Chapter 7 - The Cornered WolvesBy Tuesday afternoon, the base was thick with tension. Colonel Holt had caught wind of our discovery, and he was panicking.
I was summoned to his private office at 4:00 PM. The room was luxurious, filled with framed certificates, medals, and photographs of Holt standing beside smiling politicians.
"Commander," Holt said, his tone deceptively warm as he poured two glasses of scotch. "I hear you've been doing some unauthorized digging in the server archives. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. We’re all on the same team here."
"I don't think we are, Colonel," I said, refusing the glass. "I’m on the team that believes a Silver Star belongs to the person who actually earned it."
Holt’s warm smile vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous glare. He slammed his glass onto the mahogany desk. "You think you can ruin me with a five-year-old communication log? I have friends in the Senate, Commander. I can have your career ended with a single phone call."
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"You can try," I replied, leaning over his desk. "But the original medical officer who signed that report has already agreed to testify. And the six Marines Mara saved? They are currently being contacted by my legal counsel. They have been waiting five years to find the woman who saved their lives."
Holt stared at me, his breathing shallow and rapid. He realized, for the first time in his career, that his rank and his friends could not protect him from the simple, devastating weight of the truth.
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