Sergeant Jaxson Miller thought the quiet woman sitting in his seat would move the moment he ordered her to.

The weeks that followed swept through Fort Meade like a cleansing fire.

The trial of Colonel Douglas Miller and Sergeant Jaxson Miller at Fort Belvoir was brief, devastating, and merciless. With Captain Evans testifying for the prosecution in exchange for a plea agreement, the defense collapsed within forty-eight hours.

The financial records revealed a tangled web of greed. Over three years, Colonel Miller had pocketed over seven hundred thousand dollars from the illegal sale of military hardware. Jaxson had received an eighty-thousand-dollar custom pickup truck, lavish trips to Las Vegas, and the absolute freedom to run Bravo Company as his personal gang.

When the verdict was read, the silence in the courtroom was identical to the silence in the mess hall the day Eleanor Kane peeled her orange.

*Colonel Douglas Miller: Found guilty on all counts. Sentenced to eighteen years at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a Dismissal from the service with prejudice.*

*Sergeant Jaxson Miller: Found guilty of aggravated assault, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit larceny. Reduced to the rank of Private E-1, sentenced to seven years at Leavenworth, and sentenced to a Bad Conduct Discharge.*

When the guards stepped forward to place Jaxson in handcuffs, the former sergeant broke down completely. He turned toward the bench, tears streaming down his face, his uniform soaked in sweat.

"General Kane!" he sobbed, his voice cracking as he looked back toward the spectator gallery where Eleanor sat. "General, please! I'm sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn't mean it! Please don't send me to Leavenworth!"

Eleanor Kane did not smile. There was no joy in her eyes, no triumph in her posture. There was only the solemn, unyielding weight of justice.

She stood up as the guards dragged Jaxson past her row.

"You spent seven years taking everything you wanted from soldiers who couldn't fight back, Private Miller," she said as he passed. "Now, you will spend seven years learning what it feels like to have nothing at all."

Jaxson was pulled through the heavy double doors, his desperate wails echoing down the marble hallway until the sound was finally cut off by the heavy thump of the exterior doors closing.

Eleanor stepped out into the midday sun outside the courthouse. The Virginia breeze was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of pine and river water.

Beside her, Specialist Maya Lin waited. For the first time in six months, Maya was smiling. The dark circles under her eyes had faded; her shoulders were back, her chin held high. Pinned to the center of her chest was a brand-new rank insignia: the twin chevrons of a Corporal.

"Corporal Lin," Eleanor said, turning to her.

Maya snapped a crisp, proud salute. "General."

"How does the new assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division logistics team look?" Eleanor asked.

"My orders were finalized this morning, Ma'am," Maya replied, her voice brimming with excitement and relief. "I ship out to Fort Bragg on Monday. General Vance personally signed the recommendation letter for my officer candidate school package."

"Good," Eleanor said, returning the salute with precision. "The Army needs officers who remember what it feels like to be an unprotected specialist. Never forget that table in the mess hall, Corporal."