Red Atlanta Background Info
---------------------------

Red Atlanta is one of the largest Martian Cities - the L.A. of Mars, so to
speak. It is home to over 28 million people (the second largest), including the
domed suburbs, and has the third largest production capacity of any city, Earth
or Mars.

The main area of Red Atlanta (called "the Crater") contains the downtown area
and an upper-class housing area, separated by a section of middle-class
apartments (a holdover from initial colonization). There is a single "suburb" of
middle-class homes that is awkwardly wedged in against one of the Retaining
Atmosphere Walls (RAWs).

There are 12 outlying domed communities, and roughly 17 industrial parks, only
five of which are domed - the others are networked by a series of plastic tubes
for pedestrian traffic (*all* buildings possess at least one airlock, even in
the Crater). Though not all vehicles are vacuum-safe, all the ones that drive in
the Industrial Zones are. A license certification for "vacuum-driving" is
required for a car to leave a Red Atlanta airlock - all ATC employees, if they
can drive, are required to have this, and the certification test is only
marginally more difficult than the regular test. Less if you liberally apply
cash.

Red Atlanta has 4 airports. All but one are authorized for surface-to-space
transport. That one lies just outside the Crater. Two of the others lie among
the Domes, and the final one lies in the I-Zones. It's mainly used for transport
of freight. 

The class division in Red Atlanta follows corporate lines almost exactly. There
are very VERY few jobs that are not corporate jobs, in some way or another, and
where you stand usually indicates where you live. If you're not in management,
sci-tech, or military, you have less than no chance of landing a home in the
Crater, which leaves the Domes. The physical position of the Dome generally
indicates what class range lives inside - with more middle-class to the left
and lower-class to the right. 

The Martian government is a joke. Officials up for election are usually
employees of a corporation, and employees usually vote along corporation lines.
Thus, the largest corporation usually ends up literally employing most of the
elected officials, either on Mars as a whole, or in individual cities. Red
Atlanta is mostly "owned", surprise surprise, by ATC. This means ATC supplies a
police force, in addition to usually giving citywide discounts to employees.

This of course does not apply in the I-Zones or in the lower-class Domes - a
politician even appearing there is a once in a lifetime event. As a result,
crime is rampant, police are oppressive, and you can buy or sell whatever you
want. Think typical cyperpunk underworld, and you've got it.

A popular pastime in the I-Zones is BloodSuit - an arena-style exosuit fighting
system wildly popular in underpriviledged areas of Mars, and also wildly
illegal. It's a lot like professional wrestling, only with exosuits and also
quite real and unplanned. 

Mars in 2064 is a lot like cyberpunk - dark, dreary, a soulless place sucked to
the bone by the drive of corporations and technology, but with brightness and
hope for those who have the opportunities.

Anything else you need to know, feel free to ask.