Enlightened Ignorance by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LNBPM Publishing

Chapter Twenty-Seven

May 26, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Bar Remembrance

Jia sipped her beer, pushing against the cloudiness in her mind. It was her second drink of the night, but she wanted to avoid getting too drunk too quickly. Having a higher tolerance than she once had didn’t mean she could drink with abandon.

Most of the big toasts had been conducted earlier. Everyone from the 1-2-2 had gathered to celebrate the enforcement zone’s part in the raid.

It was a high-profile success, and everyone could be proud.

She sat at table in the corner with Erik. They’d already chatted with different patrol officers and detectives throughout the bar, and most people were more than content to leave them alone now. Even though they’d played a key role in taking down the CEO, so many agents and cops had been involved in the raid, it was one time the Obsidian Detective and Lady Justice weren’t the focus of the attention.

Jia preferred it that way.

“You’re good with the other officers,” she announced, breaking a short silence.

Erik gulped down more beer. Unlike Jia, he had gone through four drinks already. It was just more proof of his thirty years of military experience.

“Huh?” Erik managed. He looked confused, but he wasn’t flushed, nor were his eyes bloodshot. She wasn’t sure he was drunk. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. What am I good about?”

Jia smiled. “I’m the corp princess who ran off her first two partners. Even if they respect me, they don’t like me the way you do. I know a lot of them still feel uncomfortable around me. You might have come in a different way, but you have the military experience. I think they’ll always see me as a rich girl first.”

Erik set his mug down. “A lot of these guys remind me of the people I served with in the Army. Some are vets, even if I’m the only one who took advantage of the Obsidian Detective Act. It’s natural that I get along with them.” He looked at her. “Is that a problem?”

“No.” Jia shook her head. “It doesn’t bother me anymore, not really, but I’m not going to pretend it’s not there, either. I didn’t become a police officer to make friends, and as long as they aren’t trying to undermine my investigations, I won’t have a problem. Some are coming along better than others, like Halil. The rest know to keep their mouths shut. That’s all I can ask for.”

She nodded in the named detective’s direction. Halil was chatting quietly with a couple of other men across the room.

“You’d make a good captain,” Jia insisted. “Even a good chief. We need more cops like you, Erik. The rest of us are coming along, but we’re captives of the system. Neo Southern California is just one place. Imagine the corruption under the surface of the major metroplexes.”

“Maybe I’d make a good police captain, but it doesn’t matter.” Erik stared into his beer.

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t join to rise in the ranks, and I’ll never forget why I did.

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