ONN: Mars to Open its Doors and Citizenship Applications
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Originally Published on June 3rd, 2489
Orbital News Network/Grant Jones Reporting
Luna Colony was the first, despite reluctance from its Governor and the Lunite Society as a whole. After a controversial move to shut down borders and to bar anyone outside Luna of entry, Governor Bancroft announced that the process to visit Luna and to earn the privilege of becoming a citizen was coming back, with the lucrative security contract awarded to Matsumoto Zaibatsu and their automated forces, the logical next question has always been "Who will be next?" It seems we have an answer already.
It has been rumored for a long time that Mars would indeed open its doors to potential new citizens to the red planet. Martian Citizenships being notorious for their difficulty in being granted, earned a reputation for the past three decades. As not even active members of ARES are granted those, at least not easily. From a personal standpoint, many see true Martians as the one true privilege one would need in life to be set apart from everyone else. Ever since ARES became the megacorporation to efficiently take over the red planet, Mars has become the most heavily militarized planet in the Sol System, oftentimes being the stage for questionable orbital practices, such as the "Deep Sanitation" operations taken against approaching vessels that approach Mars's general orbit. Vessels suspected of carrying contraband, or diseased passengers are subjected to Deep Sanitation Operations, which essentially means that ARES's orbital defenses fire upon the said vessel, reducing it to scrap, and notify the proper authorities about the incident. While many denounce these operations as being needlessly cruel and downright the work of terrorists, ARES has always maintained that Martian security and well being have always been their top priorities. Incidents like these and more have always given Mars a unique air of mystery and otherworldly vibes. The existence of a criminal underground has been almost nonexistent for the longest time, and very recently, ARES conducted brutal campaigns against the Donovan Commercial Cartel on Hades Colony. The official stand is that underground collectives are not an issue to get ARES's attention anymore, but many voices in the slums or less favorable colonies on Mars would beg to differ.
In spite of all this, the board of directors to ARES spearheaded by their elusive CEO, have decided to open the application process to acquire the highly coveted Martian Citizenships. Adam Caine, controversial figure within ARES and Military Advisor, has reached out to ONN to discuss what this means.
"Governor Bancroft's noble decision to allow outsiders to aspire to become Luna Citizens is indeed an action that will inspire not only Mars, but other planets and colonies in the Sol System. The board of directors has indeed taken notice and has debated whether or not it was feasible to follow suit. Martians consider their status as the highest honor a non-military individual can earn in their lifetime, this is the reason why acquiring these Citizenships has always been near to impossible. However, and after the board of directors reached their decision, they agreed to lower their expectations when it comes to new applications and have created the Martian Citizenship Commission, to analyze each and every application they receive. It still won't be as simple as many people would imagine, Martian Society has always prided itself into having the best people being part of it, and ARES will strive to take only the best people to grant them the honor to call themselves Martians."
When asked when the process to these new applications, and therefore a wider range of destination options within Mars could be expected, Mr. Caine had this to say:
"We do not have an exact date in mind, however, the board of directors and the Martian Citizenship Commission (MCC) have already made great progress in setting up the new applications. If I were a betting man, I'd say expect Mars to receive everyone with open arms sometime this week."
ARES, the military megacorporation ruling over the Martian Landscape, through the Martian Citizenship Commission, will ultimately reserve the right to approve or reject citizenship applications. While the criteria for one or the other hasn't been made public, one can always assume that a thorough background check, not unlike the one Lunite Authorities, Matsumoto Zaibatsu, conduct through Armitech Private Defense for Cocoon Denizens, will also be a key part of the process.
What are your opinions on this matter? Would you be interested in applying to become a Martian Citizen? Do you think that the highly militarized presence of ARES all over the planet will throw you off? Do you think a Martian Citizen has more privileges than any other citizen in the system? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.