"Lieutenant, sit down."
Mara took the chair opposite him.
"I understand you've spoken with the review team."
"Yes, sir."
"They've informed me that you were shown part of the original personnel roster."
"Yes."
Vale put the document down.
"Did they tell you that the final report was incomplete?"
"They told me that several names were missing."
"That isn't the same thing."
"No, sir. It isn't."
He studied her.
"You've become very careful with your words."
"I've learned that words matter."
For a moment, something resembling regret crossed his face.
"Yes," he said quietly. "They do."
Mara waited.
Vale sat down.
"I want to explain something about the report. When it was prepared, the review office was working with multiple sources of information. Some records were incomplete, and some personnel were listed according to their physical location rather than their operational role."
"Sergeant Price and Specialist Brooks were physically present."
"Yes."
"Captain Rourke was responsible for coordinating the mission."
"Yes."
"Then why were their names omitted?"
Vale looked at the desk.
"I approved the final report based on the documentation presented to me."
"Did you notice the omissions?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"No," he said at last. "I did not."
Mara studied him, trying to decide whether she believed him.
Vale continued.
"If I had known that the report excluded relevant personnel, I would have requested a correction."
"Would you?"
His expression tightened.
"Lieutenant, I understand that you have reasons to distrust the review process. But I did not deliberately remove those names."
Mara looked toward the window.
She wanted to believe him.
Vale had been one of the few senior officers who had treated her with respect after the operation. He had never blamed her publicly, never questioned her qualifications, and never suggested that she should have been able to prevent every mistake.
But the evidence was becoming difficult to ignore.
"Colonel, did you know about the additional witness statement?"
Vale looked up sharply.
"What statement?"
"The one that contains the sentence about the person who gave the order not being the person we heard."
For the first time, he seemed genuinely surprised.
"Where did you hear that?"
"From the review team."
Vale stood and walked toward the window.
"That statement should have been preserved."
"Was it?"
"I don't know."
He turned back toward her.
"If it was submitted and subsequently removed, that is a serious matter."
"Then we agree on something."
He almost smiled.
"Apparently."
Mara leaned forward.
"Sir, I need to ask you a question about the final transmission during Operation Lantern."
Vale's expression became guarded.
"Go ahead."
"Do you remember who issued the instruction to change our route?"
"I remember the operational summary."
"I'm asking about the actual transmission."
"I wasn't monitoring the communications channel directly."
"Did you hear the recording afterward?"
Vale hesitated.
"Yes."
"Was the voice Major Rourke's?"
"I believed it was."
Mara felt the room grow colder.
"You believed it was?"
"I had no reason to question the recording at the time."
"But now?"
Vale returned to his chair.
"Now I have reason to question several things."
For a moment, the only sound was the clock above the door.
Mara looked at him.
"Then why did you tell me to remain patient?"
"Because I don't want you to make decisions based on incomplete information."
"And what if the information is being withheld deliberately?"
"Then we need evidence."
She nodded slowly.
It was the answer she expected.
It was also the answer that had kept her waiting for two years.
Vale opened a drawer and removed a thin folder.
"I've been authorized to share a limited portion of the review findings with you."
He placed the folder on the desk.
Inside were several pages of technical notes, a timeline of the operation, and a transcript of the final communications.
Mara read the transcript carefully.
At 2141, the team had been instructed to remain at its current position.
At 2147, a route change was issued.
At 2152, the team acknowledged the revised instruction.
At 2206, the command center recorded the operation as compromised.
Mara frowned.
"These time stamps don't match my recollection."
"Which ones?"
"The instruction to change the route came before the team acknowledged the revised plan. But the transcript doesn't include the confirmation request."
Vale examined the page.
"You're right."
"And there's a gap between the second and third entries."
"Seven minutes."
"During that gap, we received another transmission."
Vale looked at her.
"What did it say?"
Mara closed her eyes, searching her memory.
She could still hear the faint crackle of the radio, the steady breathing of the person standing beside her, and the voice that had told them to wait.
"I remember someone telling us to hold position while the route was reassessed."
"Was that Rourke?"
"I don't know."
Vale looked down at the transcript.
"Then the missing transmission may be important."
"It may be the most important part of the operation."
He nodded.
"I'll request the complete communications archive."
Mara watched him carefully.
"Will you tell me if you find it?"
"Yes."
She stood.
"Thank you, sir."
As she reached the door, Vale spoke again.
"Lieutenant."
She turned.
"There's something I need you to understand. I may have made mistakes in how I handled the aftermath of Operation Lantern. I may have trusted records that should have been questioned. But I did not knowingly conceal the truth about what happened to your team."
Mara looked at him for a long moment.
"I hope that's true, Colonel."
Then she left.
Outside the office, she found Captain Mercer waiting in the corridor.
He held a folded sheet of paper.
"Message for you," he said.
"From whom?"
"It was delivered to the command desk. No sender."
Mara took the paper.
The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the message was brief.
The original recording is not in the archive. Ask who signed for the equipment case after the operation.
She read it twice.
Then she looked at Mercer.
"Did you see who delivered this?"
"No. The duty officer found it on the counter."
"Has security been notified?"
"Not yet."
"Then we should notify them immediately."
Mercer nodded.
As they walked toward the security office, Mara began to understand the shape of the problem.