New Utrek Federation begins to flex it's muscles

The New Utrek Federation, which comprises nearly two thirds of the former Utrek territory (much of the remaining was left a wasteland by the Mantae), has put on an impressive display of it's growing power after a fleet of twenty brand new Molentic Tuuls performed a pass of the new orbital HQ over Korel. Korel is said to be the new capital planet of the Utrek, the former capital Urlik Utrekia still suffering the effects of orbital bombardment during the war.

The Utrek claimed six production lines were now operational with up to thirty Molentic Tuuls, a dozen Reptoli Tuuls and a score of a new smaller patrol ship said to be in construction. NS has been unable to confirm this.

Starbotians report Mantae intelligence

S101 and B-B are returning from deep space where they have been on a secret mission for NS to investigate the Mantae and assess how much of a threat this mysterious power, which destroyed the Utrek Federation, is.

S101 has contacted NS via a long-range hyperlink, their ship will not return to Starbot for another month. NS have released a summary of some of the intelligence gathered, basically the Mantae threat is now considered to have receded for the short to medium term. The Mantae have entered a vicious civil and religious war over the purity of their anti-carbon ideology. S101 said that the Mantae have already been reduced to over 30% of their original population by the various wars and the civil war looks likely to cripple the Mantae as a military power for the next few decades.

Windscorpion will hold an NS Politburo meeting when he returns from his holiday next month. Although it is likely the reconnaissance mission will need to be followed up the removal of the Mantae from the list of immediate threats is likely to be welcomed.

NS decide on information seeking as next step against Mantae

The battered NS task force, which lost a ship against the Mantae, has reached Starbot. From there President Windscorpion has held an NS Politburo meeting to decide the next course of action against this new foe. It is thought the next step is to find out more about the Mantae, a mysterious enemy who destroyed the Urlik Utrek Federation but yet little is known about them.

The head of NS Intelligence Kalifei later told reporters that NSIS had established a dedicated office to gather and collate information about the Mantae. The New Utrek Federation had also been approached to join the sharing of information.

Also in the Politburo meeting the new head of DSA Mad Medic was added to the governing group of NS.

NS ship lost to Mantae

Kinetic 35C cruiser 35-303 Kelvin has been destroyed in a battle between an NS expeditionary force and a Mantae fleet. The two fleets had engaged earlier in the day with several NS ships receiving damage, two Mantae ships were destroyed.

After a lull in the battle the two fleets engaged against, NS was able to destroy five more Mantae but Kelvin was destroyed after losing main power. Several other ships were damaged and there were a number of deaths across the fleet including all hands on Kelvin.

The Mantae fleet has withdrawn back towards their space. The NS fleet is also returning to Starbot. President Windscorpion has raised the alert status to ORANGE.

Windy raises NS alert status, delays ship maintenance

President Windscorpion has raised the NS alert status to AMBER due to the possible threat of Mantae attack and intelligence gained of possible new Mutre Bee attacks. Windy is rumoured to be going to personally lead the expedition to confront the Mantae.

Three ships due for heavy maintenance have had their dates postponed to help maintain greater fleet strength. Further postponements will be made later in the year.

NS to send force to confront Mantae

President Windscorpion has said NS will send a powerful force into the space where a NS ship skirmished with a Mantae ship. Windy said the Mantae needed to be sent a message that NS would not be challenged or attacked in their own territory (though some reports indicate the NS ship was in unclaimed space).

The formation of the task force is unknown though is thought to consist of a number of cruisers. The actual mission is also unknown but is thought to be largely symbolic as Mantae space is many light years away.

NS skirmish with the Mantae

The Mantae are already notorious with the local group of galactic civilisations having virtually destroyed the Utrek Federation and other smaller powers in little known space beyond UNP space. The Mantae, who the Starbotians have already encountered, are known to be silicon based life forms with an extreme hatred for carbon based life.

Now NS have encountered and skirmished with a Mantae ship at the edge of UNP space. A Corkscrew class destroyer had a short battle with the Mantae, both sides exchanged shots before the Mantae withdrew. The Corkscrew received only minimal damage and it is thought the Mantae ship was also only lightly damaged.

President Windscorpion has ordered an emergency NS Politburo meeting to discuss the NS response to this new threat.

Utrek split into rival factions

The Utrek Federation has totally collapsed according to Raegris intelligence officers who have been examining the Utrek since its defeat at the hands of the Mantae. At least 5 successor states have formed based around major planets in the former Utrek Federation and there have already been skirmishes between these new powers as they jockey for position and seek to add unaligned planets.

Central authority has gone, the vacuum caused by the utter destruction of the Utrek homeworld and the state apparatus. The Raegris said that the Utrek were very centralised, maybe more so than previously thought and therefore the loss of the central authority has thrown the whole system into chaos.

The Bolitic are getting involved in this new reality. They had already been involved with the Utrek in the war against the Mantae (dozens of houses fighting as mercenaries). Now it has been recorded various Bolitic ships visiting the successor state based around Molentic and they may have even joined the Molentic Utrek in skirmishes against other successor factions.

Clones send mission to Urlik Utrekia

A 7 ship fleet is understood to have arrived at the shattered capital of the Utrek Federation (if that can be still considered to exist) from Cloneworld carrying relief supplies. A senior Clone Star Empire diplomat also met with the Utrek military commander on the planet to discuss how more help could be sent.

Urlik Utrekia is the heart of a rump of the federation that was badly affected by the Mantae war, some outlying planets have already ceded from the federation and are thought to be forming rival successor states.

Knobhead cut ship building plan at last minute

The finalised Ship Building Plan for 2117/8 was published a couple of days ago and immediately raised some eyebrows. While changes from the drafts published earlier in the year are expected the final plan was short an Olympus Balista 023M, a Kinetic 035C and a Mulberry 036A. It is understood that NS Commander Knobhead himself ordered these changes just days before the plan was published.

The reason is said, by insiders, to be due to be greater uncertainly in the astral-political situation around the UNP that has developed over the last few months. The downfall of the Utrek, the rise of a possible new threat in the shape of the Mantae and MBH becoming the new Dino Emperor has prompted Knobhead to want greater cash reserves in NS coffers. The cut in the plan will save 1.6 billion zarks which will be put (along with some other money) into a new NS contingency reserve.

If the astral-political situation turns sour quickly Knobhead wants NS to have the money and resources to immediately be able to step up munition production and fleet preparedness.

Local Group leaders to hold urgent summit

Following the news of the Utrek defeat at the hands of the Mantae NS Commander Knobhead has invited the leaders of the Dino Republic, Clone Star Empire, Raegris and Remedian Belt to an urgent summit at NS GHQ to discuss the news. The Free Eritran States have also been invited to send a representative.

Knobhead said that the fall of the Utrek will make the space that borders the Local Group very unpredictable and dangerous as there are already reports of Utrek governors attempting to seize power in the vacuum caused by the death of the Emperor. It is thought everyone except Oojok has already agreed to the summit.

Utrek defeated by Mantae!

S101, returning from a long-range reconnaissance has revealed that the Utrek Federation has been defeated by the Mantae! The Starbotian reported that the Utrek fleet had been ground down and defeated and the Utrek capital devastated in a nuclear attack which had left the Emperor and senior staff dead. The Mantae had now returned to their border leaving the Utrek in chaos and in danger of descending into civil war.

It is thought the Starbotian Commander K-2 had tried to suppress S101's report to maintain a tactical advantage but S101 had gone against his commander as he felt it more important for the information on the Utrek and Mantae be available to the other Local Group powers.

NS Deputy Commander Torus said New Sparta was currently digesting the information but that it tied in with what information they had received on the Utrek recently.

Defecting General tells Clones the Utrek is collapsing

Clone media is reporting that a Utrek General defected last month and has told the Clones that the Utrek war against the Mantae is going so badly that the Utrek could collapse within months. Its not known how the General's words (if true) have been leaked but it is known that some factions in the Clone Defence Forces would like to assist the Utrek and maybe they are behind the leak.

It is unlikely the Clones will intervene (and have not been asked), the Clones like the other Local Group powers are beginning to watch the situation closely. So little is known about the Mantae that governments still arn't sure how to react.

NS Deputy Commander Torus told a group of NS+ officers last month that for all they knew the Mantae could be friendly to them and taking down the Utrek could be a great help. Equally it could mean an even more dangerous enemy would be on their doorsteps.