The sound of Armin's footsteps echoed through the castle corridor as he made his way back towards the War room. He thought that the name was maybe a little bit too dramatic, but Historia insisted.

"The people working with us needs to know what are they signing up for. They need to realize the gravity of our situation. This is do or die, Armin. There are no safety nets. "

She was right, of course. If they wanted to survive, they had to win. But how? The outlook was bad. Very bad in fact. Marley was a giant compared to the little island of Eldians. The numbers were in their favor. And now with the info he got from the save Eren mission he knew that their titans were superior too. He shook his head. Another day another headache. He rounded a corner. Eren said that he would be able to handle the titans. But he said a lot of things. What if he was wrong? What was he supposed to come up with against five war giants coming at them all at once?

They had the powers of the founding titan, that was true, but Eren couldn't use it to full extent. The shifters will not listen to his orders. The Attack titan himself was strong, and he was an experienced user of it, but so was the enemy. Zeke Yeager was master of his beast, as the survey corps tasted during the shiganshina battle. Galliard and his Jaw were nightmare to plan infrastructure against. His speed made him able to hit supply wagons and take off before anyone managed to retaliate. Same could be told with reinforcements. No place was save from him. Pieck with Cart titan had transportation and scouting uses he could only dream about. Reiner was the one they knew most about. And he was beatable. Eren did it. Problem was that the enemy knew that Reiner can't handle Eren in one on one situations. All they had to do was throw in some support and their problem was solved. For their last and the biggest issue, there was the Warhammer titan. This monster of a shifter with their ability to create giant hardened structures out of thin air was something he didn't even imagine. Yet there it was, standing on the other side of the conflict. Great.

Sure, he could always go fight in his titan form. But the colossal had setbacks as big ones as his strengths were. He was huge. He was strong. He was also incredibly slow his stamina ran out fast. All they had to do was kite him and he would never catch up. As weird as it sounds, the colossal titan's strength was ambush. If he could get the drop on anyone, he would be able to crush them before they run. But there was no guarantee he would be able to get the surprise, they couldn't plan around it. So, there was only one last wild card he could use. Annie.

Annie was something he didn't like thinking about. Mainly because around her he couldn't get his thoughts straight. His time with her got limited due to the queen's interference and he was partly sad and partly glad for it. He missed her sure, but now was not the time for things like this. He couldn't put his personal preferences in front of the whole nation. He had a war to win.

The room was empty when he finally arrived. He wasn't surprised, it was night anyway. The sky outside was about as dark as his mind at the moment. And the tons of charts, graphs and maps on the table and the walls didn't do anything to lighten his mood. Yet there was nowhere he would rather be now. This was where he could make the biggest difference. And its not like he could sleep anyway. He had trouble with it for some time already. He blamed stress. He blamed Eren for the stupid stunt he pulled. He blamed Mikasa for having a kid in the middle of all this mess. Kid he loved very much. Carla adored uncle Armin. Mainly because she got to pull his hair. He blamed Annie for making him feel so uncertain of himself around her. And he was supposed to save them all with some godsend plan that will help them win over a bigger and better equipped army with more shifters on their side. So how exactly he could not be stressed?

He looked over the maps. They were one of the first things he commissioned when they cleared the island. Knowing the terrain is half the battle. So, he had survey corps cover the surface as fast as possible and draw it for him. The coast was his first line of defense. But there was no way he could cover it all, it was just too long. There were some forces stationed there ready to warn the rest of the troops, but those were just sentries at best. The real battle would be inland. It still felt weird sometimes. Here he was, planning a war while inside he still felt like the boy whose biggest dream was to see the ocean. If he knew what kind of hell it will bring, maybe he would have a different kind of wish. Perhaps he was not the one to complain. If he didn't get the titan powers few years back, he would be dead.

Death. Now there was something he had a lot on his plate lately. Numbers on the charts. Colors on the graphs. Those were human lives. Human lives that are going to be lost. And there was no way around it. In public he had to put on a brave face, he had to pretend he doesn't see them as soldiers, just a resource. Because otherwise he couldn't do what he was doing. And he was the best tactician they had. He couldn't be replaced. If he was the one to make the call, then so be it. Sure, it made him want to throw up. Sure, he cried a few times when he was alone. He was a wreck and he knew it. But there was no backing down from this. Not now, not ever. It was part of reason he liked talking to Annie. She made him forget those things. With her he could just sit down and pretend that there isn't a catastrophe looming over their heads. It was nice, but it was temporary.

He picked up some papers regarding the training progress. As expected, Mikasa was doing the best. Her squad was shaping up to be exactly the elite force he needed. The new gear was hard to master, but a skilled user was deadly. Jean was doing better then expected. He heard about his friends drinking problems from some reports, but frankly, he didn't care. As long as he got his job done, he could do it wasted. Did it sound cold? They all needed something to get their minds of their work. Some talked to traitors locked up in prison and wrestled with their growing feelings for them. Some drank. It was all natural. Connie and Sasha were both doing good, but he expected as much. Those two were reliable and that was a blessing. He needed someone like them. Eren was… Well Eren was idealist. His recent talk to him was expected. He knew that his friend would form some sort of attachment to the kids. So, he told him the truth. He told him that there was no chance that they will survive. It hurt him, talking like that, but it had to be done. Maybe he was harder then he had to, but Eren needed to wake up. None of them will emerge out of this with their hands clean.

He bloodied his during the Marley mission anyway. He read the reports. Bursting through a house full of civilians to get to Willy. It was bold. And it was needed. As much as others disliked the act, Armin supported it. They had to poke the bear to wake him up. Now they must kill it. He sighed and got to work. Maybe if he finishes the assignments soon enough he can go and talk to Annie. Her training with Eren must be interesting.

Theo Magath was not happy. Sure, he knew that acting alone as an aggressor will brand him as a renegade, but open desertion was something he was not used to.

"How many? "

"About five hundred troops sir, they left to join other regiments. And the number is increasing daily. "

He looked at the reporting officer in desperation.

"How about tightening the security? "

"Well sir, we can increase the number of guards all we want, but if its those guards who change sides, what are we supposed to do then? "

Good point. This whole thing was stupid. His troops were deserting, plain and simple. It was a war crime. Normally, no one would accept them. But the state was fractured, cracked. Each of those power-hungry assholes was only interested in increasing his own ranks. So, they quietly accepted the traitors, claiming they don't know anything about any deserting troops. What a load of bullshit.

"Do a background check, and assign those with longest service records as guards. If we catch anyone trying to jump ship, execute them. I have no mercy for them. "

The officer saluted and left Magath alone with his thoughts. And Zeke looking out of the window.

"What do you think Yeager? "

"I'm not sure I am qualified to give my opinion sir. "

"Cut the bullshit. "

Zeke smiled from behind the lit cigarette.

"This will only get worse general. The longer we stay here, the more pressure our troops will face. The others will not sit quietly while you are trying t o amass an army for invasion they didn't approve. They will do their best to strip your troops bare. With all due respect sir, we must move. "

Magath liked Yeager. He was smart, maybe too smart for his own good. If he wasn't an Eldian, he would make it far in the military. And his titan was a monster. Yet there was something about him lately that just didn't quite sit. He came late to help with the survey corps, claiming he was indisposed. There was no evidence of him knowing about it and he couldn't just lock up one of his brightest mind. So, he let the fact just pass by and kept a closer eye on Zeke.

Apart from that, he was right. But preparing an invasion army was a lot of work. That was even without most of the companies throwing sticks under his legs. Sometimes he wished he could just shoot those corporate rats and take what he needed. But it didn't matter. In the end, he will be the one that put an end to the devils. He will avenge Willy Tybur. And they will all look up to him. Having this perfect vision in his head, Theo Magath picked up some papers and got to work.

He will show them.

He will show them all.