Swire the Elegant Wit

[Code Name] Swire

[Gender] Female

[Combat Experience] 5 Years

[Place of Birth] Lungmen

[Date of Birth] Jul 1

[Race] Feline

[Height] 163cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Standard

[Mobility] Standard

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Excellent

[Combat Skill] Standard

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Swire, Commissioner of the Lungmen Guard Department.

Returning from her holiday in Siesta, she is currently providing Rhodes Island assistance in her capacity as a private individual, and based on her own judgment.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

Operator Swire shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.13u/L

Operator Swire rarely comes into contact with Originium.

Compared to before her promotion to L.G.D. Commissioner, Swire has had little opportunity to visit Rhodes Island, and the few visits she does make have been relatively shorter. In the Training Room, she often simply gives a few words of advice to the training operators, and completely dodges any mention of Lungmen when conversing our operators. At most she occasionally brings up the logistics company she and Bison founded together in Siesta, as well as her magnum opus there—the waterpark.

But ever since she was promoted to commissioner, she rarely seems to show up together with Operator Hoshiguma.

Some veteran operators couldn't help but wonder if her promotion created a rift between the two, but every time the subject is brought up, she would suddenly get emotional and complain that although Hoshiguma seems like last person to mind such formalities, she'd always call her 'Commissioner Swire,' both in public and private. Even when the two of them happen to bump into each other at the elevators, Hoshiguma intentionally avoids her with a solemn expression, instead of accompanying her. This has left Swire dumbfounded. Although Hoshiguma has always dismissed this as a method to avoid arousing suspicion, Swire clearly did not accept this answer.

Out of an abundance of caution, our operators now restrict the topics of their everyday conversations to Lungmen's dining scene. Supposedly, Swire recommends places ranging from local street stalls to high end restaurants with exorbitant prices. While on deployment in Lungmen, our operators sometimes catch her having late night snacks at the street stalls. They would merely wave at each other before going back to their meals, with the lights of the L.G.D. Commissioner's office illuminating the night sky in the distance.

Swire isn't one to shy away from talking about her investments in Siesta.

She once just happened to walk by Engineering with her waterpark expansion blueprints in tow and ask for some free tips, completely going against any business logic. She also met up with Snowsant as she was returning from a field mission, told her she 'wanted the chief designer to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony,' and shoved a few more designs into her hands while she was at it.

Under her leadership, her waterpark was successfully built to blueprint, and has proven to be no less exciting than the Obsidian Festival. It draws crowds of visitors with no end in sight, and there are even plans to expand. Thanks to this one trip, Snowsant managed to finally amass the funding she's been trying to obtain for years—as well as a multitude of design patents—while Swire and Bison have at last found their footing in Terra's cutthroat international logistics and trade industry.

Mountaincomm Trade is currently in a period of stable expansion, and their international business's success in Siesta has given the two young entrepreneurs the confidence to continue. Their next stop, Lungmen—Yan's most important commercial port—is also waiting to be taken to new heights. Though compared to their ultimate goal of connecting all the lands together, the two of them are merely taking a small step forward. However, this one, firm step has already roused the echoes of time.

'What's the point in following the older generation's asses only to fight over what they leave behind? If I'm getting into business, I may as well break into a new market. I can do more than uphold the order in Lungmen. I have the power to build it.'

The many parties within the Lungmen Chamber of Commerce are even now bickering amongst themselves. Even the scaffolding used to build Siesta's new towers is covered with their corporations' names in large letters. Siesta is facing a transition, and so is Swire. And both have satisfactory answers to offer.

On her journey home from Siesta, Swire received a total of three letters.

One was neat and stately, with heavy strokes that nearly penetrate the paper.

'Adams has read your last letter. He was elated, and he both approves of the Mountaincomm Trade business and has high expectations of you.'

'However, considering that you now hold an important position, it is paramount that you exercise prudence, maintain the appropriate demeanor, and refrain from making any ostentatious displays in public. This should go without saying. Now that your vacation is over, I must ask that you return to your duties at the L.G.D. with all haste.

'Further, your grandfather's condition has been deteriorating by the day. He is eager to see his granddaughter. Please pay him a visit as soon as possible.'

—Wei Yenwu

Another has beautiful handwriting, and even the paper itself gives off a pleasant aroma.

'I heard that your grandfather coughed up blood and fainted while watching your childhood tapes. I visited him in the hospital, but he was asleep. The doctor wasn't very optimistic about his condition.

'I know you two have never gotten along, but blood is thicker than water. There must be something he wants to tell you before he goes. Stop playing around all day and come back to see him as soon as you can. Think of it as giving yourself closure. You owe yourself that much. Don't end up regretting your decisions.'

—Lin Yühsia

Another letter has strokes as heavy as the first, though its handwriting is much cruder. The sender also practically dove towards Swire with the letter.

'Nei zek laan taan mao, I heard you pissed nei ah je off so much that he just up and zau maai?!'

—Hoshiguma

Swire held Hoshiguma down, and then continued her journey to Lungmen.

The conversation in that extravagant sickroom between Swire and Old Mr. Schwire, her grandfather, will forever remain a secret to everyone else. However, the moment she closed the door, a satisfied laugh could be heard in the hallway, creeping through the door.

A few months later, Swire, his heir apparent, announced she would leave the Schwire Group. That afternoon, she attended the Lungmen Guard Department's promotion ceremony and was promoted to the role of commissioner—the police chief.

There is a desk in the L.G.D. senior superintendents' office that has sat empty for two years. Thanks to Swire's promotion, there will now be another empty desk. When the last senior superintendent left, she didn't take any of her belongings with her. This time, Swire put them all away in a paper box labeled with the name of their owner: Ch'en Hui-chieh.

Catalogue of Desktop Items

Ch'en Hui-chieh:

Felt-tip pen, previous years' documents pertaining to the Lungmen Infected, water cup.

Swire:

Business contract, letter from Lin, evidence bag, L.G.D. holiday attendance schedule, police work policy adjustment suggestions, situation analyses...

Also a bowl of finball soup, still hot; I'll bring it over in a moment.

The officers sometimes privately discuss how Swire's leadership compares to Ch'en's. Superintendent Ch'en always led the charge, and always capably divvied up the tasks among everyone. Those who worked under her would breathe a long sigh after missions and find themselves unable to loosen up for the better part of a day. On the other hand, Swire requires everyone to handle multiple tasks at once, but all the officers agree that, even at their most busy, the work is never unmanageable. No matter how many problems there are, they can always feel a clear through line in their work. This line threads together every problem and reaches the core of it all. But long story short, 'It's like both of them have eight brains each. If I were in their position, I'd be dead the first day on the job.'

Aside from her work at the L.G.D., Mountaincomm Trade, which Swire founded with Bison, has expanded rapidly from only a small factory in a corner of Lungmen, allowing the city to gain an even firmer foothold in Terra's international trade as Yan's premier city of commerce. Lungmen's public order and economy are both undergoing rapid development. Swire still sits in her office, and her desk is just as messy and cluttered as before, but no one would ever claim that she got where she is because of the Schwire Group's backing, or that she took over for somebody. She is where she deserves to be, and is doing a terrific job, too.

'Young Ch'en's chase may have guided her onto a different path, but it's clear that this girl is a better fit for the role... The kids have their own paths to walk, and they're all well on their way now. Remember how you were worried sick all those years ago? Now you'll admit they're capable, right?'

'She is indeed doing a fine job. I can rest easy knowing the L.G.D. is in her capable hands.'

'You should watch your back, though. She might even be eyeing your Lungmen Chief seat.'

'She'll have to work much harder for it, then. Us old bones aren't THAT old yet—Hey, your beard got in my bowl!'

—A casual conversation between two old men drinking tea in Lungmen's night market

Lungmen Guard Department Letter of Appointment

Per resolution, Beatrix Schwire is hereby appointed the Commissioner of the Lungmen Guard Department.

It is my wish that you uphold the public order in Lungmen and the peace enjoyed by its citizenry.

Signed

Wei Yenwu, Chief of Lungmen

Swire holds the thin letter of appointment in her hand and solemnly puts it away in her drawer. The thinness of the paper and the simplicity of its words weighed heavily in her hands.