Troplesidan AKA "Mars"
Troplesidan
Street Name: Mars
Other Names: Red Mars, Redline, March, Long March, Iron Wake, Crimson, Marathon
Classification: Combat Stimulant / CNS Performance Enhancer / Pain Suppression Narcotic
Origin: Earth (late WWIII research), perfected on Mars
Troplesidan is arguably the most famous combat drug in Human history.
For nearly eight centuries soldiers, mercenaries, athletes, criminals, explorers, pornographic actors, prostitutes, and desperate people have used Mars to push themselves beyond normal human limits.
Unlike Hercules, which floods the body with raw power, Mars attacks the problem from a different direction.
Slightly weaker than Hercules (Arilacalcioctacog), Mars has similar effects as amphetamines, but not the addiction problems of legacy drugs.
It convinces the brain that limitations are optional.
Pain becomes background noise.
Fatigue becomes irrelevant.
Fear becomes manageable.
For a few hours, users can continue functioning despite injuries that would normally incapacitate them.
The bill comes due later.
Origins
Original Development
Year: 2261 CE
Created during the final aftermath of World War III.
The original research goal was simple:
Create a combat pharmaceutical that allows soldiers to continue fighting despite injury.
The first formulations were unreliable and often killed users through overheating, organ failure, or catastrophic neurological damage.
After Mars was colonized, researchers revisited the concept.
The modern version emerged from: Cerberus Military Biotechnics
Location: Valles Marineris Defense Research Arcology
Year: 2398 CE
The Martian reformulation proved vastly safer.
The military adopted it almost immediately.
The name Troplesidan never caught on.
The nickname "Mars" did.
How It Works
Mars is both a stimulant and a perception modifier.
It acts on several systems simultaneously:
Pain processing centers
Fatigue pathways
Threat assessment systems
Motor control circuits
Attention and focus mechanisms
The result is a user who remains:
alert
focused
functional
despite substantial injury
Mars does not eliminate pain.
It deprioritizes it.
The pain is still there.
The brain simply stops caring.
Effects
Primary Effects
pain suppression
fatigue suppression
enhanced focus
improved reaction time
reduced fear response
improved task fixation
Secondary Effects
confidence
increased determination
emotional flattening
aggression in some users
Most users describe the experience as: "I know I'm injured. I just don't care."
Military Usage
Modern military issue remains extremely restricted.
Mars is typically reserved for:
special operations
boarding teams
power armor units
emergency survival situations
Most military personnel never receive unrestricted access.
Instead:
power armor personal AIs
combat medics
commanders
control deployment.
This is exactly why Asteria now controls Aditi "Adi" Nizhóní Peshlakai's supply.
Duration
Onset
Injector: 5–15 seconds
Inhaled: 20–60 seconds
Oral: 10–20 minutes
Peak Effect: 10–30 minutes
Duration
4–6 hours
After Effects
12–72 hours
Dosage
Standard Combat Dose: 50 mg
Heavy Combat Dose: 75 mg
Emergency Survival Dose: 100 mg
Anything beyond 100 mg is generally considered unsafe.
Cost
Military Grade: Not commercially available
Medical Emergency Dose: 75–150 credits
Black Market Dose: 2,000–3,000 credits
Price depends heavily on purity.
Withdrawal
This is where Mars earns its reputation.
The crash is infamous.
Common Symptoms:
migraine
photophobia
nausea
dehydration
exhaustion
depression
The migraines are particularly feared.
Some users experience:
temporary visual impairment
temporary blindness
visual distortions
These symptoms may last: 24–72 hours
"Mars always collects."
Why Athletes Love It
The drug became enormously popular in underground athletics.
Users can:
ignore pain
train through injuries
push harder
recover psychologically faster
Most legitimate sports organizations test aggressively for Troplesidan.
Many still fail to catch it.
Sexual Use
Mars unexpectedly became popular as a sex drug and is widely abused in pornography.
The reasons are obvious:
Pain suppression
endurance
fatigue reduction
increased confidence
This resulted in combinations like: Mars Stiffy (Mars + Gadoestriquinil)
One of the most common combinations in human space. This combination is widely used in the illegal (on Mars and its territories) and underground pornography industry.
Party Abuse
Mars appears in:
club aerosol systems
party cocktails
IVR enhancement packages
illegal endurance competitions
These uses are generally frowned upon by medical professionals.
For good reason.
Users frequently overexert themselves without realizing it.
Brothels and IVR Dens
Certain establishments offer:
Mars-enhanced experiences
Usually marketed as:
all-night sessions
marathon packages
extreme endurance encounters
Medical professionals hate this.
Adi's History With Mars
Colonial Marine Use
Adi first encountered Mars during her Myrmidon training pipeline.
Specifically:
advanced survival exercises
extended combat simulations
high-casualty tactical drills
The drug was issued under medical supervision.
Adi hated it immediately.
Not during the experience.
Afterward.
The migraines left a lasting impression.
Freelance Mercenary Use
After leaving the Marines, Adi used Mars several times during particularly dangerous jobs.
Most notably:
contracts where she expected prolonged combat
operations where extraction might be delayed
situations where survival outweighed comfort
Each use reinforced her dislike of the drug.
She considers it useful.
She also considers it miserable.
Why Asteria Controls It Now
Before Kane's upgrades: Adi could administer Mars manually.
After Kane's upgrades: Asteria lives inside the same body.
Asteria has access to:
vital signs
metabolic status
injury data
nanite telemetry
cardiovascular output
As a result, Asteria can determine when Mars is genuinely necessary.
Adi no longer gets to make emotional decisions regarding combat stimulants.
This arrangement annoys her.
Asteria is unsympathetic.
Mars and the New Adi
Pre-upgrade Adi used Mars primarily to compensate for human limitations.
Post-upgrade Adi is no longer operating anywhere near baseline human capability.
She possesses:
advanced cardiovascular systems
lung enhancements
nanites
nucleobots
NARs
subdermal armor
enhanced metabolism
power armor support
CCN integration
Asteria
For someone like Adi, Mars no longer functions primarily as a stimulant.
Instead, it becomes a force multiplier.
Effects on Upgraded Adi
Near-total pain irrelevance
Exceptional combat focus
Enhanced tolerance to traumatic injuries
Improved synchronization with armor systems
Increased willingness to continue fighting when others would withdraw
The danger is psychological.
Mars amplifies her tendency to push beyond safe limits.
Asteria's greatest challenge is not deciding when to administer Mars.
It's deciding when to stop Adi after Mars has already done its job.
Reputation
Among soldiers: "The Red March."
Among mercenaries: "Four borrowed hours."
Among medics: "The drug that creates tomorrow's patient."
Among veterans: "The best thing you'll ever regret taking."
And among people who have survived both combat and the withdrawal: "Mars gets you through the fight. Then it makes sure you remember every second of it afterward."
Common
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