High Columbia
The Exxon-Mitsui/AAS beanstalk is the oldest of Terra's
current three orbital towers and as such the least
technologically sophisticated. Construction work was
completed with touchdown in Ecuador in 2178, some
three decades after the completion of the first
EF/AB-Benz beanstalk. With the decline of the AAS,
Exxon-Mitsui took an ever greater hand in the control of
High Columbia, the beanstalk's terminal.
Today the efficiency and organization of High Columbia
stands in stark contrast to the anarchy of NA. High
Columbia is dominated by the old metanats.
Exxon-Mitsui leases areas of the city to other
organizations, but demands adherence to a strict
contract that defines acceptable use. As a result
Columbia is reminiscent of the lifeless corporate
arcologies of a century ago.
The future of Ad Astra