A Visitor to the Future - 41 - Intervention Audit
"With the space labour problem a thing of the past," continued Alexandra, "The updated Consortium program was extremely good at scaling up its production efforts. It was then that the Consortium announced that they were expanding into solar power. Their aims were ambitious, with a new solar array larger than any that had been designed before. After the Mosmos attack was repelled, that was the beginning of the end for the corporations."
"Why?" I asked.
Alexandra finished the last of her coffee before responding. "The free market! The Consortium could produce any goods or energy that anyone required, and transport them to wherever they were needed. Essentially, the Consortium outbid the competition entirely, charging practically nothing. There were some Multispheres that tried to ban the Consortium entirely, but that was defeated by two things - first, the fact that central authorities didn't have the power to ban an organisation like the Consortium any more. Some might say that was karma! The Multispheres had spent so long eroding the power of authorities that when they needed it, it wasn't available. And second, if a Multisphere did try and ban the Consortium they'd just sell to their competitors instead. As for anyone who tried to assault them - you saw how that turned out for Mosmos."
Alexandra actually started laughing at that, a slightly mad high-pitched laugh that ended as suddenly as it began.
"And then, just as I thought they had a monopoly over the entire system - all of us in a vice grip, they announced that they wouldn't be charging anything at all and issued the Decree."
"All thinking beings," recited Tungsten, in a tone that made me think he was quoting something, "Shall have the right to live a life of their own choice, free from harm from any other, provided that those choices do not seek to cause harm themselves. The Consortium will protect any individual who wishes to exercise this right."
"The right of self-determination," said Alexandra, "The first and most fundamental right in the Consortium, and the foundation of its mandate for Interventions."
"Is this what Sasha meant by a deterrent?" I asked, "I've seen one Intervention - would that also apply to threats from other people?"
"She does like that topic. In a nutshell, yes. I think she means that in those early years there was a significant adjustment period - I don't think any modern scholar would use the term 'deterrent' to describe the Consortium these days. As an example, there were a lot of cases of the Consortium splitting up abusive relationships once it found its stride because one or both of the couple had accepted its protection. And I don't mean that in the physical sense - the Consortium largely solved that problem by offering them somewhere to go, far away from each other, and direct them to new support networks. But in the worst case, the Consortium actually would step in and- actually, I can show you, if that's alright. Tungsten, have you ever done an Intervention audit before?"
"Yes, it was part of the curriculum in my younger years. Would you like to try and strike me?"
"That's probably be for the best," said Alexandra, glancing downwards briefly, "You might scratch the carpet. Please stand up." Tungsten did so, and Alexandra moved around her desk to right in front of him.
"Consortium," said Alexandra in a raised voice, "I am exercising my right to audit. I would like to audit the physical restraint property of the local protection drones. I intend to attempt to strike Tungsten with my right arm. I wish for you to intercept the blow as if it were a genuine attempt to strike Tungsten. Please make an audible chime to confirm that this request is understood."
There was a pleasant audible chime, like two tiny bells colliding. It came from somewhere in the room, but I couldn't tell where.
"Hello," said Tungsten into the air, "Consortium, I give my permission for this audit. No need to confirm."
Alexandra then brought her right hand up to slap Tungsten across the cheek, but the motion was suddenly interrupted by a blur of motion and a noise of rushing air. She fell to the ground - in the opposite direction of the action she had attempted. When she stood up, there was a mechanical contraption wrapped around her right wrist and forearm, white, segmented, and snake-like, but more like a modern art interpretation of a snake as opposed to a real one. Tungsten offered his left hand to help her up, which she took. She looked no worse for wear.
"See - protection drone," said Alexandra, holding her forearm up for me to inspect closer. It was a complicated and dense mess of parts that I didn't recognise. "Keep in mind that most people are not shadowed by protection drones these days. In fact, the only reason that this one is here today is because you are."
"Me?" I said.
She nodded. "Because you've only recently awoken from cryocontainment, the Consortium is still not sure whether you're a potential threat to other citizens," concluded Alexandra, "Though over time it will get used to you - if you behave yourself." She held up her hand and the drone uncoiled and floated into the air, like a cloud pushed along by a breeze. It flew to the edge of the room, and with a shimmering haze of light camouflaged itself. Now that I knew it was there I could still see the faint outlines of its form - however it was camouflaging itself, it wasn't entirely perfect.
"Adaptive camouflage," explained Tungsten, "The entire outer skin of that drone approximates what is behind it. Standard practice for protection drones."
"Almost like an octopus," said Alexandra.
I stared at the corner for a while. Alexandra seemed to guess what I was thinking, "It might be unnerving at first, especially when you realise that particular drone has probably been shadowing you for some time. But after a couple of hundred years of auditing drones like that, I can assure you that it means well. They're programmed to restrain and safely incapacitate, not cause injury. You will get used to it eventually."
It was then that I thought of an issue, "What if I told the Consortium not to shadow me with those drones? Isn't that part of my right to self-determination?"
Alexandra shook her head, "That's only one part of the equation. The drones are also there to protect everyone else. You'd have to get everyone in the area to agree that you're fine."
"Which you are," said Tungsten reassuringly, "Allow me to guess your next question and demonstrate that too. Hello, Consortium! Alexandra is allowed to conduct minor assault against me for the next minute."
"Thank you," said Alexandra, and gave him a gentle slap on the cheek. Nothing happened to stop her. They moved to sit down again, both absolutely fine with what had happened.
"But I've seen people in the Consortium give each other a hug, or elbow someone else without issue," I said, "I've not seen a reaction like that before, or seen anyone have to give permission."
"The answer is practice!" said Tungsten, "The Consortium can recognise the signs of hostility or friendliness in each person. The only time the Consortium might step in if you're being friendly is if the other person told the Consortium they wanted absolutely no physical contact - which is why the preferred greetings in the Consortium are nods, waves, or bows these days."
A more sinister thought came to me. "What if I were to attack someone with absolutely no warning or signs of hostility before? Just spontaneously and randomly?"
"Ah!" said Alexandra, "Very good! Now you're thinking like an Auditor. Ultimately there isn't a great deal the Consortium can do about that - but given the Consortium's response time is about a minute even to areas without protection drones, you couldn't do much harm."
"What about if I had a weapon?" I asked, before realising my line of questioning might imply I was up to something. "Wait, I don't mean that like I intend to do it!" I said to clarify.
Alexandra smiled, "I don't think that either of us were thinking you would," she said, "But carrying a weapon is a sign of hostility, and you'd automatically be shadowed by protection drones when you were. Weapons are only carried in specific contexts these days - like a knife if you were doing cooking, or a bow if you were doing archery. Any time you introduce a weapon the risk factor goes up, and if it's high enough the protection drones start shadowing."
"If it makes you feel any better," said Tungsten, "There hasn't been an intentional assault for years."