POV: Aritra Naskar
Date: September 15, 2012
Location: KL–Penang Corridor, Malaysia
Time: 6:45 AM Malaysia Time
Dawn's pale light glimmered off the wet tarmac as the Nova Tech Airbus touched down at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. A translucent haze—leftover from overnight monsoon rains—hovered above the runway, dampening the roar of engines and muting colors into a pastel wash. I stepped onto the jet bridge with my carry-on and tablet, inhaling that familiar scent of warm, humid air mixed with jet fuel. My mind was already racing: today was the first field deployment of our Automated Drone Swarms in a new region, and everything had to go smoothly.
Clutching my overcoat, I floated through the terminal, nodding at airport security familiar with Nova Tech's routine visits. A local liaison, Dr. Tan Wei Ming, waved from the arrivals hall, phone in hand. I closed the gap between us.
"Good morning, Dr. Tan," I greeted, offering a firm handshake.
"Morning, Mr. Naskar," he replied, voice low above the roar of escalators. "We've arranged transport straight to the Penang data relay station, about an hour's drive from here. The community hall will be set for our demonstration by 9 AM."
I tapped my tablet to confirm. "Excellent. And Minister Yusof will join us? He insisted on seeing the drones in action."
Dr. Tan glanced down. "He's scheduled to arrive at 8:30. He'll observe from the control tent. Everything is in place—backup nodes synched last night, redundancy drills completed. The tribunal's observers are also here: Ambassador Loke from ASEAN and Dr. Hassan from the UN."
"Thank you," I said, adjusting my collar as we moved toward a waiting SUV. "Let's begin."
Location: Penang Data Relay Station – Control Tent
Time: 8:50 AM MYT
By the time we arrived at the low-slung, coconut-fringed compound, a small crowd had already gathered beneath a canvas marquee: engineers in crisp Nova Tech polos, local IT staff, media crews, and at the center, the blue-and-yellow garlands draped across the ceremonial ribbon waiting to be cut. A faint hum drifted on the breeze from the nearby relay towers—antennas glinting like silver spines against a heavy sky.
Inside a large canvas tent furnished with folding tables, I found the nerve center: a row of laptops linked to satellite uplinks, monitors flickering with live data feeds from Lagos, Accra, Dhubri, and now Penang. On one screen, the Accra redundancy drill's final audit logs glowed emerald—fully reconciled. On another, Malaysia's node showed 99.999% uptime.
Ambassador Loke arrived in a neatly pressed baju Melayu, greeting me with a modest bow. "Mr. Naskar, thank you for bringing transparency to Southeast Asia."
I acknowledged him. "Our goal is to empower communities—ensure that when natural or artificial disruptions strike, services never fail." I nodded toward Dr. Hassan, who studied the screens quietly, UN insignia pinned to his lapel.
Across the tent, Minister Yusof and his entourage approached—suits brushing muddy gravel. He surveyed the set-up with one steely glance before meeting my eyes.
"Mr. Naskar," he said, extending a hand. His accent was warm but authoritative. "I've seen impressive things in Boston and Singapore, but I wish to ensure Nova Tech's vision respects our local sovereignty."
I clasped his hand firmly. "Minister, I promise you: these drones operate only under strict defensive protocols. Today, we demonstrate their disaster-response capability—mapping flood-prone zones and verifying relay integrity. No offensive mode is activated. You have my word."
Minister Yusof nodded. "Very well. Proceed."
Location: Penang Data Relay Station – Out in the Field
Time: 9:20 AM MYT
Beyond the control tent lay a fenced grid of solar arrays and small satellite dishes, each mounted atop reinforced pedestals. In the clearing beyond, technicians strapped laser-guided beacons to drone docking stations. The Automated Drone Swarms had been packed into weatherproof crates: sleek carbon-fiber fuselages, folding wings, and sensor arrays. A flick of a switch activated their internal diagnostics—a chorus of electronic whirrs and green indicator lights.
I joined Dr. Rhea Mukherjee and Lead Engineer Syed Kamal, who monitored each drone's self-test on their tablets. Rhea tapped an icon: "Initiating geospatial mapping sequence." On the central screen, a digital map of Penang Island gamified before us: red zones (flood watch), yellow zones (sensor calibration), and green zones (fully verified).
"Drones 1 through 10 are armed with LIDAR and infrared cameras. Their preflight check is complete," Rhea reported. "Weather satellites confirm stable wind patterns for the next hour. We'll launch in T-minus two minutes."
I stepped forward. "Minister, we'll first deploy Drone Alpha to survey the coastal lowlands. It will transmit live topographical data and weather-readings to our console. Then Drone Beta will coordinate with local mobile units to verify on-the-ground status."
The Minister watched intently. "Proceed."
"Take off in 3…2…1…" Rhea intoned. At her cue, Drone Alpha's twin rotors spun into a blur, and it lifted gracefully from its cradle. A moment later, Drone Beta joined, and then Drone Gamma. Within seconds, ten drones hovered in formation, rose to altitude, and dispersed along flight paths.
On the screen, real-time overlays updated: a vantage of the Penang coast—floodwaters rising against rice paddies, occasional breaches in earthen levees, location tags showing sensor anomalies.
I tapped a command: "Activate anomaly detection." Red squares flickered where water-surge readings exceeded safe thresholds. Within 30 seconds, drone onboard AI had pinpointed two vulnerable levee points. I nodded to Syed. "Relay this to the local task force. They need to deploy sandbags before the next high tide."
Syed sent the notification. At the edge of the field, I spotted a gaggle of relief workers, shovels in hand, following a technicians' SUV. They had already received the alert. Their heads bent over maps as they planned their route.
Ambassador Loke smiled. "Remarkable real-time coordination."
Minister Yusof nodded, visibly impressed. "This could save countless lives during our monsoon season."
I exhaled quietly—gratitude mixed with determination. But in the corner of my vision, I noticed Felix Reinhardt, standing beside a pair of security analysts, watching the feed with a neutral expression. He gave no indication of malice, but I knew he logged every waypoint, every data packet. The Tribunal's majority might protect our ledgers, but Viktor's proxies could still lurk behind Felix's inscrutable gaze.
I refocused on the Mission. "Now, for step two: Drone Delta will inspect relay tower Node 5 about ten kilometers north—ensuring no physical tampering post-deployment." I tapped again, and Drone Delta veered toward a lattice tower rising above palm groves. Through Delta's infrared scope, we detected a slightly displaced equipment housing—likely minor maintenance by local staff, but a breach was a breach. The drone transmitted hi-res photos to the console: a cracked seal on a weatherproof cabinet.
I transmitted the photo to the tower's caretaker, Mr. Lim, who arrived moments later on a motorbike, tool kit in hand. Even as Lim knelt to reseal the unit, the drones mapped the surrounding area—identifying any thermal signatures that suggested unauthorized human presence. Everything checked out.
Location: Penang Data Relay Station – Control Tent
Time: 10:30 AM MYT
Back in the tent, I faced the Tribunal members and local dignitaries. The screens displayed a composite reconstruction of today's flight data: maps dotted with green, yellow, and red—a mosaic of surveillance and service.
Ambassador Loke stood. "Mr. Naskar, your technology's effectiveness is clear. Yet we must ask: what happens when miners or militants target these drones? How do we defend them?"
I nodded, acknowledging the unspoken challenge. "Our drones transmit encrypted telemetry on dual channels—satellite and 4G LTE—so if one channel fails, the other picks up. If a drone's signal ceases entirely, a failsafe returns it to base. Additionally, we embed tamper-evident seals on each unit; if a drone is compromised, we'll know immediately and can dispatch ground teams."
Minister Yusof leaned forward. "And if ground teams cannot reach it—dense jungle, security threats?"
I met his gaze. "We can program drones to hover in a higher orbit—beyond small-arms range—until security is restored. Or we can deploy a secondary drone to retrieve data from the disabled unit's onboard memory via an encrypted mesh network."
A hush fell—technology had outmaneuvered every concern. Even Felix Reinhardt nodded, though he refused to smile.
Ambassador Vasquez rose from her seat. "From a governance standpoint, the data you gather today will inform disaster-preparedness policies. We ask Nova Tech to share this mapping with local municipalities under open-data licenses."
I confirmed. "Absolutely. All non–personally identifiable data is public. We've prepared dashboards for government agencies and citizen groups alike—live stats on flooding, infrastructure status, and emergency resources."
As applause swept the tent, I caught Katherine's eye. She offered a reassuring nod, the same nod she'd given me in Kolkata during dark storms—an assurance that no shadow would eclipse our mission.
Location: AirAsia Flight to Singapore
Time: 4:15 PM SGT (Singapore Time)
I boarded the late-afternoon flight bound for Singapore, exhaustion and adrenaline mingling in my veins. The cabin lights dimmed as we ascended, and I tapped my tablet one last time to check Accra and Dhubri: both nodes glowed emerald—stable. In Malaysia, Penang's nodes remained green; the drones had successfully transmitted all mission data. The Tribunal would officially validate today's results tomorrow, but I felt confident.
I scrolled to the Weapon Systems Catalogue tab—Drone Swarms remained at "In Transit." Soon, they'd arrive in Kolkata, ready for deployment across South Asia and Africa. I closed the interface, leaning back in my seat.
Beyond the window, thick clouds hid the world below. Yet in my heart, the ledger's glow and the drone's hum formed a steady rhythm, guiding me forward. No matter how adept Viktor's shadows might be, the light of transparency—and the whir of vigilant drones—would keep every ledger block and every vulnerable relay in plain sight.
As the flight cruised toward Singapore, I allowed myself a brief moment of hope: the world was finally ready to watch—and to act—ensuring that technology served all people, not just power.