A staffing battle on the Standing Committee: an alliance between two department heads
The journey back to the White Bone Hall was smooth.
Lynn sat in his seat, listening to the faint hum of the Nibelung's engines, without saying a word.
The initial drafts of the accountability report for the Bridge incident, as well as the preliminary contact report regarding the "XN-734" Timeline assets, have been submitted by Natasha and Gwen Stacy to their Encrypted Terminal.
Lynn glanced at the title and then turned off the screen.
He spoke only after the Shuttlecraft came to a stop on the designated Landing Pad of the White Bone Hall.
"Notify all Standing Committee Member that a meeting will be held in Conference Room One in half an hour."
The oval black stone table in Conference Room One is large enough to accommodate twenty people.
But at this moment, only a handful of people were sitting, making the space seem exceptionally empty.
Lynn sat in the main seat, with Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, and Natasha, the acting Director of the Internal Affairs Inspection Office, on her left. On her right were Technology Integration Department Minister Wanda, and Gwen Stacy, the director of the Liaison Office.
The atmosphere was somewhat somber.
Gwen Stacy, as the head of the Liaison Office and also the meeting secretary, stood up and distributed a freshly printed document, still warm from printing, to everyone.
On the cover of the document, there was a line of striking bold text.
Draft on the establishment of the 'XN-734' Timeline Special Area and the appointment of the Special Zone's plenipotentiary representative.
"Gentlemen," Gwen Stacy's voice was crisp and formal, "This is a formal Political Demands from the receiving entity 'XN-734-01,' compiled by the Liaison Office as instructed by the Director, and is now submitted to the Standing Committee for its first review."
After saying that, she sat back down and said no more.
No one touched that document.
Hela's fingertips gently caressed the smooth hilt of the sword, producing a very subtle sound.
Wanda's gaze was fixed on the teacup in front of her, watching the rising steam, her eyes unfocused.
Lynn picked up his teacup and blew on the foam.
"Take a look at them all."
He spoke.
"Since it's a formally submitted draft, we must follow the rules and procedures."
Hela then picked up the document, flipped through only one page, and tossed it back onto the table. The movement was small, but the sound was very clear.
I object.
Her voice was cold and devoid of any personal emotion, as if she were reading a verdict.
According to Article 3 of the General Provisions of the "Negative Zone Management Committee Jurisdiction Security Law," the Management Committee possesses absolute and unique Jurisdiction and enforcement power over all Dimension within its jurisdiction.
"This draft bill calls for the establishment of a ' Special Area ' that is not under the jurisdiction of the Stability Maintenance Office. This is tantamount to splitting the legal sovereignty of the Management Committee and carving out a lawless territory in the heartland. Once this door is opened, today it could be XN-734, and tomorrow it could be any newly received Dimension."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"The responsibility of my Stability Maintenance Office is to ensure the absolute stability of the Management Committee's rule. From a security perspective, this draft law carries fundamental and irreconcilable legal risks. I veto it."
After he finished speaking, the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop even further.
Natasha kept her head down, her fingers lightly sliding across her Data Pad, as if she were taking meeting minutes or doing some calculations.
Lynn's expression remained unchanged as he turned to look in the other direction.
"Comrade Wanda, what's your opinion?"
Wanda looked up, her gaze finally shifting from her teacup to the draft document.
"I also disagree, but not from a legal perspective."
Her voice was calm, like that of a pure technocrat analyzing a problem.
"This draft only puts forward a concept, which is very vague. How many staff would be needed to establish a ' Special Area '? Where would the administrative, logistical, and security personnel be allocated from? Would they be newly added, or drawn from existing departments?"
"How much energy does it consume to operate? What level of data port does it need to connect to? Is its server independently built, or integrated into the Department of Technology's core network? None of these questions have been mentioned."
Wanda tapped her finger lightly on the document.
"A draft plan that lacks even the most basic budget assessment and feasibility analysis is demanding that we approve a major organizational restructuring. From a technical and resource management perspective, this is neither procedurally sound nor rigorous."
"Our Department of Technology cannot approve the allocation of resources and computing power for a project without underlying data support."
The two heads of powerful departments, one on the left and one on the right, blocked the draft law from the perspectives of "law" and "money," respectively.
They stood on the same side, a rare occurrence.
Although the reasons given were all high-sounding and revolved around rules and procedures, everyone present knew what the real reason behind them was.
Silence fell over the meeting room once again.
Hela and Wanda's gazes both fell on Lynn, creating an invisible pressure.
This is a coup d'état.
They were waiting for Lynn to give her a response.
Lynn put down his teacup with a soft "tap".
He didn't look at Hela or Wanda, but at Gwen Stacy.
"Did the Liaison Office not conduct a preliminary format review when it received this draft?"
His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Gwen Stacy immediately stood up. "Director, the draft was submitted directly by the other party via telepathy. The situation is special; we've only transcribed the content, not yet..."
Lynn waved her hand, interrupting her.
This will not be repeated.
He then turned his gaze to the document.
"Comrades Hela and Wanda's opinions are very pertinent and reasonable. Our Management Committee's decisions must be based on legality, compliance, and controllable resources."
He first affirmed the statements made by both of them.
"This draft is indeed too rough. It's not just a matter of budget and staffing; what exactly are the functions of the ' Special Zone representatives' it requires? Is there any overlap in functions with our existing Stability Maintenance Office, Department of Technology and Technology Inspection Office, and Supervision Office? These are all problems, and big problems at that."
Lynn's fingers tapped lightly on the table, unhurriedly.
"I think we should leave this topic here for today."
"Return this draft."
He made a decision.
"Gwen Stacy, your Liaison Office should take the lead in preparing a formal meeting summary afterward. Clearly inform the applicant that the Management Committee respects their Political Demands in principle, but the draft requires significant revisions."
Specifically, first, it requires a detailed budget for the Special Zone, accurate to every Standard Energy Unit. Second, it requires a clear definition of the Special Zone's functions and a detailed proposal for the division of Jurisdiction over areas overlapping with existing departments. Third, and most importantly, it requires a comprehensive risk assessment report on the assets within this Timeline.
Lynn's arrangements were clear, logical, and meticulous.
He neither forced it forward nor directly rejected it; instead, he used a more complex and cumbersome procedure to pass the buck back to the US.
This is a typical example of "compliance delays".
Hela and Wanda exchanged a glance, both seeing a knowing look in each other's eyes. They had achieved their goal, and in a way that they couldn't refute.
Lynn's tactical maneuver rendered their seemingly inevitable combined attack futile, like hitting cotton.
"That's settled then." Lynn stood up and announced the end of the meeting, "Meeting adjourned."
Hela and Wanda didn't say another word, and got up to leave the meeting room.
Gwen Stacy looked at Lynn, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a sigh, and she began to draft the meeting minutes.
Half an hour later, at the Forward Isolation Cell One.
On the pure white wall, a huge light screen lit up.
Jean Grey looked up.
On the screen, a document with an Red-Headed Document was displayed, titled "Letter of Initial Review Opinions on the Special Zone Establishment Draft the 'XN-734' Timeline Zone".
At the end of the document, several lines of bold text clearly stated the Standing Committee's final resolution.
[After review, the draft is deemed too cursory and lacks feasibility; therefore, it is rejected. The applicant is requested to make significant revisions according to the requirements in the attachment and submit a new draft.]
The cold, official rhetoric was devoid of any emotion.
Inside the Isolation Pod, all was silent.
Jean Grey looked at the letter of opinion, and the smile on her face slowly disappeared.