Chapter 5 - The Court-Martial of High Society
The Confrontation on the LawnAlejandro stepped out onto the front porch, his hands raised calmly. I walked right behind him, staying close to his side. General Vance sneered, stepping forward with two armed guards.
“You’ve made a mess of things, Alejandro,” Vance said smoothly, lowering his megaphone. “Your mother is a very powerful woman, and you should have stayed dead overseas. Now, you’re going to spend the rest of your life in a military brig for treason, and your unstable wife will be properly taken care of in an institution.”
“Is that so, General?” Alejandro asked, stepping down the porch steps. “On what grounds am I being arrested?”
“Insubordination, leaking classified medical documents, and assaulting civilians,” Vance listed off with a smug smile. “Your career is over. Your life is over.”
“And what about your career, General?” Alejandro countered, his voice carrying clearly to the crowd of neighbors and news reporters who had gathered at the edge of the property line. “What happens when the Pentagon finds out that you used military assets to forge a casualty notice to help Victoria Vargas steal a multi-million dollar trust fund?”
Vance laughed loudly. “Who is going to believe you? I am a Major General. You are a rogue Captain with a history of deployment trauma. My word is law.”
“Your word was law, Arthur,” a new voice boomed from the back of the military vehicles.
Every soldier on the lawn instantly froze. The smug smile vanished from General Vance’s face, replaced by a sudden, paralyzing terror.
The crowd parted as a sleek black sedan pulled up, bearing a four-star general flag on the bumper. Stepping out of the vehicle was General Raymond Thomas, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the highest-ranking military officer in the country, and Alejandro’s godfather.
The True Power ShiftsGeneral Thomas walked onto the lawn, his eyes cutting through Vance like a laser. Behind him were federal agents from the FBI and the military's Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
“G-General Thomas,” Vance stammered, his face turning a sickly shade of gray as he attempted to salute. “Sir, I was just handling a rogue officer—”
“Shut your mouth, Vance,” General Thomas barked, his voice filled with absolute disgust. “Captain Vargas contacted my office directly forty-eight hours ago. We’ve been monitoring your encrypted communications ever since. We intercepted the wire transfers from Victoria Vargas to your offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. $1.5 million to secure a fake casualty report and authorize a illegal blackout deployment.”
Vance stumbled backward, looking around wildly for an escape, but the FBI agents immediately moved in, grabbing his arms and stripping him of his sidearm.
“Major General Arthur Vance, you are under arrest for federal conspiracy, treason, forgery, and attempted kidnapping,” the lead FBI agent announced, clicking the handcuffs around the General’s wrists.
As Vance was dragged away, screaming obscenities, a sleek black limousine pulled up right behind the FBI vehicles. The tinted window rolled down slowly, revealing Victoria’s face. She had come to watch my destruction, but instead, she was looking at her own demise.
May you like
Alejandro walked over to the limousine, tapping lightly on the glass. The driver, terrified, immediately unlocked the doors. Alejandro opened the door, looking down at his mother.
“It’s over, Mother,” Alejandro said quietly. “The General is gone. The doctor is gone. And now, it’s your turn.”
