Calm Before-03
Skipping past the next few days, I was currently within a hotel room, which possessed a lavishly decorated interior. It was filled with excessively large furnishings and yet retained optimal space in the middle for interior comfort.
"A truly thoughtful design, honestly."
Not that anyone else was in the room to listen to my musings.
I was seated in yet another, comfy chair, with red paddings and a black and gold structure, very extravagant. But a noticeable change about me myself, was the fact I was no longer a little girl. Rather, I had switched my form to a tall, 6'4 man with distinct Chinese characteristics. Although my long, black hair remained in this form, alongside my overall white uniform, which had also been altered to fit my new, taller stature. Oh, did I mention this form was also dead handsome? With my shades for added effect, I could definitely pass for some Chinese celebrity superstar.
"Yeah. Eat shit Azul. Not so special now?"
Not that the man was currently here.
Peering out the oversized window next to my seat, the morning scenery of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, greeted me. Right, I had transferred to Thailand within the last few days. After all, the Crack was located here, and I was definitely going to check it out myself.
And that was why I was currently residing in such an expensive suite in the Thai capital. Expensive for most at least. A small perk of being a boss of the Cordiale is that businesses and enterprises run by the Cordiale -like this hotel chain- can't exactly bill you much. To elaborate, Operatives and divisions on missions would often receive a "Blank Cheque". A permit issued by Overseers that waived a majority of whatever fees the operatives incurred to Cordiale-run enterprises, which were reimbursed by funds from the treasury at later dates. Safeguarding these checks were numerous failsafes and other measures, all ensuring they were bonafide and genuine. And us Overseers all had our own individual, personalised "Blank Cheques". Good thing these cheques were each personalised for us, which made any of our transactions blatantly obvious to the rest of the council when looking through transaction records. In other words, we couldn't go overboard unless we wanted to get called out on. After all, I may be the Administrator, but I definitely couldn't be trusted with that much power.
This internal credit system has honestly done wonders for the Cordiale. Firstly, it streamlined our finances by ensuring funding went to those who actually needed it, rather than paying out fixed sums to each group. Unfortunately, this was one of the ways other Overseers hampened Project Overwatch. By stripping the team of any Blank Cheques, they were forced to continue almost entirely on their own base funding, leaving them very underfunded. Secondly, it easened the problem of inter-group rivalries, a problem which became quite apparent in the 1960s. It wiped competitions for budget by making funding largely case-by-case depending on their tasks. Lastly, it appeased Overseers by granting immense financial power within the Cordiale, and incentivised them to actually make the whole system work. At the same time, their powers were still kept in check by personalising their Cheques.
It was a great job done by the previous Financier, the Overseer responsible for our finances early on in the Cordiale. Thinking about her, I couldn't help but lament.
"A shame she was replaced by the current guy. That woman was a genius."
Ok, so back to work. Returning my attention back to the task at hand, literally, I continued to read through the documents nestled within my two, gloved hands. On them were the current actions taken following the Overseer Council's meeting a few days ago. Michael had been withdrawn, and members of Division Uriel were currently preparing a preliminary test site for further analysis to be sent back to the Overseers. They were currently guarded by some combat-specialist Origins employed under the Cordiale, deemed suitable and with high enough clearance for this assignment. Even I recognised a few names here and there.
Whilst continuing to read at a leisurely pace, - a rare luxury for me- the cell phone I had tossed onto the nearby table suddenly rang. There goes my peace and quiet. Looking up from the papers, I picked it up, and an encrypted call came through. A male voice spoke in English:
"Preparations are nearly complete. Please head over before commencement of official testing."
Calm Before-03
Skipping past the next few days, I was currently within a hotel room, which possessed a lavishly decorated interior. It was filled with excessively large furnishings and yet retained optimal space in the middle for interior comfort.
"A truly thoughtful design, honestly."
Not that anyone else was in the room to listen to my musings.
I was seated in yet another, comfy chair, with red paddings and a black and gold structure, very extravagant. But a noticeable change about me myself, was the fact I was no longer a little girl. Rather, I had switched my form to a tall, 6'4 man with distinct Chinese characteristics. Although my long, black hair remained in this form, alongside my overall white uniform, which had also been altered to fit my new, taller stature. Oh, did I mention this form was also dead handsome? With my shades for added effect, I could definitely pass for some Chinese celebrity superstar.
"Yeah. Eat shit Azul. Not so special now?"
Not that the man was currently here.
Peering out the oversized window next to my seat, the morning scenery of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, greeted me. Right, I had transferred to Thailand within the last few days. After all, the Crack was located here, and I was definitely going to check it out myself.
And that was why I was currently residing in such an expensive suite in the Thai capital. Expensive for most at least. A small perk of being a boss of the Cordiale is that businesses and enterprises run by the Cordiale -like this hotel chain- can't exactly bill you much. To elaborate, Operatives and divisions on missions would often receive a "Blank Cheque". A permit issued by Overseers that waived a majority of whatever fees the operatives incurred to Cordiale-run enterprises, which were reimbursed by funds from the treasury at later dates. Safeguarding these checks were numerous failsafes and other measures, all ensuring they were bonafide and genuine. And us Overseers all had our own individual, personalised "Blank Cheques". Good thing these cheques were each personalised for us, which made any of our transactions blatantly obvious to the rest of the council when looking through transaction records. In other words, we couldn't go overboard unless we wanted to get called out on. After all, I may be the Administrator, but I definitely couldn't be trusted with that much power.
This internal credit system has honestly done wonders for the Cordiale. Firstly, it streamlined our finances by ensuring funding went to those who actually needed it, rather than paying out fixed sums to each group. Unfortunately, this was one of the ways other Overseers hampened Project Overwatch. By stripping the team of any Blank Cheques, they were forced to continue almost entirely on their own base funding, leaving them very underfunded. Secondly, it easened the problem of inter-group rivalries, a problem which became quite apparent in the 1960s. It wiped competitions for budget by making funding largely case-by-case depending on their tasks. Lastly, it appeased Overseers by granting immense financial power within the Cordiale, and incentivised them to actually make the whole system work. At the same time, their powers were still kept in check by personalising their Cheques.
It was a great job done by the previous Financier, the Overseer responsible for our finances early on in the Cordiale. Thinking about her, I couldn't help but lament.
"A shame she was replaced by the current guy. That woman was a genius."
Ok, so back to work. Returning my attention back to the task at hand, literally, I continued to read through the documents nestled within my two, gloved hands. On them were the current actions taken following the Overseer Council's meeting a few days ago. Michael had been withdrawn, and members of Division Uriel were currently preparing a preliminary test site for further analysis to be sent back to the Overseers. They were currently guarded by some combat-specialist Origins employed under the Cordiale, deemed suitable and with high enough clearance for this assignment. Even I recognised a few names here and there.
Whilst continuing to read at a leisurely pace, - a rare luxury for me- the cell phone I had tossed onto the nearby table suddenly rang. There goes my peace and quiet. Looking up from the papers, I picked it up, and an encrypted call came through. A male voice spoke in English:
"Preparations are nearly complete. Please head over before commencement of official testing."
