The growing threat of conflict in the region

The UN Secretary General's spokesman's hairdresser, speaking off the record, expressed concern yesterday about reports of increasing military expenditure in the wake of the highly successful S'''''''loot arms fair in the capital of the XL globular cluster near our own hitherto peaceful region.

"I am critical of such fairs," said the Secretary General's assistant spokesman's aunt Ermintrude. "They only increase the likelihood of conflict and the only real beneficiaries are the grisly merchants of death who profit hugely from this wasteful and unnecessary spending."

Meanwhile concern is growing at the likelihood of internecine warfare among the mysterious Sa'Vasku and the danger that this may spill over and affect peaceloving UN affiliated planets. The UN SG, speaking on the record, played down such fear, drawing the attention of journalists (both of them) to the fact that the longest established Sa'Vasku civilisation in the region has been silent for a long time now, and may even have been rendered extinct by the lethal disease known colloquially as Distraction, or in Sa'Vasku, d'job-d'kidz-d'morgige. "As for reports of other Sa'Vasku in the region, these remain unconfirmed. The reportedly homicidal xenophobes the Muratians may yet prove to be freedom-loving humans much like ourselves." he said optimistically.

Nonetheless many commentators have noted the huge increase in military spending by forces in, and bordering, our hitherto peaceful region, and question whether peace can be maintained in the face of such warlike preparations. The Lorre clan of the Sa'Vasku have reportedly bought a number of heavy ships, and there are confusing reports about the Muratians buying up ex-Chinese aircraft carriers, freighters and most bafflingly, Sa'Vasku Superdreadnaughts. Little is known about the Muratians apart from their naked xenophobia and near-legendary aggression, and while the reported pattern of sales to them does nothing to clear up confusion about their identity, it certain reinforces the widely held concerns about their intentions.

More difficult to interpret are the reports that hitherto unknown agents of a yet to be identified power have bought up an enormous number of ships from the Neue Swabian League's military export authority. These ships, allegedly surplus to NSL requirements, are in fact among the most newly constructed and potent ships ever made by the New Berlin and New Hamburg dockyards, and it is thought that the sales represent a desperate effort by the yards to maintain the production line in the face of the failure of the NSL navy to purchase as many of the new designs as had been expected. Certainly the reported prices of these vessels suggest a buyer's market for these as yet unproven systems. The identity and location of the purchaser remain a mystery, although there has been uninformed speculation that they may be former subject races of the moribund Sa'vasku clan known as the Con-sultants, who have displaced the former occupiers of the worlds held by that clan in our region. It may be some weeks before this can be confirmed.

The UNSC commander was unwilling to go on the record about reports that uniformed men in blue berets had been seen dickering with arms traders for purportedly "surplus" vessels from the NSL shipyards at New Berlin. His spokesman's batman dismissed the idea that the UNSC would depart from its tried and tested designs, even if it went on to an offensive posture.