Re: Life - Business & Technology

(I uploaded this chapter mistakenly before releasing "A New Year" which is before this chapter. Sorry, guys!)

The first week of February 2013, Future Tech HQ.

A middle-aged British man wearing a lab coat was conducting tests embedding system-on-nanites within the microscopic nanotubes the AIM processors used.

"Amazing!" shouted one of the researchers.

[The Robotics division is genuinely one of the core businesses of Future Tech. I can see unlimited applications for this, though it will be expensive to explore them all.] Morgan pondered.

He immediately called Vince to notify him about their progress.

Vince arrived wearing typical Future Couture casual clothing.

"You got something good for me, Morgan?" Vince asked.

"Yes, Indeed. We've spent the past two weeks designing a workable system architecture for nanites to use with the assistance of the API sub-division. So instead of system-on-chip, we call it system-on-nanite."

"The first application we embedded into nanites was meant to optimize microprocessor performance. We didn't have much confidence because it was our first test, but the AIM processor has already doubled in computational capacity." Morgan explained fervently.

"Great work, Morgan. Take your time refining the S-O-N for performance optimization. You'll have to notify Andreas in halting the production of AIM processor-related products."

"How difficult are the nanites to program now that you've made an application program interface with Jessica?" Vince asked.

"We've done most of the leg work in altering the physical structure of the nanites. Experienced programmers should find it intuitive enough, though testing and learning would be prohibitively expensive without Hive Mind fabrication." Morgan replied.

Vince decided to share Morgan's research with all Future Tech executives to incorporate the new nanite technology into their division's projects.

[This breakthrough should help all the directors advance their technologies.] Vince thought.

An Israeli woman in her 30's wearing a labcoat received an executive notice regarding the nanite API.

Dr. Sera took a few minutes and read through the abstract.

[Nanites were too challenging to deal with before, but this new API Morgan developed will make things more manageable for Future Med.] Dr. Sera pondered.

"We'll be proceeding with our cancer elimination project. Get me one of the bioengineers ASAP." Dr. Sera said to her assistant.

All the divisions in Future Tech started applying the SON in their new designs. Kyle began programming the nanites to work in conjunction with Ms. Miller's FT VR prototype.

At the Kandahar Future Tech branch, Price was overseeing troop logistics with the US Air Force. Then, he received a notification on his smart glove about the nanite research.

Price tasked Future Security's nethunters to employ nanites for cybersecurity applications.

Heidi was in her office reading the shared research from Morgan.

[The materials science sub-division under Morgan is quite impressive to transform my nanites into 100-nanometer computer systems.] Heidi contemplated.

She left her office and walked to the Robotics laboratory.

"We'll have our software engineers focus on nanite program development. This new research from FT Micro Devices should improve our robotics technology tenfold." Heidi instructed.

Patel started an outline for nanite use in Future Tech AI.

[I can think of so many uses for AI nanites. The department had hit a roadblock, but this new research arrived just in time.] Patel thought.

Andreas immediately began upgrading the nanometer-precise Hive Mind manufacturing suites to provide ample supply to all of Future Tech's research teams.

Vince ordered a new building constructed at the Austin tech campus consisting of only clean rooms to prepare for mass production of nanites in the future.

Everyone at the headquarters was working hard and well. In addition, the new compensation structure for 2013 introduced by Vince and Hudson gave more impetus to contribute to Future Tech's growth.

Employees at the corporate level were given points or deductions based on performance.

Points accrued by the end of the fiscal year will determine bonuses, raises, and promotions.

Promotions included higher-level security access and better privileges like an armed security detail.

Hudson was still in the process of refining the points system for lower-level employees.

In a non-descript cave in the Registan Desert, a few men were discussing plans of an offensive.

"Ashkan, There has been an influx of the so-called Future Security troops in Kandahar. Our 1,000 men can't fight both the US army troops and the new enemies." an insurgent stated.

"I already know. My sources have noticed a small number of their troops leaving Kandahar and flying north towards Dehdadi. 500 operators at most. We shall attack them at the new forward operating base they're building in the north. Kandahar is too fortified now." Ashkan declared.

"Our mission is to kill their men and destroy their courage, never to return," Ashkan added.

Future Security's mission had only started a week ago, which mainly was a preparation phase. The US Army 1014th Engineer company had built a crude base a year prior. The mission entailed securing the base and clearing the province of insurgents.

Price would send 500 operators in cycles to man the forward operating base while performing to meet the mission objectives.

The living quarters at Kandahar were much better than any forward operating base. Price wanted his men only to spend a few weeks at a time working at the FOB.

General Douglas was notified of the positive changes at Kandahar and decided to grant Future Security the new contract in securing the large city in advance.

President Obama was reluctant to sign the $10 billion contract, but General Douglas reassured him based on opinions from the US Army detachment stationed at Kandahar.

The original weapons contract was scheduled to be on track this year. Future Tech had upgraded most of the existing recon drones and fulfilled the Dragonfly drone and IED sweeper bot orders.

Kevin and Patel finalized the advanced stratospheric recon UAV's design and contracted the use of SpaceX's mega building facility for space to manufacture the ASR-1.

[We've never had a military defense contractor deliver orders this quick.] General Douglas thought while smoking a cigar in his office at the Pentagon.

After Vince bought the company, Future Arms took over Alliant Techsystems' current defense contracts supplying the military with munitions and continuously produced missiles and rockets at the Virginia branch.

A few days later, at dawn. Hundreds of pickup trucks carrying 1,000 insurgents rolled through the desert, weapons in hand. Ashkan stored AK-47's, RPG's and other assorted small arms within the truckbeds.

The men were confident, knowing they had the numbers advantage.

"Ashkan, we're only destroying a forward operating base. Why do we need so many men?" an insurgent officer asked.

"The men have trained well. They deserve to relish in the deaths of infidels." Ashkan replied while driving a pickup truck with a mounted PK machine gun.

Price was working on the division's nanite project when he received a notification on his smart glove. An autonomous Future Security RQ-4 Global Hawk that he bought from the US Air Force and modified at Austin HQ found a large contingent of insurgents in the north.

Price remotely calibrated the autonomous flight system from his smart glove to follow the mass of soldiers for now.

He turned on his FT laptop computer and saw insurgents headed to the Dehdadi forward operating base.

Price placed the entire Afghanistan branch on high alert. As a result, FS operators woke up from sleep or stopped training and readied themselves for an attack in Kandahar and the Dehdadi FOB.

[It will take the insurgents 30 minutes at least before they arrive at the FOB. The detachment is outnumbered, so I'll have to send reinforcements soon.] Price pondered.

He chose fifty operators and ten gunners to deploy in five FAV-1 vehicles. Price called the US army commander stationed at Kandahar and borrowed five Chinook helicopters to carry the FAV-1s into combat.

The FAV-1s took flight using the four turbofan engines and rendezvoused with the US Army helicopter squad outside the city.

Local Afghans were awed watching heavily armored troop transports flying through the air without propellers.

[It looks like Kandahar isn't a target, though I hope the reinforcements arrive in time at the FOB.] Price contemplated.

Farukh was a newly minted aerodyne pilot who was once a lowly janitor at the Kandahar training facility. He passed the Dragonfly maintenance certification and continued his studies in FAV piloting.

The control system was utterly intuitive, and Farukh passed the pilot test after a week of training.

[I'm so nervous about my first mission in the field, but this is my responsibility now. My comrades are relying on me.] So Farukh thought while piloting the FAV-1 towards the airbase.

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Stats last time checked:

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion

15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)

$90 Billion cash in Future Tech

11,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics)

10,000+ operators under Future Security

Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner

Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)