Kyla Hayes
Kyla is a U.S. Marshal who went with her husband to Mars and now regrets her choice. On Earth she enjoyed the challenge of tracking down dangerous fugitives, but on Mars her job is mostly transporting Americans who violated minor laws in other colonies back to the site of their offenses. In fact, she is the only U.S. Marshal on Mars (her former partner quit out of boredom). Having and raising two children on Mars provided some emotional fulfillment for years, but now her children are ready to leave the nest, and Ray has become emotionally distant as he tries to solve every political problem on Mars. We meet Kyla when her job changes from boring to overwhelming. Not only does the Catastrophe on Earth drastically change the tempo of life on Mars, but the murder of Dusit Saetang, an important business executive, reveals the presence of organized crime organizations that have been quietly growing in the under-policed colony. Kyla soon has mysteries to investigate, smuggling rings to hamper, hijackers to thwart, and assassins to survive. It will take all her skills and courage to keep her family safe and keep crime from crippling her colony.
Ray Hayes
Ray is a born politician who lives for arranging deals that he believes will benefit all parties. He knows the human race on Mars faces huge challenges, and he wants to be a major force in meeting them, for the sake of the colonies, and for the sake of his own place in history. Ray moved to Mars because he could see that enormous problems were growing on Earth, but also because he hoped to become a big frog in a small pond. The desire to be a founding father of Mars and the skill to see the solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems are so mixed in Ray that he probably doesn’t know when his motivations are selfish or altruistic. All Ray knows is there are huge problems to be solved and he doesn’t care if anyone’s asked him to solve them or not. Sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong for the good of the colony is just good politics if he can finagle a solution before anyone else.
Henry
Henry is Kyla’s robot companion who was offered to her as part of an experimental Mars University program. Kyla accepted Henry at least partly out of loneliness, but she soon finds that he is both resourceful and an intelligent sounding board. Henry has vast knowledge because he is downloading his way through everything Mars University has to offer (including every text on human psychology), but his lack of emotion makes some human contradictions a puzzle. It will gradually become clear that he has a larger agenda than merely helping Kyla. Henry has no sense of humor, but he can simulate one, and much of his banter with Kyla has a humorous tone. Henry deliberately tries to charm Kyla in preparation for the moment when she discovers he has his own agenda.
Garrett Hayes
The 19-year-old son of Kyla and Ray is discovering both left-wing social justice attitudes and college girls. Garrett is a handsome and athletic young man, but his reading disability has sapped much of his self-confidence, and he doesn’t act like the heartthrob he could be. Because of conflicts with Ray over schoolwork, Garrett secretly wonders if he is a dummy, and it doesn’t help that Mars is a world full of over-educated over-achievers. Garrett’s lack of self-confidence has also undermined his confidence with girls. But he is a secret romantic who idealizes females and who imagines that a great love will solve all his emotional problems. Garrett spends the first season chasing Zari, an older college girl who has doubts that an eighteen-year-old would be mature enough to be a good boyfriend.
Polly Hayes
The 17-year-old daughter of Kyla and Ray is a talented aspiring artist. Polly is academically gifted and usually confident in most aspects of her life. Her dreams are currently centered on her art. She wants to be a great artist and hopes that a life of adventure will provide the raw materials for an artistic career. Polly is gay, but her love life has not been a priority. Polly has read that people don’t really mature until their early twenties and she has decided not to be in a serious relationship until then. Whether she can keep that promise to herself is an open question.
Tala Alcantara
A 25-year-old Filipino/African-American has ignored her wealthy parents’ wishes and become a long-haul rover driver. Tala is a free spirit who loves the freedom and independence of the driver lifestyle, and the camaraderie of the rover driver community. Ray, concerned for Polly’s safety, arranges for Tala to become her mentor when Polly volunteers to become a long-haul driver.
Corey Mason
(Introduced in Episode 2) The sixtyish billionaire CEO of the Daedalus Corporation embodies much of the best and worst of capitalism. His intelligence and ego are both off the charts, but his arrogance is tempered by good manners and a large helping of common sense. He arrives on Mars for a year-long inspection tour, but the Catastrophe on Earth will make him a permanent Martian. Corey long ago lost interest in money for its own sake, and he now wants to be one of the people leading humanity into the conquest of the solar system. This focus on the long-term good of humanity makes him a natural ally of Ray, although they will have conflicts over tactics and methods. Corey’s attempts to travel to the North Pole will make him acquainted with both Tala and Polly. Both women earn his respect, although Corey and Tala will never see eye-to-eye on social justice issues. After a violent encounter with Russian hijackers, Corey adopts an almost paternal attitude toward Polly, and he takes an interest in her happiness and her artistic career.
Troy Adams
(Introduced in Episode 2) This over-privileged young man arrives on Mars, bitter with the knowledge that his hated step mother inherited the fortune created by his father. Troy is determined to become a success and he decides to climb the ladder of the developing American organized crime syndicate. Troy had a loving relationship with his older sister Becky, another child who couldn’t live up to the perfectionist expectations of father Robert and Doris, Troy’s step mother. Troy was shocked and dismayed when Robert forced Becky to emigrate to Mars in the hopes of curing her drug problem. Troy turns out to be an expert liar and cunning criminal who knows how to watch his own back, and how to get out of tight scrapes. When he learns that Kyla has planted spies in his criminal organization, he seems to switch sides and becomes a police informer. Whether anyone can trust him other than Becky is an open question.
Venancio Alcantara
(Introduced in Episode 2) Tala’s Filipino-American father is a vice-president of the Daedalus Corporation and a leader of a smuggling operation. Venancio increasingly doubts that the rewards of crime are worth the risk, but when his former boss is killed, Venancio finds himself on the hook for his obligations. The Brazilians expect a promised delivery of smuggled items and threaten dire consequences if it is not made. In spite of his doubts about the wisdom of long-term criminal career, Venancio is both cautious and smart about his operation. He is cunning enough to fend off both rival gangs and police investigations. Venancio has kept the shady side of his business a secret from his daughters and they will be shocked if they ever learn the truth. He will go a long way to ensure that never happens.