“Admiral,” Nathan said, standing up as I rose.

“Sit down, Commander,” Captain Vance ordered.

Nathan sank back into his chair.

I turned and walked out of the briefing room, my boots clicking sharply on the linoleum floor.

Miller followed me out into the hallway.

“Admiral,” Miller said, catching up to me. “The forensic team just sent over the final report on the IP address trace.”

“And?” I asked, stopping near the water fountain.

“It wasn’t just your father’s house,” Miller said. “They traced the specific MAC address to a laptop registered to your sister, Caroline Hart.”

I looked at the folder in his hand.

“She was trying to download your official military record using your father’s home network,” Miller said. “But there’s more.”

“Tell me,” I said.

“She didn’t just search your record,” Miller said. “She was trying to access the promotion board’s secure database. Specifically, the file containing the final recommendations for the next commander rank selection.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out.

The screen lit up with an incoming call from my father.