Returning Back-01
"Finally......"
After what felt like an eternity, the meeting finally ended. The dark silhouettes of the Overseers rapidly dissolved into the thin air as they each adjourned and bid farewell to the others. Not that there was much emotion behind any of those, but then again, they DID just have their entire worldview turned upside down. Project Overwatch, meant to detect and facilitate early responses against those cracks, had always been seen as a ploy to divert funding for the Visionary, and as such was treated like a bad joke. Understaffed and underfunded, it was always tethering over the edge of “barely operational”.
Yet just a few hours ago, the “barely operational” system had just yielded solid results. With two Overseers backing these up, everyone was more or less convinced. After all, Overseers may be petty and squabble over minor disputes, but when it comes to more serious matters, such as matters that see compulsory attendance of all members in a meeting, they could put aside their differences. The Cordiale was important to all Overseers, and it wouldn’t have lasted if all we did was distrust and hinder one another, and the people on board were all at the very least capable of seeing that. They might not be 100% convinced in one go, but they would definitely start rethinking this.
There may be politics here, but the Overseers were not politicians.
"Professionals have standards, after all."
As my figure dissolved, my vision shifted from the dimly-lit Council Chambers, to my temporary, also dimly-lit office back in Lyon, France. The meeting had well and truly taken up a whole day, from morning to night. At least there wasn't any time wasted moving in and out. A truly convenient mode of transportation, teleportation was. A shame spatial transport devices were all ludicrously expensive as hell. Even Overseers couldn’t scoff at their prices. But an even bigger shame, was seeing all the paperwork I had been arduously filing in for the mobilisation of Division Michael this morning, before I was teleported away, still on my desk. Perfectly intact.
Slowly, my head turned towards the figure sitting inconspicuously on one of the chairs at the side of my office, leisurely reading a French article. I could have sworn my head creaked whilst turning as well. That was how much pressure I was putting into it.
“Azul, why are these files all intact?”
“Because they were your files, Miss.”
I stared at him. I stared at him. I screamed at him in French:
“No! I was in the process of filing these in to the department before I got summoned! It was with the expectation you would be finishing it! Do you have any idea how much backlog there's gonna be if the scheduled files don’t get delivered on time?! 5 hours late no less!"
After particularily stressing that last part, I took a breath and continued:
"On top of that! This whole thing had to be done secrecy! They don't even know it's me! Worst case, some chap thinking they’re hot shit is gonna take this as unauthorised action and sound the alarm for treason!”
“Technically, I don’t even have clearance to view these files.”
“That was obviously before you were promoted in a hurry to be my personal secretary last night! How else would you help an Overseer in their tasks if you didn’t even have proper clearance?! I was even supposed to hand you the official clearance papers for your promotion this afternoo- I- before I-......”
I felt my voice weakening by the end of the sentence.
“-accepted the summons……this morni-"
"-without giving……”
-
"I-"
-
Oh.
Returning Back-01
"Finally......"
After what felt like an eternity, the meeting finally ended. The dark silhouettes of the Overseers rapidly dissolved into the thin air as they each adjourned and bid farewell to the others. Not that there was much emotion behind any of those, but then again, they DID just have their entire worldview turned upside down. Project Overwatch, meant to detect and facilitate early responses against those cracks, had always been seen as a ploy to divert funding for the Visionary, and as such was treated like a bad joke. Understaffed and underfunded, it was always tethering over the edge of “barely operational”.
Yet just a few hours ago, the “barely operational” system had just yielded solid results. With two Overseers backing these up, everyone was more or less convinced. After all, Overseers may be petty and squabble over minor disputes, but when it comes to more serious matters, such as matters that see compulsory attendance of all members in a meeting, they could put aside their differences. The Cordiale was important to all Overseers, and it wouldn’t have lasted if all we did was distrust and hinder one another, and the people on board were all at the very least capable of seeing that. They might not be 100% convinced in one go, but they would definitely start rethinking this.
There may be politics here, but the Overseers were not politicians.
"Professionals have standards, after all."
As my figure dissolved, my vision shifted from the dimly-lit Council Chambers, to my temporary, also dimly-lit office back in Lyon, France. The meeting had well and truly taken up a whole day, from morning to night. At least there wasn't any time wasted moving in and out. A truly convenient mode of transportation, teleportation was. A shame spatial transport devices were all ludicrously expensive as hell. Even Overseers couldn’t scoff at their prices. But an even bigger shame, was seeing all the paperwork I had been arduously filing in for the mobilisation of Division Michael this morning, before I was teleported away, still on my desk. Perfectly intact.
Slowly, my head turned towards the figure sitting inconspicuously on one of the chairs at the side of my office, leisurely reading a French article. I could have sworn my head creaked whilst turning as well. That was how much pressure I was putting into it.
“Azul, why are these files all intact?”
“Because they were your files, Miss.”
I stared at him. I stared at him. I screamed at him in French:
“No! I was in the process of filing these in to the department before I got summoned! It was with the expectation you would be finishing it! Do you have any idea how much backlog there's gonna be if the scheduled files don’t get delivered on time?! 5 hours late no less!"
After particularily stressing that last part, I took a breath and continued:
"On top of that! This whole thing had to be done secrecy! They don't even know it's me! Worst case, some chap thinking they’re hot shit is gonna take this as unauthorised action and sound the alarm for treason!”
“Technically, I don’t even have clearance to view these files.”
“That was obviously before you were promoted in a hurry to be my personal secretary last night! How else would you help an Overseer in their tasks if you didn’t even have proper clearance?! I was even supposed to hand you the official clearance papers for your promotion this afternoo- I- before I-......”
I felt my voice weakening by the end of the sentence.
“-accepted the summons……this morni-"
"-without giving……”
-
"I-"
-
Oh.
