Free April 8: It's Always Something by Mackey Chandler

it's terribly difficult. They not only wanted to snatch a lady out of the common area, just like the North Americans did the Home fellow. They intended to do it while the party in question was under my personal escort and protection, as well as armed folks involved in the rebellion of Home that was just then starting, and a major Chicago Mafia family. They hit the trifecta of stupidity that day!"
    "So, I'm assuming then that it turned out badly for them?" Kurt probed.
    "Well we managed to get the Home people safely away without loss, but they wouldn't leave well enough alone once that was accomplished, and tried to hold their vessel at dock and impose their own controls on navigation from Earth orders. I eventually ejected them from the station when no other course seemed to sway them."
    "You sent them back to Earth?" Karl asked.
    "Not exactly. They had an excursion out the airlock, without benefit of pressure suit. One fellow in his skivvies actually," Jan said. "The little fellows are still peeved about that. I suppose one of the reasons nobody wants to relieve me at this post is the flood of protests and charges that haven't abated since. Who wants to face that moving into a new position? I just ignore them and move on with my business. The other thing is, I figure the fact that I'm still here, no matter how polite my people are about all the objections to my continuing, is a message to them from my governments that they're just as pleased as can be with what I did. Otherwise the first thing they would do is fire me to appease the protesting North Americans and Chinese."
    Being a vacuum worker that scene in his mind horrified Kurt. He could practically feel his ears pop.
    "Why do you say my governments if you rep them all?" Kurt asked, still skeptical.
    "Oh I represent them all, but I was appointed by the Swiss for a term, then the Germans, and then the Swiss again. I can probably get the Austrians to accept me for their own from family and cultural ties if the others get tired of taking turns."
    "You're Swiss right now?" Kurt asked, unbelieving.
    "It's Tuesday, right? Swiss. Definitely Swiss today," Jan joked.
    "Thank you for lunch," Kurt said. He was going into information overload, and Jan could see that. So he just assured Kurt he was welcome and to call on him any time he had questions or interesting information to share. He went straight back to his office across the railing like a hurdler, smooth as could be. Arash came and cleared Jan's place and poured fresh coffee for Kurt. He acted differently with Kurt now that he associated him with Jan.
    "Oh! I didn't see Jan take care of the check," Kurt suddenly realized. "What do we owe you?" He was a little panicked because it was going to be a lot in North American dollars.
    "Mr. Hagen runs an account with the house and we settle periodically," Arash said, amused. "Don't concern yourself with it."

Chapter 5
    "Overall, the young fellow is sincere and still charmingly naive," Jan wrapped up his report to Jeff. It was unusual for Jan to call Jeff directly and not go through Jeff's man Chen or Home's counterpoint to him, Jon Davis, but he seemed to have a special interest. "He is observant enough to be useful as a source of information. I could tell however that he didn't connect all the dots on what he knew just by the rambling order in which he related them. He needs some maturity, but I'd groom him for senior management eventually."
    Jeff squinted at that and pursed his lips. That much of a display to Jan was equal to an hour of interrogation with high quality veracity software to some lesser talents. "Other than the fact you have recruited him to your own net, and would like to keep him positioned usefully, and he's capable for his age, I don't see sufficient reason to view him as anything but a temporary worker for this one project. Did I miss some point about why he'd be so valuable to slot for management?"
    "Yes, I believe you did miss a critical point," Jan said