“Desk jockeys. Most investigators have never commanded anything more complicated than a stapler.”

“Have you been investigated, Commander?”

His eyes snapped to mine, suddenly cold as shattered ice. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because you sound intimately familiar with the grievance process.”

He leaned forward, dropping the charm. “You ask a lot of questions for a clerk.”

Before I could reply, his phone lit up on the table. It buzzed for only a second, but my training let me read the notification instantly: HARBOR MASTER: She still won’t withdraw it.