A/N: And here's the end of the Trost arc...only took me two years lol. Thank you for the support and hopefully see you back for the next one!
CHAPTER 23 – THE BATTLE FOR TROST: COMMITMENT
"Really…you're really going to do it Jean? You're going to join the Scouts?"
Lukas muttered quietly as the two teens stood in formation awaiting the inspection of their ODM equipment. The black-haired teen felt as if someone had just thrown more fuel onto the fire of everyone's lives just as they thought it might cool down. It wasn't like the aftermath of the battle of Trost, or still being in the dark about Eren's trial, or even laying to rest Marco and the rest of his comrades wasn't enough, someone had to go and kill two of the Survey Corps captured titans.
"Yes…Schmitty." Lukas could almost sense his friend scoff at his words as he spoke them, "Same as the other 11 times you asked me."
The shorter teen sighed at that. Lukas knew that he wasn't the primary reason for any of his friends suddenly wanting to join the scouts, the week's events had given plenty reason for that, but Lukas still felt a pang of guilt. The least he could do was try and draw out his friend's reasons for his change of heart. That, however, was easier said than done.
"Why?" Lukas questioned.
Jean raised his eyebrow snarkily, "Someone's got to cover your ass…"
"Sure…" Lukas deadpanned at Jean's deflection of his question, "…nothing to do with Mikasa talking to you yesterday then?"
Lukas could see the taller teen tense up out of the corner of his eye before the latter replied, "Who told you about that?"
"I ain't no snitch…" Lukas said cooly.
Jean shuffled around for a moment before he replied, Lukas almost swearing he heard the gritting of teeth, "No…she had nothing to do with it…I mean what she told me helped but this was my decision…not anyone else's!"
"Hmmm…" Lukas huffed, ready to concede to Jean's stubbornness for the time being, "I'll remember to bring a black wig and a red scarf next time I want you to do something…"
"You little shit, I oughta…"
The brewing argument was quickly shut down when the duo noticed the approaching Garrison inspectors. As the two settled back into an easy silence, the inspectors started examining their equipment, asking the cadets various questions pertaining to maintenance and when last they used their ODM rigs. Eventually, Lukas's mind drifted to the whole reason of the inspection in the first place, the murder of the two titans captured by the Survey Corps.
Not exactly the biggest fan of those monster's but ain't going to learn anything useful from them if they're dead…
Humanity had already learned volumes about titans just this past week. Honestly, Lukas wasn't quite sure about how he felt about Eren and his newfound 'ability', but the teen couldn't argue with results. Eren Yeager had blocked the gate at Trost and all but secured humanities' first victory over the titans in a century. If only there hadn't been such a steep price for such a significant victory. A victory that would've been made bigger if any research could've been done on those titans.
Well, you can learn something from any situation! Even from failure!
Lukas could hear the manic rambling as the memory echoed in his head. He hadn't seen his dear 'auntie' in a little over three years now. That wasn't entirely uncommon though, the lives of Scouts were fraught with busy work, when you were not outside the walls courting constant danger of course. Lukas remembered his dad being gone for weeks at a time for the Survey Corps, even when not on expedition and given his aunt's 'eccentric' job responsibilities, Lukas knew this also was no exception.
Now that the teen thought of it, he was sure that she had most likely been heading up the research on the previously detained titans. If he had to bet too, Lukas knew that she would be far from pleased at the previous night's happenings. Frenzied, manic and explosive were definitely words popping in Lukas's head.
Guess that's some consolation for us all joining the Survey Corps…
Lukas found some solace in that, even more so that his aunt might be able to diagnose whatever had been going on with him. He had sent his Uncle Mike a letter explaining that he might need his aunt's advice in vague terms, not committing any more detail to avoid seeming like a straight loon and not trusting his aunt not to lose the letter amidst piles of paperwork. After all, her eccentricity did not blend well with her organization of well…anything. Lukas didn't worry too much though, besides his mom, Jean and very quickly now Sasha, the teen trusted his godparents to be discreet.
Lukas rubbed his temple as the two inspectors moved past him further down the line.
Yeah, if anyone's able to figure this out, it has to Auntie Hange…
…
"Section Commander."
Where did I put those research notes?
"Section Commander!"
Over here?…No…In this drawer?...Not here either.
"Section Commander!"
"Help me find these research papers…I know we didn't get much from Sawney and Bean but I won't spoil their memory by losing what we got!"
"SECTION COMMANDER!"
"Huh?" Section Commander Hange Zoe peaked her head out from the cabinet she'd been searching in, seeing her aid standing amidst the chaos of the office the Garrison had been so kind to give her for the time being, "What is it Moblit?"
The sandy-haired scout composed himself before speaking, "Section Commander Zacharias is here to see you…"
"Mike?" Hange thought out loud, "Wonder what he's here for?"
"He didn't say." Moblit replied giving a frown of confusion to the question before Hange motioned him to open the door.
Section Commander Mike Zacharias was an imposing man. Easily one of the taller scouts in the Survey Corps, the man still moved around the haphazardly thrown paperwork strewn across the office floor with a certain ease of that befitted humanities second strongest soldier.
"Hange." Mike spoke flatly, only accompanied by an audible whiff of his nose.
"Mike…" the brunette said enthusiastically, "What do I owe the pleasure?"
"How long have you been working?" Mike questioned matter of factly.
"Now why ever would you ask a question like that my dear dear comrade?" Hange nervously uttered out a reflection.
"Smells like coffee." the taller man stated, eyebrow raised on an otherwise stoic face.
"Sinuses are as sharp as ever I see…" the brunette rambled, "Had quite a bit of work today, so I figured I'd let myself indulge in a cup."
"Six cups…" Mike corrected her.
"Huh?" the statement caught her off guard.
"You drank six cups of coffee today."
There was a silence in the room for almost enough time for the interaction to be awkward before Hange burst out a chuckled snort, "Your sense of smell is a thing of amazement, isn't it Mike?"
"Didn't need my nose for that one…" the taller scout shrugged.
"Wha…but how did you…?"
Mike remained silent but gave a slight motion to Hange's desk where six empty cups perched stacked up and completely drained of their contents. Hange noticing this, turned back towards Mike, face scrunched in defeat but also quickly catching the slightest look of amusement from Moblit before she spoke again, "Whoops…must've been a little thirstier than I thought…"
"Hange, stop avoiding the question…" Mike almost sounded annoyed, "How long have you been working?"
"Hmmm…wow…um" Hange scratched her head at this, quickly glancing out of the window to see the sun dropping low behind the Wall Rose.
"Before dawn this morning, Section Commander." Moblit answered Mike, getting a look from Hange that could be more described as scorned child, before returning to picking up and organizing the thralls of paperwork on the floor.
The woman looked back at Mike who was giving her a face that could be well summed up as judgmental, "What's that face for!" Hange huffed, "SO WHAT IF I'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT, THERE'S SO MUCH TO BE DONE! THE INVESTIGATION INTO SAWNEY AND BEAN'S MURDER, PREP FOR MY EXPERIMENT'S WITH EREN YEAGER, TRAINING FOR THE NEXT EXPEDITION! NO TIME FOR REST WITH THIS MUCH EXCITEMENT!"
"Hange…" Mike waited patiently for his comrade to stop rambling before crossing his arms and continuing, "Did you forget what today was?"
"Today…?" for once Hange looked genuinely stumped, "What do you mean today?"
At that, Mike gave a deep sigh, "Let me give you a clue…where is Erwin at right now?"
"If I remember correctly…" Hange put her finger to her chin in thought, "…Erwin should be presiding over the cadet's graduation…"
Mike remained silent as he let the gears turn in Hange's head. Sure enough, a few mind-numbing seconds later came her response,
"OHHH CRAP!"
The brunette zipped back and forth across the room, seemingly expediting whatever she had to finish and nearly tripping over Moblit multiple times in the process while Mike casually leaned on the doorway, the smallest hint of amusement on his face. Sure enough, after a few minutes of controlled chaos, Hange gave a few curt instructions to Moblit, handing her aid a sizeable amount of paperwork before turning on her heel and speeding out of the door Mike had conveniently opened.
"You know…one would've thought you'd remember your godson's graduation…" Mike said, matching Hange's pace as the two made their way down towards the ground floor of the Garrison's command post.
"I did…" Hange whined, almost certainly lying through her teeth, "…but three years is a long time! Can you imagine how big Lukas has grown!"
"Hmmmph…" Mike whiffed, "…and you wonder why Rhia's always annoyed with you…"
"That's a low blow Section Commander…" Hange mocked a hurtful look on her face, "…and what about you then huh? When was the last time you talked with your godson?"
"A month ago…" Mike didn't skip a beat, "…right before the last expedition."
"WHA…" the brunette deadpanned as the two reached the bottom floor and walked out into the open air of the Trost night, "and when did you two have this impromptu meeting! AND WHY WASN'T I INVITED!?"
"No meeting" the tall scout shrugged, "We write each other."
"Write each other…" Hange guffawed, "for how long?"
"Three years." Mike replied flatly.
"How come I didn't know?"
"You didn't ask…"
Hange strode in silence for a few brief moments, her face a combination of flustered embarrassment and humbling shame, "Well tell me how he is at least?" she asked half defeatedly.
"As much as you might expect…" Mike replied casually, "Loves ODM training, not too overly keen on Shadis, got himself a girlfriend now. Did mention he wanted your advice on something though?"
The brunette perked up at that, "What about?"
"Didn't say…" Mike shrugged, "…you'll have to talk to him yourself. Said I wouldn't understand the specifics."
"Interesting…" Hange pursed her lips, remembering to ask Lukas about that later, whatever good that would do, "…hear anything from after the battle then?"
"Well he's alive…" the senior scout spoke, "…can't say too much about what he's feeling now though, not too often cadets are thrown into the gauntlet right out of training like that, but I suspect he's surviving."
"Hmmm." Hange quietened as she looked out at the still recovering district of Trost, "Do you think he still wants to do this, still wants to join the scouts?"
"Who's to say…" Mike reply simply, "…sprout's 7th in his class, even took 2 titans down during the battle but people take to titans like Levi takes to dirt I suppose…"
Hange chuckled at that before sobering, "I suppose so…part of me wishes though that he wouldn't join the scouts."
"Understandable" Mike answered solemnly, "but that's his call. Lukas know better than most the costs of this life…"
The duo were silent for awhile before Mike spoke up again.
"If I had to hazard a guess though…" Mike spoke with an upturn in his voice, "I don't see Lukas resigning his life to cleaning canons or kissing some noble's ass…yeah I figure the sprouts grown to be a weed like one of us."
"Such high praise for the Survey Corps Section Commander…" Hange spoke sarcastically.
"Just telling it how it is…" Mike replied, "The Scouts are a hodgepodge of everyone the walls have to offer. We're all here for different reasons, that's what makes us unique, that's what makes us us…"
"Well said Mike…" Hange smiled recalling a memory from what must have been years ago, that she just so happened to mention to Eren recently, "…well said."
…
Hange remembered the day well; it had been one of her first excursions outside Wall Maria. The expedition had been going relatively well and her squad was riding through a small plain flanked by a sizeable stream and a sparse grove of trees where they encountered a few titans. The monsters were easily dispatched with her taking out a 3-meter. Not her most high profile kill but any titan, no matter the size, was still dangerous.
She reckoned she might have gotten a good swing on the creature as as she made her landing on the patch of grass nearby as she saw the titan's head topple over near to her. Hange didn't know what possessed her to approach the discarded appendage, maybe stress, maybe anger over the number of comrades they'd lost this excursion, maybe a whole deal other of things, but she took a kick at the head, fully expecting it to be as solid as a rock.
Imagine her surprise, when the head flew clear halfway across the field. Hange had been shocked, the appendage felt nearly as light as air, and she had remembered standing there dumbfounded for walls knew how long until the sound of ODM gear and boots landing behind her registered in her ears.
"Hange, you alright?"
At the sound of the voice, she turned immediately giving a curt salute, "Yes Squad Leader, I'm sorry for the delay sir!"
"Hange…" Daniel Schmidt rolled his eyes at her, "You don't need to be saluting me or calling me 'sir' all the time…"
"Oh…uh…sorry" she dropped her salute, somewhat embarrassed. Danny had been her squad leader back then and had always been keen on never being overly proper, something that even she took awhile to get used too.
"What were you even looking at by the way?" Schmidt added, quickly sheathing his blades, the immediate threat to the area having been neutralized.
"The…the three meters head…" Hange started, still a bit bewildered, "I kicked it and look how far it flew..."
Danny snorted, "Helluva foot you got there then Hange…"
"No…" she remembered reeling back, blushing from embarrassment again, "…the head was a light as air. It shouldn't be that light, right?"
"No…" the senior scout shrugged, "I suppose it ain't. Something I could bring up at the next officers meeting I reckon…"
Hange nodded at that, but before Schmidt could turn away, she found herself blurting out, "Sir…why did you join the Scouts?"
Instead of berating her for the random question in the middle of titan country, Daniel Schmidt just shrugged, "Protect people I guess, figure I'm of more use here than shining the brass on some canon or even worse, fluffing some rich folk's pillow. Besides…being out here just a lot more interesting ain't it?"
Hange found herself staring at the disembodied head again as she heard Danny whistle for the horses, "I suppose so…" she smiled as the two remounted and continued on the expedition.
…
Hange found herself flung back to reality, herself and a number of the senior scouts standing side stage while Commander Erwin gave his recruiting pitch to the thrall of cadets standing in formation out in the crowd. Admittedly Erwin lacked the guile of your average salesman but then again, he was telling these cadets the cold hard truth. Harsh, but these cadets had survived Trost and deserved to hear the truth.
"The four years we spent laying a route for a large army have gone to waste." Erwin continued, "In those four years, more than sixty percent of the Survey Corps lost their lives."
Hange could feel a bile in her stomach at Erwin's words, flashes of memories as she scanned the crowd to find a face that matched one of them.
"Sixty percent in four years…an insane figure."
It was unfortunately too dark though and Hange couldn't differentiate between the many faces.
"Any cadet who joins…" Hange saw Erwin scan the crowd too as he spoke, perhaps gauging the cadet's reactions "…will participate in our excursion beyond the walls in a month. We expect thirty percent won't return. In four years, most will be dead."
She watched the assembled mass too as many cadets reacted expectedly in horror and disgust.
"But those who survive will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate." Erwin continued pausing a moment for effect, "Knowing these discouraging facts, any still willing to risk their lives, remain here. Ask yourself, are you willing to offer your beating heart for humanity?
With that, Hange observed the large wave of cadets leaving the area. She looked to Mike with concern, but all that he gave was a stoned face expression as more and more potential recruits left to join other regiments. Finally, she opted to close her eyes until finally she heard Erwin speak once again.
"Can you die if you're ordered too?"
"WE DON'T WANT TO DIE SIR!" Hange immediately recognized the lone voice, if not a bit deeper than she remembered.
She opened her eyes again to see a slight smile on Mike's face beside her. Looking out to the crowd, naught but a dozen cadets remained and sure enough, the owner of the reply stood stout, his face was weathered a bit, but it was almost eerie how much Lukas Schmidt looked like his father.
"I see." Erwin replied. Hange always knew the Commander had an impeccable poker face but for a split second she thought she saw a small smile of recognition on Erwin's face, before he continued, "I like the looks on your faces. I welcome everyone here to the Survey Corps! THIS IS A TRUE SALUTE! OFFER UP YOUR HEARTS!"
The dozen cadets saluted in return and Hange couldn't help but give what she figured looked like the dumbest smile as her heart seemed to swell in pride. Lukas's face looked like he hadn't slept in days but there was a rugged determination there that she couldn't be prouder of.
"You have done well to endure your fear" Erwin spoke softly again, "You are brave soldiers and have my heartfelt respect…"