General Prescott continued.
“Before we proceed with the transfer, certain administrative matters require acknowledgement.”
She turned slightly toward me.
“Captain Monroe.”
I stepped forward.
The briefcase felt heavier in my hand than it had all morning.
I placed it on the table beside the podium and opened the latches.
The sound was small.
But Jason flinched.
Inside were copies of the recovered file, chain-of-custody forms, review authorizations, and the original routing documents sealed in protective sleeves. Nothing dramatic. Nothing theatrical. Just paper.
That was the thing about truth.
It did not always arrive with thunder.
Sometimes it arrived stamped, signed, and properly indexed.
General Prescott did not expose every detail to the crowd. She did not need to. This was not a trial. It was not a spectacle. It was a ceremony being redirected with precision.
But she did say enough.
“An internal review has identified irregularities connected to a prior administrative action involving Captain Monroe. Until that review is complete, Captain Monroe has been appointed to assume temporary leadership responsibilities for this transition.”
