Logic and Perspective

[Sorehl 0]

A joint log of Commissioner Sorehl and Commander Joy One, taking place at Drankum’s...

 

His outer cloak folded over one arm, Commissioner Sorehl approached the table where he had briefly met Commander Joy One earlier. “My interview is concluded,” he advised her. “Is now a convenient time for discussion?”

 

“Certainly, commissioner,” she responded. “If I am called to testify, we might have to cut things short, but that is no reason not to talk.”

 

Sorehl lowered his Vulcan frame into the empty chair.

 

“I gather you are moving towards a diplomatic career,” Joy remarked. “I think this is a good choice. You should do well.”

 

The Vulcan set aside the cloak, PADD, and stylus. “Strictly speaking,” he observed, “my role is advisory, rather than diplomatic. Although I have an official mandate, I do not represent the Federation government.”

 

Joy looked unconvinced. “Council Special Commissioner?”

 

“A title which allows me access to Starfleet facilities and personnel during my inquiry,” he explained. “It has also served to prompt more willing responses from civilians and diplomats, since I have no real means – or interest – in coercing their cooperation.”

 

“Be that as it may, you are now firmly on the ambassador’s side of the fence,” Joy insisted. “Council sets policy. Starfleet implements policy. You are gathering the information needed to set a good policy. You will find you will very seldom get direct authority over Starfleet while you are serving Council, but if a majority of Council approves your recommendations, they will have a lasting effect on this part of the galaxy none the less, long after your mission here is over.”

 

“Indeed,” Sorehl agreed. “On the basis of those credentials alone, I received far more external response than expected. In fact, I received a transmission from Joy Two with extended observations and recommendations. I assume you are already familiar with it?”

 

Joy smiled at the notion of Two requiring credentials to prompt her to talk politics. Placing a soap box on a street corner would have served equally well. Still, no sense in diminishing the new commissioner's faith in his certification. “No,” Joy said. “I have not been in close proximity with Two since she wrote you. I haven’t had a chance to share that particular memory. Still, I doubt I will be much surprised by what she said. I don’t believe that the Endeavor incident will have shifted her views that much.”

 

The Vulcan tilted his head with unconcealed curiosity. “Interesting,” he remarked, “you pool thoughts with the others in your series, yet you maintain an individualism with regards to perspective and opinion. This would seem to set you apart from other species with shared memories.”

 

“Such as?”

 

Sorehl considered his audience briefly before proceeding. “The Borg, if you forgive the reference. Obviously, they make no attempt to preserve individuality, subsuming even the most basic subjective experiences.

 

“But there are others, of course,” he elaborated. “As a Vulcan, my own species is capable of sharing perspectives and memories through the employment of mind sciences and touch telepathy. For the less trained, it can be difficult to distinguish that which they experienced personally from that which they obtained from others. The Trill, however, seem to revel in their dualism. They remain distinct individuals, but blend in the memories of their past hosts.” He reflected on his exposure to the cultures of the Gamma Quadrant. “The Vorta tell me they consider each of their clones a continuation of the same individual, simply uploading their past memories. And, of course, the Founders are able to share both form and memory through their Great Link, but for unknown reasons separate themselves into individuals.”

 

Joy thought for a moment. “What we do is not an exact match with any of those races. We have no long range unifying link, like the Founders or the Borg. We can only exchange memories when we are in close proximity, and have opportunity to shut down for the several hours it takes to perform a data base merge. When the process is complete, the internal data sets of the two androids are perfectly bit-by-bit identical, only to start diverging immediately after the merge is over. The merge process involves deleting memories as well as exchanging them. Whenever a massive dose of new memories is imported, the oldest memories and those least often called upon to solve problems are deleted.

 

“Which is one reason,” Joy continued, “why classes of Mudd androids are physically identical. A ‘skill’ is often a recalling of a movement or a process from memory. If my hardware was not identical to that of my sisters, the ‘skill’ would not take cleanly. Fingers might be the wrong size, or the center of gravity would be different. Our self repair nanites are most stubborn about this. No modifications are allowed. No enhancements are permitted, unless they are made at the same time to the entire class, which is so awkward that it is almost never done. Thus, while we will shut down and exchange data with other Joys, our communications with the Alyces, Normans, Stellas, and the rest are rather mundane, similar enough to speech between organic beings. Even among Joys, we will use conversation, letters, and comm badges when distance intervenes or time does not permit.”

 

Sorehl folded his arms. “I can see a potential for such total sharing to cause security problems.”

 

Joy smiled. “There are all sorts of implications. My sister Three works as a tour guide in New York City, at a historic jewelry store called Tiffany’s. She has the most impressive collection of security clearances of any tour guide in the known galaxy. She must honor the sum of the security requirements of all her Starfleet and diplomatic sisters. In return, any of us can answer any number of exotic questions about 19th and 20th century Earth jewelry, and the history of New York City. If something happened to Ambassador Seven at San Francisco, Three would be perfectly capable of leaving Tiffany’s and covering the Presidio. If something happened to three of the four Joys that are usually on Earth, we could start up the assembly line on Mudd, create three new Joy class bodies, and download memories from the survivor. All that would be lost would be a few days of memories, the equivalent of a slight case of amnesia.”

 

“Fascinating.”

 

“We do share a few benefits and problems with the Trill. In ten years, ten Joys will acquire and share a century’s worth of life experience. Five hundred Alyces could do the same in a few months. We carry these experiences in bodies that appear to be about 25 years old. As our greatest pleasure is in obeying orders, the Starfleet Joys will try as much as possible to walk about wearing an ensign’s pips, or a lieutenant’s.”

 

“So some of you appear unqualified for your jobs, but you may in fact be over-qualified,” the Vulcan stated. “Then you must take efforts to avoid being promoted into less-preferred positions?”

 

Joy nodded. “We have been recycling ourselves. A commander retires and joins the diplomatic service. A diplomat retires and becomes a tour guide. A tour guide joins Starfleet and becomes an ensign.”

 

“This would not be a permanent solution.”

 

“In another few human generations, we will have to think of another approach.”

 

Sorehl considered. “If your greatest pleasure is in obeying orders, who gives orders to an ambassador?”

 

“At Priority Three, we are bound to preserve, protect and defend the Federation Constitution. I expect you could find this directive alone to be a source of pride, pleasure, and contentment enough – if your culture admitted that these things existed. Such a Priority does earns one enemies, though. Captain Savage. Admiral Forrester. Admiral Hastings. Admiral Goram. Is it logical to take pride in one’s enemies?”

 

Sorehl rose an eyebrow, and simply stated, “No.” Pride was not logical. This required no explanation.

 

Joy almost laughed. “I suspect we had best save the philosophy for another time. You do have the equivalent of an emotion chip as part of your make up. Denying it and suppressing it is central to your culture. But... another time.”

 

Sorehl considered the merits of discussing the nuances of emotional mastery versus denial, but agreed it was not the subject he had come to discuss. He slid his PADD toward her. “I trust I break no confidence in sharing Joy Two’s response with you in advance of your linking?”

 

“No. If you have no objection, I have none, though my next link with Two will likely happen sooner than you might expect. The MMS Mudd is in system, and inbound. If you have a fact finding mission, Two has been given an oversight mission. Council must be assured that Starfleet is adequately handling the Endeavor incident.” One fell silent, reading through her sister’s letter, finally sliding it back to the center of the table, considering what was said and not said.

 

“Is there information you would like to add that is not contained in her assessment?”

 

Joy looked directly into his eyes. “Not so much information, as a perspective, which might be more important than information. Your mission as commissioner is to propose a broad policy for Aegis and its environment. Two is concerned about preventing a repeat of a... feud that developed between Starfleet and the diplomatic corps during her last assignment here. Just before the Breen attack that essentially destroyed the last incarnation of Aegis, Two was roughly aligned with the Romulans, Cardassians and Gorn against Starfleet. Part of it was a Breen psych op, designed to break up the Aegis alliance prior to their attack. More of it was distrust between species, a selfish passion for authority and control that destroyed understanding and cooperation.”

 

Joy picked up the PADD containing her sister’s letter. “This isn’t about policy. It is at a much lower level. This is about walking through the issues raised in that old feud, settling them, and making sure they don’t start up again. It is a proposed division of responsibilities, written at a degree of detail that Council will not be eager to debate. Basically, Admiral Goram’s ideas of diplomatic protocol and security didn’t work. Two is proposing a scaled down version of the more traditional approach used at the Presidio. Council will not be excited by it. It does not belong in your executive summary. Bury it in an appendix.”

 

“But it is still important?”

 

“Very. If someone doesn’t create and maintain a solid working relationship between Starfleet and the diplomatic corps -- Federation, Cardassian and any other powers willing to contribute -- it is very doubtful that anything else you might present to Council will matter.”

[Sorehl 0]

Sorehl slid the PADD back toward himself, having concluded his discussion with Commander Joy One. He had shared with her the input he had received from her counterpart, Ambassador Joy Two, which had consisted of recommendations to expand the diplomatic role of the station and provided some guidelines toward that end. He thumbed one of the controls, illuminating the text:

 

 

Subject : Cardassian and Aegis Policy

From : Ambassador Joy Two

To : Aegis Special Commissioner

Precedence : Routine

Classification : Routine

Encryption : UFP39D

 

 

Commissioner

 

I received from my sister One a copy of your questionnaire, and her responses. I and my other sisters in the diplomatic corps and have given the matter of Aegis and Cardassia much thought. While One gave answers to your quite reasonable questions, I would like add comments from prior experience which will be much more specific. Take them in the tone of lessons learned, of advice I might give to you or any other diplomat seeking to rebuild an Aegis diplomatic corps.

 

Get Council to pass an open unclassified set of directives entirely compatible with any specific instructions that must be kept classified. I assume your fact finding mission is in preparation for Council debate. The resulting Council directives should be openly posted in the Aegis observation lounge, and accessible by all. Make it clear that Council and the legislative branch sets policy, and that Starfleet and the executive branch implements policy. Admiral Forrester and others have of late corrupted the Starfleet chain of command. It must be made clear that anything coming down the pipe from Starfleet that conflicts with the policies of Council has to be reported back up the chain to both Admiralty and Council.

 

On Gamma Quad’s Camelot station, policy and high level planning meetings are held at their Round Table. Federation ambassadors are generally welcome, and often foreign ambassadors as well. If there was a conflict between Council policy and Starfleet orders, it would be painfully obvious. During my time on Aegis, every effort was maintained to exclude the diplomatic corps from information flow and decision making. Thus, the oversight function of civilian control of the military was entirely neutralized, which allow Forresters to thrive. Somehow, given repeated failure and corruption of the Starfleet chain of command, oversight must be restored in a way that minimizes impact on Starfleet efficiency, without crippling Starfleet command authority.

 

On my prior assignment to Aegis, Starfleet preempted entirely diplomatic functions. I was told to represent Mudd, while an admiral represented the Federation. This can work in a stable environment with relatively little diplomatic activity, but with four foreign powers active on the station, there was no way the station command staff could perform both the diplomatic and military functions. The admiral had no time to achieve mutual understanding with the diplomats, so he instead issue abrupt orders with a minimum of courtesy and protocol. Should a significant number of foreign diplomats return to Aegis, I would recommend that the senior officer delegate either his diplomatic or military functions. I do not believe one individual can effectively do both. Again, Camelot might serve as an example. Admiral Day focused primarily on policy and politics, while Captain Corizon took responsibility for day to day operations. The alternative would be to allow the diplomatic corps to perform diplomatic functions.

 

I would make clear Starfleet’s obligation to honor diplomatic protocol. The short form I attempted to invoke said “do not search, scan, detain or issue orders to diplomatic personnel, embassies or ships. Treat ambassadors with courtesy and respect. Honor any reasonable request politely made.” Unfortunately, as the foreign diplomatic corps began to arrive, Starfleet was stubbornly insistent on refusing all access to external data and station policy, which resulted in a series of retaliatory harassment actions by the diplomatic corps. This got out of hand. An escalating series of incidents developed where everyone attempted to prove their status and power by being uncooperative and rude. Late in the process I attempted to get the diplomats to step back, to break the cycle, to resume the traditional norm of courtesy and cooperation. When Starfleet did not respond in kind, the diplomatic mission fell apart.

 

I would suggest that the diplomatic corps have the primary responsibility to maintain friendly relations among the diplomats, and it is Starfleet’s duty to cooperate in this. While the Federation diplomatic corps should in general have no direct authority over Starfleet -- short of achieving a majority vote in Council -- it should be made clear that Starfleet may not disrupt diplomatic communications, may not subvert diplomatic protocol, may not give insult, may not ground diplomatic couriers, may not in any way actively conspire to prevent diplomatic activity from taking place. In return, Federation diplomatic corps might take responsibility for making sure foreign diplomats do not disrupt Starfleet operations. Yes, if negotiations get difficult, or ambassador sized egos get bruised, I would expect annoyance violations of protocol as a means of ‘making a statement.’ I do not expect the foreign diplomatic corps will be universally saints. Still, until we are sure the xenophobic militant taint is cleared from Starfleet, it should be the diplomatic corps that is responsible for maintaining working relationships, and Starfleet should yield to the diplomatic corps on matters of protocol and courtesy.

 

I should add that any Federation members of any embassies open on Aegis should be selected carefully. They must agree entirely with whatever policy is set by Council. While in many cases multiple representatives holding conflicting positions can be advantageous, after years of sending conflicting signals and showing conflicting policies to the Cardassians, a single unified voice is required.

 

This would be true of Starfleet and the Diplomatic Corps as well. There will be differences. Starfleet is responsible for using force to defend the Federation and our allies. The diplomatic corps is responsible for maintaining peaceful relationships, for exercising diplomacy, for making sure force remains the last resort. The tension of different primary missions will always be there. Extra effort should be made for the diplomatic corps and Starfleet to maintain a common front in public. The diplomatic corps must not prevent Starfleet from using its most effective means to perform assigned tasks. Starfleet must allow negotiation in good faith, not block or disrupt diplomacy, and not dishonor the word of the diplomatic corps. The two groups must respect each other’s function and perspectives, settling differences quietly behind closed doors.

 

But, mostly, Starfleet must learn to respect rule of law. Starfleet cannot initiate offensive action by its own initiative. Council authorizes offensive use of force. Interstellar treaties must be honored. If a treaty become obsolete or counterproductive, the diplomatic corps must renegotiate a new treaty. Until Council ratifies the new treaty, the old treaty has force of law. Starfleet may not arbitrarily suspend free trade, flaunting economic treaties. Before suspending civilian traffic, they must show a clear and present danger that justifies a declared state of emergency. Starfleet may not censor speech. They may not detain individuals without probable cause. They may not search private areas without establishing probable cause. In short, Starfleet must acknowledged that the Guaranteed Rights of Sentient Beings apply to all aboard a Federation ship or station.

 

This is not to suggest the ambassador corps should be holding surprise white glove inspections seeking to uncover violations of obscure internal Starfleet regulations. This is not to suggest that diplomats should be directly reprimanding low ranking Starfleet personnel. However, the station command staff must recognize the need to establish rule of law. If an ambassador expresses concern, Starfleet senior officers should be ready to acknowledge their duties and responsibilities. Starfleet respect for law and civilian command authority must become a Starfleet priority. It is in everyone’s interest that Starfleet embrace this task itself, rather than forcing civilian command authority to implement external controls and fail safes. Still, civilian authority cannot stand aside and allow officers such as Admiral Forrester to continue to corrupt Starfleet’s culture and chain of command. The ambassadors do have a legitimate oversight role. Cooperation by Starfleet in restoring military discipline could make such oversight relatively painless.

 

But all this depends on what policies Council decides to authorize. It would be easy at this point to make Cardassia a long term enemy. It will be challenging indeed, thanks to Forrester and his kind, to make her a friend. I would of course take up the challenge. I eagerly await your report.

 

 

Ambassador Joy Two

Edited February 14, 2008 by Sorehl