— It was an honor watching you work, Chief. Even if it was just through gun camera footage and after-action reports.
Grace shook his hand, feeling the calloused grip of another pilot who’d seen real combat.
— Thank you, Major. That means something, coming from you.
— One more thing. I’m recommending you for the Air Force Cross for yesterday’s action. What you accomplished deserves formal recognition.
— Sir, I’m not Air Force. I’m not even active duty anymore.
— Doesn’t matter. The mission matters. The lives saved matter. The extraordinary skill under fire matters. Let me handle the bureaucratic obstacles.
Over the next forty-eight hours, the consequences of Grace’s mission continued rippling outward in ways she hadn’t anticipated—creating waves that reached far beyond one forward operating base in southern Afghanistan.
