Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury. In English, Mars carries a name of the Roman god of war, and is often referred to as the Red Planet.

Colony on Mars

The Mars colony was originally founded in 2055.

The new colony was based around mines. Very difficult living conditions meant that the inhabitants were those who chose it as an alternative to incarceration - men and women convicted in non-violent crimes on earth.

Alongside the volunteers, mining corporations sent workers and scientists.

Ordered is maintained by a local Federal garrison.

The discovery of the Scordite ore in several mines on Mars in 2057 greatly increased the investment of the mining companies, who now had a huge financial incentive to get the colony to full functional capacity as soon as possible, resulting in a population surge due to work immigration.

Spaceport

By 2073, the spaceport and the orbit docking stations were completed.

Continued shipping on ores to off-world refineries attracted even more life to mars and turned it into a booming trade hub.

The first university on Mars - Olympus Mons University was established at 2072.

The option of immigration to Mars was still open for non-violent offenders at that point, but was revoked in 2086 after the Tharsis mine riots of 2085 which broke after the colonists’ original claim for veto rights on new colony members was denied.

Discontent

For the next 70 years or so, the Mars colony had no discernable events. The mines were working steadily, and the OM University was attracting new students, bringing new ideas and fresh blood to the colony and developing it further. During that time period more and more voices advocating full Martian autonomy were heard, and the population slowly grew more uneasy with the proceeds from all their hard work going to the federation and the big companies and not to the population.

The Martian Quarantine

In 2158, one of the new immigrants to Mars was a carrier of a new violent strain of the influenza-virus. This later caused a full-blown outbreak on Mars, infecting about 70% of the population and causing multiple deaths, especially amongst children, the elderly and miners, who were in greater risk of developing lung disease, despite protective measures.

In response to the outbreak, in 2159 the Federation declared a quarantine on the entire colony, hoping to prevent the spread of the virulent strain to other colonies and to Earth. During the quarantine, the stress the colonists endured due to the sickness was aggravated by shortage of food, water and other essentials. This led to the up rise of the Free Mars movement, calling for changes ranging from increased autonomy for the colony to complete emancipation from the Federation.

Even after the quarantine was lifted in 2160, the voices calling for Martian autonomy grew stronger, and became more militant, especially amongst the younger colonists. A few small riots were suppressed by the local garrison, but the tension remained.

Surviving that year of quarantine, added to the hard conditions of the colony, had made the Martians very proud of their ability to endure, and has strengthen their sense of patriotism, and had caused some prejudice to form against Earth, the Federation and Luna colony.