It was the Americans who first landed and walked upon Martian soil on the night of May 12th, 2031. Within five years, the first Martian colony, made up of a crew of scientists and astronauts from the Western powers, touched down at a point near the original Phoenix lander site. By 2040 however, twenty-five nearly totally self-sustaining Martian colonies had been established by the governments of every inhabited continent of the Earth, and the seeming domination of Mars by the West had become not just questioned but was overturned. 

The world has changed significantly in the last few decades, and those who landed in the colonies on Mars have often represented breaks and continuity with their previous customs, nations, and beliefs. Following the escalation of the Fifth Taiwan Strait Crisis, many in the colonies began questioning their roles in international affairs. In order to guarantee that no future conflicts may take place between the colonies or on Mars, all settling powers reaffirmed a ban on military weapons in space, and set up a Central Colonial Council at the site of the first landing for the purpose of discussing Martian affairs. The continued success of the Martian project may depend upon it.