VERLOREN
Singeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan fanfiction
No matter how much you pray, nothing will change
What changes this moment is the determination to fight
chapter one
THIS IS IT, THE APOCALYPSE
year 845; the fall of wall maria
"Commander! Commander Hjördís!"
Hjördís looked up from her desk full of paperwork as two of her officers burst through the door to her office. Concerned and confused she rose from her desk. From their wide eyes and horrified expressions, she could already guess what had happened. "Ren? Lyse? What...what's the problem?" She could feel her throat drying and the blood draining from her face. No. No! It can't be!
Not taking the time to salute, the two ran to her, tears glistening in the corners of their twin pale blue eyes. "C-c-Commander! We j-just r-received word from upriver. I-it's...oh god!" Lyse stuttered out before burying her face in hands and crying heavy sobs.
Her twin wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort his hysteric sister. "Commander, we received word from upriver." Ren continued his sister's report, his voice trembling and full of fear, "The worst possible thing has happened." He looks at her, his icy blue eyes quivering with terror and glistening with tears. "Wall Maria has fallen. Titans have broken through the gates of Shiganshina District."
Without a word in reply, Hjördís pushed past them and stormed out of her office, grabbing her 3d maneuvering gear from where it sat beside the door. Lyse and Ren followed close behind her, having to run to keep up with her long stride.
This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Hjördís kept thinking. Is there time to get everyone out? How many can we save? Her mind raced with so many ifs, whens, and hows. She had been trained to fight Titans, to save lives, and what to do in this exact situation. But no one could have predicted that it would happen. After 100 years of peace, everyone had believed it was safe forever, never having to see a titan or to fear their gaping mouths. They were wrong.
"Commander Hjördís! What are your orders?" The question came from the tall dark skinned man who fell in step beside her.
"Sotiris, I need you to collect Jeong Ji and Boris, and bring them to the conference room," Hjördís ordered as she finished strapping on her 3DM gear.
"They're already waiting for you there, Commander. They sent me to find you."
"I take it that everyone has heard the news then?" She questioned, not taking her eyes off the corridor ahead, lest she make eye contact and reveal to her subordinates just how terrified she was.
Sotiris shook his head with a deep frown. "Only those in uniform know for now, sir. But we won't be able to keep it from civilians for long."
Hjördís gave a grim nod. "Yes, we'll need to begin evacuations immediately."
"It's not just that, sir."
"What do you mean, Sotiris?" Only then did she take her eyes from her path to give him a quizzical and disturbed look.
"Commander." He looked over at her, his dark face grim and fearful. "The inner gate guard have spotted Titans coming from the Southeast. They'll be here in a matter of hours."
Giving only a small gasp, the Commander hurried down the corridor with renewed grim purpose, slamming open the doors of the conference chamber. It was a small chamber with a round table at it's center, at which sat two people in uniform. Hjördís took her seat at the 'head' of the table, marked with only a simple tapestry bearing the crest of the Garrison.
"We need to get moving immediately," Hjördís declared without any formalities.
"Of course, Commander," came a quiet reply from the small black haired woman with almond shaped eyes the color of steel.
"Then what are we waiting for?" came the booming reply from the man as big as an ox with a large curly brown beard.
Sotiris took the seat at Hjördís' right, sitting stiff with his hands on his lap to hide their shaking. "You orders, Commander?"
Hjördís looked at them all, her face grim but set and determined. Following a deep breath, she gave them her orders. "Jeong Ji," she spoke to the steel eyed woman, "I need you to take your regiment to the inner gate and prepare to fight against Titans. Your team is the most skilled with fighting Titans with the 3D Maneuvering Gear. The trees and the wall itself should provide you with plenty of anchors for maneuvering." She points at the twins standing in the doorway. "Take those two and the rest of the Advanced Guard with you." Her face deeply serious, she looks sternly at Jeong Ji, "You will be in charge of making sure the boats make it away from the wall."
Jeong Ji stood up from her chair and bowed deeply to her Commander. "I will not let you down, sir." She then turned and left, with Lyse and Ren running behind her.
Turning her attention to her two other Regiment leaders, she clenched her fists where they sat on the table. "Boris, you and your regiment are to ready the cannons along the wall. Concentrate them around the river. They'll be needed to at least stun the Titans so the ships can get away and so Jeong Ji and her team can kill them."
"Yes, sir!" The large man stood up from his seat, slamming his big hands on the table before rushing out the door.
Giving a small smirk, Hjördís then turned her attention to Sotiris. "You can already guess what I have planned for you."
With a nod, Sotiris also rose from his seat. "Yes, sir. Me and my men are to ensure a safe and orderly evacuation." He spoke as if reading from a book, "And to take those who cannot be evacuated to a safe location within the district."
Hjördís smiled with a nod, "Good, good. Get to it then." She sighed and stood up as well. "We don't have any time to waste."
A few hours later, Hjördís stood upon the wall and watched as Sotiris and his men finished loading people onto the ships. Soon the river gate would open and the ships would be underway for the Klorva District of Wall Rose. Hjördís and all of her soldiers knew that they wouldn't be able to fit everyone on those ships. Most of the women and children, some of the more important men, but most of the old and the sick would have to stay behind. It was a sad fact, but they couldn't save everyone, no matter how hard they tried. Their only hope was to save as many as possible, even if they lost their lives in the process.
The whistling of wire proceeded the appearance of Aderyn Telyn, Sotiris' short red-haired second in command. Giving her a short salute, Aderyn approached.
"Your report, soldier?" Hjördís requested without taking her eyes off the river and the boats filled to bursting..
"We're almost done with loading the boats, sir. The men at the gate wait your command."
Hjördís nodded and raised a hand to summon Boris over to her side. "Boris, is there any signs of Titans within the vicinity?"
"They're still far off, sir. The ships should be well underway before they arrive." The giant gave his report with his token over confidence. "Jeong Ji and her people are in position on the roof tops and in the trees outside the gate just in case."
Hjördís gave another nod of approval. "Good. Once the ships are out, there's no turning back. It is to be closed as soon as all ships have passed through." She turned to Aderyn and ordered, "Tell the men at the gate to wait until the ships are close before opening the gate. Even with Wall Maria compromised, we cannot let any Titans into the district."
"Yes, sir." Aderyn gave her another salute before jumping over the edge of the wall and maneuvering down towards the gate house.
As Hjördís turned her attention back to the ships, Boris moved to stand beside her, clasping his hands behind her back. "Do you think we'll be able to get them out in time?"
Hjördís took a deep breath before answering, "We have to. There is no other option open for us."
"And what about those who have to be left behind." The giant man's voice turned melancholy.
Looking up at him, Hjördís gave him a sad smile as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "We'll just have to find a way to survive."
"The boats are beginning to move, sir!" announced one of Boris' men.
She looked away from Boris, back down at the river to see that they had in fact started up the river. Even from where she stood atop the wall, Hjördís could tell that chaos was ensuing amongst the crowd of those who would be forced to stay. Sotiris can handle it, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time in the last hour. With a deep sigh, she turned her attention from the boats to the other side of the wall, gazing out at the horizon. "Any signs of Titans close by?"
"Not yet, sir! Captain Jeong Ji hasn't signaled yet eith-wait!" a young Sandy haired cadet cut herself short as she gazed down at the abandoned town below.
"What is it, Cadet Chastain?" Hjördís approached the young woman, looking down in the direction she was. They could see flashed of light coming up from one of the roof tops.
"A signal from Captain Jeong Ji, sir," The cadet replied. "Two..no three titans, all three to six meter classes, have been spotted coming through the forest. Her team is already working to intercept them."
"Shit," Hjördís cursed under her breath. "How did they pass unnoticed until now?"
"Should we halt the boats, sir?" the question came from the giant, who had become noticeably paler.
After thinking for a moment, Hjördís shook her head. "No, we go ahead as planned." She turned from the edge and walked down to the stone just above the river gates. "If we wait too long, we'll have more than just a few small titans to deal with."
It wasn't long before the ships had passed under her feet and were on their way upstream, the gates closing behind them. Things looked to be running smoothly, but things rarely stay that way in times of war.
"Commander!" Cadet Chastain called from her post, staring down at the town.
"What is it, Cadent?" Hjördís jogged over to the Cadet, her brow furrowed.
Cadet Chastain looked up at her Commander with a mask of fear on her face. "Captain Jeong Ji...has reported more titans heading this way. Eleven in total coming through the forest."
"Commander!" Before Hjördís has time to reply to Chastain's report, a scream comes from farther down the wall. "More titans running this way from the south east! They'll be here in a matter of minutes!"
Panic swelling up in her, Hjördís grabbed Chastain and commanded her, "Send a signal to Jeong Ji to get her ass and her men to the riverside. We need to keep those ships safe!" She let her go and marched over to Boris. "I need you to get your cannons in position and get ready to fire at those fleshy bastards." Without listening to his reply, she grabbed the nearest soldier and shouted in his face. "I need to you to get Sotiris and his men up here at once! Go! Go!" She pushed the lad away, almost off the wall as she walked to the other side, unsheathing her blades and preparing to jump.
"Commander, stop!" The giant's hands grabbed her shoulders and held her in place. "Keep your head, Hjördís. Let Ji and her men handle this for now." He forcefully turned her around, and bent down to look her in the eye. "You are needed up here. So long as you are giving commands, the soldiers will keep their confidence and continue fighting." With a deep grunt he straightened up, his hands falling from her shoulders. "But as soon as you join the battle, they'll begin to loose hope."
Hjördís stared up at the giant man, confused. "Boris..."
Boris brought up a giant hand to silence her. "Don't say a word, Commander. I uh...I better go check on the cannons." With a blush barely visible under his large beard, Boris hurried off down the wall to where all the cannons were set and waiting to fire, shouting out commands to the scurrying cadets.
With a small chuckle, Hjördís turned back to survey the outside of the wall. Her chuckle, died in her throat as she spotted the titans that had been called out a moment before. There were three of them, all 15 meter classes, moving fast. They were headed right for the boats.
Hjördís fought hard against herself to keep from diving off the wall, but Boris had been right, her men needed her to remain calm and stable. Where are Jeong Ji and her men? She worried to herself, her eyes flashing between the edge of the forest, the rooftops of the abandoned town, the boats, and the charging titans. Where are they?
Her worries were quickly answered by the whirring of gas powered gears and the whistle of flying wires as Jeong Ji and her men flew out of the trees and maneuvered to intercept the titans coming across the fields. Normally, they would have the disadvantage in open fields, but Hjördís' predecessor, Commander Rein Stark had installed tall columns of stone of varying height and distance apart for, as he had stated, "advanced and continued training. We have to keep our skills sharp Hávarðr. With our district named Riesentöter, we can't be anything less than the best titan slayers, can we?"
Riesentöter. Giant slayer. That's right. Hjördís smiled at the memory. The old man had been right, their garrison held some of the best disciplined guard in the entire military force. Where other garrisons had become lax and lazy during the one hundred years of peace, prone to drinking on the job, their troops worked hard to stay sharp, to stay in shape, to be ready for the day their skills would be needed. The old man must have been able to see the future or something. If he were still here he'd be laughing like a madman and demanding I pay some bet never made. With a sad sigh she tugged a necklace out from under her shirt. It was a simple gold chain with a silver ring as it's only adornment, the symbol of her position as Riesentöter's Garrison Commander. It was large enough to fit around two of her fingers and bore the crest of Riesentöter; a giant skull pierced by a sword of old design, entwined by thorn laden vines and carefully carved roses. I hope you're watching over us, Rein. We'll need your guidance to see this through, she silently prayed as she pressed the ring to her lips. She then quickly tucked it back into her shirt and turned her attention back to her surroundings.
Around her she could hear the grunting of men and iron as the cannons were moved into position and aimed. Sharp clanks sounded as the cannons were locked into position. The smell of gunpowder stung her nose as they were loaded; gunpowder pressed tight, then shell slid into place. Soon the signals would come Jeong Ji and Boris would give the order to fire. Then would come the deafening boom of the cannons and, even over the distance from the top of the wall to where the titans were, she would hear the stomach turning sound of exploding flesh.
"Commander Hjördís!" came a shout along with the stomping of boots. Hjördís turned to find Sotiris with some of his subordinates behind him, the rest making their ways up the wall. Sotiris saluted her as he caught his breath. "You..called for us, sir?"
Hjördís turned to return his salute. "Yes, Sotiris. I need you and your men to scout the forest and town for titans while Jeong Ji and her regiment intercept titans coming over the fields-"
"Fire!"
Then came the deafening boom she had predicted cutting off her command. She turned quickly to watch the cannonball sail through the air and strike a titan's torso, effectively blasting it in half; Hjördís' stomach turned as the other sound she had predicted reached her ears. The glint of blades and wires sparkled around the fallen titan as Jeong Ji and her team focused in on it; a plume of blood spiraled in the air as someone struck the finishing blow. The glints could be seen as the regiment departed in order to get away from the two titans that were still standing. Hjördís could just barely make out a woman's scream as a titan snatched someone out of the air who had been a second too slow. Despite the tragedy, she smiled as she watched, though all she could see of them was the glint of steel, as Jeong Ji's regiment maneuvered into position on pillars behind the titan holding its victim. Sparkles to the right hinted at a number of soldiers leading the other titan away so the others could kill the one with less risk of more casualties. Two plumes of blood appeared with this kill; Hjördís guessed they had struck at the titan's hand as well to free the woman from its grasp. The titan fell atop the smoking corpse of the already slain and began evaporating as well.
Glinting signals appeared from atop of a tower to the right as the team signaled for cannon fire, the speed and procession of flashes giving directions for aiming so the shell would cause the most damage to the titan as well as which shell to use; pomegranate or grapeshot. Orders given once, twice, three times before the team in the field dispersed to draw the titan to wherever they needed it to be. On the wall Cadet Chastain reported the orders to Boris who shouted them to the men working the cannons. Again came the clicks and grunts and groans as the process of loading and positioning the cannons began again.
In that time, Sotiris and his men had left the wall and were making their way down to the trees and town. Hjördís stood alone atop the wall, apart from the rest of the chaos, watching all with an expert eye, looking for where her command might be needed. Everything was flowing so smoothly, perfectly. But there's no such thing as perfection in war. Plans live shorter lives on the battlefield than soldiers.
Suddenly, cries arose from the watches and signals came frantically from the fields. "More titans incoming fast!" Then came flares from the forest; black. One after another they rose from among the branches. Up on the wall Hjördís could see the trees shaking and rocking, following closely behind the appearance of the flares. Following the line it was making, Hjördís could easily see where it was headed. The river. The boats.
"Aims the cannons along the river! They're going for the boats!" Her voice rang above the chaos as she hurried down the wall to Boris and the cannons. "The river! Aim at the river!"
Before the cannons could move an inch, another black flare rocketed into the sky just moments before something large burst out of the trees. It was a titan unlike any that Hjördís had ever seen before. It was approximately 20 meters in height with incredibly long arms and legs. Its skin was pale as snow with what looked like spikes and plates of bone protruding through its flesh. From its head cascaded a long mane of hair as black as the deepest shadows of twilight. Its strangest features by far were the two plates that jutted from atop its head, like the horns of a goat.
The cannons couldn't move fast enough to aim as the horned titan crossed the distance between the forest and the river quickly and launched itself at the closest of the two ships. Terror froze Hjördís to her core as the titan landed beside the ship and stooped down. "No," the hushed plea escaped her lips as the titan grabbed hold of the ship and picked it up. Effortlessly, the titan tossed the ship to shore where it landed on its side, spilling it's passengers onto the grass.
Taking no more than a moment to respond internally, Hjördís turned to Boris, "Get a message to Sotiris! Tell him to rendezvous with me in the town and so we can begin rescuing civilians. Then signal for Jeong Ji to split her team between interfering with the abnormal titan and any incoming titans. NOW!" She shouted her orders at the giant man who cringed away before repeating the orders to his men. Rage building up inside her, Hjördís unsheathed her blades and ran off the wall, ignoring the pleas of Boris and his men.
After she reached the town below, Sotiris and his men met her. There was smoking titan blood on his blades. "Your orders, Commander?" He shouted above the howling wind as maneuvered down the river.
"They're simple, Sotiris. Rescue as many civilians as possible. Jeong Ji and her regiment will keep titans off our backs." Her eyes never left the spilled ship as they sailed through the air toward it. Thank god for the old man's intuition. It had landed amongst a group of the 3dm gear training posts, this would make rescuing the civilians easier.
When they landed at the ship, Sotiris's men immediately began grabbing survivors and maneuvering back to the wall. Hjördís and Sotiris stayed behind to survey the damage and casualties. Most, mainly those on the starboard side, had been crushed by the ship when it landed, a large pool of blood and organs seeping into the grass from beneath the overturned ship. Others had died after being thrown from the ship when it crashed, their necks broken when they hit the ground or their spines crushed when they hit the training pillars. Many of those that were still alive, crawling from the ship or laying in the grass, were injured, broken bones and cuts. Hjördís and Sotiris hurried to get all those alive into a safer position in the shadow of the ship; the town was too far away from where they stood, they wouldn't be able to cover the civilians that could run from titans that were sure to show up at any moment. They could only hope to carry as many away as possible. They were able to carry back 3 waves of survivors before danger reared its head again.
Hjördís was helping a woman carry her child out of the open when one of Sotiris' men shouted an alarm, pointing upriver. "C-commander! T-t-t-titan approaching!" With a gasp and a knot of fear forming in her belly, she ran to place the child with her mother and shot up to the soldier's position atop. What she saw froze her.
The horned titan was approaching, carrying the other ship in its arms. Hjördís watched in horror as it grabbed a two or three of the panicking people that were still aboard and took a bite, their bodies popping and cracking between it's teeth, their blood running down its fingers, their screams cut off by the sickening sound of tearing flesh and bursting organs. The titan then threw the lower ends of its victims where Hjördís and the soldier stood. Hjördís and the soldier dived off the pillar as the legs and feet flew past, bouncing off the stone and hitting the ground with a sickening splat. The titan grabbed more victims to eat, its lips and chin running with blood, the crimson red and gore standing out horrifically against its alabaster skin. But before the titan could bite down, an anchor pierced the back of its hand and Jeong Ji flew in to slice at the titan's eyes. Her blades missed their target, but they caused the titan to turn away from its meal and distract it for a short moment. Jeong Ji's men took no time to take advantage of the distraction and were focusing in on the nape of its neck. There was no plume of blood however as the titan brought it's hand up quickly, dropping its meal, to cover its weakest point, knocking away those soldiers closest to it.
"What? It's guarding its neck?" Sotiris asked aloud what Hjördís was thinking. It was unheard of. No titan had ever shown such self awareness before.
"Commander! More titans are approaching through the fields!" A scout landed before Hjördís and Sotiris, out of breath and very, very afraid. "It's a huge wave of them. We have to get out of here or we'll all be eaten."
Hjördís felt torn. There were still more survivors to rescue. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Commander, what are your orders?" Soltiris pleaded her, his voice shaking just as his hand was.
"Get.." her throat was dry and her voice cracked horrible. "Have your men get out as many as they can. And signal to Jeong to have her men hold off the titans as long as possible." She stood up straighter and spoke louder. This was no time to show fear. Her men needed her to be strong and solid, like the walls that towered behind them. "As soon as your regiment is cleared, I then want her and her people to grab all that remain."
"Yes, sir!" Sotiris saluted her then gave the orders to his men and the scouts, who relayed them on to Jeong and her people with the mirror.
Sotiris and his men began evacuating people immediately, grabbing two if they could. Hjördís grabbed the mother and child she had been helping before; the mother on her back with her arms around Hjördís' neck and the child tied to her front with the belt of a dead man. It would take more gas to carry the both of them, but the ropes and Hjördís were strong enough to hold them. Those survivors that remained behind were rushed away from the ship to a small farm building that stood not far away, a handful of soldiers left behind to guard them until Jeong Ji and her regiment came to collect them.
As soon as Hjördís landed on the wall, she called the order to signal Jeong Ji to retreat from the Titans and collect survivors at the farm. She dropped her charges off with the rest and ran back to the edge of the wall to watch for signs of trouble. Signals came back from Jeong Ji as she and her men pulled away from the horned titan and the titan horde, their blades and gear glittering as they descended upon the farm, the titans close behind them. Only a few failed to leave the farm in time to avoid the horde, and with the others laden down, there was no way and no one to save them.
For once, Hjördís was happy for the distance. The screams of the dying and the devoured were covered by the sounds of orders being shouted, of soldiers running around to obey those orders, of the men and women saved from the jaws of titans and of death crying from fear, joy, and terror. She was able to focus on those retreating back to the wall. With the horde of titans distracted by the doomed at the farm, Jeong Ji and her remaining men were safe to bring in their charges.
But behind Jeong Ji came the thundering sound of titan footsteps. Hjördís looked behind the rescuers to see the horned titan giving chase. Even with its arms burdened by the ship, it ran with incredible speed, nearly catching one of the rescuers before they were able to anchor to the wall and pull themselves upward. It came to a dead stop a short ways from the wall. This close, Hjördís could see the blood on the titan's face, the gore dangling from it's lips. She could see that there were still people alive on the ship in its arms. If only they could get to them. The way was made easier for her when the titan lifted the ship up high, pulled its arms back, and threw the ship up and over the wall. She watched, stunned, as the ship flew over her head and fell down the other side of the wall to crash in the streets below.
"Get some men down there to check for survivors," Hjördís ordered after shaking off her amazement. She then looked back at the horned titan only to find it disappearing into the distance, heading south and east, toward Shiganshina district and the wall breach.
The sun was setting over Riesentöter as Hjördís and her captains sat in conference, calculating damages, casualties, and, most importantly, their food supply. "We are isolated now, with no way to get to Wall Rose for supplies or reinforcements. We will have to fend for ourselves in whatever way we can." Hjördís rested her head in her left hand as her right hand tapped her pen against the table, careful not to splatter ink on the papers laying before her.
Sitting to her right, Jeong Ji leaned back in her chair with her feet resting on the table. "We could always scavenge the nearby towns for supplies when things get low, maybe even travel down the wall to the other districts." She gives a big yawn and leans her head back, "Maybe one of them is as isolated as we are."
"We'll have to send out a scouting party after things are settled here, then. We should remain safe, with the river completely closed off and the gates shut tight." Boris chimed in with a large yawn of his own.
"Even so, I want a guard posted at both gates with three patrols on the walls at half hour intervals." Setting her pen aside, Hjördís looked over a map of the district. "While we are good on water, so long as the river doesn't become contaminated or poisoned in some way, which would require something to happen up in Shina district, at the source, we are limited on food with our fields overrun with titans. Is there any ways to start farming within the district?" She taps the map, at the location of one of the larger parks. "Could we plow the parks, maybe? Tear down the buildings and break away pavement in the area already wrecked by the ship? Once we remove the ship of course." With an exhausted sigh, she rubbed her brow as she leaned back. "We should have plenty of seed in storage, and there should be plenty more out in the farms should we have need."
Sotiris picked his head up from where it rested on his arms on the table. "We'll have plenty of fish from the river, and we can lift in livestock once we have made proper corrals for them, and hunt for deer in the woods." He sat up fully, giving a big yawn of his own, everyone was tired after all they had endured that day. "So, can we do this? Will it work?"
"It will have to work. We have no other choice. We are isolated. We are lost."
AUTHOR NOTES:
This chapter is incredibly long. I certainly didn't mean for it to go for so long.
I am a huge fan of Shingeki no Kyojin (aka Attack on Titan). I was inspired to write this story after starting to watch the series through for the fifth time, mainly after watching the first few episodes that focused on the fall of Wall Maria. I began wondering about what happened with the other districts on Wall Maria, there is so little information on them, they don't even have names yet. I also wondered with the other districts having both of their gates intact, if they were able to withstand the invasion in any way, maybe even continue on in isolation. With this questions in mind, I created Riesentöter District and Hjördís Hávarðr and her men.
Verloren, the name of this story, is german for 'lost.' I chose this word, not because it sounds beautiful, but because of how fitting it is to what I have planned for the story, some of which is expressed in this chapter.
Riesentöter (german word meaning 'giant slayer') is placed on the western side of Wall Maria in place of the unnamed district there, west of Klorva District on Wall Rose. Outside it's inner gates sits Kleine Riese ('little giant'), a town created when the district became too full, the population too high to fit within the district's walls. Outside also sits Grünen Türme, a forest of giant trees. Beyond these lay fields of grain, herds of cows and horses, all running wild now with the titan invasion.
In future chapters (if I continue to write for this) I may name and give character to the other two unnamed districts as well, at least as they apply to my story. There is very little chance that characters from the main series will be included in the story beyond a short mentioning of their name.
If you enjoyed the story, be sure to let me know. Any comment or criticism is welcome, so long as it is constructive. If you have any suggestions, be sure to let me know as well.