The third extra exercise has been launched at short notice to run concurrently with Civilian Partnership, indeed one of the elements of the exercise will be to assist the mock evacuation on Mars. The rest of the exercises will take place in the Proxima Centauri and will include mock combat and minesweeping. The ships involved are:
36-104 Megatron (flag)
43-103 Celebes Sea
41-209 Fierce
46-104 Marius (MCM director)
44-104 Hesiod
44-105 Nicias
44-115 Brasidas
73-121 Ethylene
This year's edition of NS' big annual humanitarian and UNP co-operation exercise will be centred on Mars where, in the exercise scenario, a volcano has erupted putting the inhabitants of Mars' largest city in peril. A combined NS and UNP fleet will evacuate around 5,000 civilian volunteers from Olympus Mons to orbital staging posts. A tent city will also be built near Mars Central City.
The NS ships involved will be:
21-101 Missileer (flag)
35-305 Keel
51-104 Conflict
42-101 Proxima Centauri
71-112 Lancastrian
71-115 Crane
63-101 Oceania
63-108 South America
73-111 Kerosene
Oojok's son and heir Terin is being positioned as a demi-god next to his father. However, the soon to be new Emperor of the Clone Star Empire is struggling to gain much in the way of genuine devotion from the Clones. Despite regular sermons by Ayatollah Clone XE private polling by the church indicates that Terin, at best, inspires indifference in a majority of believers and in a sizeable minority (over 30%) active dislike.
One problem is said to be Terin's image. While Oojok has a heroic appearance with his muscular body and charisma, Terin is said to more resemble a mid-level accountant. His speeches are lack lustre and his appearance said to be insipid. Ayatollah Clone XE is said to be considering how to build Terin's image over the coming months. This is important as over 40% of Clones are said to be unhappy that Terin is going to replace Oojok as Emperor. Only 24% are said to be happy about it.
The former Director of Communications of the DDS during the AP regime, Hibiscus, was yesterday released from an open prison which he has been at for the last 5 years after a transfer from an iP Services facility. He was then taken to NS GHQ on Proxima 5 and hired as New Sparta's new Head of Communications!
He will work under VP (Facilities) The Shiner directing NS communications and acting as chief spokesman. It is thought Hibiscus has spent the last 3 years of his prison sentence actually working in preparation for his new role. The appointment will raise some eyebrows though Hibiscus was soon found to be a fairly benign and innocent member of the AP regime in his interrogation after the fall of AP. Windy is said to like him.
NS Terrestrial Forces have said that it's new LEO interceptor, the F-12, will not replace the F-10SNG or cause any reductions in the rest of the fighter fleet. Zeppelin said that the eventual F-10S fleet will be 140 by the mid-2120s.
The F-12 will be known as the Hammerhead in NS service, it is based on a commercially available high altitude aircraft. The wings will be strengthened, each will carry a TPM-A with a third carried underneath the aircraft. The F-12 will also carry two AAMs for self-defence.
NS has been tasked by the UNP to extend the protection given to Hexian City on Proxima 7 and NS' two main bases which have regular air patrols by TPM-A carrying fighters able to attack threats in LEO. UNP have requested the next five largest cities across the UNP to also have these patrols.
Currently the patrols are carried out by the F-10ASE which is being replaced by the F-10SNG. Both types can only carry one TPM-A at a time (though the SNG can carry two at a cost of reduced range). NS has decided that a dedicated interceptor would be preferable and cheaper. An already available design has been purchased from Consolidated Aerospace and will be converted into the F-12. This will be a large subsonic aircraft able to carry two or three TPM-As and maintain patrols for extended periods. NS has ordered fifty F-12s, the prototype is being built right now and should fly before the end of the year. NS aim to begin patrols with the F-12 by 2122.
Tiger is a set a mission into the Rim Worlds as his final command assessment.
The first Lavender 105A unmanned long-range patrol ship has performed it's first operational mission. 105-101 Lavender conducted a three day survey of an asteroid belt in the Rim Worlds before returning to Solaris. The mission is said to have gone well with only one intervention needed by NS to remotely adjust a sensor setting.
The Lavender has yet to be fitted with worm drive due to delays in calibrating the new type. The first ship will be retrofitted with worm drive before the end of the year.
The Lavender is an optionally manned ship, it is thought a manned mission will be carried out soon to test this feature.
NS have announced a second generation of it's more efficient e-Core engine technology which is gradually being applied to powerplants of NS ships and for export. Officially known as e-Core2 the improvements are said to reduce fuel burn by up to 6%. While this may not sound like much it could save NS over a million zarks in fuel per ship in a year of operation.
e-Core2 also includes some improvements to aid maintainability and reliability. The first ship expected to use an e-Core2 engine is one of the Protector 57As currently in final build and expected to enter service before the end of the year. The engine will be known as Proton RM-01B e-Core.
Ayatollah Clone XE has formed a new organisation aimed at young Clones known as Clone Youth. Young Clones will be encouraged to further their studies in the Clone religion, worship of Oojok and obedience of Clone law. Ayatollah Clone XE wants every young Clone to eventually join the voluntary organisation but has set an initial target of a million members by 2122.
Membership of Clone Youth will be a fast track into higher religious orders. It is thought Ayatollah Clone XE also wants to recreate the Religious Police Armed Wing which used to fight alongside the HCS during the Clone Wars.
NS is to upgrade it's fleet of Alpha 121A Nano Fighting Ships to improve their warfighting capabilities especially in unmanned mode. The ships will receive Alpha Combat Update 2120 over the next couple of months which will include vector thrust and modifications to the M6502 engine to improve acceleration.
The ships will also receive tactical system and sensor updates as well as fractal communications.
