Chapter 23 - A Web of Greed
Back in the secure briefing room aboard my destroyer, the digital evidence unfolded with horrifying clarity. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agents and Pentagon counterintelligence liaisons were already linked into our encrypted satellite feed. Within an hour of seizing the cargo manifests, their cyber units had breached Dayton Precision Aerospace's private ledgers.
What they uncovered was not a momentary lapse in judgment, but five years of systematic treason.
"It started four years ago," Special Agent Harris explained through the secure video terminal, projecting bank transaction charts onto our tactical display. "Your brother Kevin incurred catastrophic gambling debts with offshore syndicates. Rather than letting him face prison, your father Richard used his logistics authority to cover the losses. He began misrouting high-value military technology, classifying pristine aerospace components as factory rejects or damaged surplus."
I stood before the screen, arms crossed rigidly across my uniform, refusing to let a single tear breach my defenses. The memories flooded back with bitter irony. All those years, Kevin had been showered with praise by our mother and father. *Kevin is our brilliant engineer! Kevin bought that luxury house in Oakwood! Kevin drives a brand-new Mercedes! Why can't you be successful like your brother instead of wasting your life in the Navy?*
Now, the source of that 'success' was laid bare on an official Pentagon indictment sheet.
"They weren't just covering debts," I noted, pointing at a second ledger detailing shell companies in Panama and Zurich. "They were profiting. Millions of dollars."
"Eight million dollars in offshore kickbacks over the last three years alone," Agent Harris confirmed solemnly. "They believed their status as a small-tier defense contractor kept them beneath the radar. What they didn't know was that our counterintelligence unit was already tracking this foreign shipment. Commander Whitaker... your ship was assigned to this exact patrol sector specifically because Naval Intelligence needed a commander whose integrity was beyond question."
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the gold commander's oak leaves on my collar. "What is their current status in Dayton?"
"Federal agents and NCIS tactical teams are moving into position right now," Harris replied. "Arrest warrants have been signed by the United States Attorney General. Commander... federal protocol dictates that you have the right to recuse yourself from the post-seizure brief."
May you like
"No," I replied instantly, my spine straightening. "I took an oath to protect this nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. If the domestic enemy sits at my family's dinner table, then justice must be served without mercy."
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