Joy

The Science Channel is airing a show "Trek Nation" on the legacy of Gene Roddenberry. Y'all might want to try it.

Joy sighed, looking across the conference table at Rian. "I don't think you are getting the hive mind thing. Perhaps it is my fault. You know I am very strong by the standards of organic beings? Yet, do you recall the one time since I returned to the Republic when I used that strength? "I strive perhaps too hard to 'pass' for organic, to not be special, not be different. As I seldom flaunt my strength, I seldom flaunt the skills and memories I share with my sisters. I'll use them, but quietly. I think, this once, I have to be explicit. "I have a sister, Nine, who served as councilor for the diplomatic ship USS Lovisa. I have a sister, Six, who teaches artificial intelligence and law at the Academy, also mentoring and protecting a small collection of sentient holocharacters who assist in cadet training. "The Admiral's condition is much worse than you are letting on. It is not just the recent loss of old Republic. It has been building for a long time. There are drugs that can help, but she is over reacting emotionally and may need a much lower stress environment. "She ought to be under the care of a mature capable councilor. While Holly has the knowledge and the skills, I do not know that she has the maturity. Holly and the Admiral are generally good for one another. They need one another. While Holly should have the skills to do the job as councilor, she knows what is needed, knows what has to be done, she is still not entirely over her justifiable anger at how she was treated in her youth. In some ways, she is making it harder on the Admiral rather than giving her the environment she needs. "This ship needs a mature rational command staff. Between the Admiral's emotional outbursts whenever any glitch comes up and Holly's continued prodding and harassment, we have a problem. I don't think the answer is to pretend there is nothing wrong. A quiet word to a few folk to calm down and give the Admiral a little slack might be appropriate. "I have a sister. Ambassador Seven has been representing Mudd's interests on Earth for quite some time. One thing ambassadors to Earth do is pass judgement on rogue Starfleet captains. Kirk wasn't the first. Corizon won't be the last. The question is whether one should give the rogue a medal, bust him from Starfleet, or both. Neither generally isn't an option. Pardon, but I feel a need to vent a bit. "There are two basic perspectives and lots of variations in between. There is a Pragmatist faction who generally work for the best interest of The Federation. They tend to measure interests in material measurable way: territory, resources, fleets, production capability. They see The Federation as competing with assorted other powers, and are determined to win the competition. Starfleet is somewhat biased towards this perspective. "There are also Idealists. They see a large number of planets and races joined in a federation. Ambassadors, assigned by the member planets, often act in the interests of the planets and races rather than the abstract whole. The Prime Directive means the central government cannot meddle with their culture. The Guarantees means the central government has to leave their people alone. Pacifism means resources are not taken from the planet, and its citizens are less apt to die. When one looks at the interests of the various planets rather than Starfleet or The Federation, the old ideals aren't obsolete abstract philosophy but critical day to day goals. The Federation exists to enable and enhance the interests of the planets, not the other way around. "Neither perspective is uniquely true. While Seven is a well known Idealist, we understand the need for balance between the two perspectives. "Judging Starfleet captains after the fact is a political exercise. The Pragmatists are apt to try to make Corizon a hero. He will be doing something that arguably needs to be done. If the Republic prevents him from achieving said mission, they will turn someone into a scapegoat. The Idealists won't like unnecessary violence, and all violence will be considered unnecessary. If laws and treaties are broken, they won't like it. If relationships with our neighbors are disrupted, they won't like it. "There is also a question of division of powers. Offensive use of force requires approval of Council, by representatives of the planets. Recent Federation presidents have tried to usurp that power into the executive branch. Starfleet Intelligence and similar agencies have tried to usurp that power into secret cliques that strive to avoid civilian oversight. Individual captains, such as Corizon, will just make a rude gesture towards Earth, disregard chain of command, and do as they claim their conscience demands. "One problem is that sometimes the bureaucracy is wrong and the individual's conscience is correct. "Some suggestions for consideration. Before entering the Neutral Zone, confirm your ass is covered permission wise. Consider inviting a Romulan officer aboard. Consider working in tandem with a Romulan ship. On the other hand, consider that even asking permission to enter the Neutral Zone could draw attention to the area and thus put Corizon's self assigned mission at risk, endangering his ship and crew. Consider that it might be best to wait for him to come back out into Federation space before acting. "And you may wish to gather as much information as possible on what Corizon might think he is doing. Go for the basic what, where, why and how. If you have that, a rough plan, and that plan includes an exit strategy, this would be a good thing. If your intent is to sail into harms way and hope for the best, this is apt to be frowned upon. "I do have a sister. Ambassador Five is currently with the diplomatic corps at Camelot, Excalibur's home port. She will know something of Corizon's recent assignments, and might or might not be able to provide meaningful information about what has been troubling him of late." Joy sighed. "And that is a glimpse at how a Mudd hive mind works. Our form of government has been described as a 'wide area network.' The strength of a hive mind culture is in getting the right information to where it is needed. Military cultures have a conflicting virtue of secrecy, often keeping information isolated. By keeping communications secure, honoring Starfleet regulations, and remembering need to know, the opposing principles can be held in a reasonable balance. Mudd, Starfleet and the Federation Diplomatic Corps have had a satisfactory relationship for quite some time, except on rare occasion when Admiral Blurox's prejudices against hive minds flare up. That problem is unique to Admiral Blurox. "Five has entirely different problems with Captain Corizon. Pragmatist, idealist. Idealist, pragmatist. Round 27. Begin… "It takes all kinds. Idealists and pragmatists. Organics and artificials. Hive minds and individuals. Males and females. Felines and canines. Infinite diversity. Infinite combinations. If the admiral expects me to split off permanently from my hive mind, I cannot work with her. If she is not comfortable with sharing all the necessary information to run the Republic's science department with all my sisters, if her personal prejudice against hive minds trumps in her mind well established Starfleet regulations and procedures, then I will not be comfortable working with her. It will only be a matter of time before the issue comes up again. "We can work around it for now. She doesn't particularly need another headache at just this moment. However, I do want the issue understood and resolved."

Hmm... It could be turned into an e-mail easily enough if that pleases you. I'd like to think she'd be willing to listen. Maybe not, though.

Subject : Resignation To : Captain Rian Kwai From : LtCdr Joy Twelve If you will not recognize my security clearances, then I do not believe I am the best individual to perform as your Chief of Science. I perceive this as a personal prejudice against my particular processor architecture. If after all these years you cannot respect and trust me and mine, it isn't likely to happen now. You give me a choice between belonging to a family or serving on this particular ship. This is not a difficult choice. I shall be at Heather's service if she requires me. I intend to leave the ship at the next appropriate stop. LtCdr Joy Twelve

For some reason, I feel like reposting an old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon drawn by an old friend...

Subject : Hive Minds and Corizon From : LtCdr Joy Twelve To : Captain Rian Kwai CC : Science Department Log Classification : Secret Captain I was designed to simulate an individual human being. I do this reasonably well. However, I am not an individual human being. I am part of a collective, a hive mind. When I encounter one of my sisters, and I will actively seek them out, we merge data bases. This is a complete process that is not interrupted and has no options. On finish, the two memory sets are identical. While the Admiral did not wish the crew to visit Earth recently, I insisted that I be allowed to visit my sisters. There are four currently on Earth, working as dancer, tour guide, Academy instructor and Ambassador. As the result of the merge, I could step into Eleven's place in one particular chorus line, or give Six's lectures at the Academy. To me, my trip was not a three day quick tourist visit to New York City. I have the benefit of living the lives of my sisters. I am now as much a resident of Earth as an explorer of the far fringes of Gamma Quad. Recently, due to concerns of security, the Admiral attempted to order me not to merge in this way with my sisters. She is not the first to consider the security implications of my design. Legally, the Joys are a hive mind. If any of us acquires a security clearance, the rest of us acquire the same clearance, along with the restrictions and obligations the clearance implies. I assure you, each of my sisters is identically capable of following the regulations as I. This approach has been considered satisfactory by both Starfleet and the Diplomatic Corps for some time, but is suddenly not satisfactory to the Admiral. Now, I would consider an order to keep a secret from my sisters to be equivalent to an order to a Trill to keep a secret from her host. One can only do this by severing the hive mind. This is not appropriate. I do not believe an order to do so ought to be considered legal. One of my sisters, Professor Six, is known as an advocate for the rights of artificial intelligences. Ambassador Seven is renown for her defense of the Guarantees. The Starfleet Joys, when we take stands echoing Six and Seven, have a reputation for being annoying space lawyers. I would rather not go into flaming space lawyer mode. I suspect the admiral just hasn't opened my personnel file in many years, and has forgotten about a few odd paragraphs associated with my security clearances. I am hoping a gentle reminder will be sufficient. Another of my sisters is relevant. When the climax battle of the Scorpiad War was fought at the far end of the Bajoran wormhole, Five was at Hops for the allied fleet flagship, USS Excalibur. Corizon was behind her in the big chair. In the process of her travels aboard Excalibur, Five came to learn something of Corizon. Do not underestimate Corizon. He is a superb tactician. His ships tend to carry marine companies and fighter squadrons. He knows how to use them. He has connections and influence within the intelligence, admiralty and political hierarchies of the Federation. He handles hot potato issues, problems too tricky to be trusted to most officers. Assume his is not insane. Assume his motivations are not criminal or selfish. Assume there is a mission that must be done, that it is Corizon's opinion that this mission is important to the Federation, and it is easier to achieve forgiveness than permission. Assume the mission is important enough that he will be willing to flush his career should he not get the forgiveness. Assume that always before he has gotten forgiveness. Also, assume that any rivalry between cats and dogs is mild compared to the difference between a by the book android and a whatever it takes free lancer. The Joys are not pleased by Section 31 thinking. I approve of a mission to enforce proper chain of command, not that the opinion of LtCdr Twelve matters. On the other hand, we may have been chosen to fail. This ship cannot execute a shore leave without getting banned from a planet, without slaying holy winged ancestors. We struggle to get an AT down and up without blowing the Prime Directive. We go through wormholes at warp. Our traditional assignment is to get as far away from the center of the Federation as possible. You might assume that it was politically expedient for the Admiralty to attempt to stop a captain that has apparently gone rogue, but the ship chosen to perform this mission was not necessarily selected because it is likely to succeed. If we should manage to catch up with him, expect some sort of grand mess. I cannot foretell the shape of the mess, but a mess it will be. LtCdr Joy Twelve

SUBJECT: Scorpiad Freighter TO: Vice-Admiral Misha Abronvonvich, Commanding Officer, SGQC FROM: Ambassador Joy Seven CC: Captain Ah-Windu Corizon, Commanding Officer, USS Excalibur Admiral Hirokie M’Snia, Starfleet Command Admiral This communications might properly be considered unofficial. Androids are not supposed to have gut feelings, but none the less I have some conjecture that cannot be proven. Someone attempted to send damaged Romulan weapons through Starfleet channels to the resistance. It is my guess that whomever did this was not a friend of either the Romulans, the Federation or the resistance. There was an intended provocation here. If they had been good weapons, I would suspect a variation on the theme of Section 31, but as the weapons were bad the intent seems be to get everyone angry at everyone else. Immediately after this first provocation, a Scorpiad freighter broke down, and the Excalibur just happened to be the nearest ship in a position to rescue. This put the Federation into a position where we might be seen as interfering with a fight that hasn’t been ours, and which we are trying not to make ours. The most likely result seems similar to the weapons smuggling case. Everyone is apt to be mad at everyone else. At this time, I am not inclined to believe the freighter’s drive problems were an accident. Someone wishes to disturb the peace, and wants the Federation involved in the resulting mess. The ‘signature’ of the above incidents is ‘Let’s you and him fight.’ This reminds me of the Dominion. Their culture and recent history includes provocative incidents intended to draw their enemies into conflicts that might not otherwise have happened. The Scorpiad had the best opportunity to cause the second incident, but I don’t see the motive. Some Section 31 like entity could plausibly think we should join the fight, but they would need considerable ingenuity to cause the second incident. Then again, they have the ingenuity. But I see no complete picture. I would recommend an immediate and very thorough investigation of the smuggling incident, as any evidence on the freighter is gone. I would also expect the unexpected. I would like to be kept informed of any other incidents even vaguely fitting this pattern. Ambassador Joy Seven

Subject : Scorpiad Freighter To : Ambassador T'Salik From : Ambassador Joy Seven CC : Admiral Hirokie M'Sna, Starfleet Command, Federation Diplomatic Corps, Vice-Admiral Misha Abronvonvich, Commanding Officer, SGQC; Ambassador We seem to have reached much the same conclusion by slightly different routes. My only minor quibble is that the protection of the Guarantees by the language I chose, or the principle of jus cogens as you chose to invoke it, are matters of law and treaty rather than policy. Thus, I would say not turning over the prisoners is a duty, and need not await any declaration of policy. No policy maker has the authority to overturn the Guarantees or jus cogens. But, alas, both the Guarantees and jus cogens are principles of Alpha Quad. While we are bound by them by long tradition, in Gama Quadrant these same ideas are new, alien, not intuitively logical, and in conflict with long local traditions and values. Thus, I would suggest you consider arguments of practicality and prudence as well as arguments by Alpha law. Not as easy. Ambassador Joy Seven

Subject : Scorpiad Freighter To : Admiral Hirokie M'Sna, Starfleet Command From : Ambassador Joy Seven CC : Ambassador t'Salik, Federation Diplomatic Corps; Vice-Admiral Misha Abronvonvich, Commanding Officer, SGQC; Admiral After researching the situation, not only are there "options to avoid turning over the prisoners to the Scorpiads," but there is a duty to not turn over prisoners to the Scorpiad. I shall work through the situation as I perceive it. The Freighter, when it broke down, was in open space. There is no power claiming its laws should be exclusively followed within that area. By well accepted tradition, the Scorpiad freighter is ruled under Scorpiad law while it is in open space. With the beam out of the prisoners from the ship, and the subsequent destruction of the ship, Scorpiad jurisdiction vanished. With the passage of the prisoners onto the Excalibur, the only law relevant is the Federation's. By Federation law, all sentients on board Excalibur are protected by the Guarantees. The Excalibur's guests are to be treated well by our own standards, and are not to be punished without proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt established through all due process. There is no extradition treaty between the Federation and the Scorpiad. Neither government has a procedure by which prisoners held by one power might be requested for hand over to the other. No such treaty is apt to be negotiated at any time soon. The Federation does not sign extradition treaties with powers that do not recognize the Guarantees (or something very much like them). Neither the Scorpiad nor the Federation recognize the Al-Ucard or Eratians as sovereign powers. Thus, the ongoing struggles are considered an internal criminal activity rather than part of a war. Thus, treaties regarding prisoners of war are not applicable, though the Scorpiad have not signed said treaties, regardless. The guests aboard the Excalibur have the Guaranteed right to freedom of movement. On the other hand, Excalibur is in part a warship. Restricting foreign nationals from critical spaces is a well accepted practice. Reasonable prudent security measures should be taken. Confining them to cells without probable cause of wrongdoing would be highly questionable legally. The Prime Directive demands that we do not interfere with what is going on in other power's territories. The Guarantees demand that we protect the rights of those within our own territory. It would be the Federation's policy and Starfleet's Duty to honor and implement both principles. This should be made clear to the Scorpiad. There are subversive elements within the Federation attempting to undercut both the Prime Directive and the Guarantees. The Council, at present, is striving to maintain them. Our actions should not be presented as taking sides in a struggle, but as an attempt by the Federation to maintain respect for the principles which prevent us from taking sides. It would likely be in the Scorpiad interests to support the Federation Idealists rather than the Section 31 militarists. This should not be considered a diplomatically clever lie. The Council does not wish Starfleet to take sides. The Council does wish a greater respect for individual rights in Gamma Quad. The Council does not wish Starfleet, however, to use force to change local cultures and values. If necessary, the Scorpiad should be assured that we are not going to start beaming people onto our ships and claiming legal jurisdiction over them. In this case, we were asked to beam them over, for humanitarian cause, at the request of the vessel's command. If they wish to discuss when and with what authority we beam people aboard our ships, we could hold such a discussion. If they wish to discuss a mutual extradition treaty, we could hold that discussion as well. I will offer my services if they desire either discussion. I would suggest that finding a long term home for the terrorists / freedom fighters should be an immediate goal. I does not seem prudent to hold them on the Excalibur indefinitely. Camelot might not be significantly better. What planet would accept them? I would suggest that asking our guests where they might wish to go would be a prudent first step. Ambassador Joy Seven

Why Kahn? Why can't we re-imagine Cyrano Jones and Harcourt Fenton Mudd?

This would get you a maximum number, but many of the regulars play in several games. If you want the number of players, you might cut the above number in half.

Do Odri have names? Would anyone mind if I call mine ODRI Hepburn?

"How did it go?" "Not well," Joy told her friend Crystal. "He considers the Prime Directive to be a platitude rather than a set of rules of engagement or a mission statement. He didn't understand how the Prime Directive applied to the current situation, and he used the R word." "Futz. Are we going to have to go through that again?" "Corizon may not be into abstract political philosophy, but he's trainable. On the other hand, he may have maneuvered himself onto the sidelines. He'll still have influence on the station, but he has waited a bit long to get the Excalibur back." Crystal nodded. "So where are we pushing?" Joy considered. "The orders that got out here are quite ambiguous, which implies the 3.0 people have someone in place between here and Council massaging orders. They seem to be trying to creating enough ambiguity to implement the 3.0 mission statement." "3.0?" "Sorry. With the monolithic militarist cultures unable to expand, the Federation is entering a new phase of basic strategy, or could if we aren't careful. 2.0 is a rule of engagement, a limit on what an officer is supposed to legitimately do. Do not interfere with the normal development of any society. 3.0 is a mission statement. Do not allow any society to interfere with the normal development of any other society." "Ah." Crystal paused. "Can we do that? 3.0?" "Frankly, in the opinion of Council, no. If we try to free all the cultures assimilated by the militarist powers during recent centuries, the militarist powers will unite to block us. The Federation is not strong enough to overtly try to free everyone who has been conquered. Corizon knew that at a basic balance of power level. We shouldn't be starting any wars that we can't win. Not everyone agrees. Some will be trying to promote uprisings, thinking the violence and death morally justified in order to free various peoples." "Isn't it justified?" Joy sighed. "Perhaps. How does one trade off the certainty of suffering and death against the possibility of freedom? The possibility of blocking interference with normally developing societies? It might be justified... if one can win. The problem is that neither the Klingon or Romulans are interested in Gamma Quad wars just now, or in helping societies develop normally. The balance of power is shifted. If we want to push wars of rebellion, we'd be pretty much on our own." "Ah. The Shogun principle," said Crystal. "There is only one justification for rebelling against one's overlord." "And this is?" "If you win."

Subject : Alastair From : Ambassador Joy Two, UFP, Aegis To : Ambassador Drankum, Aegis CC : Administrator McDowell Classification : Confidential Ambassador Drankum I just had a long, emotional and not very cohesive conversation with Administrator McDowell. From her account, you extorted under extreme duress an 'agreement' with her on the handling of Alastair. It seems that much more effort at that meeting went into posturing and intimidating each other than consulting either the Aegis Treaty or the TKR 117 Charter. The Aegis Treaty forbids the station from acquiring territory, thus your becoming half head of state of Alastair is problematic. Further, the TKR 117 Charter provides a process by which a small group of explorers slowly grows into a fully sovereign self ruling democracy. There is no room in the Charter for foreign powers stepping in and half taking over. Nobody involved has the authority to rewrite the two documents governing Aegis and Alastair. Thus, the agreement must be tailored in accordance to the documents. At least, so says the android with 'obey the law' written all over her Asimov Processor. Thus, the following is not an attempt to write down the 'agreement' reached in the recent meeting. It is attempts to combine the essentials of what the two of you believe you require without trampling roughshod on the documents governing station and planet. Administrator McDowell has agreed in principle to the following. 1. Aegis has authority for security from external threats, including everything in space and security for the archeological site. 2. Aegis has authority for clean up of the trilithium spill. This authority is temporary, intended to last until the spill is well and truly secure and under control. This is not a permanent claim to a place on the planet. 3. Alastair has controlling authority for the science of the archeological dig, including who digs where, who writes what paper, and distribution of artifacts. Administrator McDowell welcomes participation in the dig by scientists from Aegis and shall not exclude participation of Aegis personnel in scientific endeavors. 4. The Alastair Charter provides a system of criminal laws, democratic procedures to modify these laws, and police authority to enforce these laws. Aegis shall not interfere with the Charter's scheme of government or citizens choosing how their planet shall be run. Aegis security may respond if they observe people on the planet in distress, but their job is defense against foreign threats not to police the civilians. 5. The Alastair settlement has been sponsored and financed by the Daystrom Institute. There is an understanding that Daystrom shall receive first consideration should any commercial opportunities arise. While it is possible and perhaps desirable that Aegis, Alastair and Daystrom might work together commercially to mutual benefit and by mutual consent, Aegis shall in no way coerce or demand a place in the existing relationship between Alastair and Daystrom. 6. The command staff of Aegis and colonial administration of Alastair shall do their utmost to maintain a spirit of courtesy and cooperation between their respective personnel. Security forces in particular shall not attempt to bully or intimidate people from the other organization. These points will not be sufficient. You are Ferengi. She is Irish. These cultures share tendencies to be stubborn, emotional, and to refuse to yield what one finds precious. If neither of you can back off of this, if neither can respect and honor reasonable requests of the other, no agreement or lack of agreement can produce a good relationship. There will come times when each of you will have strong concerns that effects areas primarily in the other’s area of operation. Both will need to seek to give the other what is wanted whenever possible rather than to fight for power at every opportunity. Administrator McDowell described grave threats from you should she fail to yield control of her planet. I advised her that the threats were sincere, that there was little doubt that you would attempt to implement them if you were thwarted. I also told her I was quite capable of making as much trouble for you as you could to her. You are incredibly stubborn for an organic being. I lack free will. The result collision would benefit no one. Please give the above serious consideration. Ambassador Joy Two. United Federation of Planets. Sky Harbor Aegis

Subject : Alistair State of Medical Emergency From : Ambassador Joy Two, UFP, Aegis To : Administrator McDowell, Alistair CC : Ambassador Joy Eight, MMS Mudd Encryption : UFP39D Precedence : Immediate Security : Secret Hannah I believe the recent declaration of a state of emergency is in violation of interstellar treaty in many respects. However, some parts of it are a good idea. Unless you object the diplomatic courier MMS Mudd will soon be in orbit around Alistair. Their primary mission will be to observe the archeological site, to confirm that no looting or careless destruction of artifacts is taking place, to resolve any conflicts in testimony between your science people and the Aegis people, and to provide any assistance that both parties believe ought to be provided. The Mudd will leave the system at your request. Drankum's emergency directive says before and after any ships or personnel go to the surface of Alistair, they must visit Aegis for inspection. I believe he is exceeding his authority, but want to double check the legalities and evidence thoroughly before confronting him with this. However, should a third party ship not of the Aegis Alliance or Daystrom Institute come to Alistair, I think it would be a good idea to send it to Aegis for inspection and talking to. It might be appropriate for somebody to redirect such ships away. The sure (and perhaps only) way to make Drankum's order entirely and unquestionably valid would be for you to make a near identical state of emergency declaration that seconds his quarantine. If either of you issues an emergency statement, this would be profitable only for lawyers. If both of you issue statements, any common ground between the two would be much more valid, at least as far as any interloping third party is concerned. When you first came to Aegis, we had a number of conversations, including one where we discussed placement of the initial colony site. You gave me the impression that you could locate this site anywhere on the planet. While I was not specifically looking for that point, my first reading of the legal papers associated with the founding of the colony confirmed you had that right. Ambassador Drankum's declaration of emergency claims your territory is limited. This is in conflict with what you told me, and what I remember of the founding documentation. I have attached a copy of the founding documentation. Could you have your people confirm that the documentation is accurate, and make comment on whether your statements to me were true to the best of your understanding? During a recent incident, Drankum practiced a Big Lie approach, proclaiming something true which was clearly incorrect in the text of a treaty, nearly starting an sector wide war on the basis of his lie. It seems he is doing something similar again. I believe the problem should be solved by best scientific and engineering practice, rather than through political and military maneuver. However, Ambassador Drankum is not an ideas person. He very seldom negotiates or compromises with anyone save a certain retired Starfleet captain who is not immediately available. He solves all problems by throwing a temper tantrum, insisting he gets his way, with science, law, military balance of power and common sense ignored. He recently nearly brought the Ferengi into war with the Federation, Cardassians and Romulans. I do not know why he is mobilizing military assets now. Who is he intending to fight? Do you know if the Ferengi have an equivalent to the tale of The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Calling for military force when there is no need is a grave political error. What will happen when we actually need them? Do not expect good faith negotiation with Drankum, though from principle I believe it should be attempted anyway. The problem is likely technologically solvable. The problem is that Drankum's ego will not allow him to give any ground at all. It is not about what is best for the planet. It is about whether he will get his way. This is problematic to the crew of the station. He is issuing illegal orders. He holds a diplomatic passport. He cannot be held personally accountable for criminal acts. According to the Nuremberg principles, however, his crew can be held accountable. Obeying orders is not a legal defense. We are heading into a Prime Directive situation, where the station CO is ordering interference on a planet without the informed consent of the planetary government. We are going into a situation where the crew could face court marshal whether they obey illegal orders or not. There is another mechanism that might get invoked. If the XO, CMO and a quorum of department heads find the CO to be incompetent or acting outside of regulation and law, the CO can be relived. This is not a procedure to be invoked lightly, but Ambassador Drankum is clearly operating outside rule of law on several levels, and he is putting the careers of his crew at risk. But all of the above goes away if you can get the Aegis science and engineering folk to present a technical plan you can approve. I do know the archeological site is important. However, removing the hazardous waste is also important. One level of the conflict may be between your Federation scientific values and his Ferengi economic values. The two of you might never agree on what is important. My values are focused on law. I can see the importance of both economics and academics, but when they come into conflict, the issue should be resolved through rule of law rather than by who has more military force immediately at hand. I have a scientific question as well. It has definite legal and political implications, but I believe the question must be asked. Was the archeological site leaking radiation before your dig began, or did the actions of your people initiate the radiation release? I ask for technical reasons. If the entire release is new, it might be extremely beneficial to act promptly, before any strong wind storm might distribute radiation further, or rain wash contaminants deeper into the soil or water. If the release is old, then there is no emergency. The problem is in long standing. There is no reason to be declaring an emergency and implementing hasty and politically volatile actions. I have my suspicions that the release is new, that your people had something to do with it. If the radiation release were old, it should have been detected in the preliminary surveys. There is no way that a radiation hazard as large and deadly as this one should have been present on a planet cleared for colonization. Thus, it seems likely that the release is very new. Your people, well trained as they are in archeology, are not so expert in handling hazardous material sites, especially if there is no warning that hazardous materials are present. I may have additional questions. I am having my people dig into the legal aspects of the problem. If it becomes necessary, I will go into that further. For now, I am still in the vain hope phase. I believe we should try to seek a reasonable technical compromise, something that satisfies safety, radiation clean up and archeological integrity alike. I would far prefer to avoid a legal and military confrontation with Drankum. The last one was not fun. But we shall see what comes. Ambassador Joy Two, UFP, Aegis

Subject : Security Protocol Violation From : Ambassador Joy Two, UFP, Aegis To : Transmission List of "From The Office Of The Station Commander" Precedence : Immediate Classification : Secret Encryption : Varies, per recipient The administration of the planet Alistair considers the presence of ruins on their planet to be a secret. In accordance to this wish, this unit registered the presence of ruins as a secret in accordance to official protocol. The release of this information by Ambassador Drankum without proper security markings or going through declassification protocol is in violation of the Aegis code of behavior and thus interstellar treaty. Please treat the presence of ruins as 'secret.' To the extent possible, please attempt to contain this security breech. Among other things, the mission specified in the memo will be simpler if the presence of the ruins is not widely known. Ambassador Joy Two, UFP, Aegis

Subject : The Gorn Incident Reprised From : Ambassador Joy Two To : Ambassador Drankum Security : Confidential Ambassador Drankum If the large practical question is whether radiation should be contained to maximize later potential settlements, or whether the archeological value of the city should be preserved, I would favor containing the radiation over preserving archeological integrity. I am hopeful various scientific personnel can achieve a reasonable compromise which allows both goals within reasonable measure. I feel you have opened cans of worms unnecessarily. Legally and politically, you are being as clumsy as ever. However, I have considerable sympathy if containment of radiation rather than plunder is your true goal. However, your note reminds me of an incident that occurred shortly following my first arrival at Aegis. Admiral Goram had ordered that no ship be allowed to leave Aegis. The crew in the control tower interpreted this order literally, detaining a Gorn diplomatic courier and kidnapping its crew. This incident initiated the hostility between Goram's people and the diplomatic corps. The tension that resulted from this violation of protocol never resolved, growing steadily worse until the station was destroyed. The wording of your executive order echoes Admiral Goram's. I have a mind to send the MMS Mudd to Alistair, to confirm from orbit that no plundering is in fact tacking place, and to provide from orbit a third party observation of the radiation dispersion should a conflict in testimony arise between the Aegis and Alistair personnel. I have no intent to have our people go to the surface unless invited to do so by one party and the other party does not object. But the wording of your order might suggest you may believe you have the authority to search a diplomatic courier, and you have authority to order a Federation courier to not visit a Federation colony. I am going to assume your wording was simply careless, that you do not intend to set aside diplomatic protocol. I shall remind you of your own insistence on diplomatic courier protocol during the 14(7) incident, your assertion that the commander of Aegis did not have the right to detain your courier. As you may know, I advised Captain Muon that you were correct, that she should release your courier, and she did in fact do so. I am assuming you will take the same position now. Ambassador Joy Two, The United Federation of Planets

Subject : Political Effects of the Alistair (TKR 117) Radiation Emergency From : Ambassador Joy Two, Aegis To : The Aegis Advisory Committee CC : Ambassador Drankum, Aegis Administrator Hannah McDowell, Alistair Commander Chirakis, Aegis Office of the President, UFP, Earth Office of the Chair, The Federation Council, Earth Ambassador Joy Seven, The Presidio Ambassador Joy Eight, MMS Mudd Precedence : Immediate Encryption : UFP39D Security : Secret * There is an ancient, abandoned and buried city upon Alistair which includes a ruptured hazardous waste site containing large amounts of trilithium. The purpose and the technology related to the waste site is not understood. However, a significant radiation release has taken place. Most of the small initial colony survey team took ill. The immediate medical emergency seems past. All those seriously ill have been stabilized. The problem of containment of radiation is ongoing. Conflicting priorities have developed between the civilian colonial administration responsible for the governance of the planet and the military administration of Aegis responsible for providing security for the planet. Both have been cooperating reasonably in preserving sentient life. The colonial administration is concerned with the preservation of the archeological site as a high priority. The Aegis command staff, or more specifically Ambassador Drankum, wishes to over ride this concern, and to assume long term control over the colony. Ambassador Drankum’s priorities have not been made explicit. There may be a desire to contain the radiation to preserve the over all value of the planet for colonization. But more troubling, Ambassador Drankum declared on the Aegis control tower, in the presence of myself and several Starfleet officers, an intent to block all others from plundering the planet, as only he gets to plunder it. When I explained that his emergency power to assume military control over the civilian would expire with the end of any clear and present danger to the colonists, he expressed an intent to ignore the law and maintain emergency martial law indefinitely. Before I get into the political and legal implications, I will make a plea for reasonable compromise. So long as a clear and present danger exists, Ambassador Drankum can reasonably maintain over riding control. However, he should not ignore the legitimate concerns of the civilian authority. As an intent to violate the law has been publicly stated, the civilian authority should retain oversight powers. Legitimate concerns should be respected. When there is no longer a clear and present danger to the population, Administrator McDowell should resume her authority as leader of the colony. So long as Starfleet / Aegis assets remain on Alistair, she should respect that they should be used effectively with an intent to be withdrawn reasonably quickly. She should also respect the long term worth of the planet as a site of future settlements, and not consider the planet’s worth solely as an archeological site. *** I shall now go on at length about law and politics. I shall describe what the humans call ‘cans of worms.’ It is my expressed desire that we should not open cans of worms. Refer to the practical compromise above as the recommended approach to avoid opening cans of worms. During my stays on Aegis, there have been two prior incidents involving states of emergency leading to Aegis military personnel suspending the individual rights and the usual prerogatives of civilian government. The first occurred in Admiral Gorum’s time. The station XO, Captain Ayres, was the victim of an assassination attempt. The assassin was captured and later suicided. The station command staff considered the captured and later dead assassin to be a sufficient ‘clear and present danger’ to justify shutting down all civilian and diplomatic traffic entering or leaving the station. This suspension of the right to travel continued until the destruction of that incarnation of Aegis. The entire diplomatic staff, including Ambassador Drankum and myself, objected strongly to this abuse of power. A dead man is not a clear and present danger. More recently, Captain Muon, upon my advice, declared a Ferengi fleet to be a clear and present danger to the station. Ambassador Drankum rejected orders given by the combined Aegis / Cardassian authorities granted under said emergency powers. I am strongly concerned that we set correct precedent. Emergency powers are necessary, but so are the limits upon them. The standard of ‘clear and present danger’ must be honored by Aegis command staffs and by all allies who are part of the Aegis alliance. *** The Aegis command staff, or at least Ambassador Drankum, have been neglecting diplomatic duties to make contact with and establish friendly relationships with Aegis’s neighbors. We have contacted only the two Federation colonies in the area. Our other neighbors, in turn, have taken an attitude of ‘wait and see.’ We should take care what we let them see. There is a written established relationship between the military authorities of Aegis and the Civilian authorities of Alistair. The first act of Aegis upon moving into this region should not be to violate agreements and to rape a planet. Such an act would set a very bad precedent in the eyes of the local powers. Abusing the mandate to provide security for Alistair would make it much more difficult for Aegis to negotiate mutual security relationships with our neighbors. It is absolutely essential that Aegis get through this incident with the good regard of the civilian authorities of Alistair. We must establish that it is beneficial to make arrangements with Aegis. *** Within Federation constitutional law, the standard ‘clear and present danger’ sands guard in a conflict between the Prime Directive and the Guarantees. The Guarantees say in essence that the Federation stands guard over the lives, rights and property of its citizens. The Prime Directive and the Federation Constitution say that the Federation may not interfere with the internal affairs of a planet. There is a conflict here. If the planetary government does not or cannot protect the lives, rights and property of its citizens, do the Guarantees give the Federation government the power to usurp planetary authority and act to protect the rights of its citizens? It is the position of the government of Mudd that the answer is yes. This is also quite often, but not always, the position of the Federation high courts and the Federation Council. I would like to say that declaring a state of emergency is a clear cut Starfleet prerogative, that the Guarantees always trump the Prime Directive, but the Joys have observed and participated in many a Council debate where this question has been answered in both directions. The degree of the threat and the current balance of power in Council are relevant. Council also considers whether the Federation agency is truly acting in the interests of the Federation citizens on the planet. If the Federation agency is seeking power or wealth at the expense of the planetary government and population, the invocation of the Guarantees is generally considered a false pretense. I believe this is the case here. *** At the time Aegis moved from Cardassia to its present location, there was a negotiation between myself and Ambassador tr’Aeolix where he objected to the Guarantees as a “Federation moral code” being made an official part of the Aegis treaty. Thus, language was inserted into Amendment 3 which removed the Guarantees from the Aegis legal article. With that removal might come an argument that Aegis can no longer declare a state of emergency based upon a clear and present danger. On the other hand, Amendment 3 has not been unanimously approved by the Aegis powers. Thus, the modification urged by Ambassador tr’Aeolix are not in effect. Then again, Amendment 3 also creates the power of the Aegis Advisory Committee. It is the Aegis Advisory Committee that authorized Aegis to provide security for Alistair. Strictly speaking, the Advisory Committee has no legal standing until Amendment 3 is passed. Amendment 3 also authorizes military use of the station and economic development of areas other than Cardassia. Until Amendment 3 passes, the shipyard effort and the security arrangement with Alistair are in volition of treaty. Everything Ambassador Drankum accused Captain Muon of wanting to do in violation of treaty, Ambassador Drankum has actually done, and is continuing on an ongoing basis. The operation of Aegis in violation of treaty has not until this time been a significant consideration. Until a government becomes concerned enough with said treaty violations to object to them before the interstellar courts, the Advisory Committee has had no reason to hurry their deliberations. Now, however, with Ambassador Drankum blatantly disregarding the interests of Alistair, such a planetary government exists. Ambassador Drankum’s violations of treaty are clear and obvious. Any court would compel Aegis to cease all operations. On the other hand, Alistair does depend on Aegis for ongoing protection from external threats. It may not be prudent for Administrator McDowell to press her case. Nothing in the text of either the old or new Aegis treaty explicitly authorizes humanitarian missions, let alone humanitarian missions in opposition to the wishes of a planetary government. Both the old and new treaties do, however, call for development of a crew code of conduct. These codes of conduct have been based on those of Federation Jupiter class stations. On this basis, it is the prerogative of the station commander to launch humanitarian missions, but he must do so in the context of a Federation code of behavior, which in turn is compatible with Federation constitutional law. *** Again, the optimal solution would be for Ambassador Drankum and Administrator McDowell to respect each other’s interests and prerogatives. They should seek compromise rather than confrontation. I also believe it would be in the interests of the Advisory Committee to expedite passage of some variant of Amendment 3. Ambassador Joy Two, United Federation of Planets, Aegis * Note, both Aegis and Alistair officials have expressed a desire to keep quiet the presence of ancient artifacts on Alistair. While neither have invoked formal security classification on this fact, it seems prudent at this time to do so. I would add that the above analysis of Aegis’s legal situation might also be kept quiet.

Subject : The Alistair Flu From : Ambassador Joy Two, Aegis To : Ambassador Joy Eight, MMS Mudd CC : Ambassador Joy Seven, Earth Ambassador Drankum, Aegis Commander Chirakis, Aegis Classification : Confidential Precedence : Immediate Encryption Joy0208 : A732F855 There is a health problem on Alastair (TKR 117) described as caused by radiation and having flu like symptoms. Several runabouts from Aegis will be able to reach Alastair significantly ahead of the Mudd. They will have medical personnel, while the Mudd will not. Thus, there will be little aid the Mudd will be able to provide that Starfleet won't be able to handle as well. The two exceptions might be to provide a faster medevac to the full medical capabilities of Aegis, and to provide some radiation resistant workers should there be a need to contain some radiation breech. There seems a disconnect between the flu like symptoms and radiation as the alleged source of the problem. Flu symptoms are normally caused by airborne virus, and attack the respiratory system. Radiation normally attacks the entire body. One might be concerned about radioactive dust. Dust, gathering in the lungs and nose, might account for the flu like symptoms. I am also concerned that the Alastair project is involved in an Archeological dig. I would think a planet wide radiation problem should have been detected by the pre colonial surveys. Thus, the contamination hopefully should be localized. It is possible (though by no means certain) that the archeological site might be the source of the contamination. The presence of radiation implies the possibility of ancient technology. All this is, of course, conjecture. Eight, I would recommend that you offer your services as a fast transport, but unless there is a time critical need, the Mudd might not be required at Alastair. If not, you might visit Aegis for consultations. It is time we shared news, and Crystal seems to think she has nothing to wear. One may not indefinitely keep a Rhee from a promised increase in her wardrobe. Seven, I am beginning have suspicions that there have been irregularities in the process of authorizing the colony. It is too soon to investigate. There is considerable secrecy about the nature of the dig. There may be a valid need for the secrecy. Thus, it doesn't seem time for a hue and cry. You might make a few quiet inquiries, but let's see what comes out of this flu incident. Ambassador Joy Two

Joy sat quietly at a communications console on the bridge, having scrambled her sister Eight and her courier, and considered. Doctor McDowell had spoken in confidence. Ordinarily Joy would keep such confidences. She was also striving not to tell Starfleet how to do their job, even if she had as much experience in such things as anyone present. And yet, at bottom, she was what she was. There were lives at risk. She had passed the information along, but, it seemed that Ambassador Drankum was not going to pass it on further, or perhaps he had not seen the likely connection. She stood, and wandered towards Ops, and addressed Drankum and Chirakis. She spoke loudly enough that Porter might hear if he cared to do so. "Ambassador, I am a bit concerned that Doctor McDowell's team was doing archeology, but she would not say what she was excavating. I don't believe a colonial survey would have missed a planet wide radiation problem. It seems likely that the radiation is related to Hannah's dig. If so, they might not wish to stay near the dig. The problem could be associated with ancient alien technology." There. Proper line of command informed. Hopefully, Priority Two would be satisfied. If not, she would just return to the comm console.

Subject : Alastair Arrival From : Ambassador Joy Two To : Dr. Hannah McDowell Hannah It is good to hear of your safe arrival, and that your new home has a name rather than a number. Not knowing your husband, I inquired as to the origin of his name, discovering that Alastair is the Scottish way of speaking and writing Alexander, a well known leader of Earth's antiquity. It seems your late husband now has more land under his name than Alexander the Great ever had. This is interesting. It reminds me, however, to set up a better long term system of government than Alexander did. I would hope to create something far more lasting. Things are continuing here. Politics as usual. Well, I can say. Happy, we shall see. Joy

Subject : Broad Concerns From : Ambassador Joy Two To : Ambassador Drankum CC : Commander Chirakis Mudd believes Starfleet’s central role is to protect the lives, liberties and property of Federation citizens and allies. This requires that Starfleet be well equipped. We also believe force should be used as a last resort, after all other means are exhausted. Thus, we tend to ally with the Pragmatist or ‘Hawk’ faction on issues of budget, while siding with the Idealist or ‘Dove’ faction on policy. As a result, we have often been a bridge between factions. We have been involved in Starfleet budget and planning issues. Your description of Federation ship design policy being driven by disagreement over carpet colors is neither accurate or respectful. During the early years of the Dominion war, few of our existing weapon systems could penetrate Dominion shields. Late in the war, this problem had been overcome. This was done by upgrading weapons systems on existing ships, and by building many new ships with upgraded weapons systems but with existing designs. Time constraints did not allow new from scratch designs. The only new design to come on line in the era was the Prometheus Class, a class which took fifteen years from concept to first commissioning, a design begun well before the war. These Prometheus Class are excellent ships, but were not available in sufficient numbers to be considered a decisive factor. Since the war, budgets have been slashed. New construction has been light. While the Federation cannot rest on its laurels indefinitely, and a next generation of ships will need come, the political atmosphere is not correct for a major fleet rebuild just now. This is part of why we have so few ships available to support us at Aegis. I would not underestimate the difficulties of from scratch design. I would still recommend starting from an existing plan, and substituting systems minimally on a plug and play replacement basis only. I would be careful about altering the over all design. I would be careful about walking too far down the 'rapid prototype' road. I am more troubled by another aspect, however. The questions I asked in the last note will need to be answered. If you respected your crew, you would be interested in how they would like to see the questions answered. I do not believe you respect your crew. I do believe they are quite aware of this. I am also noting other examples of crew morale and organization problems. You have asked much of them. They are not getting a feeling of appreciation and accomplishment. This is not entirely your problem and your doing. Towards the end of Captain Muon’s time, the Breen situation was very unclear. Our response seemed to change more often that our understanding of the situation, which never solidified. There was a good deal of march and counter march, much effort expended to no result. Your own policy of much overtime and much criticism of the results of these efforts has added to a real problem that built up during a time you were not on the station. Talk to Commander Chirakis. She was here during much of that time. I am also mildly concerned with our Romulan department chiefs. Romulans have pride. This can be a fine thing. Mudd androids have pride. Ferengi have pride. We just should not forget that the rest of the crew has pride as well. If pride has a proper place as part of military morale, the distance between pride and arrogance is too small for comfort. Quite entirely aside from issues of race and gender, be wary of an arrogant command structure allowing a divide to form between itself and the crew. You say you did not seek your current position, and I hear you. You waxed nostalgic about the good old days, when you could command women to go naked, when old friends you respected respected you. Those days are gone, Ambassador. Your old friends are gone. The respect you might have earned long ago is gone with them. I fear if you wish respect, you may have to earn it, and this might involve learning to respect those of us who may be more recently come but are no less worthy than your old friends. If you wish to be listened to, you might have to begin to listen. If you wish to be part of anything vaguely like the old days returned, you will have to allow yourself to let it happen. If you remain bitter and dwell in the past, it will not be.

As Crystal came up for air after reading her note, Joy couldn’t resist commenting. “That’s as much Princess Ann as I can manage just now.” “Do Mudd Androids really have pride?” Crystal asked. “The emotion chip classes at least.” “A little poetic license?” “Perhaps so.” “You missed something I was curious about in Drankum’s prior note,” Crystal added. “Is it really a security problem to mention that a warship might be deadly?” Joy laughed. “I don’t think so. It might be a security problem, if the ships are to be profitable, that they aren’t going to be deadly. Still... Drankum... just doesn’t agree with me on the line between military secrets and political speech, between the Secrets Act and the Guarantees. That’s not this week’s problem. I’m beginning to think the poor thing is getting depressed.” “Poor thing? Was he really looking to you for a shoulder to cry on?” Joy mixed a smile with irritation. “Perhaps. Almost. He’s a little short. I suspect, knowing him, that he would aim just a little lower than a shoulder.”

Subject : Aegis Ship Design Considerations From : Ambassador Joy Two To : Ambassador Drankum; Commander Chirakis; Centurion Johrel; Damian Porter In a recent visit to the CT, a question was raised as to how to name the new class of ship to be built at Aegis. The suggestions proposed by Ambassador Drankum seemed to center on military and economic values. It was implied that the ships should be both deadly and profitable. I am not sure if the name is the first concern that might be answered. Thus, I shall attempt to put on the table other questions. Depending on how these are answered, an appropriate name might follows. How large are the ships to be? Light cruisers might be appropriate for frontier patrol, for chasing pirates, deterring raids and escorting merchants. Something heavier would be appropriate to stand in line of battle against the Breen or Borg. Some of the names suggested something very much larger, more like a Borg Cube in size than a traditional ship of any of the Aegis powers. What is the schedule? Utopia Planitia generally takes ten years from conception of a new class of ships to first commissioning. This is with experienced professional designers and fully equipped facilities. This time could be vastly reduced by selecting and producing an existing ship design. This time could be increased by selecting a highly unusual design. Are we producing a balanced ship, or slanting towards an individual culture’s values? Ambassador Drankum’s repeated mention of profits suggests large cargo holds, a nudge away from a pure warship towards the Ferengi armed merchant approach. Federation designs traditionally emphasize science labs and crew amenities that allow extended deployments. Klingon designs focus on pure military capability. What balance might we consider? How ambitious are we intending to be in building a fleet? The Breen and Borg are major powers. They control many worlds with populations in the billions. We are a single station. It does not seem reasonable to suggest that Aegis will be able to out produce a major power. Thus, our schedule should not consider just how soon we might produce a first ship, but how many building docks we intend to build, and how much time per ship per dock. We should set a practical achievable goal. How do we intend to handle manpower? The Federation traditionally operates on one 8 hour shift per 24 hour day. If there is a clear need this time can be increased in the short term, for days or weeks. Extending double shifts out to months and years is generally not productive. Morale and efficiency fail. We have been double shifting since our arrival, and I am already seeing symptoms of crew performance faltering. I do not believe we should attempt to out produce major powers purely through use of double shifting personnel that already have a normal work load. In any large engineering project, there is a trade off between ‘quality control’ and ‘rapid prototyping.’ Does one do extensive reviews at each point of the design, and test every new component as it is built? Many will say do the reviews and tests, as the sooner a problem is found, the cheaper and quicker it is to fix. ‘Rapid prototyping’ is sometimes attempted when it is thought that schedule and cost considerations exclude the possibility of “doing things right.” Rapid prototyping is a gamble. One can often shorten a schedule, but there is also a chance of blowing the schedule beyond redemption. The first few ships off the line might also tend to be highly temperamental. The Defiant class might stand as an example. Are we intending to finance for profit, or build to government funding? The Federation maintains a myth of being a cashless society. If this were a pure Federation project, if we convinced appropriate agencies that the yard is to the common good, we could expect a free flow of resources with sufficient oversight for assurances that the resources aren’t being wasted. If, on the other hand, if the resulting ships were to be sold for profit, the Federation government would become a funding sync just as bottomless as it is a funding source. One does not gain profit out of projects based upon Federation funding. If the intent is to profit, it may be desirable to spin off a private corporation which sells ships. We might consider structuring the yard along a Ferengi capitalist model rather than keeping it as part of a military organization. I would anticipate much political debate far away in the core of the Federation. The member planets, after the Dominion War, are not in a mood to fund militarism just now. The shipyards are operating at a fraction of their full capacity. The shipyards will not be pleased at government agencies taking over the ship building function that has traditionally been their business. For the most part the resulting hue and cry will be far away. It should not effect us much here. However, building ships based on Federation designs will involve use of intellectual property belonging to shipyards which will not be overly pleased with our taking their business. It might be that their cooperation will not be total. It might be prudent, if we decide to spin off the yard as a for profit private corporation, that the corporation might be at least partially owned by an existing entity such as Planitia Utopia or the San Francisco Yards. In addition to easing political friction and allowing clean access to intellectual property, they might provide considerable expertise required to quickly and profitably set up the yard. I have several ideas on how we might wish to proceed. If the ship is to be built to Ferengi values, we might consider building Ferengi design ships. If the ships are to be profitable, they need cargo holds. This will make them less than ideal as pure warships, but the Ferengi designs are intended to cover their own building and operating costs while still being useful as a defense when necessary. Depending on the amount of funding coming from the participating partners, Ferengi designs might be proper for a frontier environment. On the downside, Ferengi ships might not be the ideal choice if one is attempting to swarm a Borg cube. Large cargo holds imply larger areas for warp and shield fields. Ferengi designs are a compromise between profitability and combat effectiveness. If the primary intent is combat effectiveness, we might not wish to start out with an intent to compromise. Alternately, we might wish to find the most appropriate Romulan or Federation design and replicate it with minimal changes, thus eliminating the risks and delays inherent in a new design. Regardless, I think it important to develop an overall plan. How many ships of what type and on what schedule are we intending to build? Ambassador Joy Two

Subject : Diplomatic Security Concerns From : Ambassador Joy Two, Federation Embassy, Aegis CC : Commander Chirakis, XO Aegis To : trJeth Dabi, Security Chief, Aegis Sir With the assignment of new station commanders and security chiefs, diplomatic security policies have generally shifted. Initially, under both Admiral Goram and Captain Muon, three security personnel accompanied all ambassadors whenever they left their own embassies. Sometimes, these personnel are from their own embassies. Sometimes they are provided by station security. Generally, as time passes and no obvious threats develop, the security precautions are forgotten and abandoned. During the last such security review, I had the Alyce Class androids trained to Federation diplomatic protection standards. I could have zero to three Alyces accompany me, depending on what you believe the threat level to be. I also had my comm badge programmed for emergency point to point beam out should I be attacked. I am open to consider additional precautions. There is a cultural difficulty in that destroyed androids such as myself can be easily replaced, memories downloaded from a surviving sister unit, while organic security guards are unique. Thus, according to the First Law of Robotics, I am programmed to protect my security guards with my own life. This obviously creates an unsatisfactory situation. Thus, while I am willing to cooperate with you in many ways, it seems best that the Alyces continue to be my personal bodyguards, if such are considered necessary. If you do develop a systematic protocol for protection of diplomatic personnel, I would please like to review it. Prior security procedures were incompatible with diplomatic protocol and tradition. I would like to find an appropriate system which is both effective and courteous. The embassy complex in Pylon 2 is currently essentially unused. Only the Federation and Ferengi facilities are currently active, and neither is very busy. There are security and medical posts located at the entrance to the complex, but you may wish to review to what extent the security post should be manned. I generally have one of my own people in my the Federation lobby area, which is open to observe the entrances to the other complexes. We will of course inform your people if anything untoward happens, and will be open to any procedures you might request. You may find the legal situation on station somewhat confusing. The criminal jurisdiction section of the Aegis Treaty, Article 19, is not the clearest of documents. Each nation maintains criminal jurisdiction over its own personnel, but the internal security and safety laws are the national laws of the management authority. This is, I believe, the Federation, as specified in Articles 7 and 11. However, there were recent negotiations where Ambassador tr'Aeolix and I proposed a more international code of law, the Raccin Convention. (See http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17630 ) This switch to the Raccin Convention is proposed in Amendment Three, which has not yet been ratified. I am assuming you intend to continue to enforce Federation legal codes until ratification comes through? I have also issued a warning to the artificial intelligence community that the Aegis holographic projection systems have been corrupted. A rogue element of Starfleet Intelligence led by Admiral Forester and Captain Savage have demonstrated an ability to penetrate the system and project characters under their own control. This might be considered a security problem. The Federation Embassy has its own internal computer facilities. We are attempting to maintain a firm firewall. While in most respects we will be highly cooperative with any security requirements you might suggest, one of our people is a sentient holo character. Thus, we are going to be somewhat obsessive in maintaining our own internal cyber security. I do not consider any of the above to require immediate action on your part. If you have any comment or concerns, I will be available. Ambassador Joy Two