Chapter 15 - The Sovereign CommandDecember
The winter solstice brought an early, quiet snowfall to Washington, turning the marble monuments along the National Mall into ghostly, majestic sculptures against the twilight sky.
I sat at my desk in the newly expanded fifth-floor office of the Strategic Defense Acquisitions Directorate, reviewing the final fiscal-year logistics allocation reports.
My phone chimed softly. It was a secure text message from Marcus Vance: “Holiday dinner at the officers' club tonight, Kate. Don't tell me you're staying late to review supply manifests again.”
I smiled, locked the screen, and stood up from my desk.
I walked over to the window, watching the soft white snowflakes drift down through the amber glow of the streetlamps outside the Pentagon. The path I had chosen had been long, demanding, and uncompromising, but every single step had been my own.
I grabbed my wool overcoat from the rack, shrugged it on over my uniform, and settled my service cap firmly on my head.
The long march was complete. The mission was secure. And the future was wide open.
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My name is Major General Katherine Mercer.
I chose the uniform, I forged my own path, and the gate to my command was open forever.
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