We’ve had nothing but trouble with Earth since we became independent. They’re treating us as if we were still a colony. Everything has to go through Earth: supplies, money transfers, documents. They couldn’t kill us with bullets, so they’re drowning us in red tape. Frankly, I preferred the bullets. At least there I could shoot back.

Mars, hanging blood red in the sky, has long been associated with war, darkness and death. It has been the imagined source of both alien invaders and ancient wisdom for centuries. Finally, in the 23rd century, there is life on Mars – human life, for the most part. Mars is the most populous planet in the Solar System apart from Earth and the most capable of sustaining itself without outside support. It is also a world that lives up to its name, for it is enmeshed in war. From the slaughter of John Carter, to the Food Riots, the brutal crackdowns of the Clark Administration and the final liberation from Earth rule, Mars has always been the site of constant struggle.