Background time! I'll probably be picking characters in 8-10 hours.
Earth is a mess. Factories enjoyed more lax restrictions after other planets where colonized, and as a result the pollution skyrocketed. Now, Earth is mostly slums, and the sky is dark from the smoke that belches into the air constantly. The average lifespan is 63, and infant mortality is nearly 50 percent. Nobody with money stays on earth. The moon is now colonized, several bubble cities housing a total of two billion are spread across it's surface. While terraforming efforts are underway, the surface is still inhospitable, requiring a suit to travel between cities. While better than earth, the moon is still low income. Several underground bases are used as hideouts for illegal trade, as well as banned genecrafting and drug production. Several gangs control different portions of an underground tunnel system, and wars between them break out periodically.
Mars is a different story. Terraforming has progressed sufficiently that no suits are needed, and several cities have sprung up across the planet. The housing cost is higher, as well as the standard of living. Violent crime is low, but authorities estimate that Mars is one of the largest producers of illegal drugs, second only to the moon. The two moons of Mars house the upper class, large houses and minimal pollution make Phobos and Deimos the best places to live in the Sol system.
FTL travel was made possible with the discovery of antimatter several years ago. While still extremely expensive, it provided a new frontier for the Human race, one that we gladly accepted. A few ships run on antimatter, but the majority still either run on hydrogen or another conventional fuel.
You are currently docked at a space station orbitting the Earth. You will be making the trip from Earth to Mars, a long trip, but this is the one that will get you that last bit of money you need to buy that ship.