The cobblestone streets eventually snaked into the heart of Trost. A sense of déjà vu struck Karma. It had been a month since she'd left, but it felt very much the same as she remembered it; the city had been rebuilt as though a massive Titan attack never happened. There were no reeking corpses, steaming puddles of blood, or crumbling mounds of rubble.
HQ loomed before them, a stone building shaped into a square that surrounded an open courtyard. Jutting dormer windows felt like eyes, watching their advance.
Karma's blood simmered, the heat rising with every meter that dissolved between her and the place that stole her captain. By the time they pulled up to the main entrance and docked their horse, it reached boiling point.
"Hang on, Karma!" Jean called, panting and running to catch up. She'd sprinted up the steps and was ready to throw the door wide open, swords swinging.
"Hurry! We might already be too late." Her body was shaking with impatience. Levi was in there somewhere, taking the fall for both of them. They needed to rescue him. The Scouts depended on it. She depended on it.
"I know, but damn do we need to sprint?" He clutched the stitch in his side and opened the door with his shoulder. "Follow me." Jean ushered them through a labyrinth of stairs and corridors until they reached the Commander's office.
"This is it."
From the other side of the thick door came a muffled conversation of deep men's voices. Karma grasped the golden doorknob, but Jean raised a hand to stop her.
"What? Shouldn't we go in?" Karma said.
"Shhh. We need to be strategic." Jean pressed his ear against the door. "They're asking if the defense has anything to add." He paused, listening.
"Well?" Karma's fingers were tapping against her leg.
Jean repositioned his ear. "I can't hear anything. I guess he's not defending himself. Oh, they're moving to the verdict—"
Karma shoved him out of the way.
"So much for strategizing…" Jean grumbled, clambering after Karma as she burst into the room, shouting:
"Wait! Stop!"
Commander-in-Chief Zachary jolted in his leather chair, crinkling the stapled papers he was reading from.
Levi was seated at the head of a long, wooden table. He was disheveled—mismatched buttons on his white shirt. Tousled hair. Cuffed wrists.
Karma and Jean move to stand beside him. Levi's wide eyes flickered between them. "What the hell are you guys doing?"
"Saving your dumb ass," Jean said.
Seated around the table and decked in full uniform was a council of the military's most prominent figures. Silk sashes, shoulder pads, brass buttons. They were neatly poised and unsettlingly calm.
Karma straightened and addressed the officers. "You can't demote or dismiss Captain Levi until you hear my side."
Commander Zachary was pinching the bridge of his nose. "He confessed to a relationship with an inferior officer and is taking full responsibility. Jean, kindly return to your regiment. Miss Karma, your testimony is unnecessary."
"With all due respect, Commander, a relationship takes two people."
"Yeah, we're not leaving," Jean said, folding his arms.
Levi closed his eyes and shook his head. "You can't change their minds. Go home. You guys have an expedition tomorrow."
"So do you," Jean said, bumping his shoulder. "You're not getting out of it that easy."
Commander Zachary was studying Karma from behind his spectacles like an abstract painting. Her glare charred.
"Captain Levi is the military's best soldier. We need him for tomorrow's expedition—hell, humanity needs him," she said.
The word humanity clung to the air like an echo.
The officers looked to Commander Zachary as if wondering how to respond. When Zachary folded his hands and politely smiled, they mirrored him.
"Apologies, soldiers, but my hands are tied. The military's rules explicitly state that 'Any sexual affiliation between an upper and lower ranking officer is grounds for immediate dismissal.' This tribunal is more of a formality."
Jean gritted his teeth.
Levi seemed unaffected.
Karma's glare could've sliced steel. She punctuated each word. "Then change the rule."
The Commander chuckled. He straightened his spectacles. "I beg your pardon, soldier, but I am the one who gives the orders. I take your point and it's a shame about the expedition, but if the military shows leniency, there would cease to be order. So why should we change this rule to accommodate your inappropriate little romance?"
"Because if you don't, Commander, you'll be dismissed as well."
The council burst into raucous chortles as though she were a babbling child spinning a ridiculous story. "What makes you think that rule has any leverage against me? How was it violated? You're just scrambling for—"
"You kissed me."
The laughter hit a stone wall.
Karma raised her chin. "Just before Trost was compromised. At the celebration. You kissed me against my will. The rule you're so ardently defending is meant to protect soldiers like me from that exact thing, and yet you broke it without consequence."
The officers turned to one another. The air hummed with murmurs.
Zachary attempted to regain control of the room. "How convenient this tale of yours was during a celebration where everyone was drunk off their asses. Who could possibly remember what happened that day? And why would you have not come forward with this story sooner? Why wait until you needed a trump card if it wasn't completely fabricated?"
"I don't know. I was embarrassed and scared to confront you. I didn't think the military would do anything since you controlled it." She steeled her jaw. "But I'm not afraid anymore. I'd do anything to free Levi."
"How moving." His smile was entirely plastic. "Regardless, there's no evidence—"
"Actually, there is," Levi said. Karma turned, surprised that he was suddenly defending himself. "I was sober and saw the whole thing. You tricked Karma into owing you and then forced yourself on her as payment." He raised his cuffed wrists to tap a finger against his temple. "Don't believe me? I slammed your head with a mug. Definitely left a mark."
"Of course you defend a story that works in your favor." Zachary crossed his arms.
The murmurs stirred again.
"But, sir, do you have a mark?" Commander Pyxis said. "I don't remember much from that party, but I remember glass shattering. If they're telling the truth—"
"It's their word against ours. Even if I have a mark, we can't confirm that it was from this." Sweat glistened on Zachary's forehead. Karma noticed the white hair near his temple had been carefully brushed.
"Yes we can—it's my word too," Jean said. Karma smiled up at him. "I saw the whole thing and I was gonna save Karma, but Levi beat me to it. I'm willing to stake my ranking on it." He saluted a fist to his chest. "I can also testify that Karma and Levi's relationship was consensual with no conflict of interest. He didn't abuse his power or force himself on her. But I can't say the same for you, Commander."
Zachary was beet red as if he'd been holding his breath.
"Sir, might we check for a mark?" Pyxis said. "If there isn't one it may discredit their story. We have an obligation to—"
"Silence, Pyxis." Commander Zachary glared at Karma through his steepled fingers. "Very well. Check for a mark."
Pyxis rose. He brushed aside the white hair on Zachary's temples and inspected the skin. He inhaled sharply; a pink scar was visible just below the hairline.
"Commander," he said. "It's true, then?"
"It's true that there is a mark and that they have rehearsed a story to explain it."
"But surely they couldn't have known—"
Zachary raised his hand. "Very well. I will modify the rule accordingly. Levi Ackerman may return to the Scouts as Captain, and he and Miss Karma may continue to be romantically involved without fear of punishment." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at Karma. "But any signs of favoritism or abuse will not be tolerated. I expect Jean to report to me if your relationship compromises the Scouts interests. To that end, no word of this tribunal is to leak from this room. Are we understood?"
Karma nearly collapsed. Her knees had turned to water. "Yes, Commander," she said, echoed by the other officers.
Jean and Levi were slack-jawed and silent.
"Very well. That concludes this tribunal. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Please, be dismissed. But the three of you, stay." Zachary rose. He shook hands and offered head bows until the room was cleared of all military officials.
He turned to the three Scouts at the head of the table and his facade crumbled; his eyes softened and his mouth lost its hard edge. "I apologize to all of you, especially Karma. I hope this verdict will negate that drunken mishap. Regardless, it was an antiquated rule in need of modification. I appreciate you all stepping forward to help us see that."
He saluted them. Jean and Karma did the same, but Levi held up his cuffed wrists. "Ah, of course. My apologies, Captain Levi," Commander Zachary said. He unfastened the restraints. "Help yourselves to the stables if you require a ride back. Best of luck on your expedition, soldiers." He gave a sheepish nod before leaving. He couldn't even meet Karma's eyes. The door closed behind him.
For a moment, the three of them were too stunned to speak.
Jean broke the silence. He sounded on the verge of a bewildered laugh. "I can't believe that worked—that actually worked. We saved your dumb ass Levi! Looks like you owe me big time."
Levi rubbed his wrists. "Seeing as you're the one who ratted me out, I'd be generous to consider us even."
"Yeah, whatever." Jean crossed his arms. "Let's get back home, already. This place is a dump."