Alien Presence

Prehistory
-More clouds, and a slightly closer distance from the sun allows life to flourish on Mars. -Venus's atmosphere is significantly less cloudy allowing for a temperature favorable to life.

Modern Day
In 1884 William Wallace Campbell, an American astronomer shows through spectroscopic analysis that Mars likely has water and an atmosphere.

In 1962 Mariner 2 looks at Venus. It detects a temperature just a little hotter than Earth's. This results in increased interest in Venus. In 1964 the probe Mariner 3 takes pictures indicating ground life, although it does not detect any sapient life. It samples the atmosphere detecting it is breathable. At the same time Mariner 4 indicates the same about Mars. President Johnson announces that instead of going to the moon the first mission would be to Venus. In response the Soviet Union decides they will seek a landing on Mars first.

In 1969 Apollo 11 lands on Venus. After exploring for a while the astronauts run into Venutians. The Venutians don't understand anything the Humans are saying, and think the astronauts are demons. They begin attacking the humans with swords and bows and arrows. In the ensuing fight they begin shooting the Venutians. The Venutians show a mixed reaction. Some panic and hide. A few stand still and drop their weapons as though surrendering. The astronauts decide to take the injured Venutian to get medical help. The team's medic knows nothing about Venutian biology but is able to get the bullet out and bandage the wound. The Venutian is taken back to Earth. While talking to the Venutian much is learned of his language(not the only Venutian language though), and that Venus was in the middle ages as far as technology. The Americans had landed in what they would refer to as the Miznagred Empire, a close approximation to the word the Venutian used for it, which is unpronouncable to humans.

A later mission, Apollo 12 lands on Venus in 1970. The Venutian goes with an American team including a diplomat and meets with the Miznagred Emperor, Emperor Vr'nath. The Venutian is made the ambassador to the United States and sent back with a larger staff of Venutians. The Ameican diplomat remains on Venus. Emperor Vr'nath is currently embroiled in a war with the bordering L'pix Republic. The Americans broker a peace treaty, and another American becomes the L'pix diplomat with a L'pix going to America. The treaty establishes peace, fixing current borders in place and offers both countries significant access to American technology. Many Americans stay on Venus in order to help train the Venutians in improving technology and particularly training the militaries of the two countries to use it.

The Soviets still working on Mars decide they have a vital in Venus now that the Americans had interacted with them. In 1971 the N-1 makes a mission to Venus to land in about the same place the Americans had. At the same time the Americans Soviet spies had obtained classified CIA documents detailing the Miznagred language, which they speak as best as they can. Upon coming into contact with the Venutians the Soviets say "we come in peace." Then they explain to them where they're from. The Soviets discover that there is a lot of discontent among the serfs, slaves, and peasantry. They preach communism, and promise great technological growth. The Soviets begin passing out weapon caches to the people. In 1972 the Miznagred Revolution begins.