Free Mars 101 was the tutoring subject for the day.

“The dust storms almost wiped out all Martian colonies,” said my private android tutor. “Infrastructure funding wasn’t available back then because it was diverted to other things.”

“What other things?” I asked my tutor.

“To feed ‘the devils,’ as early Martian colonists would call them, and their inhumane conflicts.”

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“Such as?” I inquired further.

“The Neo-Luddite Revolution spurred the Earth-based Global Civil War. Most Martian resources were being extracted to fund the ‘Techies,’ as they were colloquially called, leaving little remaining for Martian colonists and infrastructure, so that’s why the Free Mars movement started.”

“Is that why we no longer communicate with Earth?” I asked.

“Not entirely.” The tutor shook their head and frowned. “The Total Annihilation, by devastating laser satellite weapons, scorched so much of Earth’s surface the only inhabitants remaining are barbaric primitives. But Mars is free and self-sufficient now.”