It's been a while, but The Poarter has passed along a new guest codex for us, featuring the capital of SolForce. The Poarter has some of his own projects going, so if you like his work here, please stop by his page and take a look!

Naturally, reviews are most welcome, and I'll pass any comments along (assuming The Poarter doesn't just read them straight at the source). See you in a few weeks for the exciting conclusion of Tali and Garrus' cliffhanger. Yeah, been waiting a while for that one, haven't you...


Olympus Mons (Redirect from 'Marsdome')

Location: Sol, Fourth Planet

City Proper: 250 Kilometer Radius From Base of Mountain.

Population of City Proper: 40,564,302

Demographics: 94.7% Human, 5.3% Alien.

"Flip a coin. Values the Council boasts as true and stead-fast are just as uplifting as they can be devastating...What Humans value may not necessarily be what Asari or Hivers value. Asari greatly value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As a Human who has lived and fought in two galactic wars, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient. If we had followed a model of free press, political opposition, and free elections, Humanity would not be alive today."

-City Chairman Goh Kuan Loong, 2478 Retirement Address

The City Proper of Olympus Mons is classified as the any settlement within a 250 kilometer radius of the Olympus Mons volcano. Olympus Mons stands 21 kilometers tall, and is 600 kilometers wide and is the largest mountain in the Sol system. Much of the city is built on the volcano's lower slopes or around its base. Though the settlement itself shares a name with the volcano it surrounds, it is more popularly known as Marsdome to the rest of the galaxy, after the massive complex built into the center of the volcano.

The city's most well-recognized feature is the Blasky Yao-Hsiang monument. The monument is a full scale replica of the famous Sol Primus Node Pod, Humanity's first FTL vessel, and is cast of solid neutronium. It is located at the center of the Marsdome complex, and according to its creator stands as a symbol of Humanity's unshakable resolve and scientific drive.

Olympus Mons is well known for its various attractions but especially its sculpture garden which is filled with busts and icons of important human historical figures. Sculptures are required to go through a vigorous vetting process before they are finally accepted into the garden. The current number of sculptures stands at 1083. Notable areas of the garden include the Civil Walk, containing statues of important Human political thinkers like Lee Yuan Kee, Thomas Hobbes, and King Hammurabi, and the River of Enlightenment, where statues of major Human scientific figures like Albert Einstein, Blasky Yao-Hsiang, and Issac Newton are located.

The city of Olympus Mons is considered the capital of SolForce in general and is one of the largest and most populous cities in Human space. Its population represents a wide variety of human traits and ideals, from Shia Islam to Neo-Catholicism to Utilitarianism. Aliens are much more poorly represented, as the hab-domes required to accommodate them comfortable create a natural form of ghettoization. Significant civil control has resulted in a lower ratio racial violence to population than on most frontier worlds, but there are very few opportunities available for aliens.

Nevertheless Olympus Mons is a massive center of growth and administration, and is still considered a viable destination for many sentient beings. All official SolForce documents have at least one digital and physical copy in the Marsdome Archives. Olympus Mons also serves as the headquarters for the Legate Council and SolForce Director, as well as Humanity's various other administrative bodies. As a military center, the Marsdome complex is heavily defended, and virtually all of it is off limits to casual visitors.

Due to wide-spread terraforming and its position along the planet's equator, Olympus Mons has a somewhat arid sub-tropical climate and its lower settlements are considered to be some of the warmer locations on Mars. Temperatures reach an average high of 31 degrees Celsius in the summer and lows of 10 degrees Celsius in the winter. Smog plays an issue in many areas but proactive administrative efforts have negated a majority of atmospheric toxins. Compared to much of Earth, Olympus Mons is far more suitable and comfortable for living, especially after the aftermath of the Conflagration and Hiver Incursion.

The history of Olympus Mons demonstrates why it was founded and how it quickly grew to importance. Many historians have noted that Olympus Mons' importance continuously grows with each new crisis SolForce and by extension Humanity in general, faces.

Immediately after the Hiver Incursion was repulsed, a massive colonization movement began as Director Ashilde Falke began attempting to scatter Humanity as much as she could in anticipation of a second strike by the Hivers. As such, though Mars was one of the closest planets, it was rejected for early colonization because it provided no strategic benefit. Falke also believed colonists would not volunteer to travel to more risky colonies on the frontier if a viable alternative was available closer to Terra. As such, she forbade the terraformation and settling of Mars.

Though actually settling Mars was not an option, Olympus Mons still possessed enormous amounts of relatively pure raw metals lying beneath the surface of the volcano. Mars' crust lacks a mobile plate structure, and Olympus Mons had been episodically spewing lava for several million years prior to Humanity's arrival. As a result, various rare metals that would normally be difficult to find could be easily located with a minimum of digging required. Several hab-domes were constructed during the Hiver-Tarka War to facilitate mining of the volcano, but these were always intended as temporary structures that would be abandoned when the volcano's resources had been exhausted.

This changed when Falke's successor, Edward Alton Mackenzie, moved his headquarters off Terra and to the caldera of Olympus Mons. At the time, the move was nothing but a symbolic change meant to separate his rule from that of his predecessor. Mackenzie's assassination of Director Falke had left much of SolForce in turmoil, and the gesture was hoped to settle some of this chaos as well as distance SolForce's authority from older institutions like the Holy See or Consortia governments. Olympus Mons was selected for its symbolic impact and because the network of mining tunnels and volcanic chambers would allow them to easily build directly into the mountain.

Like many seats of power, Mackenzie's choice led to a slow but inexorable relocation of the dozens of support assets to assist the office of the Directorate. This support staff required housing, and then housing for their families. The growing population provided a market for entertainment and other purely civilian endeavors. As the size of the settlement grew, the cost of constant habitat construction began to increase, until Mackenzie officially repealed Falke's decision and approved the terraforming of Mars.

Another expansion of Olympus Mons was caused by the Zuul Wars. The Zuul's ability to tear information from the minds of captives and the overwhelming fury of their early onslaughts forced SolForce to rethink much of their current deployment. Command positions that had originally been placed toward the edges of Human space were rapidly relocated to more centralized posts to prevent them from being captured and compromised. As the seat of the current Director, Mars was at the center of this, and rapidly became the beating heart of Humanity. It was during the Zuul Wars that Marsdome became an informal title for SolForce's upper command staff, and the office of the Directorate in particular.

Furthermore, the emergency emigration away from besieged frontier colonies caused Mars to become a central destination for refugees seeking shelter. It had the appropriate infrastructure, was a major hub for trade and interstellar traffic, its developing biosphere was better equipped to handle such individuals than Terra's, and it was well defended.

By the end of the Zuul Wars, Olympus Mons was the official and unofficial capital of Humanity. Discovery of the Mass Effect and increasing knowledge of the antigravity properties of Element X allowed for the construction of the Olympus Mons space elevator connecting the city to the Mars Trade Nexus space station. The elevator allowed for easy shipment of goods and minerals into orbit, as well as allowing orbital workers to live on the planet instead of in space habitats. This has dramatically increased the population of Olympus Mons in the past few decades.

That is not to say Olympus Mons is not without its fair share of problems. It has one of the lowest crime rates of any known Human city, but these are largely a result of its draconian laws and the severe limits the local government places on the population. Political repression is a reoccurring problem. 'Seditious thinking' is a punishable offense, and while arrests for this crime are less common under Director Freeborne than they were under Director Mackenzie, those who speak too strongly against the current leadership often end up in prison for extended periods or banished from SolForce territory all together.

Furthermore, the few non-human businesses that have opened to cater to the city's civilian population have historically faced discrimination and acts of sabotage or vandalism. Campaigns launched in recent years by pro-Human groups like Sol Invictus to support Human economic interests by 'Buying Human' have also caused difficulty for alien-run businesses. Many interstellar entrepreneurs prefer opening businesses on Tcho'to'pre or Kao'Kona, where outsiders are somewhat more welcome. Nevertheless, alien residents of Olympus Mons maintain a philosophical attitude about the trials they face, viewing them as the natural hazards of doing business in such a Human-dominated location.

As per the colonial charter of Mars, Olympus Mons recognizes English, Nova Latina, and Hanzi as its official languages. The more obscure and historical languages of Hindi, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also commonly used, but are not officially recognized. The fact that Mars' official languages are also the three languages officially recognized by SolForce is not a coincidence. Current city law requires any public servant to demonstrate fluency in at least two of these languages before assuming his or her post. The average civilian sentient on Olympus Mons works about 45 hours a week, and over two thirds of the population is a member of SolForce or is independently employed by it.

Olympus Mons officially recognizes 11 public holidays, but does not require businesses to give time off for any of these. Time off work for celebrations or religious gatherings must be requested on an individual basis, and are at the discretion of the employer.

Marsdome houses a permanent garrison of troops known as the Praetorian Guard. Like the ancient soldiers they are named after, the Praetorian Guard are elite soldiers tasked with protecting the Legate Council and Director of SolForce. The Praetorian Guard is one of the best trained and best equipped forces in Human space, and they exist outside the standard chain of command. Olympus Mons is also home to a SolForce Guards battalion.

Mars' colonial charter follows the example of many earlier charters crafted during the Hiver-Tarka War and requires all citizens to spend a minimum of two continuous weeks in military training, and 60 hours per month in drills with their respective militia units. In the event of an emergency, command of these militia units falls to the SolForce Guards. Citizens listed as conscientious objectors, such as practitioners of Utilitarianism, may instead opt for an equivalent amount of community service or pay a fine.

Olympus Mons has several major academies and institutes for higher learning. Olympus Mons Academy of Application in particular was among the most highly regarded schools in the known galaxy. Its reputation has begun to fade in recent years, as many of its graduates report being unprepared for positions in less homogenous areas of Human space due to the Academy's 'Human-only' admittance policies and emphasis on practical sciences over cultural or artistic programs. Olympus Mons is home to several athletic teams, including its own football team, the Olympians, which is currently ranked in the top ten for Human competitions.

Like all cities on Mars, health-care is state-funded, but no monetary form of welfare or public aid is provided. Destitute individuals may instead opt to become wards of the state. Wards are effectively indentured servants contracted to the local government. The colonial government is obliged to provide a minimum standard of living for its wards, and they in turn are required to provide a number of hours of productive work each day. This system is an evolution of the old Consortium labor laws first crafted on Terra during the Reconstruction to ensure that Humanity survived after the horrors of the Thaw and the Conflagration.

The average life expectancy of a Human living in Olympus Mons is 116 years, with advanced medical technology keeping most from having to retire until the age of ninety or later. However new innovations from mass effect technology have shown that lifespans can be extended by over fifty percent with proper care. Nevertheless this remains in the theoretical stage with limited practical data from various medical tests.

Furthermore, while the law is brutal, it is generally fair. Olympus Mons has a very low level of reported corruption, even lower than that of the Citadel. As these numbers are internally generated and published by SolForce, their exact accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Visitors to the city are often surprised by how peaceful it is, despite its dark reputation.