Mars

FEAN Kapitan Tamryn Fedotov was the first human to land on Mars on the 9th of April 2025 in the ship designated by the UN as Krivak 002 (later known as FEK Sledopeyt)[1]. This was corroborated by footage aired on an extra-UN news network broadcast at 19:15 UDT. Mars was surveyed on the 7th of May 2026 [2], revealing decent mineral deposits and a Ruined City of extraterrestial origin.

The Flag of the BFM

United Nations Colony

The race to establish the first Martian colony was triggered by a combination of the FEAN Martian landing, a growing international appetite for TNEs, and the discovery of the Belnar ruins. The UN landed the first colonists on the 3rd of June 2027[3]. The colony was formally known as the Republic of Mars and informally and more popularly as New Town.

The UN Martian colony was founded primarily to aid in the exploitation of the ruins; exploitation of Mars' TNE deposits was a secondary concern, borne out by the scant UN budgeting for colony infrastructure expansion. The largest drive for Martian colonization was the MarsNow! project, which utilized contracts with civilian-owned corporations. McKiernan quickly became the UN's primary source of colonist transit to New Town; starting in 3rd quarter 2027, civilian concerns became the primary drivers of infrastructure growth in New Town.

The New Town colony's first UN administrator was Administrator extraordinary. UN industrial planning did not begin in earnest in New Town until transport of 20 mines was authorized on February 28th, 2030[4]. March 15th that same year saw the activation of the Deep Space Tracking Station (manufactured on Earth) on Mars. Subsequent industrial expansion began with the reactivation of Belnar installations by the 78th Engineering Brigade and the Belnar Imperium Exploration Corps (the 77th Engineering Brigade) dispatched from Earth by the UN. These two brigades also enjoyed the distinction of being among the very first TNE-equipped ground forces in mankind's history. March 25th, 2031 saw further economic expansion when Governor extraordinary announced subsidies for shipbuilding on Mars [5] despite a lack of any shipbuilding facilities.

Over 90% of Republican colonists were anglophones from the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. The Republic's population grew unevenly as commercial shipping assets were focused on building solely UN bodies. At the start of 2nd quarter 2031, the New Town colony was home to an estimated 2.8 million UN colonists. The Federation colony was home to 2.25 million according to UN intelligence's best guess[6]. Martian Federation population growth rapidly outpaced the UN's, as most of that growth occurred within one year. This was the point at which the Federation's colony inevitably outpaced Newtown, precipitating tensions between the two great powers. The Federation's colony officially exceeded New Town on June 10th that year at 3,000,000 colonists. In 3rd quarter 2031, the UN Martian population reached 2,791,743.

The colony was mostly centered around the Belnar ruins (which UN Martians cheekily referred to as "The Old Town"). There were a few outlying settlements (conventional mineral prospecting camps and minor mining establishments, as well as eight full-fledged TN-mining operations, one of which was only ten kilometers outside the Old Town and was a recovered Belnar facility), but the majority of UN Martians lived and worked in New Town.

Compared to Tranquility, conditions on Mars are less hostile to human life, so New Town was more open than Tranquility City. However, many of the same techniques were used (stretched duranium domes, buildings partially or entirely located below the Martian soil, etc.) and life was extremely dangerous outside the settlements.

The Mars Republic was structured identically to the Lunar Nation, with each settlement providing one or more elected representatives to a Martian Senate. Due to his extreme fame as the so-called First Martian (an appellation earned from his work investigating the Belnar Ruins), UN Administrator Mr. extraordinary was also the Senate-appointed First Minister, a move that was wildly popular among the electorate. UN Martians in general were less politically active than their Lunar counterparts (Mars's remoteness from Earth is suspected to have something to do with this), and the Federation presence just a few kilometers away kept any anti-UN sentiment to a very low level. In this regard, the Republic was more akin to Callisto than Tranquility.

The 18th of April, 2031 saw the completion of the final in-depth geosurvey of Mars, tripling the estimations of untapped duranium available[7]. December 16th saw the first terraforming effort on Mars, initiated unilaterally by FEAN releasing oxygen into the Martian atmosphere[8].

The Mars Republic was dissolved by action of law with the signing of the Odessa Accords on May 26th, 2033. This was the end of the UNMARS colony with the exception of a small research outpost allowed to remain in order for the UN to study the Belnar ruins.

Federation Colonies

The Federation has two large colonies on Mars: the Lockyer Crater colony was the capital of Federation Mars holdings, and a second large colony in Mangala Crater, which was just across Old Town from the UN colony. Security cordons were set up along the interfaces, with clearances and identification papers necessary to cross in either direction. Relations were tense but peaceful (there was a twice-yearly football match between citizens of each colony) until the events of the Brotherhood of Free Mars uprising and the subsequent First Solar War between the UN and Federation [9]. On the 17th of July, 2032, Mangala's estimated population was 25 million[10].

Approximately 70% of Federation colonists were from the Indian subcontinent, with the remaining 30% split between Iranian, Russian, and Chinese nationals. The uneven make-up was likely due to Indian government efforts to secure easier passage for their own citizens in exchange for bearing the brunt of Martian subsidy expenses[11].

Both colonies were briefly controlled by the Brotherhood after they successfully rebelled against the Federation in the Battle of Elysium.

Free Mars Colonies

The Free Mars Movement (FMM), which sprang up after the UN-Federaton ratification of the Treaty of Mars, also established small outposts on Mars' surface. FMM declared itself a signatory of the treaty and thus free to colonize the planet with the same rights and responsibilities of other peaceful powers. Composed of a diverse group of individuals (primitivists, political refugees, Mars scientists, and others), and funded primarily by philanthropists and a trust of unknown provenance, the Movement attempted to establish a "nation-free" presence in space. Many cited the Treaty of Mars provision for protection from any armed conflict as their primary reason for relocating.

The various settlements associated with the Movement were decentralized and answered to no higher authority. The Movement itself provided start-up capital and colonization infrastructure for the settlements in return for a fixed percentage of all future financial returns (which returned to the FMM trust) but otherwise did not interfere with any given settlement. Inter-settlement trade focused primarily on a gift economy, though there was some real trade in order to keep the FMM trust operational.

The most well known Free Mars settlement was New Belnar, near the UN-Federation border at the Belnar ruins. Citizens from both colonies could often be found in New Belnar, exchanging research, stories, or luxury trade goods. In total, there were probably somewhere around 15,000 - 25,000 Free Mars "citizens" scattered across the planet (2,500 in New Belnar). The FMM enjoyed greater support among the relatively more repressed Federation colonists than among the UN colonists, who were largely indifferent (but not hostile) to the FMM[12].

The suppression of Federation colonists and the decentralized nature of the FMM led to the creation of the Brotherhood of Free Mars and subsequent events of the Mars Crisis. UN intelligence reported that BFM insurgents come from a variety of Free Mars communities composed largely of displaced Terran refugees and poor immigrants who are emigrating to one or more hidden locations in the Martian outback. The Brotherhood had a decentralized command structure and no obvious leadership and was a coalition of radical fringe groups. There were hints of a more sophisticated structure to the organization behind the scenes supported by the Hourglass documents[13] and later corroborated by documents collected in a raid on a BFM safehouse in the Republic of Mars.

Martian History and Statecraft

The discovery of the Belnar ruins and the establishment of a UN colony on Mars led to a brief blossom of rapprochement between the UN and the FEAN as both sides struggled to establish their presence on other bodies in the Sol system. This breathing room was an absolute necessity in order to establish the basic technological principles of TNE industry, TNE warfare, and interplanetary transit and colonization.

After the establishment of the UN Martian and Lunar colonies, the FEAN withdrew from the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies on January 10, 2028[14]. This move was likely precipitated by FEAN's need to rapidly expand their interplanetary infrastructure without being restricted by the Outer Space Treaty rather than actual insult caused by the UN's own colonization efforts. A private notification of withdrawal from the treaty was sent to UN Ambassador Ceebees by FEAN Ambassador Aloyoshenka Kulikov. The withdrawal was publicized by Federation Commissioner-General Ivano Tretyakov on the same date.

On January 11th, 2028, Ambassador Ceebees initiated negotiations for a second treaty modeled on the Outer Space Treaty and a separate treaty regarding the exploitation of the Belnar ruins[15]. As part of negotiations, both powers pledged to stay exploitation of the ruins until an accord as to the disposition of Mars could be signed. The Treaty between the United Nations and Federation of European and Asian Nations Regarding the Possession of the Sol System's Giant Planets (Treaty of Saturn) was signed by the Federation on May 13th, 2028[16]. On the 4th of December 2028, the Federation signed the Treaty of Mars[17].

The ratification of the Treaty of Mars by the UN on February 4th 2029[18] established the Mars Free Zone, which included a demilitarized cordon including the planet itself and a space buffer of 15 million km around Mars. The UN intended the MFZ to protect the Belnar ruins and the colonies from military invasion by FEAN, and FEAN likely intended the MFZ to prevent the UN from establishing the planet as its exclusive territory. The agreement permitted both parties to exploit the Belnar ruins with the stipulation that discovered technology was to be shared between both parties. The Treaty of Mars was to extend by operation of international law to any celestial body upon which were discovered extraterrestrial ruins.

Signaling a further thaw in relations, the Federation provided an honor escort at the request of Ambassador Ceebees for the first UN TNE-equipped engineering brigade, the Belnar Imperium Exploration Corps. The escort and landing transpired in late October 2029. The escorting Federation craft FEK Tehran was captained by Kapitan Fedetov; the escorted craft was the UNMS Lictor, captained by Capt. Nicholas Uitz.

The third treaty resulting from the colonization of Mars were the Articles of Colonization proposed by Ambassador Ceebees [19]. Federation Ambassador to the UN Podpolkovnik (PDKV) Eduard Ignatov led the Federation negotiations with the UN Embassy for the Articles. Both sides joined to ratify the treaty on January 20th, 2030[20].

March 28th, 2030 saw more proof of improving relations between the UN and FEAN when FEAN showed willingness to open their spaceports to UN civilian craft, excluding military craft except in the vicinity of Mars (with the same rights and privileges accorded in the reverse with regard to UN ports). October the same year saw the UN providing troop transport for a Federation engineering brigade destined to likewise investigate Belnar ruins.

April 14th, 2031 saw Mars drawn into the Second Saturn Crisis when Lars Proen demanded transportation by the UN to the Free Mars Zone. Mars' utility to the Federation as a void naval staging point becomes evident during this crisis, when the DSTS keeps the UN appraised of large amounts of Federation ship activity through this region during the tense days around the hostage standoff. The ships, largely stationed around Mars' moons, became known to the UN as the Federation Mars Fleet.

On August 20th, 2032, news reports noted that UNCAO Director Added Space was observed dining with Federation Mars Governor Ms. Yasmine Ogra. Savvy politicos noted the seemingly casual meeting as good news for peace between the UN and the Federation despite the tensions raised over the unrest in Saturn the year before[21]. On September 10th that year, the UN activated its Belnar terraformer, perhaps linked to this event[22].

The UN transported two Federation engineering brigades to Mars with a Federation honor guard escort on December 15th in exchange for a €50 million bond from the Federation, signalling further cooperation between the superpowers. At this time, the UN was the only power with troop transport capacity[23].

January 14th, 2033, saw the beginnings of unrest at Mangala which would eventually prove the undoing of the UNMARS program. Initial reports made it appear that Federation Martians were unsatisfied with their representation in FEAN[24]. The Fed Mars colonists were indifferent towards the UN; early intelligence probes showed that Federation Martians were more interested in the movement known as Free Mars, which operated a few small settlements outside of Mangala[25]. On March 11th, pro-FMM Federation colonists began demonstrating for an independence referendum. The Federation responded that the Fed Mars colonies were directly administered by the Federation, subject to different rules than constituent member nations, and that any secession would require repayment of all capital used in the establishment of the Federation colonies.

On March 14th, Director Added Space acknowledged the Free Mars Movement in a speech that defined the UN's relationship as both supportive and non-interfering. The Federation condemned the speech as interference in its internal affairs. In the context of other recent events, including the ICBM Incident, these events were just the start of a downturn in relations between the UN and Federation and indicated a return to the pre-TNE status quo[26].

The events of the Mars Crisis might be said to have begun with the UN's decision on April 1st. UN covert agent Dr. Snark acted on Lars Proen's suggestion to send the codeword "hourglass" to a specified network address on that date. This resulted in the UN acquiring the documents which would become known by the codeword. The Hourglass documents suggested that unrest on Mars was part of a Federation false flag operation to take total control of Mars by the end of April.

Federation engineering brigades began to deploy around Lockyer Crater on April 3rd. On April 14th, a terrorist strike resulted in the puncture of a Federation colony's dome. The damage was repaired and no casualties were reported [27]. Anticipating open hostilities, new Mars Administrator Mr. Arujei organized community outreach from the UN engineering brigades on April 16th, resulting in higher approval ratings for UN troops within the UN colony communities.

The first terrorist incident in a UN colony was the Reactivation Bombing on April 21st, in which a BFM insurgent detonated explosives in a crowd cheering a successful Belnar installation reactivation. The incident was captured in a UNMARS broadcast dedicated to the reactivation. Over 14 fatalities resulted from the immediate blast and subsequent injury. Dozens of non-fatal casualties were reported. The BFM immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, and the FMM Foundation quickly worked to distance itself from what spokespeople identified as a radical splinter faction[28].

In light of Councilor Added Space's comments against the BFM and the FMM, the FMM publicly denounced the Brotherhood once again on the 22nd and rejected responsibility for the Brotherhood's self-armament. The FMM also noted that as a self-declared signatory of the Treaty of Mars, the Brotherhood was in violation of the treaty and was a terrorist organization[29].

The Brotherhood announced the independence of several Federation colonies and their confederation into the Nation of Free Mars on April 29th, as well as a declaration of their willingness to fight the Federation if necessary. The Federation denounced the BFM and pledged to use whatever means necessary to protect their investments in Mars. The Free Mars Foundation issued an official rejection of the Brotherhood and protested again that the Foundation had played no role in arming the separatists. Hostilities between Brotherhood and Federation forces began on April 30th with the Battle of Elysium. Federation President Mr. Ivano Tretyakov and Federation Mars Administrator Ms. Yasmine Ogra jointly accused the Brotherhood of violating the Treaty of Mars and declared them war criminals for venting colony domes. Furthermore, the Federation called on the UN to enter into a joint peacekeeping mission, and to permit the Federation to put more forces on the ground on Mars. The UN declined to agree to either request, but Administrator Arujei ordered UN engineering brigades into position around New Town and the UN-controlled ruins.

The Brotherhood declared victory against the Federation's ground forces on May 5th. They also announced that one of the Federation's brigades had been subverted to the BFM cause. A column of refugees was discovered heading towards New Town and given shelter by the UN[30]. On May 9th, the Brotherhood broadcast that they had captured Administrator Yasmine Ogra, controlled all Federation Mars assets, and demanded full access to the Belnar ruins. Iknezstibr Kumari Shrike Soman introduced himself as the leader of the BFM. Later that day, the Federation informed the UN of its intent to bombard captured Federation holdings from orbit on the 10th to force the BFM to surrender. The UN wasted little time in negotiating a delay with the Federation out of concern for loss of life and property on Mars and arranged to begin joint peacekeeping negotiations[31]. The following day, the Brotherhood crushed a pro-Federation counter-rebellion in Lockyer Crater[32].

As part of the UN's ongoing efforts to shelter all displaced persons resulting from the Battle of Elysium and subsequent unrest, state-owned craft delivered emergency infrastructure to New Town on May 14th. Contracts were immediately issued to civilian concerns in order to expedite the delivery of further matériel for the effort[33]. Meanwhile, Mimean Administrator TildeATH began negotiating with the BFM.

Relations between the UN and Federation deteriorated further after Director Added Space publicly addressed the UNGA on May 20th with a plea to formally acknowledge the Brotherhood of Free Mars as an independent faction and signatory of the Treaty of Mars. This marked a period in which communications between the UN and FEAN rapidly shifted from the usual diplomatic channels over to partisan media proxies. Federation President Tretyakov protested Added Space's comments during a media address, noting their perception that the UN was engaged in double-dealing, agreeing to joint operations with the Federation while legitimizing the Brotherhood [34].

Later that day, Administrator TildeATH and Shrike Soman jointly broadcasted a message in which TildeATH recognized the Nation of Free Mars on behalf of the UN, revealed Belnar jamming technology supposedly concealed by the Federation, and announced the defection of Commander Raw_Beef to the Brotherhood and his subsequent commission as captain of the FEK Sledopeyt, re-christened the FMS Mitrata[35]. The Federation continued to issue unqualified denials of all UN accusations of impropriety with regards to ruins exploitation, the origins of the BFM, and Martian militarization[36].

Shrike Soman announced the signing of the Second Treaty of Mars with the UN thereafter. As a result of this perceived betrayal, Federation President Tretyakov declared that the Federation was withdrawing from the First Treaty of Mars and the institution of a naval blockade of Mars[37]. This blockade would be broken during Operation Phalanx, which also ended in the discovery of the Federation's void superiority[38].

As a result of their defeat, the UN signed the Odessa Accords with the Federation on May 26th and lost all but a token UN research outfit on Mars[39]. This brief, undeclared period of hostilities is known as the First Solar War.

The Federation agreed to assist the UN in offloading their infrastructure from Mars to Earth and Tranquility as part of the price for evicting the UN from Mars. This particular concession allowed the UN to retrieve the uncovered ECM during Operation Piranha[40]. The UN also hired and smuggled former BFM members away from Mars and the Federation, partly through legitimate means and partly through Operation Paperclip[41].

On November 1st, 2033, a referendum among former Brotherhood of Free Mars holdings was held to determine whether the holdings would peacefully re-integrate with the Federation. The results were announced the following day, with roughly 75% of reporting populations deciding to demilitarize per the Federation's terms and rejoin the supranational organization. The remainder requested another year of deliberation; the Federation agreed to this term, likely to avoid further costly conflicts when they still lacked infrastructure to efficiently put troops on Mars.

Belnar Ruins

The ruins were initially discovered on the 7th of May 2026 during the initial geosurvey. This prompted the formation of the UNSA Archaeological Expedition. This team finished their survey of the ruins on the 21st December 2026[42], revealing them to be from the Belnar Imperium, and also that an estimated 114 installations were in salvageable condition.

According to the UNSA Archaeological Expedition's initial report to the UNEC, at the time of the ruins' construction 35 - 40 million years prior, the Belnar aliens' technological capabilities were only somewhat more advanced than the UN's at the time of the discovery.

Ruins Exploitation Project

On June 16th, 2030, the Belnar Imperium Exploration Corps recovered a Belnar fighter factory. Due to the provisions of the Treaty of Mars, the fighter factory did not enter production mode. On June 29th, the 78th Engineering Brigade reactivated a Belnar automated mining complex and refitted it for human use. This was the first mine to go into production on Mars. On July 13th, the BIEC recovered a Belnar fuel refinery[43]. Sorium supplies for refinement were short due to the only mining installation being the single Belnar complex, so the refinery did not reach full productive capacity. The BIEC reactivated a 2nd Belnar manned mining complex on September 8th, easing the sorium shortage and increasing the Belnar refinery's output. On October 3rd, the 78th activated a Belnar construction factory, providing Newtown with further opportunities for employment and infrastructure expansion. The factory was limited to 60% productivity for a long period due to mineral shortages on Mars. Unfortunately, the BIEC's attempt to recover another installation led to its collapse on one of their squads on December 6th.

On March 23rd, 2031, the BIEC again met with failure when an installation violently imploded [44]. Fortunately no casualties resulted. The engineers received a little vindication when a similar effort by the Federation engineers resulted in a collapse on April 20th[45] and again on May 9th[46]. On October 9th, the 78th once again failed to activate a Belnar installation[47]. The BIEC likewise experienced a collapse on the 30th; the structure was sufficiently unsound that it was scheduled for demolition rather than preservation as an historic site[48]. The streak of bad luck was brought to an end on December 9th, as the BIEC brought another Belnar mine online, and then on the 15th when the BIEC discovered a Belnar vault holding 1,050 tons of duranium[49].

On January 12th, 2032, the BIEC activated a 2nd Belnar sorium refinery. The brigades' efforts once again slipped into misfortune on March 2nd, when the BIEC's efforts led to the collapse of another installation in front of a large crowd of Martians. The 78th lost a reactivation squad on the 23rd in an explosion of a badly damaged installation, the first fatalities reported during a reactivation effort[50]. The 78th managed to reactivate a construction factory on April 4th with no further casualties. On the 6th and 6th, the 78th endured two more catastrophic explosions, but again without casualties[51].

June 12th saw still another destroyed installation when the BIEC tried to activate it. The Federation attempted a complaint which gained little traction after a 3rd party monitor released a report on Federation reactivation failures. The UNGF threatens to step in after yet another failure by the BIEC on June 18th[52]. This development had apparently little impact on the BIEC's effectiveness, as another reactivation failed on July 21st. This installation remained standing. A UN-Federation science team determined that such structures should be reconstructed as close to possible as their original state and given in trust to a jointly administered Belnar Museum and Preservation Trust. Buoyed by the agreement, the 78th reactivated on July 23rd an automated mine which was quickly put into production. The UNGF replaced Col. Nathaniel Canelo from command of the BIEC and replaced him with Col. Valérie Auclair in expectation that a change of leadership would produce more successes for the UN.

The 78th reactivated a Belnar terraforming installation on August 2nd, provoking a long discussion among UNEC members about whether and when to begin a Martian terraforming program. Arguments for and against cited potential effects of atmosphere introduction on the Belnar ruins, on Mangala's productivity rates, and humanitarian concerns. Scientists were unable to make an initial determination on the Belnar configuration of the terraformer, leaving the question of Belnar biology and ecology open. Another reactivation failed on September 2nd, leaving another mostly intact installation for the Belnar Museum[53]. On September 11th, the 78th reactivated another Belnar mine. The change in command for the BIEC did not yield immediate results, as the brigade suffered another black mark when a Belnar habitation complex crashed after a squad attempted to reconnect its power supply[54]. On November 13th, the 82nd Engineering Brigade arrived on Mars fresh from training in an effort to both speed up and improve the success rate of reactivations[55].

The BIEC once again suffered an imploded installation on January 1st, 2033[56] and January 2nd. The 82nd proved their new training program by uncovering a vault of 10,000 tons of tritanium ready for use on January 30th[57]. The BIEC got a lucky break on February 27th with the discovery of a functional Belnar mass driver[58]. On March 26th, the BIEC also restored a Belnar ordnance facility. In accordance with the Treaty of Mars, this installation was not put into production[59].

The Reactivation Bombing on April 21st followed the successful reactivation of a Belnar mining facility by the 78th[60]. Another reactivation attempt by the 82nd on April 26th resulted in a partial collapse; two days later, the 78th was heckled by a small crowd of onlookers as they experienced a similar failure[61].

Following the UN's failed prosecution of the First Solar War, UN engineering brigades were permitted to remain planetside in a UN remnant colony devoted to the exploitation of the Belnar ruins. This concession by the Federation allowed the UN to continue to research the only known extraterrestrial civilization at that time.

On October 30th, 2033, in the UN's first post-war investigation, the 82nd discovered 2,500 tons of Neutronium in a subterranean storage facility which led to further speculation about Belnar physiology[62]. On November 19th, the BIEC recovered another Belnar research facility. Two days later, the 78th lost a facility during a reactivation attempt[63].

The startling discovery of a chemical rocket-powered 36x engine on January 10th, 2034, returned popular interest to the Belnar Imperium. The 82nd located the engine in an underground vault, bereft of the chemical rockets which had surely powered it centuries before[64]. On February 26th, the 83rd recovered a sorium fuel refinery and the 78th found a warehouse containing five ship components pertaining to advanced damage control[65]. Unfortunately, an installation collapsed and destroyed equipment on March 17th when the BIEC attempted another reactivation[66]. The 82nd discovered another fuel refinery sealed away underground on April 6th[67].

The Federation's reclamation team made a revelatory finding on April 19th that year: their 78th Engineering Brigade found two Trans-Newtonian Rift Devices capable of permitting up to 2250 tons of void displacement to traverse[68].

On April 23rd, the BIEC located a cache of 875 tons of neutronium in crates that included celestial coordinates. These coordinates were cross-referenced with the Fixed Trans-Newtonian Reference Frame and corresponded to a set of jump point coordinates. Two days later, two BIEC squads were trapped during a partial installation collapsed. A Federation mining rescue rig is used to help free the UN engineers without casualties[69]. Another installation collapsed on May 23rd during a BIEC reactivation effort, but this time there were no further safety incidents. The next week, the 78th recovered another automated mine[70]. On June 10th, another Belnar installation collapsed during the 82nd's watch[71]. On June 25th, Col. Sebastian Lebow of the 82nd discovers time decomposed tactograms leading to crates containing 2,700 tons of stored duranium[72]. The BIEC again fails to successfully reactivate an installation on July 4th. Nine days later, the 83rd successfully recovers another automated mine[73].

Belnar Automaton Attack

The Belnar Imperium Exploration Corps appears to have been an incredibly star-crossed unit. On July 29th, 2034, at 14:44 UTC, they breached a vault containing Belnar robotic soldiers who immediately began an assault on the UN's fixed defenses around the Belnar Ruin Zone. Fortunately, though their numbers were great, the robotic soldiers were not especially well-armored and were contained with minimal UN casualties[74]. This assault marked humanity's first conflict with extra-terrestrial beings. The robotic Belnar troops were observed to have several variations, but evidenced no signs of sapience[75].

UNFRaD Deputy Gnooble quickly informed the Federation of the ongoing siege, requesting both Federation support and permission to land more UN troops (in light of the Odessa Accord)[76]. Kontr-admiral Arman Melnikov from Federal Central Command responded with a swift note that Federation brigades would be moving in to support the containment effort, and that any additional Federation troops would require troop transport from Earth utilizing the UN's troop transport capabilities.

The siege continued into the 30th, with the BIEC and 82nd repelling a second robotic assault. Without heavier offensive capabilities, the engineering brigades were unable to commit to a counterstrike and instead remained in their entrenched positions, awaiting reinforcement. Further assault waves continued through August 2nd. The following day, Kontr-admiral Melnikov agreed with Deputy Gnooble that joint operations to pacify the remaining robot threat would proceed.

As a result of the attacks, McKiernan Transport offered a short-term lease of their colony ships to aid in the evacuation of UN Martian personnel[77]. Capt. Raw_Beef instigated a public panic with his announcement of a "robot uprising," leading to civilian convoys heading to Lockyer Crater and agitated UNMARS public servants. The McKiernan colonyship SS Rheineland was drafted on August 5th into the UN Auxiliary Services as the UNAS Rheineland and immediately assigned to the task of evacuating the remaining UNMARS colonists, which helped quell the brief panic.

August 8th saw the single worst casualties of the assault. The 78th Engineering Brigade was researching another Belnar site 28 km from the defensive cordon and successfully recovered 5 ECM devices, but uncovered either more robot soldiers or another access point. The casualties from the resulting fighting retreat were forty-two killed in action, eight-eight missing in action, and over 400 wounded or rendered incapable of combat. The cordon held despite this additional front.

The UNAS Rheineland arrived at the Newtown spaceport the following day. Unrest among the refugees spiked almost immediately. Authorities quickly implemented a €5 lottery ticket, with the lowest numbers winning earlier transport. These vouchers were freely exchangeable among evacuees.

The 82nd, led by Col. Kawasie Sumio, scouted into the ruins and located a vault of 600 unactivated automata. These were destroyed with shaped charges.

Reactivation efforts continued during the siege despite the evident dangers. On the 13th, the 78th salvaged a construction factory. On the 15th, the 83rd recovered a second construction factory.

The rate of emergence of the automata trickled to a halt after approximately two weeks. During another scouting effort on the 15th, a tunnel was found to have been cut through the ruins and toward the Newtown colony, indicating a change in the robots' behavior. Brigadier General Valérie Auclair ordered the 82nd into the tunnel and the 83rd to locate the colony breech. Over 100 automata had assembled a secure cordon arround a possible construction project. A hostile force field was erected, deflecting UN small arms fire. The completion of the improvised hostile device destroyed the gathered automata and the dome of Newtown Ward 8, leaving 25,000 UN colonist casualties. This appears to have been the final act of the hostile Belnar automata[78]. The remains of the device and automata disappeared before the UN could investigate further.

Post-Attack Exploitation and the Second Incursion

During the clean-up of the attack, the 82nd reported that an installation was lost on August 26th. A subsequent discovery on the 28th by the 83rd provided the UN with another automated mine[79].

Another installation collapsed after the 82nd breached it on September 14th. The 78th experienced another failure on September 26th. At this time, estimates placed the toll at 25 remaining installations for investigation.

On October 1st, the 82nd breached a vault containing more hostile automata. The shockwave from the disastrous breach also collapsed the site the 83rd was working on. The engineering brigades immediately fell back into their defensive cordons to await assault[80]. This event came to be called the "Second Belnar Incursion"[81].

Several new theories emerged at this time to explain the automata. One was that the robots were a defense force against less technologically advanced races. The second held that the robots represented a test for a sapient, space-faring species such as humanity.

Over 500 automata are defeated during a major assault on October 12th. A second wave on October 14th resulted in even further robot fatalities. Continuing evacuation efforts lifted approximately 100,000 more refugees. At this point, the flow of automata ceased.

Both the UN and Federation 78th brigades reactivated mines on the 18th. The UN recovered an automated mining facility[82]. Another installation collapsed during the 83rd's efforts on October 24th[83].

An announcement by researchers and engineers on November 7th revealed that the UN had been able to reactivate a limited number of automata under their control to act as training drones.

On the 18th, the BIEC failed to restore another installation. During the 85th's attempts on December 5th, another installation collapsed. On the 10th, however, the 85th Engineering Brigade successfully recovers an automated mine[84].

Mineral Survey

Mineral	2026 [85]	2031
Duranium	99,845 (0.9)	99,810 (0.9)
Neutronium	115,756 (0.5)	115,737 (0.5)
Corbomite	44,687 (0.9)	44,652 (0.9)
Tritanium	17,856 (0.2)	17,848 (0.2)
Boronide	142,157 (0.2)	142,149 (0.2)
Mercassium	20,499 (0.5)	20,480 (0.5)
Vendarite	96,583 (0.2)	96,575 (0.2)
Sorium	42,354 (0.9)	42,319 (0.9)
Uridium	26,478 (0.9)	26,443 (0.9)
Corundium	33,210 (0.4)	33,195 (0.4)
Gallicite	45,781 (0.2)	45,773 (0.2)