Mars

Mars (Magi name: Mah'lahu; Oecumenical name: Tesisa Worra "Red Waste") is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Sol System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war; it is also referred to as the Midway Point, the Red Rock, and the Oldest Newest Frontier. Home to millions of humaniods, Mars is the third rocky planet ever to support human civilization.
Mars is a dry planet with only small domed parts of its surface covered with water. Mars is a terrestrial planet with an atmosphere much thinner than Earth’s, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth. The first humans began heavily exploring Mars in the early 2040s (248-255 Terran Calender) after decades of robotic exploration; the first research colonies sprang up on the surface by the end of the centurx. The Gregorian calendar is still in use by Mars. While Mars was considered a "second home" in fictional works, in reality Mars proved to hostile for long term habitation. It was Mars' position as the midway point between the resource-rich Belt and Terra, that lead to its continued importance. Venus had long held control over the Martian Civilization. 
Mars was considered a prospect for terraforming and colonization, the discovery of faster than light travel turned Mars into a quiet backwater, however with a strong R&D-sector made possible by the famed rival universites of Curo City and Spirit City, Mars has been punching above its weight. In recent times, Mars' "Gambling mecca" Mars City, which offers all manner of vice to low & middle income consumers, in combination with the surrounding near-lawless "Free Zone", has made Mars a tourist honeypot. 
Mars is a significant Trade Node with its Mons Olympus & Phobos Space Elevator, among others, export vast quanities of manufactured goods. Mars is often considered a "company colony" of Exomine, as Exomine had its former headquaters located there and has a long-winded history with this planet. Exomine currently controls 75% of the Martian Economy.
Most martians live in habitations build into vast network of lava tubes beneath mountains and ground. The martian moons and numerous orbital, lagrange and near-mars space colonies are not administered by Mars and the Martian Autonomous Commission.
Martians are general considered to be hard working, level-headed, conservative, austere, dutiful, athletic and orderly. Despite the strong African and Asian heritage of Martians, they see themselves as the inheritors of the "West" and carriers of "Libertarian Frontierism", product of Venusian cultural influence. More radically minded martian "mutants" perceive themselves as a superior kind of humanity and want Earth's legacy for themselves.
==Government and politics==
===Cabinet===
Head of state: Paramount
Head of government: Vice-Paramount
Foreign advisor: Minister of Foreign Affairs
Economic advisor: Minister of Coin
Security advisor: Minister of Defense
==Military==
===Army===
The martian army mostly consists of mechanized units, and the famed venusian-inspired espatier divisions, the "Martian Bats". 
===Astral Forces===
The Martian Spaceforce is small and mostly automated. Mars is protected by the Solar Guard, as a midway point between The Belt and Terra, Mars is an important hub for smugglers. It has often been the target of Pirates, such as during the attacks by the Capital Outlaws.
Main article: List of commanderys and territories of the UCSS
Martian states are usually known as Commandery, named after the jùn, a historical administrative division of China from the Eastern Zhou (c. 7th century BCE) until the early Tang dynasty (c. 7th century CE). The chief administrative officers of the areas are titled as General-Administrator, Governor or Proprietor Elective. Historcially martian administrative offices and states had various titles, most of them were abolished when the planet was "reunified" after the Great Collapse.
===Commanderies and territories of Mars===
# 	Commandery	Capital 	Abbr. 	Pop. size 	General Info
1 	 	Curiosity City "Curo City"	Bradbury BY 	3,599,365 	An important center of science and education. Several stellar-famed research institutions are located in this commandery. A "mecca of Robot-lovers and Engineers". Founded by a consortium of north american private enterprises, this historical background has given this state a strong libertarian slant and a "charming" tradition of debates and intellectual squabbles.
2 	 	New Houston 	Alamo AO 	318,263 	Founded by Texan "Patriots" that escaped the droughts and flooding plaguing their native land. Its citizens try to preserve the long-gone Terran Texan culture to an almost comical degree, with some annually participating in "heritage Journeys" to former Texas. An economy based mainly on the manufacturing of military-grade weapons.
3 	 	Burroughs 	Chihli/Zhili ZI 	6,847,210 	This Commandery consists mostly of the gigantic Burroughs Underground Complex and its satellite complexes. The Martian capital is a place of strict pencil pushers and sharply dressed generals, with a reputation as quiet, stable, and absolutely boring. As Mars' financial center, Burroughs of course has a high density of stock traders and fund managers. If you are looking for an exciting place, you should look elsewhere...
4 	 	Valhallan Reds 	Chyrse CH 	3,546,308 	A region with a heavy military presence. Rumors of Water and the many ancient river valleys drew heavy immigration and investment into this region.
5 	 	Chancellor 	Usona US 	80,001 	A dusty backwater commandery, created by anglo-martian libertarian refugees wanting to create a truly "Shining City upon a Hill". Also known as Usonia . The three founding colonies of Lincoln Colony, New Liberty Colony and Fredonia Colony house the bulk of the anglophone citizenry. The rest of the more mild-mannered population, wich claim ancestry from Arab & South Asian countries, live in small underground bungalows.
6 	 	Rahmatollah 	Hong HO 	396,300 	Named for the Dongfanghong program, a industrial economy based on refineries and petrochemical applications (methane & ethane are mainly imported from Titan) using local zeolite catalysts.
7 	 	Xin Linzhi 	Xanthe XA 	263,752 	One of the oldest martian states, and an important science hub. Founded by the PRC.
8 	 	Gortyna 	Aonia AI 	345,999 	Famous for its gullies. A science-focused state, Chersonisos University is widely acknowledged as the forerunner in the fields of xenobiology & xenoterraforming. Pilot projects for the terraformation of Mars were started here, leaving behind a strong sense of martianness. Created by joined Russian-Chinese colonization effort.
9 	 	Wells 	Douglass DS 	289,653 	A well-populated state with a provincial mindest, created by a joint Anglosphere colonization effort. The Residents are known for their strange accents, no longer spoken on Terra.
10	 	Pátria 	Hussey HY 	2,100,329 	A military-dominated state. Significant hub for Mars' production of cutting-edge Spacecraft. Inhabited by the descendants of Brazilian and Lusophone Africans as well as Burmese and Iraqi climate refugees, creating a unique culture and interesting local cuisine.
11	 	Waterloo 	Meridian Plane MP 	1,150,000 	Located on the Meridiani Planum, Mars' major crop-producing state with vast domed greenhouses span the planes in all directions. While Meridian Plane is the official name of the commandery, commonly known as Meridian or Meridia.
12	 	Luzhou 	Babakin BA 	109,293 	Provides the Martian Military with vehicles. Created by a joint Russian-Chinese initiative.
13	 	Tongyang 	Playfair PR 	168,034 	A small commandery dominated by the Xin Xiurong Complex build into the Playfair Crater, which gave the commandery its name. Founded by the PRC to explore the underground lakes on Mars. Mostly a mining state focused manly on the creation of water with the help of electrolysis and refining minerals mined in the south polar ice cap.
14	 	Chandrasekhar 	Brashear BR 	443,502 	Settled by Indians. This heavily populated commandery has grown to encompass more than its namesake crater, reaching as far as the Warrego Valles, honoring its namesake, this state is filled with scientists. Protein crystallization are the main focus of the local research institutions.
15	 	Viking City 	Chamberlin CN 	202,354 	Military region, founded by the PRC but opened to all peoples of Earth. Exports the sought-after low-gravity semiconductors.
16	 	Steno City 	Steno SO 	74,291 	Impoverished industrial region. Criminals like the Martian Triads operate out of the huge underground crater complex, producing the designer drug "Scarlet Dust". Thanks to the former "educated" background of many locals, the Martian Spice Implant originated from here.
17	 	Machupicchu 	Australe AL 	169,201 	A large commandery covering parts of the Mare Australe. Its Capital Machupicchu is built into the Angustus Labyrinthus, due to long-standing rumors of ancient alien civilizations there, tourism has sky-rocketed. Saltwater Lakes are located beneath the polar caps.
18	 	Sekhukhune 	Lowell LO 	102,001 	A commandery founded by the BRICS Nations, settled mainly by hired Francophone African migrant workers.
19	 	Areopolis 	Olympus OS 	28,385,920	The Crown Jewel of Mars, the beating robotic heart of the Sol System. Home to the Olympus Mons Craftyards, the seemingly endless expanse of factories and mining facilities, exploiting the vast resources of ore, copper, chromium, iron, and nickel of the Olympus Mons region. Specializing in Nanotechnology, Robotics, Military Equipment, and most importantly the main supplier of Mars' massive Spacefleets, this state is essential to the very essence of Mars. Many of Terra's polluting industries had once relocated here, attracted by the virtual non-existent regulations on work safety and environmental protection. It was here that the giant that is the Exomine Megacorperation was forged. Millions of Seasonal Workers from the Belt and Terra flock into the smog-choked factories, working endlessly to churn out tonnes of essential high-tech goods that make their way through the mighty Olympus Mons Space Elevator, one of the busiest places in the Solar System and the pride of the Martian Nation.
20	 	Tianwen 	Lamont LT 	52,040 	A commandery founded by the PRC. In the Thaumasia quadrangle. A small commandery based around the Lamont Crater.
21	 	Cidade de Cara 	Cydonia CY 	120,439 	Famed for the "Face on Mars". The Martians carved the faces of their mythical founders into these rocks, creating a national treasure, valued by millions. A region focused on Tourism and the production of electronic interfaces for spacecraft. It is also home of the VirtualBall Team "Knights of Cydonia".
22	 	Al-Karamah 	Araby AR 	28,778 	A commandery of little importance to most, except for areologists, due to the old age of its topography.
23	 	São Lourenço 	Acidalia AC 	82,394 	A lusophone commandery. Mud volcanoes make this commandery a "hidden gem". Phyllosilicates are exported out of this commandery.
24	 	Yeni Istanbul 	Upper Elysium EM 	6,830,446 	Heavy Mining Region, based around Elysium Mons, the large quantities of materials mined include niobium, a metal used in producing superconductors and specialty steels, lanthanum and neodymium, and europium, as well as other volcanic materials found around volcanoes in Elysium Mons. A space elevator was constructed on Elysium Mons, although it is not as impressive as the ones on Olympus Mons and Pavonis Mons.
25	 	Mars City 	Mariner Valley MV 	9,073,920 	One of the most densely populated places on Mars, with small parts of the Valley "domed" over allowing limited terraforming, attracting millions.
26	 	Chang Sheng 	Tharsis TS 	72,193 	A large commandery contains the Tharsis Bulge. A thinly populated commandery, with a powerful economy mainly based on mining and as a transport hub between the Space Elevators on the different Mons.
27	 	Nozomi 	Isidis IS 	94,183 	The only Colony of Japan on Mars, although little of its original culture has endured the centuries. A darling for areologists due to the former presence of water.
28	 	Banneker 	Yongning YG 	34,204 	A chinese-influenced commandery. Unremarkable.
29	 	Sagan City 	Oxia Palus OP 	3,383,245 	The variety of clay minerals made this commandery one of the earliest explored and settled by Humans. Canada bitterly contested this area with many other Terran powers.
30	 	Ozysk 	Argyre AR 	1,034,099 	A huge commandery in the Argyre basin, settled by the BRICS+, bringing many Russian and Central Asian settlers with them, and later migrants from former Françafrique. Contains the Galle Preserve, a national treasure, dedicated to the "happy face crater" of the Galle Crater. Speculation on past habitability gives this region a heavy Xenogenesist presence.
31	 	Heinlein 	Prometheia PR 	3,827,103 	Settled by the PRC and american corporations early in Humanity's extraterrestrial expansion. Lobate debris is a major source of water and thanks to their position, closer to the equator, this region has seen long and extensive development.
32	 	Oglethorpe 	Arcadia AD 	704,234 	The flat Terrain of the Arcadia Planitia made this region one of the earliest places explored by Humanity on Mars. Many different earth powers colonized this region, creating a truly unique martian culture. Due to the long human presence in this region, the natives of this land developed a strong martian identity. It was here that the first seeds of the Martian Revolution were planted when during the many destructive conflicts of Terra the citizens of Drenjong refused to fight the colonists of the American colony of Oglethorpe. Although economic decline has left the population spiteful and depressed.
33	 	Mer-du-Sablier 	Syrtis Major SM 	530,245 	An unequal commandery with Northeast Syrtis being wealthy and developed and the rest of the commandery considered a quiet backwater, never really catching up. The evidence of possible life made the Northeast an early center of martian culture and economy, becoming a center of Xenogenesist faith. The rest of the commandery identified strongly with their former home "Earth".
34	 	Challenger 	Nilosyrtis NS 	83,293 	Small martian commandery.
35	 	Guillermos 	Takau TU 	63,139 	A commandery colonized by the PRC, with small latin american and indian outposts, located in the Lucus Planeum.
36	 	Spirit City 	Spirit ST 	2,263,405 	Located in the Aeolis quadrangle, Spirit City, which is a large underground complex built into the Gusev crater, hosts Spirit Polytechnical University, the "Havard of the Sol System", with its famed rivalry with the universities of the commanderies of Bradbury & Opportunity.
37	 	Mariposa 	Perseverance PE 	1,284,988 	An old commandery, border commandery between Syrtis and Isidis, covering the Nili Fossae. Mariposa is build into Jezero crater. It was settled by Polynesian climate migrants, who revived their culture in this region. The martian military has a strong presence, recruiting many locals into its vast military wing. New Mariposa Military Base is one of the largest on Mars.
38	 	Guanabara 	Terra Alegre TE 	68,021 	A commandery located in the Maja Valles. Brazilian Colonies were abundant here.
39	 	Primus 	Arandas AR 	1,382,000 	This commandery has expanded far outside its namesake crater Arandas, covering parts of the Mare Acidalium. A former Sanctuary commandery, making it a diverse region.
40	 	Ultor 	Schiaparelli SC 	3,374,876 	Commonly referred to as "Schap", located inside Iapygia quadrangle. The dikes in this region, are heavily exploited by Exomine, which has a long-standing contract with the regional government to develop this region, leading to a very tight-knit relationship, between the two.
41	 	Jakawitz 	Cimmeria CM 	72,189 	Colonized mostly by the BRICS Nations. An industrial commandery focused on refining minerals.
42	 	Anuradhapura 	Newton NN 	2,472,495 	This commandery contains the Newton Complex, A huge underground habitation complex. Focused on the development of new weaponry. Settled by refugees from the Indian Subcontinent. Recurring slope linea made this region a focus of heavy early scientific exploration.
43	 	Majapahit 	Sirenum SM 	56,234 	Settled by South Asians. Covers the Terra Sirenum region. Exports jewelry is made out of refined Hematites, which are traditionally used as mourning jewelry.
44	 	Nueva Esparta 	Hellas HS 	1,394,871 	Located in the densely populated Hellas Plain, the air pressure there, is relatively higher than average, making it a target of heavy exploitation and development, the invention of the Aeolus Drive has shifted attention off-world, causing economic decline and nationalistic surges in the region. A commandery dominated economically and culturally by the enormous martian military.
45	 	Gran Éxito 	Sabaea SB 	156,243 	Settled by South American migrants, who preserved their culture, leading to warm feelings towards Terra in this commandery.
46	 	Jahangirnagar 	Hesperia HE 	344,495 	Located on the Hesperia Planeum and also contains parts of the Amenthes Planeum. Small commandery.
47	 	Madolenihmw 	Solis-Thaumasia ST 	24,665 	Located on the Solis Planeum and the Thaumasia Planeum. An unremarkable and average commandery in every way, largely forgotten by most.
48	 	Angkor 	Tyrhhena TY 	56,234 	Centered the around the Tyrrhena Mons. Settled by the cultures from former Vietnam and Cambodia.
49	 	Helingeer 	Cebrenia CA 	2,084,102 	A mining commandery in the Cebrenia quadrangle, mainly based on the extraction of aluminum, strontium, yttrium, and titanium as well as the production of rocket fuel, due to the abundance of ice. Despite its small sice, the Capital Helingeer is important to Martian Spacecraft production and hosts several military bases.
50	 	Lapulapu 	Utopia UA 	356,231 	A significant commandery, with a once decently large population, with a long history of human exploitation. Fell from Grace after the Invention of the Aeolus Drive. Produces Crops in above-ground domes. Settled by South Asian migrant workers. Massive Subsurface Water-Ice Deposits.
51	 	Al-Mada'in 	Patera PA 	648,567 	A commandery, based around the Alba Mons and the surrounding Alba & Tantalus Fossae. Founded by a consortium of wealthy Arabic benefactors, largely settled by refugees feeling from the drowning Nile delta. Was developed late in martian colonization.
52	 	Xin Bohai 	Amazonis AS 	99,302 	Due to a lack of sedimentary rock, this region drew the attention of Earth's scientists. Dark slope streak caused by heavy dust storms. The local economy is primarily based on providing e-services. Settled by Mainland Chinese and American-born Chinese immigrants.
53	 	Asraya 	Zhurong ZH 	645,998 	Located in the Chryse Planitia. Settled by Indians, who intermarried with the citizens of the local Chinese colony. Rumors of water in this region drew heavy investment. An industrial commandery, producing military hardware.
54	 	Opportunity 	Zhongxing ZG 	4,340,670 	The Capital of Opportunity is located in the domed Gale Crater. It hosts several prestigious universities. A region with an economy focused on R&D and manufacturing. One of the oldest Chinese colonies on Mars. Produces its own food crops, a rarity on Mars.
55	 	Dousti City 	Daedalia DA 	1,654,235 	An industrial commandery. Colonized by a combined effort of the BRICS countries. Mostly serving the nearby Olympus Mons Shipyards.
56	 	Firdausi 	Maʼadim MD 	31,232 	Covers the Maʼadim Vallis, a large scientific presence, due to Eridania Lake. Colonized by a combined effort of the BRICS countries.
57	 	Asimov 	Lyot LY 	785,385 	A small commandery mainly based around the Lyot Crater as well as the surrounding areas. The Asimov Underground Complex is an important nexus of Scarlet Dust Production. Due to the safety and wealth of the area and the presence of high-rank martian government and military personnel, wild conspiracy theories of a "secret alliance" between the triads and the martian elite have spread on the net, which of course are entirely made up...
58	 	Ujjain 	Maraldi MI 	46,254 	A region heavily populated by East Asian & Indian populations. Economy focused on providing e-services.
59	 	Saxum 	Gumshan GN 	484,284 	This commandery mostly contains the Deuteronilus Mensae, the presence of Ice, resulting in large-scale exploitation by Terran Powers, leaving behind not a densely populated commandery, but one with a strong regional infrastructure. A substantial presence was left behind by USA, and its settler population consisted mostly of upper-class Asian Americans. An economy based on water synthesis.
60	 	Sabatier 	Borealia BO 	1,111,874 	A large province covering the Vastitas Borealis and the Planum Boreum. A culturally diverse region mainly explored and exploited by the CNSA, ISA, and the ISRO. An economy largely serving the martian Military-Industrial complex, its large amounts of perchlorate make it a home-grown producer of rocket fuel and oxygen. The Korolev Mining Plant provides Mars with large quantities of ice. Phoenix is an important city in this region.
61	 	Nuwa 	Pavonia PV 	5,484,530 	Based around the Pavonis Mons. The Pavonis Space Elevator is built on the southern rim. The Capital Nuwa is built around the elevator. An important and heavily populated commandery, one of the main entry and exit points of Martian Trade, making it one of the wealthiest places on Mars. Important export and production center of the Scarlet Dust drug trade.
62	 	Lomonosov City 	Lomonosov LV 	293,700 	A small commandery, founded by Russians, mainly based around the Lomonosov Underground Complex, build into its namesake crater.
63	 	Eleutheropolis 	Lower Elysium LE 	3,153,240 	A commandery located mainly on the Elysium Planitia. An early entry point for the exploration of Mars, this history has produced a strong martian identity and diverse cultural background in its inhabitants. An economy focused on mining, transportation, and solar-based energy production rounding out an important link in Mars' economic chain. The foundation of Valley City caused the militarization of Mars.
64	 	Simorgh 	Arsia AS 	1,241,805 	Based around the Arsia Mons, The Phobos Space Elevator is an important strategic point. Habitats are built into its many natural caves powered by geothermal energy. Industrial region.
65	 	Leboa 	Cerberus CS 	33,421 	A commandery concentrated mainly on the Cerberus Fossae, the slightly thicker air, recent volcanic activity, and flooding, indicating a frozen water reservoir, made this an early target of development, the Fall of the United commanderys of Mars at the End of the Solar Winter, and the Invention of the Aeolus Drive, has caused depopulation and economic decline.
66	 	Eberswalde City 	Margarita MG 	184,201 	Located in the Margaritifer Terra. Eberswalde City is located in its namesake crater. An early exploration target, fallen on hard times. Infamous for many race riots against terran seasonal workers. Reactionary Forces dominate the political landscape.
67	 	Windsor 	Lockyerland LD 	284,221 	Military region. Based around the Lockyer crater and surrounding region. Settled by Anglo-Americans.
68	 	Ngerulmud 	Sinai SI 	582,111 	Small martian commandery. The capital of Ngerulmud, is despite the small size, quite important.
69	 	Hanseong 	Syria SY 	4,452 	Small martian commandery.
70	 	Yeni Boğaziçi 	Erythraeum EM 	7,991 	Thinly-populated commandery located in the Bosporos Planum of Mars.
71	 	Labaya 	Noachis Territory NT 	5,629 	Territory located in the Noachis Terra of Mars.
72	 	Ciudad de Barján 	Diablo DO 	53,234 	commandery of Diablo, an underdeveloped commandery, home to many criminal elements and the alleged headquarters of the Martian Triads, a fact seemingly ignored by the austere and rule-loving Martians. Named for the many dust devils that haunt this economically depressed region.
73	 	Bowie 	Windy Plains Territory WP	5,164 	A large undeveloped territory, inhabited by the Dusters, a culturally diverse group of dissidents and outcasts. Hub of Scarlet Dust Production. The Terrorist Group TAHIR has its bases here.
74	 	Al-Kahf 	Red Rocks Territory RR 	9,576 	A large undeveloped territory, inhabited by the Dusters, a culturally diverse group of dissidents and outcasts. Hub of Scarlet Dust Production. The Terrorist Group TAHIR has its bases here.
75	 	Fengshen 	Sandstorm Territory SM 	6,331 	A large undeveloped territory, inhabited by the Dusters, a culturally diverse group of dissidents and outcasts. Hub of Scarlet Dust Production. The Terrorist Group TAHIR has its bases here.
76	 	Boron City 	Eridania Territory EN 	5,278 	A large undeveloped territory, inhabited by the Dusters, a culturally diverse group of dissidents and outcasts. Hub of Scarlet Dust Production. The Terrorist Group TAHIR has its bases here. Small skirmishes between the Protective Regional Forces and TAHIR militants take place in the many caverns and spindly underground tunnels.
77	 	Gaunt 	Herschel HR 	22,072 	A commandery based around the Herschel crater. A calm and unremarkable state.
78	 	Dry Shoals 	Nepenthe NP 	124,379 	A commandery focused on food production, mostly automated which leaves little room for job opportunities.
79	 	Hisinger 	Cassini CS 	500,101 	Based around its namesake crater, since the region was once was full of water, many colonists flocked here. However industrial development in other regions has left this commandery high and dry.
80	 	Quenisset City 	Protonilus PO 	744,571 	An industrialized boring commandery, focused on semiconductor device fabrication, its lax laws regarding taxation made Quenisset City the headquaters for many companies, but also created one of the most unequals states on Mars, in regards to wealth distribution.
81	 	Anshan 	Icary IC 	57,104 	A chinese-influenced commandery. Unremarkable.
82	 	Daintree 	Gypsia GY 	45,052 	A commandery settled by Anglo-Australians which evovled into volataile Dusters. Although their "Sandspeeder ways" are just for show these days. Gypsum is mined here.
83	 	Gardner 	Memnony MN 	18,331 	A anglo-influenced commandery, split between Dusters and small research outposts.
84	 	Liu Hsin 	Gorgonia GG 	12,003 	A chinese-influenced commandery. Unremarkable.
85	 	Carthage 	Koukour KK 	24,021 	A thinly populated state, inhabited by reclusive and proud Dusters. Named for the local Yardangs. Settled by North Africans and Latin Americans. A small tourism industry is currently thriving here, however kidnappings and ransoming of tourists hamper its growth.
86	 	Toledo 	Archangel AR 	47,863 	This commandery was once an industrial jugernaut, however its industry was "exported" into the Outer Limithrope, turning this state into a recruiting pool for mercenary companies and local ultranationalists.
87	 	Grosvenor 	Nirgal NL 	711,001 	This commandery once loomed large in martian history. However bad mangement and even worse economic decisions left this commandery a deindustrialized, militant and crime-ridden basketcase.
88	 	Istefe 	Aeolis AE 	82,137 	A commandery carved out from larger neighbours. Small Arms production dominate its local economy.
89	 	Presépio 	Tempe TP 	80,342 	A commandery based around the Tempe Terra, the pilgrim company still holds large sway inside this state, even though many of its pilgrim residents have moved on to greener pastures.
90	 	Santa Cruz 	Sacra SC 	950,250 	This commandery was the stage for a split within the Catholic Church lasting until the Treaty of Geneva, in which arch-bishops residing in Rome and Santa Cruz both claimed to be the true pope. The schism was driven by political elements as the See of Santa Cruz was closely associated with its patron government, Venus, and the See of Rome being much closer to Terran Powers. This predicament, made Sacra the religious center of Catholicism outside Earth, giving it outsized influence. The End of Venus' independence costed this state greatly and reduced it to a puppet of the pilgrim company.
91	 	Nalanda 	Timoshenko TM 	10,250 	A indo-russian-influenced commandery. Unremarkable.
92	 	Sharonov City 	Sharonov SV 	51,001 	A russian-influenced commandery. Small but industrialized region.
93	 	Origen 	Ophir OP 	1,110,001 	Based out of the Ophir Chasma, this commandery has been overshadowed by its neighbors, but still provides Mars with valuable products such as thermal cooling devices and colorful electronics gadgets.
94	 	Chasma City 	Kasei-Chasma KC 	71,250 	A commandery established as a cordon sanitaire durning the early years of Mars, a strong local culture descened from Japanese and Chinese cultures and a stable mixed economy. Its dry falls & canyons draw tourists to this region.
==Society==
===History===
====Exploration of Mars====
"We are all ... children of this universe. Not just Earth, or Mars, or this system, but the whole grand fireworks. And if we are interested in Mars at all, it is only because we wonder over our past and worry terribly about our possible future." - Ray Douglas Bradbury, American Writer 
Dozens of unmanned spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, had been sent to Mars over the course of the early space age by the Soviet Union, the United commanderys, Western Europe, India, China, and Japan to study the planet's surface, climate, and geology. Early notable exploration missions were the "Marsnik", Mariner, Viking, MER, Hope, Tianwen-1 and MOM 2 programs.
Because the common scientific consensus was that Mars was not viable for long-term human accommodation and that orbital habititation would make a preferable and more accessible option, the early development of Mars was primarily scientific. It was often assumed that Mars would never be another Earth, despite naive & eccentric woolgathering of bored terran billionaires.
The failure of SpaceEx to land Humans on the red planet in 2023 and the great economic depressions that haunted the Dollar and Euro Blocs, caused massive cuts to their respective space programs, although american corperations would eventually resume the exploration of Mars. Due the more partical appraoch of CNSA, Roscosmos and others to focus on near Earth-Moon space for industrial development, Most of 2020s to 2040s were henceforth dominated by robotic-only exploration of Mars.
====Settlement of Mars====
"Years of science fiction have produced a mindset that it is human destiny to expand from Earth, to the Moon, to Mars, to the stars." - Bernard M. Oliver "Barney Oliver", American Computer Scientist
=====American colonization of Mars=====
With collapsing conditions of the United States of America, and the resulting near disbandment of NASA, the main drivers of American Expansionism into Space were its wealthy Megacorporations, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Walmart, and a myriad of other less significant companies, that managed to survive and even prosper in the rapidly failing nations of the West. The enormous task of developing extraterrestrial spaces was too costly for a single MegaCorp alone, so in the year 2052, a consortium of the wealthiest people in the former USA founded the Open Futures Exploration Corporation or simply known as "OF-ExCo", one of its first was to buy and "upgrade" the derelict Lunar Gateway from NASA, along with its top-shelf equipment & personnel. While the first two decades of its existence were primarily spent building small bases on the Moon and probing asteroids, the Chinese near-monopoly on Near Earth Space proved to be almost unable to break, a further blow to americans and future OF-ExCo's space ambitions had come, when in 2037 the Chinese manned mission to Mars successfully brought the first humans onto the martian surface. While the development of the first civilian colony of Armstrong in Luna, had given good-enough returns, it was a matter of new prospects and latent American nationalism that shifted focus on Mars. With the manned mission following soon and the construction of the Oglethorpe Base in the Arcadia Planitia officially began the bid to claim the red dustball for once self. Bases in the Maraldi Crater and Lockyer crater and the creation of the Heinlein Base, Liberty Base, and Jefferson Base as well as Operations in the Meridiani Planum and Deuteronilus Mensae rounded out the first decade of OF-ExCo on Mars. 
In the early 2060s, OF-ExCo would lay the foundations of what would later become "Curo City" and the Commandery of Bradbury. In the latter years of the 2060s, pilot projects exploring long-term habitation in the Chryse Planitia and around the newly established Burroughs Base that would reach self-sufficiency by growing crops in the Meridiani Planum, were throughly discussed and met positive feedback back on Earth. While the first humans de-facto already lived on the Red Planet, they were mostly in small numbers and not of civilian nature. Mostly Outposts were unprofitable in nature, only making dividends by exporting mined materials like the Chinese mining operations around the Olympus Mons or creating their own supply of Water.
With the advent of the 2070s, the attention of most Space Powers was focused on the Moon, as advancement in space technology, a massive drop in launch prices, and nearing the 100th anniversary of the first lunar landing, major powers ramped up space development. As China and Russia planned to turn the International Lunar Research Station into a civilian colony dubbed "Xuesen", OF-ExCo secretly shifted resources to their joint orbital colonies "Kennedy's Freedom Station" and "Chapman Alpha Habitat" with the Canadian Space Agency to hastily construct Civilian colonies on Luna, neglecting the martian colonies in the process, with only minimal internal expansions and limited automated mining in the Olympus Mons region being the notable events.
With the Xuesen's opening to civilian life in 2076, the first human colony on Luna is officially founded, with "Foundation Day" becoming an official holiday on Luna. OF-ExCo blamed suboptimal production quotas and too many toilet breaks, starting "re-negotiating" work contracts with its employees in its Near Earth Orbital Facilities, with the intense work crunch suffered by its employees to make OF-ExCo lofty goals reality, causing massive strikes. OF-ExCo sees massive drops in earnings, which caused the corporations to shelf many costly expansion projects on Mars. The situation would eventually resolve itself when a "mysterious" error leads to the floating of all Striking Workers in Kennedy's Freedom Station. Following this accident, the strikes were successfully beaten down and OF-ExCo's attention once again shifted to Mars, where they would start the New Texas Pilot Colony to repeat once again, what had failed on Luna, to become the first entity that would place humans permanently on the red planet.
However, tragedy would strike once again in 2091 when delays due to cutbacks in construction caused Payambar, a colony founded by the ISA, to be the first outpost open to civilians on Mars, with civilians only arriving in Curo City a few months after. With several investors & companies pulling out of OF-ExCo, this would begin the end of the OF-ExCo Corporation. The true ends of the Corporation would follow in 2096 when they launched a surprise overtaking of the ISA colony of Behzad, due to a squabble over claimed territory and alleged riches of the local areas wich OF-ExCo wanted to exploit. Ordered to leave by the Iranian Government, OF-ExCo instead quietly smuggled weapons into the closest colony to Behzad, which was the fast-growing colony of Oglethorpe, hoping to stall the Iranians into giving it up, when however a rouge factions attacked the PRC's Station on Phobos, allied Terran Government came together to expunge the corporation and create a power vacuum, which they could exploit. OF-ExCo would use its vast network and wealth to sway Earth's nations to side with them. Creating in effect the first Intersolar conflict. A major event would occur when the citizens of Dremoshong would refuse to attack Oglethorpe, with the Chinese having to ferry espatiers from the Moon to secure OF-ExCo colonies and protect allied citizens. With news leaking of OF-ExCo's many crimes and the murder of countless critics & striking workers, many Terran governments began to seize OF-ExCo's properties as many had shared stakes or were joint projects such as various orbital colonies. In 2099 the last pro-OF-ExCo Government -the Greater Manhattan Commonwealth- would rescind its support and the last CEO of OF-ExCo would commit suicide in his Kiawah Island Resort besieged by Commonwealth Law Enforcers. 
With the end of the OF-ExCo, the corporation would be broken up and most of its martian assets would be restructured as Agency for the Development of Mars or ADM, which in 2105 would finally be acquired by the rising star of Exomine, which has once been a prime shareholder in the OF-ExCo corporation and had pioneered Asteroid mining technology. Most of the Outposts on Mars, which had grown into the low thousands would be jointly ruled by Exomine and the Canadian Government under a branch of the Canadian Space Agency. The anchoring of Exomine onto Mars would unknowingly shape Human History forever...
=====Canadian colonization of Mars=====
With the acquisition of the OF-ExCO colonies, Canada turned into a major Space Power. For most of the 21st century, Canada had been a "tag-along" member of the ESA and NASA contributing scientific expertise and raw materials, without large projects of their own. With the downfall of the American World Order, Canada was in total crisis as its housing crisis and the American Warlords brought its society to the brink of economic collapse. Canada however was able to recover thanks to the Neo-Socreds (Canadian Credit Party CCP) "directed economics" which were able to capitalize on the new opportunities made possible by climate change and caused massive growth in agriculture and extraction sectors. Although the Neo-Socreds would slowly turn Canada into a One-Party State, they were able to absorb many of the United States' former scientists, catapulting the Canadian Space Agency decades forward. The Neo-Socreds primarily saw expansion into Space as means to provide new "living space" for the massive amounts of refugees and immigrants as well as Canadian citizens displaced by the housing crisis, as well as regulating the Metals Trade from the Asteroids.
The joint acquisition of the Martian Outposts with Exomine brought Canadian awareness to outside Near-Earth Space, whilst they had a dozen outposts around Earth's Orbit and on the moon, the quickly growing civilian outposts on Mars had a combined population thrice the size of CSA's Chapman Habitat, causing considerable stress on Canadian extraterrestrial logistics, which compelled the CSA to enlist the help of a government-affiliated company Agrobotix. Agrobotix had close ties with the Neo-Socreds as well as a good track record in the agricultural projects in Northern Alberta and the Yukon. In 2152 the CSA would found the colonies of Beloit, Waterloo, Windsor in short succession, they were intended as residential outposts as the "pushy relocation politics" of the Neo-Socreds had induced the older civilian outposts to be overcrowded. CSA policies were responsible for the militarization of Mars, as the Canadian Government allegedly send saboteurs to rival colonies in the Oxia Palus as well as provoked an International Crisis when they build Valley City on CSNA-owned land. 
The Rest of the 22nd century was characterized by minmal growth of the Martian Colonies, due to the more pacifistic and earthbound policies of the Nolan J. LaBrande Neo-Socreds. The CSA helped build the Olympus Mons Space Elevator and send scientists to Spirit City, helping to lay the foundation of Mars' greatest university. LaBrande's Deputy Prime Minister Camille Webster became the first English-speaking government figure to visit the martian surface, touring the planet, starting from the Inauguration of Exomine's Headquarters at Aeropolis on 21st April 2171 to the opening of the Chinese Xin Linzhi-Burroughs Transrapid.
===== Chinese colonization of Mars=====
Unlike other powers, the PRC never intended for Mars to become a "second earth", and so chinese outposts on mars simply remanied scientific in nature or where used to support chinese governance over the Belt. It was towards the end of the "Chinese Golden Age" that the martian outposts developed manufacturing abilities.
=====Colonization of Mars by other Powers=====
Many powers constructed outposts on the martian surface, but few nations contributed to the ancestral people that would later give rise to the cythero-martian civilizations. Most Western-based Economies such as the Europeans and the East Asian "Tigers", lacked the necessary excess labor and the long-term thinking that would be needed to settle Mars, partially due to their declining population and outdated economic models. 
Besides the Anglosphere and China, Russia's ROSCOSMOS, Brazil's AEB and Iran's ISA constituted the other colonial powers on Mars.
As with early colonies in the New World, economics were a crucial aspect of a colony's success. The reduced gravity well of Mars and its position in the Solar System facilitated Mars–Earth trade and provided an economic rationale for the continued limited settlement of the planet. Investment into Mars became rationalized as a place to grow food and produce equipment to mine the asteroid belt.
Some of the early Martian colonies specialized in developing local resources for Martian consumption, such as water and ice. A source of Martian ore was iron in the form of nickel-iron meteorites. Iron in this form was more easily extractable than from the iron oxides that cover the planet. The need for fertilizers drove inter/extra-Martian trade and contributed to the Terran development of the Solar Asteroid Belt.
====Cytherean Revolution====
"Terra possesses the most benighted and miserable people and political system. Old Earth will forever be the mortal enemy of the new martian society." - Edward C. Vaughn, First Supreme-Generalissimus of Venus, Incorporation Address at Sicula Petrus
Earth's businesses relocated their environmentally damaging industries to Outer Space, including to lesser extend Mars, to spare their own biosphere, it was Exomine which for stunning display of corporate vanity projects began to relocate its HQ to the Olympus Mons and found the Industrial Zone of Aeropolis. The new "Stellar Empire of Venus" seemed like it was to be a libertarian paradise, but instead its morphed into a nationalist militaristic government to defend itself form Terra's overwhelming power.
====The Great Interregnum====
"My tongue is sticking to my mouth ... My eyes dazzle, my lung burns, I am finished." - Unknown, Recovered Cyperlogs found in the Eos Chasma
The Great Collapse strongly affected Mars as well. The newfound independent nation was soon shattered into a million pieces as stations and colonies declared independence and soon fell into chaos or warlordism. Wars soon errupted across the surface and bioweapons where turned against each other, all in all 80% of the martian population perished due to stravation and thirst or war-related causes. When the Dust eventually settled, Mars was a dying world littered with abandoned or wrecked spacecraft and straving soliders trapped in its orbit or on the small martian moons...
====The Zhili Re-attachments====
Mars' salvation came with the Venus-based Astral League, building and reparing the orbital elevators across the solar system, the Astral League would provide necessary supplies and population relief to Mars. This formed a lasting exchange of people and culture, forging a kinship as "mutants" in contrast with old prideful "earth". With venusian help (and weapons) the small underground bastion of Burroughs, would conquer the entire surface and enforce a uniform martian culture, becoming the Zhili -this period became known as "The Zhili Re-attachments". Mars would then serve as a important link in the Venusian Sphere and prove loyal to its cause.
====First Encounter War====
"We are but toys...to an bored toddler... tearing us apart and sewing us back together like some rag doll."
-"Scarlet of Mars", Liberation of New Providence Preserve, 2513
During the course of the War, Mars was left virtually untouched by The Magi, due to its minuscule population and the high rate of mutation in its population. The Magi had seemed to believe that the hostile nature of Mars, would doom its inhabitants to a slow extinction. During the course of the war, Martian population grew slightly, as they received refugee populations from Terra. To many earthlings, Mars and its patron the Astral League were seen as mythical places of freedom, similar to the old wild west, and martians secretly aided the Anti-Starseed resistance. During the Earther Independence War, Martians forces joined forces with the myriad anti-starseed forces in small capacities, avoiding detection. 
====Solar Winter ====
"Here we bloody hell are, and here we bloody hell stay."
- Executive-Commander Sennan Yarborough, Battle of Onogoro Insula, 2732
With the rise of Venus and the recovery of Earth after the Second Ice Age, the Space Powers began to colonize the rest of the Solar System, driven by their need for resources. Intersolar disputes such as the Titan Crisis, the Ganymede–Titania Act, and Bleeding Pluto soured relations, with espionage and sabotage actions taking the place of traditional warfare, as the vastness of space made full-scale war unattainable. This cold war would temporarily cess during the War of Stick and Stones or the WWIV. The Solar Winter would however soon return, despite the now seemingly warm attitudes between the two human powers. The Cybernetic Pogroms of the Venusian Sphere as the response to the robot uprising on Terra had also destroyed the martian economy, leaving it unable to help combat the natural advantaged and increasingly unifying Earth. Exomine, was able to essentially enforce its economic control over Mars, monoplozing the trade route of Belt-Mars-Luna.
Supreme-Generalissima Elisabeth Jane Clifford, the last leader of an independent Venus and often regarded as a Manchurian candidate for Terran interests, attempted to dismantle the United States of Venus and let its non-venusian colonies secede to join the UNS, mirroring the fall of the Soviet Union. However her actions would lead to a civil war with restorationists, this conflict ended, when Supreme-Generalissima Clifford requested a USN humanitarian intervention. After a short-brutal campaign, rouge elements would flee the planet to join up with deserting forces in the Kuiper Belt, setting the stage for the creation of the Capital Outlaws. With the martian infrastructure in shambles, aggravated by the attacks of the Capital Outlaws, its government would join the newly-formed UCSS with the Treaty of Geneva, also besmirched as the "Geneva Betrayal" or "Humiliation of Geneva" by many martian and venusian citizens. Offically ending the Solar Winter. Mars would suffer from the effects of Great Emigrations, like most of the former colonies of Venus, further degrading mars' power.
===Religion ===
The largest religious denominations by number of adherents as a percentage of the Martian population in 3199 were adherents of the Martian Civic Faith with 26.2 percent; Non-religious Atheist with 17.9 percent; and adherents of various Muslim Fatihs with 10.5 percent, however the collective religions of the Arean Theophany Faiths make up 33.5% of the population, and combined Pilgrim religions make up an additional 33.6%.
Religious affiliation on Mars (3199)
Affiliation 	% of Mars' population	% of Mars' population
Irreligious 	 	
Atheist 	 	
Secularist 	 	
Don't know/refused answer 	 	
Arean Theophany Faiths 	 	
Martian Civic Faith 	 	
Arean Cult of Progress 	 	
Xenogenesist 	 	
Other Martian Faiths 	 	
Pilgrim faiths 	 	
Al-Ummah 	 	
Zen-Mahayana 	 	
Mizong 	 	
Dharmic 	 	
Uniate Christian 	 	
Bahá'í 	 	
Neo-Raskolist (Old Orthodox)	 	
Haredi 	 	
Other Earth-based religions 	 	
Shenxianist 	 	
Shinto 	 	
Shangdist 	 	
Other Terran faiths 	 	
Total 	 	
The first colonists to come to Mars were mostly secular scientists, engineers, and technicians to aid in the exploration and exploitation of the planet. Many of them held a disposition towards a sort of "Cult of Progress", decried as religious Scientism by skeptics back on Terra.
The Great Migrations to Mars brought many different Terran-based Faiths to Mars, many of them having to adapt to the strange environment and distance from Earth, such as Muslims praying in the direction of the first landing site that brought the first Muslim to Mars. While other newly arrived migrants clung even harder to their faiths, which allowed for the survival of unique traditions that were lost by their Terran counterparts. In general, many martian Earth-based faiths preserved their historic features. This is the reason why many Martians still go on pilgrimages to Terra, despite the common cultural reprehension between the two sister planets. Shinto ritual practices had an over-proportional influence on Cythero-Martian religious cultures. Xenogenesist is a curious faith, they believe that humanity's homeworld was not Terra, but somewhere else. Some believe that there was an ancient civilization on mars, which was related or gave rise to Terrans.
The centuries of isolation following the Great Collapse lead to ubiquitous usage of bio-engineering and cloning in the Astral League, with a general obsession with spreading biological life and controlling the fate of nature itself, further diverging the already distinct societies of Terra and Mars. The Martian Civic Faith is mainly based around militant military worship, a twisted form of "Muscular Christianity" the reverence of Martian legends, and a vague sense of a common goal to "tame the red wastes".
===Demographics===
Ancestry/Ethnicity/Species
(3190 Census estimate)	Ancestry/Ethnicity/Species
(3190 Census estimate)
By ethnicity: 	By ethnicity:
East Asian (Mainly Chinese) 	38.5%
Multiethnic 	36.3%
African 	11.9%
South Asian 	11.8%
European (Mainly Anglo-American)	4.7%
Hispanic 	4.5%
West Asian 	3.7%
Pacific Islander 	2.1%
By species: 	
By species:
Human 	33.9%
Mutant/Beltman 	66.1%
Mars has a long history of immigration. Starting from the Late-21th century, terran state and corporate entities began to exploit and explore the martian surface, driven by centuries of curiosity and the naive believe, by some, that the task of colonizing Mars would unite Earth behind a common cause. The extreme enviroment, isolation from Earth and early scientific nature of Mars' development, lead to a selective immigration process, with only the most mental fortitude and smartest being allowed to live and work on the dangerous and hostile environment of Mars, this phenomenon lead to a widespread longstanding mythos that martians were descended from Terra's "Strongest and Brightest", with the Terrans being "the left-behind simple-minded masses". This perception was greatly aided by the supremacist views that Venus promoted.
While the commonly used Sino-Martian language still uses traditional chinese characters, "Terran Chinese", its terran cousin, is written in a modified version of the Latin Alphabet, other terran languages of South Asian, North American, Middle Eastern and Russian origin, also tend to resemble older forms of said language. This trend is also observed on a general societal level, as the martian mindset is similar to 21th century american and chinese societies. 
Despite the small population of Martians, this highly militaristic society has developed an attitude of "There might be not a whole lot of us, but each Martian counts for ten Earthers". People from Earth see the martians as less-refined and more aggressive "war dogs" of Venus.
With minorities from the wealthier upper-middle strata being overrepresented and the heavy focus by the US corporate forces and China to outcompete each other, gave most martians a East Asian or Eurasian background. 
Many of the immigrants into the venusian sphere had been survivors of ethnic cleasings, marginalization, economic stagnation and years of involuntary nomadism, causing a cultural component of "bitter resentment" and "longing of seperation" from the perceived self-destructiveness of their fellow terrans to be mixed into the martian "melting pot". During the Xenocracy, Due the vital parts that the "Venusian Empire" played in the Reconstruction Period, the idea that the rest of humanity "owns" Mars for the percived progression of humanity that was accoring to the Martians, single-handedly achieved by them. 
While Martians as part of the former Venusian Sphere, are often called "Mutants", an ethnophaulisms, which has been re-appropirated as a self-designation, and are almost treated as an distinct category of Humanity, they are, in fact, not a seperate species, although they are taller and skinny/frail in appearance, with larger lungs, smaller joints especially the ankle, knee, and hip, an inreased numbers of red blood cells and more sexually dimorphic than the average terran. The average historic martian family tended to have 4-8 children, but since the end of the Solar Winter, martian families have strunk to 1-1.5 children per average, causing Mars to rely on seasonal workers from poorer parts of the solar system. 
Mars extensive history of "boundary pushing" bio-genetic engineering and coloning, has unexpectedly not diverged the appearance of martians form their terran cousins, as martians easily pass as terrans. 
Similar to Terrans, martians have extensive mechanical augmentations, especially the workering population, although they tend to be cutting-edge, slick and more subtle, than the large clunky "Prosthetic Tools" of the terran laborers. The stoic Martians are considered attractive with their raven-black hair, tall, lean and muscluar stature, thanks to a protein-rich diet and "Body culture" that emphazises taking care of ones body. 
==== Aesthetics====
Martians are famed for they militaristic, utilitarian and minimalist style. If not in their tailored uniforms, they wear mainly preserved and revived forms of traditonal chinese clothing. Cheongsam's are commonly worn by female martians, although their style is reminiscent of 20-30s Shanghai, with inspirations taken form the old icons like Oei Hui-lan. More conservative martians wear traditional Hanfu or Kimonos. Martian men usually wear military inspired clothing or simple austere muted button-downs. Dusters a unique local creole culture, are famed for their cowboy-inspired attire. High ranking members of martian society, wear Zhongshan suits with a turtlenecks underneath. On formal occasions, clothes inspired by cantonese opera costumes, are worn.
Category:Mars
Category:Sol System
Category:UCSS
Category:AstralLeague
Category:Venus
Category:Aeonofthenewage
Category:MegaCorps