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Martian terraforming

Martian Terraforming

Mars is the fourth innermost planet within the Solar System and the outermost planet of The Core. The planet has been the source of many major conflicts over the history of The Society, and many prominent Martians have played key roles in significant events throughout the Red Rising saga.

Composition[]

Mars is approximately half the size of Earth, and has only 1/3 of its gravity due to Mars having significantly less volume and mass. Prior to terraforming, Mars was known for its red coloration, resulting from iron oxide in the planet's atmosphere. This trait was lost during the terraforming of the surface, after which the planet appeared green and white from orbit, with an atmosphere and clouds.

Terrain[]

Mars is predominantly known for its highlands, which are located primarily in the planet's southern hemisphere and equatorial regions.

The lowland regions are mainly in the planet's northern hemisphere and are mostly underwater. Known as the Borealis Basin, this body of water encircles the planet's northern polar landmass in order to isolate the Obsidian tribes from the rest of the planet. During terraforming, a second lowland region was created around the planet's southern polar landmass to mirror the isolation of the north pole.

Aside from the polar regions, the remaining land on Mars located above sea level is divided into four continents: Cimmeria, Apollonia, Sirenia, and Arabia Terra.

Apollonia is home to the famous Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system, whose walls reach up to 7 kilometers tall. The continent is home to at least one mountain range south of the Valles that extends down to the southern coast, with at least one lake and dormant volcano.[1]

Cimmeria is home to multiple shield volcanoes, including the Olympus Mons, one of the tallest mountains in the solar system.

In addition to the two basins, there are at least three seas on the surface of Mars, and a multitude of rivers and fjords.

Climate[]

Due to the extensive terraforming, much of Mars has a temperate climate, except for the poles, which have harsh icy and stormy weather to raise the Obsidians. Due to the sparse plains, dust devils would occur and destroy topsoil and croplands.

Ecology[]

There were no native flora and fauna on Mars until it was terraformed. Even after the terraforming, there are not a lot of vegetation. However, there were many lakes that formed in the craters of Mars, and the entire Borealis Basin is filled with freshwater. Plants and animals found on Mars after the terraforming include:

  • Haemanthus flower, “blood lily”
  • Cimmerian cebola trees
  • Pitvipers
  • Spiderworms
  • Various unspecified marine species

Culture[]

There are one thousand cities on the surface of Mars, each at the center of a hundred subterranean mining colonies, which they are connected to by a network of underground tunnels.

Economy[]

Mars' two biggest exports are Helium-3 and Obsidian slave knights. Martian Obsidian are considered to be the highest caliber warriors in the Society, and Mars' Helium mines make it the energy capital of the solar system.

Because of these exports, Mars serves as a major trading hub between the Rim and the Core, with the Julii-Agos trade routes linking Mars to the Rim.

Government[]

There are one thousand cities on Mars, each ruled by a Governor, the ArchGovernor presiding over all. Each city is set in the center of a hundred mining colonies. The Governors manages these colonies, with the individual MineMagistrates managing the day-to-day affairs. The citadel of the ArchGovernor is located in Agea, in the Valles Marineris.

Military[]

Under the dominion of The Society, the military of Mars consists of two Societal Garrison Fleets stationed on the planet. The fifth fleet, commonly known as the Classis Liberatas, is also assigned to patrol the inner Asteroid Belt, and is under the direct command of the ArchGovernor. The sixth fleet is commanded by House Bellona. Under Society rule, the Martian military is permitted 20 5-megaton nukes in its arsenal for ship-to-ship warfare per standard military regulation.

Cities on Mars are heavily fortified, with disc-shaped shields projected two hundred meters above the surface to protect each city from orbital bombardment.[1]

Agea and Corinth supplement their shields with massive perimeter walls two hundred meters high, while other cities' perimeter walls leave a small gap below the edge of their shield due to the high costs. Each perimeter wall is lined with turrets.[2]

Each city is surrounded by railgun installations aimed at the sky for targeting enemy air and spacecraft.[3]

Under the Solar Republic, the military forces of Mars consist primary of the Republic's fourth fleet, known as the Ecliptic Guard.

History[]

The first lowRed colonists were sent to Mars in the mid-2nd Century PCE to initiate the terraforming process by mining for helium-3. The Gold house Bellona migrated to Mars soon after, and began construction of their estate in Eagle Rest by the end of the century. Around the same time, House Augustus bribed and killed their way into owning most of the governmental contracts for the mines, and gained considerable political influence while their pockets swelled.

When colonization of the planet first began, the ArchGovernorship of Mars was controlled by House Cylus, who were one of the most powerful Gold families on the planet alongside Augustus, Bellona, and Arcos.

Following the end of the Dark Revolt, the surviving Obsidians were imprisoned on the planet's polar landmasses, the terrain of which was dramatically altered to punish the Obsidians and test the prowess of their descendants.

The other Colors migrated to Mars in the mid-5th Century and lived on the surface in para-terraformed cities with bubbles of atmosphere around them as the rest of the planet' terraforming was slowly completed. The lowReds mining beneath the surface were kept ignorant of these developments, and were instead led to believe that they were continuing to help terraform the surface, unaware that their mission had already been completed.

In 656 PCE, the father of Nero au Augustus attempted to assassinate Julius au Bellona and the rest of the Bellona family by poisoning their dinner. The attempt failed, leading to a war between Augustus and Bellona. House Cylus sided with Bellona, and exterminated House Augustus, devastating the capital city of Agea in the process. Only seven-year-old Nero was spared on the orders of the reigning Sovereign Ovidius au Lune.

Population[]

At the time of Red Rising, Mars has a total population numbering in several billions, with around 1 billion lowReds living in the underground mining colonies and over 1 million Golds living on the surface.

Locations[]

  • Borealis Basin - an ocean basin that stretches across the Northern hemisphere and encircles the north polar plain.
  • Cimmeria - One of the major continents of Mars and the richest source of helium on the planet.
    • Olympia - one of the three central cities of Cimmeria and the seat of House Bellona. Located northwest of the Olympus Mons along the base of the mountain.
      • Loch Esmeralda - a lake on the edge of Olympia
      • Olympus Mons - a large shield volcano in the western hemisphere of Mars and the tallest mountain in the solar system.
        • Eagle Rest - The ancestral home and primary estate of House Bellona.
        • Château le Breu - a hotel on the Olympus Mons.
    • Erebian Mountains - a mountain range near Olympia.
    • Boetian Plains
    • Attica - a remote city in southern Cimmeria renowned for its banking.[4] Headquarters of The Jackal from 742-743 PCE.
    • Nike - one of the three major cities of Cimmeria. Located along the coast of the continent, northwest of a white shield mountain.
    • Phoenicia - one of the three major cities of Cimmeria.
    • Lagalos Mines - a helium-3 mine in Cimmeria
    • Casseda Mines - a helium-3 mine in Cimmeria
    • Pyrrian Fjords - a series of fjords along the northern coast of Cimmeria. Presumably fed by the Pyrrus River.
    • Pyrrus River - a river on Mars, presumably connected to the Pyrrian Fjords
  • Amazonian Sea - located west of Cimmeria
  • Apollonia - One of the four continents of Mars, located east of Cimmeria.
    • Thermic Sea - A sea near the equator of Mars, located southwest of Apollonia and southeast of Cimmeria.
      • Thermic Command Center - a Society military outpost in or on the Thermic Sea.
      • Corinth - a major spaceport city located on an island in the middle of the Thermic Sea.
    • Valles Marineris
      • Agea - The capital city of Mars and seat of House Augustus. Located in the center of the Valles Marineris.
      • The Institute of Mars - located 80 kilometers east of Agea in an offshoot of the Valles Marineris.
    • Whitehold - headquarters of the Martian branch of the Board of Quality Control, located east of Agea.
    • Thessalonica - A coastal city less than 300 kilometers south of Agea on the eastern shore of the Thermic Sea. Ancestral home of House Valii-Rath.
    • Caragmore – a seaside estate owned by House Augustus that Nero gave to his second wife as a wedding present.
    • Sector Omicron – a network of 21 helium mines located south of Agea, connected to each other through the Omicron Bastion.
      • Nagasos – a helium-3 mine in the Omicron sector, located 600 km south of Agea.
      • Cryxos – a helium-3 mine in the Omicron sector.
    • Darkstar Conservatory - a military flight school established by The Solar Republic. located high on a mountain south of Agea in a mountain range that stretches south toward the end of the continent.
    • Tinos - Headquarters of the Sons of Ares, located 500 kilometers south of the Thermic Sea.
    • Varos - located 500 kilometers from Tinos.
  • Arabia Terra - A northern continent on Mars, located east of Apollonia.
    • Ismenia - a port city in Arabia Terra, destroyed by The Jackal during The Rising.
  • Sirenia - One of the continents on Mars.
  • Southern Taiga
    • Yorkton
      • Ishtar - a coastal city not far from Yorkton
        • Ishtar Stables
      • Bazaar
    • Lykos Mine
  • New Thebes - A city in either Cimmeria, Arabia Terra, or Sirenia. Ancestral home of House Fabii.
    • The Hall of Blades
  • Aventine Peninsula - a region in either Cimmeria, Arabia Terra, or Sirenia, north of New Thebes.
    • Cyprion - a city on the Aventine Peninsula. Destroyed by The Jackal during The Rising.
  • Alcidalia Provence - a region somewhere north of Attica.
    • Kato - a city in the Alcidalia Provence
  • Martian Antarctic - the landmass at the planet's south pole.
    • Asgard - the flying mountain station used by the Board of Quality Control to monitor and control the southern Obsidian population.
      • The Shadowmouth Temple
      • The Way of the Stains
    • The Bleaking Moor
    • The Blood Coast
    • The Blooded Braves
    • The Blooded Tents
    • The Valkyrie Spires
    • The Dragon's Spine - south of the Valkyrie Spires
    • Fallen City - north of the Valkyrie Spires
    • The North Coast
    • The Rattling Caves
    • The Shattered Spine
    • The White Coast
    • The Witch Pass
  • Hippolyte - A seaside city located on an archipelago in the sea and the ancestral home of House Julii. Commonly known as The Jade City.
  • Elysium - Ancestral home of House Arcos.
  • Zephyria - Ancestral home of House Telemanus.
  • Golan Basin - presumably located in the southern hemisphere around the planet's south pole.
  • Gorgon Sea
  • Mystos River Valley
  • Xantha Dorsa

Moons[]

Phobos[]

Read more at: Phobos


Deimos[]

Gold Houses[]

Trivia[]

  • A day on Mars is nearly the same as on Earth, at 24 hours and 37 minutes based on Earth's time scale.
  • Many locations mentioned on Mars in the novels are named after and/or correspond to actual regions and locations that have been mapped on the planet:
    • The northern continent Arabia Terra is an actual region on Mars in the northern hemisphere.
    • The Borealis Basin is the Vastitas Borealis, the lowland region of Mars that encompasses most of the northern hemisphere and encircles the north polar region.
    • Cimmeria is named for the Terra Cimmeria region in the eastern hemisphere.
    • The Amazonian Sea near Cimmeria comes from the Amazonis Planitia, commonly known as the Amazonian, which is located northwest of Terra Cimmeria and east of the Olympus Mons.
    • Alcidalia Provence comes from Acidalia Planitia.
    • Zephyria is named for the Zephyria Planum within Terra Cimmeria.
    • Elysium is named for the Elysium Mons and Elysium Planitia, north of Terra Cimmeria.
  • There was a reference to Osgiliath made as Darrow visits the Bazaar.
  • The Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the Solar System.
  • Mars has two small moons - Phobos and Deimos.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Golden Son, chapter 38
  2. Golden Son, chapter 39
  3. Golden Son, chapter 36
  4. Dark Age, chapter 74
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