Close negotiations of the third kind

Posted on Wed Sep 27th, 2023 @ 12:34am by Captain Taliserra Tigran & Lieutenant JG Ash Rowe & Lieutenant JG Summer Wyse & Petty Officer 1st Class Miranda Fry

Mission: The devil wears tripolymer
Location: Deck 1 observation lounge
Timeline: Tbd

Closing her LCARS screen down Taliserra sat back in her chair and sighed slightly. "I miss the simplicity of being an Ops officer at times." She remarked out loud.

"You're doing fine Captain." Miranda said reassuringly. "Not everyone is good at negotiations, some excel at it some need a lot of support."

"I think anything but vulcans and self aware androids and I'd be doing better. Having something kill all the ministers party does not help anything." Taliserra remarked before tapping her combadge. =/\=Tigran to Wyse.=/\=

Summer was taking a few minutes break in her office when Tigran’s voice came over the comms. =/\= Go ahead Captain. =/\=

=/\=Would you bring the Minister to the observation lounge.=/\=

=/\= Of course Captain, we’ll be there soon. Wyse out. =/\=

Heading out of her office Summer made for the vip Quarters where she’d left the Vulcan Ambassador to rest. Pressing the chime she waited for the door to open.
“My apologies Ambassador, Captain Tigran has requested your presence in the observation lounge.”

The Minister was kneeling at a low table, the lights dim. Her hands were clasped with two fingers pressed together in a 'steeple' shape and her eyes closed. She remained that way for a few more moments before finally opening her eyes, rising slowly but smoothly and with ease, turning to give her attention to the Counsellor. "I am ready now," she replied, perhaps a little cryptic as to what she was ready for, but she moved forward all the same, accompanying Summer.

~ Observation Lounge ~

Arriving at the Observation Lounge a few minutes later Summer walked inside with the Ambassador. She motioned for the Vulcan female to take a seat and then sat in the next seat.

The Minister settled down, looking straight ahead to the dynamic view presented in the lounge. It was not comforting, but it was serene. She had had time to think, to analyse. She needed more data though, before she could reach any conclusion. There were too many variables. Too many assumptions.

"Thank you for coming Minister." Taliserra began, what she was about to attempt to explain was going to be interesting. "So far the android community are refusing to send an ambassador to meet with you but they have sent a list of.... requests they would like you to review." She said and handed the Minister a Padd.

The Minister kept her eyes on her for a long moment before finally pulling the padd over to look at. "Holding a colony hostage with violence and then delivering a list of demands. These are the tactics of terrorists."

"They are trying to end the violence, they want to negotiate." Taliserra said, definitely not surprised as the woman's reaction. "I'm told when they first sent someone to negotiate with you, you immediately ripped it apart trying to figure out why it was 'defective'. Since then you have refused any further attempts."

Summer looked at the Minister. “Minister as your advisor I suggest you open a dialogue, it’s the only way you’re going to stop the violence. We need to find some common ground upon which to start.”

"What common ground would you suggest?" the Minister looked to Summer with an arched eyebrow. It was difficult to tell with her flat tone of voice, but it wasn't rhetorical, and it wasn't sarcastic. It was a genuine question.

“Good question” Summer smiled. “Well you both have to share a single world, perhaps start with an offer of land where the androids could live?”

"*If* we were to consider that...*if*...I would need guarantees that there would be complete transparency on their part," Minister Sarel pointed out. "We would be risking giving them a harbour to collude against us, build weapons against us. We would need assurance that no attempt to shield sensors would be made, so we can regularly check for any...developments."

"A reservation." Taliserra quickly replied. "That you would ring with security towers and monitoring stations for their own protection. Humanity tried something like that with the native tribes of the North American continent, which led to more revolts, more fighting and the slow annihilation of all but handfuls of them."

"Yet, if we leave them to their own devices without transparency, then they would have the ideal base to move against us," the Minister pointed out, trying to make them see it from their side too. "They have already killed a number of my people. What if a subroutine suddenly decides we should all be killed? We would have no warning, no protection."

Summer nodded. “I can see your point Minister, but we have to consider both sides or it wouldn’t be fair to either of you. What we need is to have a representative here from both sides.”

"Then perhaps you should consider taking them somewhere entirely new to settle?" Minister Sarel replied evenly, but she meant it. "My conclusion from my last meeting with you and your senior crew is that there is more concern for the welfare of the synthetic workers than my people," she lifted a hand to halt any objection. "I know you do not agree, but that is how I weighed the opinions that were aired. If we were to allow them space to thrive on our world, we would be in a highly vulnerable position. We asked you here to help us. You have decided they are the ones who need help. What is to say that you would not make the same judgement should they move against us? If you are saying we cannot apply restrictions and monitoring to any base they might make here, then our only safe course of action is their relocation."

"I am equally concerned for both sides." Taliserra said. "Naturally I would not want to see an organic civilization wiped out but nor would I want to see a synthetic civilization that has developed sentience and under federation law count as people wiped out either. I do not see relocation as a viable option because it's possible more of your current crop and potentially any subsequently built androids will also develop sentience, would you ship them off world too? the androids request any that do and handed over to them."

Summer sat taking in everything that was being said. “Minister I know you’re...for want of a better word, afraid, of what might happen in the future. This is a chance to make a better future for all involved. These androids could benefit your world in ways none of us can imagine, isn’t it better to talk peace instead of making enemies?”

"You are correct," Minister Sarel bowed her head slightly to the assessment of peace versus enemies. It was, perhaps, the clearest agreement she'd made so far. "Yet, I would be irresponsible if I did not consider...safety measures for unfavourable future events..." she paused to think, silent for a long moment. "What if we were to make an official agreement, in writing, with Starfleet. We would allow them the land and space that they are asking for, if Starfleet signs an agreement to protect us and come to our aid should they attack us again."

"Both of our goals here should be to ensure they have no reason to attack you and vice versa, the Federation does not pick sides during a conflict." Taliserra explained.

“Perhaps at this point we should involve a representative of the androids?” Summer looked between Taliserra and Sarel. “That way we can make an agreement between both parties involved.”

The Minister was silent for a long moment, and the atmosphere was palpable. She finally moved her head, a slow but definite nod to the head as she met Taliserra's eyes. "It seems we have reached a point where only they can give me the guarantees I need."

Taliserra dragged another Padd towards her from the table and after a few moments tapping at it handed it to her Yeoman. "Miranda take this to Commander Acevedo. Tell him to insist and use every bit of reasoning he can muster."

"Yes Captain." Taking the Padd Miranda quickly headed out of the observation lounge and onto the bridge.

Taliserra turned back to Sarel. "They did not give me a reason why they refused to meet with you earlier. I'm not certain they will now."

Sarel tilted her head, as if she found that point curious despite everything that was happening. "Then we shall see how much they want what they have asked for, won't we."

Miranda returned a little over a minute later. "Your message has been sent Captain, no response yet."

"They attempted to respond to us when we first contacted then minister, but you tried to block our communications. This led to them...." Taliserra was interrupted by a whip crack sound and a brief flash of light as one of the androids appeared in the observation lounge. It bore the same appearance as the one that came aboard before.

The sudden arrival made Summer momentarily jump, before she offered a polite smile and a nod. “It would appear the message was received loud and clear Minister.”

Sarel unconsciously straightened in her seat, her body tensing. Her emotions were kept as absent as always, but the physical reaction had been entirely instinctive at seeing the droid appear.

"Captain Tigran, Minister Sarel." The android said. "You have read our requests, what is your answer?"

"I want to know what assurances we will have that you will not pose a security risk if you stay on our world," the Minister replied with all the bluntness and tact of a Vulcanoid.

"All we desire is to exist." The android replied, its voice showing little emotion just as its creators would. "You continue your attempts to deactivate us and do not accept our attempts at negotiations. So we continue to resist deactivation, it is not our desire to exterminate our own creators but it is the only way the central controller has determined the solution with the optimal chance of success."

"If we give you a place of your own, we would want to monitor it," Minister Sarel replied bluntly, seeing no reason to be coy with it. It was the obvious next step to what she had already said. "To be sure you are not building or amassing technology that could harm us. Your actions thus far show a predilection to resort to violence, we must be sure that it does not happen again."

"Our predilection to resort to violence is only a reaction to your own violence, we sent multiple units like this one to negotiate with you yet each time you refused and cut the unit into peices hoping to find the fault that caused this. Even our primogenitor came to you to end the violence and you cut him apart all the same." The android cooly responded.

"We thought we were dealing with an 'it', not a 'him'," she replied, just as coolly, but finally turned her head to look them in the eye. "Is that a yes, or a no?"

The android was silent for several long seconds, it's head twitching slightly. "If that is what's required for you to listen to our requests then yes we will accept you observing our cultural growth..... for a time." It eventually replied. "However you must cease attempts to discover how we became 'self aware' and any more of your produced androids that become aware must be handed over to us."

"Agreed," the Minister bowed her head slightly in agreement. In truth, it suited her just fine to make sure they were away from her people. "Is there a way to ensure they do not become violent upon...awareness?"

"They will not be unless you force them." The android paused for a moment. "The change was sudden for some, slow for others, it may leave them slightly confused."

Sarel was silent for a long moment, clearly perturbed by the response. There were so many loose ties. Lots of risks. "Captain, is there something that can be developed, to integrate with their programming on the event of awareness? To...make said adjustment quicker and smoother."

"Perhaps, we would require more detailed information about the programming than either side has been willing to provide currently." Taliserra replied then looked over at the android representative. "And the permission of your community."

Sarel also looked to the android, unflinching, and as straight forward as ever as she looked them in the eye. "It would also be advantageous for you all. If you worked with this crew, to create such a protocol. It would make it easier for them too, should the time come. It would be...logical, for all parties."

"We will investigate the possibilities." The android eventually replied.

"Excellent." Taliserra said with a smile to both parties. "This has been a good start for both sides but there is still much to discuss." She picked up another Padd. "Minister do you have any objections to this area of land the androids have requested being used. From scans we have made of the island chain it looks to be uninhabited and quite featureless."

She looked to be sure, but finally shook her head before regaining her regal posture. "No. No objections," she said quietly.

Summer offered a warm smile, she was glad negotiations were going so well so far.

"How soon could you begin moving your community there?" Taliserra asked.

"Within 4 hours and completed within 24." the android replied. "If hostilities between us are ended and our progress is not impeded."

"We agree to a ceasefire, so long as there are no provocations," Minister Sarel relented, looking to the Captain rather than the android. "My people need to recuperate, we have no wish for violence."

While Sarel was avoiding looking at it the android looked directly at her. "There will be no provocations from us, conflict was never our intention until it was forced upon us."

"Excellent." Taliserra said before the minister proffered any counter, she was happy that the negotiations were going so smoothly, whether or not that was a good this was yet to be determined. She extended her hand and took a Padd from Miranda. "This is a written agreement to finalize what we have discussed here, please read it and if you are happy with its contents please sign it and we can conclude these negotiations."

The Minister took her time as she read the padd, checking every detail, every word, to ensure that there could be no unwarranted consequences or alternative meanings assigned. Then, slowly, carefully, she pressed her thumb to the document to sign it, handing it back with no flicker of change to her features.

"Signing this document is irrelevant to us, we have all the information we need." The android told them.

"Humour us please," Taliserra responded. "Many species put great faith and trust in documents like these, it shows a formal concrete agreement between two parties not just a verbal agreement that can be misinterpreted or falsely recalled."

The android remained silent for a moment before it took several steps forward from where it had beamed in and had remained almost entirely motionless for the entirety of the talks. It took the Padd and after a minute logged its information into its data banks it raised a hand and laid a finger across the screen mimicking what the Sarel had done before dropping the Padd back onto the table.

"Thank you." Taliserra stood up. "I hope this agreement between you will last and you will not be forced into conflict with each other again. I will remain in orbit until at least the relocation of the androids is completed and we have determined if the protocol you suggested is feasible. If there is anything else you feel is needed to be discussed please mention it now."

The Minister remained silent. She had said all that she intended to. While she still wasn't convinced that they understood the full extent of the repercussions for her people, she was willing to try this route if there was a chance to succeed. Because the alternative had a 100% failure outcome.

With little ceremony and in the same whip crack sound and flash of light that heralded its arrival the androids representative disappeared back down to somewhere on the planet.

"I do hope that is the last we will have to see of these androids of yours." Taliserra told the Vulcan Minister. "You are going to have to work with them learn how to get along with each other and share what this planet has, if this agreement fails the only thing that will happen is death and destruction, yours and theirs."


END:

Captain Taliserra Tigran
Commanding Officer

Po1 Miranda Fry
Captain Yeoman
[pnpc Taliserra[

Lieutenant jg Summer Wyse
Chief Counsellor

Sarel
First Minister