Eren’s eyes shot open.
All he saw was a dark void.
The last thing he remembered was… dropping the boulder at the gate, saving Trost. More Imperials in flying machines arriving, taking out more Titans. Eren wanting to stay on the move, help them and the Garrison Elites still escorting him.
Mikasa, Armin, and Mina. Eren also remembered looking for them before unconsciousness had taken him again. He really needed to figure out how exactly his new powers worked. He can’t keep losing himself whenever he transformed… and he had to master these powers if he was going to get past the Titans and return to Shiganshina, claim whatever his father had locked in the cellar.
Wait… the key! The key to the basement! Eren reached for his neck and didn’t find it.
Only now, after seeing those visions of his dad, did Eren realize he had been unconsciously keeping the key on his person ever since the Fall of Wall Maria. All this time, It had been pure instinct never given a second thought. Eren had always shrugged off people who asked him about the key. His dad must have… implanted the command in Eren to keep the key close around the same time as when dad had “awakened” Eren’s gifts.
If Eren wanted to get his answers, he needed to find the key.
In his haste to search himself, Eren got a clearer sense of his surroundings. He was unarmed, without his military jacket, boots, or ODM gear. Brick walls surrounded him, the wall at his front allowing in torch light through metal bars. His vision aching at the brightness, Eren turned away, seeing the blanket draped over his body. He was sitting up on a bed, his wrists in shackles. While able to move his arms well enough on their own, he wouldn’t be able to leave the bed with the chains on him connected to the ceiling.
He was a prisoner.
There was also another weight on his lower body holding him down… Another chain connected shackles between Eren’s leg and another person’s, who was lying on another small bed pushed against his.
His stirring woke her up. Eren was briefly tackled by a tight embrace before her hands firmly grasped his head, a set of piercing eyes examining his face.
“Eren! Are you alright? How do you feel?”
Why was Eren in a prison cell with Mikasa? Why were they shackled together?
And they were chains and shackles… which hardly fit with the image of advanced weaponry and equipment of the Empire that had developed in Eren’s head.
Wait a second. There was a mark on Mikasa’s face. A scar? When did…
“The changeling’s finally awake.”
Eren looked back outside the cell, his eyes better adjusting to the light. Sitting in a small huddle were… what had to be more Stormtroopers.
One of them had the white armor, but another two wore similar black variants with different helmets from his. The top of the head was more flat than round, and the visor was one wide streak rather than two separate slots for the eyes. A fourth trooper beside them had completely different armor on. It was entirely made of dirtied purple metal plates with no gaps to expose the black bodysuit, assuming this trooper had one underneath the plates. His helmet resembled a dented dome. The shape of the eye slots formed an almost angry glower compared to the expressionless faces on his companions.
A black trooper was speaking on a comlink while staring at Eren through the metal bars. She tossed the device to Wall Military soldiers nearby, another group who Eren was only now noticing. They were on their feet, giving both Eren and the Imperials cautious looks.
Eren was drawn to the unmistakable emblem on the soldiers’ jackets.
The Wings of Freedom… Scouts of the Survey Corps.
He recognized the tall Scout, Miche Zacharius. Second only to Captain Levi. Leader of his own squad, so the other three must be his direct subordinates. Miche nodded to himself before lowering the comlink. “The commanders are still preoccupied at the Capital,” he said to his people and the Imperials. “Our current orders stand.”
The other black-armored trooper snorted and elbowed the normal-looking Stormtrooper. “Changeling must only be the second most interesting thing they’ve seen today.” The Stormtrooper shared a chuckle with her.
Eren felt his heart fall when he realized he was being kept in a dungeon because of his… unexplainable Titan transformation. He can’t rightly complain about the way Miche’s squad shot looks of wariness at him, regardless of his contributions in saving Trost. Honestly, if it had been someone else in the 104th who had suddenly shifted into a Titan, Eren would probably have a hard time not giving them the stink eye, too. It was such an insane idea to begin with.
The Scouts must have arrived at Trost after Eren had placed the boulder and he had fallen asleep, meaning they had missed seeing Eren in action as a Titan. They knew Titans were the enemy, so they might still be labeling Eren as an enemy until he clearly showed them otherwise.
But whereas the Scouts were on guard, the Imperials were acting blasé, casual. Two of them were still laughing at quiet comments they were trading. The purple trooper turned away and stared blankly at the wall. The first black-armored trooper was still looking at Eren, but with a tilted head that conveyed curiosity rather than suspicion.
They were different from the other Stormtroopers, that much Eren could tell.
Regardless, Eren had his priorities. Mikasa was still holding him in another protective fit as she met the curious trooper’s gaze with a glare. Eren leaned closer to whisper in Mikasa’s ear. “The cellar key,” he said. She and Armin knew he always kept it on him. “Where is it?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she whispered back, “I have no idea. You still had it before you picked up the boulder.”
“It wasn’t on me when I was pulled out of my Titan body the second time?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”
Right. Eren had lost track of his squadmates before things had gone dark. Retracing his steps in his head, Eren was reminded that, right this second, Mikasa was chained to him. “Why are you locked in here with me like this? Don’t tell me you can shift into–”
“No, I’m not a Titan,” Mikasa said firmly. Her frown changed ever so slightly. “You don’t remember what you did?”
Miche spoke up before Eren could answer. His keen ears as one of humanity’s most capable soldiers must have picked up on what they were saying, and what Miche said made Eren sharply suck in a breath.
“Eren Yeager killed an Imperial.”
Yes, Eren needed to learn how to use his powers properly.
“I…” Eren stumbled with his words. He recalled throwing a punch, a burning in his hand, before he had placed the boulder atop himself. It had been an Imperial he punched in his fugue state? Eren had exclusively targeted enemy Titans during his first transformation. Why would he harm the troopers who were offering to help them reclaim Eren’s home from the Titans?
“It’s true,” Mikasa reluctantly said, avoiding Eren’s eyes. “You transformed, and attacked the Juggernaut.”
Denial was on the tip of Eren’s tongue, until the Stormtroopers confirmed it. “The Juggernaut crew are still on the job,” said the second black-armored trooper, “except for one who’s on permanent R-and-R.”
“Real osik’la luck,” the normal Stormtrooper said with a solemn nod. “He wasn’t a bad officer, especially for an Army boy.”
“I can already guess who his replacement’s going to be.” Another chuckle. “No one is going to like him.”
“Like how no one liked you in the Academy?”
“Oh, squark that, Switch. You never even went to the Academy.”
Their banter was lost to Eren. It hardly mattered anyway.
He… Eren has killed animals before, but for a worthy cause – saving Mikasa, freeing the Walls of the wastes of breath who had destroyed her family – and it had been Eren’s conscious choice. Eren being told he killed someone and he couldn’t remember it was… yet another cause of unease for him on top of everything else that’s happened to him today.
Steeling himself, he asked, “Who did I kill?”
The less talkative black trooper stood up. “Captain Xorbo Bex,” she answered.
Eren had a name, and a vague recollection of his face.
God, Nack Tierce was dead, too. Armin had told Eren after the cadets’ retreat from Trost HQ. Armin, Mina, and Thomas and Mylius had all been saved, but Cadet Squad 34 had lost one of their own minutes before the Imperials or Eren’s Titan form could have done something for Nack.
If only Eren had known about his powers beforehand. If only Eren could control his power and–
“It’s not your fault,” Mikasa told him, as if she hadn’t already learned how to control her innate strength and knew how to apply it correctly to get what she wanted. Eren wanted to pull away from her but couldn’t with their chains locking them together.
He was getting distracted. The cellar key. That was the necessary first step for Eren to do better in the future. There wouldn’t be any repeats of what happened to Nack or Captain Bex, Eren promised.
“I didn’t know,” Eren muttered. “I don’t remember it. Not fully. I didn’t mean to kill anything but Titans.”
“No one knows how your Titan powers work,” Mikasa said. “You can’t blame yourself.”
The wave of reassurances Eren was sure he’d be flooded with stopped short when the metal gate opened. He was buried in Mikasa’s arms again. It was Miche who unlocked the cell, and the curious trooper followed him inside.
“Things are more than a little chaotic right now,” Miche said. “The Empire’s helping us lick our wounds while the higher-ups talk things over. You two are confined here till they find time to hold a formal trial for you.”
Which brought up the question of what Mikasa’s charges were supposed to be. The trooper provided an answer. “The girl assaulted three Imperials,” she said, “after Chainly ordered the troops to refrain from attacking Yeager for his aggression against the Speardrift.”
His lack of memory on the event notwithstanding, Eren’s first instinct was to defend Mikasa. She spoke for herself before he could. “You people can’t be trusted around Eren,” she affirmed hotly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”
The rigid stance of the trooper made it look like she was unimpressed with the bravado. “The other cadets had to help hold Ackerman to keep her compliant,” she said offhandedly. “Chaining you together is a courtesy as much as it is insurance Yeager doesn’t decide to transform underground and risk harming her.”
A courtesy to let Mikasa stay near Eren and “protect” him. Eren would almost find it morbidly funny, Mikasa’s desire to see him safe only achieved when they were imprisoned in a dungeon, but more importantly, the trooper also pointed out a weakness to his Titan shifting: he needed an adequate amount of space around him for when the skin and bones of his Titan form are triggered to grow out of his human self. He could barely control his Titan self when it was fully realized, so how his Titan shape spawned was another thing he should learn how to master, if possible.
Steadying himself, Eren asked, “How long was I out?”
Miche took up a spot next to Eren’s bed and looked him over. “It’s been almost sixteen hours since you sealed the outer gate.” He leaned over Eren and… sniffed him?
Mikasa wasn’t expecting that either. She pulled Eren onto her bed. His wrists rattled their chains while Miche pulled back with a self-satisfied smirk.
“That supposed to mean Yeager has a clean bill of health?” the trooper asked with a sarcastic edge. When Miche answered with a shrug, the trooper’s counterpart by the bars burst out in laughter.
“Neither of you are touching Eren,” Mikasa declared.
“You can call me Ghoul, by the way,” the trooper said to Eren before looking down at Mikasa. “Any more funny business, and we’ll have Zed sit on you again.” Zed must be the purple trooper, since he faced the cell and waved his hand. “I’m a medic. My orders are to monitor your health and do nothing wanton, as long as you play nice. Any punishment is up to your leadership and my superiors. It’s not my call, and I gain nothing from harming either of you.”
Mikasa still wasn’t appeased. “Get a real doctor down here if any of you actually care about Eren’s health.”
Eren elbowed her, of course not budging her one bit. Suppressing a groan at that, he said, “Enough, Mikasa. Just let them do what they need to do.” The sniffing was weird, no question, but he needed to be near the Imperials, not be separated from them.
Ignoring Mikasa’s stubborn protests, Eren asked Ghoul, “Are you with Lieutenant Sunber’s platoon?”
Ghoul shook her head. “That’d be Lochere Platoon. My team’s Triton Squad. Separate unit. We hooked up with the Scouts at Brodgar. Arrived at Trost just in time to see a buckethead pull you out of a giant naked Sephi.”
A giant what?
“You don’t know what a Sephi is,” Ghoul said after a pause. “Never mind.”
Buckethead. Did she mean a Stormtrooper? The helmets could be roughly described as buckets. It was Fox who had pulled Eren out of his Titan form the first time, so it might have been him again. Did he take the cellar key?
Before Eren could ask, Miche stepped forward. Mikasa’s grip on Eren was tight, but Miche didn’t sniff again or directly touch them. He unlocked the restraints chaining him to the ceiling. He left the shackle between his and Mikasa’s legs alone, though.
“What are you doing?” asked Ghoul.
“They’re cadets,” Miche said. “Rookies. Trost was their first battle, and calling it unusual would be putting it mildly.” He locked eyes with the trooper. “We know how things will be settled between your leaders and mine. The kids need to understand that, too. They need to see it.”
“See what?” Mikasa sharply asked.
A gut feeling in Eren told him what Miche was getting at. “That the Empire is here to stay,” he said.
Ghoul was like a statue as she considered Miche’s words… or rather, as she spoke on what had to be a private comlink with no sound escaping her helmet. That could be the only explanation for why, after a short silence, she said, “Sarge gave the okay. It’s no skin off my bones if your commander learns about this and doesn’t approve.” Miche only smirked again. “If you want to make a point to the cadets, we can bring them up the Wall.” From her belt, Ghoul pulled out a pair of compact cylindrical shaped objects. “Going above ground, we need them joined by the hip.”
As it turned out, they were shackle-equivalents called stun cuffs. Along with the ankle chain, Eren’s and Mikasa’s were restrained by the cuffs on their wrists. They had to carefully walk shoulder-to-shoulder to prevent one from being dragged or for them both to trip.
The dungeon was in the basement of a military building near the Trost inner gate. Triton and Miche Squads escorted Mikasa and Eren past Wall soldiers. Of course they looked at Eren with a mix of distrust and fear. He didn’t see any of their friends like Armin, Reiner, or the others, or any cadets for that matter. No other Imperials either.
After being pulled up the wooden lift along Wall Rose, the sun shining over their heads, their group was greeted by a wide view of Trost, now totally devoid of Titans.
Never letting up her curtness, Mikasa asked, “So what are we supposed to be looking at?”
Miche was handed more Imperial devices from the troopers. “The new status quo,” he said, giving Eren and Mikasa the items. “These are called electrobinoculars. Grip them firmly along these sides. Hold them to your eyes, looking through here. You’ll have to be looking at the same time with your cuffs on.”
They followed Miche’s instructions, and Eren understood better what Miche meant by “new status quo.”
Military headquarters was already repaired, the broken bricks and collapsed walls wrought by the Titans no longer visible. Eren could see the Imperials in uniforms alongside regular soldiers. There were gray and black devices spread across the top platforms of the castle, along walkways or centered on towers. More Imperial technology, Eren assumed. Some of them looked more like blasters but with extra equipment. Others were taller and larger than the average person, their intended purpose completely lost to Eren.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Even more Imperial tech was spread across the plaza where Trost’s boulder had previously rested. At this height on the Wall, Eren looked over the district’s buildings and expected to see stone pathways crossing over each other with patches of grass and short trees in between. Instead, there were a number of buildings occupying the plaza. Imperial buildings, a number of them looking like exact copies of a single model. Eren wanted to call them shelters, as they could probably only fit a handful of people at a time, and people were walking in and out of them constantly. These smaller buildings surrounded what amounted to a miniature castle where Eren had taken the boulder.
Was this supposed to be Vader’s embassy he had mentioned to Commander Pyxis? An Imperial base working in parallel to Trost HQ?
Eren heard shuffling beside them. He didn’t turn away from his observations. Momentarily, the white Stormtrooper – Eren believed he was called Switch – said, “Most of those are prefabricated structures. Prefab for short. Easily fold them, transport, and rapidly deploy for near immediate use. Standard stuff for the Empire. If you ask me, what’s more interesting is what’s over at the outer gate.”
Mikasa automatically jerked her hand to redirect her electrobinoculars. She was able to force Eren’s binoculars to also point at the gate, though leaving him off-center, so he took a second to readjust.
He heard Mikasa release a small gasp. When Eren finally got a clear picture… he lowered his binoculars, Mikasa giving no resistance, and looked through them again.
Eren asked, “What happened to the boulder?”
Switch answered, “A demolition crew cleared it out, with a mix of controlled explosive charges and mining lasers. Lasers. Think blaster bolts, but a single bolt you can shut on or off. After securing the outer side, they needed the space to work from this end.”
The boulder was gone from where Eren had dropped it in front of the destroyed exit gate. There was scattered rubble that might have been from the original rock. In the boulder’s place was a giant slab of slim gray metal. Using some of the existing infrastructure, thick black wires replaced the chains that would usually hold up the stone door.
The Imperials had destroyed the boulder and replaced the gate, all in – did they say Eren was out for sixteen hours?
Mikasa was shocked, too. “Where did the metal even come from?” she asked. It would have taken days for the Garrison just to deliver enough building material to Trost for reconstruction, let alone rebuilding the gate on both ends while Titans tried to gnaw at the vulnerable humans.
“It’s from wreckage from our starship,” said Switch. “Mining lasers at the right intensity work on them, too. To move them, we have devices called tractor beams, repuslorlifts…”
“As short as their time here has been, the Empire’s made investments to the Walls,” Miche remarked. He gave Mikasa a pointed look. “You aren’t the only person arrested for letting your paranoia make you act impulsively against Imperials. You didn’t kill anyone, so that’s a point in your favor, and Yeager’s liable to get special treatment considering what he apparently is. Any goodwill you get will be meaningless if you keep up the insubordination, against the Military and the Empire.”
Tearing the binoculars away from their faces, Eren watched Mikasa defiantly leer at Miche. During their years in training, there had been generally little opportunity for Mikasa, consistently ranked the top of their class, to defy their trainers so she could sate her need to protect Eren. At the beginning of the battle for Trost, she had followed orders to serve on a separate front away from Eren in spite of her initial protests. Her obsession was becoming a liability now. In the time since Eren was asleep, this can’t be the first time one of their Military officers has lectured her about restraining herself when dealing with the Empire.
As much as Eren hated Mikasa’s protective streak over him, the last thing he wanted was for her to, at best, be discharged from the Military or, at worst, be sent to prison for her constant rebellious behavior.
Mikasa, Armin – everyone’s lives hinge on you controlling your power!
Dad’s words ringing in Eren’s head, Eren turned to Ghoul.
“There was a key I kept on my neck,” he said. “Do you know what happened to it after the battle?”
“You mean this?” Their Imperial guards had it all along, Ghoul pulling the familiar key out of another pouch on her belt. “What’s it for?”
Eren couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “It’s the key to liberating the world from the Titans.” He’ll harness his powers, with the Empire’s help – Darth Vader’s help – and create a world where Mikasa, Armin, and all of their friends will be able to live freely in a world without Titans.
----------------------------------------
Commander Erwin Smith’s first reaction when encountering the Imperials had been a simple, private one.
My father was right.
Erwin had latched onto the presumption that the Empire was an empowered state existing well outside the Walls in lands where the threat of the Titans had been minimized. The Royal Government wanted to continue living happily in self-imposed bliss in the center of the Walls at the expense of the citizens used as a buffer from the Titans. Except the nobles hadn’t expected for the Empire to advance in technology and manpower as they had to make incursions into the Walls, clearing an open path to expose the truth of King Fritz's corrupt reign.
Of course, all of this had been overly enthusiastic speculation in Erwin’s head within barely a few breaths of shaking hands with an Imperial officer at Brodgar. The conversations that had followed did their part in clarifying the situation for him.
The Imperials were visitors from another world, and were only now learning of the Titans. Because this was the first time anyone from the Empire has visited this planet.
Erwin was fairly certain he’d heard a fictitious tale like this long ago when he was a child, before his father had passed. Maybe in another life, his innate curiosity would have led him to a life of writing speculative fiction about alien offworlders rather than chasing his obsession for the secrets hidden from his homeland.
In any case, Erwin stood tall among his fellow Scouts and the representatives of the Garrison headed by Dot Pyxis. In between them were the men of the Empire invited for this audience with King Fritz and his advisors in the Royal Assembly. In the throne room at the heart of Mitras, a line of Military Police formed a barrier between the battle-hardened soldiers and the reigning nobles.
Erwin, Pyxis, and their subordinates already summarized their interactions with the Imperials at Trost and Brodgar. Now, Imperial Army General Rouse Ziering – a man wearing a wrinkled face, graying hair, and a respectable tone for the nobles – was finishing explaining how another piece of Imperial technology he called “probe droids” had first discovered the planet.
“... autonomous space-faring models intended to mark planetary bodies and star systems,” Ziering said, “with preliminary scans… making short notes on their observations in this region of space so that the Empire, if it so pleased, may deploy expeditions to learn more about the worlds with the most intriguing sights and peoples.”
Minister Aurille Neri, the primary spokesperson of the Assembly, spoke with a look of unease weighing him down. “These scans of our planet – They make observations of the entire planet?”
“In remote regions like the one your planet is in, the probot records only had enough data to confirm basic details of fauna, flora, minerals, liquids, and compatible breathing air. Encountering offshoots of humanity this far from known space isn’t necessarily unheard of, but given the endless possibilities intelligent life may evolve into, the probots simplify all organic life, including potential humans, as fauna until verified otherwise. We arrived to confirm these records, identify more points of interest that may have escaped the probe droids’ initial scans, and make contact with any existing civilizations planetside.”
“And you couldn’t take a gander from the safety of your flying machines, your spaceships, to see the state of the world and decide… not to go ‘planetside’, as you say, in the middle of Titan-infested lands?”
Erwin caught the small upturn of amusement on the edge of Ziering’s lips. “Our spaceships aren’t impervious to bad weather, or to the interference your planet appears to generate, which puts our sensors into disarray.”
“Sensors. Like those of the probe droids?”
“Yes. More advanced sensors, befitting the larger size of a starship ferrying an Imperial expeditionary force, but no less vulnerable to the unique hazards of unexplored space. Our engineers suspect there to be a natural disruptor field on your planet that, through no fault of your own, corrupted enough systems to make us choose to ground our ship before we were forcibly pulled into the planet’s atmosphere or made to drift out of the system.”
“Drift?” said Deltoff Edwards, one of the Walls’ wealthiest merchant bosses. “You mean like how an unattended boat can drift in a body of water, your starships can drift uncontrolled across the stars?”
The Imperials had thrown a lot of new terminology at the Assembly. If Ziering felt annoyed by the constant interruptions or diversions when pressed to explain a term, it never showed. He patiently elaborated, never in a condescending manner, before returning to his main point.
Ziering’s latest round of clarification was answered with another question. “You claim some natural phenomena drastically interfered with your technology,” said Commander Gerald Lyons, a man of influence in the Military and aristocratic circles. Erwin’s sources indicated there was bad blood between Gerald and Premier Darius Zachary, which may explain why the Premier wasn’t called for this first formal meeting with the Empire. “Gunships, the wheeled carriages, the walkers, and your smaller pieces of equipment are evidently unaffected.”
“Your soldiers have told you how we repaired the gate at Trost,” Ziering reminded the nobles. “Our engineers are an adaptable lot, and have also improvised protections so our vehicles are still able to function as intended. To a point… If our airborne vehicles reach too far a height away from the planet’s surface, the effects of the disruptor field intensify and risk causing the ships to drop like rocks.”
Pyxis hummed with intrigue, rubbing his chin in thought. “So you’re stranded on our world.” This was new information to the Garrison and Scouts. They were only told of the limited munitions and manpower Empire already expended on the Titans ever since their stormy landing on this world, not of the extent this disruptor field hindered Imperial vehicles.
“A temporary setback,” Ziering corrected with confidence. “Our technicians were able to identify the probable source of the disruptor field as located somewhere on your island, hence why we chose to direct our landing here. Due to the erratic nature of the field, our specialists believe there to be a mineral or some other substance emitting the disruptive waves suppressing our vehicles and sensors.”
Pyxis nodded. “Find the cause of the disruption field, remove its ability to maintain the field, and enable safe, consistent travel to and from our world at your leisure.”
“And open your Walls to a new age of advancement and development unseen in your history,” Ziering went on. “The Empire and your Military have done good work together under stressful circumstances. Cooperate in our mission, and the Titans on your island and beyond can be–”
While Ziering made an effort to be professional, the Assembly had no qualms with rudeness. Archbishop Roderich Airkns, a key figure in the Order of the Walls, cut Ziering off. “It is in the nature of the Holy Goddesses to offer shelter to those in need, as proven by the sacred protections provided by the Walls,” he said, by Erwin’s measure willfully ignorant to his hypocrisy given the conditions of the Underground, or the failed attempt to retake Maria. “It is our duty as children of the Walls to follow their example, but your Empire lies outside of the Goddesses’ precious embrace. There is no greater power than the blessings of Maria, Rose, and Sina. As her devoted worshippers, we can serve as hosts to deliver a portion of those blessings to gracious guests such as yourselves, but keep in mind, you are guests.”
Minister Aurille nodded. “The Military has their prerogatives in the line of duty, but any agreements they have made with you are subservient to what we in the Royal Assembly decree. Any ‘cooperation’ we give your Empire does not make us subservient to you.”
A part of Erwin, probably influenced by Levi, wanted to step in and force the nobles to shut their mouths. They were acting as if the Empire did not possess the ability to obliterate the Capital in one fell swoop with their war machines. As if the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Scouts at present could subdue the Imperial representatives before a single blaster bolt or an explosive detonator killed the King.
Erwin could count on his hand the number of times he’s personally seen King Fritz with his own eyes. Sat atop his throne, Fritz was a pale old man in white and gold garments covering a withered body that could be mistaken as a corpse. The dead look in his eyes almost made Erwin, having seen too many real corpses, think he actually was dead. The King rarely spoke. Even now, it was his Royal Assembly spouting nonsense to the Imperials as they pleased. Whether they expressed the King’s true desires or King Fritz was a mere figurehead, Erwin legitimately couldn’t say, but what Erwin knew from the King’s demeanor was that Fritz was totally unafraid of the power the Empire presented, and he was a fool for it.
Meanwhile, Lord Vader stood behind Ziering and other Imperial officers with his arms crossed. If Erwin didn’t know better, he’d say Vader resembled King Fritz in being seemingly uninterested in the ongoing talks, happy with letting the advisors speak in their superiors’ behalf. However, Erwin believed Vader was nothing like the spoiled lords and landowners of the Walls. The man who marched into battle alongside his men – a man wielding unique armor, a special “lightsaber”, and the alleged ability to move things with his mind – was well aware of his powers and limitations, and more than willing to challenge the authority of others. He instilled fear without even trying. Although Erwin hasn’t firsthand seen Vader display his powers, even his voice alone with those eerie breaths made Erwin want to tread lightly.
With that voice, Darth Vader compelled the Assembly to collectively pause. “You mistake your Military’s loyalty to your cause as subservience,” he said. “In reality, it is desperation.”
As Erwin expected, the King was still stone-faced while his advisors grew red in indignation. “Excuse me?” barked Minister Aurille. “I’m sorry, Lord Vader, but I don’t believe you–”
“No matter how alien the Empire appears to you, the Titans have evolved beyond your understanding. According to your history, the Armored Titan has already soiled the sanctity of your precious Walls once, the Colossal Titan twice; both of intelligent breeds compared to the conventional Titans preying on humanity over the past century. Another anomaly has appeared in the Renegade Titan, a boy serving as one of your dutiful soldiers.” Vader motioned to the Garrison and Scouts surrounding his Imperial delegation. “Militaries are servants of the state, but your state is incapable of adequately supporting the Military in either stemming the tide of Titans from invading your Walls, or in pushing back far enough to liberate Wall Maria from the horde. Your complacency is so rampant that few are even aware your Walls stand on an island, surrounded by the open sea. It is a miracle your Military still allows themselves to follow such incompetent leadership.”
If possible, the Military Police guarding the Royal Assembly tensed even more. Erwin saw an old friend, Nile Dawk, among the MPs glaring at him, likely for helping bring these foreign interlopers into the Capital. While a good man, Nile must have also grown complacent, too used to resolving the woes of human crime in the Interior without having to be reminded daily of the threat the Titans posed to their society at large. Not expecting Vader’s volatile speech, Commander Pyxis was looking nervous, too, as did his Garrison followers.
In the Scout delegation were Erwin’s direct aides and Levi Squad. The Scouts were getting hot under the collar as well – except for Levi, unphased by the growing tension yet ready to act if need be, and Erwin, already aware where he stood in matters related to the Empire.
Gritting his teeth, Aurille slammed a fist on his armrest. “Now you listen here, Vader! This meeting is a necessary courtesy, but to question our way of life is hearsay. As our guests, you have no right to utter baseless insults on the King and his advisors. If not for us, the Walls would have fallen long ago!”
“The Walls will fall completely without the Empire’s assistance,” Vader said. “Denying the Empire is tantamount to the extinction of humanity on your lowly world. Serving the Empire will grant you riches and prosperity no living soul on this planet could have ever hoped to achieve.”
Vader’s wording, “serving the Empire”, prompted another round of petty rebuttals from the Assembly. They were more emotional this time, the misguided sense of superiority from the nobles faltering. The Assembly was being bombarded by the oppressive aura Vader carried, and they were desperate to hold their ground.
Violence was at risk of breaking out, until one voice in the Royal Assembly spoke above the others.
“Commander Erwin,” said Lord Reiss, a wealthy landowner acting far more composed than his compatriots, “as the commanding officer of the Survey Corps, what is your opinion on continued collaboration with Lord Vader and the men of the Empire?”
Silence encompassed the throne room as all eyes turned to Erwin.
Admittedly, the Imperials could be pulling a good portion of their incredible stories and logical explanations out of thin air. Half-truths sprinkled over exaggerations and lies of omission. The real, tangible things their technologies could achieve were undeniable when seeing them play out in front of their eyes, but Erwin and his people had only their wits and intuition to gauge the Empire’s true intentions. Promises to “uplift” them could very well be a farce only half-heartedly upheld, much like the pledges of the Royal Government to protect the people from the Titans.
The Royal Government had let hundreds of thousands die in the failed reclamation of Wall Maria. There was no solidarity between countrymen for them, obligations fulfilled to the citizens under their boots only to preserve their own coffers.
The Empire was not of the Walls. They did not suffer under siege by the Titans or from a monarchy’s corrupt regime for a hundred years. They had a home to return to, far away from the reach of the Titans. Imperials deciding to bring the hammer down on the Walls – the home of a comparatively primitive, ignorant people when viewed against a galaxy-spanning society – was a choice that could surely come easily for them if it would aid the Imperials’ mission in returning to their Empire.
But everything Darth Vader said about the Titans was the absolute truth. When faced with the power of the Empire, what other choice did the people of the Walls have?
Keeping his back straight and his eyes forward, Erwin said, “I propose we give the Empire our full cooperation. As the Empire aids us with their advanced technology, so too should we aid them in their expedition of our planet. Then Wall Maria and the whole of Titan territory beyond it will be returned to humanity.”
More will need to be done to keep the Empire agreeable to a mutually beneficial partnership, but before anything else, they needed to start things off with a respectful, reciprocating hand held forward, not with a sword already drawn and poised to strike.
Nile clearly did not think so, still glaring daggers at Erwin. In contrast, Pyxis spoke in agreement with the Scout Commander. “The Empire repaired the Trost exit gate,” he reminded everyone, “using their own finite materials in conjunction with our resources. Five years ago, ten thousand men, women, and children were lost when the Colossal Titan broke through Shiganshina. Yesterday, joint Military/Imperial operations ensured we only saw one hundred fifty missing or dead at Trost, and five hundred injured survivors seeing a great deal of healing from the Empire’s medical experts.” Pyxis regarded the Assembly with a hard look. “There is no precedent for something like the Empire arriving at our borders. Much like when the Colossal and Armored Titans first appeared, we must adapt accordingly.”
The nobles were still displeased, but Erwin felt a palpable shift in the air. Begrudging acceptance of the reality they couldn’t deny outright.
Erwin noted Lord Reiss didn’t follow the pattern. The Assembly was sending sporadic glares across everyone in the audience, the King’s eyes vaguely directed at the back wall, but Reiss’ gaze was locked squarely on Vader.
“We simply call our world the planet Earth,” Reiss said. It was a sudden change in topic expressed in an inappropriately casual attitude. More than one person turned to him with bemusement. “Did your probots log a different name?”
General Ziering silently cleared his throat. “Our astrographers assigned a number to your planet, but the colloquial name they’ve been using is Kyojin. This would denote yourselves as Kyojinites. Kyojinite Humans.”
The light-haired young man, standing alone among the nobles in looking favorably at the Empire, smiled.
Lord Ulklin Reiss was a good deal younger than his seniors in the Royal Assembly. There had been some drama a few years back about his father’s murder, who had been a minor noble at the time, but Erwin couldn’t recite all the details. All Erwin recalled was that Lord Reiss had risen in power since the loss of Wall Maria, his network of businesses rivaling the larger merchant operations across the Walls.
“So the planet Kyojin,” Ulklin said, still smiling, “automatically falls under the authority of his Royal Highness. And if he thinks it a boon for the Walls, Kyojin may become… a client of your Galactic Empire.”
Ziering gave Vader a sidelong glance, as if asking for approval. After getting no visible response Erwin could see, Ziering said, “A reasonable line of thinking.”
Minister Aurille, Commander Gerald, Deltoff Edwards, and Archbishop Roderich were as loud as ever as the negotiations continued, but from this point on, they were clearly following Ulklin’s lead, debating on marking land for Imperials to place more prefabricated structures, or discussing if any rations their expedition brought with them could be distributed for the people.
They still had Eren Yeager and his Titan shifting to discuss.
At the moment, however, everyone wanted to talk about the Empire and what part they would play in the Interior.
Before topics returned to things more overtly in the Scouts’ purview, Erwin subtly turned to Levi. His best soldier had his attention placed solely on Lord Reiss, who looked perfectly content.
On principle, the Scouts were shunned by the noble class. Rivalries also persisted between the military branches. The rare backers for the Survey Corps tended to come in the form of ambitious merchants wanting a share of resources reclaimed from Titan territory. Lord Reiss was not counted in those backers, yet here he was opening his arms to the foreign outsiders.
Usually, Erwin used one of his aides or Miche as a middleman for political intrigue. Hange was on the ground sticking close to Imperial specialists at Trost to gather more information firsthand, and Miche was charged with guarding Yeager for the time being. Levi had been called with the delegation to the Capital since his squad was the first to encounter the Imperials outside of Trost. Levi had always excelled in the battlefield, where Erwin was happy to have him, but Levi knew to play the game as well as his peers to know there was more to Reiss the Scouts needed to uncover.
He could be a potential ally. Or he recognized the new normal about to sweep across the Walls and wanted to get ahead of it by showing preferential treatment to the Empire, safeguarding his own position of power no matter the cost.
“I know a guy,” Levi said to Erwin. “You know him, too. We’ll look into Reiss.”
In the midst of the Empire’s integration with the Walls and the discovery of a human/Titan hybrid of sorts (the latter of which Hange will certainly be over the moon for), a part of Erwin lamented not being able to escape playing politics with the noble class.
Still, with so many changes and revelations coming to the Walls, if he played his cards right, Erwin truly believed his quest for the truth would finally reach its end sooner than he could have ever hoped for.