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Mars
Mars

Mars prior to the First Martian Revolution.

Solar System The Sol System
Star Sol
Orbit/Alignment Fourth Planet
Colonization 2050
Factions/Powers Ultor Corporation (circa 2050-2075)

Red Faction (2075, 2125-ongoing)
Earth Defence Force (2075-2125)
Martian State (2075-2125)
Marauders (2075-ongoing)
White Faction (2125-2150?)
Cultists (circa 2167-ongoing)

Regions Tharsis
Moons Phobos and Deimos


Mars is the fourth planet in Solar system and the second closest planet to Earth, named after the Roman god of war. It was first colonized around 2050 by private industry Ultor Corporation as the Earth's resources became increasingly scarce and mining the red planet was seen as the only chance at maintaining the Earth's standard of living and culture. It has two small natural moons: Phobos and Deimos.

History[]

Since the day of its colonization, Mars has had a twisted and often bloody history, characterized by oppression, wars, tyrants, conflicting interests and lies. But in every conflict there have been heroes, those who stood head and shoulders above the rest and made history through their deeds, and because of them, the enterprising spirit and strength of the first martians still lives on.

Exploratory missions[]

Prior to actual colonization by the Ultor Corporation, there were a number of manned Mars missions - some of which ended in tragedy.[1] At least three different missions took place before 2050, with one member of the group of astronauts dying on each one. Gary Hobbes of mission MME-877, Michael Sokolov of mission MME-1667 and Tahira Nagi of mission MME-3233 all lost their lives during these missions.

Early settlement and the First Martian Uprising[]

UltorMars

Mars under the Ultor Corporation

As with all new frontiers, there were those seeking the adventure and opportunity promised by work in a new world. Unfortunately in 2050, the dream of exploration and scientific discovery, like so many before it, rang hollow. By 2070, discontent was growing between the ruthless Ultor Corporation and its workforce, which it treated less like employees and more like slaves, seeking the highest profit with minimum expenditure. News of these heinous working conditions never reacher Earth, of course, as Most messages were heavily censored by Ultor technicians.[2]

Another powerful motivator for discontent was the highly infectious disease which ripped through the mining population. It was a creation of Ultor chief scientist Axel Capek and, alongside his forrays with his mutant and nanotechnology, a direct result of an excursion back in 2067 alongside his Martian Advanced Science Team.[2][3]

In 2075, the Red Faction formed amongst the down-troden miners - a rebellion against corporate tyranny - and the First Martian Revolution began. Lead by their enigmatic founder who went by the codename 'Eos', they successfully destabilized the Ultor regime and eventually opened the way for the Earth Defence Force to intervene. What exactly the EDFs motives were back then is much debated - but it is entirely possible that they saw it as an opportunity to gain control of Mars, breaking the Ultor monopoly and shattering its hold over Earth. Some even believe that the EDF genuinely sought to protect its far-flung colony from oppression- the elder sibling stepping in to protect the younger, so to speak. No matter their motivations, at the time they were heralded as heroes by the miners and colonists.[2] The First Martian Revolution was over.

Red Faction EDFhandshake

EDF and Red Faction shaking hands after victory against Ultor

The EDF puppet-state[]

After the miner revolt in 2075 severely disrupted the supply of resources back to the home planet, the central governing body of Earth poured a great deal of money and resources into the Martian colony in the hopes of increasing mineral output. They installed terraformers across the planet that made the toxic Martian air breathable and the surface the most accommodating it had been since the planets birth. The grateful miners quickly colonized the surface, founding the Tharsis sector and settling the smaller sub-sectors of Parker, Dust, Oasis and Eos. Meanwhile the Marauders, bitter ex-Ultor scientists masquerading as brutal savages, emerged from the underground and settled out among the furtherest fringes of the Badlands.[1][4]

The number of humans inhabiting the planet increased dramatically, as did the planets output, yet despite this Mars could not keep up with the homeworlds growing need for resources. Poorly maintained infrastructure started failing, including planes and nuclear reactors. Cities such as London suffered environmental catastrophes such as floods, super-storms, and even winter storms. Rioting was also wide spread, essentially taking things from bad, to much, much worse.[1]

Although the Mars colonists technically had their own government, the Martian Council based at Hendrix Hall, between the two Martian revolutions - this was merely a puppet-government formed by the EDF and real power rested entirely in their hands. In response to Earths growing need for resources, the EDF became more and more oppressive, employing harsh tactics such as violent suppression and even summery execution to keep the workers in line and maintain steady production. As a result of this, the old fighting spirit of the martians was rekindled, and the Red Faction was resurrected to fight the very ones who had once saved them, men and women who had were swiftly becoming little more than thugs, so much like those once under the employ of Ultor that few could find a difference between them.[1]

EDF-Marauder war[]

The conflict between the Earth Defense Force and the Marauders, the EDF-Marauder War, began long before the Second Martian Revolution, although the two conflicts would eventually overlap. Some may even consider them the same war, but this is simply a matter of perspective.[1][5]

The turning point of the war was, perhaps, the Battle of Mariner Valley in 2117. The Marauders pushed the EDF from their valley and continued the offensive, such that by the more recognised start of the Second Martian Revolution 7 years later, they were a major threat to Martian society and were even launching some tentative raids into Dust and Oasis.[1][5]

OasisWelcome

Oasis, a centre of Martian terraforming efforts under the EDF

The other net result of the conflict was that the EDF, when the second Red Faction uprising began, were incredibly slow to respond, then being heavily engaged with the Marauder threat. They were also caught between two fronts, with bloody-thirsty Marauders pushing in on one side, and a brewing insurgency on the other. As such they were ruthless, giving no quarter and disregarding basic human rights. This only served to strengthen the Red Faction, driving more and more martians into the fold.[1]

Second Martian Revolution[]

The revolution began in Parker, amongst a hotbed of revolutionaries. The Battle of Parker was long and bloody, as the Red Faction gained strength. Under the leadership of Hugo Davies, a veteran of the Venezuelan Oil Wars, the Red Faction pushed the EDF out of Parker and then Dust, followed by Oasis and the Badlands, gaining strength as they went.[1][4]

They then pushed through the Free Fire Zone and into the crown jewel of the EDF State, Eos Sub-Sector. On the brink of victory, a shocking assault on the Red Faction's principle safehouse in the Badlands sent the rebels reeling. Key members of the Red Faction, including their commander, died and the organization was severely crippled.[1]

The survivors were lead by Alec Mason and Samanya, two revolutionaries who had long fought against EDF oppression. With them at their head, the remaining fragments of the Red Faction banded together with the Marauders, setting aside their differences and forming an Alliance against the EDF. Together, they raided the EDF Central Command and secured the Accelerator on Mount Vogel, killing General Bertram Roth and launching a nanite-infused missile at the Hydra, destroying the ship and freeing the planet from the oppression of the Homeworld once and for all.[1]

White Faction crisis[]

MarsWhiteFactionRevolution

A Map of Red Faction and Marauder territories at the time of the White Faction bid for power.

After the fall of the EDF, two independent states were formed, one belonging to the Marauders and the other to the Red Faction. Both were close allies until the death of Samanya Mason, seemingly a murder perpetrated by none other than the Marauders themselves. This unspeakable act of betrayal drove a wedge between the Red Faction and their once-allies. The truth was that Samanya’s death was, in fact, the result of an attack by a dangerous sect of EDF loyalists still residing on the planet after the conclusion of the War. This “White Faction” as it called itself would utilize espionage and covert tactics to slowly erode relations between the Miners of the Red Faction and the Marauders, seeking to destroy the independent Martian states and return the planet back to the fold.

It was in 2150, a quarter-century after the conclusion of the Second Martian Revolution, that the EDF remnant force known as the White Faction finally revealed themselves and launched their bid for power against the Marauders and the Red Faction. Hiding in places like the Madler Crater, they had successfully masked their existence from the rest of Mars, utilizing stolen resources to construct a new Severus-Class Dreadnaught of the same design as the Hydra.[6]

The culmination of this conflict was the Battle of Bakhuysen Trench.[6]

Cultist War and the destruction of the Terraformer[]

MarsArmageddon

Mars after the destruction of the Terraformer

Trying and failing to destroy the Terraformer at the end of the Battle of Bakhuysen Trench in the White Faction War, Adam Hale would try once more many years later. He would seize the Terraformer, aided by the Cultists, a radical extremist offshoot of the Marauders, and blow it up in the faces of the Red Faction, who had mobilized to stop him.[3]

The result was disastrous. While the air above ground remained breathable, unpredictable weather conditions ravaged the surface, forcing the Martian population, Marauder and Red Faction alike, to move back under ground, living as their ancestors had.[3]

Plague Armageddon[]

The Plague Armageddon was a conflict, or perhaps a disaster, that very nearly brought human civilization on Mars to an abrupt close. It was let loose by Darius Mason, tricked and used as a pawn by Adam Hale who sought to settle his debts with the Mason family by killing and discrediting it’s last remaining descendent.[3]

The Colonist State was hit hardest of all, but everyone on Mars suffered the horrors of the Plague.[3]

Economy and industry[]

Like any society, Mars has several key industries. Such as:

Mining[]

Mining

Workers in the Ultor Mines

Mining has always been an integral part of life on Mars, what with the planet being colonized in 2050 by the Ultor Corporation to take advantage of its untapped mining potential. The corporation pushed its workforce to the limit, driving them like slaves until they finally revolted against their tyranny.[2] The excavation of ore continued under the EDF state, and when that was overthrown, so to did it continue under the Red Faction, though it is unknown whether ore shipments continued to return to Earth.[1]

After the Terraformer was knocked out by the Cultists, the states of Mars relocated back beneath the surface.[3]

Another key resource found abundantly on Mars is Deuterium.[1]

Water Reclaimation[]

Rarely appearing in natural form on Mars, water must be constantly sourced and a steady supply maintained for Martian society to go on. A key part of this is the reclaimation of water from deposits of ice.[7]

Biological Research[]

Ever since the Ultor Corporation first colonised the red planet, research into altering lifeforms and adapting plants to suit the environment has been ongoing. The best known example comes from Axel Capek, experimenting with the makeup of the alien race he discovered beneath the Martian surface during the MASTers Expedition, creating mutants.[2][3]

After the downfall of Ultor, the Earth Defence Force and Martian Council both invested heavily in bio-research, centering on the sector of Oasis.[1]

The Red Faction once in power also seems to have continued these efforts and after the destruction of the Terraformer, the main distinguishing feature of the colonist subeterranean town of Greenbelt was a large research center.[3]

Energy Production[]

Undergroud settlements both Ultor-era and after the Cultist War made use of geothermal power as, contrary to early 20th century belief, Mars is anything but geologically stable. Known as 'orange gold' by some; Lava provides both heat and energy. [2][3][7]

Surface communities established after the arrival of the Earth Defence Force and the original construction of the Terraformer seemed to mostly harness solar and wind energy with the Tharsis Point Wind-farm in Dust being the most noteworthy.

Geography[]

The main colonized region of Mars is called Tharsis, and within it are seven sub-sectors.

Eos[]

Perhaps the most important sector on Mars, it served as the capital of the Tharsis region and the seat of the Martian Council for the entire duration of the EDF’s occupation of the planet. It was also the most wealthy and most technologically advanced sub-sector. It was named after the legendary founder of the first Red Faction, and instigator of the First Martian Revolution, Eos.[1]

After the fall of Earth Defense Force, this sub-sector became the heart of the Red Faction state.[1]


Parker[]

Named after the hero of the First Martian Revolution, Parker, it was heavily focused on mining and the architecture around the Town showed an industrialized but well settled people.[1]


Free Fire Zone[]

The Free Fire Zone was an extensive, barren shooting range designed for the Earth Defense Force's artillery which acted as a barrier and defensive line for Eos. This was, arguably, not a sector in its own right, but rather part of the adjoined Parker sector.[1]


Dust[]

Dust was the centre of the Mars mining economy, where most of the mineral wealth of the red planet was extracted, processed, and shipped.[1]


The Badlands[]

The Badlands is the eastern most sub-sector of the Tharsis region. This was one of the first places the EDF attempted to terraform, though the process failed horribly and, strangely, did the exact opposite, transforming the region into an inhospitable wasteland. It is largely uninhabited by colonists, due to the high concentration of Marauders.[1]

It is also believed that Mariner Valley is hidden somewhere within its concealing wastes.[1]


Oasis[]

Oasis was the smallest sector of Tharsis and the greenest, home to the bulk of the terraforming efforts on the red planet.[1]


Mount Vogel[]

Mount Vogel was the northern-most sector of Mars. There are many abandoned vehicles and buildings there, suggesting that at some point people used to live there.[1]

References[]

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