Speciation: Homo sapiens apparatus

By R.J. Trépanier

At Chandler Cybernetics Corp, the arrival of an experimental quantum supercomputer gives Dr Francine Graham the tool she's been waiting for. She and her colleague Dr Nick Murphy develop a process to encapsulate human minds and transfer them into various devices, including androids; effectively creating a new human subspecies. Is this the advent of the golden age for humanity or is it our darkest hour?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.J. Trépanier
• Release date: Jan 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781778126505

Book preview

Prologue

The US was already weakened by low productivity and reliance on foreign capital. The rise of automated defence systems and manufacturing spelled the end of American dominance over world affairs. Its economy, while still impressive, dropped from third to fourth place behind those of China, the EU and Russia.

Humankind was at a crossroads. Faced with endemic recession and unsustainable business practices, the UN General Assembly agreed on the need to find a stable, and efficient, economic model. A UN task force worked on the problem for five years. Finally, the world’s major powers sent representatives to Gaborone, Botswana, and hammered out the Gaborone Accord. It restructured the United Nations and rebranded it as Planetas, a global federal government headquartered in Paris. It also created the International Corporations Guild (ICG) championed by the world's major corporations in the space, armament, high-tech, banking, agriculture and pharmaceutical sectors.

In exchange for guaranteed world markets and protection from litigation, the Guild and its member corporations agreed to strict regulations that managed the use of natural resources and imposed sustainable business practices. The Accord redivided the world’s independent states into 47 nations and federations. These were represented in the Planetas General Assembly (GA) with oversight from the Planetas Council. The world adopted a global free trade accord along with a single currency, the Planetas dollar, and provided all citizens with a guaranteed income and universal social services. Overnight, the Secretary-General (SG) of Planetas became the world’s political leader. The Gaborone Accord enshrined the global capitalist economy within a government framework.

The ICG implemented the business side of the Accord. Corporations had to be certified by the Guild to operate within the global corporate structure. The Accord created an international legal framework that forced all corporations to follow international health and welfare regulations for all products and services they sold directly or indirectly, anywhere. The Planetas Charter of Rights and Freedoms gave citizenship rights to all humans and backed them up with strong regulations. It also put an end to all lobbying and interest groups. In exchange for such huge concessions, the Planetas constitution enshrined corporate capitalism, which guaranteed huge profits for all ICG corporations.

The advent of important technical and medical advances such as nanotechnology, genetic engineering and cybernetics pushed average life expectancy to 108 and 105 years respectively for women and men. The global population peaked at 11 billion and then steadily dropped to the current 6 billion. China and India saw the most important drops, with reductions of almost 40%.

Advances in IT, AI and automation created a world where the standard work week disappeared. The vast majority of people spent their time on leisure activities, volunteer work or part-time work to supplement their basic, guaranteed income.

And thus the tale of SPECIATION begins.

Chapter 1 : Creation

Toward a World Government

A world government must be created which is able to solve conflicts between nations by judicial decision. This government must be based on a clearcut constitution which is approved by the governments and the nations and which gives it the sole disposition of offensive weapons. A person or a nation can be considered peace loving only if it is ready to cede its military force to the international authorities and to renounce every attempt or even the means, of achieving its interests abroad by the use of force.

Out of my Later Years, Albert Einstein

Used with permission from Philosophical Library Inc.

1

The weather was clear after the rain of the night before. Jacques Beauvais watched the three transport drones waiting for clearance to take off. They were an identical mat green with dark grey Planetas markings. Beauvais was anxious about this delivery, as he’d worked very hard to make it happen. An accident or theft would set the program back months. He stood at the window, his hand over his eyebrows to block the sun. The transports began to move and gain speed, then rolled down the runway in a tight formation. Seconds later, they lifted off.

The first transport, which was going to North America, headed north-west. It climbed and disappeared from view after a few minutes. The second was on its way to Beijing, China, and went south before turning east. Number three veered in an easterly direction and was soon lost from view as it hugged the tree tops on its way to Innopolis, Russia.

∞

Forty-five minutes into the flight, the aft camera of the Russia-bound transport picked up a grey attack drone, then a second. In their trailer, the remote flight crew sprung into action.

Where the hell did they come from? asked the corporal.

Must have been ground launched, replied the sergeant.

Lieutenant, we have two attack drones, coming in fast on the transport to Innopolis, said the sergeant. My HUD doesn’t show any identifying markings.

We’ll let the analysts figure that out later, replied the lieutenant. Get those bogeys off that transport!

Aye, sir, said both operators.

Multiple weapons began firing from the back of the transport, sending the attackers into wild aerobatics. One attack drone sustained a minor hit. There was an explosion under the port wing of the transport followed by another one starboard as its two defence drones were launched. They turned and engaged the unidentified foes. Each of them picked a target and the first one immediately vaporized its rival. The second pairing continued to exchange fire.

I have a lock, shouted the corporal. He fired, and missed.

The sergeant lined up the attacker and blew it to pieces.

Thanks, sarge, said the corporal.

My pleasure, said his sergeant.

Both defence drones flew in under the transport’s wings and reattached themselves. The whole skirmish had taken all of three minutes.

∞

Major Cruz was on his way home when he was contacted by Planetas military. He moved up to the edge of his seat.

Your three packages have arrived at the holding facilities, Major, said the duty officer.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

He leaned back and let himself slide into the comfortable folds of the upholstery.

2

Dr Nick Murphy’s lab was on the first floor. The main room was two stories high with narrow windows running the height of the white walls. It was clean and bright. He kept the temperature in the exercise area a cool 18℃. He always wore two layers, but his patients were usually in running gear, shorts and a light top, socks and running shoes.

Here we go, Cal, said Nick.

Cal Hawkes was an impressive physical specimen. Tall and muscular, he was bound for glory in baseball and football when a plane crash took both his legs above the knee. The research division contacted his family to offer pro bono services.

During Cal’s rehabilitation, Nick visited the young man and made him understand that his days as an athlete didn’t have to be over. As head of the prosthetics division at CCCorp, Nick could offer him a second chance. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was possible for him to run again with the help of the most advanced cybernetic prostheses available. Since all professional sports now accepted genetic and cybernetic enhancements, he had another shot at the big league, or leagues in his case.

Nick stood a few meters away with a complete view of the track and the landing pit. A tone sounded and Cal took off. He hit the takeoff board and then flew through the air. It seemed like he’d never come down. Finally, his feet plunged into the sand. Nick looked at the distance hovering in the air in front of him: 16.55 meters.

Wow, 16.55; that’s your longest jump yet!

I can’t believe it! said Cal. I’m running faster and jumping higher and farther than before the crash. It’s unreal! I have you to thank, Dr Murphy.

I’m happy for you, Cal, but you have to take most of the credit, though. You’re not the first athlete to be given this opportunity. Many people can’t adapt to the strangeness of the new limbs. Others don’t have the determination to keep working at it until they’ve mastered their prostheses.

I still owe you and Dr Chandler a debt of gratitude for all that you’ve done for me, said Cal.

It’s not a one-way street Cal, Nick pointed out as they walked toward the change room. You and the others in the program have helped me and the team develop and fine-tune some amazing tech. I’ll see you again in three months for you next follow-up. In the meantime, you can go ahead and do whatever you want, you’re cleared to play anytime. We’ll continue to monitor you remotely and upgrade your firmware as needed. Once you get a tryout with someone, you can have their medical staff contact us for access to your records.

That’s great, doc, see you next time, said Cal. He quickly changed and was escorted to the reception area.

A few minutes later Dr Graham came in.

Hey, Nick, she said.

Hi, Francine, you just missed Cal.

How is he?

He’s great, his long jump today was his best ever, 16.55, said Nick. I’ve cleared him for tryouts.

I wish all our projects were as straightforward, mused Francine.

We don’t have any simple projects.

Some are harder to sell to the board than others, said Francine.

You’re right, working with elite level athletes is sexy and the results are often dramatic. Prostheses for the average person don’t get much attention from the press.

Francine and Nick had perfected a technique to develop and produce parallel circuits using lab-grown neural tissue. Although they were excited initially and Nick used them in several spinal-cord bypass operations, the procedure didn’t provide the ease of movement they’d hoped for. Nick then developed an alternative solution using an exoskeleton for paraplegics. The patient needed to wear it and this introduced its own set of problems: it was cumbersome, prone to breaking down and the wearers were subject to bone loss like astronauts in low gravity environments. The interaction between it and the wearer’s cerebellum and basal ganglia also wasn’t perfect which, in turn, caused problems in trying to maintain smooth walking and running.

We need more computing power, said Francine. The current platform can’t handle the amount of data we’re dealing with.

Sounds to me like you’ve already given up on our current setup, said Nick. That great toy you were so fond of when you bought it has lost its lustre. You’re already counting on that new Planetas prototype. Don’t get your hopes up too high, we might not get one. Do you know when we’ll get an answer?

No, Alvin’s been quiet about it, it should be soon, though, she replied.

3

Planetas had full federal legislative authority over all 47 member nations and federations. Members couldn’t opt out. Local autonomy was encouraged through various forms of regional and national power-sharing and decentralization.

The Planetas Armed Forces were the largest and most powerful. Human soldiers, robots, drones and the internet provided the coercive levers that the world government required. And since all inhabitants of Earth had access to food, shelter and education, international conflicts born of shortage of resources were not an issue.

General Assembly (GA) ambassadors were elected officials voted in by their respective populations. Regional and national governments had no authority over them and they, in turn, had none over the regional or national levels. For example, the US had both a president and a Planetas ambassador; the ambassador didn’t report to the president and the GA voted and controlled issues and jurisdictions which were separate from those of the US Congress.

Alfred Lee’s office was on the north side. He looked out at Place Vendôme and its statue of Napoléon atop the Vendôme column. Although you couldn’t see much of the statue from his office. Ambassadors came and went, unlike the senior public servants who were also housed on this floor. He could see the office of the Executive Director of the Public Service from within his own, unless someone located in between increased the opacity of their walls. Lee had retired from a very successful career in senior management with several top 500 companies. He’d made money, a lot of money. After retirement, when he was 48, he decided that it was time for a new challenge. It would be nice to see the world, get out of North America. After doing some research and sending out feelers, he opted to try to get himself elected as the US ambassador to Planetas. Now here he was, 14 years later, looking out at Place Vendôme.

All of the walls in the building were of high impact intelligent nanoplastic and doubled as displays. You could make some or all of them clear or opaque, show presentations and videos or even display art or scenes like a bubbling brook or the night sky. Some of his walls displayed artwork, one showed a live view of the boreal forest of North America. An occasional moose would walk by. There was a writing desk in the corner, though he seldom sat there. Most of the documents he needed to study were provided by his team back in NewYork, housed on fifth avenue in Manhattan. The old UN building had been renovated after the creation of Planetas and turned into luxury condos.

Sitting in his favourite chair by the window, he was studying a report sent to him by one of the analysts studying the QBitx project. The International Advanced Research Commission (IARC), a Planetas agency based near Geneva, had created a new quantum supercomputer, codenamed the QBitx. The design was the brainchild of Dr Jacques Beauvais, Director of the IARC. The file said that Dr Beauvais specialised in computer hardware engineering with undergrad degrees in electrical and software engineering, math, and physics. The Commission had prepared three QBitx computers for upcoming trials. Three select labs of the international research community would each receive a unit. The Council would soon announce which members had been chosen.

A comm request appeared in the corner of his left eye. The CyberComm was the only cybernetic or genetic manipulation in his body. It was made by Chandler Cybernetics Corporation, CCCorp. Alvin Chandler was, like many in his field and at his level, an obsessive-compulsive over-achiever. An old-school entrepreneur savant, and one of the richest people on Earth, he was a member of the established plutocracy. He held degrees from Oxford and Cambridge. Contrary to the popular stereotype, Alvin was a Scottish Bostonian. As a widower with no children, he could spend whatever energy he wished at work or at play. At 1.90 metres and 100 kilos, he was an imposing man, physically and mentally, but his lifestyle had taken a toll. He’d had genetic therapy for his immune system as well as liver and stomach transplants, grown in the labs of a sister company.

CCCorp was a global leader in the fields of cybernetics and AI. It was a very important part of the high-tech and military establishment. Alvin had taken the company public but he maintained control as the majority shareholder, CEO and chairman of the board.

Hi, Alvin, checking up on your elected official? asked Fred.

I just want to see whether there’s anything I can do at the last minute, replied Alvin. Maybe answer a question about some detail or other.

Fred could see Alvin as if he were sitting across from him. The CyberComm was a miraculous device. Most humans on the planet wore one. It had been adopted by Planetas as the planetary standard. It consisted of eye and ear implants that were linkable via an encrypted connection to any internet service. It provided many valuable features for individual and group activities such as presentations, videos, linking to cameras and to multiple CyberComms and to data-walls. It was the product that had launched CCCorp. Except for some specialised communications equipment, gone were the days of cell phones and land lines. The only problem was that you had to speak out loud or send text messages, but that would be resolved in time.

The choice of which Planetas members will receive the three computers is a done deal, Alvin. And the decision of which corporation or research institution will get the US QBitx is up to the ambassador, explained Fred. The discussion at today’s Council meeting is just a formality. I’ve already committed to providing the unit to your team, only a major catastrophe could change that now.

I assume you’ve heard of Murphy’s law, worried Alvin.

Yes, I have. All that can be done to ensure the desired outcome has been done. We can only wait for things to follow their course. I’ll get back to you once the decision is official.

Okay, thanks. Alvin severed the connection.

Alvin’s office was large, bright, and an organized mess. He didn’t allow anyone else to clean it, which meant no one did. Scattered here and there were scale models of all of CCCorp’s products. Most of these were robots of various types. Some were one-offs that he’d created himself for no other reason than to try out some new design or manufacturing process. He spent a lot of time talking to them as he worked.

Looking at a small robot who was dressed like the Vatican Swiss Guard, Alvin said, Okay Mario, I guess I have to get moving or I’ll miss that lunch date downtown, see you later.

So long, Al, replied Mario.

He used his private entrance which opened onto a small patio. From there he could see all of the interior courtyard. As he gazed across the green space with its various facilities for employees and guests, he couldn’t help but remark how peaceful it was. This interior space contrasted markedly with the hubbub inside, even more so with the bland and unadorned outside perimeter walls. Those walls were built to withstand a significant attack, and they had proven their worth on more than one occasion.

He turned right, went through the reception area and into the second interior courtyard where the vehicles were parked. As he walked past the cybernetics lab, Nick saw him get into his car and leave.

4

Ambassador Lee took his place at the Planetas Federation Council table as the US representative. The four permanent members of the Council were seated two each on each side of Secretary-General Qureshi. The four non-permanent or rotating seats came next to his right and left. The International Corporations Guild representative faced him from the end of the table. Under-Secretary-General Tareen sat with Executive Director Yang and her staff at tables farther to the left.

The USG had no official role at Council meetings if the SG was present. He could participate in the discussions, ask questions or add information. If the SG was absent, the USG replaced him. ED Yang was provided with the SG’s votes in case they were needed.

The Guild had a permanent presence on the Council. The representative could not vote but could otherwise fully participate, put forward amendments and make presentations in support of Guild positions. The current representative was Matt Harrington from DesertCloud Industries. His father Clifford owned DesertCloud and a number of other large corporations.

Executive Director Yang presided over the meeting.

You must understand that it’s difficult for local authorities to enforce such standards, said the East African ambassador. Without the full participation of girls in the educational system, it will be impossible for all Planetas regions to engage in the global economic and scientific communities.

I think that we’ve been over this ground enough times, said Qureshi. Global Education Standards are revised every year and then put forward to the General Assembly for review and ratification. The preliminary work done in committee and in the GA is to ensure that we don’t get bogged down here.

Show of hands, said Yang. The members used their comms to vote. Seven in favour, the Global Education Standards Policy is approved as amended.

The next item on the agenda is the IARC quantum computing project, continued Yang. This project is managed by Dr Beauvais, Director of the IARC. He joins us for the presentation via CyberComm. Good day, Dr Beauvais.

And a good day to you and the Council, replied Beauvais.

Yang continued: I’ll run you through the presentation, and Dr Beauvais is available for questions or clarification. I believe you’re all seeing the latest version before you now. Before we start, Secretary-General Qureshi wishes to address the Council.

The SG shifted to the right in his seat. Although he sat in a chair of the best quality and was fitted with advanced cybernetic prostheses, his injuries still caused him discomfort. The assassination attempt was many years ago now, but the graft was crude by today’s standards. He needed to have his left leg and hip as well as the left arm replaced, but he kept putting it off.

Thank you, Executive Director Yang, said Qureshi. We cannot underestimate the role of science in the future of the Planetas Federation. Since Gaborone, our global society has set aside the notion that progress is only possible as a result of economic expansion. This world view led to the unsustainable use of natural and human resources, leaving us in dire straights indeed. Since then, we have embraced the ideal that an improved human condition can only be attained by the judicious implementation of scientific discoveries. In order for peace and prosperity to continue on Earth, we must keep the momentum moving forward, or forces opposed to these ideals will gain a foothold and tear our great enterprise down. I encourage you all to support this significant undertaking.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General, said Yang.

Everyone could see the list of participants queuing to speak on their comm display.

The first was the ambassador for Brazil. The points put forward by our Secretary-General are valid and pertinent. However, I cannot overlook the advantage that the QBitx gives the four permanent members of the Council.

Integrity of government, military and corporate networks is as important a cornerstone of our new world order as any other, said Harrington. Corporations, as all citizens, must be able to operate with the assurance that their private information is secure. I wonder, what use has the EU made of the QBitx secreted away at IARC? I also wonder whether the release of three more of these exceptional computers provides the four permanent members with the power to subdue their counterparts within the Federation?

The SG could jump the queue at any time, and he chose to do so now, As was ratified in the original agreement, which approved the research project, all nations will receive the QBitx technology once the development phase is over. Let's let Executive Director Yang complete her presentation.

The exclusivity of the first units stems from the slow rate of production of the computers, and there are two reasons for this, explained Yang. The first is the sheer complexity of the undertaking. The second is the low availability of key materials. The superconducting alloys in the QBitx use materials that are very rare and it is difficult to obtain enough of them to make a QBitx core.

Going forward, the research program’s two primary goals are the continued development of the technology, creating new core designs which will be easier to produce in quantity, and the development of new technologies in areas such as recombinant nanotech, artificial intelligence, chemistry and energy.

IARC already has the first unit in its lab. This first production unit will remain at IARC as the EU computer. The three other units will go to three academic and private sector labs. One will go to Russia, in Innopolis at Innopolis University, another will go to Tsinghua University in Beijing, in the PRC and the last unit will go to the US at CCCorp in Boston, concluded Yang.

And when will the three deliveries take place? asked the Canadian ambassador.

The recipients will be working out the details with IARC and the military, answered Yang.

Under-Secretary-General Tareen had no privilege to jump the queue but that didn’t hold him back. It’s quite reassuring to know that the IARC intends to eventually close the gap between those who get a QBitx and those who don’t. Given, however, that the new computer is extremely powerful, even a few months of lead time means that those countries with the computer may gain an immense advantage over their counterparts in Planetas. What’s the timetable for the delivery of computers to the other members?

Tareen continued before Yang could answer. I’d also like to point out that our young friend from the Guild raises a very important concern. All members of the Federation are vulnerable to the power and influence of the four permanent members. No security will suffice now that the permanent members have the ability to break their encryption.

Dr Beauvais, could you please respond to the Under-Secretary-General’s concerns? asked Yang.

They all looked at Beauvais’s image hovering in front of them.

It’s true that traditional encryption methods such as RSA, DSA, elliptic curves and others are weak against a quantum computer. Security labs around the world have been aware of this for decades.

For example, encryption keys that incorporate random numbers were developed years ago when the first generation of quantum computing came online. IARC subsequently hosted development sessions with the worldwide security community over the last ten years or so. As a result of these efforts, quantum-resistant algorithms as well as quantum protocols using a shared quantum secret were developed. In cooperation with other labs, IARC facilitated the development of what we believe to be secure encryption which has been further improved using the QBitx. We’ll continue to conduct research in these areas. These technologies have been shared with all Planetas members. As well, specialists from different nations and corporations are on assignment at IARC and they were instrumental in the development of the QBitx.

What makes the QBitx special is that it’s the first quantum supercomputer that can be deployed anywhere regular computers are found. This, together with the fact that the computing power of the QBitx computers is staggering. The current design will allow us to process all of the data on Earth within weeks and all of the data in the Universe within months.

To answer the first question last, we project deployment of a single unit to the first half of Federation members within six months and to the second half within a further six months, concluded Beauvais.

Thank you, Dr Beauvais, said Yang. Show of hands.

Everyone voted in support of the item.

That’s it, then, for this agenda item, added Yang.

The twenty-first century saw a decline in state-sponsored terrorism after most nation-states moved away from dictatorships and monarchies. They allowed their peoples to take advantage of the benefits of a secular society and of free markets. Unfortunately, there were still important players in organized crime and in corrupt governments who sponsored destabilizing agents.

As they moved to the next item on the agenda Yang wondered, not for the first time, whether someone within the Council or perhaps a member of their staff would attempt to disrupt the deployment of this important breakthrough.

5

The buffet was as impressive as ever; the French lived well. There were breads, cheeses, meats, hot and cold hors-d’œuvres, pâtisseries, fine wines and beers. Fred selected a croissant, some cheese and a little pâté. He noticed that SG Qureshi was talking with the ambassador from East Africa. He decided to see if he could join their conversation. When Qureshi noticed him moving in their direction, he motioned him over. Fred increased his pace slightly.

Ambassador Lee, said the SG.

Mr. Secretary-General, Mr. Ambassador.

Mr. Ambassador, replied the East African.

Today’s Council meeting got us on the topic of technology, explained Qureshi. We were talking about the tremendous impact that it’s had in the post-colonial world, not the least in Africa.

Yes, it’s very interesting to see how the continent leapfrogged many technological paradigms, added the East African. For example, back in the twentieth century, we went from writing by hand to using word processing software, bypassing the typewriter pretty much entirely. Later on, wireless communications did the same thing to land-based lines, and then high capacity solar and geothermal electricity gave our industries access to cheap, clean energy. Africa is cleaner than many developed areas on Earth, like North America and China, for example.

Unfortunately, my country and other western nations took advantage of Africa and others regions of the world to plunder your natural resources, and we left deep scars, admitted Fred. I hope the new technologies and the new order will allow us to do better.

I hope so, agreed the Ambassador.

Homo sapiens lived in a world dominated by stories. For some it was religion while for others, it was nationalism. Science was currently a popular story but it still wasn’t the most powerful, not yet anyway. The strongest global story was capitalism. It was the de facto world religion. The transition away from the blind desire to enrich the noble and the merchant classes had been difficult. The thing that saved human civilization, awhile at least, was climate change. After painting itself into a corner, humanity viewed Gaborone as its only way out. It wasn’t a foolproof solution, however. Once things stabilised and they forgot how they had created the mess in the first place, humans would likely use the new economic and regulatory system to go back to building empires and fiefdoms.

It was nice chatting with you both, said the Ambassador. I have to get back to my office.

As he walked away, Fred turned to the SG.

I want to thank you for your support in getting the QBitx to CCCorp.

You should thank the Guild, Mr. Harrington in particular, replied