Victor lowered his eyes.
VICTOR HAYES: "I know."
The interview ended.
As Victor was escorted away, Maya remained seated for a moment.
She did not feel satisfied.
She had obtained another important admission, but the situation was more complicated than a simple confrontation between a powerful officer and an abusive sergeant.
Victor had made deliberate decisions.
He had harmed people.
But he had also operated within a system that rewarded misleading results and discouraged honest reporting.
If the investigation stopped with him, the same problems could eventually return under a different supervisor.
Maya was determined to prevent that.
The following morning, headquarters delivered the first results from the regional command review.
The investigators had examined the communications between General Vale's office and the installation.
They confirmed that the regional command had received both the preliminary and final readiness summaries.
The preliminary version contained several unresolved maintenance discrepancies.
The final version showed a significantly higher operational readiness percentage.
The difference had not been explained in the submission.
The investigators also found a message from General Vale requesting clarification about the improvement.
That detail was important.
It suggested that the general had noticed the change.
But the response from Mercer's office stated that the discrepancies had been resolved through approved maintenance procedures.
The message did not mention that some physical inspections remained incomplete.
Maya read the correspondence carefully.
She now had evidence that General Vale had been given an explanation that was potentially misleading.
But another document raised a more serious question.
Several days before the final evaluation, the general's office had received a complaint from a technician.
The complaint stated that maintenance personnel were being pressured to certify work that had not been completed.
The message had been forwarded to Mercer's office for review.
No independent investigation had been initiated.
Maya looked at the forwarding record.
The response from Mercer's office claimed that the matter had been resolved internally.
The technician had never been interviewed by an independent reviewer.
Maya asked the investigation team to identify who had approved the decision to close the complaint.
The answer came back later that afternoon.
General Vale's executive officer had accepted Mercer's explanation.
There was no evidence that General Vale had personally examined the original complaint.
Maya requested a formal interview with the general.
Headquarters approved it.
Two days later, General Jonathan Vale appeared before the independent investigation panel.
He was an experienced officer with a distinguished service record.
He had supervised multiple installations and had spent years managing operational readiness programs.
He entered the room calmly.
Maya was present with the authorized investigators.
The general greeted the panel and sat down.
GENERAL JONATHAN VALE: "Colonel Brooks, I understand you've uncovered serious problems at the installation."
MAYA BROOKS: "Yes, General."
VALE: "I want the facts established. I have no interest in protecting anyone who deliberately falsified maintenance records."
Maya opened the evidence folder.
MAYA BROOKS: "Then I'd like to begin with the readiness evaluation."
Vale nodded.
MAYA BROOKS: "Your office received a preliminary report identifying unresolved maintenance discrepancies."
VALE: "That's correct."
MAYA BROOKS: "The final report showed those discrepancies as completed or deferred."
VALE: "Yes."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you personally approve the final figures?"
VALE: "I approved the evaluation based on the certification provided by the installation."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you verify that the required inspections had been completed?"
Vale paused.
VALE: "I relied on the responsible technical officers."
MAYA BROOKS: "Were you aware that some technicians had raised concerns about the certifications?"
Vale looked at the documents.
VALE: "I was aware that a complaint had been submitted."
MAYA BROOKS: "What action did you take?"
VALE: "My office referred it to the installation for review."
MAYA BROOKS: "The complaint concerned the conduct of personnel responsible for the installation's reporting process."
Vale remained silent.
MAYA BROOKS: "Why was it returned to the same reporting chain?"
The general considered the question.
VALE: "That was the established administrative procedure."
MAYA BROOKS: "Do you believe it provided an independent review?"
Vale looked down.
VALE: "In hindsight, no."
Maya placed another document in front of him.
It was the original approval sheet recovered from the private files.
His signature appeared at the bottom.
MAYA BROOKS: "Can you confirm that this is your signature?"
Vale examined the page.
VALE: "Yes."
MAYA BROOKS: "What did you understand yourself to be approving?"
VALE: "The final operational classification submitted by the installation."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you know that some of the underlying inspections had not been completed?"
Vale shook his head.
VALE: "No."
Maya watched him carefully.
MAYA BROOKS: "Then why did your office request that the readiness target be met before the evaluation?"
Vale looked at her.
VALE: "Because operational readiness was a command priority."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you intend that priority to override maintenance safety requirements?"
VALE: "Absolutely not."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you communicate that limitation clearly?"
The general hesitated.
VALE: "I believed the existing procedures made it clear."
Maya opened the original planning correspondence.
MAYA BROOKS: "The messages repeatedly emphasized the target. Several requested explanations for low readiness figures. I have not found an equivalent instruction reminding the installation that unresolved safety discrepancies must remain open until properly inspected."