Medical personnel quickly rushed onto the mat to evaluate the defeated sergeant.
Miller sat up slowly with help while groaning softly from his deep bruises.
He looked at Maya with an expression filled with embarrassment and total confusion.
"How... how did you do that?" Miller asked in a raspy hoarse voice.
Before Maya could answer, a high-ranking officer stepped out from the main doorway.
It was Colonel Vance, the commander of the entire military base facility.
He had been standing in the shadows watching the entire drill from the beginning.
The watching soldiers immediately stood at attention as the colonel walked forward slow.
"At ease, troops," Colonel Vance said calmly while looking directly at Private Maya.
"Sergeant Miller, do you know who this rookie actually is?" Vance asked firmly.
Miller shook his head slowly while leaning heavily against a medic's shoulder.
"This is Private Maya Lin," Colonel Vance announced loudly to the entire room.
"She is a former national judo champion and close-combat master trainer."
A quiet gasp ran through the ranks of troops standing along the walls.
"She transferred to our unit specifically to evaluate our hand-to-hand combat readiness," Vance said.
The soldiers who had laughed earlier now looked down at the floor in shame.
They realized that Miller had picked a fight with a master martial artist.
Maya stood tall and saluted the colonel respectfully in front of the unit.
"She did not boast or throw her titles around," Colonel Vance continued strongly.
"She let her discipline and her skills speak for themselves on the mat."
The colonel turned his gaze down toward Sergeant Miller who looked humiliated.
"Arrogance makes a soldier weak and predictable, Sergeant," Vance warned coldly.
"You assumed she was easy prey because of her quiet personality and size."
Miller lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut in deep regret.
"Yes, sir," Miller muttered softly while staring down at his bruised hands.
"You owe Private Lin a sincere apology for your unprofessional behavior today."
The room waited silently to see how the proud veteran soldier would react.