Blood Red

Okay Anaris, Shade - here's the OOC for the Mars sci-fi roleplay. Post your character sheets here, no specific format, just detailed and organized please.

Also we still need to hash out the exact background and plot. I'm working on my part of that, I just put this up for you in the interim.

[EDIT]

Here's the background:

The early days of human space exploration were quite astounding in their monstrous, state-funded, tax-guzzling failure. The space agencies of Earth's wealthiest nations worked with set budgets and stale technology, comfortable in the knowledge that even if everyone else thought their missions were a pointless waste of time, no one else had the funding to go into space. This illusion was slowly disrupted as the private sector came to realize the investment potential of extraterrestrial real estate.

Larger and larger companies began pooling their resources to fund private space missions to various resource-rich or colonizeable worlds in the solar system. First the moon, then the asteroid belt, then Mars and the outer planets and their moons were systematically visited by corporate interests. They set up labs and space stations, and then permanent colonies. This brought up legal issues, with various groups claiming that either the colonies were property of the nation(s) the corporations were based in, or that extraterrestrial space could not be claimed exclusively by anyone. A landmark case in the World Court managed to settle the dispute in favor of the corporations; or more accurately, in favor of anyone ambitious enough to stake out a claim in the solar system. Though the ruling forbid the claiming of entire planetary bodies or regions of space, it did grant proprietary rights to any entity that "...can prove that the land or three-dimensional space being claimed is being directly utilized and not merely set aside for the express purpose of denying other claims to the same land or space, and that the entity so claiming was the first to utilize the space..."

Though the actual wording was much more detailed and complex, the ruling effectively stated what everyone already knew: unexplored territory is finders keepers, as long as you can prove you got there first. This revelation in the courts had the effect of starting an inter-system land grab, with national and multinational governments competing with corporations and normal citizens for territory. Since no one can hear you break the law in space, various small incidents and disputes broke out, with the victor usually being decided by muscle. Eventually, corporations and governments learned to play ball with each other, trading knowledge, military protection, legal power, and money. Both governments and corporations earned fat profits from the resources, land, and emerging markets of the colonies. They maintained the same laws and regulations that they would apply to their citizens and employees on Earth, crushing individual rights and determination in favor of bigger interests.

Mars was not the first colony, (beaten by the Lunar colony) and it was not fully terraformed until 2415. It was however the largest and most important of the colonies, and was always at the forefront of intersolar politics. The Martian people were the first to form a united government separate from that of Earth. They were the first to protest the uncontrolled exploitation of their natural resources, and the unfair taxes levied on them by Earth's governments. Mars was the very first colony to become conscious of itself not as a colony anymore, but as a separate people from another planet. Their constant petitions to nationalize their resources and have their planetary sovereignty recognized were ignored again and again; and when they began to embargo Earth's goods and cut off ties with their home corporations and nations, Earth began to panic. Action was demanded of the United Nations, and under intense pressure from big business and angry citizens, they sent a fleet to Mars. Though their intentions were supposedly peaceful, the Martian military denied them access to their planetary space on principle. When the U.N. fleet pressed forward anyway, the Martians fired on them. The First Interplanetary War had begun.

The small Martian fleet, made up of privateers and defected Earth vessels, was quickly dealt with by a second fleet sent by the U.N., the U.S., and China (the first multinational fleet had retreated after being shot at, losing a single cruiser). The invading force met little resistance at first, because of the Martians' fear of planetary bombardment. Though the invaders would not risk destroying Mars' valuable infrastructure, they could still launch precision strikes from space and from the air. The Martians had on their side a fairly united populations that vastly outnumbered the invading force, and a network of mostly underground cities and fortifications. They also had access to high technology, which allowed them to be self-sustaining. All of this, however, did not prevent the Earth forces from taking near-complete control of the surface. All signs pointed towards a long and bloody stalemate.

It is now the year 2576, 5 years after the initial invasion. As far as the public back on Earth is concerned, the war was won a year ago when the last known resistance stronghold in Valles Marineris was captured, with heavy casualties on both sides. Life on Mars has returned to a state that is similar to it's early days, with severe government and corporate control and oversight. The majority of national military forces still remain, having established permanent bases across Mars. In addition to the peace-keeping soldiers, the streets are now also patrolled by private contractors - mercenaries and rent-a-cops who don't care who they shoot as long as they get paid to do it. The resistance has not been fully wiped out, and the population of Mars is still rebellious and sympathetic to the cause of planetary liberation. The war still continues, though on a smaller scale, and will not likely end until Mars gains its independence. Until then, it is a dangerous and exciting place to live, rife with warring factions fighting for profit, power, or ideals.