ions. With adverse feelings
towards their respective government, the masses marched on their
capital demanding equality to enter these, but nothing was
accomplished. The solar catastrophe had occurred and the reasons for
their mass discontent were subsequently forgotten.

By the end of the 1999, just over a full year following the asteroid
destruction of the Earth's surface, mankind had managed to rebuild
their cities and start life anew. Enjoying totally new styles of
living, no individual was really poor. The technological advancements
during that year of peace were astounding and the entire world now
benefited from them.

New sources of power were discovered following great tectonic upheavals
caused by the impacting asteroids; small, crystal-like minerals were
pushed to the Earth's surface. Their properties were pure and
vigorous. Their radiation became useful for everything imaginable.

Remaining secret, those Americans that survived on the surface and
those from the O.S.G.I's, converted their power sources to utilise the
new crystals. Entire cities were powered by two crystals, no larger
than walnuts.

Plans were formulated to build colonies in space, beginning with
orbital stations and finally lunar and Martian colonies. These
colonies were to be powered by the new crystals and materials for
building the colonies would come from the asteroid belt; the very
origin of the Earth's cataclysm.

Laser instruments, of innovative design and use, were built to take
advantage of this new crystal power. Many of these lasers were used
for medicine, however, and only a few thousand weapons were developed,
for the police. The police rarely used them, having been given
electrostatic guns that inhibited nerve synapses, and in that manner
had several non-injured reprobates to their list of captured. The
laser weapons that were not used by the police were channelled into the
O.S.G.I's, to be taken care of by the city administrators.

During these years of revived human civilisation and technology, there
came a movement of great intensity that called for the disarming and
dismantling of all destructive weaponry around the world.

The Communist nations were prepared to agree with America and its
allied nations. Although there were internal conflicts within the
Communist nations, leading to their eventual fall, the governments that
emerged from the revolutions eventually fulfilled many promises and
commitments to