King of All I Survey
Chapter 74: Mexico and Colombia

Chapter 74: Mexico and Colombia

After the main strength of the Chiapas trafficking gangs had been crushed trying to enter Guatemala, the Mexican government decided it had less to risk by going after the remaining cartel members and even the cartel chiefs throughout the country. The Mexican military mobilized in force. They conducted raids and local police were instructed to arrest any known traffickers. As soon as we saw their intentions through the drones we had spying on their government communications, we arranged for a list of names of all known high to mid-level traffickers along with current locations and security precautions they had in place. We also gave them the names of corrupted government officials, law enforcement, and military. We left out the names of low-level accomplices. Our plan was to discretely pick them up ourselves and bring them to our rehabilitation center to see how many could be returned to their communities safely.

It was not a slam dunk, by any means. Some high placed officials made phone calls as soon as they learned of the plans to move against the cartels and before we sent names to the Mexican President. As a result, some leaders and top henchmen escaped the country. We had them all tracked, though, and would be able to pinpoint them later. Others in the country hunkered down on their estates with heavily armed guards positioned to defend against the military. They had weaponry that would take down helicopters or even low-flying planes as well as a great many automatic weapons. We provided the government with detailed maps which included the defenders precise locations, numbers, and weapons.

Still, they did not go quietly, there were casualties on both sides. With our information, however, the government forces suffered far fewer losses than they would have otherwise. A fact that was not lost on the military leaders and top level government planners.

Maribel called the local leaders of the Zapatistas throughout Chiapas to let them know they had nothing to fear from the Mexican government’s actions. It was strictly aimed at cartels and traffickers. She had become well-known and highly regarded in the last couple of days. When she talked with them individually by phone she was afforded respect and her words were given great weight in light of what she had helped bring about in Guatemala. She used the calls to begin an ongoing dialogue and to arrange for a conference call with the entire group of local community leaders the day after the Mexican raids began.

The Zapatistas, once a rebel group within Mexico fighting for indigenous rights and independence, had evolved to become a peaceful organization. They were allowed to set up local governments in the towns and communities of Chiapas, especially in the eastern part of the state. They acted independently from the Mexican government, keeping the peace and helping with the organization of schools, markets, and municipal affairs. They relied on old Mayan values for direction. The strength and health of the community was paramount. If someone committed a crime, the focus was on helping that person realize the error of their ways and arranging for them to make an equitable restitution to the victims and the community as a whole. It was the same basis for justice that I wanted to follow on a broader scale, especially since we had the highly effective rehabilitation capabilities enabled by the memory imprint therapy technology.

Maribel found common values with the Zapatistas, as did I. Our plan was to try to integrate this larger group of Mayan communities under our banner once the Mexican government had finished their assault on the cartels. We were reasonably sure that despite our help, the larger Mexican government and the other areas of the country would be a longer-term project.

We also overheard President Arroyo discussing expedited elections. It was his belief that if he held them much sooner than Rafael requested, Rafael would not have time to convince the people he was not still a criminal, and Arroyo could easily defeat him especially since he had carried through on his previous election promises to eliminate government corruption, although we had to prod him and make it possible. If, on the other hand, he gave Rafael the two years he requested, then Camal de Leon would be able to spend those two years building a reputation and effectively running his campaign for the entire time. That would make the election much more difficult for Arroyo.

After some discussion at headquarters, we thought that would be ok. We were convinced that we could, with Joe’s aid, put together a winning campaign within a month. Either way, we wanted Rafael and Maribel to call Arroyo and nail him down on a special election.

Meanwhile, the Colombian government still claimed not to have any evidence from us that would justify them taking action and risking lives. We would need to change that. The Colombian cartels had extensive resources and the will to use them to try to maintain their operations. We had removed a very important route for them to transport their drugs, but not the only one. Colombia would be the next major operation on our list. We needed a day or two more to stabilize things, before shifting the bulk of our focus.

At the same time, Joe was tracking all their financial transactions. They were scurrying to hide money in case they had to go into hiding or someone went after their accounts the way they heard it was done in Guatemala. They were also arming their people and had a considerable private army at their disposal.

I had resolved to avoid bloodshed going forward whenever possible, but letting the Mexican government handle things had turned out pretty bloody. I wanted Colombia to be different. Here was a classic case where it would be easy to demonize the enemy and convince ourselves they weren’t worth sparing. I felt that if I didn’t figure out how to take the Colombian cartels down without an all-out war, I might not deserve to be king of Earth.

We could pop a LITV right on top of them and simply lift them out and put them in a closed therapy/ simulation cell on our island... A great many of them would be heavily armed though, and I could see that going wrong in any number of ways. Still, though, I thought that would be the way to go, if we could disarm them or neutralize their weapons.

Brainstorming with Joe and Dad, I asked "Can we create a simulation room scenario that gets them to put down their weapons, then we remove them?"

"Maybe for some of them, even most of them maybe, but there would be some who just start shooting..." Dad answered. "The walls are bullet-proof though."

"Still seems pretty sloppy. Locking them in a glorified padded cell with fully automatic assault weapons doesn’t seem conducive to starting a civil discussion about their personal future plans," I said dejectedly.

"Whatever we do, we don’t have a lot of time. They’re going to start using violence to restore what they see as order sooner rather than later," Dad prompted.

"I think we can start by destroying all the fields after dark tonight, disable all their vehicles, ground and air," I said. "Overnight, we can also pull all their money out of the system, wherever it is. How many therapy rooms can you have done on Blue Island by midnight, Joe?"

"If we do an all-out prioritization of effort on that, we should have 714 cells with simulation capability. Therapy is handled by me directly with a local relay. We currently have 1426 priority removal targets in Colombia," Joe replied.

"What if we just target one cartel family at a time?" Dad suggested. "Start with the largest one. Then we can pick up the others piecemeal as space is created."

"Joe, what kind of a simulation is likely to keep them calmest?" I asked.

"It’ll vary by individual."

"What about a traditional prison cell?" Dad offered, "something modern looking, highly secure to discourage escape attempts. They’d see there’s no point in freaking out while they’re locked behind bars."

I shrugged, "I like it. Joe, what do you think?"

"It should work, as long as we’re not concerned with faking a transport scenario from their present locations to the jail. We could insert something into their memories later if we feel the need to explain how they got there. It’s not the optimal start to rehab therapy, but its workable."

"OK, let’s go with that. Joe, at midnight, start lifting people via LITV into the holding cells. Instead of targeting a single group. Pick up those who are alone, in a place with no witnesses, and who are unarmed. Use a solid metal prison door so they can’t see out of the cells unless a small access door at eye level is opened. Once they arrive, tell them via audio only, they are in a maximum security prison... in Guatemala. Tell them, breakfast will be delivered at 6:30 AM. Make sure the sim includes a cot and blanket, toilet and whatever else would be in prison cell." Then another thought occurred to me, "Joe, you can just render people unconscious can’t you? I mean, by reaching into their minds, you can dull enough neural pathways to effectively put them into deep sleep, right? You should have mentioned that."

"I can do that, yes. I can’t guarantee 100% effectiveness, especially if the subject is using chemical stimulants as some number of the Colombian group are. I apologize, King Tim. It’s just that I’m not comfortable suggesting ways that I can harm people," Joe answered recalcitrantly.

"No worries, Joe. Is it really harming them, though? You’re just putting them to sleep by augmenting the natural sleep mechanism in their brains."

"Direct intervention without permission is, by definition a form of harm, especially when it’s for the purpose of incapacitating them involuntarily. Under your authorization with declared criminals, I can do it, but I still find it uncomfortable," Joe explained.

"I get it. I’m sorry to have to ask this, but for those who are armed, but alone and unobserved, please put them to sleep, transport them and disarm them before they wake up. Keep going until the cell capacity is full, then as new cells are finished by the fabrication mechs, keep filling them. I imagine at some point we’ll have to take people in groups if they don’t present better opportunities, but keep me informed of your progress," I commanded.