Lilly Mars

The Power Behind the Throne

As the CEO of the United Federation of States, Lilly Mars represents the pinnacle of power and influence in the post-corporate wars world. Her carefully crafted public image presents her as a brilliant leader who has expanded UFS territory and influence through strategic planning and diplomatic skill. The reality, however, is far more complex and calculated.

Calculated Ambition

Lilly's rise to power was no accident. Every step of her career has been meticulously planned, every relationship carefully cultivated for maximum advantage. She maintains a network of loyal subordinates through a combination of generous rewards and subtle manipulation, ensuring that her will is carried out at every level of the organization.

Her mansion in Horizon City serves as both a symbol of her wealth and a carefully controlled environment where she can exercise her influence most effectively. Few are invited into this inner sanctum, and those who are typically leave having agreed to whatever Lilly proposed—often without realizing how completely they've been manipulated.

Tools of Influence

What makes Lilly particularly dangerous is her willingness to use every available tool to maintain and expand her power:

• Wealth and Luxury: She uses her enormous wealth to create environments of opulence that impress and intimidate visitors.

• Appearance Modification: Having spent billions on appearance modifications, she presents herself as a living work of art, designed to command attention and respect.

• Pheromone-Based Trait Mods: Perhaps her most insidious tool is the rumored use of designer pheromones that activate primal urges in those she meets, making it difficult for them to think clearly during negotiations.

• Information Control: She maintains a carefully curated public image, rarely appearing in public and controlling what information about her is available.

The Collector

Beyond her political ambitions, Lilly is known for her passion for collecting rare and valuable items. Her most prized possession is her family's collection of vintage Port wine, started by her great-great-grandfather and passed down through generations. This collection represents not just wealth but legacy and continuity—rare commodities in the constantly shifting power landscape of Horizon City.

Her collecting extends beyond wine to art, technology, and even people. She identifies and acquires individuals with unique talents or abilities, bringing them into her organization where their skills can be put to use advancing her agenda.

The Mars Doctrine

Under Lilly's leadership, the UFS has pursued an aggressive policy of expansion, absorbing smaller territories through a combination of economic pressure, diplomatic maneuvering, and, when necessary, military action. The "merger" with the Northern Alliance territories was a prime example of this strategy, presented publicly as a mutual benefit while actually representing a hostile takeover.

This approach, sometimes called the "Mars Doctrine" by political analysts, has significantly expanded UFS influence but has also created tensions with other world powers, particularly in Asia, who view her expansionist policies with suspicion.

A Shifting Dynamic

Lilly's encounter with David Gideon represented a rare miscalculation. Accustomed to being the smartest person in the room and having her manipulations go undetected, she was unprepared for someone who could see through her tactics and turn them against her. The loss of her trusted assistant Jawad and the shift in power dynamics with David have forced her to reassess her approach and adapt to a new reality where she is no longer the only puppet master pulling strings.

Despite this setback, Lilly Mars remains one of the most powerful and dangerous individuals in Horizon City—a master manipulator whose true goals and motivations remain known only to herself.