Define the Echelon
Just tried to explain the Echelon's relationship to Mars to my RL friend... It's so so hard to explain to people on the outside.
Pretend you move to a new town and don't know anyone. You pick a school, college if you're older. You pick a church or religious institution. You join a local group that does charitable work. You join an art class. You join a local band or choir. And you find a group of friends who choose to join almost all of the same groups.
You share a desire to learn and the best teacher you've ever had. You share a common faith and have the most inspirational religious leader. You find you are all generous spirits and encourage each other to donate time and energy to worthy causes. You all love drawing and painting and fooling around with computer animation and sharing the results with each other. You have a common taste in music and love nothing more than have group sing-a-longs. You feel like you've found the sisters and brothers and best friends and soul mates you've always wished for.
Only it isn't a single town, it's the global village. And your family is spread all over the world. But you're still as close as family, as that cousin you haven't seen since you were 6 but can instantly take up a relationship with as if mere days have passed.
That is the Echelon.
[Okay, posting this without editing or fixing or messing with. Top of my head stuff.]