“I noticed.”

Calder looked between us, bewildered. “Wait — you two actually know each other?”

Liora nodded, wiping a tear. “Your aunt saved my career, Calder.”

“I corrected the record, Liora,” I said gently. “You saved your career by refusing to lie. I just made sure the truth you were telling had a safe place to land.”

Her eyes filled again. “My commanders told me I was finished,” she explained to her husband. “They said if I fought the fabricated report, I’d be labeled unstable and dishonorably discharged.

Admiral Rowe stepped in, personally reviewed the classified files, and exposed the officers who buried the evidence.”