Martian Vice

For those of you who are just reading our articles, you might have one question, what is

Back on with the recruitment of the new player, The captain of the Martian Raiders and the manage departed Mars for a short time to seek out new blood, after the tragic forced retirement of one of the team reserve linebackers, They have decided to spice things up on their quest for new material.

Eventually, They eventually traveled to Moghes, despite the recent issues with the Izweski Nation and the planet itself in general, They found a potential recruit by the name of Kinzarus Trizaz once arriving to one of the main cities, Skalmar. after speaking to his clan elders thanks to the help of a hired translator, and screening by an 'official' Crashball medical doctor, which came out cleared and ready to play. The contract was signed as payment would go to Kinzarus's clan in exchange for being signed onto the team for three years. The actual price is unknown, but some rumors say it was 'Pretty damn cheap'. Once everything was settled, They made their way to Mars to begin his training. According to the Trizaz elders, Kinzarus is a 'fierce warrior' and is loyal to whoever he serves. Quite an assumption.

No interview has been done yet with the new player, but people are curious how die hard fans would react to a xeno being signed onto the team. The Crashball league officials recently allowed non-humans to be recruited three years ago, within reason of course. Though many people have brought it up that the sport itself started as a human only competition. We will have to see what ensures in near future. Kinzarus has our support on keeping Mars the number one team in the Crashball league. His teammates are sure glad to have him.

More details about this all will come in due time, as we are setting interview dates with the coaches, the team captain of the Martian Raiders, a few players and finally, The young blood himself. Perhaps we'll ask for a few words and opinions by fan themselves too.

At 10:45am (GST) two independent expeditions from two city-states on Mars (Meredine and Demios) engaged in a sudden and unexpected skirmish near the ruins of New Dresden followed by an intentional violent stand-off.

“The fighting occurred at around twelve o’clock in the afternoon [Martian relative] in Dresden,” said Meredine city government spokesman Daniel Lwin, adding that three members of Meredine's expedition were wounded and in critical care. Casualties from the Demios expedition, in a separate release from that city-state, claimed to have only had 2 wounded.

“The fighting only lasted a few minutes,” he said. “It was not a planned fight and we did not expect to encounter them.”

Hours after the initial skirmish there was a second confrontation as both city-states dispatched militiamen, with 20 Red Rangers of Demios opening fire on Meredine's Sheriff Marcus Young and his deputies. The fighting killed 2 deputies from Meredine and 3 Rangers from Demios as well as injuring men on both sides.

The skirmish comes as efforts to recover artifacts and salvage from the ruins of New Dresden have intensified in the last few months. New Dresden was a former city that was destroyed by nuclear weapons during the Martian World War by Red forces. The ruins continue to be a hazard as most of the region is irradiated.

Admiral Yi Sun has condemned the fighting in harsh words from his Flagship the SAMV Trinity.

"I will not condone or allow state-sponsored grave robbing between armed Martian groups," Admiral Sun said in his statement, "all involved will face the proper legal action."

Admiral Yi Sun commands the 66th Orbital Garrison, which permanently orbits Mars. He has broad and vague executive powers due to various treaties, which also permanently dismantled and banned Martian states from possessing any standing military. He has demanded the commanders of both forces be handed over to Alliance authorities.

Ironically the heads of state of both city-states, President Rebecca Aheles of Demios and Governor Greg Anderson of Meredine gave a joint statement refusing to hand anyone over to Alliance authorities.

"There is nothing more Martian than going to duke it out fair and square to resolve a dispute." President Aheles said.

"The Unity [station] pretty-boys should mind their own bees wax." Added Governor Anderson.

In response Admiral Yi has threatened to deploy marines to cordon off the New Dresden ruins, barring any expeditions from taking place there as well as sending in federal marshals to enforce the arrest warrants.

Martian Senator to the Alliance David Jackson downplayed these threats to his home planet. When confronted by reporters in a Unity Station bar, Senator Jackson said "There are three things every true Martian loves to do and will do at every chance: Fight, gamble, and drink. Yi isn't really going to solve anything by trying to smash heads together, because we do that already in our spare time."

At 2:21pm (Olympia Relative) a dozen Alliance marines dramatically burst into the Martian Capitol, located in the city of Olympia.

The Martian Senate was engaged in hearings on the conduct on the commanders of two expeditions that came to violent blows with one another in a dispute on salvaging rights to the New Dresden ruins. The belligerents were the two city-states of Meredine and Demios.

Meredine's Sheriff Marcus Young was actively testifying before the Martian Senate on his conduct, with Demio's Red Rangers Commander Miranda Lopez also present. According to Capitol sources the marines stormed into the room with drawn weapons and immediately rushed to arrest Sheriff Young and Commander Lopez. Capitol security were allegedly informed about the incoming squads 45 seconds before their arrival, which lead to many of the officers to be caught off-guard and immediately assume the chamber was being stormed by armed assailants, which lead to the building briefly being put under lock-down.

The live feed of M-SPAN showed the Marines arresting a compliant Young and a visibly resisting and agitated Lopez. Lopez and the Senator seated next to her are shown being tased before the feed was cut.

Young and Lopez were then transported to the orbiting 66th Garrison, where they are being imprisoned.

Protest against this move has swept across Mars, with tens of thousands of Martians taking to the streets and demanding the two be immediately released.

"Mars isn't a police state," a protestor in Olympia told a Vice reporter, "you can't just have an admiral or general barge a government building and start tasing people!"

Over a dozen Martian Senators have also harshly condemned the action, but due to the extreme partisan gridlock no actual resolutions or condemnations have been passed.

Admiral Yi has not provided a response to requests for comments. A spokesperson of the 66th Orbital Garrison released a brief statement saying "The Alliance navy does not hold itself accountable to public opinion. All of our operations are conducted within the bounds of the law."

SolGov has remained mute on the matter, though several ATLAS senators and MP's have voiced support for Admiral Yi's "commitment to law and order."

The often disjointed and deeply divided Martian senate has convened several emergency sessions since the dramatic events of the 5th. The 464 member senate is meant to meet four times a year but rarely meets quorum (232) more than once. The last two sessions have seen every seat filled, which remains unprecedented since the early days of the world government.

The Martian senate is split between the Red Front (192 seats) and GAIA (200) with the remainder 70 seats representing over a dozen different parties.

The Red Front has long campaigned for greater Martian autonomy, though the recent events have lead most of its members to demand full independence from the Alliance.

The Senate has furiously been arguing over the actions of the Alliance and perceived threats to the Martian way of life. Senator Duncan Thorne, the Minority Leader of the Red Front, made several impassioned speeches rallying against the Alliance and demanding a secession from the Alliance.

"For too long SolGov has ran this planet with a military junta," Senator Thorne told the assembled delegates, "Every republic, every city-state, every citizen on our red soil must live in fear of the great Alliance navy that orbits our world. This foreign fleet has disarmed us of our means of self-defense, openly flaunts and disregards our laws, and kidnaps our citizens to be imprisoned without the due process of Martian courts. The so-called Backbone of the Alliance, as they call their fleet, has only one purpose: To enforce the will of SolGov."

His speech was met with thunderous applause by the Red Front delegates, and mute silence from the GAIA delegates.

Martian GAIA leader Jane Roberts attempted after to give a speech in defense of staying in the Alliance but her repeatedly interrupted remarks lasted 12 minutes before the chamber descended into chaos, with physical brawls breaking out between delegates.

Senator Thorne remains a rising star of the Red Front. Before becoming a senator, the 58 year old was a Red Ranger commander. He racked up immense gambling debts and struggled with alcoholism. After nearly dying in a drive-by shooting, the 40 year old abandoned his lifestyle and claims to have "completely reformed" himself. He ran for mayor of Treveincia, a small settlement outside Meredine. He ran the settlement for 6 years and became incredibly popular in the town, being known across the entire state for his ascetic, athletic lifestyle and firm stance against corruption. He ran for Senator in 2450 and was elected, and has represented his state for two terms for the last 8 years.

With his charismatic leadership, analysts note an increasing support for the Red Front from both citizens of Mars as well as undecided GAIA delegates.

An independent Mars would be catastrophic to GAIA, as it is the home of the party alongside Earth. The Alliance legislative has not called a session over the issue, and the response from SolGov remains muted.

"We are not taking this seriously," A GAIA official said.

Before a campaign speech in Lowell, Mars, Senator Thorne, a Martian independence advocate for the Red Front, was shot at close range with a ballistic pistol by an unemployed former bartender Trevor Young while greeting the public in front of the Schrank Hotel. Young's .32-caliber bullet failed to mortally wound the Senator when it struck his chest because its force was slowed by a whiskey canteen and a thick bundle of papers in the breast pocket of his duster.

After firing a single round Young was tackled to the ground by a member of the public and held until authorities arrived. Thorne reportedly asked the would-be assassin "why did you do that? Why would you do that?"

Young was immediately detained by a nearby Sheriff and deputies.

Rather than being rushed to the hospital, Thorne insisted on delivering his scheduled 90-minute speech down the block, reportedly shoving away a concerned aide with a first aid kit.

“Everyone, I have news for you all,” He told the assembled crowd, "I don't know if you heard yet but I've just been shot."

Thorne pulled out the bullet-riddled bundle of papers that served as his manuscript for the speech, and unbuttoned his shirt to show the horrified crowd his blood stained chest.

"The bullet is still in me," he said, "it missed my heart and I can't stay up here for as long as I wanted. I don't know if I can give my full speech but I will do my best. My aides have already called the hospital but I don't give a hell about being shot; a real Martian isn't going to be brought down by a measly bullet."

Thorne's planned 90 speech was cut down to 35 minutes. Aides report the Senator showed strained breathing but he continuously refused his aides' assistance as well as glaring at arriving EMT's who arrived 9 minutes into the speech.

The speech he gave was a call for Martian independence from Sol. In it he outlined the justifications, including the overreach of SolGov and its flagrant disregard for Martian rights.

At the end of the Speech Thorne stepped down and entered an ambulance, where he was rushed to the nearby Saint Reids hospital. The bullet was successfully removed and Thorne is expected to make a full recovery over the next few days.

The incident has seen Thorne's popularity explode. Polls have shown Thorne is riding on a 64% approval rating. His assailant, Trevor Young, reportedly offered as his motive that “any hillbilly secessionist should be shot.”

Mars remains rocked by scandals surrounding Senator Duncan Thorne, a Martian independence advocate for the Martian Red Front. He's the target of an ATLAS-funded 'muckracking' dossier. Early this morning the dossier, called 'The Thorne Files', was mailed to major news publications across the Sol System. The dossier was 'research' into Thorne's life by an ATLAS think-tank funded by Admiral Yi Sun. Admiral Yi commands the 66th Fleet in orbit of Mars. The fleet has enforced martial law over Mars for 175 years and holds broad executive powers.

The 45-page dossier is a series of research memos written by Donald Iron of the ATLAS think-tank. It intimately details Thorne's past struggles with alcoholism, gambling, and extensive criminal record. The frequently unemployed Thorne fell into immense debt to several Meredine casinos over his life and was arrested several times for physical altercations with casino staff. He avowed gambling after joining the Red Rangers, where he served until a surprise and bitter divorce with his wife caused him to return to drinking. Losing everything to the divorce the dossier shows Thorne came to police attention once again when he began running drugs for a local Meredine gang. In 2438 Thorne was hospitalized after a drive-by shooting by a rival gang, after which he started his self-described 'restoration' which began his political career.

"We are dedicated to investigative journalism to ensure all Alliance citizens know who they're voting for," said Admiral Yi, "it's important that we're informed about the types of people that hold public office."

Martian politicians from across the red planet have joined a chorus of support for the Senator, and since Solarian news agencies broke the story have been singing Thorne's praises. Many politicians have also admitted to feeling flabbergasted at the blatant 'smugness' of Admiral Yi who openly admit to funding the research.

"I have seen more thoughtful research from dung piles," said Demios city-state President Rebecca Aheles, "Senator Thorne has a rough and tumble history, but as someone who has worked alongside him personally: I have never met a man with greater integrity."

In a rare show of unity, leaders from both Martian GAIA and Red Front parties have issued joint statements in support of Thorne. Martian GAIA leader Jane Roberts said in a statement:

"No matter how far a Martian falls, we pick ourselves back up and try again. This is a planet of second chances where every man or woman can work to achieve their dreams. No matter how hard Admiral Yi tries to drag his name through the mud I will never have anything less than total respect for Thorne."

Senator Thorne gave his own statement to press at his ranch in Treveincia.

"I have never claimed to be a perfect man. I've always been open about my failings. I've done things in my past that I regret, I admit that. Every day I work to be a better man than I was the day before. My story is a success story because it's a Martian story. Only here, on God's red soil, could someone who was in as deep a pit as I was be accepted back and allowed to prove myself to my community. I am humbled at the support from my Red buddies and my friends across the aisle. I have to admit that I'm still not used to SolGov's dirty politics. I'd really rather two men with nothing nice to say about one another settled the issue with a good honest fist-fight, and my door is open to Yi if he wants to settle things in a civilized way."

Admiral Yi hit back at Thorne's invitiation, with a spokesman for the 66th Fleet issuing a 'reminder' that threats of violence against military officers remains a crime.

Popular support for Senator Thorne has skyrocketed since the dossier broke, and polls show support for ATLAS and GAIA have plummeted. Tensions that had showed signs of diminishing since last year's controversies have flared back up again. Anti-ATLAS and Anti-SolGov demonstrations are taking place in several Martian city-states.

SolGov has refused an official statement but many ATLAS politicians from Earth have expressed solidarity with Admiral Yi.

"Alcoholics don't belong in politics." Said ATLAS Senator Joseph Mendell.

Senator Thorne has entered headlines again today as the Martian senate has voted across party lines to approve a bill to the Martian Senate that would change how Martian schools teach the planet's history. Currently Mars receives standardized textbooks from the SolGov Ministry of Education. Martians have long complained about the poor light that Alliance history texts paint the planet.

In the Martian chapters of the Alliances' History of Man (12th Edition) Mars is painted as a backwards colony 'struggling' to survive for the 2200's. The catastrophic events of the terraforming projects' sudden collapse in 2298 are glossed over with a few sentences describing 'an incident that sparked severe weather for several years" which Martians have claimed downplay the billions of credits of damage the event caused across Mars. Martians have also continued to be angry over the textbook claiming the event was the fault of 'technical glitches' and not at all addressing the controversy of the biased investigation into the disaster. The text also paints the Red Coalition in an incredibly poor light, with three chapters focused on the Martian War of Independence heavily emphasizing alleged Red atrocities and greed, and playing up the victory of the Blues as ushering in a new era of peace. There's also little to no mention of the controversial mass-cyborgification of criminals across the Alliance that were shipped to Mars to work on building the planet's infrastructure.

In the new standards Thorne claims Mars is going to be given a balanced and fair shake, giving a more favorable account of the above events from the Martian point of view, as well as pointing out many flaws Reds have had for the Treaty of Olympia.

"I love Mars, but I know many parents don't want to raise their children here due to the stereotypes and biased education standards taught in our schools. Our history is distorted by partisian politics - it's time we stopped allowing nameless bureaucrats to teach our children our history. I'm tired of good Martian children being told they need to be ashamed of their heritage. We need an unbiased look at our history to have an informed conversation about the dark chapters we can't just leave behind, but also to celebrate the proud legacy we created for ourselves and future generations."

The revisions are a big deal as this is the first time in over a century that Mars has begun printing its own textbooks for schools, which undermines the authority of the central SolGov education ministry.

Admiral Yi has contested the legislation, saying

"Historical revisionism is a crime against intellectualism and education. There is a reason that the so-called faceless bureaucrats handle the history books, and that's to keep it out of the hands of politicians who have a lot to gain from setting the narrative of history. Textbooks remain the authority of SolGov and Thorne can't change that unless he is able to get legislation passed in a real parliament - the one orbiting Earth."

The Alliance Ministry of Education released a brief statement saying that they were "not aware" of any change in textbook requirements, and would not be adjusting their shipments of books to the red planet.

Many Martian city-states - especially historically Red city-states -have released statements supporting the decision and announced that they would be phasing out the SolGov textbooks and purchasing the new Martian History (Volume 1) textbooks for use in the new school year of 2460. Many historically Blue city-states have said they will continue using the standardized SolGov textbooks.

For over a month 19 of Mar's largest city-states have held secret meetings to discuss the state of Mars. Tonight they have openly declared to have formally united into a new Red Coalition, pooling their political and economic resources into this alliance. Many of these city-states were the same ones that supplied fighters or supplies during the first war of independence.

The Coalition's mission statement is to end the Treaty of Olympia and the harsh rules it places on Mars, the immediate dismissal of Admiral Yi, and the transfer of the Martian terraforming project to Martian-based officials. Senator Duncan Thorne has been named the leader of the Red Coalition, and has given a speech outside the Senate Building in the Olympia city biodome

"We've chaffed under the Alliances' unfair rules for longer than most of us have been alive. We've carried the burdens of the Alliances' prejudices against us since we were children, but they've never managed to make it normal. We know things are bad - they're crazy. Admiral Yi and ATLAS have been treating us like crap. Alliance marines arrest civilian leaders, throw our justice into the trash, and spread dirt and gossip on people they think threaten their grip on power. Well I have one thing to say to the ATLAS and Admiral Yi: We're Martian, god damn it! We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this anymore!"

Leaders from the assembled city-states are unanimously boycotting the Martian Senate, creating vacancies in 202 seats of the legislative body.

The remaining 262 senators have met in an emergency session. The remaining Senate is split between 200 GAIA representatives and 62 representing various parties. The majority of these senators have re-affirmed their city-states commitment to upholding the Treaty of Olympia and maintaining ties with the Sol Alliance. Jane Roberts has held a press conference where she warned Thorne of being brash, while also requesting SolGov intervention.

"I understand the anger the Reds have but how they're going about this is completely wrong. We need to learn from the mistakes of our past and not let our pride get the better of ourselves. Mars is a valued member of the Alliance and we must use the legal and political tools available to us to address our grievances. I can understand the desire to re-negotiate the Treaty of Olympia but we can't just throw out treaties overnight. I don't think Mars alone can handle this crisis and I think we need SolGov intervention."

13 city-states have declared they would remain 'Blue' (a popular term to describe an Alliance loyalist) while other city-states have not made proclamations either way.

The normally ambivalent SolGov has reacted with shock an alarm at these developments. Crisis talks are currently being held in Unity Station with Prime Minister Chater returning from a tour of Venus to lead the crisis talks. The Martian representatives to the Alliance parliament are being summoned to these talks, and Admiral Yi has been recalled to Unity Station to take part in drafting the official SolGov response.

ATLAS representatives have slammed the Red Coalition. ATLAS Senator Tiffany Irene called it a "disgusting hillbilly movement that harms the unity of mankind."

Two dead following a suspected terrorist attack on the Ohmu PetroTec fuel line.

Twenty three others were injured in the blast and fire at the Ohmu PetroTec fuel depot in the Thule area of Demios, East States. Their injuries are believed to be serious but not life threatening.

Local emergency services have managed to subdue the inferno whilst private security teams have cordoned off the area in wait of Local State Police forensic teams.

The exact cause of the explosion is unknown, but it is suspected that Sol Nationalists are to blame. In an interview with Martian Vice, Lieutenant Antonio Munoz, adjutant to ATLAS Admiral Yi, told reporters that "Artemis Initiative Guardsmen had been contracted to protect the area" and partly confirmed that "initial reports of the blast do match seismic charges carried by Artemis teams."

In response to the explosion, the Freed Assembly or "Freedom" released a statement over the Extra Net. "Though the cause of the attack is currently unknown we remind the citizens of Mars that we stand by you and will act to protect your independence even if we must resort to violence in defence of Martian freedom though we sorely wish it does not come to that."

Local grey markets have also seen a swell in laser weaponry goods and military surplus armors in recent days which have been linked to Freedom members contributions across Mars.

Alliance and Demios forensic technicians have confirmed that the pipeline explosion which occurred on November the fifteenth and lead to the loss of two lives and multiple injuries was due to a computational error in the pipes auto-reserves.

Red State Technician, Adam Kalvert, told reporters "the pipelines auto-reserve unit lost power due to a local brownout following damage to power supplies caused by a local pro-alliance, anti-alliance brawl in down town Demios. The power surge, though handled by the reserve computers backup systems caused some data fragmentation. This lead to the pressure in the pipeline building to explosive levels."

Demios City Police Commander, Sofía Garcia, gave a press release. "The pipeline explosion is a tragedy which has been played upon by extremists on both sides of the Mars-Alliance issue. We ask all citizens in Demios to remain calm, civil and to respect the rule of law at this time." When asked if the pipeline explosion could've been avoided, Commander Garcia told reporters "It absolutely could have. More robust systems should have been put in place by Ohmu PetroTec and, critically, citizens should stop destroying public property in their petty street fights. We ask citizens who know anything or anyone involved in the brawl to come forward and report to the local police."

Red Mars has won a huge victory today as the Sol Alliance has officially agreed to put an end to the Treaty of Olympia, ending over a century of martial law imposed on Mars. Our boy Duncan Thorne flanked Prime Minister Chater when the announcement was given, beaming for the entire press conference as Chater spoke.

"The unity of mankind is one of the most vital aspects of our civilization, but also important is the value of democracy and self-determination. Our talks with the Red Coalition have been very fruitful. GAIA's foundation is Earth and Mars, and we will reinforce these foundations to strengthen our party. With the end of the Treaty of Olympia Mars will rejoin the Alliance and take full part in our institutions. The travel ban is being lifted, trade restrictions are being eased, and Martians will be confident in their freedoms."

Supporters of Thorne have flocked to the streets to celebrate Thorne's victory. The 66th Fleet is reported to be already making preparations to jump out of Martian orbit to be relocated to Venus. The 18th Fleet of Mars, commanded by Martian-born Admiral Amanda Hayden, is scheduled to return to its homeworld to defend the Red Planet's new democracy.

With the complex legal battles still being fought, Mars is gearing up for the new reality of full statehood in the Alliance. As a full member it will now be responsible for the maintenance of a standing militia, contributions to the Alliance navy, and other statehood responsibilities. The world government of Mars will also be required to hold a new election to appoint its world's governor - who will then act as Senator to represent the planet in the federal SolGov senate.

Senator Duncan Thorne has already become a planetary favorite due to his part in securing the freedom of Mars. The world leaders of Earth have also celebrated the victory in their common cause with Mars, gaining their own separate concessions.

The authoritarian ATLAS party has already begun work to undermine the independence of Mars. Despite his concessions, Prime Minister Chater has been thrown into what will no doubt be a lengthy and protracted legal battle. The Coalition between ATLAS and GAIA is also near the breaking point, causing a risk of a government deadlock that would make the Alliance ungovernable.

With the chaos of the federal government, Martians are focusing inward. After centuries of martial law, the scattered, diverse, and bickering city-states have only one question going forward:

How do we use this new freedom?

While speaking on Sol Today, Neville Chumberlane, came into the limelight for his disapproval of the Tajaran Immigration ban, and of other xenophobic beliefs held by "most of Sol's bureaucracy". After discussions among senators of Mars in Olympia, he has come to spearhead the movement to help those whose visas are about to/have expired relocate on Mars to Argyre and Aoina. When asked why he was leading the action, Chumberlane responeded,

"I believe it is our duty as better-off citizens of this Alliance, to help those who have found themselves disadvantaged, especially those disadvantaged no less by the Harpies in Unity, for no other reason than debased fears, and political maneuverings."

Mars is experiencing an unusually large influx of immigrants and Visa-holders from Adhomai itself. B'urr, Tampiska, and Nal'tor are the most common cities cited during the senate discussion.

People's Republic of Adhomai officials released a statement revolving around Mars showing it's "pleasant willingness" to help, stating "We will ensure our security forces ensure the emigration of our finest, and show Sol the mutual respect we share."

Senator Thorne voiced his support for this move, as he currently is battling against ATLAS-led attempts to force Martian compliance with the travel ban, saying it's a clear violation of typical allowances for members of the Alliance who have previously joined, while opposition argued that since this was not clearly stated on the Treaty of Olympia, Mars is held by no such agreement.