Chapter 10 - The Dawn of Unbroken Stars
The private reception in the commander’s suite concluded well past midnight, leaving the long corridors of Naval Station Norfolk quiet and serene once more.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the administrative quarters, holding a warm cup of black coffee as the sleet finally gave way to falling snow.
Behind me, my personal aide, Lieutenant Commander Harris, knocked gently on the doorframe before entering with an encrypted tablet.
“Admiral Ross, ma’am, the local municipal police department just transmitted a status report regarding the civilians turned away at Gate Three,” Harris reported quietly.
“Proceed, Commander,” I replied without turning away from the panoramic view of the harbor.
“Vivian Ross refused to depart the commercial perimeter and obstructed traffic on the federal access road for forty-five minutes,” Harris read from the log.
“When base security personnel intervened, she attempted to strike an officer with her purse while demanding to speak to your superior.”
“The local police impounded her vehicle for lack of registration compliance, and she was transported to the regional processing center.”
“Her son, Derek Ross, is currently being held at the municipal precinct after federal agents served a preliminary warrant for procurement fraud and document forgery.”
“Vivian has placed nine emergency phone calls to the base operator, demanding that you appear immediately to pay their bail and withdraw the charges.”
I took a slow sip of the coffee, watching the pristine white snow blanket the steel flight deck of the carrier moored across the pier.
Thirty years ago, Vivian had stood over the kitchen sink with a brass lighter, watching the ashes of my dreams fall into the garbage disposal.
She had thrown my thank-you cards into the trash so she could make room for Derek’s plastic third-place ribbons on the kitchen counter.
She had spent her life believing she could burn my existence whenever it threatened the delicate ego of her favorite child.
“Lieutenant Commander Harris,” I said, my voice as calm and steady as the deep waters beneath the hull.
“Yes, Admiral?”
“Instruct the base switchboard to block all incoming civilian communications originating from that precinct number,” I ordered softly.
“Inform the precinct desk sergeant that Vice Admiral Katherine Ross has no civilian dependents, and no involvement in their legal proceedings.”
“Aye, aye, Admiral,” Harris responded with quiet understanding, tapping the tablet to execute the order before stepping out of the office.
The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the vast, peaceful stillness of the room.
I looked down at the three gold stars gleaming upon my shoulder boards, pristine, unbroken, and forged entirely by my own two hands.
May you like
The phone on the side table fell completely silent, its red indicator light blinking out into permanent darkness.
Outside, the first light of dawn cracked across the eastern horizon, illuminating the endless, unbroken sea that stretched forward to the edge of the world.
