Chapter 26 - The Shadow Tribunal

At 1030 hours, Norfolk Naval Station sat under a torrential gray downpour. The flagship of the Atlantic Fleet swayed gently in the harbor, gray steel cutting through the Atlantic swells.

At the entrance to Building 12—the regional headquarters of the Judge Advocate General's Corps—security was at triple readiness. Military police with K-9 units patrolled the gates, and every vehicle was subjected to undercarriage mirrors.

A sleek black government sedan pulled up to the security checkpoint. I sat in the rear passenger seat, wearing my freshly ironed Navy service dress whites—the immaculate high-collar uniform that my parents had once claimed was 'fit only for common mercenaries.' The golden oak leaves on my collar gleamed with immaculate brilliance.

Nathan was at the wheel, wearing the dress uniform of a Master-at-Arms with a credential badge that granted access to high-priority JAG couriers.

The young petty officer at the gate scanned the ID card. His eyes widened when the system flashed an automated alert: *PRIORITY ONE COURIER — DIRECT ACCESS TO ADMIRAL’S CHAMBERS.*

"Commander Mercer, ma'am," the sentry saluted crisply. "They are holding an executive court of inquiry on the third floor. Rear Admiral Vance ordered all unauthorized personnel barred from the wing."

"I am not unauthorized, Petty Officer," I said with absolute serenity. "I am the lead prosecutor."

We entered Building 12 unimpeded. The marble corridors echoed with our synchronized footsteps. Outside Courtroom A, two armed Navy MPs stood guard before massive oak double doors.

Inside, through the soundproof glass, I could see the high-level tribunal in session. Sitting at the center of the bench, draped in the heavy gold braid of a two-star flag officer, was Rear Admiral Bradley Vance—Chief Vance’s treasonous brother. Sitting directly behind him in the civilian gallery, looking impeccably poised and completely untroubled, was my father, Marcus Mercer.

My father was smiling, sipping water from a crystal tumbler, clearly believing that his daughter was ashes in the Shenandoah wilderness and that his empire was secure.

"Nathan," I said quietly, adjusting my white combination cover. "Open the doors."

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My fiancé let his friend chop off my mother’s waist-length

My husband spent the night with another woman

My husband brought his mistress to our nine-year-old daughter’s dance

Nathan laid both hands on the heavy brass handles and threw Courtroom A wide open with a thundering crash that shattered the room’s hushed solemnity.

***