11.2- In With the Old

What It Covers

Vernon Byrd becomes Omnicorp CEO in 2157, expands Mars colonization to three cities, establishes a five-tier employment class system, and remains in power for 87 years using life-extension technology.

Key Questions Answered

• •Colonial expansion strategy: Byrd establishes Tharsis colony 1,200 kilometers from Olympus in 2168 and Elysium 4,000 kilometers away in 2175 to secure phosphorus-five deposits across multiple volcanic sites, ensuring 500-year resource sustainability beyond single-location extraction.
• •Employment class hierarchy: Mars operates on five tiers—S-class executives, A-class senior managers, B-class professionals, C-class supervisors, and D-class technicians—with skin chip technology controlling access to tunnels, housing, commissaries, and all facilities based on employment status and contract validity.
• •Demographic power structure: The SAB elite (S, A, B classes) comprise 10-15% of Mars population, predominantly from North American, European, and Chinese origins, while C and D classes form the majority from African and South Asian displaced communities, reproducing Earth's racial hierarchies.
• •Gerontocracy consequences: Byrd's pharmaceutical life-extension keeps the same board in power past age 130, creating mental drift and operational neglect. By 2232, after 75 years as CEO, critical Mars decisions get ignored, forcing colonists to self-govern and develop independent Martian identity.