"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." - Arthur C. Clarke. He was wrong.

  It is the year 2395. Humanity has reached out into the stars—not far beyond, but far enough to make the solar system its dominion. Planets that were once distant specks in the night sky are now bustling with colonies and industries. Asteroid belts are mined for their riches, moons have become research stations, and once-barren planets are now brimming with human life.

  This is an era defined by the triumphs of science. Constant acceleration drives and fusion reactors have made interplanetary travel routine. Artificial intelligence governs the logistics of trade, navigation, and even war. Corporations have risen to replace governments as the true powers of the system, carving out territories as if the solar system were a new frontier ripe for conquest. Mars, the red jewel of the solar system, has become a battleground of ambition.

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  The planet is divided into zones, each controlled by competing factions. Some zones belong to mining conglomerates, their massive drills burrowing deep into the planet’s crust in search of resources. Others are industrial hubs, where towering machines, churn out equipment that keeps the colonies running. Still, other corporations control the human residential zones, teetering on the edge of sustainability, where workers eke out a meagre existence under the watchful eyes of corporate overseers.

  Yet, for all its technological marvels, humanity teeters on the edge of chaos. The delicate balance between corporations, governments, and independent factions threatens to collapse under the weight of greed and ambition.

  It is into this fragile world that a young boy will arrive. His arrival will not be heralded by banners or parades. There will be no news reports to mark the event. No one will know where he comes from, how he got here, or why he exists at all.

  But his presence will tip the scales. His existence will challenge the powers that be and the fragile balance they cling to. He is more than just a boy. He is a spark, and sparks have a way of igniting fires. And on Mars, a world of dust and ambition, fires can burn long and deep.