though will be a key feature of the later K58 COIN version.

Clone engineers think that aerodynamic refinements will reduce the noise the K3 makes and also improve efficiency. The K3 will enter production and service next year.

The K3 is a dual propulsion type with a conventional turbofan and an electric ducted fan. It used fuel cell and solar technologies to augment traditional jet fuel.

Zeppelin and Caratore support Knobhead

The heads of the DDS' Terrestrial and Space Forces have both publicly backed Knobhead ahead of the vote for DDS Commander on Tuesday. DDS Terrestrial Forces head Zeppelin said that Knobhead has the right ideas and qualities to build on Firefly's vision. Space Force head Caretore said that Knobhead was a shrewd operator who had already proven himself as Director of Operations.

Most senior DDS have now backed Knobhead who has over 84% support. Von Kane says he is not giving up though his latest rally at DDS City was poorly attended and marred by violence.

Knobhead and Von Kane clash in Commander debate

Ahead of the vote for the new DDS Commander on the 30th the 2 contenders Knobhead and Von Kane took part in a televised debate. At times the 2 contenders clashed on issues of DDS culture and forward direction. Von Kane wanted a much more disciplined and stricter DDS, with iron adherance to rule while Knobhead wants a more inclusive DDS with greater opportunities for personal growth.

Knobhead also wants the DDS to reach out to new allies while Von Kane said that the DDS needed to become more isolationist, highlighting TPM technology having left the DDS' control when the Starbotians left. Knobhead retorted that the DDS could not stand alone against threats like the Tarbotians.

Knobhead has a massive lead over Von Kane (nearly 80-20% split) but isn't taking anything for granted. His sponsors Torus and Sea Urchin are going to address the DDS on Liberation and Solaris respectively in the next couple of days while Knobhead himself will visit DDS City on Proxima 7.

Melaris 12 to become full UNP/DDS member

Rim World human colony Melaris 12 has become a full UNP member after raising 3 billion zarks to build its half of an orbital command and defence post. This was the DDS' condition for accepting Melaris, which had been an associate member until now, to full status.

It means that the planet will become part of the DDS defence network, gain a permanent ship allocation, and orbital and land defences. The DDS are already building an intelligence base on Melaris to take advantage of its strategic position with respect to Tarbotian space.

Von Kane to stand

Just before the deadline at midnight Kommandant Kurt Von Kane, the head of DDS North, has announced his intention to stand in the DDS Commander election. He said he would bring new energy and zeal to the DDS and that it would last for a thousand years.

Von Kane is considered an outsider however. A poll indicates Knobhead has over 80% support. Its not thought there will be any other candidates. The candidates will meet head to head in a debate on the 27th and the vote will take place on the 30th.

Knobhead will run for DDS Commander

Director of Operations Knobhead has announced, flanked by his supporters ISSF Director Torus and Technology Director Sea Urchin, that he will stand in the DDS Commander election to be held on the 30th of June. With such solid backing Knobhead has been made the overwhelming favourite.

Its not known who else might stand. Potential candidates might be put off by the remote likelihood of success and the risk of alienating themselves with the new regime.

Windy wants quick Commander election

DDS Protector and caretaker commander Windscorpion has said he wants the election to decide on Firefly's successor within a few days. "There is no need to hang around, those who want to stand know it, and the DDS know who'll they want to vote for. We don't need to fart around for months with hustings and tittle tattle." he told DDS News TV.

Windy has appointed Finance Director The Shiner to organise the election. Potential candidates have until mid-night on the 25th of June to announce their candidature, they will need 2 nominations of officer rank. The election will then be held on the 30th.

Director of Operations Knobhead is the favourite, though he has not announced his intentions yet. ISSF Director Torus has said she will not stand, as has Technology Director Sea Urchin.

Story #2155

Do You Have An Answer?
Ronald remembers back when Oojok tried to cause a rebellion.

Story #2144

Decisions
Firefly shocks the DDS.

Firefly resigns as DDS Commander!

Firefly has shocked the DDS by resigning as Commander with immediate effect. It is thought that he has struggled with the dark reality of being in charge of an organisation like the DDS especially ordering men and women to their deaths. Firefly has left the DDS entirely, its not known what he will do next.

Windscorpion has assumed the post of caretaker commander. An election will be held soon.

Solar Empire order DDS ships

Hot on the heels of the big FES order the Solar Empire have finally placed a big order for DDS warships after months of negotiation with the far off faction beyond DTA space. The order is said to be worth 8 billion zarks and comes in 2 parts.

First will be an upgrade of some of the Solar Empire's existing fleet. All 9 Vortis frigates (an older Tarbotian type) will receive a system upgrade and life extension to keep them active into the early 2120s. The Solar Empire's 8 Helwin cruisers will also be upgraded and fully refurbished (as already agreed last year).

Following on from this later in the decade will be new ships including a launch order for the Depender combat support ship. The Solar Empire have ordered 5 Depender 751SEs as well as 6 Pentekonter Protector 257SEs and 2 Extender 128SE oilers. Some equipment for their orbital facilities will also be bought.

Free Eritran States order more ships

The Free Eritran States of Sear N7, Unatel Gamma 504, Oxsaxa and Castaris 9054A have clubbed together to buy a significant number of ships from the DDS. The ships, although owned by the separate planets, will operate under a joint FES control with help from the FES' major members Molab and Helinox primarily to serve the 4 planets that bought them but also as part of the main FES fleet.

For most of the 4 planets these will be the first combat ships they will operate and the DDS and Molab will provide assistance and training as part of the sale which is estimated to be worth about 4.5 billion zarks.

• Sear N7 have ordered 3 Pentekonter Protector 358N7s, 1 Extender 127 and 2 Coril ST-81Ns.
• Unatel Gamma have ordered 2 Pentekonter Protector 253UGs (with TPM upgrade), 2 Extender 128s and 6 Coril ST-85UGs.
• Oxsaxa have ordered 4 Pentekonter Protector 255OXs (with TPM), 1 Provider 116 and 3 Coril ST-75OXs.
• Castaris have added 3 more Pentekonter Protector 251Cs on top of their existing order but more significantly have ordered 2 Corkscrew 422Cs which will serve as FES flagships.
• Two Extender 126s will also be bought and operated by Helinox as part of a shared FES pool.

DDS to resume normal operations

The DDS will aim to resume normal peace time operations by the end of June including scheduled maintenance cycles. Since the start of the war scheduled maintenance has been cancelled with only essential maintenance and repair work carried out in order for the DDS to have the maximum number of ship available. Now the DDS feel they can return to their normal cycles.

It will cause some problems however as the loss of Starbot and war losses will mean shortages of ships in some areas. Porquat 640 has offered to deploy 3 of its ships in DDS space to take part in routine patrols, the DDS are likely to take them up on the offer.

Starbot leaves DDS

DDS Commander Firefly and Starbotian Military Commander K-1 have signed an official separation document at a meeting on Malau. Starbot has now officially left the DDS though all links were already severed in the last few weeks. K-1 said that Starbot and the DDS would remain friendly but that Starbot needed to find its own path.

A revised contract for Corkscrew 51A ships, now modified for an export spec, was also signed at the meeting. The DDS have also bought development systems, fabrication machines and intellectual property for the AI component of the Ferret UCV which was developed by Starbot. The cost of these items will be offset against the money being paid for the Corkscrews. Starbot has also signed an agreement not to sell TPMs, which they have the ability to build, to non-DDS allies.

Story #2153

The Battle Of Aldebra
The DDS seek to regain its territory.

Third generation Ferret to enter production / Lavender announced

The third generation DDS unmanned combat fighter, the Ferret 101C, will enter production later this year following successful proving trials. The Ferret C will have a number of improvements including an upgraded Z88 engine, a new data architecture, improved AI and the ability to carry a third missile in lieu of a laser gun.

Attention is now switching to 2 other unmanned designs, one is a fourth generation Ferret (Ferret-X) which can travel faster than light with an optional booster pack. The other is a revival of the Stoat UCV concept which was an unmanned combat optimised version of the Panther platform. A new UCV called the Lavender 105A is in development as an ultra long range patrol ship. The Lavender will be able to operate for up to 5 years between refuelling and maintenance and patrol vast areas of space. The DDS have given the green light to the type as such a craft is thought to be needed to patrol the large areas of space forbidden to the Argon near Aldebra. However its unlikely anything will be in service mch before the end of the decade.

• The ageing K40 Ford fleet of the Clone Air Force has dropped below the symbolic 2000 barrier as withdrawals of life expired aircraft continues. The oldest examples in service now are a few dozen of K40Ls which are likely to be withdrawn in the next few months. These are the last Clone War era K40s still in service though its not thought any saw any action against the DDS.

Other Fleet News (15/06/15)

• The Dinos have built the final 2 Dinomark PTs on order.
• New Arit have received a Provider MX tactical transport.
• The Raegris have added a new Yel'Telma RC-2C to their fleet and the first Ku'Yema (Extender) WF-1 oiler.
• The Porquatians have accepted the first batch of Ferret-E UCVs into service.
• The Bolitic are said to have built a Furl.
• Vontapi have received 2 Pentekonter Protector 216-V1s.

Starbot will still buy Corkscrew

The Starbotians have committed to their order for 5 Corkscrew Medium Combat Ships. Deliveries were due to begin later this year but that has now been pushed back to 2116. Defence chief K-1 said the ships were very good warships and needed to rebuild the Starbotian fleet.

The configuration of the Corkscrews will change, the original order was for full DDS spec ships, that has now changed to an export spec which replaces some equipment with commercially available systems. The ships will retain TPM capabilities, Starbot has its own factory building TPMs in any case, but will not be fitted with worm drive. The ships will be fitted for the drive however and Starbot may try and buy the drives off the Dinos with whom they have a very long relationship.

Info Affairs to be rolled into Atomic Fist

Due to the war against the Argon the scheduled special forces and cyber warfare exercise Info Affairs set for May had to be postponed. The DDS have decided to include aspects of the exercise in next month's Atomic Fist strategic attack exercise which now goes ahead as scheduled.

Atomic Fist will be scaled back due to the depleted nature of the fleet due to wear and tear and ships being out of position however will still include a live nuclear attack.

• The UNP has issued an updated star map which already shows Starbot as having left the DDS. The new map can be seen here, it also includes the inclusion of Aldebra into the UNP/DDS and some other amendments.

DDS delete Starbotian ships from register

Although the Starbotians have not yet officially left the DDS it is only a matter of days and joint operations (and data sharing) ceased weeks ago. The DDS have deleted the Starbotian's DDS built ships from their register and it consists of quite a reduction of strength comprising 2 Panther 35As, 2 Indy 35Bs, 3 Freedom 41Bs, 1 Provider 71A and 3 Extender 73As. The loss is greater than the ships actually lost in the war with the Argon (6).

Director of Operations Knobhead said full formal separation would take place next week. At the moment the DDS are busy with relief of the population of Aldebra. The Argon (just!) managed to leave on schedule though left behind a lot of mess including toxic waste. A UNP decontamination team is en route to the planet as part of a humanitarian relief effort.

Meanwhile the DDS have announced the minor planet Lambda Sigma 2015 which is around about half way between Malau and Aldebra will also become part of the DDS with basing and port facilities to be established. It is thought (though not confirmed by the DDS) that the planet was their forward operating base during the campaign to regain Aldebra.

• The DDS has dropped its alert status to ORANGE.

K-2 announces peace deal with VC faction

The war has cost the Starbotians most of their army but now the new leader K-2 has agreed a peace deal with the rebel VC faction. They will be granted autonomy over their province on Starbot though will be left in isolation. Despite the fact the VC had Argon help to kill thousands of Starbotian soldiers there is almost zero appetite to continue the conflict and the peace deal was greeted with relief by the Starbotians.

K-2 said however that the VC would not be allowed to spread outside of their territory, saying that if they wanted isolation they had it. Of course at the moment there is little Starbot could do to prevent the VC trespassing but the VC themselves seem content to stay where they are.

K-2 also announced that K-1, a former deputy of S101 and one of his oldest friends, will be the new defence chief. K-1 said the priority was to rebuild the army and complete the separation from the DDS. Oil Stop Boss has been named the Interior Minister. S101 is said to be not angry at his friends joining his rival saying that he did not expect them to sacrifice their careers for him. B-B has joined S101 in retirement.

Argon to withdraw from UNP space

The Argon have been given a full Aldebran day (about 27.3 Standard Hours) to withdraw utterly from Aldebra and begin a departure from UNP space. They have 4 days to leave UNP space completely (a figure based on the speed of their slowest ships). If the Argon to not abide by this timetable the DDS will resume combat operations.

The Argon are rapidly packing up and returning their personnel on the planet to orbit. With the DDS' agreement a quantity of heavy equipment (mostly Argon Army equipment) will be left behind and destroyed. The DDS have landed 4 Prowler units and UNP officials to observe the withdrawal. DDS Terrestrial Forces personnel who have been in hiding in the hills since the Argon invasion have been reached by the DDS and evacuated to a hospital ship, many are in a poor state after weeks in the open and under continual Argon bombardment and harassment.

A 3 light year across exclusion zone has been placed across UNP space opposite the Argon territory. No Argon ships will be permitted to enter this space and will be attacked without warning if they do.

Argon and DDS agree ceasefire

The DDS and Argon forces at Aldebra have arranged a ceasefire following the devastating attack by the DDS a few days ago. The Argon remain in strength however and also hold the planet with powerful land forces. DDS Protector Windscorpion has demanded the Argon surrender or face destruction.

The Argon say they will defend Aldebra to the last and it would have serious consequences for the human population as they would be caught in the middle. It is thought they are demanding to be allowed to leave Aldebra and UNP space and return to their space without any other concessions. Windy is said to be largely happy with this though wants the withdrawal to be carried out "in hours" and for an exclusion zone around the edge of UNP space established the Argon cannot enter.

Story #2152

Adam & Eve It
Team Quarz reel from the discovery Redjec is alive.

DDS push Argon into high orbit

The DDS have dealt the Argon a heavy blow at Aldebra with the Argon fleet being hammered by a powerful DDS force and the Argon orbital facilities devastated. It is also reported that the Argon command ship was destroyed and the commander of the Argon forces may have been killed.

The DDS did lose 3 ships however including one of its Missileers which had to be bought into harms way to blow a hole in the Argon lines with their unparalleled firepower. The DDS have now surrounded the Argon and are demanding they surrender. The Argon are reported to have lost around 17 ships and the DDS have lost:

S210 Bowman
H170 Tau Ceti
M177 Solomon Sea

DDS attack Argon at Aldebra

A powerful DDS fleet has attacked the Argon in the Aldebra system. After the loss of their forward operating base at Tau 21316 Alpha the Argon withdrew all of their invading forces (the DDS think) to the Aldebran system. The DDS are said to have advanced in 2 fleets, an attack fleet and a second fleet behind including amphibious forces and troops from DDS Terrestrial Force.

Early reports indicate the DDS have made significant progress and pushed the Argon back to the Aldebran orbit. The DDS have not reported any losses yet though did say there had been some.

Bolitic demonstrate trans-phasic weapon

The Bolitic have joined the DDS and Dinos (who bought the DDS technology) in the trans-phasic weapons club. The Bolitic have demonstrated a prototype missile similar to the TPM in a test near Smolask. It was used to destroy an old transport that had wandered into their space loaded with desperate migrants. Hundreds of aliens were killed. While espionage cannot be ruled out DDS analysts think the weapon is not a copy of DDS technology though it has been reported the Bolitic have attempted this in the past.

Emperor Melson said the new weapon would be shared to all Bolitic houses and become a key part of the Bolitic war machine. Its not known how effective the missile is yet, first generation TPM weapons like the TPM-1 can now be negated by shield improvements, ECM and tactics by first rate powers though second (TPM-2) and third (Zip) generation trans-phasic weapons still give the DDS a tremendous advantage. However all weapons eventually get eclipsed and the DDS know it hence the continued great efforts to improve the technology.

DDS order unmanned transport

The DDS have placed an order with a commercial contractor for 5 unmanned transports. These will supplement the transport fleet and be used for hazardous item transport. The transports, which are roughly Friendship sized, will run fully autonomously (though do have facilities for manned operation if needs be).

No delivery date has yet been set though the name Emerald 116A has already been allocated to them. The DDS are currently designing an on board security system for them to handle intruders.

DDS increase order for Warrior and Kinetic

The DDS has made modest increases to the orders for the currently in production Warrior 16A bomber and Kinetic 35C fleet combat ship. The Warrior, which made a successful combat debut recently, has been increased from 15 to 18. The extra ships will give spare capacity to the DDS strike force.

The Kinetic order has been increased from a fleet of 12 to 15, partly to replace war losses. The DDS have also placed an option for an extra 5. In other Type 35 news the DDS has signed a contract to begin preparations for the Panther 35A ILU which is due for 2118 though may be bought forward and the class merged with the slightly larger Indy 35B. However nothing has been confirmed yet.

Dinomark AM begins trials

Like the Clones and the DDS the Dinos have developed a dedicated attack cruiser (or bomber in DDS parlance). The Dinomark AM is a radical departure for the Dinos who tend to prefer refining the same platform for generations rather than start with a clean sheet of paper but that is exactly what they have done.

Unlike the Warrior 16A and Kelsan KS the Dinomark AM is designed for atmospheric use and has a high performance thanks to a tri-mode powerplant comprising "traditional" nuclear rockets, fanjets and a worm drive. Trials of the first AM have now begun and it is expected to be ready to enter service by the end of the year though will unlikely to be ready operationally until late 2116.

Story #2151

Meek Pride
Team Quarz makes a shocking discovery.

DDS ready to finish the war

With the Argon theatre forces withdrawn back to occupied Aldebra it looks, according to UNP analysts, that the Argon are going to make a stand on the new UNP planet. According to a Dino source (the DDS are not saying anything naturally) the Argon have about 45 ships in the Aldebra system though its not known what the combat/non-combat breakdown is.

Several thousand troops are also reported on the planet itself. Its not thought the Argon have had the time to place much in the way of static defences either in orbit or the planet itself though any fight to regain Aldebra is likely to be very costly.

DDS commit to Proxima Centauri 42A

The DDS have given a full commitment to develop the rebuilding of the legacy Starsystem 91B fleet to a new class of Medium Combat Ships known as the Proxima Centauri 42A. All 8 Starsystems will be upgraded to this new standard which is similar to the Isometric prototype and Isometric itself also be rebuilt to become the 9th ship by 2120. Work will begin next year it is hoped.

To replace the Starsystems in the training role 6 Pentekonter 44Ts will be built, a training optimised version of the Pentekonter though retaining the ability to be used for minesweeping too if needs be.

The DDS also announced today that the Isometric and Freedom classes of ship will be merged. The Isometric MULE upgrade and Freedom ILU will produce a common fleet of ships which will be known as the Cambrian 41G. This will take place within the next couple of years and produce a unified fleet of 22 ships by 2120.

Fleet News (02/06/15)

• S126 Wolf is the latest Warrior 16A bomber to be delivered.
• A187 Zanzibar is the 9th and final Zephyr 76A fleet support tanker to be delivered.

UV214 : The DDS Is Striking Back!

• Have A Light Footprint - Krusty is sent into the lions' den.
• Moar And Moar - The Starbotians attack the VC.
• House Of Cats - Windy attacks the Argon super weapon.
• End Of The Hair - S101 is diagnosed with bit rot.
• One Member One Vote - K-2 becomes the Starbotian leader.
• Good Pace - The Bolitic engage the Terrasaurs.
• To The Last Salute - The DDS strike back against the Argon.

Note: Incredibly only the second time in 214 issues a UV has had "DDS" in its title!

Ren's Bay branch of DDS GHQ Metro completed

The short shuttle branch of the DDS GHQ Metro on Helnikan Island's Ren's Bay has been completed. This links the West and East quays of the bay allowing for rapid personnel transport but will mainly be for freight transfer. However freight handling facilities have yet to be completed.

The length of the line from the ISSF HQ to the Quentin Hills Observation Station is also said to be near completion. A new station between the Air Base and GHQ stations for a communications facility is also being built.