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Mars was colonized during the first space leap from 1950 to 1966 and terraformed fully fall of 2011. Colonists DNA was changed in some way or another, the most visible outward sign one Terran was born on Mars were their eyes. Just like any other Martian, everyone had a little bit of red in the iris’s center. Genetic augmentation and splicing had to be used for the duration of that terraforming process since the planet lacked a stable magnetic field and its gravity wasn’t the same – it was 62% lower than Earth’s. That had to be countered either by constantly wearing bulky suits to protect oneself from the radiation and pump everyone’s bloodstream full of restorative meds to keep bone and muscle structure intact or... implement a wide range of genetic modifications. As a matter of fact, the visible effect of those augmentations were the golden skin and blood irises of all who were born here on Mars during the initial colonization and terraformation process.

Wearing bulky suits was only part of the initial settler's problems.

Obviously, the invasion of pirate lord Mahimm’s armada into the Solar system dramatically slowed and damaged all similar projects that were being worked on throughout the entirety of, well... everywhere. Despite the fact that then, Mars had a tiny population, just a mere thirty million settlers and terraforming engineers, the pirates captured it. All of the expensive equipment looted, most of the mobile terraforming bases got obliterated, and worst of all, the peerless engineers who maintained and operated them, captured to be sold into slavery. It took Mars nearly a decade to restore everything and bring the project into fruition.

Quite a lot of water had to be ferried in one way or another so that Mars would gain its modern visage.

Mere hours after the first humans were captured, the Push’va Clan slave ship they were whisked away on was stormed by Kil’ra alliance star troopers. The soldiers themselves weren’t Kil’ra but one of the many alien races who, being part of their alliance, selflessly volunteered to aid Earth in her darkest hour. Together with thousands of hastily formed by the enraged humans' militia units, they were the First Responders, who tracked down, chased, and then assaulted the pirate starships and strongholds, in many cases brazenly invading Clan territory. It was like nothing that those Clanners ever saw, heard nor experienced in their lives beforehand. Tiny combat units equipped with only the very basic of gear and armed with the much ridiculed Terran “barbaric” weapons, relentlessly attacked them, invading their home planets and in most, if not all cases, the humans were heavily outnumbered.

The "Tri Ship Monument" - remnants of the first three Terran cruisers, who fought defiantly against the invading slavers to their last breath.

Humanity’s alien allies, at first, were skeptical and warned the Terrans of Clan superiority. The humans listened, took notes, and then descended upon the Clanners, defeating them with viciousness, valor, and bravery such that they never would’ve imagined being possible. In essence, those aliens felt the spirit of Terra, it inflamed their souls and soon they themselves were fighting shoulder to shoulder with the humans, sporting the same battle spirit. Together they achieved the impossible – they saved millions of humans from the cruelest of fates and vanquished millions of Clanners, capturing their very bases, looting their gear and using those against them.

In the end it was the Pirates who ran, leaving the broken hulks of their starships behind, littered with the bodies of their dead...

Finally, after the invaders were chased off, the freed colonists fought to continue the terraforming process. Huge magnetic towers were built all over the planet to provide shielding against deadly cosmic rays and solar radiation while the planet’s outer core was being slowly re-energized. The terraforming engineers took their time as this was their first project of such a magnitude and they wanted it to go smoothly. Counting on large, well-equipped moving machines called "Mobile Bases", the engineers could travel the whole surface of Mars carrying construction and terraforming equipment with them. The big tracked vehicles were the size of a small house and most came equipped with splicing and nano-tech laboratories. Planting forests in the reclaimed areas, introducing new forms of modified wildlife into the rivers and canals. Slowly but surely, the industrious and free citizens of the newly formed Minarchy, turned Mars from a rocky, dusty desert into a beautiful planet, covered with lush green forests and a lot of water. Soon more fauna was introduced, most notably Earth buffalo and other similar mammals, whose herds were now cared for by Martian exobiologists turned ranchers. These hardy colonists are using the same old Mobile bases, refurbished and turned into comfortable cattle ranch-on-the-move. The "Conservationists" a movement which arose in an effort to preserve the "true" face of Mars, as they saw it, fought and succeeded in preserving one large part of Mars's deserts untouched. These colonists refused to undergo the genetic reversal procedures even after Mars was finally terraformed. The old people there say that the defining Martian traits, such as their golden skin and red irises are a thing that will stay with humanity for centuries to come.

Did you like this alternative history universe? You can read more in my self-published books on Amazon:

Starshatter book 1 Twin Suns Of Carrola - Starshatter book 2

Treads Of Vengeance - Starshatter book 3

Or support me on Patreon

Link to part 1 of the Current year series - Japan!

Link to part 3 of the Current year series - Italy

The Current Year - Part 2 Mars