With slow deliberation, I lowered my Galaxy Horizon Far Seeking Binoculars. It had been more than an hour since I had last rested my eyes. Day after day, I had scanned the far skies beyond the atmosphere of Planet Earth. The last communication to arrive from Outer Space Command (OutCom) relayed definite information that a delegation had departed Outreach Mars to attend a coalition meeting with United Federation Earth or U-Fed as it was more commonly called.

It had been one hundred and fifty years since the first colony had been established on Mars. Since that time, many earthlings had relocated to the next planet from the sun to establish a permanent settlement. The settlement had thrived and grown until vast domed cities had sprung up to cover most of the surface of our nearest neighbors. Children had been born, families had grown, and the first generation of colonists had begun to die away. The people of Mars no longer referred to themselves as Transplanted Earthlings; they wanted to be known as Martians.

Until recently, all decisions concerning Mars were decided by U-Fed. The people of Mars were ruled by the laws of Earth and taxed by our standards. What started out as minor complaints had grown into outright hostilities between the planets. Several delegations had already met at U-Fed headquarters in the metropolis of Brasilia in the South American country of Brazil. If the situation wasn't stabilized soon, we were headed toward a War of Worlds.

My mind reached out to my friend Kev-Tran. Ever since Ultra-Space Net had become fully operational, I had been communicating with my Martian counterpart. Beginning as a simple exchange of ideas between citizens of different planets, our correspondence had grown into a strong friendship. If war were on the near horizon, I wondered if we would be able to maintain our exchange of letters.

Sighing, I turned my eyes and my binoculars toward the far-reaching space between the Earth and Mars. No detectable movement appeared within my view. As a soldier, Lt. Petra-Stargazer, I had to place my focus upon the mission ahead of me yet, as a woman, my mind turned toward the loss of friendship between Kev-Tran and myself and all the others who would lose friends and connections that had been gained between the planets throughout the years.

It had been an hour and a quarter since my last break when the voice of First Commander Stark barked into my Intra-Lobe Hearing Device. The news was stunning: an Unmanned Interstellar Flying Devise (Inter-Fling) had penetrated Earth's atmosphere and had bombed the city of Jaipur, India, which had recently emerged as a chief exporter of electronic devices to Mars. Recent news had indicated a bone of contention concerning hefty taxes applied only to Martian exports of the products manufactured there. Further communications announced another bombing of the Bahamas a long-established banking hub. Without hesitation, I once again began scanning the horizon. It was apparent we were under attack. We could no longer expect a delegation of officials to arrive. Mars had revolted. In a blinking of an eye, the War for Martian Independence had begun.