Epilogue
One and a half billion kilometers away and a day later, Under-Director Jonas Shigeki had a problem.
It wasn’t a bad problem, all things considered, but he still needed to deal with it somehow.
He sat at the conference table deep within Argus Station and listened as Chief Lamont and Commissioner Tyrel reviewed the exchange program’s first resounding success, and he struggled—truly struggled—to keep all his smugness bottled up.
He’d been mostly successful up until now, but then Tyrel and Lamont began discussing how surprised and relieved and happy they were that Detective Cho and Special Agent Cantrell had not only failed to embarrass themselves—and, by extension, the superpowers they represented—but had actually solved an important case thanks in part to both of their strengths.
“I must confess, Oliver,” Tyrel continued, “I expected the results to be…worse.”
“You and me both,” Lamont said, scrolling casually through Detective Cho’s report. “What a surprise.”
“A pleasant surprise,” Tyrel stressed.
“Very pleasant,” Lamont echoed.
“Agent Kaminski’s report, and his glowing review of Agent Cantrell’s actions, stands out as particularly significant. Especially given his…history with the Admin.”
“Indeed.”
“I thought this pair was doomed from the start, but it seems I’ve been proven wrong. Granted, I’m glad to be wrong this time. Cho and Cantrell have quickly formed a team that showcases both SysGov and Admin strengths. Wouldn’t you agree, Director?” She twisted in her seat.
The smugness began to leak across his face, forming the precursor of a rude, condescending smirk, and he forcibly aborted it with a pained, almost constipated expression. Too pained, it turned out, because Tyrel regarded him with a puzzled face.
“Director?”
“Yes?”
“Are you all right?”
“I think it might be something I ate,” Jonas strained.
“Ah.” Tyrel shrugged her hands. “Well, the canteen’s Sichuan cuisine did have a lot of heat today.”
“That was probably it,” Jonas managed. “Too much spicy tofu.”
“Do you need to take a break?” Lamont asked.
“No, no. Please continue.” He put on a courageous smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“Very well.” Lamont regarded the report with satisfaction. “Any recommendations, Vesna?”
“I’d like to keep them on Saturn for the immediate future. Certainly, for the initial three months we’ve agreed to, but I’m perfectly happy talking about an extension, even at this early stage.” She gave Jonas a sideways glance. “Assuming our partners in the Admin consent to one.”
“The Admin will happily loan you Agent Cantrell for as long as you like.”
“What did you have in mind?” Lamont asked.
“Perhaps a rotation through other jurisdictions in the solar system,” Tyrel said. “There are a lot of benefits to be had for a detective working in unfamiliar states, such as exposure to differences in local laws and police operations. I make it a point to rotate a small percentage of my detectives each year; it helps cross-pollinate best practices across the different stations as well as promote the development of new talent. Their success with the Gordian murders shows they have promise, and such a rotation would be good for Cho’s growth as a detective.”
“It would also further our goals in the exchange program,” Lamont observed, “granting Cantrell greater exposure to our culture.”
“That, too,” Tyrel agreed. “But I think that’s a discussion for another day. For now, I’d like to keep them on Saturn.”
“And I see no reason to object,” Lamont said.
“Speaking of cultural exchanges…” Tyrel tapped her copy of the report and turned toward the director. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Oh?” Jonas said. “What’s that?”
“You knew these two were going to work out from the start.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I knew. But I did suspect they were a good match.”
“Yes, I remember. You seemed quite confident when we selected Cho ‘at random,’ and nothing since has shaken your faith in the program. That strikes me as…curious.”
Jonas smiled at her but said nothing.
“It also strikes me as curious that the ‘random number’ used to pick Cho came from you, the only person comfortable in his selection, and the only person who defended that selection despite how poorly Cho did during his brief interview.”
“Your point?” Jonas asked, grinning ear to ear.
“My point, Director, is I’d like to know why you deliberately chose him while also trying to hide that fact.”
“Impressive.” Jonas gave her a short, congratulatory clap. “You’re not in charge of the SysPol detectives for nothing.”
She dipped her head toward him.
“And you’re right, of course. The number I provided may have been…less random than I let on, shall we say? There was still some element of chance in the process, since I don’t have full access to your division’s roster, but I worked with what I had.”
“Yet the question remains. Why these two?”
“Because my goal this whole time was exactly what I said from the start. To demonstrate cooperation between our two governments needn’t involve the highest echelons of those governments. That lower levels of our societies could not only work together, but like each other, too.”
“I must admit I’m still confused on that point,” Lamont said. “How did you know Cho and Cantrell could even tolerate each other? They seemed poorly matched to me, at least at first.”
“That’s easy. I simply identified the most prominent point where our two cultures intersect and ensured both candidates were well versed in the subject. With that in place, I was confident their shared interests would come to light during their time together and help them ease through the friction our cultural differences undoubtedly cause.”
“And this intersection of cultures is…”—Tyrel raised an eyebrow—“what, exactly?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jonas grinned at them. “Both Cho and Cantrell are avid gamers!”