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Carter sat down swiftly. “Here is fine...sir.”

“I thought as much.”

Silence fell between them, and Carter found himself watching the older man carefully. He also felt that while they were both evaluating one another, General Winter was seeing far more of him.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you,” General Winter said, voice as steady as it had been when Carter walked in, “how serious the charges being leveled against you are. Your record alone is enough to raise an eyebrow, but I requested you come here all the same. And?—”

“You asked?” Carter blurted out, shocked.

General Winter raised a brow. “Yes. And having said that, you can imagine how unhappy I was to hear about your altercation with Sergeant Reynolds.”

Carter scowled. “Yes, I imagine you would be. Though I don’t?—”

General Winter continued. “Particularly when, at face value, it appeared completely unprovoked. Made even worse by your rather lackluster and flimsy defense that threatened to snap at the slightest push.”

Carter waited in silence until he realized he was supposed to speak. “I stand by my statement. I shouldn’t have said it, but I said it, so there it is...sir.”

General Winter tilted his head. “Commendable. But it hardly changes much. Between your history and Sergeant Reynolds’ testimony, and with no real defense, you hardly have a leg to stand on.”

“I know,” Carter said, looking down at his lap. “But I’m not naming names. Other than Reynolds’, I’ll name that one happily.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you refuse to give a name? If what you said is true, then a witness would help you greatly.”

Carter looked up. “Itistrue.”

The General motioned vaguely. “And yet?—”

“Because I’m not putting...them in a position they don’t want to be in. Bad enough that Reynolds...well, they were put through enough shit. I wasn’t going to be the one to drag them through it against their will,” Carter said, leveling his gaze with the older man.

“Noble, but it doesn’t help you or your future, now does it?” General Winter asked.

“Nope,” Carter said, internally apologizing to Marco again.

The seconds ticked by as General Winter watched him. After what felt like an eternity, Winter reached for a file. It was thin, with only a few pieces of paper in it. He set it on the desk between them, his hand resting comfortably on it.

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing for you that Private King came forward of her own accord and gave her account,” General Winter said.

Carter froze. “What?”

The general’s brow quirked slightly. “Oh yes. Came to these offices the other day and spoke to Staff Sergeant Marshall herself. Gave him the entire account and put it down in writing.”

Carter watched as the general tapped the folder. “That?”

“The whole thing,” he said. “Weeks of harassment, followed by the fateful day where Sergeant Reynolds made his move. And then your involvement and how you spared her from her fate.”

Carter made a choking noise. “W-why?”

General Winter turned his hands upward, almost in a shrug. “A strange thing, isn’t it? I spoke to her privately, listened to her story, and put a few pieces together. The most curious part was that she mentioned you by name and absolutelyinsistedthat you not be punished for doing the right thing.”

Carter looked from the folder to General Winter. “She...she did?”

The corner of General Winter’s mouth turned upward. “Yes, it seems Idohave gossips in my circle of trust. I would be most curious how she found out about your arrest.”

“But she could be lying, just like I could be,” Carter protested, not caring he could be screwing himself over as the idea popped into his head. “Reynolds isn’t exactly liked.”