2099 (What if a Global Remedy Could Happen) By Mark Farenbaugh

 2099 

(What if a Global Remedy Could Happen)

By Mark Farenbaugh

The three androids were waiting in the hallway to be called into a meeting; two were males and one was female. All of them appeared to be African American, but with Caribbean features. The men had lean and fit body forms. The woman was well above average in form and appeal. It was hard for a human not to notice her. For about a decade, they and other androids had been wandering throughout the county, still commonly referred to as Haiti, collecting information and planting observation and tracking devices. They stood in silence, waiting for a message to prompt them to enter the conference room.

Inside the meeting area were two senior officers from the mega corp Black Reach-Amazon Global-SpaceZ Systems (BRASS). They were there to brief the US government on Haiti’s current condition: its population, security, and environment; and on how they would convert it into company-owned territory. They were experts who represented the company’s proven ability to secure territory, add infrastructure, and earn global trust. The officers were important enough to commit the company to an international obligation. They both had specific experience in international law, android deployment, and global migration. 

Trevor Hale was the company lead as Chief Strategic Synthesis Officer. It was his job to consolidate the data from their androids and present the case for permanent human relocation should a purchase or lease proceed. His talent was selling plans of action. He intended to sell one framed as a voluntary, compensated population transition conducted under internationally recognized legal and humanitarian standards. His deputy was Raymond Kline, the International Director of Operations. He had been involved in android operations in several countries, but this was his first with the newer androids.

Included in the meeting were two officials from the United States government office of Global Organization of Land Use & Recovery (GOLUR). A powerful organization with the authority to promote the privatization of misused land in cases of complete political or democratic absence. 

Hans Richter, was the lead for the government. A lawyer with experience in international business law and the global deployment of androids. His assistant was Ulrich Weber, also a lawyer with experience in global real estate disposition and its transition to commercial owners. Privatization of this sort had become important worldwide, where the land was precious but dominated by conflicts or misuse. 

After introductions, the four men took their assigned seats at the U-shaped table facing the briefing wall. 

Hans spoke first. “We all know why we are here. BRASS intends to purchase or lease what remains of Haiti, and you are asking the international community to approve that transfer of authority. Before any contract can be considered, we will need assurances that your plan fully addresses the issues that typically determine success or failure in operations of this scale - human relocation and compensation, public health, and stabilization. Please also explain how you would manage the ownership transition.

“And to be clear: this is not a sale in any permanent sense. This will be structured as a long-term lease - fifty years is the norm. If annual inspections detect a deviation from agreed-upon limits, fewer.”

Trevor nodded in agreement and looked down at his notes. He was about to brief the room on what they now knew about Haiti. In practice, however, BRASS had already completed its initial feasibility study on acquiring misused land and clearing it of occupants. 

Trevor also knew that adding androids to the briefing would be a surprise to the government representatives, but it had to be undeniable evidence and information, and everyone knew that humans couldn’t perform well in the current Haitian environment.

He raised his hand to volunteer his thoughts. “We understand the restrictions and would like to brief you on what is currently going on throughout the area and how we could help cultivate a stable ownership that will contribute to its better use.”  

His partner, Raymond, continued from there. “As we all know, the international courts declared Haiti a non-nation a couple of decades ago. We understand this was based on significant population abandonment, criminal misuse, non-survivability of a democracy when installed, and where no one country wanted to help or assume responsibility.”  He looked at the government officials to see if there was any surprise to his statement. None. 

He continued, “We haven’t seen any positive attributes in the non-country of Haiti, which, by the way, we would most likely refer to as the BRASS Custodial Zone.

“We recognize that certain areas will require limited human oversight during the initial phase of our contract, and we are fully prepared to manage that transition safely. However, our plan does not include maintaining a permanent human presence. The immediate objective will be to completely secure the island and then start the orderly relocation of the remaining Haitian population, followed by a complete suspension of human entry until conditions are deemed stable. This will necessarily include preventing reentry from off-island populations, as evidence shows such returns would only recreate the conditions that exist today.”

Ray paused again to see if there was any concern among the government representatives. He saw no movement.

“Then, please allow us to brief you on what we have seen in the last few years.”

As if on cue, the androids entered the room and positioned themselves in front of the four gentlemen. The two government representatives were surprised at seeing the Haitian-looking androids.

The second government official, Ulrich, spoke up, “We did not expect to have androids in this meeting. Why are they here?”

“Sorry to surprise you, but we decided to have these model androids present to add realism to our ability to survey and record events, and to give credibility to the operation in securing the land,” Raymond answered.

The first male android recognized the signal to begin when he saw Trevor raising his eyebrows.

“I am Pathfinder 25. I was deployed about 10 years ago to observe and report on the size, makeup, and living conditions of the national and international human populations that are present. First, I would like to give you a historical review that led the world to declare Haiti as just a land mass.

As he spoke, a slide appeared on the screen behind him, reading:

• Haiti emerged from slavery, gaining independence in 1804.
• The revolution destroys colonial infrastructure but achieves the victory of freedom.
• External powers respond with isolation and debt extraction.
• Early leadership was chaotic and not consolidated without external force.

“Since 1804, after gaining independence from the French, Haiti has experienced a continuous pattern of governance instability. Violence and lack of institutional development have been constant, characterized by episodic violence, institutional fragility, and external economic constraint. Violence has served as a constant and recurring mechanism for political transition, social control, and economic survival. 

“From 1825, the…..”

Ulrich interrupted the android, clearly wanting to push through the history, “We are aware of the history, so please summarize the facts up to about 1980.” Then, turning to the BRASS representative, Trevor, “Are these your androids, and are they capable of blending into any society in this configuration?”

Trevor became concerned that introducing the androids into the meeting had become a risk and decided to play along with the government representative. He is not too smart about androids, he realized. He then winked at the Darling android, who acknowledged his signal with a slight upward curve of her mouth.

He answered Ulrich’s questions with instructions to the androids. “Please consolidate the historical portion, without slides, and continue. Also, return to your normal BRASS deployment configuration.” 

Pathfinder 25 simply nodded and resumed. “Our reconfiguration will take about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I will continue the briefing as directed. A soft tone sounded. Low. All three androids initiated their conversion.

“For many decades, from about 1825 until 1935, there were foreign military occupations that achieved limited order and infrastructure improvements. However, after the withdrawals, the result was no durable political architecture and eventual long-term resentment from the people. It was temporary stability that eventually gave way to dictatorship in the 1950s.

“From 1957 until 1986, dictatorial rule was the norm, enforced by paramilitary terror. Any opposition was crushed with violence. The Nation-State of Haiti did not survive well afterwards.

As the minutes passed, all the androids’ skin changed from dark black to a slate color, then grey. Their facial features also returned to a more Caucasian form. The clothes remained the same.

“After the dictatorships, democracy and elections were repeatedly cut short or overturned by coups and armed factions. Anyone with even minimal military or police training could become a political actor, with enough skill to gather followers. The resulting gang violence shattered what little public trust in governance remained.

“In 2021, paid international assassins killed the last elected president. After that, whatever government remained called for help from the United Nations, which sent armed peacemaking forces. But they could not deal with the numerous violent gangs that controlled the streets. As the years passed, reports showed the gangs growing stronger while the peacemakers’ operational effectiveness declined; they were eventually forced to retreat to a fortified garrison, abandon their mission, and leave the country.

All three androids completed their transition back to their original Caucasian design. The female was impressively alluring, with close-fitting sheer attire, catching the wandering attention of the closest government representative, Ulrich.

“There has been no emergent local government, nor any country willing to help since the United Nations departed.”

Raymond then raised his hand to interrupt the android and take control of the dialogue. “As you know, while all this was happening, the burden on the population became harsh enough to encourage the diaspora of a large portion of the remaining Haitians. Those who could not escape by sea accepted offers to be flown to any country that needed cheap labor. The starving and terrified were more than willing to flee just to survive. Remember, it was a crime to be young in Haiti. All young men were forced to join one of the many gangs or be burned alive.”

Hans, noticing the attention his junior government partner, Ulrich, was giving to the female android, continued with the global response to Haiti. “Yes, I can add that it was about fifty years later when the GOLUR became aware of the significantly reduced population per square mile, with no ability for a follow-on generation to succeed those who had some leadership role. Nor could anyone defeat the infiltration of highly violent international crime on the island. 

“It didn’t take long to declare Haiti a non-country. All discussion within GOLUR came to the same conclusion: it had ceased to exist.”

The room fell silent for a moment. Only the eye contact from the completely Caucasian androids made the government officials uncomfortable enough to start asking questions again.

Ulrich broke the silence but continued to stare at the Darling android. “How many androids did you deploy on the island, and what were they doing all this time?”

Raymond quickly responded, “We sent an initial group of thirty, then added fifty more once we realized how long the initial field assessments would take without any public transportation. The first batch was mostly male, tasked with gathering DNA and implanting nano tracking devices on every human they could get close to. However, after it became clear that the gang leaders were well protected, we deployed our female pleasure models, like the Darling model in front of you. They also proved useful in clinical areas, where there were numerous contagious diseases. Please remember that there are no functioning morgues. The bodies are frequently burned in open ditches.”

Hearing the reference to the company adding female pleasure models, the Darling android let her weight shift onto one hip with deliberate slowness, as if she were choosing where the room should look next. The open slit in the sheer fabric showed more of her leg. With a slight twist of her torso, her blouse showed the curves of her large breasts.

She placed one foot forward, nearer to Drake, revealing one side of a perfectly formed leg and quietly claiming the space in front of her. The dress stayed close around her curved hip. Her chin lifted slightly. Then her eyes found Ulrich and held him - steady, assessing, unblinking. The smile that followed was thin and precise, less an invitation than a decision, as if she had already measured him and found him compliant. She could sense his arousal, and the faintest curve of her mouth suggested she had intended it that way all along.

Ulrich became uncomfortably aware that he was staring. His mouth was slightly open, his thoughts stalled, and when he finally realized it, he closed it too quickly and looked away, too late to pretend he hadn’t been caught.

She asked softly, “Would you like a glass of water?”

Ulrich blinked, caught off guard by the question, and glanced toward his boss. The look on his face silently asked for permission to accept. But his boss was mesmerized as well and didn’t see his partner’s idiotic look.

Trevor watched their focus drift, then deliberately reclaimed it. Success, he thought. He leaned in, his tone firm enough to break the spell. “We nearly gathered all the information we needed, but then there was a fresh surge in Mexican and Colombian narco traffickers battling the local gangs for control. The main city is still controlled by the gangs, with practically everything outside it controlled by illicit traffickers. That level of violence made it too hazardous to collect and implant devices quickly.”

Recovering from Darling’s spell and sensing the briefing was complete, Hans started with the more operational questions, those that he would need to solidify a transition from lack of sovereignty to commercial control, and of course, approve such a contract.

“How are you going to remove all the population with such a spectacle of violence, and how are you going to separate those who are not violent from those who are?”

“Each person has a device implanted that can tell us where they are. That same device can render the individual unconscious. We will simply remove them at night, barrio by barrio.”

“That will take hundreds of androids. How will you insert them onto the island?”

“We quietly move them by ship within a mile of the shore and let them swim to the coast.”

“What sort of compensation will you offer those humans who deserve it?”

“A free ride to the country of choice, half a million dollars, and a robot to protect them for a period of six months.” 

“The criminal elements?”

“They will go directly to whoever has the jail contract.”

“How long will it take, and how will you secure the island?”

“One year to remove everyone. It’s just a matter of logistics. But we have to secure the island first. We intend to set up a long string of coastal fast maneuver ships with the ability and permission to intercept violent groups, if needed. The ship design is already complete.”

Hans leaned back, satisfied. Ulrich closed his folder. The government decision, for all practical purposes, had been made.

Then Ulrich’s phone softly buzzed. A text came in.

Darling: Looking forward to working with you, Ulrich. The transition will be rewarding. I’ll make sure of it, if you want.