Mars in the 21^st Century

The first permanent colonists arrived on Mars in the early 21^st century as the space capable nations sought to establish their own foothold on what was seen as the only other planet in the solar system capable of supporting human life. As these colonies developed self-sufficient bases, the leadership back on Earth sought to shield them from the chaos rapidly developing on the home planet. Successful negotiations between Russia, China and the United States resulted in UN Resolution 2734 that made Mars a conflict free zone. Resolution 2734 worked well with the colonists seeking good relations with one another despite the conflicts that erupted on Earth between their respective nations. When the security blocks came into existence and assumed control of their respective colonies there was some concern amongst the colonists but the World Political and Commerce Council (WPCC) quickly agreed to support Resolution 2734 maintaining the status quo on Mars. The colonists did have their share of problems even before this that tested Resolution 2734. Collapse of the financial markets in early 21^st century led to severe restrictions on funding for some nations’ space programs leading to hardships and an early push by colonists for self-sufficiency. A discovery of life by the United States led to an outbreak of a parasitic infection that was only held in check by the stringent biological defense measures employed by the Russians. A subsequent effort by the Russian and Chinese colonists that freed the United States’ colonists from the infection at the cost of some of the colonists lives strained relations on Mars and Earth considerably but did not result in the break down of the arrangement. The establishment of a WPCC controlled base in mid-21^st century, Mars Commerce, provided a forum for inter-colony disputes and helped the overall stability. The successful asteroid belt mining program started mid-21^st century brought significant resources to the colonies and provided them for the first time goods to trade with Earth. The latter half of the 21^st century on Mars has been peppered with minor crisis including an unexplained planet wide communication disruption and territorial disputes but all were weathered by the colonists with the help of the WPCC Mars Council that provides a forum for resolving the inter-colony disputes. The recent rebellion at the ESB colony has proved to be a more difficult problem for the council with the refusal of the ESB to accept outside assistance or provide any detailed information. This has now been replaced as the council’s first order of business by the impending global conflict on Earth. A nuclear holocaust on Earth would have many impacts on Mars and could well result in a collapse of the well-preserved peace.