“Congressman Jones,” the president said, extending his hand.

 

“Sir.”

 

“I think we all owe you a debt of gratitude for saving this country. Your timely action and political reach have ensured our nation will survive.”

 

“It was an honor to provide our people with resolution in this time of crisis, sir.”

 

The president leaned in to Jones’s ear. He kept his voice low. “What about our little problem of the soldiers that stayed behind? I heard there was some conflict?”

 

“We ran into a few issues, but I’m working on cleaning that up.”

The president leaned back and patted Jones on the shoulder wholeheartedly, like he’d just heard a good joke.