Evo, what are they doing on Mars? Options

[Daylen]

They are a biotech and nanomachine company, so are they using the base to do cutting edge research where none can see and steal the tech? or perhaps they needed a location far from them to remain safe from something in development...

or is it just a pet project of one of their board members?

or is it magical research into one of the restriced effects like teleportation?

or did they find remains of a civilisation or perhaps a current civilisation living on the red planet?

Personally I think Buttercup and the rest of the board are puppets of something nefarious possibly a great dragon or a horror. Mars is either being used to make a secret fortress or escape method for when the horrors come (if a great dragon is behind the board) or it is a facility researching something that would bring the horrors faster. Perhaps the research is into magical or scientific methods of teleportation. I think the most likely though is an artificial way of increaseing the background magic levels.

[Wiggles Von Beer...]

As a GM, my first thought would be terraforming attempts. If they could develop a reliable terraforming process and apply it, then EVO owns Mars and all its natural resources.

[Daylen]

so the secretiveness just from them being a russian/japanese company?

[Prime Mover]

There specialties lead me to believe in the Terraforming angle as well. As for a stronghold free of horror influence Buttercup is a powerful free spirit. You really don't need a dragon or other conspiracy behind the operation with Buttercup involved.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

As a GM, my first thought would be terraforming attempts. If they could develop a reliable terraforming process and apply it, then EVO owns Mars and all its natural resources.

Terraforming is noted in canon indeed.

so the secretiveness just from them being a russian/japanese company?

They aren't much more secretive about it than any other AAA about it's pet projects.

[Daylen]

There specialties lead me to believe in the Terraforming angle as well. As for a stronghold free of horror influence Buttercup is a powerful free spirit. You really don't need a dragon or other conspiracy behind the operation with Buttercup involved.

Because Dunkelzahn seemed to have no problem controlling Buttercup I would think other great dragons would be similarly more powerful than the free spirit. also, it adds to the levels of intrigue which is the important part.

[Method]

What aren't they doing? If they're going to dish out the resources required to build a base on Mars I'm sure they are going to use it for a variety of research projects. They are certainly researching teraforming, but probably a number of other technologies as well.

Now if you want a AAA that's into some nefarious space shit, Ares is the way to go.

[Sengir]

I think the question shold be "why is Evo the only corp on Mars?". Dragon skeletons and ancient pyramids sure sound like something the other corps might to check out.


<cue in X-Files theme here>
Are they actually the only ones? We know that there already has been one secret manned mission, the first "official" mission disappeared somewhere between Mars and Moon for several days, so who knows what secrets lurk there...

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Are they actually the only ones?

Oh, I already sent runners to a Proteus biodrone research facility under the Mars icecaps… before SR4.
Granted, Proteus doesn't have that facility anymore.

[AndyZ]

I'm guessing the reverse of terraforming. I think they're making biological organisms which can exist on the harsh environment of Mars.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

That's a step of terraforming.

Personally, I toyed with the idea of gene-modified sandworms (rockworm variant) that break down sand to generate oxygen.

[Sengir]

Oh, I already sent runners to a Proteus biodrone research facility under the Mars icecaps… before SR4.
Granted, Proteus doesn't have that facility anymore.

Proteus sounds like a good candidate indeed, given their experience with arcologies in hostile environments.

A question to the ED players, is there anything about 4th World activites on Mars?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Proteus sounds like a good candidate indeed, given their experience with arcologies in hostile environments.

Of course, those biodrones were aimed at deep sea research on Europa.

[Sengir]

The moon?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Sure. There aren't many other (potential) oceans out there.

Additionally, SK might target Mars for mining operations.

[AndyZ]

That's a step of terraforming.

Personally, I toyed with the idea of gene-modified sandworms (rockworm variant) that break down sand to generate oxygen.

I stand corrected.

[Sengir]

Sure. There aren't many other (potential) oceans out there.

Well, Jupiter is slightly further away than Mars (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Indeed. That makes Mars the midway station.

[Daylen]

Additionally, SK might target Mars for mining operations.

Asteroids are better for mining because of the cost in fuel.

Indeed. That makes Mars the midway station.

because of the fuel cost of landing and leaving a mass like mars Phobos and Deimos would be alot better. And only some of the time when earth mars and jupiter are in just the right orbital positions.

[Daylen]

<cue in X-Files theme here>

that's about what I was thinking with Evo invloved.

That corp is creepy. Ares seems like the quintessential govt contractor, not very nice but not very spooky. Also, Ares supposidly isnt on Mars.

[kzt]

That corp is creepy. Ares seems like the quintessential govt contractor, not very nice but not very spooky. Also, Ares supposidly isnt on Mars.

Ares isn't really General Dynamics. Well, it is General Dynamics. And Blackwater. And Lockheed-Martin and Triple Canopy. And also Northrup-Grumman and Intel and Microsoft and Wackenhut and Oracle and Brinks and NASA and Pinkerton's. And also Maersk Line, Goldman Sachs, and Exxon. And Citibank and Berkshire Hathaway.

But other then that, they are just like a quintessential boring govt contractor.

[DWC]

Ares isn't really General Dynamics. Well, it is General Dynamics. And Blackwater. And Lockheed-Martin and Triple Canopy. And also Northrup-Grumman and Intel and Microsoft and Wackenhut and Oracle and Brinks and NASA and Pinkerton's. And also Maersk Line, Goldman Sachs, and Exxon. And Citibank and Berkshire Hathaway.

But other then that, they are just like a quintessential boring govt contractor.

Don't forget that Ares are also the ones doing experiments with opening gates to the invae metaplane on space stations at several La Grange points.

[kzt]

Frank once pointed out they are not so much experiments as negotiations. "You help us with this minor problem we have and we won't set off this here honking big nuke in the middle of your hive." I somehow suspect that none of this stuff is widely known.

[Sengir]

Don't forget that Ares are also the ones doing experiments with opening gates to the invae metaplane on space stations at several La Grange points.

Opening gates to send in a strike team and take out their queens, that is. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Which leads us to another SR mystery, the cause of Knight's hatred for insect spirits*. He could just want to save mankind (and reap the profit from it), or it is some sort of vendetta, or there might be arbitrarily sinister motives behind it...for example (as far as I understand it) The Enemy seems to have some professional disagreement with the Invae...


*: At least most of the time he hates them. Ares also have (or at least had) that little program to breed insect guard critters.



@Daylen: Well, if it is possible to travel to Jupiter and back in a reasonable timeframe, the engines are obviously better than what we have today. And selling a bloody dragon skeleton for telesma should cover the fuel costs.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

That's a step of terraforming.

Personally, I toyed with the idea of gene-modified sandworms (rockworm variant) that break down sand to generate oxygen.

And their excrements would become the most wanted resource in the galaxy? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)