The Thark–Helium Alliance

This flow traces the changing relationship between Green and Red Martians from entrenched hostility to military cooperation and diplomatic friendship.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Raid on the Expedition

Contact Through Violence Red ships arrive A peaceful Helium expedition approaches Korad in airships, carrying banners that signal its noncombatant purpose. The Tharks answer with a sudden, devastating volley. Enmity made personal The attack destroys ships and kills their crews, leaving Dejah Thoris in Thark hands. Carter’s sympathy for the unknown red people reveals the emotional cost of a conflict the Tharks treat as routine.

The Heliumite Argument

A Proposal Beyond War Shared survival Dejah Thoris argues that the red people’s scientific work sustains air and water for all Barsoom. She asks the Tharks to replace inherited hostility with cooperation. Custom resists change The council hears her, and Tars Tarkas seems moved, but violence silences the appeal. The moment reveals that the conflict is maintained by social habits as much as by military necessity.

An Alliance Proposed

Common Interest Replaces Hatred A political calculation Carter proposes that Thark help Helium, offering both a chance to rescue Dejah Thoris and the prospect of substantial loot. Tars Tarkas recognizes that cooperation could also secure resources for his people. The hordes mobilize Multiple Green Martian groups accept the expedition. The alliance begins as a convergence of self-interest, but shared military risk will give it a deeper meaning.

Zodanga’s Defeat

War Turns Toward Liberation A coordinated assault Carter opens the city’s defenses and leads Tharks into the palace during Dejah Thoris’s wedding ceremony. Their attack shatters the regime that has besieged Helium. A new political balance The victory gives the Tharks a role in Red Martian affairs beyond raiding and warfare. It also makes the rescue of Dejah Thoris part of a broader settlement between former enemies.

Friends at the Palace

Enemies Receive Each Other A public welcome Tardos Mors greets Tars Tarkas as a friend and ally rather than a barbarian. The formal exchange marks a shift from temporary battlefield coordination to recognized diplomacy. A changed Thark leader Tars Tarkas credits Carter with teaching his people the meaning of friendship. The alliance offers a possible path away from generations of conflict, even though the story cannot prove that old habits have disappeared.

The first day of the story on Barsoom

At Dejah Thoris’s hearing in Korad

After Tars Tarkas becomes Jeddak

The night the Thark army enters Zodanga

After the siege of Helium is lifted