Mars
Mars is the fourth planet in Sol System and home to the Martian people. Habitation of the planet by humans dates back to 2332 and started as a series of colonies from Luna until their independance and the formation of the current Martian Republic government.
Government
History
Colonization
In the first major break from Earth's wishes, during the years of 2330-2333 Luna built and funded the first Martian colony in secret into the side of a crater north of Valles Marineris, naming it Hellirinn. Using their advantage in engine technology to get supplies and people to the red planet faster than Earth could manage. Unable to afford construction of a full colony, five years later Earth built a mining outpost and small shipyard on nearby Phobos and hired Martian colonists from Luna’s second colony, Noctis, to work for them off planet. This inflamed tensions back on Luna and soon more habitat modules were built and more colonists arrived, most being staunch Lunar separatists, Martian idea feeds were soon peppered with news of various acts of sabotage at the Phobos mining facilities. 2345 saw Vesmírna established near the south east edge of the massive Valles Marineris canyon system, and new series of mines crop up in Xanthe Terra and Lunae Planum. This was quickly followed by manufacturing facilities being expanded and the creation of Haise, which saw the first instances of Martian born peoples migrating from one colony to another. With four strong colonies thriving on the surface Luna turned it’s focus to establishing industry on Mars. First by expanding mining operations across the planet for all types metals, water, and other ground resources, then manufacturing and agriculture for non-food related organisms such as rubber trees. Old habitats were replaced by connected groups of semi-submerged domes with more domes being added to each colony all the time as populations increased. Universities were built in Noctis and Vesmírna and soon Ansilson Scholar's College in Noctis was said to rival Atlantis University on Luna. Painting and digital art flourished in all areas of Mars, and in those days used a lot of yellow and red hues as well as black, said to help accent the constant red of their surroundings. It wasn’t long before Martians had a definitive identity of their own. As the colonies and populations grew so did the need for security and oversight infrastructure, this took the form of Lunar military personnel and a handful of governors, executives, and diplomats to keep reigns on planetary ongoings. Despite the various regulations and restrictions placed on Martian life and independence Mars still grew and prospered relatively unburdened until the Lunar Revolutionary War in 2362.
Lunar Revolutionary War
The increase of military activity from Luna was what first prompted leaders of Martian communities to start putting together a network of Martian-loyal groups to keep and eye on and protect the Martian people and what they'd built. The idea of Martian independence wasn't wide-spread at the time, but these community leaders focused on finding people who cared more for the safety and protection of Martians and what Martians had built than whatever happened with Luna and its issues with Earth. Very few Martians supported Earth's ownership of Luna; a third of population being native to Mars, and only 1 out of 10 of the remaining population ever having set foot on Earth much-less migrated from there. The actions of the Martian militia during the Lunar Revolutionary War pushed back against Earthen oppression against Martian citizens and repelled the increase of Earthen troops on the surface as the Lunar soldiers were pushed back to their bunkers beneath the colonies.
Post-War
By most Martians the destruction of Phobos in 2364 was something viewed on a screen, time-lapsed, slowed down, and rewound, it dominated Martian media for weeks and became the most analyzed litigated event in history at the time. But for those who saw it with their own eyes it was a much more somber affair, with one man, when seeing the small moon break up above him said, "But this is our sky". After Luna won independence from Earth business on Mars quickly fell into a semi-normal state. Major differences from pre-war life being the continued presence of the new, emboldened 'Red Children', now simply known as the Martian militia, that began setting up bases in abandoned pre-war Lunar training centers, and the new industry of salvage and scrap of destroyed UNEN and DPLN ships destroyed in the war.
Independance
The path to Martian independence saw two major conflicts bracketing decades of small scale skirmishes on Martian soil and sabotage/terrorist attacks against Lunar outposts. The first started largely politically in 2488 when protests outside of bureaucratic and security complexes turned into armed and manned obstructions to block Lunar personnel from operating in the continuously growing districts of Mars. At first blocking motorcades and security patrols was tolerated, but soon armored security personnel began pushing back against the crowds blocking the Lunar elites from doing their jobs. The first shots fired against Martian protesters opened the doors to the First Martian Revolution and set a fire that wouldn’t be extinguished until Mars was able to take charge of their own destiny in the future of Sol System. In 2488 the Martian Revolutionary War, later referred to as the First Martian Revolution began when Earth, accusing Luna of crimes against its citizens, set up a blockade around the planet to, in their words, “protect the Martian colonists” after several protester deaths resulted in an increase to Lunar military presence on planet and more clashes in the colonies. Fighting on the surface lasted for more than a year, until Earth rescinded a section of its blockade to address uprisings on Venus. Lunar marine transports quickly punch through the holes in Earthen security and deployed reinforcements to Mars. Over a series of months they pushed insurgents out of the various colonies until only a small contingent remained in their stronghold within Vesmírna. The following trials held Bulma Yen-Ortega and her close advisors as guilty of treason and executed, thus putting an end to the first conflict between Mars and Luna However, after the loss of the first conflict, the Martians found themselves in a heightened state of security and observation as a planetary overseer was set up on Mars, along with a doubling in cameras and checkpoints. A new insurgency headed by Riji Howland began attacking these checkpoints and forcibly re-accessing the sealed off training bunkers of the original militias. Over years he and his idealogical descendants rebuilt the strength that was lost in the first war, largely under the nose of Lunar oversight, but also simply in the strength of private citizen support within the colonies themselves. In 2572, 80 years after the loss of the first Martian push for independence the self named Senatorial Republic of Mars forces attacked and either destroyed or took control of every ground-to-orbit launch facility on the planet in Operation Glass Bowl, the largest scale operation, in terms of human power, to ever take place on Martian soil, starting the Second Martian Revolution. The resulting conflict took a similar tactic as the first, this time with a combined Venusian and Earthen fleets holding back the Lunar reinforcment ships. Though this time, with Lunaren citizens not wanting to recommit to another expensive and far off war, the Democratic Parliament of Luna quickly gave in and entered into negotiations for the planet territory and assests with the fledgling Martian Republic.
Terraforming
Magnetosphere
After the destruction of Phobos the debris of the moon made a ring around Mars, and it was found that, over time, the ionized particles coming from chunks of moon were creating a rudamentary toroidal, doughnut shaped, cloud of particles that acted as a thin magnetosphere. Furthering this discovery, a facility was built on Deimos that strips atoms of electrons before being released into a secondary toroidal that encompassed the moon's orbit. This creates a magnetosphere considerably smaller than Earth's, however strong enough to serve as a shield against the rays and charged particles being spit out by Sol, and traps gases against the planet allowing for the creation of a stable atmosphere. However, recent experiments with massive solenoid loops and magnetic satellites have been explored as a way to bolster the magnetosphere against more of the sun's harmful radiation.
Atmosphere
Early in the planetary molding process gasses were released into the air through the encouraged use of heavy industry like mining and construction. This released large amounts carbon dioxide into the thin air from not only the use of machinery, but from the Martian surface as well. In 2502 the Martian based corporation Gia Industries finished construction of the first orbital mirrors built to aim the sun's heat directly at the northern ice cap. heat laser satellites were later added to speed up the process of melting the ice and releasing water, oxygen, and other greenhouse gases needed to thicken the Martian atmosphere. Most of the equipment was destroyed however when a Lunaren offensive to break the blockade during the Second Martian Revolution. This devestated the terraforming project and was the signle largest hit to Martian morale during the conflict. After the war Gia Industries and other terraforming companies started buying surplus Venusian greenhouse gasses to keep up with atmoshperic thickening efforts while the orbital mirrors were being rebuilt.
Water
With the release of water from the north pole a large hemispherical ocean began to fill, little by little the water level rose, and as the ice melted the planet heated causing the permafrost to melt and most water to seep from beneath the surface. Along with the new oceans to the north a large sea made of rising ground water formed to the south in Hellas Plantia. This body of water, being in no way connected to another water source, was named the Hellas Island Sea.
Vegetation
Some fertile soil and budding green vegetation is begining to become viable around the coast lines of the northern oceans as well on the edges of the Hellas Island Sea.
Maps
-
Mars
-
Mars (Pre-Terraforming)
List of Major Districts
- Hellirinn
- Noctis
- Vesmírna
- Haise
- Rujieškile
- Schiaparelli
- Huygens
- Cassini's Edge
- Argyre
- Lucus
- Sirenum
- Hesperia
Comments