EPILOGUE
The halls of the Bureau of Alien Affairs seemed strangely silent as I stopped in front of a real wooden door with a discreet gold plaque on it.
Nervously, I smoothed the lines of the bright red vegan silk suit I wore, while Peri muttered darkly on my shoulder. “If you’re worried, you should have stayed with Reynard,” I told her. “I’m perfectly capable of handling this myself without your protection.”
Her thoughts were full of doubts as I lifted a hand and knocked.
“Come in,” Dr. Daniels called.
He stood as I entered the room, his blue eyes twinkling. “Ah, Agent Adams. I’ve been expecting you.”
“You have?” Surprised, I paused in the middle of the room.
“Please, sit.” He moved to a sideboard and took a bottle of Sirius ’45 from a wine bucket. “I believe this is your favorite, and we have cause for celebration.”
“We do?” I parked my butt in an overstuffed chair and eyed him suspiciously as he poured two glasses.
“Yes. The people who made up Losif Strand’s alliance were found guilty on all charges this morning. They’ll spend the rest of their lives on Inferno, along with the men who originally signed onto the Federation ship to steal the Sumantti.”
I nodded, distracted for a moment. “That is good news. I’m glad it’s over.”
“As am I. How is the commander settling in?” he asked, handing over one of the glasses and taking the chair next to mine.
“He’s ecstatic. We can’t even go for a walk because every time he sees a new gadget, we have to stop so he can figure out how it works. When he’s not here at headquarters doing his job, he’s logged into the computers, studying. I think he’s leaning toward an engineering degree.”
“Well, he’ll have a job with us as long as he wants it, no matter what field he specializes in. You were absolutely right about his abilities. There’s not a martial arts instructor in the bureau who can beat him, plus he’s like having a human lie detector around. We’ve never had such a well-behaved junior class before.” He smiled. “But you aren’t here to talk about the commander, are you?”
“No, I’m not.” I rolled the glass between my hands while Peri shifted uncomfortably on my shoulder. “It’s about my job.”
He nodded. “Yes, this talk was a bit delayed by your mission. We both know you weren’t created to be a field agent, even though things turned out fine this time. Any suggestions on what we should do with you?”
“As a matter of fact”—I took a deep breath and plunged off the precipice—“I want your job.”
He threw his head back and gave a deep belly laugh. “You never disappoint, Agent Adams. Unfortunately for you, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon. On the other hand, there’s a lot for you to do here at Alien Affairs, so I’m sure we can keep you busy at something. Maybe a job as my assistant?”
“Really?” Stunned, I could only stare at him.
“Really. Not only are you organized to a fault, you’re supremely educated on Federation politics. And of one thing I’m sure. With you around, life will never be dull. Welcome aboard, Agent Adams. You start tomorrow.”
I drained my glass, and then let out a whoop of joy as Peri did blissful loops around the room. Life was good. Yes, it was very, very good.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to give a rousing thanks to my editor, Emily Krump. She always knows how to make my stories better than I can make them on my own. Don’t know what I’d do without her.
Thanks also to my agent, Laura Bradford, who is wise and supportive beyond reason, even when I’m in a bad mood because of life situations I can’t control.
When I need an answer fast, Wikipedia is my site of choice, so thanks to them for being such a great resource.
And I could spend hours (and have) on the Hubblesite.org, just looking at the fantastic images. They are truly amazing.