I stopped to assist civilians stranded in a storm.”
Briggs jumped in quickly. “Admiral, the infraction was clear-cut. She jeopardized cargo integrity and violated chain-of-command authority.”
The Admiral didn’t respond immediately.
He closed the folder deliberately and folded his hands. “Tell me, Captain—was any cargo lost?”
“No, sir.”
“Was anyone injured?”
“No, sir.”
“Was the mission ultimately completed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then the only failure here was moral judgment,” Warren said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of four decades of service. “I’m still deciding whether it was yours or hers.”
The room went absolutely still.
Briggs’s jaw tightened visibly. “Sir, I—”
