Pre-Negotiation Diplomacy
Posted on Sat 8th May, 2021 @ 12:58pm by Commander Zed & Daeren Iril & T'Vala & Tessanna (Tessa) Valeri & Miadze Palel
1,038 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Waging Peace
Location: The Great Hall, Helicon III
Timeline: MD 1, 1500
Previously, on Helicon III ...
"Thank you, Commander Zed, for reaching out to us. We are honored to help out by hosting the negotiations and any other way we can. We are all ready to see that the situation gets resolved as soon as possible. The problem has affected the planet as a whole." Anthon said then bowed to Zed in respect and appreciation.
And now, some diplomatic maneuvering ....
Not for the first time, Daeren mused on the degree to which food greased the gears of diplomacy. He noticed an odd, questioning look on Miadze's face, but it disappeared almost the moment he caught sight of it. He would have to ask her about it later. For now, they had precious little time to learn more of the situation before the other delegations arrived. "So relations between the parties have deteriorated. Were they ever willing to cooperate regarding this dispute in any way, such as sharing the rights and dividing the resources equally?"
Anthon shook his head, "I tried to get them to compromise, but after a few minutes in the same room, they were ready to kill each other. They don't want to share one bit." Anthon sighed, "I'm afraid you have your work cut out for you."
"If you will forgive my bluntness," T'Vala said, "We are not here to negotiate a compromise. We are here to look into the claims of ownership and determine if one or more faction has the right to the property. Only then will we consider other options." From what she'd read so far, it was far too early to make any determination.
Whew! Regos thought. That's typical Vulcan bluntness ... telling it like it is. If this is how they were on Earth when they first came, I can see why some of the historical records are a little ... unkind! Still ... it's good for everyone to understand the rules of the negotiations.
Daeren merely nodded. He and T'Vala had discussed that before. While it would be nice if the disputing parties would cooperate, it appeared that the only way to resolve the dispute was to discern who had the most valid claim to the land. Certainly, they couldn't force cooperation between the three parties, not being Organians.
"What can you tell us about this dispute?" T'Vala asked.
"Well..." he started, "Aaccording to the documents that our historians left behind for us, there were two ships that arrived and began colonizing the southern hemisphere of the Jarbaie (Jar-ba-i) continent." Anthon pulled up a world map on his PADD before displaying it on the wall. "The continent is the largest on the planet and runs throughout the northern and southern hemispheres. The first ship colonized the western and southern faces of the mountain whereas the second ship began colonizing 900 kilometers away.
"Years later,the first group split into two groups, due to religious ideologies that they could not agree upon. The splinter group then took up an area not far from the north face of the mountain. Years passed again before scientists began to explore the mountain. A magnificent discovery occurred by the scientists. Luminescent spores are expelled by stalagmites and stalactites that are very important for vaccines and medications. So far, we have not found anything that comes remotely close to the spores. This is all according to our historical records and may be completely different according to the other parties."
"Noted. How do luminescent spores enhance your vaccines and other medications?" Daeren asked.
"I'm sorry, Ambassador, that is way out of my realm of expertise. All I know is that it's the only source that has ever been found, and that makes it very valuable. Without them, we can still develop what is needed, but the end result is more costly and doesn't work nearly as well," he explained, but Medicine and Science were not his fields.
T'Vala mentally went over what she read on the trip. "So, the Kellios colonized the western and southern face of the mountain and the Nassan broke off to colonize the northern side, yes? Where do your people come in?"
Anthon glanced over at T'Vala to answer her question, "A transport carrying colonists crash-landed on this planet a hundred years before but on a different continent."
"Ah. That, too, would be an interesting story to hear," the Vulcan said.
Daeren nodded. "I can look it up later, Minister Dajir; I was simply curious. It's enough to know that the spores play a crucial role in healthcare for everyone on this planet, which makes them extremely valuable and thus something whose ownership is prized. Has there always been contention over ownership, or was there ever a time when any one of the three parties was generally accepted as being the rightful owner?"
Privately, Lissi thought this was a huge mess to straighten out, and negotiating a peaceful resolution might be impossible. There was undoubtedly greed involved, as well as fear of losing something that helped so many. Might that be the avenue to pursue to peace here?
“I believe the Kellios have always considered themselves the owners of the mountain, and the rest of the world has accepted that, up until earlier this year when the Nassan people said that they have as much right to the mountain and the spores as the Kellios do. Then the Lunari chimed in and said that they had the same rights, too,” Anthony explained.
"That's odd," Daeren said with a glance at T'Vala. "I wonder what suddenly changed?"
"Perhaps that is what we will learn as we talk to the other parties," T'Vala replied to Daeren. Then, turning to Anthony, she said. "Thank you. That information is most useful."
"Of course." Anthon said before bowing respectfully, "Whatever I can do to aid you and resolve the conflict." He was happy for the arrival of the outsiders even though they were very late and hostility between the affected parties had grown in recent days. Anthon was worried that all out war would be coming to his planet if the crisis could not be averted.
T'Vala bowed in return. "I would like to hear your opinion of your planet and its people."
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