BIOMETAL RIOTS STRIKE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT DAY
(HyperWave TIMES, 01.01.2005)

LONDON (Reuters): Widespread rioting and public unrest continued for the third straight day in cities
across Europe, America, and the Pacific Rim. Angry Japanese citizens shouted slogans and carried banners
through the crowded streets of Tokyo protesting the military use of biometal. Halfway around the world,
the traditional New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square were canceled when New York's service workers
held a sit-down strike to demonstrate solidarity with the Scion people. 

As daylight faded to evening, protest rallies and marches throughout Europe dissolved into violence and
looting. The Munich site of tomorrow's planned meeting of International Space Defense Force (ISDF) leaders 
was the focus of several violent clashes with riot police. Violence was more diffuse in downtown London,
where roving mobs smashed shop windows and overturned cars to block several streets. Similar outbreaks 
shook the cities of Paris, Barcelona, Naples, and Athens before dawn finally brought an uneasy truce to 
the streets.


ISDF ROLE IN CORE DISASTER QUESTIONED
(ConAmerican POST, 01.03.2005)

MUNICH (UPI): Despite continued allegations and suspicions, leaders of the International Space Defense 
Force continue to deny that their organization played any role in the disaster on Core. Sir Reginald 
Pryce-Williams, ISDF Supreme Commander, released a statement yesterday claiming that former General Armand 
Braddock's attack on the Scion planet of Core was "the act of a madman clutching at immortality by 
manipulating events long after his death." 

But in an apparent concession to protesters, several political leaders have begun to call for 
investigations and potential reform of the ISDF. Pierre D'Arvignon, the French Ambassador to the United 
Nations, yesterday claimed that the ISDF is "a puppet of the Consolidated North American Union." A 
longtime critic of both the ISDF and the CNAU, D'Arvignon called for the complete dissolution of the ISDF. 
He stopped short of saying that the military alliance conducted or condoned the attack on Core, but he did 
point out that "Armand Braddock was once a member of the ISDF, and biometal-tipped weapons were used in 
the attack. Certainly the Force must bear some responsibility for the disaster." 



UNITED NATIONS MAY DISBAND ISDF
(HyperWave TIMES, 01.06.2005)

NEW YORK (AP): The biometal riots have finally subsided, but their effects may be felt for decades to 
come. United Nations Secretary-General Mustafa el-Kalena indicated that a Security Council members were 
discussing a potential compromise. A draft copy of the document was obtained by TIMES early this morning. 
The compromise proposes disbanding the ISDF completely and replacing it by a much smaller "Earth Defense 
Force," which would be used for police and escort purposes only. One high-ranking ConAmerican 
representative bitterly condemned the measure, claiming that the Earth Defense Force would represent "a 
highway patrol for interplanetary travel," utterly incapable of protecting the security of our solar 
system. 

The official criticized other aspects of the draft treaty, especially the so-called "Biometal Safety 
Clause." In a move certain to please biometal protesters, the UN measure would scrap most of the ISDF 
fleet, strictly limit the use of biometal, and criminalize any and all biometal possession or research on 
the planet Earth. A limited amount of biometal storage and research would be permitted, but all such 
activities would be confined to a small military base on Mercury.

French Ambassador Pierre D'Arvignon hailed the measure as a giant step on the road toward a peaceful 
coexistence with our interstellar neighbors. "Nothing can bring the Scions back to Core now that the ISDF 
has ruined their planet," he said. "But by disbanding the largely ConAmerican space army, we have the 
power to ensure that future encounters with Scions or other intelligent races will be peaceful."

D'Arvignon scoffed at worries about hostile alien invasion, claiming they were "scare-tactics and ghost 
stories invented by the ConAmericans," in order to prop up their faltering defense industry. The French 
Ambassador insisted that "intelligent life is, by definition, peaceful," and assured fellow Security 
Council members that the proposed Earth Defense Force would be more than adequate to handle any threats, 
even without the use of biometal.

Because France is next in line for the Secretary-General's seat, D'Arvignon is expected to become the next 
leader of the United Nations.