The officers in the hall began whispering nervously among themselves now.
David took one step back, still holding the bloody medical cloth tightly.
He looked between General Vance and Maya with growing unease inside.
If Maya was telling the truth, the military record was completely false.
If she was lying, she was carrying a stolen and sacred emblem.
General Vance turned his back to the large American flag on the wall.
He asked Maya to name the commander of the lost 2012 squad.
Maya stood up slowly from the marble floor, balancing her weight evenly.
She wiped a drop of red blood from her forearm with her hand.
She stated the full name of Captain Thomas Vance without any hesitation.
General Vance froze completely when he heard that specific name spoken aloud.
Captain Thomas Vance was the General's only son who never returned home.
A quiet gasp echoed off the high white walls from the guard line.
General Vance turned around slowly, his face suddenly pale with emotion.
He demanded to know what Captain Thomas said before the end came.
Maya swallowed hard, her steady voice softening just a small amount.
She said the Captain gave his compass to the youngest survivor there.
She reached inside her inner jacket pocket with slow, deliberate movement.
David instinctively reached for his side holster, fearing a sudden threat.
General Vance raised his hand instantly to command David to hold back.
Maya pulled out a small, tarnished brass compass with a cracked glass cover.
She held it out on her palm in the full light of day.
The General stepped forward with trembling hands to look at the metal.
He recognized the worn engraving on the back of the brass casing.
It was the exact gift he gave his son on graduation day.
Tears welled up in the old commander's tough, weathered eyes slowly.
He realized this young soldier was telling the absolute, unfiltered truth.
She was the last person to see his son alive in combat.
The rest of the guard stood frozen in complete and total silence.
The heavy weight of a ten-year-old secret filled the mansion hall.
General Vance reached out to touch the worn brass compass tenderly.
He asked why she never came forward with this truth until now.
Maya looked around the room at the other officers standing nearby.
She said the traitor who ambushed them was still serving in high ranks.