A Contest of Principles Read online

  “I’m allergic to politics,” he’d insisted.

  Bones never did like dressing up for formal occasions, Kirk recalled.

  “Any word from the planet, Mister Scott?” he asked the engineer, who was at the transporter controls.

  “Aye, sir. We’re receiving the exact coordinates now. Just needed a moment to provide the proper passwords to get past a few extra layers of encryption.” Scott frowned at the inconvenience. “A bit of a bother, if you ask me.”

  “Better safe than sorry, Mister Scott. We’re meeting with the future leaders of the planet at a crucial juncture in their history.” Kirk shrugged. “Can’t blame the Vokites for wanting to take all prudent safety precautions.”

  “I suppose not, sir,” Scott conceded. “Regardless, we’re ready when you are, Captain.”

  “Very good, Mister Scott.” Kirk glanced to confirm that Dare and Zahra were in position. “Energize.”

  As ever, the transport was near instantaneous. Kirk and his party suddenly found themselves in a large, well-lit parlor boasting the garishly colored walls and furnishings favored on Vok. Only a handful of individuals were present, all humanoid in appearance; like many alien species, Vokites were more or less indistinguishable from humans at first glance. Kirk recognized the rival candidates. Opaque windows provided privacy from prying eyes.

  A young man in a conservative Federation business suit stepped forward to greet them. A slight accent indicated Neptunian roots. Kirk recognized him as Steve Tanaka, Dare’s advance man, who had come ahead to lay the groundwork for the mission. Fashionable sideburns framed his youthful countenance; a pencil mustache provided a rakish flair—or possibly just represented an attempt to look more mature. Dare had spoken highly of Tanaka on the voyage here.

  “Commissioner, Captain Kirk, Yeoman, welcome to Vok.”

  “Good to see you again, Steve.” Dare glanced around. “I take it everything is in order?”

  “You bet,” he said. “Per your instructions, I’ve arranged a larger, more public reception later this afternoon, complete with vid opportunities and press coverage, but this gathering is just for the principals, to give everyone a chance to meet outside of the public eye.”

  Kirk saw the wisdom in that. Less chance of political posturing if nothing else. He also observed that there didn’t seem to be a lot of mingling going on; both camps were keeping to themselves, eyeing each other warily from opposite sides of the room. He didn’t need a psycho-tricorder to pick up on the tension between them. It was just as well that phasers or any other kind of sidearm had been banned from the occasion.

  He was pondering how best to break the ice when the reform candidate, Doctor Ceff, took the initiative. Loose, neon-bright fabrics swirled about her short, roundish form as she crossed the room. A warm smile, rosy cheeks, and laugh lines added character to her features. A pile of fuzzy auburn hair contributed several centimeters to her height. She came forward, accompanied by an older man, who bore a distinct familial resemblance to Ceff, and a younger woman, who struck Kirk as roughly the same age as Chekov back on the Enterprise.

  “Allow me to introduce my right and left hands,” Ceff said after a few pleasantries. “This is my brother, Div, who also happens to be my campaign manager.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” the man said. His auburn hair and rosy complexion matched his sister’s, while his smile was perhaps a tad too broad. He shook Kirk’s hand vigorously. A sweaty palm left Kirk wishing for a discreet way to wipe his own hand off afterward. “The way I see it, my job is simply to make sure the voters get to know and appreciate my sister as much as I do. Beyond that, she sells herself.”

  Ceff chuckled indulgently. “Did I mention that Div used to work in marketing before joining my campaign?” She turned toward the younger woman. “And this is Prup, my number-one policy advisor. Don’t be fooled by her tender years; she’s one of the best students I ever taught back in my academic days and she has a prodigious grasp of the issues and how they affect the average citizen. I like to think she keeps me honest… and in touch with the younger generation.”

  “The professor is too kind,” Prup said. Her straight blond hair was parted down the middle. A pale blue dress, suitable to the occasion, flattered her slender figure. A data slate was tucked under her arm. “She taught me everything I know.”

  “I certainly hope not,” Ceff replied, chuckling again. “I’m counting on you to keep me informed of what I don’t know, even when I don’t want to hear it.”

  “My attitude as well,” Kirk agreed. “I depend on my crew to provide me with information as well as their expertise and judgment. And I like to think that they’re comfortable expressing their opinions, sometimes quite forcefully.”

  “Oh, I can attest to that,” Dare said lightly, “particularly where your chief medical officer is concerned.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for that,” Ceff said. “Barring any unexpected medical emergencies.”

  “Knock on wood,” Kirk said, taking a liking to Ceff so far. He reminded himself, however, that he needed to be evenhanded when dealing with the candidates vying for the leadership of the planet. He turned toward the opposition, who were standing a few meters away. Unlike Ceff and her people, who’d wasted no time approaching them, General Gogg and his supporters made the new arrivals come to them.

  “General.” Dare crossed the room to address him, followed by Kirk and the rest of the Federation party. “A pleasure to meet you at last.”

  “Commissioner, Captain.”

  Gogg was a tall, imposing presence, whose rigid bearing betrayed his military background even though he had traded in his uniform for a crisply pressed dark suit, with only a single medal testifying to his service. Cropped black hair had gone gray at the temples. Sharp, severe features matched his saturnine expression. A deep voice rumbled from his chest. His hands remained clasped behind his back.

  “Thank you for making the time to meet with us today,” Dare said.

  “I could hardly surrender the field to the enemy,” Gogg declared.

  “The opposition, you mean,” Kirk said. “ ‘Enemy’ seems a bit strong for a peaceful election.”

  “I am not one to mince words,” Gogg said. “This is a battle I intend to win… for our world’s sake.”

  Kirk chose not to press the point. “Fair enough. We’re just here to make sure everyone plays by the rules.”

  One of Gogg’s aides snorted in derision. “Sure you are.”

  “I assure you,” Dare said, “we take our role as impartial observers very seriously.”

  “I don’t know,” the aide said. “You lot looked pretty cozy with Ceff and her fellow subversives just now. Everyone knows whose side the Federation is on.”

  “That’s enough, Sozz,” the General said curtly. “Captain Kirk is a soldier with an honorable record. He and his associates must be accorded respect.”

  “Thank you, General,” Kirk responded. “I can only reiterate what Commissioner Dare just stated. We’re not here to interfere in your election.”

  Gogg looked squarely at Kirk, more or less ignoring Dare. If the diplomat was offended by this, she did a good job of hiding it. Kirk could only assume that she judged this a battle not worth fighting at the moment.

  “I will take you at your word, Captain,” Gogg said. “I have reviewed your career and find it most commendable. As a fellow military man, I am reassured that you are a soldier, not a politician.”

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Kirk said. “But, if you’ll forgive me, aren’t you a politician these days?”

  “Don’t remind me,” Gogg said, sighing heavily, “but it’s a sacrifice I’m prepared to make to protect our society from those who would weaken us. I am confident that, in the end, Vok will choose a strong leader to maintain order and hold on tightly to what belongs to us.”

  “Such as Braco?” Ceff asked, joining the conversation. “Surely, that is negotiable. Why not strive for a long-term solution that respe
cts the claims of all?”

  Gogg bristled. “The sacred birthplace of our species means so little to you? You would barter away our heritage, embolden our foes?”

  “Ozalor doesn’t have to be our foe,” Ceff argued.

  “Not our foe?” Gogg said. “Have you forgotten the billions they slew in The Leveling, the cities they laid waste to, the hundreds of centuries of hardship our people have endured because of Ozalor’s perfidy? You dishonor our martyred ancestors with every word out of your seditious lips.”

  “That war was millennia ago, and Ozalor suffered as much as Vok,” Ceff stated. “We need to look to the future, not the past.”

  The General huffed indignantly. “Maybe you can blithely dismiss our history, but I for one will never relinquish our proud heritage… or our rightful claim to the planet that spawned us.”

  “But that’s never been proven,” Prup chimed in. Ceff’s young protégée looked up from her slate to add her own two cents. “And even if Braco is where our species evolved before colonizing Vok and Ozalor, doesn’t that mean Ozalor also has a legitimate interest in Braco?”

  “You dare place the enemy’s ‘interests’ on the level of your own people?” spat the General’s outspoken aide-de-camp. His face flushed angrily. “That’s nothing short of treason!”

  “I’m sure that’s not what my young associate meant.” Div attempted to spin Prup’s words. “Nobody has greater respect for Vok’s proud heritage than my sister and—”

  Prup did not allow Div to speak for her. “Are you questioning my patriotism?” she shot back.

  “I’m calling you a traitor,” Sozz said. “You and the rest of—”

  “Everyone cool their engines.” Kirk stepped between the two factions in hopes of de-escalating the increasingly heated confrontation. He briefly wondered if he should have included a couple of security officers in the landing party, while taking some comfort in the knowledge that Zahra was trained in self-defense and could handle herself in a tight spot if necessary. “Let’s keep things cordial.”

  “An excellent suggestion, Captain Kirk,” Dare said. “These are important issues and there will be plenty of opportunities to debate them, but perhaps now is not the time or the place? This is a social occasion.”

  Kirk recalled Khan Noonien Singh’s observation, a few years ago, that social occasions were often just war concealed. Did General Gogg feel the same way? Did Ceff and her people?

  “Very well,” Gogg said. “There is little point in wasting breath on those who cannot hear. Better to make my case to the people.”

  “On that we can agree,” Ceff said. “This election is about convincing the voters, not each other.”

  Steve Tanaka spoke up. “Speaking of whom, perhaps now is a good time to introduce you to the state-of-the-art computer that will be tabulating the vote.”

  “By all means,” Dare said, no doubt grateful for the change of subject. “That’s your field of expertise after all.” Her voice conveyed total confidence in her aide. “I confess that Steve is much better versed in the technical aspects of modern suffrage than I am.”

  “Thanks.” He crossed the room to address a vibrantly yellow steel wall. “Tanaka to VP-One. Requesting terminal access.”

  An amber-colored sensor beam, issuing from the ceiling, illuminated him for a moment.

  “Biometric scan confirmed,” a bodiless voice replied. “Allowing access.”

  The wall retracted into the floor, exposing a sophisticated computer terminal. Banks of processors, bedecked with blinking lights, flanked a central control pedestal facing a large circular screen that currently provided a view of a spherical satellite orbiting the planet. It was difficult to judge the size of the satellite against the vacuum of space, but it conveyed the impression of heft. Kirk understood that the satellite had been designed and built on Vok, albeit with technical assistance from the Federation.

  “Meet Vok Populi,” Tanaka said, grinning at the pun, “or, more simply, VP-One. The actual computer is in orbit above our heads, waiting to receive and tally the votes of every eligible adult on the planet come Election Day, which will last for one entire planetary rotation in order for VP-One to receive ballots transmitted directly from voting stations all over the globe, without any need for intermediary relays. Our goal? A completely automated system, eliminating any possibility of humanoid error or tampering. VP-One is autonomous and incorruptible, at least as far as possible.”

  Kirk frowned. Memories of Landru and M-5 and other rogue computers compelled him to play devil’s advocate. “Are we sure that’s wise, placing that much power in the hands of a machine?”

  “I understand your concerns, Captain,” Tanaka said, seemingly unfazed by Kirk’s query. “I studied under poor Doctor Daystrom back in my undergrad days, so I understand where you’re coming from. Let me assure you that, bottom line, VP-One is just a glorified calculating machine, not a genuine artificial intelligence with any possibility of developing its own agenda, nor is it tied into the planet’s defense grid or anything like that. Heck, it’s actually programmed to self-destruct if it’s ever irretrievably compromised, not that such a breach is remotely possible. Advanced duotronic firewalls and algorithms allow VP-One to detect and avert any attempts at fraud or hijacking.” He beamed at his pride and joy. “Trust me, we’ve taken every precaution.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Kirk had no desire to undermine anyone’s confidence in the election results; that would be contrary to his mission. He figured, however, that it was better to address such issues head-on rather than let them go unspoken. In the long run, answering any worrisome questions in advance could only increase the odds of a fair and uncontested election.

  “Nevertheless,” he said, “might I suggest that some of my people conduct a review of the system, strictly in the interest of added redundancy. In particular, I’m thinking that I’d like my science officer, my chief engineer, and my communications specialist to look over the specs, if only to provide fresh eyes.”

  “I’m not sure that’s necessary, Captain,” Tanaka said. “Between me and my Vokite collaborators, we’ve already gone to extraordinary lengths to perfect VP-One and our voting centers.”

  “No doubt,” Kirk said, not wanting to question the other man’s efforts. “But given the importance of the election, why not err toward overkill when it comes to reviewing the systems in place?”

  The captain knew he would feel more comfortable having the hardware, software, and transmission networks checked out by Scotty, Spock, and Uhura, respectively.

  “Why not, indeed?” Dare said. “The Enterprise is at our disposal, so it would be foolish not to take full advantage of its gifted crew.”

  “Well, when you put it that way,” Tanaka conceded. He nodded at Kirk. “Please let your officers know, Captain, that I will be happy to provide them with whatever technical specs they require.”

  “Thanks,” Kirk said. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

  Tanaka shrugged. “That’s what I’m here for. Now then, does anybody else have any questions?”

  Prup raised her hand, as though still in a classroom. “I’m already fairly familiar with the basics of the systems, but I wouldn’t mind a chance to go over some specifics with you in detail… although perhaps not at this particular moment.”

  “Naturally,” Tanaka agreed. “Talk to me later about scheduling an appointment.”

  Gogg stepped forward. “I would prefer one of my own lieutenants attend any such conference.”

  “That can be arranged,” Tanaka said amiably. “If that’s acceptable to both parties.”

  “No problem here,” Prup said. “We’re all about transparency.”

  “Within reasonable limits, naturally,” Div added. “Wouldn’t want to give away our entire playbook before Election Day.”

  An electronic chime caught Tanaka’s attention. He consulted his personal communicator.

  “Ah, it’s time for that public reception. We don’t
want to keep the press and various other dignitaries waiting. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” He turned back toward the viewscreen. “Tanaka to VP-One. Secure terminal.”

  “Acknowledged. Securing.”

  The concealing wall slid back into place. Tanaka guided Kirk and the others toward a bank of waiting lifts.

  “If you’ll follow me, the media—and a full buffet—await.”

  “What about security?” Sozz asked warily. “How do we know this reception will not expose the General to unnecessary risk?”

  “All the customary measures are in place,” Tanaka said. “The guest list has been vetted and revetted by all concerned. There’s no cause to worry.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Sozz said. “We cannot take any chances with the General’s safety, not with so many radicals and subversives about.” He squinted suspiciously at Ceff and her entourage. “There are those who would stop at nothing to seize control of the state.”

  “Is that directed at us?” Prup objected. “Please! If anything, it’s your diehard supporters who are more likely to resort to force to get their way, just like the old military regime did.”

  “Lies and propaganda,” Sozz said. “It’s well known your side tolerates no opposition to your so-called reforms.”

  Prup produced her data slate. “Would you care to back that up with facts? Perhaps consult the actual numbers regarding death threats against Doctor Ceff and assaults on nonviolent advocates for change?”

  “Manufactured numbers,” Sozz said. “The truth cannot be found in whatever spurious ‘facts’ you have on your device.”

  “Actually,” Div said, “we’re quite conscientious when it comes to our data collection and projections.”

  Sozz laughed harshly. “I wouldn’t trust your data if you swore to it on the lives of your misbegotten forebears.”