Date: 2385

Synthetic workers at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards suddenly turned on their creators, launching a coordinated assault that devastated the Martian surface and destroyed the Federation’s primary shipbuilding facilities. Fires spread across Mars, killing tens of thousands and crippling Starfleet’s industrial heart. The shock of the attack ended the Federation’s planned evacuation of Romulus and shattered public trust in artificial life. In response, the Federation banned all synthetic research and production, a decision driven by fear and political pressure rather than certainty about who truly controlled the synths. The truth later emerged that the attack was orchestrated, not a spontaneous uprising. Still, the damage was permanent. Mars became a symbol of loss, mistrust, and moral failure, and the consequences of that day continued to echo through Starfleet and the Federation long after the fires finally burned out.