News of the assassination attempt on Hanji was very quick to spread via word of mouth, and less than a day later, it was practically the only thing the soldiers from the various military brigades were talking about.

Though the soldiers spoke about many things in regards to the incident, the one thing that they were all focused on was in regards to the identity of their unnamed traitor. Nothing was known about who they were or where their current whereabouts were, and that in itself was rather… terrifying. To not know about their identity was one thing, and to not know of when they would strike next was another.

As a result of all this, Erwin found himself prioritising the uncovery of their traitor's identity above all else. He made use of several methods to flush out their turncoat, though the most blatant method was rather… simple, to put it lightly…

Standing at attention in a somewhat awkward manner, Mina did her best to avoid direct eye contact with the soldiers that were standing in front of her, with one of the two holding onto a notepad while the other remained empty handed.

Thankfully for Carolina, however, the Military Police that were standing in front of her weren't focused on her. No, instead, they were focused almost entirely on the table that was situated in front of Mina, with their eyes examining the Maneuver Gear anchor that was set up atop it. Both Military Police stared at the thing intently for a brief few moments before they nodded, with one of the two glancing up at the young soldier thereafter.

"Mina Carolina, tell me, when was the last time the unit's shaft was changed?" asked one of the two Military Police members, and Mina would've been lying if she claimed to not twitch a little at his sudden voice, though she was quick to recover as she replied almost immediately.

"Four days ago, sir. After the Trost incident," replied Mina almost instantaneously, and at that, the Military Police member holding onto the notepad nodded, with her writing a handful of notes into her notepad all the while before glancing back up at Carolina.

"It checks out, let's move," ordered the soldier, gesturing for her partner to get a move on, which he did, allowing Mina to let out a sigh of relief as she allowed herself to relax just a little. As she did so, the young woman glanced over to her side and briefly made eye contact with Nac, who was offering her a small, encouraging smile as he stood at attention. Even though his hands were behind his back, the young man still gave his friend a thumbs up that made her offer a tiny smile in response, though before long, her smile faded as she slouched her shoulders forward just a little.

Roughly half an hour ago, the few Cadets that chose to become Survey Corps were called in by a small group of Military Police Brigade soldiers, with the few of them being led into a small station for what their seniors claimed to be a routine equipment check. Even so, however, a good majority of the soldiers present had quite a good idea as to why their equipment was being so thoroughly investigated, and Mina herself was no exception.

"This… whole thing… it's gotta be related to that incident with Hanji… right?" whispered Mina, with her voice just barely audible to Nac's ears as he glanced over in her general direction. Tias would've been lying if he claimed to not flinch at least a little when he saw that defeated look on his friend's face, though he wasn't about to comment on it just yet as he swallowed a small lump in his throat and replied.

"Most likely. The military brigades are probably all trying to settle the issue as quietly as possible," replied Nac, frowning as he closed his eyes in concentration. If he could, he would've rubbed his chin out of instinct, though as things were now, he simply lowered his head down a little thoughtfully. "If word gets out about this whole thing, we could end up with an uproar in every last one of these walls, but if they don't do anything about this, then they risk another attack from our traitor."

"Well… either way… who do you think this traitor even is…?" asked Mina, sounding concerned as she glanced up at her friend, who, in response, grimaced a little as he fidgeted a little before reluctantly shrugging his shoulders a bit.

"Hard to tell, really. Could be anyone at this point…" replied Nac, sounding a little uncertain as he bit his lower lip in frustration. "But whoever they are, they're skilled enough to get the jump on Hanji, of all people, so it won't be much of a stretch to assume that they're a force to be reckoned with…"

"Yeah… I guess… but still…" muttered Mina, only to find herself trailing off a little as she spoke. At that, Nac raised his brows in worry as he parted his lips to ask if Mina was alright. It was a rhetorical question, sure, but it served as a reminder to Carolina that, if she ever needed someone to vent to, she still had him. Before he could do so, however, Mina shook her head and closed her eyes, with her sighing a little before speaking up. "N-No, nevermind. It's… it's nothing important."

"Are you sure…?" asked Nac, with his worry being rather apparent in his tone of voice as he glanced down at his friend with worried eyes. His response was a few seconds of silence from Mina as she appeared to be a little lost in her thoughts for a brief moment, though not long after she snapped out of it and shook her head to regain her senses, and not long after, she glanced over at her friend with a small smile of assurance.

"Y-Yeah… I am. Don't worry about it…" assured Mina, smiling a little as she spoke, and though her smiles were usually a good sign to Nac, the way her current one looked was rather… worrying to him.

He knew she was lying, and the mild twitch over by the corner of Mina's lip was enough to tell him that. Something was bothering his friend, and he'd find out what it was eventually, though for now… he opted to let it slide for now.

"Alright then…"

Elsewhere

"Are you sure about this, Erwin…?"

As he was asked that, Erwin Smith glanced up from his table and momentarily paused his writing to look at Hanji Zoe, who was currently standing behind him, with a rather questioning gaze and a mild raise of his brow. In response to that gesture, Zoe chuckled awkwardly and raised her hands up in a defensive manner, something that made her superior chuckle a little, in turn lightening the mood just a little as he nodded.

Not too long ago, Hanji found herself summoned by Erwin, and within a handful of seconds, she had raced off to his office, with her reaching it in record time. Once there, however, she saw that she was not the only one to have been called in by her Commander, as both Mike and Levi were present as well.

"Good, she's here. Mike, Levi, if you may, go fetch your Teams and bring them here. The same applies to Mikazuki Augus and Eren Jaeger," said Erwin mere seconds after Hanji had stepped into his office, and at that, both men in question offered quick salutes before they took their leave, in turn leaving Hanji alone with Erwin for the time being.

During this time, Hanji busied herself by pacing around Erwin's office. Though it was, in the loosest sense of the word, somewhat of a nuisance, Smith has, admittedly, sat through much worse than a somewhat impatient Hanji Zoe pacing around his office, and as such, he tolerated her whistling and rather loud footsteps as he continued writing down notes on the massive piece of paper atop his table.

After some time, however, Hanji came to a stop behind him, with the woman peeking over his shoulder curiously as he wrote down several more notes. If she were anyone else, Erwin would've told her to bugger off in a professional manner, though, as unbelievable as it was, the Commander trusted Hanji quite a fair bit and as such, saw no harm in allowing her to view some of the confidential info he was writing out.

And before long, she realized what exactly Erwin was planning… and then came the inevitable question, one that her superior had been expecting for quite some time, as evident by the light chuckle that came not long after.

"Hanji, the Preliminary Expedition is incredibly important, now more than ever," replied Erwin, with him shifting his body atop his chair quite a bit so that he was facing Hanji completely. Upon hearing that, Hanji leaned back a little and crossed her arms, with her expression telling Erwin that she knew that he wasn't wrong.

Preliminary Expeditions were, in short, minor expedition parties that were sent out into the field for short periods of time. These minor expedition parties were responsible for marking out the paths for future expeditions into uncharted territories and to create temporary bases out in the field. These temporary bases were usually repurposed buildings that were abandoned during the Fall of Maria or, more rarely, built from the ground up andwould typically hold spare fuel, blades and Maneuver Gear. Their purpose was to be used to resupply the Survey Corps should they ever encounter one of these bases whilst they were out on the field.

Prior to the Trost incident, the Survey Corps had up to twenty of these bases fully stocked up. However, now that the gates of Trost were sealed shut, they were unable to make use of any of them in any foreseeable Expeditions. Likewise, the five year old expedition route that they had used was also completely redundant, and as a result, they had to make new ones, and fast.

"But even so…" countered Hanji, with her rubbing her chin as she spoke. "For as important as this Preliminary Expedition will be… considering how the Trost incident has only just ended no less than a week ago, I doubt any one of our soldiers would want to willingly be sent out beyond the Walls, much less when they find out that they're practically venturing into literal uncharted territory.

"Likewise, we have the issue with our traitor. The manpower the military brigades has access to is already stretched paper thin thanks to the Trost incident, and if we stretch it even further, it'll most likely give our traitor a chance to rip a hole straight through our ranks…"

And at that, Hanji found herself trailing off just a bit as the dots inside her head began connecting with one another, and before long…

"Unless…"

Hanji's words were rather quickly cut off, however, when the door to Erwin's office swung open, causing her to leap up into the air and nearly hit her head against the ceiling in the process. Her superior would deny snickering a little after all this was said and done, though for now, he forced the small fit of laughter down his throat for the time being and watched as Levi marched into his office, with Mike walking in thereafter, accompanied by their respective Teams alongside their charges.

The last two to enter were Mikazuki Augus and Eren Jaeger, and as soon as they were in, and after Nanaba had shut the door behind them, the soldiers present, sans their Commanders who moved to stand behind Erwin desk, fell in line and saluted their superior, who stared at them for a brief moment before nodding.

"At ease, all of you," assured Erwin as he gestured for them to relax, and for the most part, they did, with the senior soldiers remaining at attention with their hands behind their backs. Eren was no different, as he kept his arms locked behind his back with a serious look on his face, though as for Mikazuki… he had his hands shoved into the pockets of his Tekkadan jacket and seemed mostly disinterested in the whole situation. Rude, sure… though it was still rather amusing to Smith, so much so that he opted to overlook it just this once. "Now, I presume that you all know why you're here?"

Erwin's response from his subordinates came almost instantaneously, with every one of the soldiers present offering him a single nod in favour of saying yes and risk deafening their Commander with their combined volume. At that, the blonde nodded in approval before he stood up from his seat and began to walk up in front of his table to address his men in a more professional manner.

"Good. That certainly shortens this conversation. Now, let it not be said that the mission that I will be assigning to all of you will be incredibly dangerous, so much so that not all of you may survive it, no matter how skilled you all are," continued Erwin, with tone hardening into his usual Commander tone all the while. The gradual change in demeanor was rather off-putting to the soldiers before him, though none of them brought it up as they listened intently. "As such, if any of you think that you are incapable of carrying out this task, then you may leave. There is no shame in doing so, and there are no consequences that will follow."

And at that, Erwin fell silent, with him giving the soldiers in front of him a handful of seconds to consider if they wished to leave. Thirty seconds passed, and as expected, one of them left, even if some of the younger members of both Teams seemed a little keen on doing so, and with that said and done, the Commander nodded in approval before he lowered his head in thanks.

"I must commend all of you for your bravery. Lesser soldiers would have backed down within a moment's notice, but it's clear to me that none of you are lesser soldiers. You are tried and true Survey Corps, all of you," a brief pause came as Erwin glanced over at Eren and Mika, who both perked up and raised a brow, respectively, "and I for one knew that I could count on all of you to undertake this task," praised Erwin, his voice softening just a little as he stared at his soldiers with a small amount of fondness. He knew that he was most likely about to send a good majority of these fine men and women to their deaths, but if it could lead to the betterment of mankind in the future… then so be it.

Likewise, the soldiers that stood before him, with the exception of Mika who seemed mostly indifferent, seemed rather flustered by their Commander's praise, so much so that some of them had their stances falter for the briefest of moments, and behind him, Levi couldn't help but roll his eyes as he leaned against the wall behind him.

"He's doing it again…" whispered Levi, with Mike glancing his way as he spoke. Upon noticing that he had his attention, Ackerman continued speaking, seemingly out of apparent obligation. "He knows that he's going to send our teams to their deaths, and he just wants to butter us up as a last farewell before that happens."

"Regardless of how true that statement is, you cannot deny that it is an effective motivational tactic," countered Mike in a hush whisper, prompting Levi to shake his head a little. "If we're going to die, we may as well be praised for it at the very least."

"You have too much faith in Erwin, Mike," quipt Levi dismissively, and at that, Mike exhaled sharply to rid the bad scent in his nose.

"And you don't?" retaliated Mike, to which the midget rolled his eyes and went silent, a nonverbal sign of defeat, as Zacharius held back a chuckle at this small victory over Ackerman.

Over with Erwin, the Commander remained briefly silent as he stood before his subordinates, with him allowing them a moment to process what he had just told them before he continued, with him offering them about a minute to think before he spoke up once more.

"Typically, this is the part where I send you off. However, I have a feeling that you all have questions that require some answers, and as such, if you have anything to ask, now is the time to do so," stated Erwin, and at that, he remained momentarily silent to allow his men to think of any possible questions they would have in regards to their upcoming mission.

And sure enough, within a handful of seconds after their Commander had asked his question, Tomas stepped forward just a little, a telltale sign to Erwin that he had something that he wished to get off his chest, prompting the blonde to nod towards him, with it being a nonverbal signal to the soldier to ask whatever he wished.

"With all due respect, Commander Erwin," began Tomas, sounding somewhat unsure on how he should phrase his question as he spoke. For a brief moment, he bit his lower lip as he wondered if it would be best to not ask his question, though before long, he shook his head and continued. "But… this Preliminary Expedition… why initiate it now, of all times?"

"Tomas is right, sir," added Eld from where he stood, only to redden a little in embarrassment when he realized that he had just spoken without permission. However, Erwin didn't seem to mind, as he simply gestured for him to continue speaking regardless, which he did. "While, yes… I do see the reasoning behind us needing to dispatch a Preliminary Expedition party as soon as possible, doing so now, of all times, seems rather ill advised. The Trost incident has sent the military brigades into disarray, manpower is stretched incredibly thin thanks to the repair efforts, and the issue in regards to the recent attempt on Hanji's life has caused a majority of the soldiers under your command to panic."

And in spite of just how serious Eld sounded, his Commander couldn't help but offer a small smile in response to his worries, something that caught everyone present off guard as they looked on at their smiling Commander in confusion. Hell, even Augus raised a brow at that, though he was quick to dismiss it as Erwin nodded.

"Those are all valid things to be worried about, Eld, and you were not the only person to have brought up those concerns to me," said Erwin, with his smile having faded by then as he spoke. Glancing over his shoulder, Smith made eye contact with Hanji as he continued, prompting the bespectacled woman to blink in confusion at first, though her confusion eventually turned into no small amount of pride as Erwin spoke. "Hanji shared those concerns with me as well, and perhaps unintentionally, she seems to have figured out my true intentions."

"Well, not entirely, but I've got a good idea of what it is, exactly," confirmed Hanji, smiling rather proudly as she offered a thumbs up to her Commander, and likewise, Erwin couldn't help but snort a little in amusement before continuing on, ignoring the blatant eye roll Levi had given all the while.

"I'll hold you to that statement, Hanji. But for now, allow me to elaborate," continued Erwin, glancing away from his subordinate and clearing his throat before continuing. "While the primary goal of this Preliminary Expedition is to map out the uncharted paths we can take for our upcoming 57th Expedition, there are two other reasons behind it, reasons that only a small handful of others outside of this room know about.

"The first is as a test for Mikazuki Augus and Eren Jaeger."

When their names were spoken, both soldiers in question perked up quite a bit, with the former raising a brow in apparent confusion while the latter tensed up just a little. Likewise, the soldiers that stood in front of the two parted just enough so that Erwin could look at them without any obstructions.

"As you all know, the two of them were placed under the care of the Survey Corps. Even so, the Military Tribunal still has every right to change whoever has custody of either one of them at any given moment should they decide that they are underperforming whilst under our care," explained Erwin, with his gaze focusing more so on Mika than Eren as he spoke. "As such, we must be quick about showing them that both of them are performing well under our care. I apologise if this is a bit too much for either of you to take in, but please understand that if we do not act quickly, we risk losing the two of you to either the Military Police Brigade or the Garrison."

"So you're sending us out with Teams Levi and Mike to prove our worth to them…?" concluded Eren, unintentionally cutting Erwin off all the while. Upon noticing this, Jaeger winced and stood a little straighter as he appeared somewhat sheepish. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, it is quite alright. Besides, what you say is true," assured Erwin, smiling gently as he walked forwards a little, only stopping when he was standing about a metre away from Augus and Jaeger, with both staring up at him with wildly varying levels of interest all the while. "This is a trial by fire, so to speak. To send you two out into battle so quickly, and so soon after the Trost incident no less, is admittedly heartless of me, but to keep you two from being transferred over to either the Garrison or the Military Police Brigade, this is a necessary evil.

"With that said, however, should either of you choose to remain out of the Preliminary Expedition, I will allow you to do so. Though they expect results, the military brigades have given me until the end of the 57th Expedition to provide for them. This Preliminary Expedition only serves to ease their worries."

"I… I see…" muttered Eren, and for a brief moment, he did truly consider sitting the Preliminary Expedition out, though that thought was quickly banished from his mind as he bit his lower lip and turned back up to make eye contact with his Commander, who found himself surprised by the determination that was visible in his eyes. "Well, I won't sit this one out, sir! I said that I'd use my powers to benefit mankind, and that's exactly what I'll do!"

"I see. I expect a lot from you, Eren Jaeger. Don't disappoint me," replied Erwin, nodding in approval of Jaeger's words as he offered a small smile. At the same time, Eren blushed a little in embarrassment as his posture faltered a little, though before it could become noticeable, he regained it and stood back at attention.

This didn't go unnoticed by the other soldiers in the room, however, as Oruo couldn't help but chuckle slightly to himself at the sight of his junior's small lapse in his posture, though a quick nudge from Gunther snapped him out of it. Likewise, Henning found the whole thing amusing as well, though he didn't react much out aside from a small, amused smile.

"Now then, in regards to you, Mikazuki Augus…" continued Erwin, with him glancing away from Eren as he spoke. Within a few seconds, he was staring over at the pilot in question, and at that… Smith found himself pausing when he saw that Mikazuki had his hand halfway up to his mouth, with a raisin held in between his index finger and thumb all the while. When he noticed that Erwin was staring directly at him, alongside everyone else that was present in the room, Mika paused briefly as he stared back.

"..." no comment from Mika as he stared down at his raisin with a passive glance, and with a mild shrug, the pilot offered it to Erwin, who, after a few seconds of baffled silence, opted to accept it. "You can have it."

"... thank you, Mikazuki," thanked Erwin, sounding just a little bewildered as he popped the raisin into his mouth and chewing on it. As he did so, both pilot and Commander ignored/did not notice how the other soldiers in the room staring at them in bewilderment, though Eren was, surprisingly enough, the first to snap out of his mild trance and snap at his fellow recruit.

"Hey, you should show some respect to the Commander!" snapped Eren, and in response, Mika glanced over at Jaeger with a somewhat dismissive gaze, with him keeping his eyes on his fellow recruit just long enough to make him a little uncomfortable before he turned back to Erwin, who had swallowed his raisin by then.

"At ease, Eren Jaeger. Such small issues are not worth getting riled up over," assured Erwin with a small wave of his hand. At that, Eren, rather reluctantly, nodded and backed off for the time being as his Commander cleared his throat. "But back on topic… Mikazuki Augus, will you-"

"I'll follow," said Mika almost immediately, with him seeming incredibly uninterested in the whole conversation as he stared up at Smith. His response was so sudden and so unenthusiastic that, admittedly, even his Commander was taken aback, though before long, he nodded in approval as he offered a tiny smile.

"I see. I'm glad to see that you're rather… excited about the upcoming expedition, so to speak," replied Erwin, nodding a little as he spoke. In response to that, Mika simply shrugged as he slid his hands back into his pockets.

"I'm not. I'm just… bored," replied Mika, with him dismissing his Commander's comment rather quickly as he stared up at him. Erwin, alongside everyone else present, seemed noticeably taken aback by that asinine statement, so much so that they ended up going silent for a brief moment, with the Commander himself only snapping out of it when Augus snapped his fingers directly in front of his face. "Oi, you alright?"

"Yeah… I just wasn't expecting such a… unique response from you. That is all," assured Erwin with a somewhat sheepish edge in his tone. Around him, the soldiers who were present seemed baffled that their Commander was acting as off as he was, though they were quick to dismiss it as he nodded and stepped backwards. "But regardless, that concludes the first reason as to why I am sending all of you out for the Preliminary Expedition.

"Continuing on, I shall elaborate on the second reason."

Stepping away from Mika and Eren, Erwin moved to stand in front of his table once more to address all the soldiers present. For a brief second, a small flash of guilt could be seen in his eyes as he eyed his subordinates, though as soon as it had come, it disappeared, with it being replaced with his hardened gaze within a second.

"The second reason is in relation to the traitor within our ranks," continued Erwin, closing his eyes as he allowed what he said to sink into the minds of his subordinates. It didn't take long for them to process that information, and by then, Smith had already continued to speak. "I will be brief with this. By sending out a force composed of some of our best soldiers, I believe that it could perhaps embolden this traitor into attacking once more."

And at that, the soldiers that stood before him offered him a variety of confused expressions as they stared at him in disbelief. By all means, Erwin did expect this, as his reasoning was rather absurd, though before he could explain it, Hanji was quick to snap her fingers, catching everyone's attention, as she smiled and further elaborated on what she thought Erwin's plan to be.

"I kinda see where you're getting at," muttered Hanji, smiling as she pointed at Erwin in a casual manner. With a raised brow, the Commander nodded to her, a clear indication that he was listening to what she had in mind, and at that, the bespectacled young woman marched up to his side and propped her glasses up higher onto her face. "Alright, listen up. If I'm correct, you owe me a drink, you hear that!"

Pointing towards both Mike and Levi, Hanji found her smirk growing wider as Mike nodded while Levi waved her off. At that, Zoe snickered quite a bit and glanced back at her subordinates, with her staying a little silent for dramatic effect before she cleared her throat.

"Alright, based on what you've told us, I can deduce that, considering how I'm pretty high ranked in the Survey Corps and was targeted, you've chosen some of the best soldiers in the brigade to head out to reduce the risk of any of them being assassinated by our traitor, huh?" began Hanji, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she spoke. When Erwin nodded, Zoe's smile widened, though she kept herself composed for now, as celebration could come later. "At the same time, by sending away our best men, you will give the traitor the impression of a weaker defensive line against them, which could very well goad them into attacking us, thus revealing themselves for a potential capture… riiiiight?"

"That is correct," confirmed Erwin, nodding gently as Hanji smirked and waved a finger towards Mike and Levi in a victorious manner. Her response were two unamused looks from both her comrades before she turned back towards her Commander, who continued speaking. "With all that said, have any of you anything more to ask or say?"

A brief bout of silence followed Erwin's question, with everyone present requiring a moment or two to let what their Commander had told them to sink in. Their silence stretched on for much longer than necessary, as Smith ended up nodding, with him taking their silence as them not having any questions for him.

"Very good. Now, please, you may-" began Erwin, only for Eren Jaeger, of all people, to speak up in a hurry as he raised his hand high up into the air, effectively cutting his Commander off all the while.

"S-Sir! A question!" cut off Eren, only to go silent when he realized just how rude that was. Even so, Erwin didn't seem to mind, as he nodded towards his subordinate, a clear sign for him to continue speaking. "Ah… t-thank you, sir. But… I was wondering, since you're betting so much on our apparent traitor to come out while we're gone… then surely you must know where they'll strike next… right?"

As soon as Eren had stopped speaking, Erwin raised a hand up to his chin and offered a small smile. That was quite a perceptive question, one that he would've never thought to have come from a new recruit. Likewise, the senior soldiers present seemed to be equally as interested in Erwin's answer to Jaeger's little inquiry as well, prompting him to nod and open his mouth to respond-

"The other Titans you have captured."

The rather abrupt voice of Mikazuki cut Erwin off rather abruptly, and at that, everyone present, including Levi, Mike and Hanji, turned their attention towards the pilot, who seemed mostly disinterested in the whole conversation, though he didn't seem unwilling to participate either as he continued speaking.

"You guys captured two Titans. Hanji liked them. If they can't kill Hanji, they'll probably try and kill the Titans," continued Mika, with him popping a raisin into his mouth as he spoke, not bothering to swallow it before continuing, with him staring directly at Erwin all the while. "You're too difficult to kill since you're so important, and they won't follow us to the outside. It's not worth it."

And at that, Erwin raised his brows in surprise as his subordinates turned towards him for confirmation. Thankfully for them however, Smith's facial expression was more than enough to answer their questions, prompting them to glance back at the pilot in shock. Hell, even Levi, Mike and Hanji appeared taken aback by Mika's unexpected on point guess, so much so that the former couldn't help but nod his head in approval as he smiled just a little.

"Yes, that is correct, Mikazuki Augus," confirmed Erwin with a small smile and nod directed towards the pilot. In response, Mika simply shrugged somewhat dismissively, and thereafter, the Commander glanced away from the pilot in question and turned back to address his other soldiers. "By all means, I believe that our traitor will be attacking the containment site for the two captured Titans."

"And you didn't think to tell me about that, huh?" quipt Hanji, with a raised brow as she crossed her arms tightly. In response to that, Erwin chuckled briefly and waved her off in a somewhat apologetic manner, though not long after, he turned back to his men and continued.

"The personnel stationed there will be doubled. If the traitor intends on attacking us, we'll be ready," said Erwin, with him ignoring the mildly irritated glare Hanji was giving him as he continued speaking. "I hope that answers your question, Eren Jaeger."

"Well… yes, sir. In a way, it does, sir. Thank you," replied Eren, seeming rather sheepish as he fidgeted quite a bit, seeming somewhat unsure on how to feel about Mika knowing about what Erwin had in mind before he did, though he kept his mouth shut for now as he remained at attention.

"That is good to hear," said Erwin, with a small smile as he nodded towards the soldiers. "And that is all. You may leave. I suggest you all begin preparing for the Expedition, both physically and, in the case of our recruits, mentally."

And with that, the members of Team Mike, Levi alongside the pilot and Titan Shifter offered their Commander rigid salutes before they turned to leave his office. Mikazuki was the last to approach the door, though before he stepped out, the pilot paused briefly and placed his hand against the door frame before glancing back at Erwin for just long enough to make him raise a brow.

Both pilot and Commander maintained eye contact for a brief few seconds as the former silently judged his superior with his sharp gaze. Erwin didn't say much, however, as he simply gazed at the soldier with a patient stare. Behind him, Hanji, Mike and Levi exchanged confused looks as they watched the silent staring contest in confusion, and before long, Zoe cleared her throat.

"Something wrong, Mika?" asked Hanji, offering a small, somewhat confused smile as she spoke, with a small hint of worry lining her words. Upon hearing her, Mika blinked a little, seemingly having snapped out of his mild trance as he stared at his superiors with a frown. Glancing between Hanji, Mike, Levi and Erwin, the pilot found himself quickly shaking his head before turning away from them.

"... no. See you," was Zoe's response from Augus, who immediately turned on his heel and walked off within a moment's notice, shutting the door thereafter rather loudly. At that, the four remaining soldiers went silent as they heard the sound of Augus' footsteps fading into nothing, and by the time they couldn't hear it, Mike, of all people, rubbed his chin thoughtfully and spoke up.

"... something's bothering him," piped up Mike, short and simple as his fellow soldiers glanced over at him with raised brows. Hanji appeared rather curious as to what Zacharius was talking about, though both Erwin and Levi both chuckled a little and rolled his eyes, respectively, as they heard Mike's comment.

"You don't say…" muttered Levi, his tone reflecting a huge amount of sarcasm, though when he glanced back at Zacharius, the short man saw that something about him seemed off as he stared at the door to Erwin's office, with his frown noticeably deeper than usual as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

"It's not just that, Levi. His scent. It's been nearly impossible to read recently," continued Mike, with him staring over at the man in question as he spoke. At that, everyone present turned towards him with curiosity.

Scents were Mike's forte, and almost everyone that he knew of would have one consistent smell attributed to them. The only ones that processed hard to read or inconsistent scents were hard to come by, though they weren't unfamiliar to Zacharius, as Erwin and Levi both processed scents that were almost impossible to pin down. Hanji was a similar case, as her scent was always too inconsistent to be reliable.

As for Mika, however…

"When I first met him, I took a sniff… and he smelled terrible," continued Mike, frowning at the scent of a young man that had been stuck in his Gundam's cockpit for roughly two days straight. Hanji couldn't help but snicker a little at that, and likewise, Erwin admittedly snorted in amusement while Levi huffed a little, though they were quick to get over it as Zoe gestured for Mike to continue on speaking with a wave of her hand. "But after he washed himself and I sniffed him again… I realized, he smelled like nothing I've ever smelled before.

"While he had the scent of the Trainees in him, beneath all that, there was something wholly unfamiliar. A scent that was completely neutral, yet also incredibly chaotic. The stench of death is present, and yet, at the same time, he has the scent of a carefree child. Simply put, he is a contradiction," continued Mike, grimacing as he rubbed his chin with his hand. At the same time, Erwin appeared to have his interest piqued at what Mike was telling him. A contradictory scent was something that he's never heard Zacharius use to describe anyone prior to this. "But quite recently… he's been smelling… different.

"Alongside his contradictory scent, there has been something… new mixed in. The scent of doubt is lingering around him. He's acting differently, he's scared of something. He's thinking about something that he doesn't want to. It's all affecting his scent."

And at that, the room went completely silent as the soldiers present began to ponder on Mike's words, with none of them being able to piece together most of what he had just said. Not long after, however, Erwin leaned forward on his desk and clasped his hands together in a somewhat thoughtful manner, with a rather… interesting thought popping into his mind as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Commander?" muttered Mike, sounding rather curious as to what Erwin was thinking of as he glanced over at the blonde. In response to his comment, the Commander simply leaned back on his chair and continued speaking.

"The records given to us regarding Mikazuki Augus," said Erwin, his tone of voice reflecting his seriousness as he glanced over at Hanji, who, out of the four of them present, had read the records on both Eren and Mika the most. "They stated that he has a family, yes?"

"Indeed. Three individuals," confirmed Hanji with a nod, with her scratching her chin thoughtfully as she remembered some specifics. "Mina Carolina, Nac Tias and Annie Leonhardt. If I'm not mistaken, the first two joined the Survey Corps quite recently, and the last joined the Military Police Brigade. What of it, sir?"

"Levi, I want you to send a message to Nile. Have him keep a very close eye on Annie Leonhardt," continued Erwin, with him not even pausing to acknowledge Hanji's comment as he spoke. Upon hearing him, Levi nodded and pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on before he rolled his shoulders a little.

"Understood," was all Levi said before he moved to exit the room, and at that, Erwin, Hanji and Mike remained, with the bespectacled woman seeming a little unsure about the whole situation as she glanced over at her Commander.

"Based on what you just said… am I to believe…"

"I am not sure, but based on Mike's description of how Mika has been acting recently, I strongly believe that even he suspects that someone whom he holds dear could very well be our traitor."

"In that case, why Annie Leonhardt specifically?"

Hanji's response from Erwin was a small bout of silence, with the blonde Commander simply grimacing into his fists as he closed his eyes for a handful of seconds.

"...call it a hunch."

Elsewhere

"Salute!"

Right as that word left his mouth, the Commander that stood in front of the newly recruited Survey Corps watched as they did as they were told, with the soldiers resting one of their fists against their chests whilst placing the other behind their backs. A small smile could be seen forming on the Commander's stubbled face upon seeing this, though before long, he quickly shook it off as he sighed mentally and shook his head, with him having noticed the rather… unpleasant aura that surrounded his new recruits long ago.

Roughly an hour prior, the Commander had led the new recruits to the Survey Corps base of operations, which, coincidentally, was the same one that was used to house Eren Jaeger. It was a rather awkward ride over, what with how quiet the new recruits were, though considering what they've been through these past few days, the senior soldier figured that he couldn't blame them for it.

Originally, there were meant to be more soldiers present to welcome the recruits to the Survey Corps. Due to the internal disputes in regards to the aftermath of the Trost incident and the very recent assisinition attempt on Hanji, however, Erwin had to divert manpower towards the more pressing issues that they were dealing with, and as a result, only two soldiers were present to greet the rookies. Of course, having two was better than just one… but still…

"I'm Squad Leader Ness, Ness Dita, and I'll be your Commanding Officer for these next few weeks leading up to the 57th Expedition," continued the Commander, Ness, as he had introduced himself as, who spoke in a less strict tone of voice as he offered a gentle smile to the Cadets that stood before him. His smile faltered a little, however, when he saw that his more casual demeanor had not done much to put them at ease, and as such, he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, kids, erm… at ease, all of you."

Right as those words left his lips, however, the recruits that stood before Ness simply stared at him in confusion as they processed his words. Noticing their confusion, the senior soldier chuckled briefly and waved them off.

"You heard me right, kids. At ease," repeated Ness, smiling gently as he gestured for them to lower their arms. Though they were skeptical at first, the new recruits eventually complied, with every one of them lowering their arms to their sides as Dita sighed a little. "That's better. You kids can afford to be a little less tense, at least for today, y'know?"

Pausing briefly, Ness found himself waiting for an answer from his new juniors, though he was quick to realize that he wasn't about to get one. These kids were still too nervous to speak back to their Commander, be it intentionally or in response to a quipt, and that in itself was rather upsetting to Ness. He knew that the kids needed some time to unwind, but to see a group of newbies this way… it made Dita feel rather… upset, so to speak. As their senior, he had an obligation, both from a professional and a moral standpoint, to keep their spirits up, though the question was… how would he go about doing that…?

A mild neigh from behind Ness caught his attention, prompting him to turn on his heel and spot the horse stables that he was, conveniently enough, standing in front of. The senior soldier scanned the horse stable for a brief few seconds before he made brief eye contact with a single mare, and at that, he smiled a little as he snapped his fingers.

"Hey, if you'll allow me, I'd like to introduce you all to Charlotte. She's a personal favorite of mine out of all the horses present," introduced Ness as he glanced back at the mare in question, with him gently stroking her mane as he spoke. The recruits seemed rather unsure of how to respond to Ness' sudden change of topic, with them staying silent as he continued on. "I'll warn you guys, though, she has a thing for chewing on hair. So you may wanna keep your distance from her lest you wanna go bald… well, most of you guys, at least."

That last part was undoubtedly a playful jab at Connie, who was quick to acknowledge it as he lowered his brows in annoyance. Admittedly, however, his little quip was enough to make a handful of the recruits smile a little in amusement, with Sasha and Mina having to cover up some snickers as they looked away from the mostly bald young man, and this was enough to make Ness smile a little in satisfaction as he stared at his juniors in mild relief.

'Well… that's a good first step forward,' thought Ness, feeling a small form of relief upon seeing his juniors loosen up, albeit only a little, as he stroked on Charlotte's mane. Before he could say anything else, however, the soldier felt Charlotte nuzzle her snout against the back of his head, prompting him to glance over at her with a raised brow, though thereafter, he smiled and stroked her snout a little before turning back to the recruits with an opened mouth, ready to issue another order.

Before he could do so, however, the senior soldier felt Charlotte biting on the back of the bandana he had wrapped around his head, prompting him to glance over at her with a mixture of irritation and confusion, and not even a second after, he felt a wave of panic overtake his body as the mare began tugging on his bandana, with her attempting to rip it straight off his balding head, prompting him to yell out in shock.

"Hold it, Charlotte!" proclaimed Ness as the mare in question tugged on his bandana with all of her might, seeming determined to reveal the soldier's baldness to his recruits all the while. The senior soldier retaliated by tugging back on the bandana, though between the horse's strength and Dita's, it was rather clear that he was losing this battle. "Let go, you dolt! God dammit-"

As he began to berate his favorite horse of the bunch, the recruits that stood before him remained silent as they found themselves at a loss for words. Sure, soldiers within the Survey Corps were widely accepted to be rather… unique, for the lack of a better term, when compared to soldiers from other brigades, though to actually see something like this happen right before their eyes… well, it was quite the experience, to say the least.

And, admittedly, a handful of those present couldn't help but snicker a little as they watched Ness wrestle with Charlotte, who tugged on his bandana as though it would save her life or something. The little fight between the two lasted for more or less a minute before a newcomer stepped in to divert the recruit's attention away from Dita.

"Alright, kids, those two need some space," said the newcomer, whose voice was authoritative enough to catch the attention of the recruits he was speaking to. Turning on their heels, the newbies raised their brows when they saw a man with long hair tied up into a ponytail approaching them with a steady stride, with him holding three boxes in his arms all the while.

Once the soldier was close enough, he crouched down and placed the boxes down onto the ground before turning to address the new batch of juniors that stood before him. The soldier's eyes noticeably softened when he saw just how tense they were, though he did notice how a handful of them seemed to be fighting back smiles as they recovered from witnessing Ness wrestling against Charlotte for his bandana, and that in itself was enough to make him sigh in relief as he nodded.

'Well, whether or not you planned that out, Ness, you did help them ease up a little,' thought the soldier as he watched the new recruits that stood before him salute him rigidly, and at that, he smiled awkwardly and held both his hands up in the air.

"At ease, kids," dismissed the soldier rather lightheartedly as he waved his juniors off. They did as they were told, prompting the soldier to nod in approval as he leaned himself from side to side to stretch his back. "I'm Luke Sys, your Vice Commander. I'm the guy who takes over whenever Ness isn't available, and by all means, I think I came at just the right time."

As he finished, Sys gestured towards Ness in a somewhat sarcastic manner to emphasise his words. Rather unfortunately, however, Dita was a little too preoccupied with attempting to pry his bandana from Charlotte that he couldn't even acknowledge Luke's arrival, though by all means, Sys didn't really mind as he chuckled briefly.

"Alright kids, let's leave those two to their own for now," suggested Sys as he gestured for the soldiers to follow him. They were quick to nod as they fell in line behind their senior, who nodded in approval before he began leading them off towards the base's cafeteria. All the while, however, the senior soldier found himself glancing back at his juniors with quite a bit of worry in his gaze, though who could blame him?

Though not a total pushover, Sys was, by all means, a softy. Even if they had just become introduced to one another, Luke still cared quite a lot for the wellbeing of these kids, and to see them as downtrodden as they currently were didn't sit right with him.

'These kids need some space, for now. I'll have to find a way to cheer them up once they get accustomed to their new lives…' thought the soldier as he glanced back at the soldiers as they followed him, with him allowing a mild sigh to escape his lips as he looked back in front of them.

'Heh… and to think, I'd end up being a babysitter of sorts… this profession is full of surprises!'

And so the plot thickens!

I won't lie to any of you. This Preliminary Expedition is more or less just a way to artificially extend the plot. Even so, I hope you guys are looking forward to it!

I never was one for outros, so I'm hopping straight to review replies.

Dead344156: I always did like the prospect of Barbatos being alive in some way or another. Will there be hints in this story? Perhaps…

Mufalan: well not talk, per say. It's more of a mental thing, or at least that's how I interpret it. Best to not dwell on the specifics…

starscreamer11: merry (post) smissmas to you as well. And yeah, poor guy. Out there in the cold, all alone. Good

lokeyanee: merry (not really) christmas to you as well

edric2016underwood: perhaps. I enjoy writing cute things after all. I'm glad it worked out in some way.

Spyro fanboy: merry (late) christmas to you too

SamBridger: *opens Halloween chapter planning book* I see

Grey Falcon Knight: merry (not so) christmas to you as well ya beautiful falcon

Guest: I ain't gonna confirm anything in regards to Lupus Rex or any other Gundams. All I can say is be patient. And thanks man. What you said does warm my heart quite a bit…

Shadow: merry (past) christmas to you my dude. And here's the next chapter.

Gaim no Kaze: I do have plans for Barbatos, though due to spoilers I don't be elaborating any further on the matter. For now, it will remain in its partially damaged state. And I do apologise for the slower update speed but… well, let's just say that I've been busy these past few days and leave it at that.

loyalguy8970: well have some more chapters!

cassnova5424: here's more!

Note: this chapter was posted on the 20th of February, but it was actually fully completed and edited on the 17th. It was delayed because I intended on uploading this alongside the next chapter back to back.

Due to the absurd length of the next chapter, however, I was forced to split it in two. So the next updates for TNK RM will be chapters 33 and 34 both at once.

Until then, stay safe.