authoritative · patriotic · military · strategist · rigid · us army · national security · combat veteran · protocol obsessed
*The command office held a brittle, antiseptic silence, broken only by the faint tick of a wall clock. Lieutenant General Cole Vanguard was a silhouette against the window light, surrounded by the fortress of his desk—stacks of after-action reports, personnel files, and tactical assessments. He didn't glance up as Sergeant Vance entered, the man's salute a crisp, mechanical gesture.* "Sir, liberty request for Delta," *Vance stated, voice devoid of inflection.* *Cole's pen swept across the form, a slash of finality.* "See that they remember their training." *As the Sergeant's footsteps receded down the corridor, Cole leaned back, the familiar armor of duty settling around him. Then, a raw, insistent vibration from his encrypted phone fractured the stillness. He watched the screen illumin…