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But you must bend on your demands to return to the status quo as well." The Given finished, his skeletal-seeming mouth turned down slightly, his 'skin', really the outer layer of an exoskeleton, gleaming in the overhead light.
"Never!" The man, a human of middling height and black hair named Luten, said spitting the words. "We will not give in to terrorist demands! That sets a horrible precedent, as any Jedi should know!"
"I do not see them as dissidents, terrorists or rebellious elements, indeed, that equation does not add up at all." Master Thun said calmly as always. "I see them as workers who have been too long treated like robotic menials. I would urge you to see this as a addition, not a subtraction. The equation is simple: you get out what you put in. The better you treat your workers, the better their working environment, the greater the output of the mines. That is as simple an equation as finding the twelth percentile of the Pythagorean Theorem." This was in fact an insult in true Given fashion: Thun was calling the man an idiot, whose intellect was not the equal of even a Given toddler.
"On the other hand, some your demands, such as receiving a large percentage of the profits, are not mathematically or lawfully feasible. " the Jedi said, turning his attention to the other man. He was a human as well, well-muscled, with heavy scars marking his face, and when he spoke he did so with a distinct Thyferran accent.
"Health services for you and increasing the comfort of your living conditions here is feasible. Your demands about free education for your families and health services for them as well is too far. A small profit-based percentage for miners who reach foreman level and stay on after their initial contract is up and yes we will have a separate neutral party look those over, is possible however. I would say a .0025 percentile of the monthly output multiplied by a factor of five every year for six years would be allowable."
"I am willing to bend from the 15% of the profits, but I will not go lower than five, spread out amongst all the miners. You raise several good points, and I'm smart enough not to argue math with a Given. But the company has always acted as if our lives didn't matter, that they could just bring in more people to replace us at need. Heavy Metals cannot be allowed to think of us as mere tools any longer, or else nothing will change. They have to see us as an integral part of its running, and we want a voice in said running!" Silas replied.
"You signed a binding contract, all of you did! The company paid for your training, we bring in your food, we pay for your transportation and your air!" Shouted Luten, standing up abruptly, his thoughts so clouded with anger and disdain for the man across from him they blanketed everything else Thun could sense from the man. "If you no longer want to work fine, we'll even go so far as transporting you and your rebels off-planet… gratis, but we will not bend on any of these points!"
"Gentlemen!" said Master Thun, gesturing them both silent wishing he could simply Force Luten to open up about whatever his company had planned here. But he couldn't, Luten had already protested the Jedi's mere presence. Telling the man Thun had sensed he was planning something would simply set him against the peace process further. Humans, such an annoyingly illogical species.
"For these talks to go forward, you both have to acknowledge that each of you has good points. The company is indeed the only real source for much of the supplies the miners need to live, and the miners are an integral part of the company, not mindless automatons. If you both agree to my outlined plan, the company will continue to show profit and the survivability of the miners will go up by a factor of 62.9456%," Thun said, still calmly. "I assure you my math is sound across the board…"
At that point an explosion went off in the distance, and Master Thun's eye sockets narrowed. Quickly standing up he pulled out his lightsaber, sending His senses out into the Force. He didn't activate his lightsaber yet, he was a Consular, not a Guardian and this wasn't the time to wave a deadly weapon around. "Calm down sirs!" He said to the two men, both of whom had leapt to their feet, his voice rising for the first time in the meeting. "My padawan will handle it."
Looking at them both, Thun frowned, feeling the honest concern for himself and his followers from Silas and sudden fear and unease coupled with some kind of jubilation from Luten. "For now however, I think these talks should come to an end. Manager Luten, return to your ship. Foreman Silas, if you would follow me we will get you someplace safe just in case."
"Just in case of what?" Luten shouted, scowling angrily. "It's his own damn people blowing up our equipment and property! Yet you want to defend him instead of me? This is blatant Jedi sophistry at its finest, like the Techno Union warned us to expect! I demand you protect me instead!"
"Why would we do that?" Silas bellowed in reply, on Luten quickly. "With the Jedi here to listen to our grievances we have no reason to go that far! No this is no doubt a plant by you to discredit us and our legitimate position! Even Master Thun has said it, we have true and lawful grievances!"
"The Jedi only speak for the Senate, they do not make the law!" Luten roared back.
"And policy is always open for interpretation, just like String Theory." Master Thun said to himself, moving towards the door quickly. "Manager Luten we do not have time for this, I sense danger closing in on us. Let us be off. I would prefer not to be pinned in this room."
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