Chapter 14 - The Return to CoronadoTwo weeks after Admiral Vance’s arrest, the shockwaves had rippled all the way through the Department of Defense.
The investigation into the defense contracting syndicate led to dozens of indictments, sweeping reforms in naval procurement oversight, and the permanent shuttering of the corrupt shell companies that had bled the military budget for years.
Back in San Diego, the Pacific sunlight danced across the blue waters of the bay as I stood on the balcony of the Division 9 command office, holding a fresh cup of coffee.
My phone buzzed against my palm.
A text message from Commander Sarah Vance: The tribunal date for Admiral Vance and your brother has been set for next month. The Director wants you in Washington for the opening statement.
I locked the screen and pocketed the phone.
The door behind me clicked open, and Major General Harrison stepped onto the balcony, handing me a small, official-looking document.
“What’s this, General?” I asked, scanning the header.
“Your promotion, Agent Mercer,” Harrison said simply. “Effective immediately, you are officially appointed as Director of Division 9. Full operational command.”
I looked at the paper, then out across the harbor where gray naval vessels sliced through the tide, carrying the future of the fleet.
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The girl who had stood in the back of the Coronado ceremony hall in a cheap navy dress, hiding behind a concrete pillar while her family mocked her name, was gone.
In her place stood the woman who had brought an admiral to his knees and cleaned house from the top down.
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