Log:Advice for a Mediator

2014/03/26 	 Lorelei The Mediator

1

Undermoon Embassy
Atop the rocky cliff near the end of the bridge stands the tiny "fairy tale" castle that serves as the Undermoon embassy. It's no larger than a large house, and its great front gate (with drawbridge to cross a decorative moat) is only the size of a normal door. Its slender towers are topped with graceful spires from which fly pennants of many colours and designs, but chiefly of purple and silver. Over the main gate hangs a rectangular flag of the same colour.

That's the outside. As soon as one passes through the gate it's another story - the castle is vast, the walls tall, the spires tower above the courtyard! Various buildings of the same graceful architectural style are found among the gardens of exotic flora, and the place is busy with staff, both human and fae.

Mirror, Mirror
Jennie, one of the Twin's younger dopples, comes to the Embassy to deliver a message from the Mediator.

Lorelei is in one of her increasingly rare periods of time at the embassy now, so the message is taken to her. Given who it's from, she looks at the message immediately.

The written message is very short and concise. It asks Lorelei if the mediator could see Lorelei before the Mediator returns to Jefferson's.

Jennie waits patiently at the gate of the Embassy to see if there is a reply.

Lorelei sends a reply immediately, asking the Mediator to come to the embassy as soon as is convenient.

It's roughly an hour later when the Mediator arrives at the Embassy gate in a car driven by Jessie. Leaving the car she speaks to one of the guards on duty, asking that Lorelei be advised of her arrival. To those who knew her before, she still seems rather gaunt, as if not fully recovered from her ordeal as a prisoner of Shield.

Lorelei has already instructed that the Mediator be escorted to her right away, and so she is quickly brought to the princess's apartments.

The Mediator steps into your apartment and gives a warm but slightly wry smile on initially seeing Lorelei. "You've changed." She says. "You could never pose as my younger sister now. You have such poise and a presence which is almost palpable."

Lorelei smiles. "Have I? Well, I'm older than I look. I've lost track actually. Please, come in, have a seat!" She decides it's probably more polite not to comment on how the Mediator has changed.

The Mediator advances and sits where Lorelei indicates. "Thank you." She pauses for a moment as if gathering her thoughts, "I never had a real chance to thank you before this for handing the airport negotiations so well in my self imposed absence. Which leads me to the purpose of my coming here. I need your advice."

Lorelei tilts her head. She still thinks of the Mediator as the older and more experienced of the two, so is rather surprised. "Go on."

The Mediator nods, "You may recall I removed myself from those negotiations because I was concerned about the affect I was having on those around me. It just continued becoming easier and easier to change peoples' opinions and attitudes to whatever I desired. And as it did, so I withdrew further and further from letting myself be in any position where that might occur. So when Shield arrived on our world, I was careful to play no part in the reception they received. I think in hindsight we can all agree that was a grave mistake."

Lorelei nods sadly. "It's very hard to find the right balance. I keep wondering if I should have done more, or less, in many things....."

The Mediator says, "Yet, here you are... Princess Stephanie. You must have faced this dilemma on a greater scale than I have up to now since your birthright was revealed." She looks straight at Lorelei, "Despite my obvious failings I've been asked to return to Jefferson's as the emergency co-ordinator for the entire Eastern Seaboard Confederation. I can do a lot of good in that role but how ethical would it be to accept?"

Lorelei nods, thinking. "Well - being a princess of Undermoon isn't quite like things are among humans - I'm not quite so influential, relatively speaking. But yes, I have to be careful.... To be honest, the way you ask that question allays fears I might have had about your accepting the role. From everything I understand, your world is in great crisis, and in crises leadership is needed. And you certainly have one of the most important properties of leaders: people listen to you. But the question is this:

The Mediator listens...

Lorelei says, "Do you think you can listen to other people? Because this is where the line comes between leadership and tyranny for people like us. If we stop discussion of the issues, because people always agree with what we say, then even if we mean well we don't hear all the ideas that should be heard. Worse, if we are the ones that decide what should be done, with or without discussion, then we can become true tyrants. Our role, I think, has to be one of letting others discuss and decide what they want for their world - and then doing our best to bring it about, with all our influence."

Lorelei smiles wryly. "At least, that's the theory. I can't say with my hand on my heart I've never let my personal beliefs and feeling interfere. But I try not to give them undue weight."

The Mediator thinks hard about your comments. Then she smiles, "This is why I came to seek your advice. I had feared that having thrown off an other-dimensional tyrant, I might have eventually become a home grown one. Shield ruled by fear and terror. I could have been even more of a tyrant than them because I wouldn't need to. You have summarized what I must avoid, and laid out what I must do, in just a few words. Thank you, Lorelei. I will accept the position offered. And I hope you will visit as frequently as your commitments allow and keep me on the straight and narrow. Your TransMat corporation is, I have been told by Jon Masters, going to be opening a permanent rift to Jefferson's for trade and access."

Lorelei says, "Really? Wonderful! Then I will try to visit, if I can. But I'm afraid I don't know how much time I'll have free, particularly given the time difference with Undermoon." She pauses. "You may want a second opinion, to be on the safe side, of course: I don't claim to be an expert on such matters. I believe Lord Markham's School gives classes in metahuman ethics, and whoever teaches that may have better advice than I.... All I can really think to add is, if you know anyone who can give you honest opinions as to whether you're crossing the line, despite your influence, ask them. And if there's someone you can trust to stop you if you need be, arrange that. I seem to recall in the old comic books Superman gave Batman some kryptonite so that Batman could stop him if we went crazy or got mind controlled or something....""

The Mediator listens, then nods. "That seems a excellent idea. Lord Markham's School? Is that just a coincidence of names? Or is there a connection between the school and the two comic book heroines who were at the forefront of librating my homeworld. Comic book characters from a half dozen worlds were involved, but those two always seemed to be at the front, always leading. My world owes them, all of those who helped to librate us, a tremendous debt. It will not be forgotten... I recall at one time, they asked to be allowed to come to our world, and that request was turned down. If you ever see them, can you inform them that decision no longer stands. They would be welcomed on our world."

Lorelei smiles. "It's no coincidence, and I'll be happy to tell them. Though they recently asked me if they could take up residence in Undermoon, so I don't know if they'd still want to go to your world. I'm sure they would very much like to visit, at least, though.

The Mediator nods, "I hope they will. And that you will as well. I shall visit this Lord Markham's School as soon as I can. Shield is gone but that's only the start of restoring our society. I have a lot of work ahead of me. And maybe some changes to encourage as well. Jennie and Jessie told me of your reaction to seeing our Harrisburg district. Self dependency is one of the bedrocks of our society but not all individuals have the same opportunities. This is something we should think about."

Lorelei nods. "Frankly, I'm horrified by *our* Harrisburg. It's one thing I can definitely take pride of in Undermoon: there may be vast class differences, but at least the poor don't starve."

The Mediator hears you, "Maybe when I've been to Lord Markham's School and have time to spare from the task ahead of me, I might be permitted to visit your world of Undermoon and see how you manage that."

Lorelei says, "You are certainly welcome to visit! As for how we manage that, I'm afraid it's not a simple thing to copy - it's a matter of tradition and honour. It's considered a stain on one's own honour if one's poor and weak are not well cared for. And honour there counts for more than money or liberty. Just a very different way of thinking about the world."

Lorelei adds sadly, "I'm afraid it's even more alien to your world, where, if I understand correctly, the sense of obligation to others seems to stop at one's own family."

The Mediator nods. "In our society we simply don't have that viewpoint. We don't have anything like the charitable tradition that exists on your Earth. As you said, beyond the family, the attitude on Jefferson's has been that if somone is poor or destitute that's their own fault. Which I can now see is only a partial truth. But few of my people have been off our world and exposed to different viewpoints."

Lorelei nods. "I think I heard it was different in Europe in your world though, at least to some extent?"

The Mediator nods a little uncertainly, "So I believe. I never travelled to anywhere outside the ESC. We are, or were, a very insular and isolated society in the Americas."

Lorelei says, "You were born in the ESC then? I'd wondered. I was born in England, myself. May I ask something else?"

The Mediator nods, "Of course you may ask anything. But as it happens, I don't know where I was born. I assume I was born in the ESC, as my first memories are of being in Colonial Bay City when I was about four or five.

Lorelei says, "Interesting.... Did you know your parents?"

The Mediator shakes her head rather sadly, "I have no memories of them. Except, maybe one vague mental image that may have been my mother singing a song to me."

Lorelei says, "I've long wondered if, like me, you're fae, or half-fae. But if so I think you or your mother must be from another, parallel Undermoon! And that was about all the memory I had of my mother, too...."

Lorelei says, "I think I must be right. It may account for why you seem to have been the only meta on your world for a while..."

The Mediator lifts her hands in uncertaincy, "How can I tell? You may be right or I may have just been the first to appear of our own comic book characters. If you are..." She lifts her face wonderingly, "... I may have family somwhere."

Lorelei smiles. "You may. And you may want to look for them - once you have time, of course. When that time comes, ask me for help, and I'll help, or send help, if I can - I know the sort of thing to look for, and maybe the sort of troubles you might encounter."

The Mediator nods, looking at you gratefully, "Thank you." She smiles, "I think I have a shining example to live up to, Lorelei. And reassurance that the traits we share can be used for the benefit of all instead of ourselves. Mindwarp was an aberration and not an indication of a path we are destined to follow sooner or later."

Lorelei looks a bit grim. "I hope - I pray - that you're right. But I think we'll always have to be careful - not let ourselves get complacent." She smiles. "Perhaps that is something else good about Undermoon. I'm quite sure there are people there who can stop me, if they need to."

The Mediator says, "That must be extremely reassuring to know. I don't know if there is anyone on Jefferson's who could do the same for me. I'm not sure I should try to find out either. Perhaps not knowing if there is will help me avoid becoming complacent."

Lorelei smiles. "A good thought. Certainly now there *might* be - which might not have been the case before other metas."

The Mediator nods. "I've probably taken up more of your time than I should have, Lorelei. But I wanted to seek your advice and you have given generously of it, and given me much to think about, and hope as well. With the Rift open I'll almost certainly be returning to this Earth on frequent occasions to mediate trade negotiations if nothing else. I hope I might permitted to impose on your hospitality when I get the chance?"

Lorelei says, "Of course - you're always welcome! Though I think it will be best to arrange things in advance if you want to make sure *I'm* about... a princess's work is never done, it seems."

The Mediator stands and moves forward to offer you a hug if allowed. "I suspect the same will be true for a Emergency Co-ordinator." She says with a smile.

Lorelei hugs. "I'm afraid you're right. I hope you need to sleep as little as I do."

The Mediator looks at you, "About eight hours a week?" she says in some surprise.

Lorelei grins. "About that."

The Mediator shakes her head slowly, "I really wish I had more time to talk with you. The similarities are..." She pauses, "Does this have any meaning to you?" and sings a few lines of a song. The words aren't very clear, it's fairly clear she doesn't understand them and is just mimicking the sounds. It's recognisably the same song you recalled your mother singing to you.

The Mediator shrugs, "That's all I can remember."

Lorelei nods and smiles. "I wouldn't be surprised if your mother turns out to be named Liandere - a doppel of my mother. Which is fascinating, because it means there may be as many Undermoons as there are Earths..."

The Mediator says, "Liandere...? Lorelei, when I have restored order sufficiently to have some spare time, I would like to take up your offer to look into my past and seek out any family I may have."

Lorelei says, "I'll be glad to help. It answered so many of my own questions... and though it wasn't always smooth-going, it all worked out in the end!"

The Mediator smiles, "Thank you again. Now, I suppose I really should be making my way back. Jennie and Jessie will be getting impatient." She sighs a little, "They have appointed themselves as my bodyguards. But... all the zest and love of life they used to have has gone from them. They are so serious and grim these days."

Lorelei says, "I'm really sorry to hear that. My Jennifer and Jessica tried to spare them from the worst of the war.... but I know they fear Jennie and Jessie will never forgive them for that. But you might want to probe the two on the matter. It might be the lack of action that made them unhappy - if they're like the Jennifer and Jessica I know - or it might be they they miss my twins and want to see them again. Or something else. Either way, I'm sure you can help them, if anyone."

The Mediator nods, "I will try. Small as their problem is in the overall scheme of things it's as important to them as any matter affecting the ESC. A shining example I said and you constantly prove it over and over again."

Lorelei smiles. "Thant you for saying so. But I'm just muddling through, like anyone. If I am one, I'm sure you can be too."