Special Report: The End of an Era

MARS MEMORIAL OBSERVATION POINT - ISF and Peacekeeper forces in the System will be gathering today for the end of an era: the decommissioning and demolition of the Imaginos's ancient flagship, the Warchief II. Reportedly built over 600 years ago, the aging starship is being retired from active service and laid to rest near the Mars Memorial, where it was originally constructed. Dignitaries from all the major Alliance planets and allied systems will be arriving throughout the day to attend the ceremony.

Opinions around the Alliance are mixed. Several Marcien protestors are claiming that the destruction of the ship is a travesty, insisting that it should be preserved as a symbol of Marcien heritage and former glory. On the opposite end, Saturnus Coalition representitives are hailing this as "the end of a nightmare," citing the Warchief II's role in the destruction of Herschel City, Mimas, in 3024.

"The Warchief II was an instrument of mass murder on a scale the Godless themselves had never quite achieved," said Grayden Harrison, a spokesman of the Walkers of the Desolate Path, the central governing body of the Saturnus Coalition. "We hope that, with the elimination of this atrocious symbol of heavy-handed rule, that the people of the System Alliance will find enlightenment and peace at last."

Spokesmen from the Imaginos Space Forces simply claim that the decommissioned starship, measuring over 7000 meters in length, would be a hazard to navigation if left intact in orbit around one of the main planets or moons. "The Warchief II saw significant action and was instrumental in saving billions of lives, eliminating the Godless threat, and reviving the planet Earth," said ISF Grand Marshal Elisse Stingray, in a town hall meeting Friday. "It's earned its rest."

The star of the ISF's fleet, the Astolpho II, is expected to appear at the ceremonies later this evening.