Guest: I don't enjoy writing this. But I believe it's necessary to show just how much Marley whitewashes and their true treatment of Eldians, since we kind of skimmed over the whole notebook episode. However, the bad stuff is over now, and (hopefully) it's the last of it.
Super Koola: I know right.
Super Comrade: Yeah, I plan to have Fine become a major character in the story.
"Hey!" Gabi shouted at the Marleyans.
"Shit!" The soldiers swore, letting go of Johanna, they rushed to put their clothes back on.
"Hey…" One of the soldiers calmly approached Gabi
"I saw…" Gabi shook with rage, "We might be devils. But still! Don't you have any dignity as Marleyans!?"
Johanna grabbed the remains of her clothes, and covered herself.
"Now, tell you what. You go on your way, tell no one about what you saw, and no one gets hurt." Pulling a knife out of his uniform, he hoped to scare Gabi away
Instead, Gabi did the only thing she could.
She screamed.
Fine was on the verge of leaving the Headquarters. When suddenly someone came up behind her, out of breath.
"H-hey…Fine…" Falco breathed,
"Falco?"
"I heard screaming." Falco said,
Fine cocked her head, and then picked up on the screams as well.
"We should help!" Falco said,
"Are you nuts? We could get in serious trouble!" Fine hissed,
"Still! You're a Tybur, you could - I don't know - tell them to stop?" Falco pleaded,
Fine winced, "I'm not my sister. I don't…have that type of power."
"Even so, it's better than doing nothing!" Falco ran back towards the headquarters.
Fine was tempted to leave, after all, it wasn't her problem, right?
So why was she about to go back?
Groaning, she followed Falco.
"Hey! Shut her up!" A pantless soldier whispered,
"Damn it!" The fat soldier punched Gabi, sending her sprawling before holding the knife to her throat.
"She's a pretty thing…perhaps once we're done with this other bitch." He pulled out a makeshift gag and wrapped it around Gabi's mouth.
Gabi kicked and struggled, but couldn't do anything as the soldiers tied her legs.
They were about to turn back to Johanna, when suddenly a chunk of plaster came and nailed one of the soldiers on the side of the head.
"Falco!" Fine whirled on him,
"I-I had to do something!" He replied, panicked.
"Damn it! Whenever we get one down, another one shows up!" One of the soldiers cursed,
Fine panicked, instantly, her mind went to her sister. A memory flashed through her head of watching her sister undergo a last bout of warrior training right before she left for Paradis.
"Hyah!" In desperation, as the soldier charged at her, she mimicked a sweeping kick move, catching the Marleyan off guard.
The soldier groaned in pain as Fine kicked him in the head, knocking him out.
"Grauer!" The second one ran at Fine, but she dived out of the way, and Gabi quickly jumped on his back and bit into the back of his neck.
"Damn it!" The portly soldier moved with a speed that should be far beyond his size, and grabbed Gabi.
Suddenly, without warning, Johanna kicked the man's knee pit, causing him to trip and fall.
The man rolled over, and grabbed a knife. Preparing to stab Johanna.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed as the man fell backwards, lifeless.
"I don't miss at this range. Step away from the Warriors." A hostile voice commanded,
The remaining soldiers whimpered as Evangelica Tybur approached them.
"L-lady Tybur! We can-"
"Save it." She whistled, and a group of Marleyan soldiers rounded the corner.
Evangelica watched as the assaling soldiers left with terrified looks on their faces. She rushed over to Fine, and hugged her little sister who hugged her back with relief.
Evangelica let go, and after making sure Fine was alright, kneeled before Gabi, and summoned a hardened spike to cut through her ropes.
"Are you alright?" She asked, and Gabi nodded.
"She…needs help more than me." She pointed to Johanna. Who was scanning Evangelica coolly.
'A green and yellow armband…' She gasped with realization,
"I should walk you kids home." She stood up, "Johanna can come with me, just so I can protect her."
Fine, Johanna, Gabi, and Falco all walked with Evangelica.
"Hey!" Magath noticed them, "All the Cadets should be home by now!"
"It's been a long day Kommandant. Three soldiers tried sexually assaulting these girls. I've already had those responsible arrested." Evangelica sighed, "But I'm taking these ones home."
Magath grabbed her, "You realize one of them is a royal-blooded prisoner here?!" He whispered,
"Yes, I know." Evangelica said, "I saw the armband. Nonetheless, she's barely eight. We can't keep her in our cells. After all, what can she do to escape?"
Magath thought about it, "I was planning to keep her there until we figured out what to do with her, but it looks like you have an idea."
Evangelica nodded, "Let's make her a Warrior. Even if we capture the Founding, it's unlikely that we can utilize it unless we have someone of Royal Blood. It's important that person be trained and loyal, and not just some hickey we pick up off the street."
Magath looked at the children, focusing on Johanna, then sighed. "Fine." He said.
"She can be a Warrior."
The Next Day
"Listen up Warriors!" Magath shouted, "We have a late-coming recruit! Johanna Hajime!"
"A Hajime?"
"Aren't they royal-blooded?"
The Warriors whispered amongst themselves about what this might mean.
Johanna looked around, coolly analyzing the other cadets.
"Fall in." Evangelica pushed her forward, and without speaking, she nodded and moved beside Fine and Falco.
"Treat her with the respect appropriate of her rank! Nothing more." After finishing, he proceeded to explain what they'd do that day. The day would start out with an explanation of how Warrior life worked, with the current unit explaining their duties. Then they'd move on to fitness training for the rest of the day.
"Your name is Johanna?" Fine asked,
Johanna didn't speak but merely nodded.
"Are you mute?" Fine asked bluntly,
Another nod.
"Oh…well, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Fine Tybur. My sister - Evangelica - is the Warrior that helped us yesterday."
"I'm Falco, by the way." Falco interjected, "Falco Grice."
Johanna nodded, smiling slightly.
"Can you be quiet?" Gabi said irritably behind them, "Trying to listen."
Fine rolled her eyes, and Johanna giggled softly.
"Being a Warrior often means you need to think on your feet." Evangelica explained, "Information might come in bits and pieces, and it's important to be able to make sense of such information…"
"For example, when Marcel Galliard perished via titan attack, we had a choice about whether to continue the mission or return to Marley. We choose to continue…"
Johanna noted this down.
- Think on your feet
Suddenly, she felt a piece of paper get slipped into her collar, rather than making a scene, she quickly plucked it from her shirt.
How's your first genuine day?
- F.T
Fine Tybur. She smiled, and scribbled back a note.
Fine, I suppose.
- J.H
Suddenly, a crumpled up ball appeared next to them, instantly, she knew who had thrown it.
What are we writing about?
- F.G
This continued for several minutes, they constantly wrote and passed notes. Until Falco asked the elephant in the room.
What do you think happened to those soldiers?
- F.G
Johanna paled, her thighs closed protectively.
I hope they got executed. I can ask my sis.
- F.T
Fine passed the note.
That's a little harsh.
- F.G
Johanna looked at the notes.
I just want them gone. I don't care what happens after that.
- J.H
She replied over the paper, and Fine & Falco nodded in understanding.
"I'm not looking towards the Fitness Training." Fine groaned,
I can get behind that. Johanna passed the note,
"It can't be that bad." Falco said cheerily, although they both knew he was just being optimistic.
Johanna looked up, and noticed Gabi looking around with a tray in her hand. Sighing, she waved her over.
Gabi walked over, and Fine shot Johanna a look that said: 'Really?'
Johanna shrugged,
"Can I sit here?" Gabi asked,
Johanna shrugged. Fine sighed, and begrudgingly said: "Sure."
Gabi smiled slightly, "Thank you."
They ate in silence, before Gabi asked-
"So…what's your name?" Gabi aimed the question at Falco.
"Oh…it's Falco." Falco nodded,
"I'm Gabi. Gabi Braun."
Johanna scribbled down a note: Braun? Isn't that the name of one of the Warriors?
Gabi read it, "Yeah, my cousin - Reiner - is the Armored Titan holder."
She wrote another note: I see.
Gabi looked up at her, "Why don't you just talk?"
"She's mute." Fine interjected,
"Huh?" Gabi asked, "Then why was she even accepted? How can you be a Warrior if you can't even communicate properly?"
"She's been doing just fine." Fine shot back,
"Yeah but like - when we start doing war games, we can't be waiting for her to write down orders."
Suddenly, a note hit her head, Gabi picked it up
I write fast enough to keep up.
"We'll see." Gabi huffed
"Alright you little shitspawn!" Koslow shouted down the row of Cadets, "Ten laps! Starting now! Go!"
The Warriors were surprised, but quickly shot off.
Soon, there was a clear hierarchy. A few Cadets lagged behind in the very back. The majority, were, of course, in the middle. Then, seven Cadets remained in a solid lead ahead of the rest. There was Colt, Falco's older brother from the 8th Warrior Class. Ahead of him were two Cadets named Zofia Leonhart and Udo Andäli. After them was Falco, only a few steps behind the three Warriors tied for first - Gabi, Fine, and Johanna.
The girls ran, each trying to one up the other and failing, instead merely keeping pace with each other.
This continued until they finished the laps, when all three girls collapsed at the finish line together.
"Cadets Braun, Tybur, and Hajime! Not bad! Cadet Grice - put a little more power in and you might be able to keep up!"
The other cadets began to trickle in after that, unbeknownst to them, this set the precedent for the next for years of the Warrior Corps.
October 9th
"Leaving so soon…?" Karl Hauser said worriedly,
"Yes, vater." Stella nodded, "The Oberkommando believes that war with the Mid-East is inevitable…"
"But you have an assignment here." Helen Hauser insisted, "You don't need to leave!"
"Mother…Reiner is going to the front. Evangelica is going. All my friends are going, even Porco, and he's a reserve like me. If I don't go I'll eventually be called." Stella replied,
Axel Hauser watched the conversation with hawk-like eyes. Ever since Stella announced she was leaving for the possible Mid-East frontline, every dinner since then had been like this, and her parents' insistence that she remain behind in Liberio had only intensified when her acceptance into the 10th Southern Army came back two days ago.
The Hauser Family had always been a military family. They'd even obtained Honorary Marleyan status due to the efforts of Karl Hauser, who - during the Klatsky Skirmishes - had held a hill with a company of Eldians all their Marleyan officers aside from Theo Magath - an ensign at the time - had abandoned them.
Ironically, despite his various honors and statuses, Karl had always been opposed to Stella pursuing a military career. Nonetheless, he'd supported Stella when she was accepted into the Vienza Officer's Academy in the Marleyan heartland.
The family lapsed into silence, their spats were always brief like this, as Karl resigned himself to Stella's position for another night. Karl didn't want her to leave the family, but Stella wouldn't leave her friends.
The uneasy silence was suddenly broken by the sound of air raid sirens.
Port Liberio
"Up there!" A man shouted from a battleship, only to have to grab the railing as a 112-pound bomb rocked the ship with an explosion.
Two sailors desperately tried setting up a machine gun, only to be gunned down by a Mid-East TBU-849, whose rear gunner had a perfect angle as the plane itself pulled up from a torpedo run from a Marleyan cruiser, punching a hole below it's water line.
Another TBU dropped a series of three 112-pound bombs on a Marleyan destroyer, hitting it right on the smokestack, causing a chain reaction that led to the entire destroyer becoming little more than scrap.
"(Success!)" An Olturka pilot cheered over his radio, meeting with agreement from his comrades. While the group was small with only eight planes, they'd managed to damage two Marleyan battleships, and sink a cruiser & destroyer.
"(Let's not get reckless.)" Their flight leader warned, "(Remember, the Beast Titan is still in Liberio. We should return to the Forvet before it appears.)"
"(Right, I'm out of ordinance as well.)" Another Olturka pilot agreed. Banking off, they turned and left for their seaplane tender.
Magath hastily pulled up to the port, where Calvi was already surveying the damage with Gröer, the Warrior Unit was already present as well.
"How bad is it?" Magath asked,
"Numerically, it could be worse. We lost a destroyer, a cruiser, and the Malreich and Zestan were damaged, but repairs will be complete within a week. Psychologically, this is a major propaganda victory. They managed to strike all the way in Northern Marley, what's stopping them from invading the peninsula and striking our industrial zones?" Calvi sighed, "The Warrior Unit never even had a chance to respond…"
"Sir!" A lieutenant ran up to them, "We just received this. It was forwarded from Vienza."
Calvi read the message, and snarled. Throwing it on the floor in frustration, Magath bent over and looked down on it, and read it aloud.
Mid-East Armies invading Western Ecarht. Mid-East naval fleet launching blockade in the Retipuj Canal. War officially declared. Radio Channel 85.4.
"Radio Channel 85.4?" Stella wondered,
"Commander!" Reiner called, "Listen to this," He approached a group of sailors, tuned in to 85.4,
"Today, Mid-East Allied Forces - along with their declaration of war, have released shocking intelligence - the Marleyan Warrior Unit has been defeated by the Island of Paradis, and has lost their Colossus and Jaw Titans…"
Magath slammed his fist on the table, "Damn them! We have a rat inside headquarters!" He whirled on Gröer "Aren't you supposed to be on top of things like this?"
"I can't predict everything." Gröer said coldly, "Nishte is a professional, and it's not exactly hard to gain access to the Liberio Headquarters."
Magath waved his hands wildly in frustration, before getting in the back of a truck. The Warriors - unsure what else to do - followed him.
A/N: The wiki has been updated!
Official Link (remove odd spaces):
the-official-flare-titan .fandom. com
