Negotiations

[Joy 0]

Joy was in her element. Androids were supposed to help, were supposed to answer requests. Sitting in the Ops chair of a ship with severe power shortages, she was getting lots of requests. For the most part, she could grant them. The battle was over. There were other friendly ships in the area. Long before reserve power ran dry, she ought to be able to call for assistance. Thus, she had the computer core running at 20% capacity, emergency lighting active everywhere, and sickbay drawing power as needed. She had even enabled the doors and turbo lifts in slow mode.

 

She was surprised by an external call. Wasn't Laarell handling communications? A brief look over her shoulder revealed a 'you take it' gesture from The Green One. She accepted the hail, and found herself looking at... herself... or another of her class. The other's blouse and skirt suggested diplomatic corp. The number Eight on her necklace meant she was Mudd's Ambassador at Large. Joy smiled.

 

"Courier Harcourt Fenton Mudd calling... Five? Have you been demoted back to Ops?"

 

"Things are a bit hectic at the moment."

 

"I imagine. You do know you are tumbling?"

 

"No SIF. No artificial gravity. No internal compensators. No warp core. No fusion power. Yes. Everyone on board is quite aware we are tumbling." Five had managed to get the tumble cleanly isolated on the pitch axis, but before she could kill that rotation, the last fusion plant had gone out, turning Excalibur into a large centrifuge. Gravity effects were tugging most of the saucer forward, while most of the engineering hull was being pulled aft.

 

Eight responded with her courier's status. "I have beamed aboard seventy nine refugees from escape pods, and have a tractor beam at ready. I'll stop your tumble, if you handle my crowding problem."

 

The Mudd was a re-engined B'rell Bird of Prey. She was a courier, not a luxury liner. Seventy nine people (or two whales) was close to her evacuation limit. Five decided to make a counter offer. "If you dock and feed us power until we get a fusion plant restart, you have a deal."

 

"Fine," Eight responded, "but in that case, I report back to Council, and you establish Peace in Our Time in Gamma Quadrant."

 

Five sighed, and resolved to avoid negotiating with Joy class androids. Maybe Corizon would let her stay at Ops?