Chapter 12
Harrison Sterling’s boots clicked softly against the hardwood floor as he approached the witness box, his face etched with the weathered lines of a lifetime spent in the corridors of power. He didn't wait for the clerk to prompt him; he placed his hand on the Bible and spoke his name and rank with a quiet, resonant dignity that commanded the entire room. When Rachel Vance stepped up to the podium for the defense cross-examination—which had been handed over to the prosecution after the defense lawyers collapsed—she kept her voice gentle yet penetrating.
“General Sterling, you held a permanent seat on the executive declassification and procurement board for over twelve years,” Rachel began, her tone respectful. “During your tenure, did you ever personally verify the physical inventory of the supply shipments heading into the eastern conflict zones?” Harrison looked out over the courtroom, his eyes pausing briefly on the faces of young junior officers sitting in the back row. “No, Counselor, I did not,” Harrison answered, his voice steady and unflinching. “I relied on the automated logistical reports provided by our private contractors and countersigned by my immediate staff. I trusted the system because trusting the system was easier than questioning the integrity of the men who built it.”
May you like
A heavy, suffocating quiet settled over the room. The admission was unprecedented—a four-star general standing in open court, publicly acknowledging the systemic negligence that allowed corruption to flourish under the guise of national security. Rachel nodded slowly. “And when Commander Shaw presented you with the verified ledgers and financial routing numbers at the mountain safehouse, what did you realize about the nature of the institution you served?” Harrison exhaled a long, measured breath, leaning slightly forward into the microphone. “I realized that the greatest threat to our nation was never an external enemy across an ocean, Counselor. It was the internal rot of an unchecked military-industrial complex that weaponized our patriotis
[... đã cắt bớt, xem bản đầy đủ trong tệp trên máy ...]
