My parents kicked me out on Christmas morning, before the turkey had even gone into the oven. My sister lifted her champagne glass and laughed, “Go back to your barracks, loser.” An hour later, I drove through the gates of Fort Blackwood with the mahogany box Grandpa had left me. When the installation commander noticed the insignia carved into its lid, he locked his office door and said, “Captain Palmer, you need to sit down.” / Chapter 20 / 25

Chapter 15 - The Retaliation of the SystemExpansion brought enemies.

When the DIV’s nationwide mandate went into effect, sweeping investigations into corrupt defense contractors and compromised procurement officers began unearthing systemic fraud from coast to coast. Billions of dollars in fraudulent contracts were frozen, dozens of corporate executives were indicted, and several senior logistics officers found themselves facing general court-martials.

Naturally, the people whose illicit cash flows had been abruptly severed did not go quietly into the night.

By late spring, a well-coordinated legal and political counter-offensive hit my desk. High-powered lobbying firms in Washington, backed by wealthy defense contractors whose profits had been slashed, filed massive federal injunctions challenging the constitutionality of Executive Order 11492-B.

Newspapers in Washington and Chicago began publishing anonymous op-eds attacking the DIV as an "unaccountable military star chamber" operating outside traditional judicial checks and balances. Rumors circulated through political blogosphere circles that my command authority was illegitimate, calling for my immediate suspension pending a congressional review.

Inside the Fort Blackwood command vault, Master Sergeant Vance dropped a thick stack of printed legal briefs onto my metal desk, looking genuinely concerned.

“Captain—they’re coming at us from every angle,” Vance said, shaking his head. “The corporate defense lobby has hired three former federal judges to argue that Executive Order 11492-B expired under administrative sunset clauses back in the late nineties. They’re trying to tie our hands in federal court and strip your operational credentials.”

I picked up the top legal brief, flipped open the cover, and scanned the plaintiff’s signatures. The primary corporate lobbying firm funding the lawsuit was a massive defense conglomerate whose former CEO was currently awaiting trial on wire fraud charges uncovered by our audit.

They weren't fighting for constitutional principles. They were fighting for their survival.

“Let them file their injunctions, Master Sergeant,” I said calmly, tossing the brief back onto the desk. “Every single operation the DIV has executed complies strictly with presidential directive and statutory oversight protocols. They want a legal battle in open court?”