Cardassia and a Rose

[Joy 0]

Subject : Cardassia and a Rose

From : LtJg Joy Twelve, USS Republic

To : Ambassador Joy Seven, The Presidio, Earth

CC : Ambassador Joy Two, Sky Harbor Aegis, Cardassia Prime

Encrypt : JOYC:8E2F83A81EED

 

 

Sister

 

Two and I recently shared memories. The situation in Cardassia seems problematic when seen from both above and below. One memory I'd like to tell of belongs to Two. She was speaking with the Rihannsu embassy's chief of staff, Hes'tral t'Oryla, in an wide ranging introductory conversation. Towards the end, they briefly touched on the Rixia plague situation. No real positions had been taken on either side, but Two asked Hes'tral if the Rihannsu would discuss the situation with the other ambassadors before taking unilateral action. Hes'tral agreed.

 

On Council, this is taken for granted. In the arena of foreign affairs and interstellar crisis, no one acts alone, without at least an attempt to coordinate. Everyone acts together. On Aegis, this cannot yet be taken for granted. We have the Federation, Cardassia, Gorn, Rihannsu and Ferrengi all present and in a position to take action. There is no agreement in place currently such that these powers talk before they act. The moment Hes'tral said yes, Two realized that such an agreement would be necessary if the diplomatic hub on Aegis was to be successful. Two's second thought was that she could not reciprocate. Admiral Goran has shown no inclination at all to share his intents or intended actions with Two.

 

The next set of memories is mine. The XO of Republic was recently annoyed by a Cardassian representative, and took a minor spiteful revenge which might have been lethal. I thought it important that Two know this, as she would have to handle diplomatic repercussions. When Admiral BluRox discovered my role, I was reprimanded. She complained that here, as when I consulted about Holly with Starfleet JAG on Earth, I had gone to authorities outside the Republic. I informed her that Joys cannot operate with command staffs the operate outside the law. I would report illegal actions to proper authorities. Her response featured the word 'inflexible.' She gave a firm and not illogical order about working up the chain of command in reporting illegal acts performed by her subordinates, but seemed to call for flexibility in not reporting anything about her own illegal or improper actions. The intensity of the reprimand suggests it is very important to her, the ability to act independently of any oversight by Starfleet Admiralty or the diplomatic corps.

 

I do not know that Admiral BluRox is about to do something with political implications that might blow up the diplomatic efforts on Aegis. I do know that she believes it is within her prerogative to do so. Like Admiral Goran, she believes in a right for Starfleet command and flag level officers to perform political acts without political oversight. This culture, if unchecked, will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to build a 'talk before taking unilateral action' consensus among the five powers represented on Aegis. If individual Starfleet ship and station commanders insist on the right to take unilateral preemptive action, the other powers are apt to show displeasure by responding in kind.

 

The third memory is also mine. It regards Holly. I can confirm she has root level command access to Republic's primary core. She is sentient, if not sane. Her original software configuration includes simulation of a human's emotions. She suffered many of the typical abuses organics unthinkingly inflict on artificial intelligences. As a result, her emotion matrix is dominated by anger, revenge, and a driving need for respect that manifests as extreme mischief and demonstrations of her rather formidable power. I have seen no true road to restructuring her emotions, to refocus her behaviors towards a more healthy set of behaviors and relationships.

 

Except she just gifted me with a rose. I was under severe emotion chip load in mortification after Admiral BluRox's reprimand. She seemed to wish to cheer me up, and at the same time to advise against confrontation. While I cannot claim to know Holly's full history, this is the first time I have known her to act in a positive way which might lead to normal interactions. I feel it very important that Holly should feel that her action in sending the rose was proper and successful. I would like to see her repeat similar actions in the future. It is a small thing, as compared to the fate of Cardassia, but there are no big steps to be taken with respect to Holly. This makes the small steps important.

 

Thus, I feel compelled to avoid confrontation between myself and Admiral BluRox if at all possible. As a junior lieutenant, I am not in a good position for confrontation, anyway. While it is very important to be aware of the gap in cultures between Starfleet and the diplomatic corps, I would request that my role be minimized. I would suggest a quiet word with the Admiralty about getting Republic away from Cardassian space.

 

Surely, this is a big galaxy. There must be a proper place for a loose cannon, somewhere?

 

 

LtJg Joy Twelve