The Setting of Armitage III
The storylines of the Armitage III features spans two worlds--Earth
and Mars. Though similar, the two worlds are actually quite different,
and do not always agree on policy. Mars has its own government, separate
from Earth’s Federation, but the two governments generally work side by
side, especially in recent years since the passing of a trade treaty in
2179. Earth is desperately trying to claim Mars as a colony, but Martians
are proud of their relative independence. Though Mars does rely on Earth
to supply many goods, Martians are working to lower that reliance, and
such ‘agitators’ have become targets for the Earth Federation.
Both planets, the cities of St. Lowell and Chicago (where the action
of the storylines take place) and organizations important to both worlds
are described in this section.
Mars
The largest city on Mars is St. Lowell, and most important business or
political groups have a presence there. The first attempts to terra-form
Mars began in the 2020s, but never reached their full conclusion, completing
about half of the job before being ended. The ‘greening’ of the rest of
the planet has been of vital concern to many Martians ever since, and only
with the very recent melting of space ice chunks onto the equator has Mars
gained its own viable water supply.
The laws of Mars are enforced by the Martian Police Department, including
the specialized Technical Criminal SWAT created to deal with robotic crimes
and marionette terrorism. The Martian military is composed of large numbers
of Second-type robot soldiers and robotic vehicles, though the officers
and higher echelons are all human. They put down insurrections and protect
government officials, as well as delivering force where and when the government
deems it necessary.
Robots are commonplace on Mars, especially Second-types--much more so
than on Earth. The large number of robots once provided a workforce to
help the small number of Martians, but as the population has slowly expanded
more and more people are seeing the robots as ‘job-stealers’ and want them
gone. Groups of robot-haters such as the Neo-Humanists commit acts of terrorism
against robotics production companies as well as individual robots, and
even some more moderate Martians feel that there are too many robots.
St. Lowell
The largest city on Mars, St. Lowell is the hub of travel around the planet
and off the world. Nearly all goods sold outside the city where they are
produced pass through St. Lowell en route to their destination, and most
Martian corporations have their headquarters there. Based in a terra-formed
area of Mars but surrounded largely by desert, St. Lowell is a city which
has built up rather than out. Numerous layers balanced atop each other
reach high into the sky, and buildings both rise from and hang below the
layers to produce a dark, busy, dirty city which has some areas open to
the light and others that have not seen the sun since they were constructed.
Robots of all types and occupations fill St. Lowell, and they have become
so common that only the robot-haters seem to notice them anymore. Architecture
in the city follows one of two traditions, futurism or retrospect, in about
even numbers. Futurism involves a high-tech, glossy look, while retrospect
produces more of a brick and mortar feel and has a homier edge to it. These
architecture styles are mirrored in art, vehicle design, and many other
aspects of Martian culture as well.
St. Lowell is policed by the Martian Police Department, including the
TCS, and crime is moderate, though marionette terrorism has been slowly
rising for several years. Most air or space travel is handled at the St.
Lowell Spaceport, though private shuttles may leave from other areas with
proper clearance.
Earth
Earth is ruled by a feminist government that keeps the peace and ensuing
law and order all across the planet. Robots are common on Earth although
not as widespread in use as on Mars. Still, anti-robotic sentiments are
even stronger there than on Mars. though nowhere near as common as on Mars,
and Earth-made robots have slave circuitry implanted to ensure they can
never disobey their owners.
Earth’s military is much more human-centric, though the use of robotic
powered armour is fairly widespread. The military serves the Federation
by keeping the peace globally and invading in force where dissenters cause
trouble. The strong-arm tactics have kept the Earth together as a quasi-nation
thus far, but many intelligent people are leaving for Mars to escape this
quiet oppression.
Chicago
Chicago is one of the most important cities on Earth. It contains major
world government facilities, as well as the corporate headquarters for
Earth Robotics Union. More importantly perhaps, it is home to O’hare Airport
and the Orbital Booster Tower from which most Martian departures and arrivals
take place. It is a sprawling metropolis many times its current size. Its
streets run through deep, artificial canyons of glass and steel.
Important Organizations
Mars Police Department--Technical Criminal SWAT
Created in response to the growing number of crimes involving robots, the
Technical Criminal SWAT (or TCS) is theoretically responsible for investigating
and stopping so-called ‘marionette terrorism’. This specialized type of
crime involves the reprogramming of robots to perform illegal tasks, act
as saboteurs, or even become walking bombs set off by their controllers.
These types of crimes are on the rise on Mars, as there is a high chance
of success and a low possibility of getting caught.
To put a stop to such terrorism, the Mars Police Department created
the TCS, but the actual duties of the squad have mainly involved the investigation
of light robot crimes and acting as figureheads to reassure the public
that the problem is being addressed. This is because the robotics industry
is deeply rooted in the entire economy of Mars and so the robot manufacturers
have massive political influence. Most TCS investigations are stopped by
the manufacturers to cover themselves from any public backlash and to keep
robot purchases high, as robot crimes give robots bad publicity. This is
what happened during the Third investigation, and only Armitage and Ross
going rogue allowed that mystery to be solved.
The head of the TCS is Lieutenant Larry Randolph, a good man who chafes
at the pressures the robot manufacturers apply. His subordinates include
Lowell Gantz, a robotics expert; Eddie Barrows, a street-smart detective;
Chris Brown, an idealistic young cop; Kim Grace, Chris’ girlfriend and
the organizational backbone of the squad; and whatever MPD officers or
robots are assigned to the squad for a specific case. Both Armitage and
Ross were once members of the TCS, and actually met on the job, though
both left to further pursue the mystery of the Thirds.
Earth Federation
Over time, the Earth became more of a global community than a bunch of
disparate nations. This growing fellowship eventually led to the formation
of the Earth Federation, which acts as a global government for the entire
Earth. The Federation keeps the peace between the many different peoples
of the Earth, and represents the planet as a whole in dealings with Mars.
This has allowed Earth to grow in many ways, as borders fell and the traditional
idea of nations began to lose its meaning, but has also contributed to
the rise in power among corporations. It is the rich corporations that
truly rule the Earth Federation, and Chairwoman Everheart is mostly a figurehead.
Earth has a shadow government behind the Federation that wields incredible
influence. This is nothing new, as corporations have done so for many decades,
but having a global government gives those shadowy figures a greater amount
of power than ever before. It is the influence of these corporations that
took steps such as the First Error to make Earth robots with obedience
circuitry more popular than imported Martian models of better manufacture.
Business dealings such as that are what make the Earth Federation continue
to work.
Martian Development Foundation
The Martian Development Foundation is the main backer of most projects
designed to continue the terraforming of Mars and those designed to generally
improve the Martian way of life. Led by Chairman Frederick O’Hara, the
Foundation is one of the greatest influences on how Mars will grow and
what life will be like in the coming years. Their voice is one of the loudest
for robot rights as well, as nearly all of their plans for the future include
robots working side-by-side with humans and coexisting peacefully. Studies
on the future growth and development of Mars by the Foundation have consistently
shown robots to be a key part of a successful plan, and so the Foundation
supports robots however it can. This has earned it quite a bit of support
from robotics manufacturers on Mars like Hu-Gite and Conception, as people
who follow the Foundation’s plans will have more need than ever for their
products and services. The Earth Federation, however, is opposed to the
Foundation, as any increase in Martian independence is a threat to Earth’s
hold over Mars. The issue of robots has been one of the consistent stumbling
blocks in relations between Earth and Mars.
Hu-Gite
The foremost producer of robots on Mars, Hu-Gite is a massive corporation
which wields a lot of influence with the Martian government. Many of the
Seconds in use on Mars are of Hu-Gite manufacture, especially those in
the entertainment industry. Hu-Gite specializes in the production of female
beauties with sculpted bodies who wear skimpy and tight clothes and exist
only to please humans. Such robots are found as stewardesses, waitresses,
exotic dancers, and in many cases in the homes of lonely men where they
act as living sex dolls designed to please their master. Sex with robots
is much easier than dating a human or having a relationship, and Hu-Gite
capitalizes on this by selling incredibly sexy robots to customers, often
to meet their specific specifications in appearance and programming. Want
a blond with blue eyes, large breasts, and a penchant for bondage? Sure.
A redhead dressed like a schoolgirl but built like a woman? Can do. In
some cases, as robots have no rights and do not count as people, robots
in child form are sold to perverted men. This may be disgusting and disturbing,
but it is legal, and Hu-Gite makes a lot of its money selling robotic sex
or sexuality.
Hu-Gite does also produce other types of robots, from simple First-types
to other Seconds like bodyguards, garbagemen, etc. Not all Hu-Gite employees
approve of the corporation’s focus, and many of the smaller robotics companies
have been formed in recent years by groups of skilled workers leaving Hu-Gite
in disgust. Even so, sales remain steady, and as long as there is a market
for their product Hu-Gite will continue to produce it.
Conception
The Conception corporation pioneered the new Second-type robot around 2169,
and when the project met with overwhelming success they put Dr. Asakura
and his team, including Rene D’Anclaude, to work on making further improvements
that would lead to the development of Assassinroids, Armitage and the Third-types.
Despite their robotics genius, however, Conception lacked the marketing
strategies and aggressive advertising campaigns of Hu-Gite and began slowly
losing sales to the other company. These sales losses continued and got
worse, as Hu-Gite secured its foothold in the robotics industry and quickly
moved to block Conception in key areas of growth. Industrial espionage
and aggressive hiring of Conception employees put Hu-Gite in the lead as
far as production of improvements to robot models went, and this only widened
the gap, leaving Conception as it is now.
The failure of the Third project and the growth of Hu-Gite has kept
Conception in the other corporation’s shadow. It still produces many Second-type
robots and is the second-largest manufacturer of robots on Mars, but is
no longer the name that comes to mind when cutting-edge robotics is discussed.
Respected for the quality of its robots and its commitment to service,
Conception is still a popular choice among people shopping for robots,
and is still an enormous corporation--it just isn’t what it once was, or
what it could have been.
Earth Robotronics Union
The largest producer of robots on Earth, the Earth Robotronic Union faces
stiff competition from imported Martian models lacking obedience circuitry
and is constantly using influence to try to get trade laws passed. Led
by President Heming, the Union is a powerful corporation whose Second-type
robots all contain slave circuitry to ensure the obedience of robots to
humans. Of lower quality than Martian robots, the Union’s robots are only
bought by people who fear robots and need the slave circuitry to feel safe.
Demitrio Mardini was an officer of the company, and his plan to make
the Robot Rights Bill fail by creating the First Error and increasing paranoia
about robots was designed to increase sales of Union robots. The Bill was
the major target of the plan, however, for if robots were given rights
then slave circuitry would become illegal and there would be nothing enticing
people to choose Earth robots over the better Martian models.
Martian First Network
The largest entertainment network on Mars, the Martian First Network (or
MFN) is the main source of news and distraction for the people of Mars.
Large screens broadcast its news shows in public areas for all to see,
and few people on Mars question the information they get from MFN. This
gives the network quite a bit of power, and it is often used by the Martian
government or large corporations to downplay bad news or provide a good
public relations face through scripted interviews and selective release
of information. The anchorpeople on MFN are of course all good-looking
charismatic people who appear to lack a mind of their own, and the network
even employs a few Second-type robots during its broadcasts to act as novelties
or the butt of jokes.
Neo-Humanists
The Neo-Humanist movement grew out of a group that originally worked for
the ‘greening’ of Mars, but mutated as time passed into an angry group
of robot-hating people who felt that robots were the cause of all of Mars’
problems. Neo-Humanists are especially incensed by the recent upsurge in
the use of robots for menial labour. Every robotic waitress, they say,
is one less human with a job- every robotic stewardess is one more human
who has to live on the street. The only exceptions are extremely dangerous
jobs that only robots can do with even a modicum of safety- such jobs are
considered ‘beneath humans’ and all that robots are good for.
The preferred Neo-Humanist tactic in recent years is to reprogram robots
to be used against the enemy, programming them for suicide bombings or
other acts of terrorism designed to frighten store owners who employ robots
instead of humans or even put them out of business entirely. A group once
dedicated to the improvement of Mars has degenerated into a bunch of murdering
hate-mongers, and they show no signs of stopping. Neo-Humanists are the
most common target of TCS raids, but evidence against the humans behind
the terrorism is hard to find so this has had little effect.
Armitage III, Poly-Matrix, and Dual-Matrix are TM
and Copyright © 1994-2003 Pioneer Entertainment Inc. (USA)
Used without permission. No infringement or challenges
to ownership intended.
Page created by Steve
Miller, August 8, 2003