Fire for Effect by Kendall McKenna Read Free Book Online Page B

agitation.
    “Not one that I can prove in a court of law,” Hirata answered.
    “So, what do you know that you can’t prove?” Jonah asked.
    Agent Giammona cleared his throat and sat forward in his chair, passing out another thick packet of papers. “That the military establishment is systematically under-awarding medals to the members of the first all-volunteer military in U.S. history,” he said in summary. “The underlying belief is that because they are all volunteers and are not conscripted, that they understand and accept what they’re getting into and that makes their actions less heroic and more,” he paused, as if considering his words, “the expected standard.”
    Kellan sat in stunned silence and could feel Jonah’s growing tension radiating off of him.
    “That may be the polite face the Pentagon is putting on the situation, though,” Maddy said into the tense silence. “This all-volunteer military is made up of more people of color, more women, more homosexuals, and more foreign nationals than ever before.”
    “There is a publicly acknowledged history of racial discrimination in the awarding of the MOH,” Hirata added.
    “All nine of the recipients of the MOH from OIF and OEF are white men,” Nick said, taking a set of photos from a folder and laying them out for Kellan to see.
    “And that’s another thing, Kellan,” Maddy said, “nine medals total, awarded in two separate wars. One-hundred-ninety-three Medals of Honor have been awarded for peace-time incidents. How does that make sense?”
    Kellan tossed his pen down on the table and rubbed both hands over his face in annoyance. “Well, shit,” he said darkly, staring blindly at the table in front of him, mind racing over the implications and his possible options.
    Suddenly, Jonah sat forward in his chair and pinned each staff member with a direct look. “Kellan needs to know two things so he can decide the most appropriate course, or courses of action moving forward. Captain Hirata currently couldn’t prove our case in a court of law, but are all of you able to compile a case that he could prove? If the answer to that question is yes, do all of you have the desire and fortitude to see this through to its conclusion?”
    Kellan looked into the determined faces of his staff. Nick and Maddy had little to lose. They were civilians and Kellan wasn’t going to hold their involvement against them. Agent Giammona was with the FBI and could possibly incur the wrath of his superiors, but it wasn’t likely. Agent Hoffman and Captain Hirata however, could face fallout if the Navy or the Marine Corps took exception to anything they might uncover or do during the course of this investigation.
    They had a little Senatorial protection, but it only extended so far, and Kellan was only just building up his own political clout.
    Maddy was the first to reply. “When Kellan first asked me to sign on for this, I knew it could get sticky. I signed on to see this through to the end, whatever Kellan decides the end is.”
    As she spoke, Nick sat beside her, mutely nodding his agreement. Kellan nodded his appreciation to them, touched by their dedication and loyalty.
    “My participation is official, so I’m here unless or until the Bureau yanks me out,” Marco said, shaking his head. There was obviously more he wanted to say. “A lot of the time, the work I do doesn’t make much difference in the larger scheme of things. The supply of criminals is endless, and the ones I do catch don’t always get their full measure of justice. This matters, though. This might not lead to anything technically criminal, but it’s important to hold people accountable for good old fashioned right and wrong.”
    There were nods of agreement all around the table.
    “Thank you, Marco.” The simple words didn’t begin to express the depth of Kellan’s appreciation.
    “Mirai and I were discussing this on the flight out,” said Chris. “We’re going to end up fighting