Consensus

[Joy 0]

"He killed a robot?" Joy Seven, on distant Earth, raised an eyebrow.

 

"A basic cleaning unit that had impacted Ambassador Drankum's cane," replied her sister Two from Aegis. "Not sentient. The Robot's attack wasn't much of one. I don't even know if the bot was under Federation or Cardassian control, or whether it's programming had been tampered with. I'll have to dump some pineapple about the floor of the Federation Embassy, and check the programming of the responding cleaning unit."

 

"Not a big deal, then?"

 

"On a spiral of violence scale of one to ten, I'd rate it at about point two. I am considering acquiring the bot, mounting it on a wall plaque, and presenting it to Sorehl as a trophy."

 

"Sorehl? Not K'Vorlag?"

 

“Sorehl,” responded Two quite firmly. "Remember how upset Muon got at Sorehl for being 'blind sided'? At not being consulted? Muon at least was properly angry at Sorehl. It's feeling like K'Vorlag and Drankum are being more broad and general in their emotions. I suspect they are placing the blame for not being consulted on the entire Federation, not just Sorehl."

 

"Ah."

 

"K'Vorag.... He's sealed his brand shiny new embassy complex, and basically washed his hands of Aegis. Drankum... is being more obscure. One definitely gets the impression he is displeased. He is invoking the old Aegis treaty as if he intends to block changes with it, but has not gone beyond vague statements of displeasure, with no specific change being objected to, nor any particular line in the treaty being invoked."

 

"What do you think he intends?"

 

"To feed his ego. Sorehl did not bow and scrape properly before the Great One, so there shall be spite and grandstanding until his status is adequately restored in his own eyes."

 

“Would you like Council to assign Sorehl as Special Commissioner for bowing and scraping?”

 

“Don’t tempt me. Justice might properly be served, but Vulcans are not noted for possessing a high talent for bowing and scraping.”

 

Seven smiled. "Quite right. How much trouble is Drankum in a position to make?"

 

"Considerable. The treaty seems to have been written under the assumption that since the victors of the Dominion War were in agreement at that time, they would be in agreement indefinitely. The reoccurring word on setting policy is 'consensus,' but they neglected to define the word, nor specify a procedure by which consensus could be achieved. If the treaty is litigated, it will take years just to get the courts to establish the meaning and procedures required to achieve ‘consensus’. If we involve the courts, the station is going nowhere for years.”

 

“How do we not involve the courts?”

 

“We would have to assume ‘consensus’ means agreement by all parties. In theory, Drankum represents the Ferengi, whose primary values center on profits. If Cardassia grants trade facilities on or about Cardassia Prime with profit opportunities compatible with Aegis, and if Aegis’s new location shows good potential for profits as well, the interests of the Ferengi ought to be enhanced by the move. As Cardassia’s and the Federation’s priorities at this time are political, rather than economic, I suspect we can get a continued Ferengi presence, both here, and at the new location. Ferengi presence is generally good for business. The questions are how much Drankum might attempt to extort, and to what extent he might put personal ego ahead of doing business.”

 

Seven considered. “It is a bad treaty?”

 

“A very bad treaty. As best as I can read the legal section, each power is responsible for enforcing its own laws, in its own section of the station, and on its own citizens. If a Klingon feels wronged, and invokes the proper challenges and rituals before taking revenge on a citizen of another power, he is to be prosecuted under Klingon law under Klingon jurisdiction. If the other powers disagree with the Klingon legal decision, and try to invoke interstellar law, the defense lawyer would start with the principle of double jeopardy. One can not try the defendant again for the same crime.” Two shook her head. “It is clear that many powers have rights to assign department crews and department heads responsible for various equipments, but it is far less clear that said department heads have any obligation to answer to a captain, to a station wide command staff. Who assigns the command staff, what authority the command staff has over the various independent crews, and what chain of command has authority to give orders to the Aegis command staff were all apparently too difficult political problems to solve, so they didn’t solve them. The politicians just let the crews work things out. The crews, being military, knew there had to be a unified command structure. What eventually evolved was a Starfleet assigned captain with a Starfleet crew answering to Starfleet chain of command, but you can’t establish that as being the original intent of the treaty. The treaty has all signatories being essentially equal.”

 

Seven leaned back and thought. “Could we use Admiral Goram’s argument? If various powers have not been contributing to the upkeep, have not been providing crew, their rights under the treaty are void?”

 

“Almost valid,” Two replied. “We could walk that road. If a power is no longer willing or able to contribute to station upkeep, to provide crews, parts and funds as the treaty requires, a consensus of the rest of the powers gets to decide how to reassign defaulted rights and responsibilities.”

 

“Consensus. That word again...”

 

Two nodded. “One might possibly argue that the Federation alone rebuilt Aegis after the Breen attack, and thus the Federation alone gets to form a consensus with itself about how to divide rights and responsibilities defaulted by everyone else. Ambassador Drankum only returned to Aegis after the rebuilding was complete, after all. If the station was financed, manned and commanded exclusively by the Federation, the Federation arguably is the consensus.”

 

“I distinctly remember disliking Admiral Goram’s use of that argument.”

 

“It would not be a good way to make friends and influence people. If you think people are ticked at Sorehl...”

 

“Right.”

 

“I wouldn’t use it as the primary approach, but you might look about for a bad cop.”

 

Seven considered. “I can think of any number of Pragmatists who might be goaded into making that argument. What is the good cop position?”

 

“The treaty needs to be rewritten from scratch. The situation is not at all what it was at war’s end.”

Edited July 22, 2008 by Joy

[KVorlag 0]

"As best as I can read the legal section, each power is responsible for enforcing its own laws, in its own section of the station, and on its own citizens. If a Klingon feels wronged, and invokes the proper challenges and rituals before taking revenge on a citizen of another power, he is to be prosecuted under Klingon law under Klingon jurisdiction... It is clear that many powers have rights to assign department crews and department heads responsible for various equipments, but it is far less clear that said department heads have any obligation to answer to a captain, to a station wide command staff. Who assigns the command staff, what authority the command staff has over the various independent crews, and what chain of command has authority to give orders to the Aegis command staff were all apparently too difficult political problems to solve, so they didn't solve them... The treaty has all signatories being essentially equal."

As I read Article 7, Section 2 it gives the Federation the prime role for "overall Space Station operational management and coordination... and overall planning for and coordination of the execution of the overall integrated operation". We Klingons, like the Romulans, got a role in "supporting the UFP in performance... including participating in planning". We were also allowed to "maintain an option for placement of assistant senior manager of operations... at [our] discretion." All signatories may be equal, but clearly, some are more equal than others. Starfleet loves their bureacracy - why would the Empire rob them of their sense of self-importance when there are battles to be waged elsewhere?

The Empire doesn't see it as a bad treaty, just one we were never interested in expanding. As I have said before, Klingons do not trouble themselves with the fate of their enemies. They sing no songs of heroic nation-builders.

 

But Klingon blood was spilled for this spot in the Cardassian sky, so whatever Aegis' fate, the Empire will have its say in it.

Edited July 22, 2008 by KVorlag

[Joy 0]

As I read Article 7, Section 2 it gives the Federation the prime role for "overall Space Station operational management and coordination... and overall planning for and coordination of the execution of the overall integrated operation". We Klingons, like the Romulans, got a role in "supporting the UFP in performance... including participating in planning". We were also allowed to "maintain an option for placement of assistant senior manager of operations... at [our] discretion." All signatories may be equal, but clearly, some are more equal than others. Starfleet loves their bureacracy - why would the Empire rob them of their sense of self-importance when there are battles to be waged elsewhere?

The Empire doesn't see it as a bad treaty, just one we were never interested in expanding. As I have said before, Klingons do not trouble themselves with the fate of their enemies. They sing no songs of heroic nation-builders.

 

But Klingon blood was spilled for this spot in the Cardassian sky, so whatever Aegis' fate, the Empire will have its say in it.

 

I read Article 7 Section 2 as the Federation running the operations department and being able to name the Ops officer, not that the operations chief is higher in the chain of command than various other chiefs appointed by other powers. The Joys have often served as operations officers, and Article 7 Section 2 sounded to her like an Ops job description, not a captain's. If there is a consensus that doesn't question your interpretation, fine. If any power other than the Federation claims another interpretation, there is a problem. Joy would have wanted wording a lot less ambiguous, for example using the word 'command' rather than 'coordination'. That would suggest giving orders not managing a consensus, though that would fly in the face of the rest of the treaty.

 

Joy sees the difference between a captain who gives rudder orders and has authority over all departments and an operations manager who doesn't as key to the discussion. Article 7 Section 2 isn't clear enough for her to want to go to court with it.

 

Question. Do you see the Klingons as having contributed funding, parts and crew continuously over the course of Aegis history? Assume someone is digging into the history data base.

 

After reading the treaty, Joy is apt to interpret your recent speech as an intent that K'vorlag and the Klingons do not intend to participate in any 'consensus' discussions in the near term. Basically, it sounded like a default on participation in any decisions that require 'consensus' under the treaty. After reading the treaty, she is going to want to confirm that said speech was a temporary policy statement, not a notification of permanent withdrawal from the treaty.

 

That you think blood spilled gives the Klingons a permanent say and presence in Cardassia's skies... is not how she interpreted your speech.

[KVorlag 0]

I read Article 7 Section 2 as the Federation running the operations department and being able to name the Ops officer, not that the operations chief is higher in the chain of command than various other chiefs appointed by other powers.

Bah. You're too Federation-centric in your thinking. Why would Klingons care who stands at your station's little operations pedestal? Article 7 is about Management. Ask a Ferengi what that means to them. It means who's in charge. And when the Romulans exercised their option, they put one of their own people as XO of Aegis, not as a subordinate in a Starfleet-defined operations department.

Question. Do you see the Klingons as having contributed funding, parts and crew continuously over the course of Aegis history? Assume someone is digging into the history data base.

The Empire contributed beam weaponry during the initial build. Although some have mentioned Aegis reconstruction, those Klingon disruptors are still there. Klingons like myself have passed through but I don't think any were ever posted on Sky Harbor. Certainly none were department chiefs or command. Maybe Drankum remembers. But the treaty does not require constant contribution.

 

After reading the treaty, Joy is apt to interpret your recent speech as an intent that K'vorlag and the Klingons do not intend to participate in any 'consensus' discussions in the near term... After reading the treaty, she is going to want to confirm that said speech was a temporary policy statement, not a notification of permanent withdrawal from the treaty.

Until the Federation actually notifies the "partner states" that they intend to modify Aegis' object and scope (Article 14, Sections 3 / 4 / 5), what is there for Klingons to participate in? Starfleet is free to talk amongst themselves for their own consensus, but the Federation has ONE vote that weighs equally with the Klingon vote. And you are right, the Empire has withdrawn from nothing.

 

That you think blood spilled gives the Klingons a permanent say and presence in Cardassia's skies... is not how she interpreted your speech.

Merely the Klingon warning against unilateral thinking. We may well agree with some future decision to leave Cardassia, but we will speak of it.