By Hiram Codd, Professor of History at the University of Doitall

The roots of the War of Asteel Independence - a deeply tragic and painful war - lay in a series of political compromises about the time of the formation of the Martian Association of Free Colonies in 2943.

At that time the Solar Republic had crumbled and was being replaced by a multiplicity of new political units of uncertain temper and longevity. Many colonists originally from Earth, Earth's Moon and several other worlds agreed grudgingly to incorporation into the MAFC in order to escape absorption by other polities. All of the possible alternatives were seen as even less likely to guarantee them the rights and freedoms they craved.

In particular, a political and ethnic group which came to describe itself as 'Esteelers' joined the MAFC. They had colonised several worlds but were too weak in the 2940's to gain independence and thus acquiesced to MAFC control. The Esteelers were a large group who described themselves as ethnic Lunans; apocryphally from the ancient and now lost Lunar city of Steelyard or perhaps from a planet of that name; but more likely they were mostly of Earther and Belter origins. There is even a possibility that they included a surviving part of the original colonists of Mars: the Helix Brotherhood.

It is important to realise that the Martian Association [or as the core worlds are known to some, the 'Union'] of this period was not the democratic and libertarian polity it later came to be. Until the aftermath of the War of '76 it was a militaristic and deeply nasty regime. Paradoxically, it was the fact that the Martians of '43 to '76 developed a problematic policy of promoting so-called 'democratic freedom' - but unfairly favouring ethnic Martians, especially in the matter of granting the vote - which led to the War of 2976.

The problem became acute when large numbers of ethnic Martians fled from Old Mars [in the Sol System] and wound up on Martio-Esteeler worlds. This began in the 2940's during the unsuccessful Old Martian War against the new Earther Empire. By 2948, at the peak of what became known as the 'Martian Diaspora', ethnic tensions reached white-heat as the political systems of many worlds which perceived themselves as 'Esteeler' were 'hijacked' by large numbers of well-organised and assertive Old Martians. The Government at New Mars refused to intervene, except to guard incoming Martian colonists and prevent Esteelers from blocking their arrival or setting up autonomous 'Esteeler states' on Martian worlds. New Mars simply claimed it was 'democracy in action'. Martian forces, whether Star Navy or just local cops, were notably belligerent, unreasonable, arrogant and disrespectful, shocking observers from other polities.

The political split widened in 2961 as the world of 'Asteel' became the formal nerve centre of opposition to the Martian Government's perceived repression. It was also the focus of agitation for independence by skilled Esteeler politicians such as Jenny Chapter, Burt Burt and Tommy Snodgrass. Many 'Esteelers' colonised more new worlds and refused to accept Martian domination and taxation. The ethnic Esteelers remaining on Martian worlds became subject to restrictive laws, discrimination, and forcible military conscription, which embittered them further. There were sporadic and spasmodic strikes, mutinies and even terror attacks against Martian Union interests. It remains unclear to this day why Mars chose not to attack Asteel, which lacked any military defence of consequence.

In 2976 the slow-burning crisis finally became a War. The spark was an incident at Vulkan [then a Martian Union world.] A Martian-officered unit of ethnically-Esteeler Starship Marines mutinied. A young 'Esteeler' marine named Dwaine Scone had been ordered to surrender himself to the authorities of the Centauri Conglomerate. They alleged he had murdered a Centaur employee while planetside. He refused and was backed by his 'Esteeler' Colonel Lolita Fatbuttski. As Martian units were sent in and behaved heavy-handedly, matters escalated very fast and a civil war battle broke out. Some units [the majority] remained loyal to the MAFC and others rebelled. The internecine bitterness became extreme as mutinous units threw their officers from airlocks and some Martian vessels fired on all personnel who refused to obey orders. Thousands died.

The violence spread to the surface of Vulkan. The military force there split messily into loyalist and rebel armies. Many civilians died when fired upon or bombed by Ground Forces in the bloody chaos. Eventually, MAFC loyalist forces seized control of the surface. Many Esteeler rebels, both armed and unarmed, were - allegedly - massacred. Unconfirmed eyewitness reports asserted that Martian troops shot many civilians while shouting 'Revenge for Hyama Dome!' This was supposedly a reference to a massacre carried out by Earther units, which probably included ethnic Esteeler mercenary soldiers, on Old Mars in 2944. There are disputed claims that General Sven Sumitomo, the Martian Commander on Vulkan, was an orphan who lost his family at Hyama Dome. This cannot be confirmed or refuted without more evidence.

As word of the Vulkan Rebellion spread, interstellar vessels of the Martian Association throughout space 'chose sides': often depending on the ethnic mix of their crews. There were a few bloody battles to control star systems, but in most cases the weaker side conceded and fled. The exception was Vulkan: the focus remained there as both sides sent vessels to reinforce their forces, convinced that this would be where the matter of rebellion and secession would be settled. Curiously, no foreign power intervened openly on either side, although allegedly several gave covert economic support to the Esteelers, most notoriously the Union of Xyon.

The space battles at Vulkan reached their peak in mid-76 as loyalist forces led by two MAFC battleships defeated a rebel Esteeler force - and then destroyed it utterly, taking no prisoners. Thousands of naval personnel died, and two entire rebel Ground Force Divisions were annihilated in space as their Troop Transports and an Orbital Station were blasted to wreckage - 2976.121. A large rebel force including three Pacifier Carriers, under Admiral Crocker, arrived and, turning the tables, defeated the Martian force. The rebels captured the smashed hulks of both battleships and several smaller vessels after fierce hand-to-hand fighting in vacuum - 2976.170-174.

A ceasefire ensued; an Earther delegation led by the Arch Bishop of Glenn persuaded both sides to stop fighting and start peace negotiations. For over a hundred days an uneasy local peace ensued. But then a large Martian force announced its imminent arrival and called upon the outnumbered Esteeler force to surrender. The Arch Bishop of Glenn then utterly mishandled the delicate situation.

What happened next has gone down in the annals of infamy. It is regarded by practically all humanity - Martians and Esteelers alike, and citizens of all other polities too - as a shocking and unforgivable crime which embittered relations between the combatants for decades and remains a shocking event to this day.

The ceasefire had not been properly monitored by the Earthers, who did not consider it a high priority. The senor cleric from Glenn, Arch Bishop Clive Attwood, supposedly responsible for the maintenance of peace, had failed to call in appropriate expertise and had lost control of the situation. Attwood did not understand what was happening before his eyes.

The Esteeler Admiral at Vulkan, Rosalind Aileen Crocker, allegedly maddened by reports of massacres on Vulkan, had, rather than fight, surrender or flee, chosen an extreme course. Supported by a cadre of fanatics, Admiral Crocker used the captured Martian ships, attached to asteroids, to launch a genocidal mass-driving attack on the four major cities of the defenceless planet Vulkan. They struck on 2976.276 with a series of explosions totalling over two thousand megatonnes. The cities of Thromness, Gittens City, Port Plunknett and the capital Hasdrubal were annihilated.

Nearly two million [1, 982,141] local people died in the massive detonations, along with the captive Martian crews. Crocker and her suicide-crews died too. Many thousands more perished in the ensuing 'massdrive winter' before humanitarian rescue vessels could arrive. The planet was almost entirely depopulated save for the handful who had holed up in Civil Defence bunkers outside the cities. It was an event unparalleled since the days of genocidal war on Earth itself.

In the shocked aftermath of this horror, very few had stomach for more fighting and the War was effectively over. New Mars conceded the existence of the Greater Federation of Asteel, which was then quickly recognised diplomatically by all other polities except the Centauri Conglomerate.

The political effects of the horror at Vulkan were major. The greatest was perhaps the existence of the GFA, uncontested by Mars. The new Esteeler Government under President Tommy Snodgrass condemned Crocker's action as '...entirely without orders and contrary to interstellar law', and apologised for the deaths. However, the GFA never from that day on considered rescinding the Esteeler Declaration of Independence and the pre-'76 MAFC was dead. The Martian political fallout was massive: the Government accepted responsibility for mishandling the critical phases of the War and resigned en masse. The new Martian administration was much more willing to accept Esteeler independence both in fact and in law.

The panicking MAFC rapidly began a program to reduce aggressive and racist arrogance in the Martian Space Navy and other forces. This program was very successful, and later efforts to improve relations between Martians and Esteelers have also borne much fruit. True, there is a continuing problem of hooliganism at spaceball matches and liaison between the navies can be prickly. A quick way to start a fight is for an Esteeler to toss a pebble or handful of sand at a Martian's head [=massdriving]. Or for a Martian to spill an Esteeler's drink [=spilled oxygen, blood etc] As for a spacebar full of rival Marines - don't go there, believe me.

In early 2977 The Martians and Esteelers summoned an interstellar conference which led to the Treaty of Geneva [Crimes Against Humanity, Revision Nineteen] 2977. This formally outlawed mass-driving against inhabited planets and declared it a crime against humanity. The technique had never again been used until recently revived as an anti-Exterminator method during the present Exterminator War. As a means of destroying robot enemy bases - and never human beings - it is not prohibited by the 2977 law.

As I write in 3201, it is possible to visit Vulkan. It is now an independent and peaceful world. There the visitor may see the Museum of Mass Driving Destruction and its associated memorial. Both stand on an island in the crater lake where the city of Hasdrubal once stood. The memorial is an obsidian helical tower engraved with the names of the dead of the War of 2976, starting from the top and descending in chronological order of their deaths. Walking down its long, winding slope, seeing all those carved names, including my ancestor Petty Officer Tubal Codd of the MSN, culminating in the tens of thousands who died in a split-second at Hasdrubal at 20:15 on 2976.276, was for me a deeply moving experience.

MAJOR REFERENCE: 'Mars Attacks' by T. Burton, Mars Press, CR9.