Chapter 16 - The Congressional Inquest
The hearing room of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform was packed to the gills. Flashbulbs strobed intermittently, casting harsh white light across the mahogany witness tables, while rows of press benches clicked with the collective rhythm of a hundred keyboards.
At the center witness seat sat Captain Fiona Palmer.
She wore her Class-A Army dress uniform with crisp, unyielding authority, the ribbons and captain’s bars standing out sharply against the dark fabric. Behind her, seated in the gallery rows, Colonel James Hayes and Master Sergeant Vance watched with silent, unwavering support.
Across the dais sat the committee panel, led by Congressman Marcus Sterling—no relation to her estranged family, but a veteran lawmaker deeply intertwined with the traditional defense contractor lobby.
“Captain Palmer,” Congressman Sterling began, his voice dripping with condescension as he leaned into his microphone. “Let’s cut straight to the core of this matter. The committee has received numerous petitions from major industrial partners arguing that your Directorate of Internal Verification is operating as an unchecked, unaccountable star chamber. You have frozen billions in vital procurement contracts, bypassing standard congressional review boards. By what constitutional authority do you claim the right to dismantle the American defense industrial base on a whim?”
A hush fell over the room. The cameras zoomed in tight on Fiona’s face, waiting for a crack in her composure.
Fiona didn’t flinch. She didn’t consult a lawyer or shuffle notes. She adjusted her microphone, sat back slightly, and met the congressman’s gaze with absolute, unblinking steadiness.
“Congressman,” Fiona’s voice rang out clear, resonant, and calm, echoing off the high marble walls of the hearing room. “The Directorate of Internal Verification does not dismantle the defense industrial base; it purges the rot that threatens to collapse it from within. For decades, complacency and corporate collusion have allowed fraudulent contractors to bill taxpayers billions for substandard materials while putting American service members at direct risk in the field.”
She reached down, opening her leather-bound briefing folio, and slid a single document across the witness table toward the clerk.
“Executive Order 11492-B, signed by the President and validated under national security statutes, grants this directorate specific oversight jurisdiction to audit, freeze, and prosecute procurement corruption,” Fiona continued, her voice rising with unassailable command. “If the defense industrial base considers basic honesty, rigorous accounting, and structural integrity to be an existential threat to its business model, then the problem is far worse than this committee cares to admit.”
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A sharp intake of breath rippled through the gallery. Congressman Sterling flushed a dark crimson, opening his mouth to cut her off, but the committee chairman—a seasoned veteran who understood the weight of military intelligence law—rapidly banged his gavel.
“The witness’s testimony is entered into the record in full,” the chairman ruled firmly. “Furthermore, the committee’s motion to suspend the DIV’s operational mandate is hereby dismissed.”
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