Fellow Mars Explorers, 

I have recently finished the First Mars Explorer Fan Fiction (available here: http://marsxplr.com/view-734), and, given a very kind offer from flyclub, a fictional series of stories will appear in the Weekly Martian, eventually. Before I begin writing, I wanted to ask you what you think it should include. Since it is fictional, it can include some of the features listed on the Future page, or about anything else you can come up with. However, crossovers with other Sci-fi series would be rare, and not related to the regular storyline. (Exception for other Mars stories.) The premise of this first series is that a team of explorers was sent to Mars for research and mapping. Radio contact was lost, and the images of the base revealed total destruction. (This team was essentially Mars Explorer 1.0.) A second team is sent to find out what happened and continue their research. (Mars Explorer 1.9 and later.) What they encounter surprises them. I want to ask you about:

1) Character Names/Occupations (Personality, skills/job name, age, gender, etc.)

2) Vehicles/technology (What vehicles and what type of weapons/devices.)

3) Story Ideas (Topics for episodes, deciding the purpose, such as discovery, character development, comedy, etc.)

Please reply with ideas on these topics. 

Story Links:

Part 1: Not Alone

Part 2: A Spy Unrealized

Part 3: The Journey

How to Create a Character

Congratulations to fly club, the first Mars Explorer to create a character (Flynn Clubaire, whose nickname is Fly Club)! You can create a character. Just reply on this post or PM me with the following information about your character:

 Info to provide:

In order from most important to least)

1) Personality 

2) Skills/job (such as piloting, engineering, communications/linguistics, scientific research, etc.) 

3) Name (For the sake of simplicity in the story line, all characters are humans from Luna or Terra. Therefore, they should have human names. The language the name originates from does not matter (but please, no Pig Latin).

4) Age (While it would be funny to have kids on Mars, I rather doubt that Ender Wiggin would be on Mars to explore/search and rescue.)

5) Gender (The last one is to help me. You may have noticed some awkward phrasing in Welcome to Mars. This is because I do not know who to refer to as he, she, or any other applicable descriptor. With the inclusion of a gender for your character, the wording of the series will be much smoother and considerably more varied. )

Please include any other information about your character that you feel is relevant (EG: birthday, years of service, etc.)

(Note: As of yet, no medical staff characters have been created. Also, no more than two character ideas, preferably one.)

 Important: If you create a character, you have first say in their profession, characteristics, and personality of said character. I reserve the right to decide the character's rank. Please remember that, as the Mars Explorer Team is semi military, but mostly exploratory/scientific, your character should probably have multiple skills, including some scientific experience. Also, I will not kill off your character without your permission. 

Sincerely,

Picard

First Official Character:

Flynn Clubaire

Nickname: Fly club

Job: Engineer

Background: The first Mars mission's failure was somewhat pinned on him, as the cause was attributed to mechanical failure. Very happy for a second chance, but worried about messing up. Does not really believe that engineering errors are the reason the first mission failed, but has a small bit of inner doubt on the subject. Mission Commander Falconer pulled rank to get him put on the active mission team.

Other: One of only five team members to test pilot the buggies on Earth.

Created by: fly club (flyclub)

Age: 28

Second Official Character:

Aubrey Falconer

Nickname: (Undecided, I leave this bit up to Aubrey)

Job: Team leader.

Background: Convinced the World Space Program to fund a investigation/exploration mission to Mars to retrieve certain data on what happened to the outpost. Very much invested in the project, he is determined to get to Mars because of a very important message that he received, which was dated as sent at approximately 1 hour before the destruction of the outpost.

Hobbies: Chess and Laserball (Combination of Paintball, Lasertag, and Airsoft.)

Other: One of only five team members to test pilot the buggies on Earth.

Created by: Aubrey Falconer (admin)

Third Official Character:

Christian Krieger 

Nickname: Christian Warrior

Job: Security Chief

As Security Chief of the Mars Explorer Team, Christian Krieger is the resident weapons expert. Takes his job seriously, but is still friendly. Skilled at driving, flying, and shooting.

Hobbies: Musical Instruments and Gadgets

Created by: christianwarrior (christianwarrior)

Age: 23

Fourth Official Character:

Spiridon T. Brand

Nickname: Spitfire

Job: Head Geologist

With a sense of humor and an excavation bag, Spiridon T. Brand is the team's head geologist. Happiest in the field, he has been known to speak to rocks.

Hobbies: Collects/studies airplanes (model and actual).

Created by: supermarinespitfire (supermarinespitfire)

Age: 29

Fifth Official Character:

Tessla Glast

Job: Head of Analysis Department, Astronomer

Nickname: TBA

Fun loving Tessla Glast is in charge of the Analysis division of the team, but also works in the Astronomy division. Often focuses on a discussion to the exclusion of all else. She has been known to miss her stop in an elevator when talking with a friend.

Created by: Dynamic Diamond/GLAST (dinamicdiamond)

Age: 27

Sixth Official Character:

Frederick William Vorst

Job: Team Counselor

Nickname: Early Bird, for his habit of waking up at 5 AM.

Despite the icy last name, Frederick Vorst is a friendly face to the entire team. When off duty, can often be found with friends in the lounge. Also is reasonably good with computers. 

Hobbies: Designing small computer games, caring for his pet owl.

Other: One of only five team members to test pilot the buggies on Earth.

Created by: Frost Guerilla (freewillie-eb.1)

Age: 26

Seventh Official Character:

Thomas Babage.

Nickname: BabaG

Job: Chief Science Officer

Despite being the youngest team member, Thomas Babage is wise beyond his years. Simulator scores are remarkably high. 

Hobbies: Simulator games, philosophical debate.

Created by: babaG (babag)

Age: 21

Eighth Official Character:

Orion Wilson

Nickname: (The) Dude

Job: Mechanic, assistant engineer

A normally relaxed person, Orion Wilson always learns from his mistakes. A combination of common sense and good judgement prevents him from making too many in the first place. He possesses only a mild temper, but fiddling (or tampering, as he calls it) with a vehicle he is working on is one thing he will not stand for. His past prior to joining the team is a general mystery, and the topic of much off-duty speculation. 

Hobbies: Mars has always fascinated Orion, and he knows more about it than almost any other team member. His hobby of Martian Cartography makes him just about the only person from Earth who wouldn't get lost on the Red Planet's surface.

Age: Mid 30s.

Other: One of only five team members to test drive the buggies on Earth.

Created by: The Dude (thedude)

Ninth Official Character: 

Speffin Jay

Nickname: Spiffy

Job: Head Chef, occasional lounge operator. General Jack of All Trades, he is a reasonably good pilot. Can help with almost any job.

A good sense of humor and an as-needed serious attitude describes Speffin Jay. Known to think out loud, he can often be found listening to stories told in the lounge. His repertoire of popular recipes (including the classic PB&J sandwich) help the team to stay happy and well fed. He has a lurking fear of monsters.

Age: 32, but doesn't look a day over 25.

Other: One of only five team members to test pilot the buggies on Earth. A surgery to save his hand had an interesting side effect: he can now close his right pinky against his palm without moving any other fingers on that hand.

Created by: Spiffy (pb&j)

Tenth Official Character:

Andre Jean-Luc Picard

Nickname: Picard, but will answer to Jean-Luc and Andre as well. 

Job: First Officer/Scientist

Thought before action is often Andre Picard's choice, but spontaneity occasionally causes unusual results. Fun loving, but philosophical, his middle name is a result of personal choice, due to the influence of a certain fictional Starfleet Captain. While a scientist by training, he will not allow his field of study to interfere with his duty to the team.

Hobbies: Has attempted to revive the ancient pastime of Nerfing, with some success. An excellent baker, he occasionally works in the kitchen with Speffin Jay. Can make a lot of different dishes, but prefers to make desserts or breads. Trains in the simulator often. Holds occasional discussion in the lounge on a variety of topics. 

Other: Has one recipe that he will not share with anyone: Crunchy Lebkuchen with Pumpkin filling. Speaks English, French, and Spanish (The last to a lesser degree than the two prior languages).

11th Official Character:

Dustin Brown

Nickname: Tiger 

Job: Chief Technician 

The tallest member of the team, Dustin Brown only joined the team a year ago. He is already able to operate 90% of the equpment. Second highest tested IQ on the team, he has a bit of a temper when people touch gadgets that he's working on. Dependable during field work.

Hobbies: Lacrosse and football. 

Age: 24

Created by: Tigerstorm4CHRI (Tigerstorm4CHRI) (Formerly Sandersson)

12th Official Character:

Jason Kestrel

Nickname: Solar Flare, Jay

Job: Flight Team Leader, Director of Technology.

Although his job as head of information services is occasionally tedious, Jason Kestrel is one of the top pilots of the team. Current record time for fixing a nearly functionless computer: 2 days. However, he does not suffer fools gladly. 

Age: 25

Created by: J-Elite1

13th Official Character: 

Joshua Richards

Nickname: 52 (Number of hours exploring)

Job: Scout

When someone gets blasted down from the volcano in the sim room, a check of the ID of the buggy at the top usually reveals that it is Joshua Richards. The 'perfect shot' of the team, his preferred vantage point is from the highest peak. At present, he is the only team member to go beyond the boundaries of the simulations, into the empty space beyond. While he doesn't get lost, he does get sidetracked when exploring, and has been known in the simulator room for 4 hours in a row. Is already on the list for scouting expeditions when the team reaches Mars. 

Hobbies: Racing, Exploring, Sniping.

Age: 22

Created by: 52 (52)

14th Official Character:

Robert Garret

Job: Janitor/Junior Tech

Nickname: The Human Iceberg (Never said to his face.)

Not much known. Applied for a job, and has done his job well, but isn't very sociable. More about him in the Second part of the story.

Hobbies: Nobody knows.

Age: 43

Created by: SDR 1. ELITE 1.(2cul2play)

15th Official Character:

Robert Andrews

Job: Xenoarchaeologist

Nickname: Jackal (For attention paid in double-checking previous dig sites for finds.)

Lauded for discovery of previously unknown cultures on Earth (including a now extinct human civilization on Antarctica), Robert Andrews takes pride in his work, but does not brag. The Mars Mission will be his first actual use of his Xenoarchaeology training.

Age: 34

Created by: Ω (jackal)

16th Official Character:

Lizzle Montgomery

Job: Communications/Photography

Lizzle is a very outgoing kind of girl. She is friends with all of her teammates. She is a very good multi-tasker, but she takes forever to learn things. When she's not exploring Mars with the team she is either swimming or horse back riding. With all of the emerging technologies available to the team, she hopes to invent the sport of Lava Skiing.

Age: 21

Created by: Lizzle

17th Official Character:

Ariel Johnson

Job: Technician, works in kitchen on occasion.

Ariel Johnson is hard to anger and polite, often making use of his intellect and wit. He isn't the best pilot on the team, but he is good at tweaking the vehicles to improve performance. When off-duty, he usually works in the kitchen with Spiffy.

Age: 29

Created by: supercheese

18th Official Character:

Maize

Job: R&D

Reclusive and secretive, Maize’s real name is nearly unpronounceable. A physicist by training, he spends most of his time closeted in his lab. He rarely speaks, but dislikes being disturbed. No one knows his origins, though rumors have been spreading that he is from another time.

Age: Unknown.

Created by: El Maiz (matthew)

19th official character:

Jackson Brown

Job: R&D (Emphasis on the Design)

A skilled designer, Jackson Brown joined the team with his older brother. Somewhat reclusive, he prefers designing vehicles to piloting them. Has a quick temper with those who alter his designs without permission. Has friendly arguments with his brother on a number of topics. Dustin's talents complement his, making them a good team. Not the most skilled at flying or combat, he is usually found on the station at work on a new design. 

Hobbies: Drawing cities, debate. 

Age: 22

20th Official Character:

Eric Simon

Nickname: Killer Dude

21st Official Character:

First Team Characters:

1) John Thompson: Leader of the first mission team. Methodical, a scientist first. Age 30 (At time of base loss.) MIA, presumed dead.

2) Miguel Lopez: Expert Pilot from the first team. A bit of a show off. Also Executive Officer. Age 29 (At time of base loss.) MIA, presumed dead.

3) Lauren Collins: Chief engineer of the first team. Gruff but fun-loving. Age 26 (At time of base loss.) MIA, presumed dead.

4) Rudolph (Rolf) Kastner: First Team's Chief Medical Officer. Quiet, thoughtful. Cautious. Age 27 (At time of base loss.) MIA, presumed dead.

General Technological Overview:

Hovercraft, buggies, and any other vehicles keep their occupants alive and active during extremely rapid maneuvers through the use of graviton cushions (Similar to inertial dampers), which cancel out the effects of inertia. Lasers are able to cycle between training modes and active modes. The blue materialization cloud is actually a graviton cloud that slows a vehicle down on reentry and launches it back to the space station when needed. Electromagnetic fields accelerate the vehicle to gravitational escape velocities that are aided by the presence of the null-G graviton cloud. EM fields also hold gravitons in place to prevent dispersion. Source of power for all of devices: Wings are plasma contained by a graviton field and kept in shape by electromagnets. The reset button is actually a Graviton Recall that takes 10 seconds to charge, and once charged vibrates the craft at extreme speeds and accelerates it directly to the nearest high concentration of gravitons (namely, the Graviton cloud). Power source is: fusion reaction as main power source, antimatter reactors for the first team, high capacity batteries with thermoelectric power supplement/hydrogen fuel for the buggies, and an experimental system that uses gravitons to accelerate fuel for the jets and hovercrafts. 

Setting:

Main base of second team is located on Mars' moon Phobos, with a few ground bases (not yet) and a signal relay on Deimos. 

Current Installment details the object and the trail. No, it hasn't been posted yet.

Sincerely,

Picard

The Misadventures of Vader: A series of short stories starring Ted (Vader) (Completely fictional). Anyone who wishes to be in one needs only to PM me with permission to use their game name for the story, and a basic description of what they would do in a certain situation. Also may include some recurring characters.

Note: A recurring character can simply be your game name, with no further info, your game name with a basic personality profile of yourself, or a fictional contrivance with a real world name. (See waffleboy's example.)

First Misadventure: Welcome to Mars

Character 1: Ted (Vader)

Not a noob, but not the best, he seems to get into all sorts of trouble on Mars. First, a virus and a lightning bolt trapped players in the game. While everyone is fine now, who knows what will happen to him next.

Character 2: Jimi James 

Game Name: Waffleboy

Real life job: Salesman (Specifically, telemarketer)

Generally funny and carefree, Jimi James has a sarcastic streak that shows when he's annoyed. Is great at his job, and is able to sell about anything. (Not so great at refunding.) Tests fireworks in his free time (Indoors), loves about any music, and rocks out on Guitar Hero regularly. Idolizes Oxi Clean salesman Billy Mays (one of the few people with a better sales record than him.) Uses about any vehicle, prefers buggy, and is good with the sniper laser. 

Age: 25