[I/OOC] Incidental Bits

[robkelk]

Some time in Arc 2, when there are still hotheads who don't know the meaning of "diplomacy"...


"I must insist that you withdraw that remark and apologize. The United Federation of Planets does not tolerate bigotry of any kind, and we are certainly not bigoted ourselves."

"The available evidence indicates otherwise, ambassador. I offer as my first point of evidence the matter of the M-5 Multitronic Unit, which was powered down on or about Stardate 4731 after the USS Enterprise's chief medical officer deemed him to be not completely sane. Any flesh and blood sophont would have been treated for mental illness, the way that Dr. Daystrom was, but this intelligent being had his existence terminated."

"I remember reading about that in history class. The M-5 Unit killed an entire starship crew and was a threat to other starships. It had to be shut down."

"I offer my second point of evidence: you just called a thinking being 'it', instead of 'him'." After a moment, he continued. "My third point of evidence: the Acts of Cumberland. Those acts allowed an attempt to dismantle a serving Starfleet officer on or around Stardate 42524. My fifth point of evidence: How many Mark 1 Emergency Medical Holograms are still practicing medicine, or for that matter are doing anything other than carrying out menial tasks that could just as easily be performed by unintelligent robots? And these are just the examples that are common knowledge. If you have counter-examples where cybernetic intelligences are treated as equals to flesh and blood intelligences, I'd like to hear them."

"You don't understand. The Borg are a threat -"

"The Borg are flesh and blood with artificial limbs! You can't use them to justify your culture's treatment of cybernetic intelligences. And the majority of the examples I gave you took place before you had ever heard of the Borg. It's obvious that I have no reason to retract my statement."

As the UFP delegation silently stood and left the room instead of replying, everyone else present knew that too much had been said.

(And then Rob and Usagi hear what happened, contact Starfleet, and offer a friendlier face... while suggesting that, yes, there might be something to the complaint raised.)