Mars, based on the real planet Mars[Ext 1], is the fourth planet of the Sol System, neighbouring both Earth and where once Jupiter was. It was once home to the Martians, including the Salmitton race, before Humans from Earth conquered the planet. Initially the humans attempted to colonise key locations of the world that the natives hadn't already inhabited but, growing resentful of people the Martians believed to be invaders, the human settlements were attacks and the colonists killed. Led by Britt, the first wave of the attack on Mars began. When the war was over the human conquers forced the remaining Martian population to live on reservations, or in camps, where the Martians were forced to adopt human-centric culture, especially English as their first language. In time the remaining Martian population died off due to the Earth-born diseases that quickly spread across Mars. Only one Salmitton remains, Clear, who lived aboard a derelict spacecraft orbiting Mars. The Martian cities were modern with modest technology, though far out-matched compared to the humans that invaded their world. Most of Mars is a wasteland, though human settlements also dot the world and many consider it the new "Wild West". Except for Saffron 5, a massive spacestation that orbits the planet and is connected to the city below via a skyhook. Since the emergence of Zenos, Mars has become much hotter than it once was due to this second sun.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Mars, based upon the real Mars[Ext 1], is a rust-coloured rocky planet and stands as the fourth planet of the Sol System. Since the "Attack on Mars" by human forces of Earth (citation needed), much of the planet has become desolate while other areas may compare to the "Wild West[Ext 2]" era of Earth's America with small human-populated settlements scattered throughout he wasteland. Abandoned Martian settlements are common, from towns to cities, and are often hunting grounds for salvagers[CatH 1]. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are captured asteroids and thus are small and irregularly shaped[Ext 1].
Much like Earth, Mars has its own flora and fauna. Most commonly is the pink grass, which is remarkably similar to Earth's green grass bar the colour[CatH 1].
Population[]
Martians[]
Salmittons[]
Main article: Salmitton
The most common race of people on Mars were the red-skinned salmittons, which Clear (the last Martian) is. Salmittons have bright red skin, stark white hair and faint pink lips. Their innards, such as the tongue, are blue. The eyes are completely black except for a thin, pink iris ring. Some salmitton's skin colour can range towards pink, rather than red[CatH 1]. Some Martians consider these pink-skinned as another race, while others insisted they were just light-skinned salmittons (citation needed).
Humans[]
See also: Human
The humans living on Mars are colonists from the neighbouring planet Earth. The humans invaded, killed and captured most of the native Martians before Earth-born diseases did the rest. Now they are the only sentient species that lives on the world, residing mostly in the southern, warmer, hemisphere in small frontier towns. However there is also a great bastion of human dominance built there, a gigantic space station, skyhook and spaceport that looks like a gigantic vase reaching into space - Saffron 5[CatH 2]. Humans come in several colours, such as white, brown, black or yellow, and have various hair colours ranging from white to black to blonde or ginger. They're so common throughout the NeSiverse that many use them as a comparative tool for other sentient species out there (citation needed).
Jovians[]
Main article: Jovians
After the destruction of their homeworld, a group of Jovian refugees created a settlement on Mars (citation needed).
Locations[]
Yarith[]
A country once existed on the northern continent of Mars named Yarith and was described as the "land where the grass was always pink and the herbivores were always fat". Yarith was not a large country but it had three major cities, one of which was called Tigor[CatH 1].
Tigor[]
Tigor's buildings aren't very tall and it managed to escape much of the desolation of Mars, compared to other cities of the rust-coloured world. The weather in the area, however, if often fiercely windy. Tigor has at least one refuelling station, which is where Martians would have taken their vehicles to get additional fuel. Clear, a Salmitton salvager, came to Tigor during Clear and the Hopeless to search for a list of materials that The Hopeful, Clear's ship in orbit around Mars, required for repairs. She landed in Tigor with the Bug, a small transport craft, and was joined by ALEX, a machine designed especially for salvaging parts. She uses the refuelling station in Tigor to get additional fuel supplies for her ship but finds that it's already been emptied[CatH 1].
Bay of Elysium[]
The Bay of Elysium is an abandoned industrial park to the north-west of the Martian map. Named after the idyllic Elysium by the human settlers, the bay area was actually converted into an industrial sector that heavily polluted the land and sea. When use of the area dwindled, it became abandoned and slowly reclaimed by nature but still heavily polluted. Many of the old chemicals had been left behind to go stagnant and pollute the air. Few ever visited the land, so it became a refuge for exiles, such as Clear, or criminals. It borders the Hesperia Planum to the south. As well as Clear's den, she also stored her starfighter, Hoopa, in one of the empty warehouses, concealed with a sheet of plastic[CatB 1].
Clear's Den (Bay of Elysium)[]
One of Clear's den is located in the Bay of Elysium and is fashioned from one of the old abandoned and crumbling buildings. The shack had been a crumbling factory branch. The main building next door was completely caved in, while her wing was mostly caved in. However, after some structural improvements, she managed to secure the roof, without improving the visual façade. From the outside, it looked like any other abandoned, crumbling building. Ladders inside lead up to a small hut at the top of the building. The original roof for this had fallen down with the rest of the building, so she had put an old sheet of aluminium on it. There is a window there with metal bars. Inside she had a computer. While it was a fairly advanced machine that she had salvaged – replacing several parts, including the motherboard – she only had an old ball-mouse and a clackity-clack keyboard as access peripherals. The headset she had was a little more modern, but it was one of those shiny gaming headsets the kids use on Earth. The monitor for it was huge, however. It was originally from a console bank on a starship that she had bought from a scrap dealer. There is a capacitor there, which uses Conglomocorp Batteries to power the den. She has sensors in the area to help her detect incoming traffic. Clear was forced to abandon this den when the Crystal Bounty Hunters discovered its location[CatB 1].
Hesperia Planum[]
The Hesperia Planum - planum meaning plains - is a great expanse of flatland to the east of Mars. To its north-east is the Bay of Elysium, to its south-west is the Hellas Sea where Saffron 5 is located[CatB 1].
Hellas Sea[]
Saffron 5[]
Main article: Saffron 5
Saffron 5 was built by humans after they conquered and colonised it. Their initial attempt at building had occurred while the planet was still occupied by its natives, but due to an attack from those people, building stopped and conquest ensued (BtL citation needed). After disease wiped out the majority of the Martian populace, humans were free to build whatever they liked, including the immense Saffron 5 spaceport. Its sky hook reaches upwards, like a vase, into orbit and a spacestation. Saffron 5 has been a beacon of human dominance, affluence and ambition. Though trade to Saffron 5 slowed dramatically with the destruction of Jupiter, the structure remains a huge commercial hub for many intergalactic space-farers[CatH 2].
Flora & Fauna[]
| Name | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Pink Grass | The pink grass of Mars is essentially the same as the grass of Earth, but pink instead of green. It is very common across the entire planet[CatH 1]. | Worldwide |
| Red Weed | The red weed is a red coloured weed that aggressively grows across the whole of Mars. It is considered an invasive plant species[CatB 1]. | Worldwide |
| Earth Plants | Earth plants of a wide variety were brought from Earth to Mars and planted specifically around the Hellas Sea, within view of Saffron 5. The plants are predominantly green, unlike most of the red-hued native plants[CatB 2]. | Hellas Sea |
| Indran Plants | A wide variety of Indran flora and fauna are located on Mars in a small area where Kara Pashna genetically regrows them from DNA samples from Indra before its destruction[CatB 3]. | New Indra |
History[]
Britt: The Legend[]
Main article: Britt: The Legend
TBA
The Never-ending Story[]
Main article: The Never-ending Story
TBA
Clear and the Hopeless[]
Main article: Clear and the Hopeless (Story Arc)
After the human conquest of Mars, the human settlers were able to set up towns and villages which, today, mostly act likes frontier towns in a state of lawlessness governed only by its own people. Unlike these towns, however, there stands a bastion of human dominance over the Sol System in the guise of the now finished Saffron 5. Though trade to Saffron 5 diminished since the destruction of Jupiter, it still remains a major commercial hub for intergalactic spacefarers[CatH 2].
The space ship named The Hopeful once orbited Mars as a long-forgotten derelict and was home to the very last Salmitton, Clear. She used to collect salvage from the abandoned towns and cities of her people to either sell at Saffron 5 or use to maintain The Hopeful[CatH 1]. However, when the Laniakea Supercluster was moved to the Deep Void by the mysterious cosmic group named R.I.T.E. (citation needed), it seemed, to the A.I. of The Hopeful, that the Earth had vanished. The limited A.I.'s programming required that the Earth always be within sensor range and so the silent ship suddenly jumped out of the Sol System, leaving its old home behind[CatH 1].
References[]
External References[]
Clear and the Hopeless References[]
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