Chapter 5 - THE MASTERMIND'S SHADOW
y dawn, the atmosphere at Coronado had turned toxic.
I sat in Admiral Vale’s private office, presenting the decrypted files from Petty Officer Miller’s
drive. Vale’s face grew darker with every page he read.
“This digital signature,“ Vale said, pointing to the encrypted authorization code. “I recognize the
routing path. It belongs to Vice Admiral Sterling’s office at the Navy Material Command in
Washington.“
“Sterling,“ I repeated, the name tasting like ash. “He’s on the short list for Chief of Naval
Operations. If he’s funding his political aspirations by selling stolen Navy tech to foreign mercenaries
—“
“It would be the biggest scandal in modern military history,“ Vale finished, rubbing his temples.
“Elena, if you move against Sterling without absolute, undeniable physical proof, he will use his
political leverage to crush you. The Inspector General’s office won’t be able to protect you from a
three-star admiral with friends in the Senate.“
“I don’t need political protection, Marcus. I need a confession,“ I said. “And the weak link is Holt.
He’s terrified. He knows I have his digital signatures on the local overrides. He’s going to make a
desperate move to protect himself.“
Right on cue, my secure radio buzzed. It was Lieutenant Ryan Vance, my technical assistant
monitoring the base communications.
“Commander Ward,“ Vance’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “We just intercepted an
encrypted transmission from Holt’s personal phone. He contacted a burner number in San Diego. He’s
meeting with his contact tonight at the abandoned pier on the south side of the base.“
“Did he mention the purpose of the meeting?“ I asked.
“He said he has ’damaged goods’ that need to be disposed of,“ Vance replied. “And he requested a
’cleanup team’ to handle a security threat on the base.“
“That ’damaged goods’ is me,“ I said, a cold smile forming on my lips. “And the ’security threat’ is
the audit files.“
Admiral Vale stood up, his face filled with concern. “Elena, I will mobilize the base Master-at-Arms
immediately. We can arrest Holt the moment he steps near that pier.“
“No,“ I countered, stopping him. “If the MA arrests him now, his lawyers will tie this up in military
court for years. Sterling will clean up his end of the trail, and the whistleblowers on this base will
never get justice. Holt needs to think he has the upper hand. He needs to walk right into the trap.“
Vale hesitated, looking at the scar on my chest. “You’re taking a massive risk. They’ve already
proven they don’t care about your rank or safety.“
The Scars of Honor: Takedown at Coronado 10
“They tried to break me in broad daylight, Marcus,“ I said, my voice hardening. “They failed. Now,
we’re going to play on my terms.“
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The Scars of Honor: Takedown at Coronado 11
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