“C’mon in here,” Stone said, gesturing to the office he shared with Peabody, “and let’s get you up to speed on things.”
“…So it sounds like everything’s going well with the division, then,” Ashton said, when the two assistant leads were finished briefing him.
“Yup,” Stone agreed. “Thanks in large measure to that classified VR channel you set up for us to contact you. Damn, pal, you know your stuff.”
“He does,” Peabody agreed. “I still can’t believe he managed to do what he did – go undercover for an operation, and still ensure we had help with the Investigations division.”
“How’s the new guy coming along?” Ashton asked then, letting the corners of his lips quirk just a little at the compliment. “You know, the one from Nagoya, in Honshu sector?”
“You mean Richard Honda?” Peabody asked.
“That’s him. I need to learn his name.”
“He’s been doing great,” Stone said. “He came to us an Investigator, Level 1, and in the time you’ve been gone, he’s already nearly to Level 3.”
“He’s one of the sharpest knives in our drawer,” Peabody agreed, “and we’ve been thinking about sending him over to ICPD so Mott can train him in disguise. He’s good with that shit.”
“Do it,” Ashton decreed.
“Done,” Stone said.
The next day, Carter called a live meeting of the Investigative and Special Teams divisions in an auditorium one floor down. Much to everyone’s surprise, ICPD Detective Callista Ames was also there.
“Okay, guys,” he said. “I wanted to make sure everyone who works with him is in on this, as well as a special person in his life.” He gestured to Walton. “Dominick Ashton, would you please come forward?”
A startled Ashton rose and moved to the front of the big room.
“Um, right here, Lee,” he said. “What do you need?”
“It isn’t what I need, but what I can do for you, Field and Investigative Lead Detective Ashton,” Carter said. “I see you obeyed my request to wear your dress uniform today.”
“Yes, sir,” Ashton said with a grin. “As a good friend of mine once said, when the Director tells you to do something, you do it.”
“Good man. Ladies and Gentlemen,” Carter continued, turning to the audience, “Detective Ashton, here, did a very brave thing. He went undercover as a defense engineer for two years and allowed himself to be recruited by a spy network from Annalia. This meant that, not only could the Department of Defense feed the Annalians false information without their awareness, it enabled us to track down all of the members of the infiltrated network and capture, try, and execute them.” Carter paused, and looked out over the gathered divisions. “This put him at significant risk, for if he had been caught, there is no doubt but that the Annalian spies would have seen to it he was assassinated, execution-style.”
Carter turned back to Ashton. “Detective Ashton, step forward, please.”
Ashton did so.
“ICPD Detective Ames, if you please.”
Callista Ames moved to stand before Ashton, where she produced a medal on a short ribbon – white, with a wide central red stripe and two narrow blue stripes flanking it – and pinned it to the chest of his tunic.
“This is the Gold Shield award. When a member of the IPD steps forward to place him-or herself in danger in order to protect other members of this, or any other, police department from a conspiracy anywhere in the Empire, they are eligible for the Gold Shield. This is only the second time it has been awarded, and while Detective Ashton certainly protected all of us here, he also did a lot more, in that he essentially protected the entire Empire. For what it’s worth, I know that there is scuttlebutt in the Palace about an additional award for that effort, so this medal might not end up alone on his uniform. Congratulations, Detective Ashton,” he added, as a beaming, proud Ames stepped back, to reveal the medal hanging below and to the left of the IPD Throne pin on Ashton’s tunic, where Carter had instructed her to place it.
The room erupted in riotous applause and raucous cheers, as Ashton flushed, then smiled.
The espionage case meeting the next day was in VR around midmorning, and included The Team, Ashton’s Gang, Ashton, Carter, Peterson, Quan, Daggert, Mercer, and around half a dozen other Imperial Guardsmen, plus several of the IPD’s Forensics team.
“All right, people, excellent job,” Daggert said. “I got word first thing this morning from the VR Group, that last batch of fake plans that Conrad sent out before she was taken into custody were sent to the same distribution as all the rest, and those, in turn, forwarded as anticipated. The Emperor has agreed that for this, and all future espionage attempts that we thwart, if we present his secretary with the names and proof positive, he will sign the death warrants. We have the spy and are interrogating her in the High Court. We will look for her handler, any others in the ring on Sintar, and follow the passage of the fake plans offworld. Each group will, in turn, be interrogated by the Guard in the High Court, and if confirmed as part of the espionage, will be executed.”
“As per usual,” Ashton observed.
“Where does the plans trail lead?” Carter wondered.
“I was about to ask the same thing, Lee,” Peterson confessed.
“According to our VR people, to the Annalia embassy on Carolina,” Daggert said.
“And thence to Annalia, I assume,” Peabody noted. “And probably shared with the Democracy of Planets.”
“Almost certainly, to both,” Daggert agreed. “But there isn’t a great deal we can do there, at least not openly. Not right now.”
“Can we handle the embassy situation?” Quan asked.
“We can,” Daggert confirmed. “When things started to heat up a couple
