Krista Lenz was doing her part to support her fellow cadets, standing with a small assembly of volunteers offering to head back into Trost and bring replacement gas canisters to any soldiers stranded in the district.
Because they all couldn’t be… More of them had to be alive. If not considered elite, there were also seasoned soldiers of the Garrison missing, along with the rest of the top ten in the 104th, and more. It’d been too long since the last soldiers arrived at the inner gate, so the only reasonable explanation was that those still missing lacked the gas necessary to move on their own. They were hiding from the monsters, desperate to get away, needing someone to help them.
But elite Garrison soldier Ian Dietrich shot Krista and her companions them all down. “We’re not sending more people into the fray so soon,” he said sternly. “Our orders are to hold position and reinforce our defenses for the Armored Titan’s reappearance. We need you cadets rested and ready to move when we go on the offensive.”
Samuel, admittedly a little unsteady on his feet with a hasty bandage around his head after being knocked unconscious during the Colossal Titan’s initial attack, spoke brusquely. “Our friends might still be out there! And maybe even civilians! We can’t just–”
“We still have civilians and wounded here,” Dietrich stressed, motioning to the crowd around them. “The next wave of wagons and boats will be here soon. The evacuation is still ongoing, so keep calm and do as ordered.” Dietrich narrowed his eyes at Samuel, who winced under the glare. “You, get back to the infirmary. You’re bleeding right through the bandage.”
Krista could see Dietrich’s point. A number of people had taken off for Wall Sina or one of the designated evacuation sites on foot when the available carriages reached capacity, but there were still those unable or unwilling to go beyond the perimeter established by the Military around the Trost inner gate. They didn’t want to leave the immediate protection of the soldiers in the area in case Titans penetrated the Wall. Most of the cadets complied with Dietrich’s orders and dispersed. Dietrich already turned his back to them, so Krista decided to let the woozy Samuel lean on her as she helped him to the improvised infirmary: the fenced outdoor section of a restaurant repurposed as a medical area.
It had been stupid to let Samuel tag along with them in the first place. His outburst wasn’t the issue. He only wanted to help, but Krista should have noticed how he was only running on short bursts of adrenaline. He felt so heavy and weak now compared to his impassioned words moments earlier. She should’ve–
Krista felt the weight on her shoulders lessen. She looked up and saw Ymir supporting Samuel’s other side.
“If you really want to be useful,” Ymir said in her sarcastic voice, “how about you go prep another bandage for Samuel instead of letting him pass out on top of you.”
Krista let herself smile as she ran ahead to do as Ymir suggested. Honestly, Ymir was probably too tired by this point to make another half-joke, half-serious comment about Samuel owing her a favor, or to complain about Samuel hogging Krista and being unable to enjoy it in his feverish state, but both Ymir’s actions and her words were focused on helping their friend. The normally self-centered soldier had also been one of the first to follow Krista’s lead in rallying the others cadets for the resupply run. Even if Ymir was only naturally following Krista herself, Krista still appreciated the acts of benevolence shining past Ymir’s smart mouth.
Still, Krista’s concern for the missing cadets persisted, refusing to leave her head. She did what she could for Samuel as he was laid down on a cot, Ymir shadowing her in between helping move supplies on other soldiers’ orders, but all the while, there was an uneasy feeling inside Krista growing more palpable with each passing second.
These jittering nerves she was feeling were probably from the stress of being in her first real large-scaled battle. Krista returned the thankful smile the newly bandaged Samuel sent her way. He was starting to feel better, which made her be happy for him.
“Krista,” Ymir said to her, leaning in close, “as much as Samuel here is getting too in the way between the two of us, maybe he needs some more help when the next round of evacuations comes around.”
Krista knew what she was implying. “Just because our resupply idea was shot down, it doesn’t mean we still can’t stay here and help however we can.” It wouldn’t be right to use Samuel as an excuse to run away.
Ymir gave her a flat look. “Be honest, Krista. If the Armored Titan shows up, what the hell are us lowly cadets going to do? Last I checked, our cannon tech hasn’t exactly gotten much better in the last five years. He’ll barrel through a chain net in seconds.”
“We can help the others still here get to safety if the Titans do break down the gate.”
“Not if. When.” She pointed at the inner gate. “Look how close we are. Imagine the Armored Titan smashing through. Even if he doesn’t keep charging at us, there’s plenty of places for debris to…”
When Ymir trailed off, Krista looked up to see her stare in confusion at the gate. Following her gaze, Krista was hit by a small shot of hope. One of the missing cadets, Mina Carolina, was standing over there, alive.
But Mina stood at the front of a group of strange-looking individuals, all wearing the same odd white getup. Krista would almost call it knight armor, only because that was the closest comparison she could make, but it clearly wasn’t the same as the drawings in Krista’s childhood picture books from a lifetime ago.
The more Krista watched, the more she noticed Mina looking very frenzied, shouting and waving her hands wildly. Opposing Mina and her unusual companions was a team of Garrison soldiers, holding their blades and muskets out for a fight. The strangers carried their own musket-like weapons, too.
It was a standoff, and Mina was desperately trying to defuse it before things escalated.
Suddenly, the sinking feeling in Krista’s stomach intensified.
Ymir pulled Krista in her arms, holding her tightly. “Don’t even think about it. I know you want to throw yourself into whatever’s going on there, but don’t. All it takes is a twitchy finger to end things permanently for everyone.”
Of course, a part of Krista wanted to make sure Mina survived whatever these strange circumstances she found herself in, but for once, Ymir was wrong about what instincts were influencing Krista. It wasn’t her desire to help and, if needed, take a bullet for a friend that was making Krista squirm. Instead, the more Krista stared at the gate, the more she felt compelled to actually follow Ymir’s advice and run away.
One of the armored strangers pressed a finger to the side of his helmet, near where his ear would be. He exchanged glances with his peers before, incredibly, fumes of fire burst below them, jettisoning them up into the air. Mina was left alone with the Garrison soldiers while the strangers with what must be their own ODM gear moved in near perfectly vertical trajectories. They were able to reach the top of the Wall in seconds.
Everything worsened for Krista as she felt a cold chill run through her. It was as if something was gripping at her heart, spreading its icy clutches all over her. She sharply sucked in a breath and felt her entire body shiver.
Ymir loosened and then tightened her embrace at Krista’s jerky movements. “What’s wrong?”
Krista gave no answer, becoming as absorbed as the Garrison soldiers and civilian stragglers were at witnessing another impossible feat happen in front of their eyes. Incoherent yells rang out as the inner gate was raised. It wasn’t the Garrison turning the wheels on the gate apparatus to open it, and it couldn’t have been the armored strangers. Everyone could clearly see the metal chains holding up the gate loosely hang over the stone wall as it moved upward. Something else unseen was moving the door itself off the ground. From the way there was visible light as the gate was opened, the door on the other side of Wall was being lifted at the same time.
A lone, shadowy figure marched through the gate.
He had his arm bent with his fist held in front of him. He held his posture rigidly with each step he took. It was as if… as if it was him impossibly holding up the gate with that committed gesture.
The figure came to a stop in the middle of the road, soldiers and civilians alike giving him a wide berth. They stared in uncertainty. He may as well have been a statue put up for display, if not for the small movements of his head looking back at the crowd.
When those gaping black holes on the figure’s head made eye contact with Krista, the urge to scream and get away nearly took control of her completely.
These things she was feeling just by looking at this figure, seeing this unexplainable but undeniable act with the gate, the gut reactions she felt from his sheer presence… was reminding her all too much of that horrible night when she was given her name Krista Lenz.
But this… monstrous feeling of fear and dread festering in her… It was so familiar, but also, somehow… different.
Her mind automatically labeled this figure a Dark Lord. The Dark Lord, far more powerful than the man who took Krista’s mother away from her.
Behind the Dark Lord, there was suddenly a wave of people running through, to the safety behind Wall Rose. Soldiers, of the Garrison Regiment and Cadet Corps, rushed in as they supported wounded comrades or weary civilians. More white-armored strangers also came through, as did men in black, gray, and olive green uniforms Krista has never seen before. She spotted Hanna closely following an armored stranger carrying her sweetheart, Franz, in his arms. Franz was missing an arm and half a leg, literally, but he was still alive, given bandages with the blood already dried up on them. The stranger placed Franz on an empty bench, where he reached out to hold Hanna’s hand as they cried in relief.
Krista was able to make some sense of what she was seeing, but it confused her. These were the unlucky citizens unable to reach the initial evacuation in time before the gate was closed, and soldiers in the vanguard and middle ground who must have not gotten the resupply of gas necessary to fall back when the retreat signal had been given. The foreign strangers must have escorted what survivors they found back here.
What was confusing was how the Dark Lord seemed to be participating in this act of goodwill… The last time Krista encountered someone like him, the furthest thing on her mind was to wear an expression of hope and gratitude as Hanna, Franz, Mina, and so many others were giving to the Dark Lord and his men.
The wave of excited yells for their saviors was interrupted by thundering footsteps. Having only faced Titans in real combat today, Krista was still able to discern the sound as likely an Abnormal, crawling on its hands and feet. Her theory was proven right when she saw, through the open gate tunnel, a skinny Abnormal just like that slide around a building and make a mad dash for the gate.
The frightened screams of the people around Krista ended as quickly as they began. Without flinching, the air around the Dark Lord shifted. Krista knew it changed somehow. In the same breath, his invisible grip on the gate disappeared, the stone doors swiftly falling down at the right moment to decapitate the Titan, its nape also destroyed as the detached head flew over the Lord and nearly collided with Captain Kitz Woermann.
The senior Garrison officer in charge of Trost’s defense had rallied another line of musket-carrying soldiers behind him. They instinctively trained their weapons at the Titan head, even as it stopped moving and began melting into mist. Krista watched the Dark Lord move into the steam and reappear before the Captain. In another fit of panic, the soldiers aimed their muskets at the Lord.
Silence reigned over the entire area for a few beats.
“What are you?” Krista faintly heard Captain Woermann ask in a whimper.
Again, something in the air shifted around the Dark Lord.
“You will take me to your superiors charged with defending the Wall,” he said in a voice equally as disturbing as every single other thing about him.
In a drowsy tone, the Captain repeated, “I will take you to my superiors charged with defending the Wall.”
One of his aides, Rico Brzenska, gave Woermann an incredulous look. “Sir?”
“Stand down!” yelped Woermann, forcibly pushing the barrels of the muskets closest to him downward. “All of you, stand down this instant! Do no harm to these strangers!”
“But sir! We don’t know–”
Behind the Dark Lord, Mina lunged into the clearing. “I told you already! The Empire is going to save us all!”
Woermann shouted over them. “All of you, I said stand down! Commander Pyxis must be informed of the situation immediately!” Most of the soldiers did as they were told, if with obvious hesitation. A few who didn’t lower their muskets in time were faced with Woermann waving his sword and pointing its tip at them with a shaky grip.
By the Walls, the Dark Lord was looking directly at Krista. She could feel it. He was looking over the heads of the soldiers to fix his nightmarish glare on her and her alone. Krista imagined a torrent of hate and bloodlust flooding from sickly yellow eyes, yet all she could actually see was the cold glare of the demonic helmet.
“Krista, honey? Talk to me. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
She was feeling shades of the same fear that had accompanied Krista Lenz’s renaming and rebirth as a soldier, when her old life on a simple farm had been burnt to the ground.
But Krista couldn’t tell Ymir that, because Ymir still didn’t know her true name, so Krista said nothing as she let Ymir continue holding her. It was very selfish of her, but Krista decided to take what small comforts she could find when facing the darkness all over again.
----------------------------------------
All things considered, Armin decided things were going… adequately well.
It almost disgusted Armin to consider the deaths his fellow cadets and the Stormtroopers suffered as adequate, acceptable losses, but in practical terms, so many more than those lost were able to reach Trost headquarters alive with only minimal injuries. That was a victory he couldn’t dismiss.
The first squad of Stormtroopers had crashed through a line of windows on an upper floor of the HQ, giving the cadets clear openings to get inside. Lieutenant Sunber had then reorganized the troopers still alive and able to spread out around the base perimeter to draw away the besieging Titans. Some of the injured troopers, like the one who lost his legs while saving Tom, had been promptly patched up before admirably assuming sniping positions at the highest level of the castle. Meanwhile, Sunber and a small team of troopers had helped the cadets clear out the four-meter Titans infesting the supply room holding the gas tanks they needed to refuel everyone’s ODM gear.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Armin was finishing the refill for his gear alongside other cadets, letting himself soak in the atmosphere of optimism everyone shared toward getting home, when he turned around to find Mikasa right next to him where she hadn’t been seconds prior. From a short glance, he saw she had also gone out of her way to equip a fresh set of blades. Her gear was an entirely unused set, in fact.
“Armin, where is Eren?”
Oh no. She can’t be thinking– “You can’t stay behind and look for him on your own,” Armin said. “We need to stay togeth–”
“The Stormtroopers proved they can protect the group,” Mikasa cut in. “Our friends, and you, will be able to make it back to the Wall. I’m a warrior greater than all of them. I can protect myself and Eren once I find him.”
Well, Armin wouldn’t say she was necessarily wrong in her assessment. She probably could outmaneuver the scattered Titans for a good while, but the risk of getting surrounded by a mob of them was too high, and her search wasn’t guaranteed to bear fruit. “Mikasa…” He looked around them, confirmed all of the Imperial troopers had left the supply room now that it was secure, and lowered his voice. Mikasa caught on and leaned closer to him. “I don’t think Lieutenant Sunber or his platoon knows where exactly Eren is, but their leader or other Imperial soldiers might.”
He was playing loose with the truth. Armin had to since he couldn’t be absolutely certain he was interpreting the situation correctly, but the dots were still there for him to make what connections were there.
Darth Vader seemed to think Eren… transformed into a Titan. This Titan had to be the “renegade giant” Vader had briefly spoken of with Sunber and Sheckil. If Eren someway somehow did turn into a Titan, Armin could believe Eren would use that power to kill other Titans over anything else.
Transforming into a Titan was its own insane line of thinking on top of everything else presented by the Empire, so he had to give a measured response to Mikasa before she did something rash. He knew objectively she had a deeper, stronger need than him to make sure Eren was safe, but that was why Armin had to be the one to temper her innate instincts until they regrouped with the Garrison and established formal relations with the Empire.
“So Eren isn’t at the outer gate like the Sergeant said?” Mikasa asked.
“I don’t think so. Troopers should be looking for Eren if they haven’t found him already.” Or more accurately, Stormtroopers were tracking the renegade giant’s movements.
“Is the Empire searching for more cadets in general? Or are you saying they have an interest in Eren specifically?”
The latter, for reasons Mikasa won’t believe. “Our best course of action at the moment is to go along with the Empire and regroup with the Garrison. Work with the troopers, and learn what they know, use their weapons and technology to retake Trost.”
Mikasa was undeterred. “Armin, I’m not blind. Sheckil was trying to make me think Eren was safe with Mylius and Thomas. Both you and him don’t want me to look for Eren. Was he actually hurt like Sheckil said?”
Of all the times of Mikasa’s overprotective nature to keenly sharpen… “Yes, Eren was hurt the last time I saw him, but you don’t understand. The Empire’s leader, Darth Vader, he–”
Mikasa swerved around, hands on her sword grips. She reacted faster to one of the Stormtroopers stepping into the room.
“Cadets!” the man – and the Stormtroopers were human, bleeding and dying just like the rest of them, advanced technology or not – shouted, followed by two others like him. “Anders Squad is moving through the city and keeping the Titans around this base scattered, but we’re taking precautions for our reduced manpower. The platoon will escort you in batches, keeping wandering Titans’ attention divided as we deploy the next group. The snipers will remain at the tower and relay optimal paths to the Wall through our comlinks.” He rapped his knuckles on his helmet. “Remember, communication is effectively instantaneous with our helmet comlinks. The snipers will inform us of possible threats out of our sight.”
“In batches?” called out Daz. “But – But why don’t we all just go together like last time?”
“Reduced manpower,” the Stormtrooper stiffly repeated. “We can’t cover everyone, especially if the Titans converge on us mid-way. If you want to make a run for it alone, be my guest. If you want us to fulfill our orders and guarantee your safe return to the north gate, go to the courtyard and wait for your cue.”
The cadets were still riding the wave of confidence brought by the Stormtroopers, so most hurriedly followed the lead trooper’s men out of the supply room.
Mikasa was unmoving, and Armin stayed with her, because the lead Stormtmrooper left his companions to walk toward the two of them.
“Armin Arlert, you may call me Sergeant Narthax,” he introduced himself.
The question left Armin’s mouth before he could stop it. “You’re the same rank as Sergeant Sheckil?”
“Sergeant Major Sheckil,” Narthax corrected. “He wants to see you before you depart for the Wall. Come with me.”
Mikasa coldly regarded Narthax. “What does he want with Armin?”
The Stormtrooper didn’t answer her directly. He had his helmeted face locked on Armin. “Sheckil wants your personal testimony on the renegade giant and anything further you have on the Titans.”
He wants to interrogate Armin about Eren? Before they left for the Wall? The Empire must want to learn more about him before Armin returned to the authority of the Garrison Regiment. “Mikasa should come with us,” Armin said quickly, trying to think of a reasonable excuse to justify her inclusion.
Fortunately, Armin didn’t need to give a reason. Narthax started walking away with a motion for Armin and Mikasa to follow. “Bring your whole entourage if you want. Come on. We’ll be moving immediately to the Wall once Sheckil is done with you.”
Entourage?
Armin understood what Narthax meant when he noticed Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt following them. “We’re not leaving you alone with them,” Reiner reassured, cracking a smile. “I’m sure Mikasa can take on all of these Stormtroopers by herself, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little backup. Right?”
Spitting jokes to avoid being conscious of his own anxiety. Armin respected the strategy, and showed his appreciation with a grateful nod. Bertholdt, Mikasa, and Annie were preoccupied with carefully watching Narthax and passing stormtroopers leading other groups of cadets to the courtyard. Although Bertholdt following Reiner wasn’t unexpected, Annie joining them was a bit of a surprise. The cynical pragmatist in her would probably have wanted to get out of Titan-infested Trost as soon as possible, but aside from the basic concern for her friends, the pragmatist might also be pushing Annie to learn more about the Empire personally.
“So,” Reiner said as their group rounded up a flight of stairs, “what’s the deal with this renegade giant the trooper mentioned? Don’t tell me the Empire used their light guns to tame a Titan or something?”
Armin didn’t know where to begin. He was saved from saying anything by Narthax. “Our ‘light guns’ are ‘blasters.’ Remember it. Knowing our terminology will make imperialization run smoother for all of us. Speaking Basic already puts you ahead of other primitives.”
Imperialization? Primitives? It sounded more like the Empire intended to tame them, not the Titans. Armin hoped this “smooth” process still ultimately enabled them to retake Trost and Wall Maria. Next to Armin, Bertholdt and Reiner visibly tensed but didn’t say anything. Annie and Mikasa were as stoic as ever, though Annie did pop one question.
“Is Basic what you call the language we’re all speaking?”
“You’ll be informed more thoroughly on common galactic knowledge when comp-nor steps in,” Narthax said, introducing another new entry to their vocabulary. “We’re still in hostile territory. Arlert, you will answer Sheckil’s questions concisely so we can all move out before more Titans are attracted to the castle.”
No one said any more as they reached the roof, walking along the battlement a few floors under the tower where the snipers were still discharging red blaster bolts. Cadets and troopers were launching out of the courtyard in the formations Narthax had explained earlier, awaiting cadets anxious for their turn to begin their retreat. Lieutenant Sunber was on the opposite battlement, doing his best to maintain the good spirits of the cadets until he ordered for the next deployment.
Ahead of Armin’s group was Sergeant Sheckil, looking at the rest of the district through a new foreign Imperial device. Armin guessed it to be an advanced telescope variant, needing the wielder to use both of their eyes on it instead of only one. Beside Sheckil was another Stormtrooper, holding a presumed notebook and pen equivalent made of metal and glass. It was a familiar sight of an observer commentating on what he saw for a scribe to record in the log book, just with different technology.
Armin only saw spewing smoke, broken buildings, and more Titans battling airborne troopers further inside Trost. Was Sheckil searching for their renegade with the telescope?
“Sir!” announced Narthax. Sheckil lowered his scope and gave a nod of acknowledgment. He perused the cadets next to Armin, studying them.
“You have giant human-like mutants on this world,” Sheckil said. “Do you also have changelings?”
It sounded vaguely familiar. “I think there are some folk tales about changelings,” Armin recalled. “Children’s stories about demons changing shape to fool innocent people.” Those were stories far less interesting to him compared to speculations and alleged factual depictions of the world beyond the Walls.
“Do any of those stories relate to Titans?”
“Not especially.”
Reiner stepped forward. “What does this have to do with a renegade Titan? Your lieutenant said Titans were totally unfamiliar to your Empire. In case you don’t know, there are Titans classified as Abnormal, acting more unpredictable and erratic than just biting at the nearest human.”
“Arlert informed us of your classification system,” Sheckil said. “I understand it’s based on behavior and height. What about any… unique physiological traits?”
Was Sheckil going to ask about it outright? If regular humans were able to change shape into Titans?
Mikasa spoke up. “Did the renegade giant hurt Eren?” Her patience was running thin. Her fingers rested on the ODM triggers to either whip out her swords threateningly at the Imperials or to blast into the city to search for Eren. Armin wanted to grab her wrist to subtly warn her, since he wasn’t actually capable of physically holding her back.
To Armin’s surprise, Sheckil spoke more bluntly than he expected. “The renegade giant is Eren Yeager.”
Finally, Mikasa’s harsh demeanor faltered, broken by bemusement. “He’s what?”
A horrible realization hit Armin. He twisted his head around and saw two of the snipers on the tower above pointing their rifles down at him and his friends. The others except for Mikasa looked up and saw the same thing. Armin noticed Narthax and the other trooper holding their blasters up by their hips, ready to train them on the cadets in a moment’s notice.
“I believe the cadets Forster and Kline mentioned to one of my troopers that Eren Yeager is your brother,” Sheckil calmly said to Mikasa. He pointed at the bruises on his face. “He’s a violent one. I presume it runs in the family?”
“Eren attacked you?” Mikasa muttered. The low growl behind those words was enough for the troopers to aim their blasters at her. They didn’t fire when Mikasa, and Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, pulled out their blades. Armin was once again caught in the middle.
“I was unfortunate collateral when he tried to bash in the head of another Titan.” Sheckil paused to press his personal comlink close to his ear. Armin couldn’t make out what the voice on it said. He stiffened when Sheckil looked at him. “You neglected to disclose your friend’s relation to Yeager.”
“You still haven’t shown me any proof of Eren transforming into a Titan,” Armin said in an even tone. If violence broke out, even if Mikasa and the others took out the troopers in front of them and got to cover without getting blasted, the snipers still had their helmet comlinks to warn Sunber’s platoon. Titans were bad enough, but fighting them and the Empire? After they did so much to save the 104th survivors? “Mikasa was adopted by Eren’s parents. Whatever you think about Eren or your renegade, there’s no need to worry about her suddenly morphing into a Titan.” Did the Imperials recognize Mikasa as Oriental? Would that factor into Sheckil’s judgment of her?
In a rare display of emotion, Annie muttered in clear shock, “Eren transformed?”
Sheckil with his cold stare looked down at her. “Are you cadets familiar with Titan transformation? Unlike Arlert here?”
“This is crazy,” Reiner said, nervous sweat staining his skin. “You’re crazy. On what world would Eren Yeager–”
“Sheckil!”
With a boost from his jetpack, Lieutenant Sunber shot over the courtyard and landed on the other side of the cadets. While Sheckil remained composed, Sunber was positively heated.
“What the kriffing hell are you doing?” Sunber screeched.
Dissent in the Imperial ranks. Armin was hoping for more coordinated discipline in the Empire, but he couldn’t complain if Sunber put a stop to this madness.
“The renegade is almost here,” Sheckil said. “We need as much information as possible if we’re going to effectively contain it. Potential threats have to be minimized accordingly.”
“Your people pointed their rifles at us first!” accused Reiner. “You started this.”
Armin spread out his arms, no matter how poor a human shield he might have made, but his intentions to keep anyone from striking against the other was clear. “We’re not a threat! Your platoon has already helped us so much. We agreed to work with you, as allies. There’s no reason for you to hold your weapons against us like this!”
Sheckil looked past Armin to look at Sunber. “Fulfilling Lord Vader’s orders supersedes everything.”
Did Darth Vader send new orders through the comlinks to the platoon? Was that what fueled this newfound hostility from Sheckil?
Sunber wasn’t having it. “Troopers, stand down,” he barked. Narthax and the other one obeyed. Armin saw the snipers redirect their aim elsewhere. His friends were still on edge but didn’t move from where they stood.
“They were set to stun,” Sheckil remarked. Stun as in non-lethal?
“The renegade is already hurt,” Sunber said tersely. “We stun him, retrieve the kid, and bring the rest of them home.”
“It only looks human. There’s no guarantee our blasters will work as intended.”
“There’s no guarantee knocking out a bunch of kids will mean anything for the Titans!”
Sheckil clicked his tongue. “You’re from the Rim like me, aren’t you? I didn’t take you to be so soft for soldiers, young as they are.”
Even as tense as things were getting, Armin’s mind couldn’t stop picking at each new snippet of information the Imperials gave away. Their Empire had territory they designated as the Rim? Could it be an equivalent to a Wall?
The argument was cut short by familiar rumbling.
Through a plume of smoke, jetpack Stormtroopers shot out toward Trost headquarters, followed closely by a sprinting Titan who had lost one of his arms, already regenerating new skin and bone underneath a layer of steam. It gave a guttural scream, a sound unlike any Armin has heard from the other Titans he’s faced today. More Titans, shorter than the lead, were following it. Some were trying to climb over the armless Titan to swipe at the Stormtroopers.
Wait, that wasn’t exactly what Armin was seeing. The sprinting Titan that must be the renegade giant, up to fifteen meters tall or so, was grabbed by smaller Titans who were gnawing at him. A ten-meter class tackled the renegade from behind. They landed in the middle of a road directly leading to the castle. The rest of the mob ignored the flying troopers, piling on top of the larger Titan. His next scream was absolutely deafening. Titans were practicing cannibalism now?
“For star’s sake,” Armin heard Sunber murmur. He spoke into his comlink. “Fox, where did the sleemos come from?”
The volume on the comlink must be adjustable, since Sunber apparently didn’t bother lowering it compared to Sheckil, allowing Armin and the cadets to hear Fox’s response. “We tested the stun setting on Abnormals, to minimal effect even on the neck. Letting the other Titans pin him will make our jobs easier.”
“Not if the kid gets eaten!”
The kid – He must mean Eren. He was somewhere in that mess? Did Sunber genuinely believe the fifteen-meter grew up from the size of a human?
“Eren’s down there?” Mikasa asked, alarmed.
Sheckil reiterated, “He’s the Titan getting mauled like a freshly seasoned nerf steak.” The idea still sounded too insane. What was even a nerf? Mikasa looked at Armin for any reassurances, to which he could only shrug at.
“He can’t be,” Reiner was muttering. “He can’t be a Titan. Not Eren Yeager.”
The renegade shrieked again. Fighting against the Titans biting and grappling him, he was able to get on one knee and toss a few of them off his body. He shoved away others, punching or elbowing them. The renegade knocked the jaw off of one Titan, and maneuvered another under him so he could chomp his teeth down on its nape.
… Did the renegade Titan have green eyes?
“I saw the boy when he first transformed,” Fox said through the comlink. As the renegade fended off hungry Titans, his arm’s regrowth stalled by other giants preying on him, Fox and his fellow trooper levitated above him. Armin saw they were holding ODM swords. “There was a big flash of light, but Lord Vader corroborated my theory. His actual body didn’t enlarge. The Titan material spawned outward from him and over his body.”
Sunber’s face grew pale. “He spoke directly to you? What did Vader say precisely?”
“Nothing contrary to our standing orders of evacuating the cadets. Lord Vader only specified that Eren Yeager is expressly included among them.”
As the Titans around the renegade fell around him, the two airborne Stormtroopers flew downward, disappearing in the mesh of bodies. Armin saw streaks of blood, just like a soldier slicing through the nape of a Titan. A few seconds later, with the lesser Titans seemingly getting a second wind to surround and dogpile the renegade, a single trooper rose above them.
One Stormtrooper must have been trapped or outright killed, but the surviving trooper, the blood on his armor already fading into steam, was carrying someone with him. By the look of it, the trooper’s quarry was unconscious.
Armin gasped once he recognized who it was the trooper was bringing over to the headquarters.
He knew he didn’t see the whole thing clearly, but now Armin was certain without a doubt that Eren was alive, and that he became a Titan.
And Darth Vader, his Empire, wanted Eren for themselves.