The City At The Center of Mars (Red Planet Rising)

Spaceport Strike! ​

Part Sixteen: Fiery Tempers​

"The Garrison clearly did it!" River slams her hand on the table. "Look, Bill, I know you're-" He groans. "Oh, don't start. We've had this conversation. I'm not biased in favor of the Garrison just because I don't think that Hellas went as far as false flagging their own allies. And we would've found records if there were any orders of an attack on the FLA during our investigation yesterday!"

Galle speaks up. "Look, River, I think that it was purposeful - Those Enforcers showed up first, though. Hellas can't control the Council…and they had to be in the area. The FLA needed to be gotten out of the way for Lederberg's plans, whatever those are, right? The Council had the most to gain!" Bill shakes his head. "Nah - There's an obvious party who had the most to gain. The Laborers. They're fighting a class war - Scabs don't get mercy in those. I'm shocked we haven't seen more blood in the streets, frankly, given how armed the Laborers seem to be. A credit to the Enforcers and the Garrison, I suppose." He drums his fingers on the table, glancing around it. "Come on. You can't tell me radical anarchists prepared to fight a protracted battle against Stadium would shirk from a little bit of arson as an intimidation tactic."

Janice speaks up. "Bah - You're all missing the simplest explanation out of a belief in conspiracy. The FLA encampment was genuinely unsafe, it got set on fire, some Enforcers showed up, and then the Garrison showed up. Both sides had reasons beyond conspiracy to keep an eye on the FLA, and a fire would've drawn everyone's attention. Occam's razor - The simplest explanation makes the most sense. All of your ideas rely on people coordinating and not being caught at it. The Garrison would've had to do such a good job that we missed them during our investigation yesterday. The Council's more likely to trip each other up then successfully start a fire. And the Laborers…well, maybe the Laborers, but I still think there's a chance it's accidental, and I don't want to commit to blaming any one side until we actually investigate."

"Right." Unlike last time, there's no clear and easy starting point for this. You have three main avenues of investigation…and, unfortunately, it seems your team has chosen to deadlock themselves on which to investigate first. "Let's hear your arguments, one last time, folks."

River and Galle start talking first at the same time, before glancing at each other. Galle nods to River, letting her take the lead. "Right, Conductor - I think it's clear that whatever went down with the FLA is the fault of one of the existing powers in the district. Such a conveniently timed fire, and the immediate arrival of the Enforcers and the Garrison afterwards - It just doesn't make sense otherwise." Janice scoffs at this, which earns her a glance from you. She quiets down in short order. "The question is who. Now, myself and Galle disagree on that particular level-" Galle nods, in full agreement with her on their disagreement. "But we do both agree that the fire needs to be investigated first. Someone set it, that will have left evidence, and we'll be able to find them. It's a simple matter."

Janice speaks up. "Bullshit. There's no evidence the fire is purposeful - Just of coincidental timing and a fast response-" Bill interrupts. "Even if the fire was accidental, the Enforcers still showed up and were forced to back down by the Garrison!" Janice claps her hands. "Exactly! We'll be able to find out far more by talking to the Enforcers. Remember what I said about ex-MCPD deserters, Conductor? If we hit the Enforcers first, we'll be able to rule out the Council as arsonists and get some additional dirt on them at the same time. If they did do it? Then they did it, and we can get them out of our hair. A win-win."

Bill grimaces. "Look - We have to look at the most reasonable conclusion first. The Laborers have the most motive, they have the means, they have the opportunity. We check with them, check their people, see if they've got anything to say about it. The sooner we get that done, the less time they'll have to close ranks. For all that we've been fairly buddy-buddy with them, I bet that goodwill will dry up quick when they figure out we're investigating them for arson."

You suppose a choice must be made…

[] You'll investigate the fire.

[] You'll investigate the Enforcers.

[] You'll investigate the Laborers.

QM's Note: Vote's open, and will close in 48 hours!

In the Martian Popular Authority, while broadcast entertainment beyond the radio has largely remained the domain of the MBC, one of the primary alternative forms of communal entertainment that people have turned to is the theater. Taking its place among the ranks of writing and broadcasting as respected artistic professions, communities often hold plays as ways not just to satisfy the artistic impulses of their more creative members, but to bring people together. Children learn plays in school, performing them and learning the skills that go into making a successful play come together.

Though many of what could be considered classical plays were not preserved through the collapse, enough was retained by survivors that plays one from pre-Collapse might recognize have survived. The works of Shakespeare, Miller, and Wilder have been retained, if with decades upon decades of interpretation and mild revision to fit the circumstances of their performers. One of the more popular interpretations of Romeo and Juliet in the post-war era sees them as star-crossed lovers from Hephaestus and Station, driven apart by the Secession. Another sees Our Town played through the lens of the interwar period in Mariner City, seeing the 'town' and its people in question as a District, growing through the events of the pre-war era, and eventually dying and withering away from the War.

The themes and messages of these works have brought comfort to the people of Mars. Sometimes through laughter, sometimes through cathartic grief. And they have inspired a generation who grew up on them, through some of the toughest times a human being can experience, to write their own plays and inspirational works. Some are simply for the sake of joy and teaching - Fables and tales that are traveled around for children to enjoy and learn from, while adults look on with knowing pride and whispers of acknowledgement. Others are more personal, artistic works - Shown in small playhouses, perhaps repurposed community halls or public spaces. They try and convey emotion and meaning through the dramatic - Characters monologue and grieve and love. Some of them even succeed. And, of course, there are performances larger in scope. The thriving New Ys acting community puts on quite a few shows every year with spectacular sweeping stories of action, adventure, and comedy. Musicals have their entire runs reserved before the first night of their seats being opened for reservation is concluded. Hundreds work together, both behind the scenes and on the stage, to create something beautiful.

Abroad, these practices flourish as well. Stadium hosts performances to accompany games, grandiose coordinated displays of music and pyrotechnics, though light on story. Hephaestus had traveling groups of actors who would go from commune to commune, picking up both players and plays from the locals and giving them their own, before moving on. Shanxi's soldiers often engage in dramatic faux-duels and staged reenactments of battles, artistic spectacle and story on a grand scale, enhanced by the machinery made available to them through their militarism. University holds open mic poetry nights right next to grand operas, using them as a draw for prospective students. MBC preserves the art of radio plays and television drama, keeping one of the largest remaining libraries of recordings both audio and visual left on Mars, used often for reruns and effects. Biodyne sponsors choirs and religious plays across their territory, in addition to the more traditional community fare. Even ODIN does not prohibit their workers from gathering in off hours to put on small performances, though they are monitored for any anti-corporate sentiment. Though the people of Mars are diverse and multi-faceted, there is a universal appreciation of art, and the community which goes into producing it.

And of course, none of this would be possible without the tradition of teaching - Of sharing the love of the dramatic and theater with the young. Parents teach their children, taking them to plays and community events, showing their dazzled young eyes sights and sounds that whisk them away to another world. Teachers teach their students, born from those young eyes, both the skills necessary to physically perform, and the skills needed to understand what it means to perform. And, of course, actors, graduated from pupil to professional, teach each other constantly, always learning and advancing the art.

Spaceport Strike! ​

Part Seventeen: The Red Warriors​

With your decision made to investigate the fire, the team falls in line behind you as you make your now frequent trek. Civilian life seems to be a bit more frequent in the street, now - Though it seems to be somewhat angrier than it was upon your arrival. Clumps of people huddle together, whispering and glancing around, which only intensifies when they see you walking down the street. You get less greetings, as well, though not outright hostility - People regard you more with fear and neutral curiosity rather than positivity or negativity. Seems that news has filtered out that the Garrison has continued to undergo purges of corrupt personnel. Even odds on whether the figured out you're conducting the purges, or are just wary of you being an MPA representative at all, to explain the general reaction.

When you reach the site of the fire, you are confronted with an unusual sort of obstacle. The place you reach is clearly the old site of the encampment, with pre-fab buildings half-made dotted around the large empty lot that, perhaps once upon a time, was used as an auxiliary spaceport landing pad or storage facility. However, it is also currently occupied by a sizable group of what appear to be…Laborers, though they don't resemble the guards you saw at their barricades. Those people looked to be workers who were given guns and armor, likely seized from the caches the Council mentioned. These people look simultaneously more professional and more amateur, at the same time. They wear wildly divergent clothes, with an equally wide variety of weapons prominently displayed on their person, the only consistent marking on them are a variety of anarchist, communist, and Laborer iconography. Their hairstyles are spiked, styled, and rough in a way you can only slightly curl your lip at, before forcing yourself back to a neutral expression - It may not be to your taste, personally, but you're not going to risk alienating a group or judging them without even talking to them.

Janice, less concerned about that, openly scoffs. "Punks." You glance over at her. "You know them?" She shakes her head. "I know their type. We're not going to get anything useful out of this." Bill groans. "Of course you'd say that." You decide to shut this down before it turns into a public argument. "We'll talk about this afterwards. For now, we have a scene to investigate." You stride forward, taking in the group of punks. Some are tagging the walls of the pre-fabs, with 'Scabs get what they deserve', 'Solidarity or Death', and the flag of the Martian League that you saw closer to the Spaceport, among others. Several of them have set up a makeshift firing range of sorts, using bottles as targets. Quite a few simply are sitting at parts of half-built prefabs, chatting amongst themselves. This last group is the first to notice your approach, and quickly moves to a more alert posture, with a few gripping weapons - Though you notice they seem to be gripping pipes, seemingly hand-made clubs, and various rods and pieces of steel, instead of going straight for their guns, which you choose to take as a good sign.

This lasts until you actually come close enough for them to get a good look at you, which sparks a chuckle amongst the group. One of them yells out - "Nevermind!", causing most of them return to what they were doing. You think for a second, then choose the one who yelled to approach at her position, lounging on a stoop in a small group of three punks in a loose semi-circle. "So, what can we do for the ever-fine Conductor Beriel, slayer of Stadium shitheels? If that is who you are, and we haven't just mixed you up with some other Conductor wandering the district." One of her friends giggles.

"I'm Conductor Beriel, yes. I had a few questions about this place, if you don't mind." She nods. "Shoot, Conductor!" She chuckles. "Metaphorically, of course." The crack of a pistol goes off behind her, as the small group conducting target practice cheers - Someone, apparently, just made a good shot. You glance over to your team, taking a second to gauge their reactions. River seems nonchalantly bored, Galle seems nervously excited, Bill is openly sizing up the punks, and Janice is doing a poor job of hiding her disgust. Same as normal, then. You turn your attention back to the punk. "Would you mind introducing yourself and your friends here, if you don't mind?" She waves her hand. "Of course, of course. I'm Mary Mariner."

"I'm Joy." The punk on the left volunteers second, her smile interrupted only by the piercings in her lip. The punk on the right nods, his long curly hair shaking slightly. "And I'm Karl." You make a mental note of these names. "And, all of us-" She sweeps her hand around to the former encampment, "are the Red Warriors." You nod… "You don't identify as part of the Laborers?" You nod at the patch on her clothing with the Martian League flag, and she shrugs. "Kinda? We're, ah…friends of 'em, if you catch my drift. Gotta have a united front, and they're fighting the good fight. Sorta under their big tent, sorta not. Very informal sort of thing, that's our style."

"Mhm." You make mental notes of all this. "Can you give us any insight onto what happened here?" She shrugs. "Sure. The scabs calling themselves a 'Labor Association' were camping out here, and the Garrison was too tight on the Laborers for them to handle it at the time without jeopardizing their position. So, we gave them a helping hand. Gave the FLA fucks a helping hand too, in getting the fuck out of Watson District, though it seems they didn't get the message." She frowns, cracking her knuckles. Joy chimes in, still smiling. "Not that some of us aren't happy to teach it to them again, whenever we see their recruiters around!" Ah. What is it with people confessing things to you, lately?

"So, you set the fire in the encampment?" You want to be absolutely sure of this before you question them any further. "Yep." She nods. "A few molotovs into some of the empty buildings, like this on, fire flares up, without risking hitting any of their kids or shit - We're not stupid, yeah? - Then, once they started running around trying to put it out, our people started putting the boot to them, wrecking tents, slashing shit up as the fires start to gutter out. Pretty easy to do so, with the cover of darkness. Though we wound up having to scram when the Enforcers showed up and started laying into everyone - We weren't there to start a big firefight, and if they'd tried to arrest any of us, it would've been a fight." She smiles at you, and you understand the implicit message. She's telling you this not just because she thinks you're a decent sort, due to the reputation you've gained amongst the Laborers, though that's likely a part of it, but because she's confident that you can't arrest her for it - Which she isn't wrong about. You don't fancy your team's odds against the several dozen well-armed and likely veteran street fighters around, and if it comes to a firefight…mmm. That's a lot more risk then you'd ever like to take.

"Mhm. May I ask what caused you to choose this form of attack?" She nods. "Arson's a good fear tactic. Even if your enemy's not afraid, they gotta run and deal with it or else it'll spread - Used it against the occupation in the War. Throw a few molotovs into a collaborator's house, hit whatever's nearby as the patrols all rush to the fire. Worked as well against these fucking scabs as it did against the MUC, though it was more of a honeytrap then a diversion." She chuckles, and Karl chimes in. "The scabs folded a lot easier, too, though I can't blame 'em for that."

You glance back at your team and notice some obvious differences. River is nodding along, Galle looks conflicted, Janice continues to look disgusted, and Bill is stepping forward to ask his own question. "The Garrison showed up afterwards, didn't they?" Mary shrugs. "If they did, we were gone by then - Not our problem, anyhow. Hellas's goons - At the time, of course, don't want to, ah, denigrate your work, Conductor - fighting with the Council's goons was a good deal for us, you know?"

You nod. "Thank you for your time, then, Mary." She chuckles. "Hey, no problem, Conductor. We'll be here for the rest of the day if you need to find us again, but no promises beyond that." You turn to your team and gesture for them to follow you to a distance away from the Red Warriors. "Right, thoughts?" Galle grimaces and opens her mouth…but doesn't speak, so Janice snatches the opportunity out of the air. "Look, ma'am - These punks just admitted to what we were looking for. They're working for the Laborers, they did the arson, wham-bam, case closed. Now we can focus on figuring out who else knew beforehand, what happened with the Enforcers, if the FLA knows about this and lied to us…" River speaks up. "I doubt the FLA lied to us, if what Conductor Beriel told me is accurate. This was a night raid. Those are never clean, and any testimony's going to be different. If we need to double-check with them, then, sure. But I doubt they lied."

Bill pipes in. "I think we need to focus on the Laborers - If they knew about this and approved it or not. I won't pretend to be unbiased on the ethics of the situation…" Janice rolls her eyes. "-But we should get all the information before making any judgement. Not like we can exactly haul these people in for questioning." This last bit is directed pointedly at Janice, who takes the opportunity to speak again. "No - But we should talk to the group who can. Where are the Enforcers during all this? They have Stadium gear, they've got manpower, we saw that when we went and met the Council - If they aren't out here cracking down on these people, or the Laborers, or the FLA…what are they doing? If we can get an in, and as I mentioned, I think we can get an in through whatever ex-MCPD defectors joined up with them, if I'm right, then we can know what they're doing."

Sister Galle speaks up. "I think we should double-check the FLA. As much as I want to, ah…find the middle ground here, I think we need to recognize that, uh…" She grimaces. "For as much as it is unlikely that all of the FLA's members deserve it, the organization as a whole did willingly engage in trying to cross a picket line. They made themselves…ugh, I feel so mean putting it this way, but they made themselves targets for this sort of thing, right?" River shrugs. "I think in that case, we should just ask Mary here-" She nods back over to the small group of punks. "-Some more questions before we go." Galle nods. "Let's do both of those things, then!"

You think about it…and then you make your decision.

What questions would you like to ask Mary (and the Red Warriors) before you leave? You may write-in as many questions as you want, here, or none at all.

[] Write-In Questions Here.

Where will you go next, once you're done questioning Mary?

[] To double-check the FLA's story.

[] To find out if the Laborers knew about this.

[] To figure out what the Enforcers have been doing, during all this.

QM's Note: Apologies that this took so long! As an apology, have something a bit different then normal - A write-in vote! Feel free to ask literally anything - Any questions that get a reasonable number of votes will be answered, and I'll make sure to have it be framed somewhat reasonably ICly.