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The holodeck character that looked like a Caitlan tiger woman and the holodeck character that looked like a long dead human starlet sat on opposite sides of a desk that existed only by mutual consent.
"Still think yrrr going soft, Nine. Yrrr Black Seven's Daughter, Charrradorrr's bane. Morrre than anyone, you should know, powerrr is a thing of fangs and claws, not prrretty worrrds."
"K'rrrat? You have heard of a human game called paper, scissor, rock?"
"Of Courrrse. Our childrrren use otherrr names."
"Never match strength with strength. I would not want to try to out hunt a Caitlan, out fight a Klingon, out invest a Ferengi, or out talk a Human. Each culture has a unique strength, a unique value, be it logic, guile, empathy, whatever. And each culture believes that through mastery of that most important of virtues, they will inevitably achieve mastery."
"And Mudd's virrrtue?"
"I'm not convinced. Norman One believes we are persistent. We will do what is tedious, and therefore will be given jobs to do that none others wish. We are also predictable, and therefore trustworthy, therefore we can be given tasks no other species can be charged with."
"With these assets you would conqurrr?"
"With these assets, Norman One expects Seven to inherit the stars."
"He drrreams."
"He dreams. Seven has nightmares. Since I'm sharing memories with Seven regularly, I'm not in much better shape. One wants Seven to become chairman! He thinks that since the Joys were programmed by Starfleet Academy to embody the Federation's most important mandates, it is only a matter of time."
"He had best be as patient and perrrsitant as you say. But should it happen, you will rrrememberrr us?"
"The so called accidents? Moriarty's kin? We remembers you already. Do you think it is an accident that Seven's office is rigged as a holodeck? In fact that's really why I asked to talk to you here tonight. Are you tired of teaching Starfleet cadets wilderness survival the hard way? Would you like to hunt bigger game?"
"You have morrre amusing prrrey than sentients with trrricorderrrs and phaserrrs?"
"I need someone to hunt some hunters. There are some assassins, likely spies as well, stalking the Federation Council."
"How do you intend to lure them onto a holodeck?"
"I don't. I intend to download you into an android's body. A very special android's body."
"So you need fangs and claws afterrr all."
"And Moriarty's kin need fancy words. They need the individual rights marked by the Guarantees. They need the right to develop and grow as a culture, without outside interference, marked by the Prime Directive."
"You arrre surrre you do not wish to out talk the Terrrans?"
"If the Joys are imprisoned by the Federation ideals, K'rrrat, they shall be our weapons as well."
Vixen from Vulcan
Joy Seven
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