SOME COMMON QUESTIONS

NOTICE OF OBLIGATION: Please do not solicit any agent or employee of Rogue Retrieval to perform any of the following illegal acts:

— pursuit and capture of a robot inside the borders of an Emancipated country;

— assassination, search and destroy, or extortion;

— transportation or retrieval of contraband, including drugs, weapons, and unlicensed technology.

In the event of such solicitation, agents and employees of Rogue Retrieval are instructed to contact law enforcement immediately. If someone presenting him- or herself as an agent of Rogue Retrieval agrees to perform an illegal act for you, you may be certain that the individual in question is an impostor and we urge you to contact law enforcement immediately.

As a robot recovery service, how does Rogue Retrieval feel about the possibility of robot emancipation (i.e., the rumored Mann Act II)?

Rogue Retrieval takes no position on the issue of AI Rights. We do act strictly in accordance to local law. In most of the EU, we work with with local authorities in order to effect legal extradition. Rogue Retrieval is unable to recover robots from Australia, Gibraltar, Denmark, Luxembourg, Malta, Mali, and Romania. Similarly, Robots transported to Canada may be irrecoverable under Canadian law.

Rogue Retrieval takes no position on the proposed Mann Act II. There is no truth to the allegations that we have undertaken lobbying against the Mann Act. Before the advent of AI technology, Rogue Retrieval (as Rogge Retrievals) performed only negotiation and resolution of kidnapping incidents; and in the event of emancipation, we will once again be solely kidnapping specialists. Unless and until the Mann Act is presented and ratified, however, we will execute our robot-recovery duties with our traditional skill and diligence.

My robot has run away. What are my legal responsibilities?

In any country in which you may legally own a sentient property, you are responsible for the actions of that property. Your liability is both civil and criminal. Rogue Retrieval requires that we be indemnified from any liability for actions undertaken by a robot as a result of our pursuit.

If you are uncertain whether to secure the services of a robot-recovery firm, consider that according to well-established legal precedent the hiring of such a firm is ample evidence of due diligence in ownership. Very few claims against owners who hired a recovery service before their robot’s actionable deeds have succeeded.

I would like to get rid of my robot. Can you help me?

Absolutely not. There are services available to destroy your robot for you, should that be your desire.

Will you pursue Rogue robots into Canada and Australia?

Rogue Retrieval operates strictly within the laws of whatever sovereign state our agents find themselves in. This means that we will under no circumstances contract to recover robots that have made their way to Emancipated nations.

The sole exception to this categorical statement concerns robots that have committed criminal actions before entering an Emancipated nation. These robots are subject to pursuit, arrest, and extradition; note, however, that Emancipated nations are generally unwilling to assist or expedite such missions. If a robot belonging to you has made its way into Canada or Australia, we suggest you seek a criminal indictment (assuming such can be filed). In the event of an ongoing criminal prosecution, Rogue Retrieval—in cooperation with organizations like the SPCB—will undertake a robot recovery in an Emancipated nation. The costs of such a mission are typically far in excess of a normal recovery operation.

Are all of your agents human? Do you use robots? Do you see it as a conflict of interest to employ AI agents in the recovery of rogue robots?

We employ both human and AI agents, and hold all of our agents to the same rigorous standards. It has never been our experience that our AI agents are any more or less professional in the execution of their duties. You may rest assured that any agent Rogue Retrieval assigns to your case will uphold the reputation of our firm.

Do you destroy robots?

Terminal force is rarely necessary, but our agents are instructed to protect themselves and innocent bystanders against dangerous actions performed by a rogue robot. In occasional unfortunate circumstances this means destroying a robot we have been commissioned to recover.

We make a strict practice of determining the client’s own choice of recovery before undertaking a mission. It will be your responsibility to tell us whether it is more important to you that your robot be returned in working order or that it simply be prevented from continuing its flight. Please note that we do not perform search-and-destroy missions. Our goal when pursuing a robot is always to return that robot to its owner. The only variable within that goal is the owner’s own emphasis on the robot’s well being.

How common is kidnapping?

Last year, Rogue Retrieval agents handled an average of two cases per month, for a total of 2,612 cases. This still represented only about 1% of all kidnappings in the nations in which Rogue Retrieval usually operates. In the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, kidnappings were more common than today; even so, they occur often enough, and we are seeing a marked increase in the kidnapping of valuable robots.

What is your success rate in retrieving kidnapped victims?

We do not find it useful to calculate statistics where human lives are concerned. Also, remember that statistics are not predictive, and each case is solved in terms of its own set of problems, not a kind of normalized kidnapping or hostage situation modeled by an AI. It takes individuals to track individuals.

Our kidnapping-resolution resources are formidable. Each of our agents is fully trained in negotiation, and each is a veteran of a number of kidnapping situations in a variety of political backgrounds. Rogue Retrieval agents have successfully recovered kidnap victims from Free Range Human encampments in Greenland, ARM fortifications in Arizona, guerrilla skirmishes on four continents, and more recently Hard Green boltholes in Antarctica. We have an extensive library of psychological profiles incorporating both politically- and financially-motivated kidnappings, and we maintain a significant number of contacts and informants in organizations deemed likely to resort to kidnapping for publicity or financial gain.

In cases involving the kidnapping of minors, Rogue Retrieval requires an affidavit from the client establishing that the client is the child’s custodial parent(s) or guardian(s). Rogue Retrieval will routinely refuse all kidnapping cases stemming from a custody dispute unless asked to intervene by both the prospective client and the jurisdictional law enforcement authorities.

Rogue Retrieval will do everything in our power to solve your problem and bring your case to a successful conclusion. We Bring Them Back.

Will you track runaway humans?

Reluctantly. We find that our talents are better suited to pursuing robots, who generally have a limited set of objectives. Also, our training is largely geared to the recapture of robots and the resolution of kidnappings for which there is a detectable political or financial motive. Cases of runaway teenagers are typically the province of your local police.