Frieda looked in awe at the improved version of the hot air balloon. It was pretty amazing what a year of development meant for this particular build. The envelope filled with hot air, no longer had its previous simple spherical shape, and instead looked way more streamline. The boat-like design was supposed to make it navigable in the air and it has already been tested.
But the biggest change was the machine that powered it all.
The main problem for the hot air balloon was that it was dependant on the wind to move around in the air. However, unbeknownst to the military police, Armin Arlert came up with a unique solution. The iceburst stone used for the burner, had way more potential than they have previously thought. By dedicating his entire genius and willpower to solve this problem, the blonde boy came up with the prototype of a machine that turned the explosive power of that resource into movement.
Thus, the combustion engine was born.
It was pretty powerful and though it was created explicitly for the hot air balloon, its potential extended as far as the concept of land vehicles moving on their own.
'The boy's got brains…' Frieda thought as she watched Armin pilot the flying construct.
It was high time they had made their own move. Sitting on the island forever, especially under their circumstances would prove ineffective after some time. The people of Paradis needed this window to the outside world as fast as they could have it.
"How far could this travel?" The queen asked Armin's father.
"With the new improvements, I would say that it could possibly circle the entire wall" the man responded looking in the air.
"Wall Sina?" She asked with curiosity.
"Maria" he responded, much to her surprise.
This was good news. Provided that the balloon had enough fuel, it could definitely reach the continent, or perhaps travel even further.
"You know what this means, right?" The man asked her with anticipation "we could take back our lands with this!"
This was a huge possibility. However, right now they needed to keep their enemies in the dark, on how much they were aware of. Taking back the wall could definitely alert Marley and the rest of the world, that something with the mission to retake the founder, went horribly wrong. Moreover, most of the titans gathered within the territory behind wall Maria. If they retook the wall, that would also lead to getting rid of their only protection against an enemy invasion.
"Maybe" Frieda said, trying not to sound too vague "right now, we want to focus on the exploration of the outside world. Are you sure its capable of flying that far away?"
"Definitely" mister Arlert assured "with enough funds, resources and manpower, we could even make a second and a third one!"
The queen smiled at his enthusiasm. It was clear that he was aspiring to be the royal constructor, with all the benefits that such a position could provide. The government had most of the shares within the company already and Arlert was pretty happy with being able to afford more than his peers from wall Rose.
'He's way more different than his son. He's not an idealist…'
"Okay" Frieda exclaimed, gathering the attention of some of the MPs "since today is the day we celebrate the second anniversary of my coronation, I will tell the press all about the advancements that the Arlert Industries have made, thanks to the generous help from the government."
That brought a huge smile to the man's face. The bragging rights of being so close to the royal court had their benefits.
"Oh, your majesty…" the man exclaimed with gratitude.
As the airship landed, and the teenage pilot exited the cabin, Frieda walked over to him.
"Armin" she started with a joyous tone "would you like to give the interview to the press about your contribution?"
For whatever reason, the boy tensed as he heard her voice.
"W-well, okay" he agreed after a moment, not looking her in the eyes.
The journalists were pretty ecstatic about all of that. Frieda had called them in advance, because this news would most certainly be well received. Ever since the plans of disbanding the survey corps had been revealed to the public, many voices of discontent have risen up. Whether she liked it or not, they were the beacon of hope for her people, for over a hundred years. Nevertheless, Armin provided the press with many details that could possibly calm down even the greatest supporters of the corps.
"What is this construct called, boy?" One of the interviewers asked said blonde.
"At first we called it a hot air balloon, but now we prefer the name airship" Armin explained "as it sails through the skies, just like a ship…"
"Was that your inspiration for the name and shape?"
The blonde thought for a moment. He was obviously new to all the attention he was receiving, so it took him some time to speak up.
"The…" he started apprehensively "the idea to sail the sea… It may not be a real ship, but it can definitely fly over the ocean and…"
"Alright!" The queen exclaimed, waving at the journalists "this is everything for today. Can't you see you're overwhelming him?"
In truth, she was shocked that he even knew what the sea was. This knowledge hasn't been passed on by the schools or written in any books. In fact, it was forbidden to speak in detail about the outside world.
"Where did you learn that?" Frieda asked the boy curiously.
"My family had a book about the outside world" he slowly responded "it was confiscated when the first squad raided our place…"
Armin seemed pretty scared right now. The queen wasn't really sure about how she should handle this. The Arlerts were way too valuable to be disposed of.
"Well, since it's been confiscated, I suppose it's all good" she spoke, trying to reassure the teenager "just please don't ever mention it again."
"Alright…"
"Did you, by any chance, show it to anyone?" Frieda asked.
For a moment, the boy looked away, as if to avert her gaze.
"No" he responded hastily "with all due respect, your majesty, I have some cleaning duties."
"Okay" she spoke, dismissively "go."
That thing bugged her for a few days. Should she have someone investigate the Arlerts? The First squad never realized how valuable that book was. As the queen was sitting in her office, pondering on what to do, she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in" Frieda spoke loudly.
As the door opened, she noticed that it was Kenny Ackerman.
"Congratulations with the balloon" he said, while entering the office "are you really getting rid of the scouts?"
"Are you concerned about your nephew?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Seeing that the man was looking away, she continued on.
"We need his skill" Frieda said, "like it or not, you'll have to make up with him..."
"Yeah, yeah…" Kenny slowly responded, still not looking her in the eyes "listen. Are you sure you ain't…?"
"What?"
"Too aggressive?"
That statement wasn't unfounded. Her move to get rid of the scouts may have been a wild gamble, but she knew that if she just let Erwin Smith control such a skilled and powerful formation all on his own, a coup would come eventually.
"Don't worry about it" the queen slowly replied, "what's more important, is the training of your men."
"Listen, they are elite and…"
"I know" she interjected "I'm talking about piloting the airship."
This was the solution to Kenny's growing power. If the crews on the airships were consisting of members from his squad, his influence on the island would dwindle, since his men would be away on various missions. Moreover, if there was ever a malfunction on one of the airships, only his squad would really suffer.
"Okay" the old Ackerman responded half-heartedly, "we'll be flyin' in no time, your majesty."
As he exited her office, the queen thought about everything that had recently transpired. It was all looking good, her rule remained unchallenged, the technology was progressing, and all the other factions of Paradis were having a hard time. So why was she in such a pain? Why did she have this hole in her heart, like something was missing?
The answer was pretty simple. Frieda knew it already, yet if she truly wanted to fill that void, she would have to go against some of her most important values.
'I'll have you, someday, Eren…'