...Well. It's just an idea. I'm not running it by anyone else. Do it or don't do it. It's entirely possible I've made a mistake.

[It's not reverse psychology. Gregor has personnel who study other potential personnel. He doesn't have to do his own talent-scouting back home. And Shikamaru is too young and inexperienced to really be a good choice, but he knows how this world works. He's respected. That makes him about the best choice Gregor has really come up with on his own.]