Part 8: Nicodemus the Negotiator
Nico flew the Star Stealer around the planet that he had called home for over a year. Ho went to the observation deck and took one more longing look down at the white surface of the unnamed planet. He pressed his hand against the glass and closed his eyes. It was hard to let go. But, for the first time in his life, he knew that this time his entire life stretched out in front of him. From this point, he was no longer lost. He had gained purpose and reason in his life. He missed Mottikazzuk, but right now he only wanted to see one person. Saede. He walked back to the front of the ship and entered the coordinates for the closest settlement. As he waited for the computer to plot a course, he looked down at the planet one more time. His new memories burned within him, and he remembered what it truly meant to be alone. His new past served him well, but he needed time in order to contemplate the true lesson to be learned in each of them. The computer signaled that it was ready to make the jump to hyperspace and Nico paused, looking down at his lap. His master had given him not only a past, but a future. He would never forget him. Nicodemus reached up and pulled the lever, watching as the stars streaked into whiteness.
When he reached the settlement, Nicodemus was very out of his element to begin with. The sight of more than one person threw him for a loop, but he quickly began to implement his training. He started noticing small details about people and picking up their mood. When he concentrated, he could even detect their surface thoughts. He arranged for his ship to be recharged and supplied so that he could make it nearly anywhere in the galaxy again. There was only place that he wanted to go, however. When his ship was recharged, he took off again and plot a course to Dantooine.
Nico stood outside the small building where he and Saede had lived. He smiled to himself as he jogged up the ramp and to the door. I wonder what Saede will think now. Will she even recognize me? Will I even recognize her? The smile broadened on his lips as he rang the buzzer on the door. There was a pause and Nico inspected himself. He had used the refreshed on the ship and made sure that he looked his best for this occasion. His clothing was similar to what he worse before he left because he had hoped to spark her memory.
The door slid open and a girl that Nico did not recognize stood there. As she looked him up and down, he examined the interior of the house. It was totally different than what he had left it, and so gaudy that he knew Saede couldn’t have lived there. With a passing glance at the current occupant, he detected that Saede had sold the house at a bottom price, wanting to get rid of the property and the memories it held as quickly as possible. “I’m sorry, I am at the wrong address.” was all the Nico said as he pulled his hood up over his head and walked away. He knew that it would be futile, but later he checked at Saede’s old address in Coronet. Some more searching lead him to Clint, Saede’s brother. Apparently she had left shortly after he had and not been herd of since. Crestfallen, Nico returned to Dantooine.
He entered the access code to the house and the door slid open. A few beeps and the sound of droid wheels scurrying across the ground accompanied the opening door. Nico stepped inside and looked down at the small mouse droid. “Easy there Bantam. It’s me.” Bantam beeped a few times and then retreated into the other room. The floor was well swept, just as he had told his droid to do while he was away. Everything above his knee, however, was covered with over a years worth of dust. Nico shook his head and turned the lights on. “Thanks Bantam, you’re a real help.” Deep down, Nico was actually amazingly glad to see the droid. It was the first real sign that he had a life before he left for his training. The happiness was fleeting, and he remembered just how much he had lost when he left. Saede had left for good, and he didn’t even know where to start looking for Greenbacca, his old friend. As he cleaned the small house, he refused to let himself get disappointed. He was no longer in a transitional period of his life. He had things that he needed to get accomplished, and this small house would be his staging ground.
After a week, Nico had the house unpacked, furnished, and cleaned. He meditated a lot, and even though he found it a bit more difficult on a planet with other life forms, he grew accustomed to the change, and in a way, became more connected to the force surrounding the abundance of life. After meditating one day, he rose to his feet and went to his personal computer to check on a few things. His financial situation was better than ever. The cost of the house had been minimal, and the interest his holdings had gained more than paid for the real-estate. He then began searching on current events. He caught himself up on the current situation the galaxy was in regarding not only the Empire and Rebellion, but also major corporations and businesses. He decided that it would be in his best interests to brush up on etiquette and dealings with such affiliations. His fighting skills were lacking, but what he was missing in brute strength he more than made up for in subterfuge. The Jedi of old would predominantly have missions that involved negotiation and being an unbiased moderator of events and dealings, at least that is what Nico had been told.
While at his computer, he enrolled himself in a finishing school. He wasn’t really sure why he was doing it when he was filling out the applications, but he got the feeling he was being pulled by a higher prerogative. The school’s location was on Coruscant, and tended to be rather exclusive. The advertisement suggested that they had trained many government representatives and high-named business types. They said that they were up to date on a number of cultural practices and could teach anybody to act like a regular socialite.
The interview for the audition into the charm school had gone poorly up until Nico “suggested” that it didn’t matter that he had no family name or was representing any business or government. After that, Nico was making the commute from Dantooine to Coruscant every week to attend classes. The things he learned were anything but intuitive. As well as picking up several more languages, he learned what was and was not considered polite or respectful in many more systems. One of the most useful things he learned was how to objectively scrutinize one’s surroundings to gain information about a culture, person, or house. The interpretation of body language and gestures also proved useful.
Nico studied with passion for several months before he was finally contacted by the Jedi council. Apparently they had been keeping tabs of his activities regarding “extra training on Coruscant” and had his first assignment. The communication was in the form of a holo transmission sent to his ships’ computer. Right out of the gate, they had Nico scheduled to try to defuse a government’s ambitions to join the Empire openly. After some research, Nico learned as much as he could about the planet he would be visiting. Three days later, he left from Dantooine to a small system near the rim.
Nicodemus meditated on the matter at hand, and pulled energy from the force in order to see him through his first real mission. He would have had butterflies in his stomach if he hadn’t calmed himself before he stepped off the shuttle.
He was met at the location by a dignitary. Nico had dressed like a Jedi knight of the Old Republic. He felt that in this setting, where the people he was dealing with would know exactly who he was representing, it would be best to act the part. He pulled the hood to his robe over his head and walked down the ramp. The member of government he met looked all but happy to see him. Nico’s mind instantly went to work, taking in all the subtle signs that were being displayed to him. If the dignitary who escorted him to the dictators’ quarters was any indication, this was a once proud people who had grown sloppy and over confident over the past decade. The clothes that he wore showed that their style of uniform represented a dignified government, but the lack of crispness and the manner it was just thrown on showed that the motions were gone through, but only for form’s sake. When he got into the chambers of the dictator, Fromboza, Nicodemus pulled his hood back.
“Ah! It is the Jedi here to tell me I do not know how to govern my own people! Welcome!” Fromboza wore a military uniform that also indicated his lack of care in personal appearance. There were several stains of his lunch on the jacket and his sash was wrinkled from constant use. He was a fat man with a puckered red face punctuated by a long, black beard. He had a hookah by his desk that he was puffing from, and he held the stem with stubby, sausage shaped fingers. He was loud and arrogant, so Nico had to know what buttons to press with him in order to help the people he ruled over.
“I would suggest no such thing, Sir. I am simply here to have a conversation and congratulate you on your decision on joining the Empire.” The words that Nicodemus spoke, along with the regal air he presented when he moved through the chamber set Fromboza’s world spinning.
“What is this!? Then you are not here to tell me how to run my people?”
Nicodemus simply shook his head, a small, friendly smile playing on his lips. “I would never dream it. The Jedi order does not dictate matters such as this. I am here simply to gather your perspective and report back to my council. This is strictly an informal meeting.”
Fromboza laughed loudly at that, slapping his knee. “Well then, perhaps I misjudged you wizards!”
Nico’s smile turned from friendly to predatory, but the subtlety was lost on the dictator. “Yes, perhaps you did.” Nico took a seat on the opposite side of the desk, sliding gracefully down into the cushion. “So tell me, dictator, why is you to wanted to join the Empire to begin with?”
Fromboza leaned across the desk and glanced side to side conspiratorially. He spoke in a horse whisper as if what he was saying was top secret. “Well, wizard, you see, the representative the Empire sent promised me complete control over the planet for the rest of my life.”
Nicodemus sighed but maintained level. “Sir, do I need to point out that you don’t have anything resembling elections? As long as your military stays in control, you will always be the dictator?”
Fromboza fringed at that. “Well, yes, but the Empire will send down more troops to add to my army! With that kind of firepower, nobody will be able to rise a revolt against me!” With that, he made a sweeping motion with his hand, indicating the finality of it.
Scanning his surface emotions and thought, Nico could see that he wasn’t really dealing with a genius here. “That is true, I suppose. But, there hasn’t been even a promise of a revolt here in over twenty years... since you took power. Besides, we just established that you will maintain your power as long as your army stands, yet you invite another army onto your own soil? Doesn’t that seem a bit like the Grubber inviting the Snapper into his house for protection?” Nico used the old phrase from this planet in order to impress upon Fromboza.
The dictator’s brow furrowed and he look down at the stem of his hookah in confusion. “So, you think that the Empire might garrison us? Use the army they promised me to overthrow me?”
With a shrug and a disarming smile, Nico spoke plainly. “Who know? It’s just a speculation. Of course, it is the way they do things now.” Nico preceded to list off over twenty other planets that had been brought under imperial control the same way. With each one, Fromboza sank a bit more into his high backed chair.
“Well yes, but there is also the matter of money that the Empire told me I would get for joining their ranks. I would receive a stipend of-”
Nico pressed on, cutting the dictator off. He wanted to assert his authority on this matter before Fromboza would think of more excuses to stay with his plan. “Let’s assume that you do stay in power. The Empire will, without fail, begin moving in on your private business. If I recall, your main export is hand-crafted hookahs’s... like the one your smoking. The Empire is notorious for combining their industry into one big conglomerate, so everything they want is made and shipped more efficiently. Once they do that, you will loose, say, 80% of all your private business output. How does that compare to the money the Empire promised you? You have to understand that the Empire would never have made you such a deal if they did not stand to get something from it. Did you really think that they became so powerful by making bad business deals?” For effect, Nico rose from his seat and gazed out a large window overlooking the main square where a statue of Fromboza stood. “Why I can see it now. Hundreds of unemployed people will be gathering right outside there. They will blame you for their lost jobs when the Empire shuts down the small family shops in favor of the larger factories. The army the Empire sent to protect you will let them storm this complex because if you were out of the way, they could seat the Emperor himself as head dictator of this planet...” Nico let his words trail off before turning back to face Fromboza with a smile on his face. “Of course, that is all speculation. It’s just what the Empire has done in the past. I’m sure they’ll make an exception for you.”
The whole while Fromboza had been listening to Nicodemus, the color had seeped from his face. The image of his own people revolting against him had him scared. “Well, what am I to do then? I told the Empire I would join them.”
Nicodemus shrugged and walked over to the desk again. “You could always tell them you are no longer interested. If you were a more central planet or produced more needed goods, the Empire would simply invade, but it is unlikely they would go through so much trouble in this case. It’s your decision, but I would just stop making negotiations with them and cease all communication. They will get the point and back off within a month. The moff of this system has other sectors that he needs to keep in line, so adding another one to his expanding list probably wasn’t his idea.”
Fromboza nodded vigorously, the waddle of his second chin shaking. “You understand I need to think it over. We don’t... don’t want to be too hasty.” He was still visibly shaken at the reality behind the Empire’s offer.
“Well then, I am glad we had this conversation. Your audience was most gracious.” Nico extended a small disc that contained his contact information. “If you have any other concerns or would just like to talk some more about affairs, please don’t hesitate. I look forward to hearing from friends.” Nico then scanned Fromboza’s surface thoughts again. He detected the dictator was impressed, thinking that the Imperial officer did not extend such an offer. Fromboza took the disc and nodded again smiling up at Nicodemus. “I’ll just show myself the way out. Have a good day.”
Fromboza rose to his feet and began waving outlandishly at Nico’s back as he left. “Goodbye Wizard! I have enjoyed our, er, conversation!” Nico simply pulled his hood back up and rolled his eyes.
As Nico was boarding his ship not ten minuets later, a dignitary came running to the shuttle. He was out of breath, but pulled himself upright in front of Nicodemus when he reached him. “Our dictator wishes to extend to you this gift for your insight. He has thought the matter over throughly and concluded that your aid helped him reach a decision that will help us all. Nico took the box with a smile and nod. Apparently he didn’t need to give the matter as much deep thought when the facts were presented.
Back on Dantooine, Bantam and Nico studied the new hookahs. It was well crafted, but tacky and very gaudy. Bantam let out several beeps and then bumped into the new object with disdain. “I know, Bantam, it is pretty awful. We can just put it in the closet for now. But remind me if we ever have any visitors form there to bring it out and display it.”
Nico had been told not to contact the Jedi counsel yet. Nico reasoned that his actions would speak loudly enough, and as soon as word got out that the mighty dictator, Fromboza, opted not to join the Empire, Nico knew the counsel would hear of his success. This was status quo for a while. Nico would meet with various people in order to aid the rebellion, or to cure some injustice that was being done. He had seen his fair share of shady arms deals and political espionage within two months. Nico sometimes wondered if the Knights of the Old Republic would deal with such issues, but then he rationalized that this was no longer the Old Republic, and he had to do what was necessary to survive. Negotiation became Nicodemus’ speciality.
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