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In the deserts of Afghanistan, the blessed sunlight pouring from above was continuously converted to energy by the solar arrays scattered throughout the Loy Kandahar region.
President Karzai had never been as busy with administration duties until this mission but was determined to succeed for the sake of his people's future.
He was escorted by the typical presidential bodyguards and an FS infantry unit with its FAV-1 attachment.
Director Price didn't want to risk the president's safety during his visits to the local Afghan tribes.
A large Future Tech transport vehicle followed the convoy, containing miscellaneous equipment they needed for the outreach program, such as Infinity Workstations and Data Access Nodes.
Trailing the convoy was a team from Hyundai Construction & Engineering, laying the underground foundations for utility lines like fiber optic, power, and water on behalf of Future Tech.
The team had made good progress so far, thanks to the open and untouched nature of Afghanistan, unlike the sprawling LA and Austin metropolis.
Their entourage arrived outside a small town west of Kandahar City, and the FS unit commander said, "Rais, I'll have a few of my men secure the area before you start the meeting with the local chief."
Karzai appreciated the gesture and replied, "Thank you, Farrukh. I'll need your help later in persuading the chiefs to adapt. It won't be easy."
Farrukh was an average man a year earlier but was given an opportunity, learned so quickly at Kandahar, and now a Future Security liaison with the president himself.
He felt a bit of pride, rightfully so, and replied, "Of course, Rais. Director Price explained how important this mission is to our people's future. My men and I won't take it lightly."
The local chieftain welcomed the President and his party to the village. Still, the populace seemed uneasy with so many foreign-looking soldiers who wore completely different armor than US or Russian forces.
The Dragonflies reported no active threats around the area on Farrukh's integrated Hypervisor and instructed, "Remove your helmets and show the people we are Afghans just like them."
His unit obeyed orders and revealed their faces to the villagers, all strong and confident-looking Afghans, completely different from the typical soldiers they'd see patrolling the area sometimes.
A few children walked up to Farrukh and asked, "Why do you look so different from the others?"
No one other than Future Security forces had the pleasure to wear the new infantry power armor, worth $1 million, excluding the other standard-issue equipment. So it was natural why the locals were so intrigued.
The same situation was happening throughout the village as the people who rarely left their homes mingled with the Afghan Future Security operators.
They were willing to do this as part of their mission, to integrate the smaller towns and villages with new national policies, including the switch from Afghan Afghani to Bitcash.
After a brief meeting, President Karzai ordered the Future Education staff to unload the transport truck and begin the census.
Future Tech had compiled almost every identity in 195 countries, including Afghanistan. Still, it wasn't complete, so part of their mission was to document identities while persuading the local chiefs and advisers to support Future Tech initiatives.
A curious young man lined up first as the transport truck staff finished installing a Data Access Node for a NetServ connection.
The Future Education staff was one of Alexis' subordinates, running operations locally while she was busy with the US military programs stateside.
He asked the young man for his name before checking the identity database for duplicates. He said in Pashto, "It looks like you're already registered after entering Kandahar two months ago. Here's a complimentary BitCash wallet that contains 500 Bitcash. Please don't lose it, or you'll have to order one for $100 or use an Infinity device to access your money. You can attend a quick tutorial class on the other side of the truck. Next!"
The young man stepped to the side but was frozen in shock and thought, [What?! I've never had so much money in my life!]
The average yearly income in Afghanistan was $400, and most of the wealth revolved around the major cities like Kabul, so rural people like him didn't earn nearly as much.
To be eligible to receive the 500 Bitcash, the account holder must be older than 17 years old with a complete identity profile.
The young man was in luck because people who did business at Kandahar usually had to work with Future Security operators to complete registration before entering the city.
Another transport truck contained discounted Future Tech consumer devices like first-generation AIM mobile phones and even Infinity Tablets for people interested in spending Bitcash.
Farrukh and the other operators recommended the villagers to buy at least one Infinity Laptop per family, siting their own experiences learning skills at Future Education, and slowly improving the lives of their families.
The local chieftain was pleased to see his people having a good time as Karzai said to him, "I'll need your people's help with our next national program, expanding the highways and utility grid. Future Tech is footing the bill, but we need your cooperation. I'm certain we can uplift Afghanistan together, as its sons and daughters."
Since he was a teenager, the chief had known Karzai and replied, "I believe you, Rais. Our country is changing for the better this time. No more madness and bloodshed."
Karzai nodded in agreement and said, "The Russians and Americans didn't respect us, but it's different now. I've never seen a corporation like Future Tech, willing to risk so much on our growth. I know they have their own agendas, but this is a round-about way of doing things if they didn't care about us."
Both men watched the Future Security operators socialize with the locals, wearing armor, not even the US military can use, just because they're trusted as humans and treated with esteem rather than disdain.
After the Bitcash lessons many of the locals attended, Future Tech started recruiting people for the national mining and prospecting project.
A few families decided to send one member each, after hearing they'd be paid a competitive wage in Bitcash.
Afghanistan's biggest export in 2013 had been Black Gold, ever since Future Tech had opened their petroleum refinery near Kandahar, and most locals even outside of the cities knew about it.
This situation bodes well for Karzai's government, earning taxes from exporting Black Gold to rich AV owners in the United States, Asia, and Europe, while Russia was shadowbanned from purchasing Black Gold, due to Future Tech's investigations.
The China National Petroleum Corporation was very happy to supply Future Tech with crude oil mined in the region, for a good price, while the prospecting program was underway.
China wasn't too keen on the Taliban disrupting their oil mining businesses, so they appreciated the current peace brought by Future Security, freeing them to focus on efficient production.
This was the first stop of many planned by President Karzai, throughout the country, to advocate the positive social changes the government was enacting. The west wasn't asking the locals to convert or forget their culture and heritage, Future Tech wanted Afghanistan to progress on different metrics like peace, higher standards of living, and sustainability.
Karzai understood that achieving these lofty goals would only be possible if all the local tribes were on the same page.
The nation of Afghanistan was randomly drawn by the British Empire more than a century ago, but Karzai focused his rhetoric on the small communities, and what they could achieve working together, and creating their own country not dictated by foreigners.
Many locals slowly realized the vast potential their country showed during a rare time of peace after Operation Quicksand, with the help of Future Tech.
Karzai sat down at the village square and observed the heartwarming scene, as he thought, [Things have changed so much in the past eight months, so I can only imagine what things could be like in three or ten years.]
He was filled with hope, after so many years of doubt in the fight against the Taliban and their dangerous social movement.
A few hours later, a Future Education unit escorted by FS operators arrived to set up a temporary basic school to teach kids how to read and write for free, included in the national program.
Karzai watched the children excitedly join the free lessons as he reminisced about a conversation he had with Director Price.
He asked Price how Future Tech was so successful a week ago, and his response had stuck with Karzai, explaining their strategy of investing in people, instead of superficial stocks or technologies.
Everyone who worked for the young CEO believed in this vision, and Karzai could clearly see it with his own eyes, watching Future Tech educate his people for free.
Karzai fondly pondered, [I guess the lofty goal of changing the world isn't too hard with so many people striving for the same thing. I have to meet Vince Dalton at least once in my lifetime.]
Karzai was a smart man and understood the boons experienced by his country will soon come under threat by his jealous neighbors like Russia in the north, and the extremists in the west, so maintaining Afghanistan's advantage would be the natural next step.
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