Mars

Mars is a planet near Earth that houses an abandoned Gem outpost. It is the primary location of the Mars AU (as the name would imply). Geographically, it isn't very different from its real-world counterpart outside of the presence of Gems and Gem structures.

## Locations

### Gem Outposts

Four sub-outposts were built on Mars, one for each member of the Era 1 Diamond Authority. While the exact numbers of their current residents are unknown, it was estimated that the smallest number of Gems living in one outpost is around five hundred.

* The Fortress: The outpost under Yellow Diamond's control. It is currently the home and base of operations of the Progressives.
* The Garden: The outpost under Pink Diamond's control. It is currently the home and base of operations of Pink Zirconia's Court.
* The Palace: The outpost under White Diamond's control, located at the summit of Olympus Mons. It is currently the home and base of operations of the Watchers.
* The Tower The outpost under Blue Diamond's control. It is currently the home and base of operations of the Martian Loyalists.

### Other

* The Injector: A large, Injector-shaped ship (hence, its name) that is the home and base of operations of the Remade Gems. While it is still capable of flight, it has been standing in the same spot for the past 500 years.
* Ruined Drop Ship: A drop ship once belonging to Hessonite. It will likely never fly again, and is thus used as a home.

## History

* Emergency Kindergarten: An Era 1 Kindergarten that was set up in response to the Rebellion on Earth, and produced mostly defective soldiers for the loyalist armies during the Rebellion. It is now used as a hideout for rogue Gems.

### Era 1

Over 5,750 years ago, Pink Diamond was choosing her first colony. Mars was among the planets considered, but was turned down in favor of the nearby and more promising Earth. However, the Diamond Authority still saw potential in the desert planet. Mars was turned into an outpost for the storage of resources and spare Gems, with each of the four major outposts having an elite stationed there as its overseer.

When the Rebellion started, the construction of buildings on Mars continued as normal. However, as the war escalated, the Crystal Gems started becoming an actual problem, with a few rebels even trying to reach and conquer Mars (despite Rose Quartz wanting to focus on Earth). As a result, an emergency Kindergarten was made on Mars, producing soldiers as Homeworld focused on trying to stop the Rebellion. However, this Kindergarten was a rush job, and produced mostly defective Gems.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Rebellion felt like a losing battle for rebels and loyalists alike. This caused Gems on both sides to become discouraged. Many of these Gems fled to Mars to escape the combat, often against orders in the case of loyalists. This, in combination with the occasional rebel invaders, led to the planet's warp pads being disconnected and the outpost itself being nearly cut off from the Gem empire as a whole.

When Earth was abandoned, Mars was as well, but the evacuation orders only reached the most important Gems. Due to this, and the fact that the planet had a very limited fleet, only a small number of Gems—mostly elites with private vessels—were even able to leave. Similar to Earth, Mars was presumed to be decimated by the corrupting light, and it was eventually forgotten due to the lack of attachment to it. However, the Diamonds, focusing entirely on Earth, didn't even touch Mars with their attack. This left Mars' Gem population, estimated to be in the tens of thousands, uncorrupted and permanently stranded on the desert planet.

Mars was intended to be terraformed to halt all wind activity, though this was considered relatively unimportant and was going to take place after Earth's colonization was complete. Outside of this, due to Mars' smaller size and Homeworld's lowered ambitions with the planet, Mars' conversion into an outpost was much more complete than the 5% completion of Earth into a full colony. Overall, Mars was about 75% complete. In fact, the incomplete or unbuilt structures were mostly underground tunnels to connect the various already completed buildings with one another, which would allow for easier transport of Gems and resources.

### Era 2

After Mars was abandoned, the stranded Gems became strongly divided. Some wanted to abandon the Homeworld system entirely, while others desired to preserve it for some semblance of normalcy. Four factions developed, taking control of the Gem outposts intended for a united Diamond Authority. Other Gems chose not to affiliate with any faction, taking refuge in the wasteland or going rogue. These Gems, along with the frequent fighting between the factions for territory, turned Mars into a very dangerous planet.

For millennia, the factions were relatively balanced, their ranks and ideals countering one another to prevent any one of them from gaining a solid advantage over the others. About 500 years ago, though, the four factions of Mars were joined by a fifth faction, consisting of rogue off-colors that were fleeing Homeworld's justice. This caused all the factions to attempt to get on the new faction's good side, knowing it could easily tip the balance against them—or their enemies.

Outside of the births of Pseudo-Gems and a few Gems dropped off on the red planet by pirates, the Martian population stagnated, with no Gems being made, introduced, or even shattered thanks to the "One Rule."

## Rules and Taboos

During Era 1, Mars followed the same laws as Homeworld, due to being under its control. However, Mars became divided during Era 2; two factions upheld the laws to different extents, a third abandoned it completely and became more communal, while the fourth adopted a new set of laws of their own making. When Chameleon Diamond arrived, her faction adopted a communal government similar to that of Pink Zirconia's court. Outside of the factions, Mars is an anarchy, with Gems having little choice but to fend for themselves.

Because of the social conditioning of many of Mars' inhabitants, defectivity and fusion are generally still frowned upon.

### The One Rule

The "One Rule" is an informal agreement amongst the Gems of Mars to not shatter one another, not even in self-defense. Most Martian Gems, regardless of allegiance, have taken part in the Rebellion or otherwise witnessed Gems close to them being shattered, and are themselves strongly against shattering as a result. Consequently, a known shatterer could easily be ostracized by everyone, even independents and rogues, making them an outcast wherever they go. Because of this, and the fact there is no way to leave Mars and start anew elsewhere, very few Gems would even consider breaking the One Rule.