"Mr. Hannes! You really shouldn't be operating machinery while drunk!"
Over the clamor of pistons and steam, his words were lost. "Mr. Hannes, please!" Eren pounded his fist against the glass, desperate for his boss's attention. Inside the control room, Hannes the minecart operator cheerfully pulled the lever. He glanced over at Eren. "S'fine, Eren, s'no big deal."
There was a clack-clack-clack as the lift rumbled into motion. Deep below the surface, the rest of the miners would be returning with ore. As Hannes' assistant, it was Eren's job to help operate the machinery at the surface of the mine, which made sure the workers could descend and return safely.
Hannes stumbling back from the village bar with liquor on his breath did not make Eren's job any easier.
"Mr. Hannes, what if there's an emergency?"
Hannes stared back at him slack-jawed for about eight seconds, then said. "What kind of emergency?"
Eren gasped in disbelief. "I don't believe this! What if the automatic brakes stop working and we have to switch to manual? Would you be able to operate the lift drunk?"
"Hah. Eren, this here machinery's run smoothly for a hundred years, now—hic—I can't picture it failing today."
Eren clenched his fists. "My father always used to say it's dangerous to get complacent – hold on… what's that thing?" His eye was drawn by a flash in the night sky. He squinted. "There's… some kind of light. It's falling… it's coming closer. Mr. Hannes, do you see that?"
"Hm?" Hannes looked up drowsily. "There's a whole lotta lights in the night sky, Eren… s'called stars…"
"Ugh, never mind, you damn drunkard. I'll be right back." The light was descending, slow but steady, towards the center of the excavation. Eren scrambled over pneumatic pumps, exhaust pipes and clockwork drills, making his way closer. It's not just a light, he realized. It's… it's a girl?
But the girl was floating. She sank through the air as if it were water, and gravity were only her briefest acquaintance. Around her neck, an amulet sparkled—the flash he'd seen in the night.
The light from her necklace drenched her face, illuminating blonde hair and closed eyed. Could it be? Eren felt a shiver down his spine. A girl literally falling from heaven? A goddess?
Without thinking, he reached his hands out, and she floated gently into his arms. She was sleeping—her expression peaceful. As he held her, the crystal hanging around her neck slowly changed color, the light it emitted quietly fading.
The moment the crystal went dark, the girl stopped being weightless. Eren almost dropped her in surprise, but managed to recover, and set her down nearby on a copper plank. "Uh…" he looked at her, then looked back at Hannes in the control room, and then back at her. Okay, you just stay put for one second. He took his coat off and draped it over her like a blanket, hoping it would at least make the plank more comfortable. Then, he took off. "Mr. Hannes!"
But Hannes was in no position to talk about floating girls or magic crystals. The automatic brakes had just failed.
Meanwhile…
10,000 feet above the mining town of Shiganshina, a battered airship circles the night sky. While Eren and Hannes struggle to prevent mechanical catastrophe, the military assesses the damage they received doing battle with the Ackerman gang.
Brigade Commander Niles Dok surveyed the wreckage of the mess hall. Destroyed tables, ruined chairs, and slight punctures in the airship's exterior. He turned and shook his head.
"Damn. Zeke really got his ass handed to him, didn't he?"
The soldier next to him, Erwin Smith, examined some of the puncture holes. He had a thoughtful expression. "Some of these aren't recent. This airship was already secondhand." He looked at Niles. "I knew the crown was short on resources, but I didn't think our equipment would be in such bad shape…"
"It's the same everywhere," Niles said. "That's why they've granted Zeke so much power. If those delusions about Laputa and its treasure turn out true, it might be enough to save the government from bankruptcy."
"Delusions?" The hint of a smile about Erwin's lips. "I take it you still don't believe it exists?"
Niles frowned. "Oh. I forgot about your childhood obsession with Laputa. You were always a weird kid, Erwin. Well, the king's fallen for your fairy tale. Good for you."
"Hm." Erwin ran his left hand gently across the membrane of the airship. "Tell me, Niles," he said. "Don't you find it odd how quickly Zeke rose in the ranking? Head of the Interior MP's? Who was in charge his promotion, I wonder?"
"I—uh, Erwin. You're asking some pretty dodgy questions here." Niles glanced around the mess hall and stepped in closer. "The Interior MP's have a different chain of command, anyway. I just follow orders from the top. And if you keep talking like that…" There was a sudden boom as the doors to the mess hall slammed opened. Niles gave a last, cautious look to Erwin, and said quietly, "if you keep talking like that, you're likely to lose another arm."
Three men strode into the airship mess hall. On either side were secret agents Bertholdt Hoover and Reiner Braun, both large and intimidating, though Hoover had a bandage strapped around his head. In the center, with tinted glasses and an ever-perpetual smirk—the government's Head of Interior MP's and minister of espionage. The only name he ever went by was Zeke, but in some circles, they had a different name for him… in the back-alleys of the Capitol, in the whispered places where men of violence met on holiday… there they called him the 'Beast.'
"Commander Niles Dok!" Zeke said. "And Air Brigade Chief Officer, Erwin Smith. I'm glad your military zeppelin was in the area… we would have been in real trouble if you hadn't been there to lend a hand." He smiled at them, and Erwin felt a tingle in the stump of his right arm.
"Yeah, well," Niles said. "You've really screwed up this time, Zeke. The crown's not going to be happy, when they learn you've lost the crystal. Without that, we have no way of finding Laputa. Not to mention, the pirates escaped without a single casualty. Operation Coordinate is a failure."
Zeke raised a hand. "Not yet, Commander. I believe we may still be able to recover the crystal." His voice was cheery.
"How's that?" Niles asked.
"The crystal has…" Zeke paused. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully "…certain powers. It'll have protected the girl when she fell from the airship. My agents are already searching the countryside. We'll have the crystal, and the girl, back in our custody soon."
Niles squinted. "Why bother with the girl? Isn't she just some—"
"Zeke, if I may ask a question." Erwin said. "Where did you learn about the crystal's power?"
Zeke turned from Niles and studied Erwin. The light glinted off his glasses as he glanced up and down. "Brigade Officer Erwin Smith," he said. "You're looking well."
"Ah, yes." Erwin raised his right arm, what was left of it, and chuckled. "As well as can be expected."
Zeke nodded his head. "You've sacrificed much for the cause. No one could doubt your loyalty. Still…" he paused. "The Ackerman gang that attacked us was led by a man named Levi. A man who used to be part of our own military. In fact, he was your subordinate, wasn't he?"
"Yes," Erwin said. "I suppose you could say he served under me."
Zeke coughed. "How odd. I wonder why he chose to leave you and pursue a life of crime?"
There was a long, drawn-out silence in the mess hall of the airship. Niles scratched his beard, and even Bertholdt started to sweat a little. Erwin forced a tight smile. "Creative differences," he said at last.
Zeke nodded. "Ah, naturally. Well, I'm sure that your… close relationship with him… will help us outmaneuver these pirates. Assuming, of course… that you truly want to bring him to justice. Now… anything else, gentlemen? I have a crystal to find." He turned to go, not waiting for a response.
"Zeke!" Niles barked. "Don't forget that, as commander of the military, I am in charge of Operation Coordinate. Make sure you report everything to me!"
Zeke called out behind him as he left the room, his two cronies in tow. His sing-song voice floated through the mess hall. "Don't forget, commander… as the government's secret agent, I am in charge of you." The doors slammed shut.
A moment of heady silence. The wind whistled through the punctures of the airship.
"Blast." Niles said. "I really hate that man."
