UV253 : Martian Quest

• Looking for Items - Dr Phoebus is bought to Windy.
• Rubber Roof - Phoebus brings Firefly and Sally to their knees.
• Happy B'Day! - Will Phoebus be successful in ending Windy's reign of glory?
• Quite Kool - Krusty faces MBH's impatience.
• Opening Six Minutes - Krusty heads to Mars to track down an old agent.
• Losing the Ball - Krusty has a shock.

2536

Losing the Ball
Krusty has a shock.

2535

Opening Six Minutes
Krusty heads to Mars to track down an old agent.

Dr Forbidden : Pace of progress is not slowing down

Recently there have been concerns in the media and even raised in a Politburo meeting that the pace of NS technological development is slowing. However Dr Forbidden has said this is not true.

"There are two kinds of research really, theoretical and applied." he said in an interview with NS News, "The last decade has seen a lot of applied research, resulting in tangible new technology like TPM, EA-X. Currently much research is theoretical, so maybe won't manifest itself in new applied technology immediately. However it will lay foundations for future decades."

Dr Forbidden said that Deep Subspace Burrowing Teleportation (DSBT) is the current major focus for his team. This is a variation of wormhole technology with cargo and equipment teleported through an opened artificial wormhole. The Dinos have recently opened the first link.

"We are progressing well with DSBT. We hope to be able to start building the first link between laboratories on Proxima 7 and Solaris soon. It will revolutionise transport throughout the UNP when we set up a DSBT network. Equipment and personnel can be transferred across light years in seconds." Dr Forbidden said.

2534

Quite Kool
Krusty faces MBH's impatience.

Salamander reported to have committed suicide

Cousin of Windscorpion and Firefly and long-time DDS and NS member Salamander is reported to have committed suicide onboard an NS vessel during a mission. It is thought he overrode an airlock safety system and had himself jettisoned into space. Although wearing his armour he did not fit his breathing equipment or suit heating and died within seconds of entering space.

Salamander was one of the best helmsmen in the NS fleet though also had a reputation for... strangeness. Windscorpion is said to be upset over the loss.

NS announce Dauntless 51B

The second batch of Type 51 Medium Combat Ships will be known as the Dauntless 51B it was announced at this week's EP Politburo meeting. As with the Corkscrew 51A there will be twenty Dauntless 51Bs built expected to be from around 2122.

The Dauntless will take into account experience from the Corkscrew and have enhanced multi-mission provision. Current design ideas show a Corkscrew with added "wings" which hold weapon pods, thought to be combined Zip cannon / TPM launchers. Dauntless will also be longer with a second docking bay. These designs may change though but the design is expected to be locked down by 2120.

2533

Happy B'Day!
Will Phoebus be successful in ending Windy's reign of glory?

2532

Rubber Roof
Phoebus brings Firefly and Sally to their knees.

2531

Looking for Items
Dr Phoebus is bought to Windy.

Operation Long Patrol 2118

Long Patrol is an exercise in deep space operations. As with last year's first edition four ships headed off in August (deployment LP2118A) and rendezvoused with two other NS ships (deployment LP2118B) outside of UNP space, thought to be near the Solar Empire. A number of combat exercises and logistical scenarios will be carried out before the ships make their long trip back (due to return home to time for Christmas!)

The ships involved are:

021-106 Yeoman (flagship LP2118A and overall command ship)
037-108 Sanger Alpha
051-102 Centurion
073-119 Heptane

036-106 Madwort (flagship LP2118B)
046-107 Titus

UV252 : Return to the Fold

• Clean Young - New Sparta rescues the UNP hostages at Starbot.
• Mystery Liner - New Sparta attacks the Starbotians.
• Sleep Walking - Windy faces K-2.
• Forests of the Nite - Ronald encounters a Terrasaur battlecruiser.
• Yellow Shirts - Ronald and GBH battle the Terrasaurs.
• Foothold in the Game - Kira and Toko have a new plot to kill Windy.

2526

Foothold in the Game
Kira and Toko have a new plot to kill Windy.

2525

Yellow Shirts
Ronald and GBH battle the Terrasaurs.

2524

Forests of the Nite
Ronald encounters a Terrasaur battlecruiser.

Caratore apologises to Poliburo

VP Operations Caratore has apologised to the EP Politburo after last week's extraordinary meeting where he stormed out following an angry exchange with VP Technology Knobhead. Caratore said that frustration and humiliation had boiled over causing him to "lose his cool" and he unreservedly apologised.

President Sea Urchin accepted the apology and said the matter should now rest. It was decided at the meeting that the big year-end full-spectrum exercise (Winter Misters 2118) will be held in Starbotian space. Sea Urchin also announced the alert status has reduced to normal level (CYAN).

Fleet News 07/10/18

Protector 57A 057-102 Protea and Extender 73A 073-132 Liftmaster have become the first new ships to enter service as part of Epiphany, although both are registered of course as part of the New Sparta Fleet.

Starbotian ships which have returned to the NS fleet are having S appended to their pennant numbers.

Caratore storms out of first EP Politburo meeting

VP Operations Caratore had an angry exchange with VP Technology Knobhead at the inaugural Epiphany Politburo meeting at EP GHQ (the renamed NS GHQ but still on Helikan Island, Proxima 5). Caratore feels he was set-up when he was humiliated by not knowing of last minute name change decisions earlier in the week and he feels Knobhead was behind it.

Caratore stormed out of the meeting. There were also reports of scuffles between Caratore's and Knobhead's support teams outside the meeting room.

Earlier in the Politburo meeting it was agreed that K-1 would be Starbot's representative. Though quite what he thought about the later fracas is unknown.

New Sparta becomes Epiphany... and remains New Sparta

Yesterday New Sparta was finally absorbed into the UNP to become it's official military wing. New Sparta was also renamed Epiphany. However somewhat confusingly New Sparta the name will remain for the Space Force, Terrestrial Force and security services. The Shiner said that Epiphany would be the administrative name for the organisation, and the name for diplomatic and non-military operations, military wings would remain NS.

The decision was made at the last moment it is understood, so last moment that even VP Operations Caratore did not know about it when asked by a reporter. Later on President Sea Urchin said it was for cost and operational reasons, though one conspiracy theory is that it was purposely done to make Caratore look foolish with a planted question.