174/3

Under The Lash
The DDS come under Bolitic attack (Ash Death P3)

174/2

Hyper Reality
Both the DDS and Dinos begin their respective missions (Ash Death P2)

HCS to develop "cold rocket" for Gale-IV/CSM2

The one Achilles Heel in the Clone Space Missile system is with the booster stage, despite countermeasures the Gale-III derived booster is a rocket and thus is a large IR source. Current DDS tactics call for the missile being targeted in this first stage where it is vulnerable before it enters space and cloaks. The HCS think they can solve this with a new form of chemical rocket which gives off a cold flame and has very little IR and indeed optical signature.

Funding has been given to a Clone science lab to field test this new technology by 2115. If successful then it will be a major part of the next generation HCS ICBM (the Gale-IV) and also form a key part of the planned next generation interstellar missile the CSM2 planned for the early 2120s.

DDS give show of support to Free Eritran States

The DDS have given a show of support to Molab and the other Free Eritran States and have accelerated plans for a joint exercise with Molab to February or March. Deputy DDS Commander Shiner said that any aggression against DDS allies would be a "mistake". He called on the HCS to end talk of expansion and threats. The Clones again repeated that they have not threatened Molab or any other named state.

The DDS were planning a joint exercise with Molab for late in 2112 or early 2113 but will now do so much earlier in the war. Details of the exercise have not yet been revealed.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Are the Clones going to war?

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The sudden sabre-rattling by the Clones, calls for expansion and fleet redeployments has caught the galaxy off-guard. It genuinely seems to have come out of nowhere. Its as if Oojok lost his usual speech and so ad libbed something about "living space" and events then took a life of their own. His speech caught the HCS out especially, as their amphibious forces are probably at their lowest readiness for years because of some upgrades being carried out to the Intruder fleet and new equipment being bought for key amphibious units (such as the T-55ZDM2).

So are the Clones heading for war? Should Molab really be fearing an invasion? Even with the chaos of reorganisation the existing HCS amphibious force dwarfs anything most other powers can put together at the moment (except for the hyper powers like the Tarbotians of course) so the HCS could invade Molab though they would be without much in the way of a reserve if things went wrong and many of their first line units are currently unavailable.

Of course the HCS could just aim to attack in space, however that is not how the HCS like to do things. They don't like to attack an enemy and just leave his fleet in ruins, they like to invade and conquer and annex. The HCS could wage a space war against the Molab, they would win but the price would be likely to be high thanks to Molab's DDS imports. The Clones would then look at their ravaged fleet and an uninvaded foe and ask where is the beef?

So no i don't think the Molabites should be hiding their royal family in bunkers yet, the Clones are months away from being ready for any war. If they did curtail their amphibious reorganisation though and send the 1st Armoured Brigade (the elite of the HCS and the key amphibious unit) to Austini 55 though then it probably would be time to worry.

HCS ramp up pressure with ship redeployments

The HCS Space Navy have announced that the 7th Attack Wing will be redeploying to Austini 55 from Randalf 74 next month. The force, which includes 4 Kelsan KS bombers, will be stationed at the capital of the CSE-E for at least 6 months for "training and operational purposes". Molab and the other Free Eritran States are taking it as a sign that the Clones are planning an attack.

The Clones however have denied that Molab is a target. "We have had improving relations with the Molabites so why would we be their enemies again now?" Marcus the Deputy Emperor of the CSE-E said at a media briefing today.

• Consul Jimmy, in what may be his final public address before he steps down at the end of the month, has called on the HCS to be mindful of causing "discord". Jimmy also called on the new Bolitic Emperor Melson to "act like a sovereign leader and not the boss of a gang of interstellar thugs".