Interstellar Relations, Monday, 5th Period

[hera-rises.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Important information here for today's class! Background on the history of the Colonies -- might also be important -- can be found here.]
***

As the students entered the room, they found Laura at her usual position -- in the front of the room -- shuffling through a stack of index cards. A wry smile played across her lips as she flipped through them. The room itself had been arranged differently: twelve desks were arranged in a semi-circle, with one desk centered on the opposite side. Each desk was labelled with the name of a colony; the single desk was marked simply "President." An envelope awaited the occupant of each desk.

"Come in, everyone," Roslin said, watching as they filed in. "Those of you who selected a colony last week, please take that corresponding desk. You'll find an envelope there. Don't open it just yet. Those of you who did not choose a colony last week, come see me."

She shifted her weight a bit. As students came to speak with her, she handed them an index card. On that card was their colony assignment, and the basic statistics of that colony -- a quick reference guide, as it were. When everyone was settled, she moved to stand in the center of the circle. Not quite Cloud Nine, she thought, but so few things ever will be.

"As you might have guessed, we're going to get a little deeper into things today," she continued. "Each of you has been assigned a colony. You will, for the purposes of this class, act as a representative of that planet. Take a few minutes now to open the envelopes on your desk. These little slips will provide you with your background and motivation in your interactions with the other colonies. Make sure no one else sees them, else you may just have to deal with the consequences."

Mischief twinkled in her eyes as she gave the students a few moments to review the information in the envelopes. She gestured as she turned, looking at each student. "Consider this as your Quorum chamber and this" -- she indicated the lone, centered chair -- "is your president. You will have the power to bring motions to vote, but remember -- your president has the power to break the tie. Get up, move around, have closed door sessions. Do what you must to get your deal brokered. At some point, I'll introduce a larger issue for the group as a whole to deal with."

She bowed slightly to the "president." "They're all yours. May the Gods have mercy on your soul."


[OCD threads coming up. As the OOC post mentions, I may or may not be able to participate fully during the workday tomorrow. Here's wishing I already had my new, spiffy phone with MSIE mobile on it... ]

Comments

Re: Quorum In Session

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"In the interests of promoting peace, trade between planets, unity of spirit among the colonies, and cultural awareness and sensitivity, Scorpia would like to suggest that the Olympics be re-instated in the coming year, with at least three host planets holding sporting events of open competition between planteray representatives." Parker remembered how into the Games Anders had gotten, and cocked an eyebrow. "Scorpia of course volunteers to be one site under consideration."

Re: Quorum In Session

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Does Scorpia have any figures at hand as to the cost of these games?" asked Elizabeth. "Will it be funded by corporation sponsorship, or is planetary government expected to be footing the bill?"

Re: Quorum In Session

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"A combination of both, Madame Chairwoman. The planets who wish to be considered as sites will of course have to submit bids outlining their security arrangements, venues, accomodations, and transportation availability. However, the Games themselves could be corporate sponsored across planets, with merchandising and promotional opportunities bid upon by interested corporations." Parker raised her eyebrows. "Certain concessions *could* be made to the less successful planets-- perhaps a portion of the profits could be donated toward education or housing?"

Re: Quorum In Session

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Has Scorpia had any interest expressed from other planets?" asked Elizabeth. She glanced around at the tables. "Anyone wishing to express an interest now?"