Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #187: Clash of the Titans (4/2/00)
Gydon bustles into the conference room a carefully calculated five minutes late, to emphasize how busy and important he is.
Gydon is a portly, impeccably dressed Gen carrying a large briefcase.
Fragga sits quietly at the table near Arat, dressed in clean, modest conservative clothes befitting a retired widow from a working class family, the model of renSime decorum.
Fragga has left her hip flask at home.
Gydon: Good morning, Hajene, Sosu, Tuib.
Beni sits by Arat's side, quietly sipping tea and holding the ambient steady.
Beni has had a fairly easy time of that so far this morning, but expects that to change as more volatile issues than "would you care for tea" are aired.
Arat is dressed in darkly conservative civilian clothing, and is his usual impeccably groomed self.
Arat nods. "Tuib Gydon."
Fragga nods politely in response to the greeting.
Gydon slides into a seat opposite from Fragga.
Gydon opens his briefcase and pulls out a thick sheaf of papers.
Fragga studies the opposition.
Arat waits patiently, giving Gydon time to settle in and prepare.
Arat declines as an aide comes by offering to refill his tea.
Gydon handled juries for years, and is not flustered by Fragga's regard.
Gydon accepts tea, sipping it with satisfaction.
Fragga judges that Arat is more than a match for Gydon, although he will be a much tougher nut to crack than that Gen Ciralan.
Gydon pulls out a pencil and pad of paper for note-taking, and dates the top page.
Fragga settles back to wait, patient but alert.
Gydon looks at Arat politely to signal his readiness.
Arat adjusts the papers in front of him, and then addresses them both.
Arat: As you know, the damage to our city has gone on long enough. Both sides have agreed that it will be necessary to make concessions in order to have your concerns met. This meeting has been formally arranged for the purpose of negotiating an agreement to that effect.
Gydon nods.
Gydon's nager is the epitome of reasonable cooperation.
Fragga signals assent.
Arat: I have volunteered to assist in any way possible. However, it is up to the two of you to represent your exclusive interests, and do so in a manner which shall maintain the current state of peace.
Arat uses the term "peace" loosely.
Arat still wouldn't take a walk by himself on the street in most parts of town.
Arat: Any decision you make shall be considered to bind the people you represent.
Gydon: I have read over the demands presented by Tuib Fragga and her organization.
Gydon: There appears to be some room for concessions, from the view of the government, although other items are not workable at this time.
Gydon: For the first demand, that construction on the Snake Reservoir dam project be moved up.
Gydon brings the relevant piece of paper to the fore.
Gydon: It has always been the intention of Public Works to move the project forward as rapidly as practical.
Gydon: And indeed, now that funding has been approved at last, it appears that construction can begin shortly.
Gydon: This should reassure that public that their interests are being taken care of.
Gydon: Of course, these efforts have been greatly hampered by the recent unrest.
Gydon: Much of the documentation regarding the project was destroyed or scattered when the Public Works building was taken over.
Gydon: Tuib Ciralan estimates that it will take about a month to reconstruct the paperwork, insofar as that is possible.
Fragga, who didn't learn to read until years after her changeover, doesn't understand why these government types can't function without their files.
Gydon: This also means that it is not physically possible to comply with the demand for public access to certain documents.
Fragga: We have gathered up what documents we could salvage and you are welcome to them.
Fragga did have Zader and his cohorts appropriate a few key filing cabinets when they were in possession of the building, although in the enthusiasm all of them (herself included) got a bit carried away and torched a few things they should have kept.
Gydon nods gravely at the offer.
Gydon: That might move the process along a bit faster.
Gydon's nager is grave and formal, and not particularly involved, on an emotional level.
Fragga: As for the documents, we already have the ones we asked for peacefully at the beginning.
Fragga: They prove what we already knew, that the government lied to us.
Fragga: We are circulating copies.
Gydon makes a note; Ciralan had specifically asked about those particular documents.
Fragga turns to Arat.
Fragga: We will depend on you to be sure we are not lied to again in this hearing.
Gydon does not make a habit of lying before juries--or of learning anything questionable about his clients.
Fragga does not actually expect Gydon to try to lie to her; she is just making the statement for its public relations value when recorded in the official transcripts and reported in the newspapers.
Gydon: Now, as to the demand that your organization provide labor for the dam project.
Gydon settles back.
Fragga leans forward; this is the part she really cares about.
Gydon: You must understand that Tuib Ciralan is most upset at the destruction engendered by the recent riots.
Gydon also understands that this is the crux of the matter.
Gydon: Your organization has made no secret about its personal role in inciting the riots, and in overseeing the destruction.
Gydon: ~~ stern ~~
Gydon does not approve of criminal activity, even if it does provide him with a living.
Gydon: You, yourself, personally gave the orders to blow up the front door of the Public Works building, I understand.
Arat: Tuib Gydon.
Gydon looks at Arat.
Arat: That destruction was done is not at issue. We are hoping, here, to end the destruction by coming to some meaningful compromise.
Gydon nods, accepting the rebuke.
Gydon: I merely wanted to make Tuib Ciralan's position clear.
Gydon: He strongly feels that in justice, the perpetrators of the destruction deserve to face the full penalties of the law for their criminal actions.
Fragga doesn't regret trashing the building; that was part of the game plan, but she is rather ashamed of how she teased the chubby Gen; she really should have kept a clearer head, but he really did remind her of her second husband.
Gydon: He understands that this may not be possible.
Gydon: However, he is adamant that no person participating in the riots derive an advantage from their misdeeds.
Gydon: At the least, he categorically refuses to hire any person who participated in the riots for a period of at least five years from today, for any project handled by Public Works.
Fragga thinks her second husband also thought she should face the full penalties of the law when they were divorced, but even though he got the alimony settlement he asked for she paid a cent of it.
Gydon knows that this isn't going to go over well, but he couldn't talk Cirilan out of it.
Arat thinks that it would be rather difficult, and expensive, to carry such a restriction out to the letter.
Fragga smiles grimly.
Gydon: SWAT members who did not participate in the riots, of course, are welcome to apply for positions on the same basis as anyone else.
Fragga: Doesn't he want his building back? SWAT runs labor construction in Capitol at least. He'll get no experienced workers if he doesn't deal through us.
Fragga: On the other hand, I'm prepared to offer the services of our members without pay to repair the damage that was done to the Public Works building, if we get the other concessions we asked for.
Gydon: And what of the damage to other buildings?
Gydon: The injuries, the businesses which were destroyed?
Gydon: Will SWAT also repair those?
Fragga: You are giving us too much credit. I assure you, there are not enough SWAT workers in the Territory to do all the damage that was done.
Gydon: Perhaps not. Lawless elements always take advantage of unrest.
Fragga: The public at large was involved in the riots, so must shoulder the burden of repair.
Arat thinks that the majority of the rioters were "lawless" types only to the extent that they were breaking the law by rioting.
Fragga: But SWAT's members are willing to offer their services at a discounted rate to assist with these repairs.
Gydon notes the proposal on his pad.
Fragga: But of course we cannot exclude those who were present for the riots.
Gydon: I will ask Tuib Ciralan if that would be acceptable.
Gydon: Of course, Public Works has no funds to cover the repairs at the moment. However, I understand that there is a proposal of a special tax of 15% on wages under consideration, which should allow the discounted wages to be paid.
Gydon: If it passes, the work could begin as soon as Public Works manages to reconstruct its payroll and accounting departments.
Fragga knows her current members will grumble at being able to work for little or no pay, but the possibilities for recruiting and indoctrinating new members will bear fruit later.
Fragga: Of course those taxes cannot apply to those working at public service discount rates.
Gydon: That will be up to the legislators to decide.
Gydon: Public Works must follow the law on all payroll deductions.
Fragga: Well, the taxes will have to be part of the deal as a whole. We can only offer those rates if they are not subject to tax.
Arat studies them silently, intensely.
Gydon: I'm afraid you misunderstood.
Gydon: Any deal you negotiate with me is binding only on SWAT and Public Works.
Fragga: Well I can get you an adjusted rate schedule that accounts for taxes and the 15% surcharge. But I assure you that you will come out ahead not to charge the taxes in the first place as opposed to paying out the money and then collecting it again.
Gydon: The legislature is not bound to pass any tax breaks proposed here.
Arat thinks they are getting bogged down in essentially irrelevant detail.
Arat considers tugging them back on track, but will wait a little longer.
Fragga leans over and does some quick figuring, then hands the paper to Gydon.
Fragga: We can offer you this rate for reconstruction of riot-damaged buildings.
Arat thinks that the government would be better off not accepting the "concession" of guaranteed work for all of the SWAT members, but then his opinion is pretty much moot.
Gydon inspects the rates.
Gydon: That is not much of a concession.
Fragga: But it includes free repairs for the Public Works building. And you won't find a better rate anywhere else.
Gydon: You might be surprised.
Gydon: ~~ irony ~~
Fragga: Well, I guess you could use Gens, but then the job will take twice as long. And you'll have the danger.
Gydon well knows that much of the clean-up labor is basically unskilled.
Arat: This is not listed on either list of demands. Perhaps it should be saved to be negotiated separately, at some later date?
Gydon: Of course.
Fragga: Well, the issue under negotiation is whether SWAT will have an exclusive on the labor contract for the Dam.
Fragga: I was willing to sweeten the deal, but of course if that doesn't interest you, I'll withdraw that offer.
Fragga shrugs.
Gydon: Yes. And there, I can't help you. SWAT members will be able to apply for jobs on the same basis as everyone else, from Nivet and Norwest Territories, and from Gen Territory as well.
Fragga: That's not acceptable, nor is the restriction that anyone involved in the riots be excluded. That would disqualify every citizen of the city of Capitol.
Gydon: Perhaps that restriction could be modified to only include those who took leadership roles in promoting the riots. I shall certainly ask Tuib Cirilan about that.
Fragga: That point could be negotiated.
Arat is not supposed to have any stake in what happens at the Dam project, but in fact he does. And, as it happens, he would not mind if riot leaders were restricted from applying for the jobs.
Fragga certainly has shop leaders in other regions, and the Dam project is all the way over in Northwest.
Fragga could use a little creative re-assignment to send some of her best people to Snake River and give the riot leaders the plums those people left.
Gydon: But, you must understand from the beginning that skilled laborers will not be hired to do unskilled labor, and that many of the skilled, specialty jobs must of necessity go to specialists from Gen Territory.
Gydon: They have the experience with building projects of this scale, after all.
Fragga considers and must concede the point logically.
Gydon: As I said, SWAT members are welcome to apply for all appropriate positions.
Fragga: But SWAT has many unskilled members who are willing to work for subsistence wages. We are, after all, Sime Workers All Together.
Gydon: As I understand, many of the unskilled labor positions have already been filled over the winter, as word spread.
Arat had underestimated their abilities to become embroiled in discussions of irrelevant detail, and revises his initial estimate of how long negotiations would take to about 10 times that.
Arat is, of course, used to working with people who have been trained to focus and discipline as channels and Donors.
Fragga: And we have skilled workers whose skills you won't match elsewhere. You wouldn't want to use Gens as lumberjacks, I hope?
Fragga: Or to quarry stone up a cliff-face?
Gydon shrugs.
Gydon: As I understand it, the Gen government was most insistent that its citizens be given an equal opportunity for employment on the project.
Gydon: They don't share your apprehensions as to the limits of Gen skills.
Gydon can't really disapprove, being Gen himself.
Gydon: Since this is a joint project, their opinions bear considerable weight.
Gydon: I am given to believe that they've had labor problems of their own, lately.
Fragga thinks a few broken Gen bodies lying shattered on the rocks or crushed under a 30-foot pine would quickly change the government's view of this idea.
Arat glances at Fragga, disturbed by what he just zlinned but not knowing what thoughts went along with it.
Fragga: Well, we are trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
Gydon: Indeed we are.
Gydon: It is getting late. Perhaps you would like to discuss these matters with your membership before proceeding?
Fragga: I can assure you your current proposal is not acceptable.
Gydon looks sternly at Fragga.
Fragga: However, I can present your ideas to the membership and get their response.
Gydon: Understand this right now: SWAT will not have the Dam project as a closed shop. That is precluded by the nature of the project and the various interterritorial agencies involved.
Gydon: Tuib Cirilan couldn't make that concession even if he wanted to--and right now, he would rather pay double wages to a non-SWAT member.
Fragga: I will pass along the requirement for inter-Territorial cooperation.
Arat supposes that gathering the entire membership together and collecting the votes will take at least two days. Is that how it will be? 10 minutes of discussion and days of waiting? If so, the Dam will be completed before a decision is made, and there will be no Capitol left to clean up.
Fragga: However, if you cannot offer SWAT members first dibs on the Sime jobs available, I doubt we can do business.
Gydon: If you want jobs at the project for your members at all, you will have to resign yourselves to competing on your individual merits, for open positions, against non-SWAT workers from several Territories.
Fragga: I can see that you are not serious about negotiating.
Arat: Please, try to think in terms of concessions, both of you. Not each others', but your own.
Arat: Simply restating ultimatums is not constructive.
Arat: Fragga, you are not behaving any more seriously than he is. Yet, I know you are both aware of the necessity of forming an agreement now.
Arat: It is too soon to take a proposal to the members of SWAT. Your discussion has not yet fully begun. You must discuss with each other all of the points, and come to a tentative agreement, before speaking to your respective sides.
Gydon looks at Arat.
Gydon: I am willing to negotiate on points where Tuib Cirilan has discretion.
Arat: Please. There are other negotiations in progress as well. If it is necessary to form an agreement conditional upon other events occurring, by all means, do so.
Gydon: The decision that the general and skilled labor jobs available must be open to all comers was not made in Public Works, and Tuib Cirilan can not rescind it.
Gydon: Nor can he arbitrarily fire all the non-SWAT laborers who have already been hired.
Gydon: Nor can he reserve positions specifically for groups of Sime laborers, SWAT or otherwise.
Arat: These are all issues which must be addressed, however.
Fragga: If he lacks the authority to make the decisions necessary, then involve anyone who does.
Arat: These are being handled in separate negotiations.
Gydon: It took two years of delicate negotiations between three Territories to get the present arrangement.
Gydon: The dam will not last long enough to negotiate another one.
Arat cannot see what point there is to standing between these two when neither has enough respect for him to listen to his words.
Gydon: My point exactly, Hajene.
Arat also cannot understand how two people with such supposed political savvy can fail to comprehend that this negotiation is just part of a teamwork. Not exclusive of, or yet controlling, the other negotiations.
Fragga: Handle it how you like. But if you cannot guarantee a job to every SWAT worker who requires one, my membership will not go along.
Gydon: I will pass your demands on, of course. That is my job.
Arat is also used to people trained from First Year to excel at teamwork.
Fragga: Remember that regardless of any past agreements with other people, right now you are dealing with me.
Arat wonders why these two organizations picked people unable to do anything but act as messengers, for their leaders. Or have they not yet awakened to their true responsibilities in compromise-making?
Gydon: Tuib Fragga, be realistic. If you demand that our government break longstanding interterritorial agreements in order to provide preference to people who have destroyed half the city, it will not happen.
Fragga will be shenned if she will go back to her people with nothing to show for all their efforts.
Gydon: If you make it easier for the government to destroy you than to work with you, it is quite capable of doing so.
Fragga: We were not included when those agreements were made. The negotiations were kept secret and we were lied to about it.
Fragga: Take that attitude if you want these talks to fail.
Gydon: You can get some of your members jobs on the Dam Project. That is all you can do. And if you aren't willing to settle for what you can get, you will get nothing.
Arat: Stop it. Both of you.
Arat: ~~ restrained anger ~~
Arat: Can you hear yourselves? Nothing but ultimatums.
Arat: Again, and again, opposing ultimatums.
Arat: Is this how Unity was attained?
Arat: Or was it through concession, and striving to make it work for the long term benefit of all?
Arat: You are here to represent your people.
Arat: Not to run messages for them, and make no decisions.
Arat: Fragga, your agreement must ultimately be voted upon by your members. Gydon, yours must dovetail with others made by the government.
Arat: But, that does not mean there is no room for compromise.
Arat: The purpose of this table is to seek that compromise.
Fragga: I have offered compromises. A special wage rate, volunteer labor to repair the riot damage, exclusion of riot leaders from the project . . .
Fragga: We are willing to give up the demand for a closed shop if we have hiring preference.
Gydon cocks his head.
Gydon: Perhaps there might be some room for compromise there.
Gydon: As it stands, people from within 100 miles of the project were given a hiring preference.
Gydon: This was a cause for some discussion, as the only settlements of any size within that distance are in Gen Territory.
Fragga: If you can hire all the workers we send your way who are qualified, my members won't care if others take a turn at the trough.
Gydon: Perhaps it might be possible to give you a similar preference to those Gen workers.
Fragga: That's a proposal I can take back without being stoned out of the meeting.
Gydon feels it unnecessary to mention just now the large numbers of unskilled, non-SWAT workers who have already established residency by dint of camping out in the area.
Gydon: This preference, of course, can not guarantee jobs to all of your membership.
Gydon: Only that they will have the same preference in consideration as the Gens.
Fragga: So the government has made a secret deal with Gen Territory to give Gens jobs in preference to their own Sime citizens.
Fragga: We knew you had lied about the danger of the Dam; we've published the proof of that.
Fragga: This is something we didn't know.
Fragga: I wonder what the public reaction will be when we make this further betrayal and deception public.