Sugoijack9: I agree with the sentiment. The ending didn't really do justice to the journey or Isayama's earlier writings.
GNetNe: We wehraboos need to stick together lmao.
The armed forces: Yes sir indeed! We're going to start seeing all kinds of aircraft now! We're even going to start seeing and .
DraconicReconcile: Just wait till we get to the War For Paradis Arc.
Music:
1. Ashes on the Fire
June 29th 851
"The navy refuses to go anywhere near the Island until the Warrior Unit has taken down the airfields." Magath explained to the Warrior Unit,
"Seriously?" Porco complained, "One tiny defeat and suddenly they all turn cowards? What kind of navy are they?"
"The importance of those airfields can't be underestimated. As long as they're active, they threaten shipping and operations throughout the entire Eastern side of the Inner Sea. And will prevent operations to retake the Inasi Canal." Stella explained, "Even the 1st Company is dropping in as well."
"We need to do this. Or countless soldiers are going to die trying to take the island." Reiner said solemnly,
Porco sighed, "Damn it…"
"Pöloker will also be sending in air forces to support your assault. Once you've taken down the airfields, Zeke will take out their navy in port." Magath told them, "You sortie immediately. Move out!"
1. It wasn't long before they were over the skies of Buran. So far, the trip had been fairly smooth, likely because they were still exhausted from the earlier attack and needed time to be prepared to sortie.
It was also at night, meaning they were less likely to be spotted.
"Enemy is a quarter mile out! Prepare to drop!" A soldier shouted,
"Enemy airfield spotted!"
"Go! Go! Go!" Stella shouted, "I'll see you on Buran!" She took off and jumped out the blimp.
"That girl…always so reckless." Evangelica sighed,
Reiner didn't say anything, but merely jumped off after her.
Haller groaned in his sleep, 'Why are they making so much noise…?'
Suddenly, a bright yellow light flashed outside his window, and Haller finally opened his eyes, he covered them and at first, he believed there was some kind of misfire with a star shell, but then he noticed the skeleton and flesh materializing.
Haller launched himself out of bed as the titan landed.
"(M-M-m-)" He tried to stutter out
"(Shut up Haller!)" One of his more tired comrades shouted,
1- "(The Marleyans have titans!)" Right then, small arms fire burst through the window as his comrades hastily scrambled from their beds.
Reiner slammed into a hangar, crushing the planes inside. Behind him, Evangelica dropped the Warhammer onto a supply depot.
All around them, white coated soldiers dropped all around them, gunning down the unprepared defenders. Stella shot a group of Mid-East pilots barely out of their pajamas, motioning for several men to follow her, she threw in a grenade and once it went off, proceeded to quickly mow down the remaining Mid-Easterners.
"Seize the hangars!" Stella shouted, "Don't let them reach the planes!"
The company was quick to follow her orders. Shooting the mechanics and pilots present, they immediately seized control of the airfield.
"So easy." Evangelica scoffed from her titan.
"We still need to take out their navy." Stella replied, firing a star shell from her flare gun, she signalled that the base was clear, and that they could land.
Buran Port
"(Admiral!)" A man burst into Or-Admiral Haselin's chambers, "(Apologies, but Bura Airfield has been taken by the enemy!)"
"(What?! They attacked us at night?!)" Haselin threw off his bedsheets, 'I never thought they'd be so bold as to do something like this…!'
1- Without warning, shells began to rain down on the docked ships. The Istanbul was hit by a shell, taking a section of it's smokestacks clean off. The two other battleships were hit by the Marleyan Navy as well.
"(Shit! What are our coastal guns doing?!)" Haselin raged
"(No- please!)" A Mid-East soldier was crushed underfoot by a titan.
Stella's star shell had triggered a chain reaction of attacks on the island. Having seen success with the Battle of Petropigi, the brass were gradually warming up to the Honorary Marleyan, or at least, not outright disregarding her opinions, Stella had now planned the series of assaults that were now occurring.
First, they would crush the airfield with a decisive attack from the Warrior Unit by sneaking onto the Island from the North.
Next, the Marleyan Navy - who had been sneaking closer overnight - would open fire once they received radio confirmation that the airfield had been eliminated. While Zeke would come from behind the fleet and flank them with his Beast Titan.
Simultaneously, the Aerial Corps would move in and drop titans on their coastal defenses, incapacitating them.
This simple but ingenious plan would easily prove itself in genuine combat.
Zeke trekked over ruined coastal defenses as he approached the fleet.
'Truly…this sight proves the obsolescence of Titans and the Eldian race.' Zeke noted sadly. 'Paradis has no idea what they're up against.'
1- He proceeded to grab some of the rubble next to him, gathering bits of metal from the guns and other materials as he winded up for a throw.
Roaring, he unleashed a barrage of shrapnel and debris at the Mid-East Fleet.
Haselin heard a sickening whistle coming from behind him, he could barely turn around to see the Beast Titan winding up for another throw before a dagger of shrapnel crushed him against the deck of the Istanbul.
As Zeke threw again, the remains of the fleet would try to dart out of the port, with only a few destroyers and a single heavily damaged battleship making it out.
"Hmph." Zeke noted, while Buran still had a sizable presence of Mid-East Forces, there was no doubting Marley's victory here. 1x
Before long, Marleyan Marines had quickly seized control of Buran port, and the undamaged planes from Bura would be captured and sent back to the homeland for technical evaluation. In a single night and early morning, the Mid-East had been dealt a decisive defeat.
Stella walked among the bustling Marleyan military. Reiner was sipping coffee on top of a pile of crates, while Evangelica and Annie simply lounged near one of the piers.
Suddenly, a soldier bumped into him. "Apologies-" The soldier said quickly, before hurrying on.
Stella looked back, and shrugged. Marleyans didn't usually apologize to Eldians, maybe she didn't notice her armband.
'A Warrior? Interesting.' The soldier made note of that. The girl was eager to prove herself in the first test of her skill.
Unknown to those around her, this was no Marleyan, but an Eldian spy.
'An infiltration mission?' The girl asked incredulously,
'Nothing too bad. We need you to keep track of Marley's military composition. Who are their officers, government officials. How are they organized? What are some strengths and weaknesses?' Rosalie explained.
'But surely there are those better suited-'
'Many of our agents are working on…other projects. Right now.' Rosalie cut her off, 'For now, just observe. And if you think you may have an opportunity of any kind. Take it.'
The girl smiled to herself, and pulled out a small notebook.
Intel as of June 29th
So far, the intel the volunteers have given us has proven accurate. Twenty-one battleships across three fleets. Meaning 7 battleships per fleet. However, they neglected to mention that each fleet is normally split into battle groups of 4, each centered around one to two battleships.
The Marleyan Air Force is lacking to say the least. It mostly consists of airships and unarmed recon planes. With a few flying boats to fulfill a variety of roles. However, they have just captured several Mid-East aircraft. Such as the the AVU fighter and ABB bomber, I expect we will see major modernization on their part soon. Nothing like ours, however.
She closed it shut and made sure none had seen what she was writing, before continuing to observe the port.
"The Mid-East forces are essentially stranded on the Island." Stella explained to the Warrior Unit. "Without air or naval support, we can easily sweep the small towns clear of the enemy."
"The Warrior Unit and 1st Company will be headed here -" She pointed to a small mountain "-to clear out a major enemy artillery stronghold."
"A single company?" Evangelica said incredulously,
"I know, that's why I've come up with the following. I've managed to requisition some titan resources for the mission."
Titan resources. As if they were merely more rifles or artillery pieces and not human beings stolen from their homes.
"However, the aerial corps won't be dropping them in. So Zeke will have to throw them at the enemy positions."
"The plan is simple. Zeke throws the Titans from the northern side of the mountain, drawing their fire. While the company and Warrior Unit strikes from the south."
Reiner wiped his eyes, "We're headed out again so soon? It's barely been a few hours since we took the airfield."
"We're not heading out today. We leave tomorrow."
Izzet clutched the report with a vice-like grip.
"(Problematic indeed…they've wiped out our fleet so quickly.)" Izzet said coldly, "(And without that island, we can no longer maintain air superiority over the Inner Sea.)"
'This…has turned into a situation. Buran was the one thing keeping Marley from threatening the Durai. Not to mention they're advancing on the Retipuj and Istaniople.' For the first few months, the war seemed to have been going well. However, now Marley had truly gotten it's war machine together, and was on the offensive.
"(What should we do, Büyük General?)" The aide asked,
"(End the war. What else?)" He scoffed, "(We dragged it out too long. We overextended ourselves and we're paying the price.)"
June 30th, 854
"(The Marleyan counterattack came too quickly. Most of our supplies is in enemy hands.)" The Mid-East Kor-General sighed.
"(What will we do sir?)" A Tüm-General beside him asked.
"(We hold out. I won't surrender to a bunch of devils and their Marleyan masters.)" The Kor-General said defiantly, much to the agreement of his officers.
Without warning, he was thrown out of his chair as the mountain shook with the force of Titans hitting it.
Zeke got up from his throwing position, "Great throw! Now for the next one…" He picked up more of the straitjacketed Eldians and threw them before roaring once again. In mid-air, they materialized as Titans and slammed into the mountain.
Annie then proceeded to charge past him, running to the base and slamming a hardened fist into a bunker at the base of the mountain before swiftly kicking a group of soldiers trying to set up an Anti-Titan cannon.
Without warning, a shot from a position slightly above her, and took out a chunk of her face. Annie reeled back, clutching the damaged section.
Evangelica saw this, and summoned a white bow. Drawing it back, she fired at the cannon, impaling it and catching the crew in a shower of debris.
She then dropped it and proceeded to materialize a warhammer and a crossbow. Deftly wielding the hammer in one hand, she slammed it into an artillery position further up the small mountain before shooting her crossbow into a bunker.
Reiner charged up the mountain after them, throwing a Titan aside, he jumped and slammed his fist into a group of panicking Mid-Easterners.
"Fire!" Stella shouted, and in front of her, a line of mortars opened fire in front of her, in the distance, she saw them detonate across the Mid-East positions on the mountain.
"Hurry it up! No delay!" Stella shouted, and the Marleyans - surprisingly - did not complain. Although Stella saw some ire on their faces nonetheless, it was still progress.
"All mortars loaded!"
"Fire!" Stella ordered 'This happened surprisingly quickly…then again, the same can be said for the war in general. The Mid-East are - first and foremost - desert fighters. If it wasn't for their advanced technology they'd be completely out of their element.'
A mortar shell pierced straight through an HSA, leaving a glowing orange hole before violently exploding.
Before long, several Marleyan soldiers approached the mountain with tanks of poison gas on their backs. Unwinding their valves, they proceeded to drop the hoses into the various tunnels and entrances to the internal structure.
"Poison gas?!" Evangelica gasped,
"We can't clear out the mountain manually. This is the safest bet." Stella shrugged.
"But…" Evangelica started, but trailed off. Stella was, as always, right. Taking the mountain would mean dozens of casualties on their side.
Besides, it's not like the enemy would hesitate to do the same to them.
"(Stay calm!)" The Kor-General shouted, "(They can't use their titans in here!)"
The Mid-East forces had hastily erected barricades and defensive positions inside the mountain, planning to make every step hell for the Marleyans.
Suddenly, a hissing sound came out from in front of them, and one Mid-Easterners nose twitched.
He choked and died seconds later as his comrades began to realize what was happening.
"(P-poison gas!)"
"(We're trapped!)"
"(R-run! Where's the exit!)"
"(We need masks!)"
Their defenses collapsed as if the Armored Titan had suddenly found a way to assault them. Several stuck their faces to vents for clean air, only to be incinerated by Marleyan flamethrowers as they pumped flame through those same vents.
The Kor-General fired wildly in the direction of the gas, but it enveloped him like a dark cloud. Flashes of gunfire were seen in the light green mist, before eventually, they too ceased as well.
Excerpt from the c.915 textbook: "Embers in the Ashes - The forgotten Pre-War of 850 to 854"
The Second Battle of Buran signaled a turning point in the war. Marley had finally begun to pick up the pace of it's counterattack, and the Mid-East suddenly found themselves forced to fall back. Stella Hauser would be commended for her swift take over of the island, and would be promoted to Major for her actions. Similarly, the 1st Independent Support Company would be expanded to 250 men and 20 Mortars to accompany this change.
Another major event is that Marley managed to capture much Mid-Eastern technology, and used it to renovate their own military. In the coming months, Marley would field aircraft designs superior to that of the Mid-Easts, and a new war for the skies would begin…
Second Battle of Buran
Combatants: The Marleyan Empire
Marleyan Navy Western Fleet:
- 5 Battleships
- 11 Heavy Cruisers
- 17 Light Cruisers
- 23 Destroyers
- 3,000 Marines
1st Independent Support Company:
- 120 soldiers
- 10 Type 45 Mortars
Warrior Unit:
- Beast Titan
• 120 Titans
- Armored Titan
- Warhammer Titan
- Female Titan
Combatants: The Mid-East Allied Forces
Olturka Royal Navy
- 5 Battleships
- 5 Heavy Cruisers
- 10 Light Cruisers
- 15 destroyers
Allied Army:
- 4,500 Soldiers
- 300 49-yazin Infantry Guns
- 40 28cm 40-yazın Coastal Artillery
Olturka Air Force:
- 39 TBU-849 Torpedo Bombers
- 40 AVU.51 Fighters
Leaders
Leaders: The Mid-East Allied Forces
Allied Army:
Kor-General Kozuki
Olturka Royal Navy:
Or-Admiral Haselin Hazel
Leaders: The Marleyan Empire
Marleyan Navy Western Fleet:
Admiral John Snell
Marleyan Army:
Hauptmann Stella Hauser
Warrior Unit:
Kommandant Theo Magath
- Warchief Zeke Jaeger
• Vice-Chief Evangelica Tybur
Casualties:
Casualties: Marleyan Empire
- 120 Marines killed
- 32 marines Injured
- 3 Battleships damaged
- 4 Destroyers damaged
- 20 soldiers killed
- 10 soldiers injured
Casualties: Mid-East Allied Forces
- 21 AVU.51 Fighters captured
- 9 AVU.51 destroyed
- 40 TBU-849 captured
- 3,200 soldiers killed
- 1,300 soldiers captured
- 4 battleships destroyed
- 1 battleship damaged
- 4 Heavy cruisers destroyed
- 1 heavy cruiser damaged
- 6 Light cruisers destroyed
- 4 light cruisers damaged
- 5 destroyers destroyed
- 10 destroyers damaged
- 28 28cm 40-yazın Coastal Artillery destroyed
- 12 28cm 40-yazın Coastal Artillery captured
- 189 49-yazin Infantry Guns destroyed
- 111 49-yazin Infantry Guns captured
49-yazin Infantry Gun: A short-barreled infantry gun based off the WWI 7.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz L/27 used by the German Empire
AVU.51 Fighter: A standard biplane fighter developed by the Olturka Air Force but commonly used by all Mid-Eastern member states, the AVU can be approximated to the Sopwith Camel used by the British during WWI.
TBU-849: A parallel to the British T.1 Cuckoo, it is a standard naval aircraft of the allies that can also be fitted with floats and operated from seaplane carriers.
Olturka Battleship: The standard Olturka battleship is a parallel to the Reşadiye-class which never made it into service with the real life Ottoman navy. However, the Istanbul used by Admiral Haselin as a flagship is anagalous to the IJN Mikasa used by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Marleyan Battleship: A parallel to the WWI Kaiser Class pre-dreadnought. The Reşadiye-class which it's Mid-East counterpart is based off of tends to have superior performance to the Kaiser Class, having superior range, speed, and armament.
(Continued on Wiki)
A/N: So...I was lazy, and I REALLY don't want to write out technical descriptions and I doubt you want to read them. As you can see, I haven't forgotten about Rosalie and her agency, and they're going to begin to play a really important role in Season 3.5.
Official Wiki Link:
the-official-flare-titan .fandom. com
