PART II: THE SURVEY CORPS


Two Prisoners


Eren woke, his head hammering as a confused daze made everything blur into one. After blinking several times, his eyes suddenly came into view. He stared at a wall of brick, and a moment later other sensations came to him. There was something hard and metal wrapped around his left wrist. It took him a few seconds to realize he was lying down on a wooden cot, and that the wall was actually a ceiling. A glance to his left revealed a proper brick wall and one to his right revealed iron bars. Beyond that was a flickering torch and a scowling guard.

A cell. I'm in a cell.

He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander, drawing up memories as he attempted to figure out how he ended up in a cell. The last thing he remembered was how tired he had felt the moment after he initiated his second shift of the day, meters away from the boulder meant to seal the breach. He had been drowsy, and was drawn into a wondrous, pleasant warmth he hadn't experienced since Shiganshina fell. Thoughts of his mission had faded away, lost with all sense of the world beyond his fleshy cocoon.

Eren sat up, realizing his failure. He grimaced at how achy every inch of his body felt. It felt like someone had pummeled him while he was out.

He wondered if anyone had given him medical care. Certainly they were somewhere far north of Trost, perhaps even behind Wall Sina. Who knew where this jail cell was. There was no doubt in his mind that he was locked underground, and his life would hang upon a delicate thread.

"You slept longer than I thought you would."

Eren flinched, nearly falling to the ground. His gaze wandered the cell, unfocused and dazed, until they settled upon a familiar form in white.

"Annie?"

She stared at him, troubled and annoyed. Her face was remarkably passive, despite the fire burning in her blue eyes. A cuff circled one of her wrists, and was connected to a chain. His gaze followed it up to the ceiling, noting a great deal of slack, and to where the chain passed through a large, metal ring cemented into the brick ceiling. The chain descended from there, and following it with his gaze brought him to his own cuff. A cuff he now noticed, cold against his wrist.

"The mission to seal the breach was a success," Annie announced once his gaze returned to her. "I wanted to ask what happened to you, but I knew you'd be more worried about whether everything worked out than about your personal failures."

It took Eren several seconds to realize what it meant for his mission to have been successful, despite the fact he remembered nothing of the boulder. "You… Annie, did you reveal yourself? To everyone?"

Annie shrugged, looking away. "It's what you would've done."

Eren stared at her for several seconds. What he could see of her cheeks, not hidden by her blonde hair, began to burn a bright, cherry red. He was tempted to tease her over the blush, but his better sense awoke quickly enough to suppress the temptation. Even without the chain connecting them, she could kick his ass seven times over and not even break a sweat.

"I'm proud of you, Annie." She stiffened, and his mouth continued to run, honest and genuine with every word. "I know you were against revealing yourself to the rest of humanity, but I think you'll do everyone a lot of good this way. If it weren't for you, my mission would've been a failure and we would've lost Trost." He paused, swallowing thickly. "And…and I'm grateful. For having you by my side."

She glanced at him, blue meeting green, and then stared out beyond the bars. "Don't thank me yet, Jaeger."

His mouth opened, ready to ask why. Footsteps caught his attention, halting his words, and he looked in the same direction as her. Two men approached their cell, dressed in the fine livery of veterans. Eren's gaze immediately snapped to the badges upon their chests, just over their hearts, and couldn't help the smile that formed.

Paired wings, blue and white, crossed over the grey, quartered shield of the royal family.

The Survey Corps.

He instantly recognized the taller man. Commander Erwin Smith was rumored to be a genius and a madman, traits Eren suspected from knowing Armin went hand in hand. The man had done more to advance the image of the Corps in five years than anyone since the initial development of the military's maneuvering gear. With parted blond hair and thick eyebrows, he was imposing in a classical sense, or so he assumed remembering the oldest books Armin had shown him. Several pages had men similar to Commander Erwin, though none as truly imposing as the man before him.

At the Commander's side was a short man with black hair, cut close around the sides of his head. His eyes were narrow and dark, akin to Mikasa's, yet filled with unrecognizable contempt. Eren's gut told him this was the Levi, Humanity's Strongest Soldier. That the man's gaze went to Annie first lit a fire in his belly, and he found himself rising to his feet.

"Ah, so you have awakened," commented Commander Erwin. "I have been looking forward to speaking with you, Eren Jaeger."

"You… you know my name?"

Levi scoffed. "Everyone knows your name, brat. The girl's as well. News of what happened in Trost spread like wildfire, especially after the breach was sealed by a Female Titan. Whispers about you had already begun to spill out of Trost when she made her appearance. Rattled the top brass, along with the prick nobles in the capital."

Annie glowered fiercely, a surprisingly intense emotion from the normally impassive girl. Eren glanced between her and the two commanders of the Survey Corps. Something troubled him, and he doubted they'd explain what sat poorly with him unless he asked.

"Why are we being held in cells?"

The two men exchanged loaded looks before Erwin nodded. He turned to Eren and said, "The two of you are to be put on trial. For treason, of course."

"Treason?" Eren shouted, rising to his feet. The rage that lingered under his skin burst forth, as though he were preparing to shift. It was the same wrathful emotion he felt on that day, reflecting upon his mother's death and his failure to do a damned thing about it. His hands clenched so hard he expected blood to trickle around the nails. "If it weren't for us, Trost would've been lost just as Shiganshina was lost! Who knows whether or not Wall Rose would still be standing? How can they do this?"

"It's because everyone is afraid," Annie remarked evenly. Eren turned to her, fighting between being astonished by her words and dismayed by the edge of apathy still present. "To have two humans, especially those enlisted in the military, possessing the power to transform into Titans… That must be inconvenient for the King and the nobles pulling his strings. They must want to get away with disposing of us without people asking too many questions."

"You are quite perceptive," Commander Erwin noted. He gave the MP standing nearby the briefest glance. "Be careful about where you say things like that, Annie Leonhardt. Else someone may develop suspicions about your background."

Annie scowled at the implied threat, yet she said nothing to deny whatever accusation Commander Erwin levied her way. Eren hated they would dare suspect her of anything, yet he knew all too well that she kept many secrets from him. Part of him feared that had his powers not been revealed until Trost, she might have never finished his mission.

"Don't be so obvious," Levi drawled, glowering at his commander. "The brats have no clue about what they've set off." His gaze turned to Eren, and he couldn't help but gulp under the pressure. "If the Military Police have their way, you two will be euthanized and then dissected like exotic animals. They're hoping to learn how you two tick."

Annie scoffed. Loudly.

"On the other hand," Commander Erwin cut in, shooting warning looks at both Annie and Levi, "it is the express interest of the Survey Corps to leverage your powers for the benefit of humanity. We firmly believe—"

"That's all I want," Eren blurted. When Commander Erwin merely stared at him, he added, "To fight for humanity. I want to escape these walls and reach the sea."

"An admirable goal," Commander Erwin declared, even as Levi scoffed. "I'm afraid that for now, we must go. The Military Police are particular about when we can visit you two and for how long. One of my subordinates, Lieutenant Hange Zoe, will be the one to escort the two of you to your impending trial."

"Hopefully tomorrow," Levi commented. "Now that the first Titan brat is awake."

Eren nodded, numbed by everything he had heard. He watched mutely as the two men of the Survey Corps departed, ignoring the armed soldier of the Military Police glowering at them. The woman had a rifle slung over her shoulder and a sneer pulling up her nose. Her expression almost reminded Eren of a pig, and judging from Annie's well-hidden snort, she thought similarly.

"I hope you two are still alive when they cut you open," she drawled after several minutes. She sneered again, and he almost hoped her face would be stuck so. "Titan filth. How you ever convinced anyone you're—"

Eren's temper, which had already been high to begin with and only rose with her words, flared to life, nearly beyond his control. He charged the bars of the cell, enjoying how she stumbled back and reached for her weapon. Before he could speak, though, tension on the manacle around his wrist drew him back, and he nearly stumbled over his feet retreating from the bars.

Annie stood in the far corner, glowering at him. "She's trying to get a rise out of you, idiot. If you threaten or, by the Walls, attack her, then she can cry her crocodile tears to the judge and ensure her bosses win in court." She turned her glower to the soldier before adding, "It's a pathetic attempt to engineer a rigged hearing. I had heard of corruption within the MPs, but I did not think it could be this vile, or low."

With that, Annie went to her cot and laid down, rolling over so her back faced Eren and the blustering guard. She quickly fell asleep, her breaths nice and even. Eren didn't know how to feel about the fact he could tell that she was asleep so easily. Perhaps it was just from the familiarity borne of their training sessions.

He followed her example, despite having only just reawakened after the fighting in Trost. It was better than allowing the MP just past the cell bars to trick him into acting like a violent idiot while Annie was asleep. He had no desire to give the Military Police's higher-ups another reason to advocate for their dissections. He had enough to worry about, not knowing who would sit in judgment over their case.

For now, he would do the little he could. Just as Annie protected him, he needed to protect her.


They spent three days in their subterranean cell before the day of the trial arrived. The night before, the exhausted and peaky Military Police officer assigned to guard them overnight informed them what would come upon the morning, and had spoken as though their executions were inevitable. Eren had nearly bitten through his tongue four times, having to refocus his mind each time to avoid accidentally shifting as he struggled to stuff down his anger. He knew if that were to happen, the next time he would see the sun would be on the day he was marched to the executioner's block.

The following morning, a group of four MPs arrived, escorting a pair with the blue and white Wings of Freedom upon their breast. Annie rose to her feet first, though Eren couldn't help but feel relief at the sight of those wings.

He prayed they would soon adorn his uniform.

"Why hello!" one of them said, approaching the cell bars before any of the MPs could open the door. There was a pair of goggles drawn tight to her head by three leather straps, and her brown hair had been drawn back into a haphazard ponytail. "It's so nice to finally meet both of you."

Eren blinked as a name was dredged up from his knowledge of the Survey Corps, and of other whispers he had heard. He had not known her face, but he was certain of her name. "You're Hange Zoe, aren't you."

The woman turned towards him, almost surprised he knew her name. "And you're Eren Jaeger. After seeing what you did, I'm no longer surprised that I learned you had stated your intention to join the Survey Corps in your graduation papers." She grinned, leaning closer to the bars. "Tell me: how does it feel to become a Titan? What do you see? Hear? Smell?"

"Ma'am, I need you to move," grumbled an MP. "I'd rather not let these two out, but I have my orders. They must be present for their trials. Zackly's orders."

"Oh, yes. You do need to let them out," Hange said, stepping back as the door was unlocked. She stared at Eren intently, her brown eyes glimmering with weakening restraint. He wished she would turn that intensity onto Annie, if only to give him some peace before the looming trial. Her cold, sullen attitude would hold up better against the wild enthusiasm of the Survey Corps' primary Titan researcher than his brash fire.

"Stand against the walls, you two," demanded the MP who entered their cell. The other three remained outside, with one holding their rifle low and ready.

Do they think they'll need to use their rifles? Eren wondered, even as bile threatened to come up. He had always wanted nothing more than to fight for humanity's future, to see the world beyond the Walls. And here he was, being treated as though he were some monster that threatened their way of life.

The MP waited until Eren and Annie were pressed against the far wall. The rough stone pressed against his back, through the rough spun shirt he wore. The MP stared at them as he detached the singular manacle that linked the two Titan Shifters together with a chain. He waved them forward, his compatriots keeping their rifles leveled, pointed through the cell bars.

Eren glanced at Annie as they approached the open door. He was surprised they were bringing them both out at once, but with three rifles, the MPs had to be confident they'd be able to kill them before either could act.

The pair from the Survey Corps watched on impassively as an officer slapped fresh manacles around the wrists of the two shifters. Eren glanced at Hange Zoe, wishing she would do, even say, something.

She only watched on, her tall companion looming over them all.

The MPs formed around them, chaining the manacles together. Two took up positions in the rear while the officer and another stood before the shifters.

"Move along," the leading MP told Hange.

"Yes, yes," Hange said flippantly, as if the man wasn't a threat to her. Chances were he wasn't, despite her lack of weaponry. "Please don't harm my future guinea pigs. I have many advancements to make, all with their help!"

Eren blinked. A moment later, Annie hissed in his ear. "I'd rather get dissected than be forced to deal with this woman. Is she even sane?"

"Jean would call insanity a pre-req for joining the Corps," he whispered back.

A laugh broke out of Annie, a half-mad expression of shared misery and trauma. Following the moment he had convinced her to join the Corps, Jean had turned his anti-Corps rants away from him and towards her, as if she might be open to his arguments. It hadn't lasted long—Annie paired up once with Jean for hand-to-hand in order to silence him—and she had later confessed to understanding why Jean and Eren had a volatile relationship.

One of the MPs threatened her with being gagged during the trial. Her shoulders tightened, and her jaw clenched. Eren saw the fury in Annie's blue eyes, even after she masked her anger with a false sheen of apathy. He felt he had come to understand her well enough to peer through her defenses and see the girl within. Certainly he had a better sense of her emotional state now, though he doubted few could ever claim to know her well enough to achieve the feat.

The first sign they were back above ground was the sudden spike of sunlight that slashed across his face. He flinched away from it, eyes slamming shut at the sudden brightness. The stairwell they ascended had a narrow, switchback placed almost parallel to the ground outside where a narrow window, high above, allowed the burning white light to slap across a prisoner's face.

"Keep moving," one of the MPs demanded. Eren did his best not to stumble up the stairs when a hand shoved his back. He gritted his teeth, several flavors of frustration simmering in his gut. It would be easy, even satisfying, to lash out at them.

But he knew that his behavior would influence the trial they were being marched to, and that would determine whether he would live to fight for the Corps—and thus humanity—as he wished, or would become a corpse in the possession of the Military Police.

They were guided into a marble-lined corridor, the plastered walls bare beyond military banners. Pedestals lined the corridor, and sat upon them the busts of dead military leaders. The other soldier of the Survey Corps, a mustached man a head taller than Eren and Annie, stepped close to them. He glanced over, and nearly jumped away when the man suddenly sniffed him.

"Oh don't mind Mike!" Hange said, ignoring the discomfort of everyone else. "He just sniffs people to help with getting to know them."

"Don't you dare," warned Annie, doing her best to sound threatening.

Mike huffed before sniffing her, and the blonde shuddered. She shot Eren a murderous look, one promising terrible pain in the near future. For the briefest moment, he found himself almost regretting the effort he put into convincing Annie to join the Corps with him. It mattered little now. With how events were coming to pass, their only chance of survival came in the form of the Survey Corps. He would get his wish, even if it came about because of how others treated him and not from his own will and action.

The MPs brought them to a pair of plain, if tall wooden doors. Two of them stepped away, standing on each side of the doorway, glowering at the two shifters. Eren clenched his hands, focusing his tension and anger into those two points. It was enough to suppress his itching, growing fury.

He feared his self-control wouldn't last long enough to see them through the trial.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Hange suddenly said. Eren glanced over as she stepped forward, moving right in between the shifters on trial. "Go along with the plan!" She stepped back and waved at them with a "Toodles!" for good measure.

Mike nodded as if regardless of the outcome, he would see them again.

"They're mad. Absolutely mad," Annie hissed. "She didn't even tell us what the plan was!"

"It's either madness or death," Eren said with almost devout conviction. "We both knew what we would face when joining the Survey Corps."

"That was before I met them. I might have reoccurring nightmares about Levi." She shivered, grimacing. "I'm lucky he didn't cut me to bits as I emerged from my Titan form."

"Shut up!" demanded one of the MPs. "You talk when spoken to."

Eren glanced back just as Annie sneered at the MP. The man moved as to hit her, but the doors before them were opened.

There were more MPs waiting beyond the threshold. The two who hadn't stepped aside forced the shifters forward, and as a group, they entered the courtroom. It was deathly quiet as they were guided toward the room's center. Two posts stood before the raised dais, waiting for them. Their judge, an older man with glasses and a greyed beard, sat above all present. He watched them with an air of disinterest. Two MPs, one for each of them, moved a metal post as Eren and Annie were forced to their knees.

The posts were lowered onto the chain of their handcuffs. There would be no escape until their fates were decided, unless they were foolish enough to dare a shift.

"All rise!" shouted an officer of the Military Police. He had a sash across his body, colored with the teal that adorned the unicorn sigil of his branch. "Presiding over this trial is Darius Zackly, Commander in Chief of all human forces."

"You may sit," Zackly stated, his deep voice rumbling through the chamber. Soft, yet intense blue eyes gleamed behind his glasses. He peered down at Eren and Annie, glancing between them. "Eren Jaeger. Annie Leonhardt. Both cadet graduates of the 104th Southern Training Corps, placed among the top ten of their batch, among the finest recruits produced this year. You have been brought before this tribunal on the charges of conspiracy against humanity, violation of your sworn oaths of enlistment, and treason. How do you plea?"

"Not guilty, sir," Eren declared with great fervor.

Annie remained silent for several seconds before saying, "Not guilty."

Zackly frowned, his gaze focusing on the blonde. "You hesitated there, Cadet Leonhardt. Explain yourself."

She scowled at the commander before glancing around the courtroom. "Only in private, sir. I have my reasons for the secrecy. Reasons you could benefit from."

Eren had to actively keep his face drawn and impassive to mask the dread, the fear, and the anger all bubbling up within. He had known for some time that she knew secrets that would completely upend his world and his understanding of it, but for some reason it never dawned upon him that those secrets could put her in grave danger.

Could she have done… Oh, them. She knows their identities, and if that's true, then she might have known about—

Shiganshina. Trost. She knew about them. Maybe even—

He cut off that line of thought before it drove him mad. It would certainly harm his ability to sleep peacefully, until she could tell him all she knew. Eren could only hope that her evasiveness from when they were cadets would fade once they were handed over to the Survey Corps. He wished he would be the first to learn her secrets, but it was possible High Command would first. But after that? He was certain she would tell him. There was no reason to maintain secrets between them after that.

Until then, he would stand firm by her. She had helped him learn how to use and control his Titan powers when he learned of them, and had repaid his trust in her by taking up his burden when he failed during the mission to seal the breach in Wall Rose.

"A panic?" Commander Zackly commented with a curious tone. "Is there a reason you are convinced the truth might cause a panic?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say publically," Annie said, nearly repeating herself. "I am willing to share all that I know in private… Should Eren and I be found not guilty by this tribunal, and have two conditions met."

Eren gaped as the crowd roared, outraged by her demand. He doubted anyone had expected her to use her secrets as a bargaining chip, him among them. He tried to ignore what her secrets would do to him and to everyone else. Her knowledge of Titans, of shifting, of the powers they had and their shared nature, had to come from a place he did not know and might never know.

Shockingly, Zackly smiled. "What conditions would those be, Miss Leonhardt?"

"Amnesty for crimes my private admission may bring to light and to choose the one who will inherit my Titan power," Annie demanded.

Those gathered in the courtroom murmured among themselves, hopefully caught up on her second condition. Eren stiffened, glancing at her. Annie was defiant, posture utterly straight as though she was only waiting for her conditions to be accepted without thought to how it might risk their lives.

"Inherit your powers?" Zackly asked, frowning. "Explain yourself, Cadet Leonhardt."

Before she could speak, a tall man with brown hair and a faint beard upon his chin stepped forward, the teal and white unicorn of the Military Police upon his chest. "Pardon my interruption, Commander, but what of the arguments—"

"Those can wait, Commander Dok. I wish for Cadet Leonhardt to answer my question related to her second condition."

Eren glanced at Annie. After a few seconds, her blue eyes shifted to him, but they quickly turned back to Commander Zackly. "The ability to shift into a Titan and control its body is passed from inheritor to inheritor. I would prefer to choose who acquires mine when my term of service is over."

The Commander leaned forward, muscular arms flexing. "And when will that be?"

Annie glanced around the courtroom. "I am afraid I cannot answer here."

"Hm." Zackly leaned back, considering her claims. "Should the two of you be given to the care of the Survey Corps, you will be summoned to answer all of my questions in private. Your answers will be honest, thorough, and without attempts to omit or mask the truth. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, Commander Dok," Zackly said. "You may present your initial argument."

The Commander of the MPs stepped forward. He glanced around the courtroom, looking at those gathered, before turning to Zackly. "It is the opinion of the Military Police that these two cadets pose a threat to humanity unseen since the Titan threat first emerged and threatened humanity. If we are to survive, we must understand this new threat as best we can. I propose giving these two to the Military Police, so that they may be inspected and dissected in order to learn their secrets."

Zackly hummed, though he didn't sound close to being convinced. "Commander Smith. What is the Survey Corps' counter argument?"

Eren looked over as Commander Erwin Smith stepped forward, looking just as he had days ago on the other side of the cell's bars. "It is the opinion of the Survey Corps that these two and their powers would be best put to use clearing a route from Wall Rose to Wall Maria, so that the breaches at Shiganshina can be sealed by whatever means necessary. More so, their powers mean that we can cut down on casualties, thus furthering the value and benefit of the Survey Corps as a whole."

"To actively use them or to not," Zackly murmured. "What a curious question we must answer."

The brief silence within the courtroom was interrupted when someone cleared their throat. Eren glanced over as a man in the black robe of the Wall cult stepped forward, wearing a wide chain necklace bearing the shield sigils of the three walls.

"Father Nick," Zackly said, leaning forward. "What business compels you to interrupt a military tribunal?"

"This case is of great concern to the Church of the Walls," the man declared almost fervently. He glared at Eren and Annie as if they were truly monsters. "It is the Church's view that these two are heretics of the highest order, a threat to our peace and prosperity that must be dealt with. While it revolts me to say os, we are in agreement with the plan put forth by the Military Police."

"Is that so."

The cult minister blinked, a touch surprised Commander Zackly hadn't bent over for him. "Well, yes. Yes it is. If there are two like this among us, then how do we not know there aren't more? Reports from the day of the Trost attack suggest to any man with eyes to read and a mind to think that the Colossal Titan that has twice now assaulted our beautiful defenses is a creature like them." He turned his gaze upon Annie, as if he too knew the girl held dire secrets. "Ask her what she knows."

"Cadet Leonhardt has already promised to reveal all she knows in a secret and secure manner," Zackly said tensely. "Best you remember that, Father Nick. Interrupt these proceedings again and I will have you forcibly removed."

The minister nodded, his face contorted bitterly. He shot Eren a foul glare, as if he could kill him with his gaze alone. Were he not in this courtroom, Eren might have said something rude or daring. However, with not only his life on the line but Annie's as well, he needed to keep his head cool.

Zackly turned his attention to Commander Erwin. "Smith. I'm going to start with you. Why should I allow these two into your care? I must confess I am concerned about what their powers mean for humanity and the threat they might pose."

"Five years ago, humanity lost nearly half of our land. The loss of the territory between Walls Rose and Maria has meant a forty percent drop in foodstuff, a thirty-five percent drop in most resources, and a fifteen percent drop in military-related resources. Unless these lands are reclaimed, humanity's population will continue to decline, potentially reaching a point of no return." Commander Erwin turned partially towards those present. "Drastic action must be taken to ensure these reclamation efforts are successful. We were lucky at Trost. Were it not for these two cadets, we would not be here right now. The city would have been lost, and had events played out similarly to Shiganshina, Wall Rose would have been breached and we would have retreated further.

"We can no longer draw back. The time to press our advantage has come, now that we have soldiers capable of standing against the Titan foe on even footing. With the loss of the Trost District's outer gate, we must launch expeditions to Shiganshina from either the Karanes or the Krolva District. We shall require their power to safely make our way southward to sites already planned and prepared for extended field operations."

"Would your men be able to contain them, should they turn against us?" asked Zackly.

"My best man will have no trouble handling them." Commander Erwin then turned aside. "Levi, do alleviate Commander Zackly's worries."

Eren noticed that Armin and Mikasa were present, standing with a few Survey Corps members. Levi sprung over the barrier between them and the courtroom floor. He approached the Titan Shifters, his footsteps echoing with soft clicks. He scanned them, glancing back and forth.

The next thing Eren knew, a knee was driven into his face. Blood spurted from his nose, staining the white pants as they drove back forward with another knee bash. This one took him in the forehead, just above his brow. A hand grabbed his hair, yanking his scalp as he was drawn away from the knee and toward the toe of a boot. Levi pinned his head back against the pole, staring down with dead eyes.

"Won't be a problem, putting them down," he said, voice flatter than his expression. "Doubt they'd notice they were dead."

The courtroom was silent for several long seconds as Eren struggled to think. His head rang from the violence inflicted, and a glance at Annie revealed wide, horrified eyes. He was surprised she could make such a face, for he was so accustomed to her icy apathy genuine emotion, unfiltered by her impressive emotional control, warmed his cold heart.

After several seconds, Zackly began laughing. The MP commander began sprouting something in protest, but his voice was swallowed up by the booming laughs of the man in charge of the entire military.

"Consider me convinced, Erwin," he said after several seconds, smiling at the commander. "It appears clear that with the resources of the Survey Corps, these two can be best put to use for the sake of humanity fighting on the front lines." Zackly leaned forward. "But do not think this is free rein to act as you wish, Commander Smith. You have three months to have everything in line for a mission to retake Shiganshina and seal off the breaches in Wall Maria.

"Until then, Cadets Jaeger and Leonhardt are in your custody. This court is adjourned."