SURVIVING SOLDIER | L. ACKERMANN

FIFTY-FOUR

He looked up from the documents in front of him. "Although there is no concrete proof that any of these are legitimate. . ." he said slowly, locking eyes with me.

I chewed on the skin of my bottom lip nervously. Even the dust hung in the air statically, waiting for him to continue.

"I have no reason to believe that you were an active participant in the Liberio hostage situation orchestrated by Zeke and Eren Jeager," Zachary concluded.

There was a collective exhale around the room as the verdict was announced, and I braced myself on the podium in front of me so I wouldn't collapse where I stood. An overwhelming wave of relief washed over me, and I wanted to cry as the anxiety and turmoil that had been festering within me for weeks released its grip on my heart.

The Premier was courteous enough not to bang his gavel; instead, he raised his voice to quiet the whispers that arose from the announcement. "You posed legitimate solutions to deescalate conflict between Paradis and Marley," he told me, "And I wholeheartedly believe that they would have been successful had Zeke and Eren not intervened."

The Premier looked out towards the audience. "There are many individuals on the jury that have worked with Captain Roth during the restoration of Wall Maria and the decommission of the capitol underground," Zachary explained, "and I can affirm her devotion to the people of this nation from my own working history with her. This is an unprecedented case and has required careful nuance."

I looked over at the Jury. Many of the men sat on my council and worked with me closely on budgeting and strategy to reclaim Maria successfully. Most of them were ornery, old men, but I couldn't have done it without their support and cooperation, and I wanted to believe we had gained each other's mutual respect during my stay at the capitol.

"Captain Katchen Roth, you have my trust that you would not willingly chose to provoke Marley, just as I do not believe the other members of the Survey Corps would chose to put our people at risk," Zachary admitted, "You have been found innocent and will be released immediately upon closure of this trial. . ."

He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "Welcome home, Katchen," he told me, a hint of warmth in his voice.

I was startled when the people behind me erupted in applause and cheers. My old squad and many of the soldiers I interacted with while working as the Commander of Restoration had showed up today, and they gave me encouraging smiles and nods. Even some of the people in the Jury clapped, including Commander Pyxis who wore a wide grin that made his eyes crinkle closed. Even when I made eye contact with Commander Dok, he gave me a slow nod, as if to welcome me home too.

"Order, please," the Premier requested, raising a hand at the crowd and waiting for their silence. "However, I still recognize the uncertainty that some jury members feel because of the emotional appeals in the testimony and verdict, so I will be taking Commander Dok's suggestions and they will be put into effect on your release from this hearing."

"Captain Roth will be demoted back to private first class and will be paroled under the supervision and direction of Lance Corporal Levi Ackermann until the end of his team's next operation," Zachary continued, "From there, you will be reevaluated by the marshal court for a full return of your rights and citizenship, as well as your eligibility for promotion."

"The information discussed here is not to be disclosed to the public by anyone but the court press secretary," he finished, standing, "I declare the case of Katchen Roth vs. the state closed and this court adjourned. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this deliberation, you are now dismissed."

I watched as the Premier walked out of the same door he had just entered, dazed by how quickly that verdict was reached. I had expected much more heated debate, but after weeks of trials and meetings, it seemed everyone was tired and didn't have the patience to argue about my allegiance. I took it as a good sign that the higher ups still had trust in me.