With Reagan notified of the problem, and your interview done, it's time to knuckle down and get to work fixing the problems at NASA, at least as much as you can. First, you've got to coordinate with Carl. Ideally he'll give the speech a couple of days before you head in to negotiate. Of course, you'll also want to have started on the animations at that point, so he has something to point to, and as a way of placating the managers. You manage to catch up with him in the animation department, as he's going over some concepts with Joe for the historical short.
"Carl, Joe, how are things looking?" You ask.
"Well, the historical short shouldn't take too long, it'll be out by the end of the year." Joe says. "The TV series will take longer, of course, but we've got a good set of episodes planned that take a look at all the different types of space travel we can think of. Rockets, the Shuttle, even some sci-fi concepts."
"It's been simply amazing working with everyone here, Mike." Says Carl. "I've even managed to pick up a few ideas for the speech I'm looking to give."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." You say. "I've had a chance to talk to Reagan, we're both waiting on your speech to approach the management at NASA."
"Ah. Do you have a copy of the letter with the names redacted for me? I'd like to be able to bring it up to the news networks, that way they'll take things a bit more seriously." He pauses for a moment. "Also, if you're fine with it, I'll bring up that you're willing to play mediator."
"Hmm… I'll get you a copy of the letter, and you can mention that I'm willing to be the go-between for management and the engineers." You respond. "How long do you think it'll take you to get a time slot?"
"With the letter? A week, tops." He answers.
———————
A week later, you manage to clear up some time on your schedule to catch the end of Carl's speech, entering the break room the imagineers are watching the speech in.
"-and the wonders and resources of space are vast. It is understandable to wish to see them, to utilize them, to reach out and touch the stars. However, as we are all too frequently reminded, we must be cautious in our steps. Some of my friends in the agency have brought up concerns that they've been asked too much, with too little support. No one wants to see another tragedy like Apollo I. We have just seen the consequences of ignoring safety restraints when pushing boundaries, as all of Europe responds to the disaster of Chernobyl. Which is why I ask all Americans to understand that while delays in the space program may be expensive, they are never more expensive than the human lives such delays save. When we climb higher, we must remember to ensure that we do not fall." There's a pause. "But we should never stop climbing. And to remind us of that, well, I'm sure many of you know that I've been working closely with a certain company lately. They've agreed to produce for public broadcast a couple of animations, one a short history of NASA, the other a small continuation of Cosmos, still hosted by me, that focuses on how it is we plan to reach the stars. Mike Eisner, a man I've gotten to know well over these past few months, has also offered to negotiate between the engineers and management at the agency. I urge the management there to accept. We don't need to give up safety for progress, or progress for safety. Thank you for your time."
There's applause from his audience, and the network cuts back to the studio. The imagineers look over to you, and you stare back. "Well, here's hoping the negotiations go well." You say.
"We're all rooting for you, Mike. And hey, no pressure, right?" Tony says.
You snort. "No pressure. Well, I better go see if I can't set up a meeting at NASA."
———————
Another week later sees you at NASA, a group of the engineers on one side of the table, management on the other. Not everyone is directly from NASA, several of the contractors are present too, but overall everyone here does something for the agency. You're at the head, and somewhat concerned by the overall mood. Both sides seem subdued, but stubborn. "Alright, let's start with what both sides are hoping to get out of this." You say.
Before you can call on either side, Bob Ebeling speaks up. "Most importantly, we want the safety regulations to never be ignored again."
The group of managers shift awkwardly, looking at each other. Eventually Lawrence Malloy is volunteered to respond. "Yes, well, given certain recent events-"
"You mean the fact that the commies just did what you were doing, and nearly irradiated all of Europe because of it?" Says Brian Russell. You silence him with a look, before motioning for Lawrence to continue.
"Ah, that was one of the factors, yes. We'd like to declare that all safety regulations are going to be reviewed and strengthened, and anyone who tries to violate them will be summarily dismissed from the agency." He says.
Brian lets out a harrumph. "About time."
You clear your throat. "Okay, that's one thing from engineering covered. Management, what's one of the things you're looking for?"
"The sabotage of components has to stop. There's been too many mysteriously malfunctioning pieces for it to be natural. We don't care who, at this point, it just needs to stop." Says George Hardy.
"While we will neither confirm nor deny that components were tampered with destructively, such things would happen far less often if management would listen to us about delays." Responds Roger Boisjoly.
"We'd be more likely to listen to you about delays if they didn't come up on the launch pad!" Exclaims Jud Lovingood. "Do you know how much money a scrubbed launch from the pad is?"
"We try! We try as hard as we can to make sure that any problems are caught in advance. But for the love of God, man, there's only so much we can predict about the conditions on the launch day." Brain responds. "Look at the Challenger launch back at the beginning of the year. You wanted to launch right in the middle of a cold snap! The whole tower was covered in ice the day you initially asked for, we'd have blown up a school teacher on national television!"
"Okay! Everyone take a step back." You say. "How about this: If at least three engineers are recommending a delay, the launch gets held off for an hour while they confer with everyone else. If, at the end of that hour, they still don't feel comfortable launching, the launch is scrubbed and a new date is scheduled consulting with those engineers." You look between both sides. "The engineers write up a report on why they delayed, and it gets sent up the chain and released to the public for review and discussion. Management, I think you're underestimating how understanding the American public will be about delays, especially after what happened with Chernobyl. Hell, ask the Apollo I widows to come speak on your behalf if you need to, and if you need more public support, well, Disney at the very least will have your back. Engineers, you can't let any parts get 'tampered with destructively.' That definitely won't look good to the public."
Bob stares at you. "We could accept that." He finally says after what feels like an hour.
George Hardy tears his gaze from the engineers to look at you. "I think we could work with that as well."
The rest of the negotiations continue in much the same vein, but by the end of the day, you've hammered out a deal that seems to leave everyone, if not happy, at least willing to try. When the room finally empties, Bob stays behind as you finish getting your papers back into your briefcase.
"I… can't thank you enough, Mr. Eisner." He says.
"It's Mike, Bob. Just Mike." You respond. "And I just did what anyone would have."
"Maybe. But they wouldn't have done it half as well as you." He looks out the window. "You know, the President himself came down here a couple days ago. Said that he didn't care how much money we wasted, he could always add or cut funding as needed. But he couldn't undo a crash, couldn't bring back the dead. He wanted a legacy of reaching the stars, but didn't want to take the risk of a legacy of death instead." Bob turns back to you. "You didn't have to do anything with the letter I sent, didn't have to go as far as you did to help us. But you did, and that's something no one here will ever forget." With that, he steps out of the room, leaving you to your thoughts.
+10 to handling arguments, +5 to research rolls. Relationship with NASA incredibly high, will remain so for at least a decade. Slight boost to corporate interest.
AN: You've gained experience negotiating between two parties, and if you ever need some cutting edge tech developed, NASA engineers are willing to share some (non-classified) secrets. And of course, given what just happened, the corporate world is looking towards Disney more and more.
