Verbal Emotion Chip Feedback Systems and Admirals...

[Joy 0]

Joy and Dave entered Ten Forward, stopping by the replicator. Joy shook her head, listening to his request to the replicator. "Water, cold, pure."

 

"Water won't help, you know."

 

He handed her the glass, anyway. "No...but talking might."

 

Joy took a small sip, not sure she should really be here. Dave pointed. "Why don't we grab a seat over there?"

 

Joy gave a very small smile. "Our traditional table? Twice is a tradition, isn't it?"

 

"Its the one you comforted me at," he smiled, returning the smile. "It seems fitting."

 

"But you weren't programmed to be miserable."

 

"I get the feeling like it takes a good deal to make someone like you, who has an emotion chip which you can turn on and off, upset. So care to start at well... wherever you feel is appropriate."

 

"Well, first, can't disable it. I just can't. Soong emotions are not part of their central decision making algorithms. They can disable their emotions without disengaging the central decision making algorithms. My emotion chip is in the center of the primary feedback loops. When someone in my chain of command yells at me, this means that what they say is very important, thus my emotion chip state must stay set for a length of time and intensity level corresponding to the reprimand."

 

"Who yelled at you?" Admiral BluRox? Commander Kania?

 

"The Admiral," Joy replied, looking very sorry.

 

"Now what could you have possibly done to warrant getting yelled at? I mean... hell... I shot someone and she barely said two words to me."

 

"I... sent a message... well. One complaint was that I did not use sufficiently secure communications. I don't think she knew how I sent the message. If so, Mudd has to update their one time pad system? How does one improve on a one time pad system?" Joy was confused, hurt and upset.

 

"You got me there."

 

"And I have to become flexible. Do you ask a Vulcan to learn to show his feelings? A Ferrengi to to become generous? An android designed without free will to be flexible?"

 

"No, no you don't, but Starfleet Admirals usually like people to be flexible. Admiral James T Kirk was that way I am told, very loose and flexible. So I take it that the message contained information that made the Admiral upset?"

 

"Yes." Somehow, one got the impression of understatement.

 

"Now, I wouldn't want you to get into any more trouble than I guess you're already in but can you tell me anything about the contents?"

 

"The specifics are supposed to be classified... but the Admiral says it has already become semi public. The Cardassians already know. Let's just say someone on Republic committed a teeny tiny little act of war."

 

"I have a feeling who that is. You told me that Commander Kania ordered you to transfer two of the meanest ducks to her right? Let me guess... she then beamed those Ducks to the Cardassians in an attempt to have them go ballistic on their ship as they have on ours?"

 

"This unit can neither confirm nor deny your conjecture."

 

"Exactly what is she angry at you for?"

 

"I told my sister, Ambassador Joy Two, about the act of war. Two told Admiral Goran of Sky Harbor Aegis, which orbits Cardassia Prime. Admiral Goran apparently told half the galaxy, including the Cardassians... Well. There is quite a ruckus going on." Duckus?

 

"Regardless of what she did or did not do, how are you at fault? You simply reported something you thought to be wrong. I mean to hell with Admiral Goran and what he thinks, the bottom line is the the Cardassians are capable of launching yet another war against the federation, something nobody wants. The last thing we should be doing is committing any acts of aggression towards them. You had every right to state you're views."

 

"Duty," she responded simply.

 

"Exactly. It was even you're duty to do so!" Dave noticed several people staring at them, and consciously he lowered his voice. "So let me get this straight, you're in trouble for carrying out what you considered to be you're duty by reporting this to you're counterpart who then reported it to Admiral Goran, who then told it to everyone he could?"

 

"Correct." Joy decided not to mention Two's opinion of Admiral Goran.

 

"Sounds like you're the one who merely lit the fuse, you didn't cause the explosion. Someone could have put it out before it reached the dynamite. Sorry. An ancient earth expression. What is going to happen to you, are you to be deactivated, turned over to Starfleet?"

 

"I may transfer from Republic. Joy Class androids are incompatible with command staffs that regularly work outside the law. They make us miserable. We make them miserable. It doesn't work. The sort of command staff that regularly disregards the law does not tolerate entities that report illegal activities to the proper authorities."

 

"Joy listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong, and you shouldn't feel upset about anything except how you're being treated. Just because the Admirals in starfleet are being a bunch of pompous windbags isn't cause for you to leave."

 

"It does not matter whether their yelling was rational, or if the orders they are yelling are legal, or if I am capable of complying with them. If they yell, my emotion chip goes to miserable. I will be miserable until I figure out how to improve on one time pad security and develop free will, or until a timer elapses. It is very likely that the timer will elapse first."

 

"Leaving would prove to everyone who thinks less of you that you aren't up to serving on this ship, serving under pressure. That you're weak. Is that how you see yourself? A weak machine that can be turned on and off like a light switch?"

 

Joy snorted. "Anyone who thinks the Joys are weak haven't met any of my ambassador sisters."

 

"There are people here who need you, who rely on you. The science officers need you. Lieutenant Commander Link needs you." He paused. "I need you." Dave slid his chair closer. Joy, looking sad, allowed this, but leaned ever so slightly away to avoid contact. Dave continued. "See? Even the thought of leaving is making you upset isn't it? I love my fiancé even though she is on another starship and we're getting married even though we may not see each other for long periods of time. But I still miss her deeply and its hard being apart from her. Joy, if you we're apart from this ship, I can think of a few people who would miss you dearly."

 

"The problem is larger than that."

 

"Look, even though we only met a few weeks ago, you're a friend to me, and whatever the problem is, I want to do what I can to help you through it. You helped me, its only fair for me to return the favor."

 

"I appreciate your thoughts... your feelings... but... it is all tangled up with Laws, Priorities, the Constitution, and a hive mind problem."

 

"Yes as you said... a hive mind controlling the chain of command or some such thing. Is there anything I can do to help? Anything else I could say to help your case, maybe explain that what you did was simply out of loyalty to you're duty? I am not sure a low ranking assistant engineer can make much of a difference, but I'll be dammed if you have to leave over something like this."

 

"I do not wish to see you damned. I also don't think you can help. You might try to explain to the Admiral the concept of civilian control of the military. Look. My sister Seven has sat on the Council for ten years. Two is over on Aegis station, negotiating the end of the Cardassian occupation and trying to build up a working interstellar working group that includes Cardassia, the Gorn and the Rihannsu. Ten or twelve years ago, a Joy having to leave a ship due to a rogue command staff was considered a black mark for all Joys. Even then, six out of seven Joys got excellent reviews, and before long the personnel department started noting a pattern in the captains that label us as 'inflexible.' About the time Seven became vice chair of Council, things changed. It became a black mark for a command staff to force a Joy to transfer. The personnel department, not to mention the JAG office, now carefully look at reports of Joy Class inflexibility. We were deliberatly and carefully designed such that we cannot take part in illegal activity. This makes us a crime detector of sorts. I appreciate your concern, but it is not your function to protect a citizen of Mudd placed in a difficult legal situation, and subject to emotional abuse." That would be Ambassador Two's job.

 

"I know, its probably more complicated than you can explain without revealing classified information but to me it sounds like a simple case of miscommunication and a blabbermouth Admiral."

 

"I hope so."

 

"Come on. Lets go see if we can get rid of these ducks."

 

"Not, however, to Cardassia."

 

Dave chuckled. "Hey, the one that bit me is staying right here. I think he's intelligent, and I want to see just how intelligent." They got up together, and started back towards the duck pen.