Right above the travel budget line sat a distinct red command stamp pressed into the heavy paper in bright crimson ink.

It was a round seal bearing the raised shield of the Inspector General’s field evaluation division.

Inside the inner ring, a line of capital letters ran across the middle: *Unannounced Unit Readiness Audit*.

Paperwork never lies, but people definitely leave out details.

I looked closely at the small reference code printed beneath the crimson seal, tracing the string of letters and numbers with my fingertip until the meaning of it settled in.

My travel plans hadn’t been thrown off by some clerical slip at post headquarters.