They mocked her civilian attire and even threw water in her face inside a military courtroom, dismissing her claim of being a sniper—until the presiding admiral suddenly stood, saluted her, and silenced the room in an instant.

“You understand,” he continued, walking back toward her, “that this is a serious proceeding. Careers are at stake. Reputations. Lives.”

He stopped just short of the witness stand, holding the glass loosely in his hand.

“And yet here you are, telling a story that—frankly—sounds like something out of a bad novel.”

He smiled again, though there was less warmth in it now.

“Perhaps you’re just confused,” he said. “Or perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that you’re something more than what you are.”