Mars: A History

Purpose

A summarized history of the planet. For education purposes as well as a quick reference as needed.

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Mars: A History

The I.E.F. and Terraforming MARS: A History, Chapter One. -2087- The Intergalactic Expansion Federation (IEF) bought the exclusive rights to terraform, colonize, and indefinitely own the planet mars and its satellites current and future. -2089- The first human terraforming project starts with the redirection of several large asteroids in the asteroid belt into mars' orbit. breakthroughs in nuclear and fusion propulsion in the late 21st century had finally made terraforming possible. centuries of planning and precise calculations would be needed to pull off this massive undertaking. -2102- The first redirected asteroids enter mars' atmosphere, carefully maneuvered to avoid future impacts with other asteroids and moons. All surface bases and drones are ordered off the planet, as the next stage of terraforming would be very dangerous. -2122- The first phase of terraforming mars begins in earnest. precisely calculated shapings of portions of orbiting asteroids are dropped onto the north pole. Every 743 days from then; one-ton icicle shaped spikes are dropped on alternating north and south poles. -2246- Stage Two: this is the year the Molten Martian Sandwich maneuver was made. There was a lot involved and was basically two comets redirected and altered over a century and a half into colliding precisely on the north and south poles at the same time in order to restart Mars' molten core and artificially magnify it's electromagnetic field in order to support an atmosphere. -2250- Important side note: manipulation of spiritual energy, better known and described as magic, is (re?)-discovered. This would have monumental impact on all of humankind on an arguably unprecedented scale. (technically discovered in 2236, but not publicly known until 2250) -2279- it was not until now, decades later, that reliable readings would verify that as far as can be determined; the Molten Martian Sandwich was completely successful. Now, with all the ingredients needed to make mars habitable planet side, surface bases and drones could safely be re-established. Even with centuries of planning contingencies, the IEF were unprepared for what happened next.

Technical Difficulties MARS: A History, Chapter Two:
-2279- After centuries of careful adjustments to the planet, Mars was finally ready for stage 3. The success of their "Molten Martian Sandwich" maneuver had a large impact on the IEF (Intergalactic Expansion Federation). They nearly doubled their value in the 6 years following their confirmed success. This wave of success would later be compared to the roaring 1920s of America and the Golden Age of China in the 2070s. (G.A.C. Not relevant to this history, see history of earth for more details) -2284- Due to the uncertainty of when the planet would be stable again, missions to establish manned bases on mars were not initiated until stability was confirmed. It took five years for them to make planet side, and that is when The IEF's biggest problems began. -2285- The IEF lost contact with all 17 surface bases one by one over the course of a month. This was more confusing than troubling. The extreme contingency measures centuries of planning had allowed meant virtually all danger was accounted for. After two months, emergency balloon pods were found and recovered in low mars orbit. (balloon pods are completely mechanical low-tech escape pods used to reach orbit from the surface) -2286- After months of searching, a total of 10 balloon pods were recovered. (Only seven had survivors) Investigations and unorthodox tests eventually confirmed that closer proximity to the planet made electricity-based interactions unstable. In other words: technology does not work on mars. -2288- With technology now unusable in Mars' atmosphere, ownership of Mars suddenly became undesirable. Even with the potential of recently discovered magic, efforts to finish terraforming Mars would require scrapping decades of preparation. Even worse, magic users and groups had been ridiculed by the IEF, who saw it as a competitor to their purely technologically based methods and products. In 2288, The IEF officially announced the sale of Mars. -2289- After a year of agonizing silence, the IEF got an offer for Mars from a fringe group that had quickly been growing since magic was discovered: The Amisher Lords. (not to be confused with the Amish, from which they adopted their name) The Amisher gangs are only loosely based on the Amish as they used to be. Their only real link is their aversion to technology; where the Amish were peaceful and reserved, The Amisher Lords are warmongering and resentful. -Despite the IEF's obvious desperation, the ones who made the offer gave them pause. For a planet as well-known as Mars to be owned by what they saw as an extremist group would be a disaster. Against their accountants’ department's insistent pleading, the IEF made a counter-offer. -2295- This first offer set the stage for a massive, hostile, and lengthy negotiations between the IEF and The Amisher Lords. Technically, it was a very lengthy business deal. (which lasted six years.) This deal would be remembered by history as "The Amisher Martian Deal". This deal is often comically compared to American political squabbles in old earth history for its conduct, and the Louisiana Purchase in terms of cheap real estate. (Memes and comedy source for decades to come) In any case, the deal was sealed on the anniversary of Mars being declared safe to populate: March 26, 2295. -In the end, the final price was 3 times what was originally offered. (still ridiculously small) As well as 30% of all profits from exports, and 10% of all taxes collected. -2297- The Amisher Lords establish their first technology free bases on mars, and terraforming recommenced under new ownership.
The First Martians MARS: A History, Chapter Three.
--2297- The Amisher Lords establish their first technology free bases on mars, and terraforming recommenced under new ownership. These bases were designed to be expanded on below the surface. Most work involved mining out tunnels for ore and to create more space for themselves. Though not technically colonies, these bases acted as a sort of mining town. -2326- The first official colony of mars, Olympus, is established with 6,702 colonists. Centered directly where the center of Olympus Mons' volcanic mouth used to be, the city is actually a colossal retrofitted terraforming syringe. (It is basically a .5 mile radius, 6 mile long syringe that used gravity to violently inject thousands of tons of needed elements toward the planet core.) The IEF dropped dozens of these world syringes on weak points in the crust in the early stages of terraforming. They were actually designed to be turned into cities once the planet was stable. Olympus was the first to be inhabited. -2328- The first mars plant, a thorn bush, survives a year in an exposed garden. Which confirmed the atmosphere was habitable for plant life; a great milestone. This was the first living thing to successfully live on Mars' surface, and would become a prominent part of Mars' culture. (by this time Martian sea level had reach 80% of their target sea level) -2345- The first genetically engineered altered humans were created on mars, which was not bound to the same ethics laws that earth-regulated governments were. These became the second sentient species, but far from the last. These genetically modified humans eventually became known as elves: long living, blemish-free, genetically ideal. (The actual genetic modification is implemented shortly after conception. This kind of genetic change is passed on to further generations naturally.) -2347- More practical minded folks from the first Martian bases, by this time better described as mining towns, wanted genetic modifications of their own. These parents were less concerned with having perfect bodies and manners and more concerned with surviving and thriving in a society that digs tunnels most of their lives. They wanted their children to be strong, tough, shorter (and thus more efficient), and unbreakable. This second step paved the way for every other altered human that was created. From gnomes and halflings to goblins and orcs, though the origins for many altered human types (or races) was not as civilized as these first two. -2401- Experimentation in spiritual energy on earth leads to accidentally awakening hostile spiritual beings called celestials. Even now there is little experts agree on concerning the reason for celestial hostility, what they are, or where they come from. In any case, this awakening of the celestials started the celestial war. -2404- By this time every human occupied planet, moon, and space vessel is under threat of being attacked by celestial forces. Humanity struggled to fight a war against an enemy not limited by distance or walls. On mars, the first genetically modified humans designed specifically for war are born: the orcs. Orcs have unique physiology in that most of their organs have increased redundancy. Several organs could fail before an orc is mortally wounded. Their hormone balance is greatly altered, emphasizing strength and survivability. This was the race that would come to define mars. -2418- 17 years into a losing war of extinction, Mars finally turns the tide with waves of orc warriors wielding weapons designed to kill celestials. In eight months celestial attacks on mars' surface gradually stopped. Earth was not so lucky. -2420- Early indications, prophecies, and warnings told of humanity on earth being "wiped out". With the panic of a long war with entities that no one understands, most humans on earth fled across the solar system. -2421- This is the year that earth fell. Exactly what happened on earth is debated to this day. whatever happened, it wiped out all humans still on earth, and any humans who enter earth's atmosphere inexplicably vanish in a burst of light, leaving their clothes and inorganic parts behind. After this event, celestial attacks suddenly stopped. Though there are confirmed intermittent reports of minor celestial attacks since then. This is considered to be the end of the celestial war, and most agree that humanity lost. -2464- The atmosphere on mars is finally breathable, and open-air settlements sprang up rapidly. Millions of people migrated in mass to escape earth, which was getting more and more dangerous with natural disasters getting worse and worse every year. -2486- This year marks the end of terraforming for mars, as all target ranges for habitation are met. (Terraforming tools and methods would still be used periodically to adjust for fluctuations as needed. Thankfully, these adjustments have been few and far between.) -2507- Some debris left over from the IEF's asteroid harvesting program in orbit begins to...lose orbit. :/ =( X(

Cold War of the Asteroids MARS: A History, Chapter Four. -2507- Some debris left over from the IEF's asteroid harvesting program in orbit begins to...lose orbit. -2508- The first impact was lucky, as it was in the ocean. Coastal cities did not think it was so lucky with the 30-foot-high tidal wave that hit them. A total of six asteroids lost orbit and impacted on the planet. 4 hit the ocean, one an uninhabited area, and one wiped out half of the city of Kronos. Named after the Klingon home planet from star trek. Kronos' devastation was followed by investigators finding indications that the IEF knew these asteroids would impact, had plans for dealing with it, and intentionally withheld it during the purchase of Mars. (these plans of tracking orbital debris were code-named Project Keepaway) No community would take such news lightly, and Martians have a reputation for vengeance. -2509- On the first day of the year, Mars announced that all 22 governors are refusing to honor the terms of the Amisher/Martian deal, claiming that the IEF violated the agreement. This declaration was an unavoidable challenge to the IEF. Despite knowing with certainty that the IEF had withheld project keepaway, there was no definitive evidence that the IEF ever had such a project. As such, there was no legal recourse they could take. This suited Mars just fine. They had an answer of their own: The Martian Inquisitional Agency. (MIA) -March 2509- The newly formed Martian Inquisitional Agency tracks down project keepaway and identifies the orbital debris at the biggest risk of impacting. This brought an end to orbital debris impacting on the planet, but the Amisher Lords demanded retribution from the IEF. -The MIA- The Martian Inquisitional Agency was formed in a desperate time under enormous pressure to find answers as quickly as possible. Such pressure made their tactics brutal and swift, reminiscent of the KGB or SS. This severe policy became the norm for the organization after their quick success with project keepaway. Eventually the brutal methods and questionable ethics of the MIA wore down it's agents' mental health, and they implemented a new genetic manipulation program. This resulted in the goblin race: unforgiving, selfish, creative beings with a stable if unethical mental capacity. -2510- After repeatedly denying to pay the IEF what was agreed in their trade deal, the IEF mobilized a blockade fleet around Mars. Officially, the IEF were enforcing the taxes they had gotten used to getting for centuries; allowing trade and transport from the planet provided they give 30% of their valuables to them. (Some sympathetic journalists compared this blockade to the blockade by the trade federation in the first Star Wars movie the phantom menace.) This act of war was more than enough provocation to mobilize their own forces. -2519- Mars patiently waited for their new goblin race to mature. They could have pleaded for help from other powerful organizations in the solar system, and indeed some offered to help. But the Amisher Lords were far too eager to handle the IEF themselves. On April fool’s day, tens of thousands of goblins rode hundreds of new stealth craft up to the unsuspecting fleet. Once they had boarded, the IEF had no chance; horrible carnage and sick fatal jokes were carried out upon the crews. All of it recorded and streamed live on all human channels. As the goblins left on their new craft, they turned their streaming cameras to the IEF ships exploding above them to goblin cheers. (The last recorded broadcast before the Martian atmosphere shorted out the cameras was: "IEF killed Kronos, this only beginning!" *loud fart* followed by haunting laughter fading to white noise.) -2520- Goblins from mars went on to send tech-free pirate ships into space to harass the IEF and their allies. This campaign of senseless destruction and occasional piracy came to be called the Kronos Retaliation. On mars, the remaining half of the city of kronos committed itself to a radical change in policy. Now all progeny in kronos is required to be made goblin, ensuring that their entire population would be goblin within three generations. Kronos did all within their power to ensure the disaster of 2508 was remembered forever. -2543- After decades of suffering from guerilla tactics and significant losses in both finances and staff, exhausting all other options with no success, the IEF pleaded with the Amisher lords for peace. The desperation of the IEF was impossible to hide. They readily agreed to pay back everything they had collected in taxes since the Amisher/Martian deal, a sum that they knew was nine times what their total company assets were worth. It got so bad that the IEF accidentally offered to decommission a secret base in orbit of mars that the Amisher lords did not even suspect existed. In the end, The IEF declared bankruptcy and all their assets sold to their competitors to pay the Amisher lords back. By technically absorbing the IEF, the Amisher Lords obtained legal rights over half of all humanity's terraforming projects. This resounding victory came at a cost though; as the goblins they created are by their very nature unpredictable. -2544- Space Goblins would continue to wreak havoc throughout known space for centuries to come, long after the IEF literally begged for peace with Mars. About 60% of the space goblins returned to mars once the Amisher Lords ordered them to. The rest had grown used to life in space and refused. The Amisher Lords now had to deal with the goblins that had so thoroughly destroyed their enemies.

Emergence of Wild Communities MARS: A History, Chapter Five. -2544- Space Goblins would continue to wreak havoc throughout known space for centuries to come, long after the IEF literally begged for peace with Mars. About 60% of the space goblins returned to mars once the Amisher Lords ordered them to. The rest had grown used to life in space and refused. The Amisher Lords now had to deal with the goblins that had so thoroughly destroyed their enemies. -2548- Years of difficult negotiations ended with the Amisher Lords giving the rights to the entire inner asteroid belt to the space goblins. Having no use for terraforming projects or colonies on other worlds, the Amisher Lords gave away the rest of their terraforming rights to organizations and the people most affected by the new threat of space goblins. This generosity was less altruistic and more a way of saying sorry. (One commentator summed it up with: "Sorry we made goblins, who have made space travel twice as dangerous, and might end up blowing up everything you have including your planet. Here, you can have what is already yours. The thing our goblins gave us because they made what was the most powerful organization in history cry for mercy") -2552- With the IEF gone and extraplanar trade much riskier, trade between human colonies became nearly non-existent. Some colonies' survival was heavily dependent on trade, so something had to be done. Enter the "Commerce Guild". Founded in 2432, the commerce guild had little in the way of success due to pressure from the IEF. When the IEF's assets were sold, the commerce guild took out several risky loans to buy as much as they could. The resulting expansion paid off quickly. -2554- The Commerce Guild became the official trade company between most colonies. There were a lot of deals and conflicts between other colonies, but we will focus on Mars for now. -2557- Mars' debris field is finally dealt with. Using magical gravity spells, the Amisher lords begin to collect the debris field around mars into two singular masses centered on its original moons. -2564- The threat of accidental falling space debris is finally gone. The two semi-artificial moons are occupied and jointly-owned by the Amisher lords and the commerce guild. Phobos: Equatorial orbit. Along with its sister moon Deimos, has a single teleportation circle accessible by similar circles elsewhere. This moon would become a scientific research center. (recently, this base has been attacked by unknown celestial forces) Deimos: Polar orbit. The commerce guild is more prevalent here. This moon serves as the primary spaceport for trade and travel between mars and other colonies. It is renowned for having an innovative mix of magical and technological devices. -2586- With much of their trade handled by the commerce guild, Mars' cities and towns gradually became more independent of each other, leading to cities isolating themselves from their surrounding villages. -2605- After years of minimal contact and commerce between urban and rural citizens, fringe villages and longtime neighboring cities started antagonizing each other. It seems that fear and hatred of the IEF was all that kept Martian communities from attacking each other. Despite Martian culture heavily emphasizing war and violence, most governors were surprised by the sudden global cluster-war. Several large-scale battles took place between cities, and three governors were overthrown during this pandemonium. -2609- This chaotic cluster war was interrupted by a new threat posed by fire elementals. rifts into fire-based elemental planes opened up around the planet, and armies of fire elementals burned through tens of thousands of acres of the wild before Martian governors understood what was happening. Initial attempts to stop these world-threatening fire elemental armies were unsuccessful. every swing of an axe or sword hurt the wielder as much as their target. In desperation, the research center on Phobos was filled with refugees from areas burned up by fire elementals. Many of these refugees agreed to be experimented on as they developed ways to combat the fire elementals. These experiments resulted in the first races of giants. -2611- Over a third of the planet had burned and 8 of 22 major cities evacuated before the Amisher lords managed to stop the fire elemental army's advancement. What followed was sort of stalemate akin to trench warfare in world war 1. tactics using glaives, pikes, and shields in combination with orc phalanxes and the new giants storming enemy lines kept the fire elementals at bay. -2613- Two years of costly war holding back an army of beings made of fire went by before a new ally came to our rescue: water elementals. Their proposal was easy enough to agree to, they would help wipe out the fire elementals on mars in exchange for all martial soil and water below the North Ocean. within weeks, water elementals wiped out the struggling fire elemental army like a tidal wave extinguishing a forest fire. History would come to call this conflict "The Elemental War". though many call it the fire elemental war, or fire war. -2615- Recovery from the fire elemental war started in earnest. Much of the burnt surface was reforested with the help of the water elementals, and a significant portion of the burnt cities and lands were given to the giants as thanks for their sacrifice. Most transformed by Phobos' scientists had their mental faculties cut in half. Time would see many of these giants become manipulated by dangerous men. -2626- After the elemental war, the Amisher lords spent years reorganizing Mars' political structure into City Zones and Wild Zones. This was a radical change in policy that would shape Martian culture for years to come. Most rules could be enforced in the cities, but only severe ones would be addressed in the wild. This severely limited the governors' involvement outside their cities and allowed for wild communities to figure things out for themselves. Many new policies would be made over the years that are still in effect today.

The Second Elemental War MARS: A History, Chapter Six. -2626- After the elemental war, the Amisher lords spent years reorganizing Mars' political structure into City Zones and Wild Zones. This was a radical change in policy that would shape Martian culture for years to come. Most rules could be enforced in the cities, but only severe ones would be addressed in the wild. This severely limited the regional governors' involvement outside their cities and allowed for wild communities to figure things out for themselves. Many new policies would be made over the years that are still in effect today. -2628- In order to prevent the wilds from becoming wilder and ensure that villages in the wild survive so they can continue to pay taxes, The Amisher Lords established the Vagabond Guild. -The Vagabond Guild's purpose is to incentivize mostly young city graduates of high school into voluntarily joining a vagabond expedition into a region of the wilds in need of aide. These exhibitions were by their nature long journeys and if done correctly last no less than one standard year. These vagabond parties consist of 2 to 7 graduates supervised loosely by an experienced mentor, who guides them during their first month and act as advisor and messenger to the cities. Each graduate receives a vagabond assessment upon completing an expedition; a kind of resume that analyses their achievements in the wild, how they work in a team, how they do under pressure, etc. Many high paying jobs in cities would come to require a vagabond assessment just to get an interview. -2820- A new race of genetically modified humans is made in response to indications that the fire elemental rifts might open soon. These "Dragonborn" were reverse engineered from the dragons that migrated to human-owned space shortly after the discovery of magic. Emphasizing red dragonborn in preparation for a possible second fire elemental war. -2846- Centuries after Mars had sealed rifts from the fire elemental planes, they reopen. Colossal 80 to 100-foot-tall fire elementals punch and slam the rifts open. breaking the powerful magical seals that held them. These new giant-sized fire elementals surprised guardians of the rifts enough that for three days, no one could slow a brand-new elemental army. Each battalion of a thousand fire elementals led by a giant fire elemental went in a different direction, spreading fire and destruction seemingly at randomly across the planet. last time they spread slowly from each rift like a forest fire, now they moved like storm clouds; faster, more formidable, and hotter than before. The waves of water elementals, which brought such a swift end to the last war, are turned to steam before it reached the flaming 100-foot fire wall that each giant formed to protect their battalion. This was a different kind of war. -2850- four years of chaotic war without battle lines became even more chaotic when conflicting orders concerning enemy identification were issued. It turned out that some water elemental hybrids had started to attack decommissioned terraforming stations. in point of fact, it is still unclear what happened during the last four years of the war. -2854- Special forces made up mostly of career vagabonds managed to uncover some secret plot that the public has been told will remain classified indefinitely, but which brought an end to the war through negotiating with various elementals. Shortly before the war ended, all elementals were forbidden from entering any cities, and still are. This includes summoners of elementals within cities arrested for war crimes. -2855- Months after the official end of the second elemental war, the vagabond guild sends young vagabonds back out into the wilds, nearly a decade since any non-military aid was available. These young vagabonds will likely have a much harder time than their predecessors in assisting the wild villages.

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