Now, however, back to the question of the High Frontier. Restrictions on escaping Earth's pull en masse were one of the big questions for the techno-tycoons in preparing to escape to space. And this wasn't a metaphor for the affection the techno-tycoons and their faithful sentiments for the planet, as some may believe, but for the stubborn Newtonian  law of gravity.

In the early 19th century, the idea of a space elevator began to take shape, and when nanomaterial technologies made such a design possible, the techbro industries began to experiment. They had plans to build several of them, and eventually to combine this technology with electromagnetic catapults, to gradually replace their expensive and inefficient fossil-fuel rockets. Space elevators were the indispensable vehicle for carrying out the Three Phases program: human colonies in space, the lunar logistics base and the colonization of Mars.

An initial foundation for space exploration and colonization would be a network of bases in geostationary orbit, supported by one or more space elevators. It would then address the phase of building space colonies to embark on the great adventure of a new, vast version of the far-far west. At first only a few "technicians" would have access to the High Frontier to carry out tests and ensure the system's robustness. Thereafter, many opportunities were promised for those who wished to participate and leave Earth (provided they deserved it). It was only a few decades later, when certain High Frontier space installations had been put in place and living conditions on Earth had become increasingly precarious, that work really began on a large-scale migration project reserved for the elites. The Massive Spatial Migration initiative came mainly from the techno-tycoons of the North, with a particular focus from the Empire of Bias, the largest imperialist state during the neolib era.

The marketing idea behind the MSM, aka The Great Escape, was to present it as the beginning of human colonization of space. The techno-tycoons had created a media image that stressed the importance of Lagrangian stationary points as starting points for colonization. The narrative fueled by the techno-tycoons suggested that MSM would be the first step in such colonization with prospects for the future terraforming of Mars and other planets. This myth was intended to capture the imagination of the masses, creating a romantic and adventurous vision of a future in which humanity would conquer new worlds. However, the context of Earth's deterioration and humanity's impotence to find effective solutions were at odds with the "democratic," optimistic and visionary discourse of Massive Spatial Migration. This contradiction generated distrust in the subordinate multitudes, giving rise to the caricatured term of "The Great Escape," which I personally prefer over the false, pompous official definition.

It was clear that the obstacles to realizing the project were not limited to the technological sphere, but also involved the challenge of managing and controlling the sociopolitical complexity of a humanity severely affected by a growing ecological collapse. Effectively, despite the marketing disguises, it was difficult to disguise that the MSM was really the elite's Great Escape, even if they tried to censure the term.

In the context of the NeolibGov, China and the US, known respectively as Middle Empire and the Empire of Bias, were the two great imperialist machines that, despite the incipient environmental apocalypse, vied for power and influence. In reality, many of their leaders (especially the dignitaries of the Bias Empire) only wanted to secure their place in The Great Escape. Nonetheless, the situation in both countries was characterized by growing internal instability, and by a bizarre coincidence both ran into strange and extraordinary mishaps that considerably reduced their clout and that would lead to a new phase of Governance...