NationStates Jolt Archive

[[OOC: I lost the origional Wazzu Space News a good 6 months ago, this is the continuance]]



http://members.cox.net/sincityraiders/images/Megan.jpg

StS Megan to be Refit

Megan Hughs, a young child with incurable physical genetic defects, was placed into an artificial body as a toddler, and gradually moved up. It wasn't long ago that now 10 year old Megan was both kidnapped and hijacked by Admiral-gone-Rogue April West. She was found orbiting a planet in the Bernard's Star star system.

But her return to Sol has been met with uncertainty. The Wazzu public, now aware of the nature of her last refit, has overwhelmingly demanded the government to NOT but the young girl into the face of war. Government and military officials denied any need to do so.

But now a new future has been found. In the great enterprising tradition of Wazzu, a group of former public and private sector employees holding the necessary security clearances have started a new buisness. Company founder James Richards says that his still unnamed corporation plans trade.

"Our trade has always been limited by what we allow our private sector to use, and what we retirees have been able to scrounge up." Richards stated earlier today, "But with Megan, most of the startup cost is already paid for, and venture investors have been able to support our change."

Those investors include people such as Elizabeth Wang, now Interm Ambassador for Wazzu, and Juna Sanchez, the self appointed 'Space Czar.' With such notable and trustworthy people supporting it, Megan's future looks bright indeed.

[[OOC: I hope this thread will mostly be about non-military stuff. But hey, who can resist posting about their space fleets? :) ]]

Aging Fleet Refit

An Old Problem Growing Older
The Wazzu Space Forces have a long history of believing themselves stronger then others see them, and a shorter history of believing themselves hopelessly undergunned. This is in part due to the isolationist Era of the nations last Chief Executive Board Member, Ela Rios, and mostly due to the mass defection led by Rogue Admiral April West, who took a full half Wazzu's space power with her.

Fairly recent actions have closed part of the security hole left by West's Rebellion, but these are limited. Neither the refitted civilian craft nor the more capible hundread gunboat navy created with some foreign technologies are considered up to the standards held by current military leaders. With pure-built Wazzu ships now all more then 500 years old, a change is considered necessary.


Wazzu to Replace Current Spacecraft
Rather then refit old ships, or build new ships of the old designs, Wazzu military leaders have decided to recreate virtually the entire force. As new ships come online, old and refitted civilian ships will be retired, either put into mothballs or simply scrapped. The major milestones of the plan are as follows:


Forces Lost: All remaining older combat-designed spacecraft are to be mothballed. All refitted civilian ships are to be scrapped. The origional 15 'Gravships' and current 'Ramships' (some of which are the origional ships produced in concert with Sunset and the FSP) are to be scrapped and their materials used in new craft.

Forces Maintained: The 100 Gunboat Navy will remain as Wazzu's FTL force. The 11 newest 'Gravships', themselves over 400 years old, will remain in service on Earth.

Forces Gained: Between 10 and 20 redesigned Knight Class Frigates (http://members.cox.net/sincityraiders/images/Knight.jpg) will be built from bottom up as Wazzu's primary in-system defense force. Military leaders also hope to gain contracts with foreign nations to make up to 5 destroyers along the same lines as the Gunboat Navy to aid in Extra-Solar forces. An unspecified number of ramships will replace the 20 currently in service.


Despite the extraordinary low number of already small spacecraft, defense officials insist this will be an improvement. We spoke with Defense Spokesman Jennifer Gutenburg earlier this morning.

"Really, we are looking at a lack of two things, a modern in-system force and a superluminal force with endurance. This plan should cover both of those, while drastically reducing our logistical need and keeping our military footprint small."

Not Everyone is Happy
The current space naval size, while still considered low, supports about 4 times as many jobs as the planned force. Both Hermes Spacelines Inc. and newly incorporated Temporal Expiditions Trading Group have said they will pick up much of the slack, but it is unlikely they can save everyone. Many are expected to be left out in the cold, unable to find a job.

"Still," says Gutenburg, "the safety and continued employment of Wazzuians as a whole outweighs that of our veterans. We'll do our best to help them get back on their feet."