Astronomical Name: Helios e
Star System: Helios
Type: Class E (Cool, dry Earthlike)
Capital: Boone’s Landing
Summary
Ares is a cool, dry Earthlike world in the Helios system, located just outward from Tian. Though often likened to Mars due to its thin atmosphere and red-hued arid terrain, Ares is fully habitable. Its atmospheric pressure and gravity fall within human norms, but its broad deserts and high plains suggest a harsher history—one likely shaped by ancient terraforming efforts. Geological evidence indicates alien modification millions of years prior to human settlement.
The planet’s climate supports resilient agriculture, strategic mining operations, and sprawling underground aquifer systems. Though cities are few, the planet’s infrastructure is robust, with local governance concentrated in the capital, Boone’s Landing, originally a remote frontier town.
Role in the Compact
Ares is one of four Class E worlds in the Helios system and part of the tripartite protectorate that managed [Aphrodite](yadawiki link=”Aphrodite”) during its unstable transition to core world status. Alongside [Tian](yadawiki link=”Tian”) and [Demeter](yadawiki link=”Demeter”), Ares provided economic support, defense oversight, and legal frameworks during the reconstruction efforts following the fall of Gerard Kurz.
The planet has remained a staunch supporter of Compact integration, often playing host to joint military and civil development missions. Its location and industrial base make it a key logistical asset in the region.
Events in Royal Orders
In Royal Orders, Ares becomes a staging ground for multiple critical missions:
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Mitsuko Yamato begins her Helios circuit on Ares, where she is immediately briefed on the growing instability on Aphrodite and receives new orders from Admiral Eileen Burke.
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Davra Andraste is deployed from the Valles Marineris to assist with intelligence coordination, accompanying Mitsuko to launch a jungle raid that ultimately leads to Suicide’s rescue from Gerard Kurz’s camp.
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The giant mech debacle, referenced by Admiral Burke as “the worst clusterf— of her career,” is discussed and strategized here during a rare gathering of the surviving Children of Amargosa.
Notable Natives
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Lucius Kray, the warlord executed for treason and military abuse on Amargosa, was originally from Ares. His early life and service record are shrouded in mystery, though he is remembered as one of the most notorious products of the planet’s harsher rural regions.
Appearances: Royal Orders