Ground-level clichés begin: The happy-children-chasing-a-soccer-ball scene/The river-washing scene/The basket-of-heavy-charcoal-on-the-head scene/The stoic-men-tending-emaciated-cattle scene/The small-motorbike-carrying-an-entire-family scene.

Then, WE HEAR GUNFIRE.

WE HEAR EXPLOSIONS.

CUT TO: Fire. Rebel militia. Terrorists. People fleeing, screaming.

More gunfire.

VOICE-OVER: “In a land ravaged by terrorist groups—Mai-Mai, M23, the Lord’s Resistance Army. In a country without governance, sharing borders with war-torn South Sudan, Uganda, and a lawless Central African Republic. On ground plundered by rapacious outsiders for centuries—there is WAR.”

CUT TO: Burning grass. Skeletons of houses. Hacked bodies. Tearful faces. An amputated black forearm lying in the dirt.

Then . . .

CUT TO: Muscled men in cool sunglasses and short haircuts arrive. Out of helicopters. In armored vehicles. On foot. Private military contractors with Perseus Group logos on their shirts. They erect guard posts. They hand out food. They apply bandages. They build a church.

VOICE-OVER (Terry Krieger’s voice): “The Sovereign has celebrated the world’s indigenous people and its wildlife for nearly a hundred fifty years. Perseus Group is committed to protecting these lives using the world’s best technologies, best equipment, and best people—so that a hundred fifty years from now, our descendants will be able to enjoy the natural and cultural heritage we have preserved for them.”

CUT TO: Mothers washing laundry in a river look up. Children pause their soccer game and look up. Fathers tending cattle look up. Cattle look up, too. A flock of birds appears. The flock moves as one, then breaks into two, then three clouds, rolling over and around itself, a joyful murmuration. The birds sail above a herd of elephants. Then a car appears on the horizon. A portion of the flock peels off to examine the incoming vehicle.

The birds are Askari drones, perfect house sparrow replicas. One drone flies to each of the car’s windows. The faces of the car’s passengers appear in boxes on the screen. Below each face is a full name, identity card serial number, biodata, and criminal history. An individual bird darts away from the vehicle and peers directly into the camera. It is inches away from the camera lens. Its eyes look REAL.