[right][h3]Fosten Towler, Eyri Pharliis - Senate Building, Offices of Senator Pharliis [/h3][/right]
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Towler straightened his jacket and stepped through the door. The offices of Senator Eyri Pharliis were smaller than his, and indeed, smaller than most of the Senatorial offices, but Towler imagined that wouldn’t be the case for long. Politicians with the fortitude to stand up to the entire Senate and hold up one of the largest bills of the year, in their first term no less, rarely stayed in the junior senatorial suites for long. 

Towler approached the senator’s desk with a smile. “Senator Pharliis?” he greeted, offering her his hand. “Fosten U. Towler, Senator for Loronar and Caucus Whip for the South Colonial. Do you mind if I sit?” He leaned into his accent a bit more than usual. His natural Loronar drawl had faded a bit over his years spent on Coruscant, but the accent had a rich, smooth charm to it and there was no sense letting a tool like that go to waste.   

"Oh! Um, very nice to meet you, Senator." 
Eri quickly stood to greet the man, taking his hand and offering a gentle shake. "Oh yes, please, sit." She continued, gesturing towards one of the few chairs in front of her desk.
She watched the man for a few moments before meeting eyes with Iri, who bowed politely and left the two to their conversation. 
"To what do I owe this visit?" Eyri asked politely, her aides and staff still busy buzzing around in the background of the office, paying little attention to the visitor as they went on with their day

“I know we don’t have a formal meeting set up and I’m sure you’re a busy woman, Senator Pharliis, so I’ll keep you no longer than a few minutes.” Towler said, taking a seat across the desk. “Senator, I’m here to talk to you about the Asteroid Mining Reform Bill. It’s my understanding that you are one of the last holdouts on the Outworlds Mineral Resource amendment. I must say, I find your resolve commendable.”

“Thank you, Senator... I just need more numbers. Should this bill go through it could cause a massive unemployment spike for the people of—”

“Please, let me stop you there, Senator,” Fosten interjected, cutting her off sharply. “I respect you so I will be direct with you. The small business exception will stay exactly as it is now. The bill will pass, Pantoran businesses will fail, and thousands of Pantorans will lose their jobs. I am sorry for that, but these are the facts, and nothing you can do will change that.” Fosten paused, allowing the silence to fall between them, and then continued. “As you probably know I am the whip for the South Colonial Caucus, and it is my job to keep the bills moving. Over my very long career here, Senator, I have opposed many a first-term politician who took a stand and died on a hill that wasn’t much worth dying for.”

“Now, we can play hardball politics on this issue,” Fosten continued, “but why should anyone lose if everyone can win? I understand you have a subcommittee meeting tomorrow morning. I am prepared to offer you some concessions, for the sake of your noble people, if you will agree to cast your vote in favor of the amendment. Would you care to hear more?”

The office was buzzing this way and that, everyone paying attention to their tasks and little more, that is, until Fosten interrupted Eyri. It wasn't a well known fact, but Eyri Pharliis hated being interrupted. The Pantoran Senator saw little use in it. Many facts had been overlooked because people prefer to interrupt each other versus listening to the others full thoughts. Rarely, Eyri viewed it as a challenge. This though, was one of those rare occasions. 

So she sat quietly, she listened, she did not interrupt Fosten as he had done to her. She eyed her staff, as many of them had almost come to a halt because Eyri had been interrupted. Had Fosten been someone who she was more acquainted with, Eyri might not have kept her level head as easily. 

"I'll make no promises until I hear what you have to say." Eyri stated. She was interested in negotiating, even if it was in the slightest, but there would have to be significant promise to her that one way or another, her people would not suffer for this.

"I'm glad to hear that," Towler said, smiling broadly. "My understanding is that your labor force relies heavily on sentient organic labor. As soon as I leave your office, my deputy chief of staff will send over a concept draft for a bill we've written up providing subsidies to developing worlds. The money is earmarked for the purchase of droids and the construction of droid manufactories. It'll go a long way toward modernizing Pantora's industry bases, especially in planetary and space mining, and the jobs provided by the new manufactories will work to offset the job losses Pantora and your fellow holdout senators' worlds will suffer because of this bill."

"Furthermore," he continued, without skipping a beat, "the Republic Navy is looking into the construction of upwards of a half dozen military installations across the Outer Rim. Starbases, shipyards, anchorages, the works. The funding and plans are all in place, the only thing left to argue over is location. A shipyard in orbit over Pantora would bring upwards of thirty-thousand jobs on its own, and with private investment in new factories to support that installation that number can go as high as a hundred-fifty thousand. Pantora will have more jobs than it did when you first came into office, and a stronger economy on top of that." 

"You'll have to testify in front of the Committee on Armed Forces and convince them that Pantora is the right place to put it, of course, but we can put you on the list and my team will be with you every step of the way."

"I will have to speak to the Assembly about this first." Eyri said, barely giving a seconds pause after Towler finished. "I cannot move forward with this without first speaking to the Assembly." she said, backing up any question as to why she would not just agree.
This probably was not the best answer Towler might have expected, but Eyri refused to move forward in negotiations before first allowing her people and the Pantoran Assembly a say on the matter.

"You are free to speak to and consult with whomever you like," Towler answered easily, "but it will be far better for you and your people if you vote for the amendment regardless of how the Assembly advises you."

"I will vote for the amendment so that it may move forward, but only so it may move forward. The policies in the amendment are crucial yet many companies will suffer from it." Eyri responded. She had made a list for moments like these, yet now didn't seem like the time for an argument, she would wait.

"Until then Senator Towler I thank you for your visit and your concern over the people of Pantora." 
Eyri eyed Fosten as she stood and held out her hand for a respectful farewell. Mister Towler had brought some unnecessary tension into her office. She did not wish to be rude but the Pantoran Senator did need some time to process Towler's offer, and to contact the Assembly to talk about the possible terms.

"Excellent," Towler said, beaming. He stood and shook her hand. "In my experience the difference between a good senator and great senator has always been the ability to turn a defeat into a victory. If you keep up like this, I expect we'll be working together a long time."

And with that, Towler turned heel and left through the office door.