Chapter 16 - The Shadow on the Horizon
"People can change, Lucas," I said quietly, thinking about my own past mistakes and regrets from my years in service.
"Your father is facing severe legal consequences now, but he will have to live with the knowledge of what he almost did."
"Focus on your recovery, son. The Army has a bright future waiting for you once you get through physical therapy."
Lucas smiled faintly, nodding his head in appreciation as I stood up to leave the recovery room.
As I stepped out into the fifth-floor corridor, my personal assistant, Captain Sarah Jenkins, hurried up to me holding an encrypted tablet.
"Commander Holloway," Captain Jenkins said urgently, her tone growing cold and serious.
"We just received an emergency transmission from the Judge Advocate General's office at Fort Meade."
"Regarding Colonel Warren Pike's court-martial proceedings?" I asked, walking alongside her toward my office.
"Yes, ma'am... and something else," Jenkins revealed, dropping her voice to a low whisper.
"During a search of Colonel Pike's private office safe this morning, federal investigators found a hidden laptop."
"It contained encrypted files detailing unauthorized financial transactions with an offshore medical supply syndicate."
"Pike wasn't just an arrogant administrative tyrant, ma'am..."
"He was deliberately sabotaging hospital equipment budgets to divert millions of dollars into Swiss bank accounts."
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I froze in the middle of the hallway, a cold, sharp anger igniting deep inside my chest once again.
Pike's strict rules, delayed procedures, and hostility toward civilian contractors weren't just about his ego—they were cover for a massive corrupt syndicate.
