Chapter 7 - The Red Tape Ripped
"Admiral Vance," Brock said, panicking, turning to his superior officer. "You know my record! You know what I've done for this command! Ten deployments! Three Bronze Stars! You can't let her do this over a field infraction! It was an administrative misunderstanding!"
"Shut up, Brock," Vance said coldly.
"Sir! Call the Senator!" Brock’s voice pitched higher, desperation breaking through his military bearing. "Call Senator Davies! He sits on the Armed Services Committee! He cleared our operational budget! He’ll tell you—"
"Senator Davies is currently being interviewed by the FBI," I said.
Brock froze.
"What?" he breathed.
"Did you really believe I came here today just to inspect your dress uniforms, Commander?" I tilted my head, looking at him with pity. "We didn't come to look at your rifles. We came for the logistics ledgers."
Admiral Vance opened the lower sleeve of the manila envelope and pulled out a thick stack of bank transfer receipts, procurement manifests, and shredded maintenance logs reconstructed by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
"Operation Black Tide," I recited smoothly. "Three hundred thousand rounds of specialized ammunition written off as 'expended in training' over eighteen months. Two million dollars in tactical drone components marked as 'destroyed during maritime insertion.' And four secret offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands registered under your brother-in-law’s holding company."
Brock took a staggering step back, his hand blindly searching for the wooden railing of the podium to keep himself upright.
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"You're done, Sullivan," Vance said. "The audit was finished yesterday. The General came here this morning to hand me the formal arrest warrants signed by the Judge Advocate General."
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