1204/08/23 11:00
"I see..." Mayor Crois said once Lloyd and Dudley briefed him about a potential terrorist attack. Of course, Lloyd did not say that it came from Juna but from 'someone the SSS trusted.' Dudley was worried about it coming true and managed to secure a talk. Sadly, the Vice Commissioner couldn't be relied upon to escalate matters.
"Yes," Lloyd nodded, confirming. "That's why the SSS wants you to consider postponing the conference. At least, until this matter is truly researched by the police."
"The First Division also recommends to postpone the conference. So far, this information hasn't been leaked, but we still want to confirm the accusation," Dudley followed up.
"Keep the lid. Don't let this information leak out," Mayor Crois commanded. "However, we can't postpone the conference. It still has to go on as planned."
"But, Mayor-"
"We have staked our place in Zemuria by inviting other countries. If we delay it because of unconfirmed information, we'll lose face," Dieter cut Lloyd off with a grimace. What went unsaid was the response from Erebonia and Calvard at the news of the postponement. They would pressure Crossbell more and more to fold under them.
Dudley and Lloyd looked at each other before nodding.
"In that case, I offered an alternative. We increase the security personnel and coordinate with the Bracer Guild and the CGF," Dudley spoke.
"Granted. That's what I want to do when I consider your proposal to delay the conference. It seems that we're on the same page." Dieter nodded before turning to Lloyd. "Lloyd. Are you interested in being stationed at the Orchis Tower at the time of the conference?"
Lloyd nodded. "I have to ask the others because the SSS worked as a team, but I would be honored to be part of the security team in the building. I imagine they would also like to do it. At least, I'm sure Elie would."
Dieter was like an uncle to Elie. There was no way she wouldn't want to join the group watching the building.
"Good. Dudley, I'll leave the coordination to the CPD."
"May I get the rundown of events for the conference, sir?" Dudley asked. But Dieter shook his head.
"Not now. I'll provide it to you in D-1 of the event."
"But sir, D-1 is not enough!" Dudley raised his voice. "I'd be okay if we don't have a potential terrorist attack looming over our heads, but considering our suspicions, it won't be enough to prepare everything."
"It's exactly because of that that I want to keep it tight. But I do understand your plight, Dudley," Dieter nodded. "Very well, I'll share it with you on D-2."
That seemed to calm Dudley down because he nodded, fixing his glasses.
"If I may, Mayor Crois," Lloyd interjected before Dieter could dismiss them. "Is it too much to ask if you can send missives for the invitees to increase the number of their personal guards?"
Dieter looked pensive. "Hmm... we can't postpone it because Crossbell will lose face. But if it's just informing them to increase their guards, it can be done. But it must be delivered quickly and securely so the news won't be leaked. And we can't show any weakness, either. Fine. I'll search for available messengers and write to them about increased security personnel. I doubt they would entertain our claim, though. Thank you for the idea, Lloyd."
Lloyd shook his head. "It was nothing. The more prepared they are, the bigger the chance for the attack to fail."
"If there is nothing else, then you two may go and prepare yourselves."
Taking the cue of the dismissal, Lloyd and Dudley left the room.
"That was a daring one, Bannings. But I guess I should've expected it from someone like you," Dudley said on their way back to the CPD Headquarters.
"Well, I just don't want the worst to happen..." Lloyd said to his senior.
"Agreed. If somebody was hurt, then Crossbell's image in Zemuria would also be tarnished. I personally think it's a little ridiculous that the mayor declined our recommendation, but we'll just have to follow him and do our best. You too, Bannings," Dudley looked at him.
Lloyd smiled at Dudley's words. "Yes! About the plan, will the First Division handle it, then?"
Dudley gave a nod. "Yes, though I'm sure Emma and the rest won't be happy about it."
Dudley then sighed.
"Bannings, I trust you and your consultant this time because this is a matter of grave importance, and I can see the logic in your conclusion about the Red Constellation's appearance in Crossbell. But don't think I will immediately trust you next time if your prediction this time comes true."
Lloyd internally winced because that was his stance on Juna after wrongly saying that her conclusion was incorrect in the Hayworths' investigation. But the thing was, Juna simply had an extraordinary ability that didn't let them down when they put their faith in Juna. Outwardly, Lloyd just gave a flat laugh. "Ahahaha. Of course, that's why I look up to you, Dudley."
Dudley fixed his glasses before going off to the CPD headquarters. "Keep at it. Your instinct and that girl's prediction might be a useful spare weapon when the CPD reaches some dead-end. We'll reconvene in two hours with the others."
Was that a compliment? Lloyd smiled at the retreating figure. Now he understood why Dudley was well-regarded by the CPD.
1204/08/23 13:00
The door was closed as Dudley came in. "Everyone here?"
Lloyd took another look around. He was there as the representative of the SSS. Beside him, Sergei sighed; he was also the representative of the SSS, but also the CPD. On Lloyd's opposite, Arios stood calmly with Michel beside him. The two were the guild's representatives. Besides Michel, Sonya Baelz sat straight, as expected of a commander from the CGF.
Dudley then took a seat beside Sergei and started the meeting. "Then we can start the meeting for the coordinated effort against potential terrorist attack for the West Zemuria Trade Conference."
In Lloyd's opinion, the name was too long, but everyone in the room was the straight-laced type, so none of them pointed it out to Dudley.
"First thing first, I want to know everyone's stance and what they can offer for the security duty in and outside the tower. CPD will mobilize all the divisions for security inside and in the perimeter of the Orchis Tower. Sergei, I hope the SSS can comply and join our ranks for this."
"The SSS has been offered to be stationed at the Orchis Tower, and after some discussions, they decided to take it," Sergei answered the bespectacled man.
That was correct. Lloyd talked with Elie, Noel, Randy, and Wazy, and they agreed to accept the offer. So, for the duration of the conference, they'd work under Dudley's command.
Sonya then spoke up, "The CGF will offer several platoons of soldiers for the endeavor. I don't think I will join in, though. I had to be on base in case of a surprise attack from Tangram. The same can be said for Bellguard's new commander. We need to cover all the potential points of entry."
Dudley nodded before turning to Michel and Arios. "And what is the guild's stance about this?"
"We will offer all the able-bodied Bracers under our employ. Sadly that means we can only offer five people. So I think it's best if we're placed around the civilian area, except for Arios, who should be in the tower with everyone else," Michel answered. "I have passed the message to the HQ in Leman, so hopefully, they can provide some help. But with the tight schedule, let's plan for the worst-case scenario where they can't send any reinforcements."
Dudley wrote the information onto the whiteboard. "Alright. Let's discuss formations. Mayor Crois hasn't shared the rundown of the conference, but I've got his word that we'll get it on D-2. He wanted D-1, but I managed to persuade him. We'll have another meeting on the 29th. For now, let's discuss the general plan. Commander Baelz, how many platoons can you lend us? I'm thinking about one platoon divided for the general security of the guests while another platoon is present for the meeting itself. The rest can be assigned to the building security."
Sonya nodded but followed with a question. "Is one platoon enough for the guests?"
"It should be. We'll also divide the CPD for that, though our manpower isn't as many as the CGF, but we can do it," Dudley answered. "As for the tower itself, Mayor Crois said it didn't need too many soldiers because it has state-of-the-art security technology."
"Then, I'll assign one of the Bracers below the tower, one in Harbor District, one in Administrative District, and one in Central Square. Is there any better place for them?" Michel asked Dudley, who hummed.
"Take the Administrative District out and put them in the Entertainment District instead. Hopefully, if the terrorists really attacked, we can have the civilians around the tower perimeter evacuated by the one stationed there and spread into three sides to Central Square, Entertainment District, and Harbor District," Dudley offered.
"Understood," Michel wrote it in a note.
They hadn't discussed the finer details, but one thing stuck out to Lloyd. Who would coordinate between the CGF, CPD, and the Bracer Guild? Dudley could do it, as he was well-respected by everyone, but... Lloyd looked at Sergei, who almost picked up his cigarette before remembering present companies.
"Chief... amidst all this collaboration talk... who would coordinate our movements?" Lloyd asked his senior officer.
Sergei sighed. "My subordinate raised a good point. Who would coordinate?" He asked Dudley.
At once, everyone looked at Michel.
"Are you sure? Because my experience coordinating an operation is only with Bracers, who aren't stuck with rigid chains of command," Michel asked. "And I don't think I can do it alone."
"Take Fran with you," Sergei offered. "She's usually coordinating cases for the SSS. I'm sure she'd be a great help."
"I'll call for her," Dudley left the room.
Lloyd used the chance to raise his hand. "If I may offer another name, I want Juna to be with you there, Michel."
"Juna?" Arios raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Lloyd smiled. "It's exactly because I want to prevent Juna from danger that I want her with Michel. And besides, with her great insight, I'm sure Juna can help us coordinate our movements better."
"Hmm... that's certainly true. Juna has helped me lots of times before. Alright. I'm gonna invite Juna here."
Five minutes later, both Fran and Juna arrived in the meeting room. Dudley and Michel explained things to them, including how Sergei and Lloyd put up their name to help Michel coordinate on the field.
"I see... I would be honored to help everyone!" Fran saluted.
Contrary to Fran's exuberance, Juna put a hand on her chin, thinking. After a while, she then exclaimed. "Ah! Lloyd! You just want to put me away from the Orchis Tower!"
Lloyd couldn't help but laugh sheepishly at the accusation because it was correct. "Haha..."
"Arios! Are you of the same mind?!" Juna asked Arios, who was her teacher. Arios nodded silently.
"Geez, fine." Juna sighed. "I'll help Michel. How do we communicate? What's the communication protocol in CPD or CGF?" she turned to Dudley.
"Ever since Enigma was fully released a few months ago, most of the officers used it because it is convenient. The rest still used Orbal Radio Transceiver. As for CGF..." Dudley passed the question to Sonya.
"It's the same with us. We're transitioning from Orbal Radio Transceiver to Enigma to ensure the reliability and quality of the call," Sonya elaborated before adding. "Mostly because of corruption, though the one who hasn't converted from the transceiver to Enigma still used it."
"I see..." Juna nodded and then turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, does Enigma have the conf-I mean, a multiple call function?"
"A multiple call function?" Lloyd immediately opened his Enigma to look up such functions. "I don't think so. Why?"
Shaking her head, Juna sighed. "Nothing. It's just gonna be a chore to connect and disconnect calls to several different Enigmas to inform everyone. Any chance we can use the Orbal Radio Transceiver? It can broadcast information to be picked up by multiple devices, right?"
...That was certainly true. If there was one weakness in Enigma that Lloyd realized but didn't deem too important before, it was the fact that he couldn't call multiple people at once.
"Unfortunately, the unused assets have been gone without any trace. I assume it was 'donated' by Preston. There was no account of it being sold or given away in the book," Sonya shook her head, lamenting her previous coworker's sleazy attitude.
Of course, the previous commander of Bellguard Gate had to make everything harder for them. He had been doing that since June by being fooled by Joachim. No wonder Randy couldn't stand him.
"Same with the CPD, after the previous Commissioner was fired, we launched an internal audit, and it turns out some reports were fabricated, and some assets were not reported at all," Dudley said with a sigh. "It's shameful to admit, but hopefully, we can change things for the better in the future. We've placed a quotation to the transceiver producer for another three batches, but the estimated arrival is in three weeks."
"Did we order from the same company?" Sonya raised her head, interested. "Because they also estimated our orders to arrive in three weeks."
"Dudley, Sonya, what about rerouting some of the current Orbal Radio Transceiver from the other CPD members?" Sergei asked for an alternative.
"Then how would they coordinate between them?" Dudley pointed out.
"Damn... if only Tio is here... wait!" Juna turned to Lloyd, face serious. "Lloyd, Renne's good with tech, right?"
"Ah, do you want to ask for her help? For what?"
"Developing a new feature for Enigma. I'll make the proposal and rough design. It's urgent!"
Juna instantly left the meeting room.
Sonya and Dudley looked at him. "Is she always like that? What even is she talking about?"
"Ahaha... unfortunately, Juna is always like that. The only time she was focused was when she was training with Arios," Michel answered the question. "Isn't that right, Arios?"
Right. Juna was infamous in St. Ursula for dragging Arios to Shizuku. Her running away without saying anything was just her standard behavior.
"Even her focused state is a lot like that," Arios smiled, probably remembering the times he was training her.
"She said Tio, but if I remember, Roberts is still here, right? Why don't you call him?" Sergei reminded him.
"And I'll inform the Bright siblings about Juna needing their help," Michel chimed in.
"Right." Lloyd then called the number Roberts gave them when he offered his Orbal Protocol Address to play Pom Pom Party.
"Hello."
"Chief Roberts. It's me, Lloyd Bannings, from the SSS," Lloyd started.
"Ah! Lloyd, good afternoon. Do you need something?"
"Yes. The CPD might require your presence for something. Can you spare some time to visit the CPD Headquarters right now?" Lloyd asked the scientist.
"Sure! Sure! By the way, how was the Pom Pom Party? It's fun, isn't it? Why haven't you invited me to play with you again?"
Lloyd let out an awkward laugh. Why did it feel like Roberts was desperate? "I'm sorry, I was busy."
"Okay, when you have free time, let's play Pom Pom Party again! I wanted to play with Tio, but she never received the invitation!"
Ah, so it was back to Tio again, as usual, with Chief Roberts. "If I have time, yes. We're waiting for you, Chief Roberts. Thank you."
Ending the call, Lloyd informed the others. "Chief Roberts will be coming here soon."
"As for the Brights, Renne was just starting to settle in, but Estelle said Renne would help when I mentioned Juna's name," Michel said after ending his call.
"She agreed without hearing what help she could provide?" Lloyd asked Michel, who nodded. Renne likely felt indebted to Juna for helping her and wanted to repay her. Well, and Joshua and Estelle, too.
"Yes. I said that Juna needed help with her orbal technology expertise. Maybe that could be part of Renne's consideration."
"Who is Renne? And why did Crawford ask for her?" Dudley asked him.
Lloyd bit his lip. How would he even begin to explain...? He turned to Michel, who was as lost as him.
Surprisingly, it was Arios who spoke.
"Renne Bright was a former Enforcer of the secret society, Ouroboros. She was officially adopted by Cassius Bright."
"O-Ouroboros? The secret society?" Fran, who was silent up until now, raised her voice in surprise. "H-How did Juna get familiar with her?"
"By being her usual, nosy self," Arios scoffed, though Lloyd couldn't feel any resentment from him. He thought that Arios and Renne had similar disbelief in how the pink-haired girl entered their lives, judging by Cecile's story about Juna. They let her get close, and suddenly, she was part of their lives.
"But that's what makes Juna, Juna, isn't it?" Michel laughed at Arios' words.
"She wouldn't become my student if she were any other way."
"And what relation does she have with this? A former Ouroboros agent is not someone I'd ask for help at this juncture," Dudley frowned in disapproval.
"Well, as Juna said, she's good with orbal technology," Lloyd started. "I think she's better than Tio at it. Don't take my words at face value, though, because I'm not that well-versed in orbal technology myself."
"I see," Dudley nodded, satisfied by the answer. "I'm still on the fence, but if you're sure about it..."
Maybe Dudley let it go because it was Juna, the source of the prediction about the attack in the first place.
Now, everyone in the room was waiting for Chief Roberts and Juna.
1204/08/23 14:00
"So you're Juna Crawford, huh?! It's nice to meet you! I'm Roberts, the chief of the Crossbell Branch of Epstein Foundation!" Roberts shook Juna's hand excitedly after Juna had entered the meeting room. "Tio has mentioned you a lot of times, actually! Your idea about real-time updates of criminal cases was intriguing, and we at the Foundation are interested in developing your idea further. You see, we're still compiling the data from the first iteration of Enigma and the second iteration we're giving everyone in Crossbell now in order to further increase the features released for the next iteration of Enigma. Actually, we wanted to just put another feature, but your idea sparked some discussion, and in the end, we decided to recalculate the development program."
"R-Right. Ahaha..."
Seeing the look on Juna's face after hearing all those sentences from Roberts, Lloyd thought it was time to intervene. "Alright, Chief Roberts. Please let Juna go so she can start. Juna, we're inviting Chief Roberts here because I'm sure whatever your proposal will be, it will be sent to Chief Roberts later, so Chief Sergei thought we should just invite him now."
"And here's Renne from Liberl," Michel put down the Enigma in speaker mode.
"Good afternoon, everyone, Juna."
"She sounds so young..." Lloyd heard Fran mutter.
"Hey! Why am I not included in the everyone!" Juna exclaimed before sighing. "Whatever. In any case, thank you for waiting," Juna put the papers on her arms down. "I actually wrote my idea down, but since Renne is on a call, I'll explain it for her sake. Hear that, Renne!"
"No, actually. I was preoccupied with something else," She teased Juna with a condescending tone.
"Tch. Moving on to the idea itself. Should I just go straight to the point, or should I explain from the introduction and background of my proposal?" Juna tapped the paper.
"You can go ahead and skip the introduction. We've explained the circumstance to both Renne and Chief Roberts before you came," Sergei answered Juna's question.
Juna blinked. "Alright. So I am proposing some new features for the Enigma, one with urgent priority and needs to be finished before the trade conference, and two others with lesser priority. If Chief Roberts or Renne estimates that you can't do it, then that's fine; we from the coordination team can cope. It'd be a hassle for us, though, so I really, really hope you can do it," she said, opening the first paper and giving it to Chief Roberts. "First, the urgent feature. I call this a conference call feature. It's a feature that lets you connect multiple calls together as if you're in a conference. Imagine this: We are having this meeting, but none of us are here except for the CPD. Commander Sonya is in her office in Bellguard. The SSS is in their building, the Bracers are in the Guild, Chief Roberts is in his office in IBC, and Renne is in Liberl. We are all in different places, but everyone is connected to one call, one Enigma."
Juna let her words sink in. Everyone was in a different place but connected to one call... Lloyd imagined the situation.
"I mean, we can still do that with the current features, but we need more than one Enigma to connect more than two different places. If Lloyd and Chief Sergei couldn't come here, for example, we need one more Enigma here and one with Lloyd to make one more call. I want to eliminate the need for more Enigma here. Everyone can stay connected with just one Enigma in each person. I don't know enough about how the Orbal Telephone system connects each call, but if it's too far-fetched to do that with it, Crossbell still has one trump card: The Orbal Network."
Orbal Network... the new city-wide system implemented in collaboration between the Epstein Foundation and Crossbell City. Lloyd didn't know much about it, but Tio was very excited about the project's ongoing development. She said that it would change Zemuria once completed.
"Tio explained to me that OrbalNet used a communication protocol where you connect one device to another using a set of specific numbers called the OrbalNet Protocol Address. Since OrbalNet allows multiple devices to connect to one OP Address simultaneously, we can apply that concept to a call."
Chief Roberts gasped. "That's brilliant! I can see what you intend to do, and I'm honestly taken aback that we didn't consider it ourselves. Using the OrbalNet communication protocol to make a call is ingenious!"
"And since the Orbal Network Project's main objective is the massive exchange of data at a rapid pace, if you want to make the OrbalNet a success, it has to be able to make a call. After all, a phone call is just a real-time exchange of data from one point to another," Renne finished from behind the phone.
"Yes! We definitely will make this!" Roberts then frowned. "Though, I'm not sure if we have the manpower to focus on a new feature from scratch in just a week... Especially since the current Enigma release still can't connect to the OrbalNet."
"Hmph, Mr. Roberts, is it? I shall lend my hand. This sounds interesting, and I can see the wider application of such a feature, not just a coordination between multiple points at a potential terrorist attack like you guys are about to face," Renne offered to help. Lloyd couldn't help but think that those words were just to tease Juna. After all, Michel did say that Renne would help when Michel mentioned Juna.
"Definitely! I'm making the three proposals because they apply now and in the future. I'm glad you guys understand my first proposal. Now, onto the second and third. It's a package, but I put it as two different proposals because the platforms are different." Juna went to her second proposal, ignoring the rest of the people aside from Roberts and Renne, who still hadn't grasped what she was talking about, including him. She gave another paper to Roberts, whose eyes started to scan the document.
None of them were experts in technology, so they didn't understand the latter parts of Juna's first proposal. They did understand what Juna wanted to achieve with the 'conference call' proposal, though. A feature in Enigma that would allow someone to make multiple calls so the coordination effort would be easier for Juna, Fran, and Michel. As for the OrbalNet discussion... Lloyd caught Sergei's eyes, and he shook his head.
Sergei smiled wryly and shook his head to him. At least he wasn't alone...
"The second proposal is a small... orbal circuit embedded inside the Enigma that constantly emits orbal radio waves. The purpose is simple: A constant tracking system for each Enigma. Since the CPD and the CGF are transitioning to use Enigma instead of Orbal Radio Transceiver, this is something that I feel really needed in Enigma as a device," Juna paused.
"A tracking system? Using orbal radio waves?"
"Why have I never thought about it before?! A tracking system for the Enigma! And we can just modify a normal tracker to fit inside Enigma, too!" Roberts exclaimed loudly.
"I don't think that's what Juna meant, Chief Roberts. Otherwise, Juna would just say it like that."
"Yeah, I mean, I don't understand how normal tracking bugs currently in circulation work, but my idea is to use a new, unused radio frequency for a single purpose, and that is tied to the third proposal..."
Juna gave another paper to Chief Roberts.
"The third proposal is simple but hard to execute, I think. A fully digitized three-dimensional map of Crossbell region accessible via OrbalNet. The purpose of the tracking system's unique frequency is to make the tracker visible on the digitized map. Can you imagine how easy it is to assign formations to the troop in the field when you have a fully three-dimensional map?"
"I see... so for example, when the terrorist ran towards the Geofront, as long as one team keeps them visible in their eyes, you will know where they are and can assign another team to intercept," Renne theorized.
"Exactly!"
"Hmm, intriguing. The common tracker still uses radar that ignores terrain. What you're saying is that we improve the monitoring system and make it fully readable for everyone."
Juna nodded at Chief Roberts' words. "But not just that; There is another, more mundane, application: You can track missing people as long as they have their Enigma with them. And in the future when Enigma can access OrbalNet, too, everyone will have their personal map in their pocket."
"I see... I see! This is why you said you know this won't be achieved anytime soon! You are aiming for civilian use! Brilliant! You are as brilliant as Tio said you are, Juna!" Chief Roberts declared before shaking Juna's hand. "We'll take it. The Foundation will try to fulfill your first proposal before the trade conference, and in return, we'll get to take the second and third proposals as a long-term project."
"I'm going to Crossbell tomorrow. I hope we can have a fruitful collaboration, Chief Roberts. By the way, may I bring someone from the Zeiss Central Factory? It's for learning purposes."
"Oh, sure! See you tomorrow, Miss Renne!"
The call was ended from the other side. Lloyd looked at the smile on Roberts' face. Coupled with calling her Miss Renne while he didn't put a 'miss' before Juna's name, why did it sound like Roberts misjudged Renne's age?
Also, he was still shaking Juna's hand. Time to intervene again. "Chief Roberts..."
"Oh, right! Juna, we'll do our best to make your proposal a reality. This could revolutionize the usefulness of Enigma!"
"I prefer the term ubiquitous," Juna said with a laugh.
"Ubiquitous! Right! That's a fitting word. Let's make Enigma a ubiquitous device!" Chief Roberts raised his hand to the air in hype. Unfortunately, he was the only one to do so inside the room filled with CPD, CGF, and Bracer Guild members.
...
Awkward.
"A-Ahaha..."
Not even the stuttered laugh from Chief Roberts could dispel the awkwardness of the situation.
"In any case, that's everything from me. Anything else?" Juna asked everyone in the room.
...Why did everyone look at him? Chief Sergei? Lloyd looked at Sergei, who gave him a nod.
"No, Juna. It's enough. Thank you for your help," he said to the pink-haired girl.
"Alright, see you later!" Juna waved her arms before running towards the door.
"I, too, have to go back since this project has quite a short timeframe. Please direct Miss Renne to the Foundation tomorrow, SSS, or the guild. Thank you for the opportunity. We'll do our best!" Roberts also left, leaving the original meeting members plus Fran.
Sergei sighed and turned to Dudley. "Just as a precaution, you should procure some new Enigmas in case the new feature isn't finished in time."
"I agree. I'll try to appeal to the higher-ups," Dudley nodded.
"Ah, Dudley. If you succeeded in getting the permission, may I request one more Enigma? The SSS will cover the cost. We've been trying to request another one, but even leveraging Tio's connection isn't enough to bypass the queue," Lloyd suddenly remembered something that he and the other SSS members were trying to do to no avail. Maybe with Dudley's help, they could get a new Enigma.
Dudley raised his eyebrow. "I don't know what you're going to do, but alright. However, once I get the permission, give me a signed reason for it. I won't accept anything else."
The aftermath of the D∴G cult incident had the mayor dismiss the previous Chief of Police, who was corrupt and easily bribed. Of course, as the Ace of the First Division, Dudley did not want to be seen as being bribed by Lloyd.
"Of course. I will send it to you when you confirm you can get it," Lloyd agreed to the condition.
Sonya let out a breath. "This all wouldn't be needed if Preston wasn't Preston."
"If Preston wasn't Preston, then Crossbell would be better in general," Sergei chimed.
"Okay, since there is nothing else to talk about, it's time for the meeting to end. We'll have a more detailed meeting on the 29th."
And thus, everyone was dismissed.
A/N: Sorry for the break, I was writing Buggy CS (And playing CS4) and didn't have time to think over this. But once I finished Buggy CS (Still haven't finished CS4 though), I had some ideas. I want to make the trade conference... grander than in canon Azure. Not better (since it was already awesome in canon), but grander and not constrained by game budgets. So I had to turn my brain on and find some reason for several casts to be in Crossbell. And here is the result. If you find the development too strange, then that's because it is just a medium to bring some beloved characters back for this Buggy Azure. I'm gonna fill the missing 'week' between the end of Chapter 1 and the start of Chapter 2 of Azure with some... developments that hopefully will be good enough to make the conference seems grander than canon. Also, because I swear to God I don't remember ever seeing the casts having conference call using Enigma in both Zero and Azure while Arcus already has the feature in CS1.