Martian Conflict

The first of the Solarian Battles, and the smallest. It gave rise to the Solar Consortium and was the downfall of the old Earth order.

As the terraforming and colonization of Mars accelerated in the 22nd century, the rift of ideas between the "Martians" and the "Terrans" grew. Many of the more intellectual and socially liberal minded populace drifted towards Mars, out of an already increasingly libertarian Earth. The chief idea amongst these was the Martian Compact, a loose agreement by which Mars would become, and remain, independent of Terrestrial control.

Although many had assumed that Mars would form its own government, the corporate and governmental powers in control of Earth attempted to maintain their influence over the then Red Planet. Although not completely self sufficient, Mars did not hold itself to the same laws that Terra did, and by ignoring "Universal" patent law, and several technological taboos, Martian research quickly outstripped that of Earth, despite having only a fraction of the population.

As the latter half of the 22nd century began, Earth started imposing trade sanctions on Mars. These came first in the form of tariffs, and soon export regulations were also in place. These regulations were either ignored or circumvented, until finally Mars, flaunting its isolation, developed and distributed a suitable Gamma strain prototype, but only for Martian citizens.

Earth's response was near immediate. All food shipments to the Red Planet were halted, and those en route were called back. An enforcement fleet was sent to land and 'take care' of the situation.

The Martian reply did not take very long either. It dispatched its own fleet, quickly obliterating the Terran one and mounting a successful invasion of both Lunar bases, and began taking control of several of Earth's permanent space stations.

The Terran enforcement fleet consisted entirely of landing craft - intending to storm Mars in an air and ground conflict, not even expecting that they -could- be intercepted by Martian forces capable of engaging in meaningful combat in the Void. While methods were known, the systems developed on Earth were not efficient enough to be terribly effective in space, and thus, the Arean fleet was vastly underestimated, both numerically and in terms of capability.

The resulting massacre was unsettling enough, but the forces did not stop there. They continued, overwhelming Luna's polar stations and taking control of the moon. Once in complete control of Terran space, the Martian fleet began generating massive electromagnetic interference across the entire planet. While this did not prevent communications, they were severely hindered, and as threats of real bombardment began, the various governments of Earth capitulated.

This was the first, large-scale conflict by humanity in the Void, dubbed the Martian Conflict. While the Terran fleet did have munitions, and was capable of some very impressive maneuvers compared to 21st century craft, they were vastly outmatched by the Martian fleet in every material and strategic manner. It is considered, even by the victors, to be more of a massacre than a battle.

The Solar Consortium was born.