WoL: Mediation

[Firen]

Nubia​

The shuttle flew over the city, carrying the two Jedi that had come to help bring an end to violent protest that had broken out over the city. When the Empire had pulled out, the people had been emboldened to rise up against what they viewed were unfair work conditions. The protests had spread quickly and then turned violent. Both sides had become entrenched in their views, both sides were convinced they were in the right.

The Alliance had offered to help mediate and bring stability back to the system. So Firen had come when he was asked. These were the types of missions he had gone one with his Master quite often, he remembered them being so boring. His whiskers twitched slightly as he thought of her, captured, gone, likely dead. He had tried to save her, but she had told him to go, made him. None of it brought him comfort, he had failed her but she would want him to do this.

He looked over the Jedi Master who had asked him to come. He was familiar with Arda, they had run into one another back before he even knew what a Jedi was. That seemed like such a long time ago, an entire lifetime. He had grown as a Jedi, promoted to Knight. He didn't feel ready."Looks bad down there." he said looking out the window, seeing the rows of riot police lining up to face the horde of protesters outside the building where the meeting would take place.

"This could all go up flames at any second..." he said straightening his robes, checking to make sure his Lightsaber was still there. He had finished constructing his own, a hilt actually made for his small hands. He had trained the lightsaber his Master had given him, but it was too heavy and large for him. This one was easier to use but felt weird to him.

The shuttle made its final approach, the lawn of the government building the meeting was being held in. Protestors threw any items they could at the shuttle, a glass bottle broke on the window next to Arda's seat.

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda looked as though she were peacefully in meditation, though, she knew at least this was one of the only times she could find a moment to close her eyes and drift ever so close to sleep before having to return to her duties of Alliance Commander. She heard Firen speak as they arrived to the site of protests on Nubia; it had been ages since she spent time with him and was excited to be teaming up with the fuzzy rabbit in order to complete this task. Not to mention, she was glad someone was coming with her, this would be one of her first negotiations since leading the Alliance and she was more uncertain now than any time in her life.

The Jedi opened her eyes and looked down through the window at the protests, there were many bodies shouting at one another, waving signs, and even throwing objects. The woman pursed her lips together in thought, "We'll most likely put out this one and another one will sprout, but we still have to try." she told him as the shuttle landed. However, as they waited for the area to clear, protesters started throwing things, startling the Jedi Master as a bottle hit the window next to her. She stood up, chin up, ready to face the disillusioned workers of Nubia. They were going to meet the representatives, some from the unions and another from the corporations which wanted productions to resume; in this time, she knew the workers were not getting paid and the others were losing money, but to find a middle ground where everyone will be content would be ideal in this situation.

A rodian flanked by guards quickly ran to shuttle to escort the jedi inside, "Come with me, they're waiting inside." he said leading the way.

@Raydo

 

[Firen]

Firen had a look of concern on his face as they stepped down the exit ramp of the ship, hearing the sounds of the nearby protests. Anger and pain pushed against his mind. He had grown more and more sensitive to such things over his years of training but still struggled to control the flood of senses.

The Rodian approached, staying low as of to not present too big a target. The aide was surrounded by a small contingent of guards and obviously had some fear for his life. The two Jedi followed, Firen using the Force to stop a bottle hurled at the group as the crossed the lawn heading towards the squat government building.

The aid breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the foyer of the building. Guards took up positions inside and outside the door as it was secured. "Thank you for coming. As you can see, the situation is quite dire." The aide said as he ushered them further in the building.

"Can I get either of you anything before you go inside." The rodian asked as they arrived at a large, ornate wooden door. Firen shook his head no before the Rodian looked to Arda.

They were then ushered in the room. As soon as the door cracked, the sounds of yelling voices flooded out into the hallway. There was a group of about twenty people. Each half trying to about down the other.

Firen looked up and gave Arda a look of concern, seeing how she wanted to handle the situation.

 

[Arda Breaux]

When they entered the meeting room, they were offered refreshments but like Firen, Arda denied the offer also and went inside the room to wait for the others to arrive. Firen looked up at the woman and she looked down with also a concerned look; she breathed in deeply and let out a long exhale, "We will need to listen carefully, to make sure everyone gets a fair deal out of this." she explained to Firen with a reassuring nod. She walked around the table slowly, feeling the waves in the Force; they wouldn't have to wait long as the door opened again and several representatives entered inside, taking a seat at the table.

Arda followed, taking a seat, a spot left open for Firen to sit also next to her; she could feel all eyes on them as the room feel quiet, the shouts from the protests loudly heard outside building. Arda though, could feel their doubt, the Jedi have just only resurfaced in the last year or so, perhaps they believed them to be impostors, an extremist group lead by the Sith, but Arda gave them the benefit of the doubt.

She looked at all the faces around them before speaking, "Gentlemen, thank you for letting us help you today, I hope we can come to a middle ground that will be not only beneficial to the workers, but to you also." she started.

@Raydo

 

[Firen]

Firen returned the nod with one of his own, giving the woman a quick smile. It faded quickly as they stepped further into the room and took their seats, Firen having to climb up the seat before coming to the top, realizing he couldn't see over the desk. So instead, he decided to stand on the chair which brought the desk to chest level for the Kushiban Jedi. Firen's ears twitched slightly as he scanned the room. He could feel the anger and pain in the room, it boiled over to a point where he knew it would be difficult to contain.

As soon as Arda finished speaking, one of the Corporate representatives spoke. "I really think the idea of having these Jedi muddle in our affairs to be quite foolish. They are a terrorist organization who has been wreaking havoc across the Galaxy. he said with an arrogant tone. There were grumblings of approval from the old men and women around them, that side of the room clearing representative the wealthier side of the room.

The only terrorist in this room is you and your companies who have done nothing but increase our workload and decrease our pay!" a grizzled woman who looked like she had spent the better part of a decade in some mine. Just one of her arms were bigger than Firen's entire body. As she yelled out, the room devolved into yelling from both sides again.

 

[Arda Breaux]

As soon as she spoke, the representatives seemed they couldn't keep quiet long enough without inserting some sort of comment. Arda glanced down at Firen, eyebrow raised in annoyance of how much of project this would be.

Keep them calm while I talk...

Firen would hear her words in his head, she needed someone to soothe their nerves through the Force, the turbulence made it hard for anyone to focus including her as she was tempted to be absorbed into the chaos that threatened to unravel this entire ordeal.

"I understand your concerns, however, if you think you were treated unfairly, you may seek out a new mediator after this session." she said speaking loud enough over the shouting, bringing the room's attention back to herself, there were at least some in the room that found fascination with a Jedi Master and Knight being present for this. "Now, what I have been briefed so far is that no work is getting done until these negotiations are settled, which means, you are losing great amounts of credits every day there is no one working," she glanced to the corporate representatives, and then to the labor reps, "and you are not working, so its clear you are not making any credits in order to provide for yourself and families." there were nods and mumbles of agreement and Arda internally sighed finding some common ground, "The goal is to get everyone working in order to make credits."

Arda turned her attention to the corporate reps first, "What do you want from this deal?" she asked, ready to stop the labor party rep from interrupting.

@Raydo

 

[Firen]

Firen heard the words in his mind, still not used to such communication but he gave the slightest of nods as the room devolved into a bunch of small arguments.

The Kushiban Jedi Knight, placed one hand on the table to steady himself. He had grown significantly in his ability to use the Force even if he didn't admit to himself. He reached out with the Force, hit by the dizzying wave of anger and hurt in the room. He steadied himself before continuing. He reached further and further, radiating a subtle wave of peace. It wasn't much, any more and some would realize what was happening which would cause more harm than good.

When Arda started speaking, the room actually grew quiet and listened. The mood shifted, only slightly making them more receptive to the Jedi Master's words. When she finished the room didn't surprisingly burst back into commotion.

We need to get our factories back running. Each day they remain offline it costs this world more and more. If we don't begin producing soon our customers will go elsewhere and the jobs will be lost for good." the man said, more candidly than he likely would have had a moment ago.

 

[Arda Breaux]

Firen was doing well, she could feel the Knight's presence grow stronger, the Force reaching out from him as he sent a subtle calm through the room while she spoke, looking to make some headway in this mess of a protest. She turned slightly in her seat to face the Corporate Representative while he spoke, explaining what he wanted ultimately and the consequences if they do not find resolution quickly. Arda nodded, "That is understandable, if your customers move, jobs are lost, and your employees will be in a more dire situation along with you." Arda shifted in her seat now to look at the Labor Representative, "That would devastate families if these factories move, it doesn't guarantee you will all find new work and no one wants to pick up their home and move to some place else." explained the Jedi Master.

"Now, what are your terms in order to return to work?" she asked the Representative for the Labor unions, there was soft murmurs as those who were also in attendance were beginning to think about the consequences of all this. Arda understood their concerns, it was a stressful situation all around, but she also knew no one had to come out with losses and can all gain in this mediation.

"Besides increase in pay, what else are you asking for?" she added, making sure to move on to other ideas to lay down on the table for them to decide on, she didn't need them going in circles, the goal was to get this settled, or at least make significant progress so workers can return to their jobs and the violent protests subside.

@Raydo

 

[Firen]

Firen continued to focus on the Force, touching the minds of those around him. It was not an easy task, his mind bombarded with emotions.

Both sides continued to listen to the Jedi Master speak as she turned towards the labor union representatives. Of course, they wanted more pay, but money wasn't the catalyst for the whole thing. We want better working conditions, workers lives are put at risk when corners to increase profits. We won't go back to work until we are satisfied that we will be taken care of. Jobs be damned." she said, her voice growing angrier. People started to grumble behind her.

Firen gave Arda a concerned look. He was losing his grip, he wasn't great at these things and these people were already really worked up.

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda could feel Firen struggling and she glanced at the small Knight giving him a nod of reassurance as her own senses reached out to the people around them, she could feel his influence, the Force from him, and now from the Jedi Master. It would ease the burden some, giving the Knight a chance to take a breath, while the mediation continued. She listened to the Labor Representative as they spoke and Arda nodded, "Those are all important things also." she told her, glancing at the corporate group, "Dead and injured works cost money, have too many of them and they will leave and find work else where, then you certainly will not be making profits." explained Arda and glanced between the two Representatives.

"From what I understand as time continues, things continue to grow in costs, which can at times cut into profits, but this is the reality of it, and more so the reality if changes are not made, this can be a lose-lose situation for everyone, no jobs, no profits, no provisions for workers and their families, and those who depend on your work, will suffer also, a ripple effect."

She turned and faced the corporate rep, "Making changes to create safer conditions will keep and bring in more workers, more workers mean more product, and in return more profits; you may have to spend a little more, but growth is what you want." she glanced at the Labor party rep for approval before continuing, "However, I can understand how all of these would cause cost rises, the rate you are asking in an increase of pay, would that be something willing to break up? Half now, and in six months, another half is added?" she asked looking around the room. She inhaled deeply, but quietly, the warmth of the Force's Light still subtly keeping the emotions at bay.

@Raydo

 

[Firen]

Firen continued concentrating on the Force as the Jedi Master spoke. The Jedi Knight wasn't doing much, just channeling their emotions away from hostility. The feelings were far too strong for Firen to do much more than that.

The collective of business owners all sat, with varying scowls on their face as Arda spoke, it was not an easy pill to swallow, but she was right, if this didn't end soon they would all lose everything. The workers could always find other jobs, even if it was painful for a time, they would survive but the owners stood to lose billions if these deals went south.

They each exchanged glances at one another before the representative nodded. "We will give 40% of the increase now and the rest in six months. We will need funds to recover damages and stabilize. We will also agree to form a council to convene to discuss the safety of the workers and how to best implement changes." He said before leaning back in his chair. "Do we have a deal?" He asked looking to the union representative.

She looked on, the same scowl the other side wore. She looked like she was going to press for more but at the last second she nodded her head slightly. "Deal." She added.

The room collectively let out a sigh of relief as Firen pushed himself back from the table, letting out a breath he had been holding as he looked to Arda

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda focused closely on the two representatives, trying to catch for anything that would hint at further dispute as they took a moment to think about the deal they needed to make. Both of them were smart enough to know they couldn't keep this up forever, it would both cost them, however, Arda also knew egos can be so much stronger than rational thoughts and decisions. The corporate rep finally gave his response, feeling it would be reasonable and the reassurance they would look into the safety measures for the workers; Arda glanced to the Labor representative to gauge without prying. Her face was stone, she wondered if she could ever get a few tips on how to look that unmoved, it would certainly come in handy for some tricky situations. However, the woman agreed and air and attitude in the room shifted swiftly.

The Jedi Master felt her own shoulders relax as the glanced a Firen who had been working non-stop to keep emotions at ease in the room. She gave a small smile and reassuring nod as she stood from her seat. The Representatives did also and then shook on their agreement, the business paperwork would be handled without her, and certainly there was always the possibility that someone could back out of the deal, but having the presence of a Jedi seemed to make it more legitimate. She hoped she would not have to come back. Patting the small Knight on the back, she quickly shook hands and guided herself and the Knight out of the room.

"Good work, Firen." she said with a sigh of relief, glad to be out of that room, "Not so bad...could have gone worse, but we should celebrate of our own, as we are probably the first Jedi in centuries to mediate such deals." she grinned, feeling a bit of pride in that thought.

"My treat." she said knowing exactly what the both of them enjoyed.

/END THREAD