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My chest tightened. “It relied on compromised evidence.”

“I know.”

“It required action without legitimate basis.”

“I know.” Her voice stayed quiet. Then softer: “Is that the only reason you care?”

Silence stretched between us.

I should have answered immediately.

Operational integrity. Compromised command. False intelligence. Corrupted authority.

Any one of those would justify anger. Any one would justify investigation.

That should have been enough. It was not.

Talia waited. Not pushing.

That was worse.

I sighed. “I do not know.”

The words came out low. Rough.

Her expression changed. Not surprise. Something softer.

I looked away.

For years, I had known the answer to every operational question placed in front of me.

Threat.

Route.

Target.

Objective.

Extraction.

Failure condition.

Talia had asked one personal question and left me without language.

I stood. Too quickly.

The pull in my ribs sharpened. I ignored it.

I crossed to the window and checked the street. Doorways. Roofline. Traffic. Nothing unusual.

Talia did not follow. “You don’t have to answer,” she said.

“I already did.”

“That wasn’t really an answer.”

“It was the most accurate one.”