"Brigadier General."

Blinking a little upon hearing the voice of his subordinate, McGillis Fareed was quick to look up from his computer screen and make eye contact with Isurugi Camice, who was standing at attention directly in front of his office table.

The man's posture was as rigid as it usually was, with him standing almost impossibly straight with his hands by his sides and his gaze centered on his Brigadier General. In all honesty… it was rather worrying, just how respectful Isurugi was of him despite knowing full well of his role as just another one of Fareed's pawns to be sacrificed as soon as he has outlived his usefulness, though at the very least, McGillis reckoned that it meant that Camice was, at the very least, worthy of his trust as he smiled at the man and deactivated the holographic screen of his computer.

"Isurugi. Is there something I need to know about?" inquired McGillis, with him glancing at his subordinate as he clasped his hands together atop his table. Isurugi was quick to nod in response to his General's words, though before he could speak, Fareed cut him off. "When in private, you may loosen up a little, Isurugi. Whilst it is true that you are a high ranking soldier within the ranks of Gjallarhorn, even you deserve to relax from time to time."

Blinking a little at that unexpected comment from his General, Isurugi found himself slowly nodding in response to his words as his shoulders relaxed just a little. Outside of that mild change, however, the soldier's posture didn't change, a sight that amused McGillis, to say the least, though he didn't let that deter him as he chuckled and nodded.

"That in itself works well enough. Now, as for what you wish to say?" continued McGillis with a small smile as Isurugi shifted one of his hands behind himself and pulled a notepad out from his back pocket. Thereafter, Camice's eyes were quick to scan the contents of the notepad as he made sure that he wasn't about to misread anything to his superior, and once he was sure of it, he nodded to himself and replied.

"It is a report in regards to the Prototype Lightspeed Drive, Brigadier General," responded Isurugi, and upon hearing those words from him, McGillis sat up a tiny bit straighter as he perked his ears up attentively. Camice took this as a sign to continue, and so he did, with him speaking as he usually did all the while. "As per your instructions, the first batch of prototypes were tested a few weeks prior, before your meeting with Tekkadan. I take it you recall the results?"

A silent nod from McGillis answered Isurugi's question as they both recalled the testing phase for the first few prototype variants of this Lightspeed Drive. The process was… not exactly pleasant, so to speak, as it involved installing the drive into several Space Type Mobile Workers and shunting them to a random part of space. Each Worker was piloted by a single Gjallarhorn pilot who was briefed by the engineers on how to operate the drive, and thereafter, they were sent on their merry way to test the things.

The test as a whole was rather simple. All eight testers were instructed to simply use the Lightspeed Drive to warp their respective Mobile Workers to a specific point in space, namely the coordinates that were picked up by the Gjallarhorn soldiers in regards to Barbatos. Of course, it was simple enough on paper, but in practice… things ended up going much worse than expected.

Prior to the testing phase, Gjallarhorn had up to eight Lightspeed Drives at their disposal, though after, they only had five. By all means, it wasn't exactly the worst possible outcome, as this was the first time these devices have been put to use, though it was disheartening, to say the least. A single Lightspeed unit had caught on fire after its coolant system had malfunctioned, causing its Mobile Worker to explode whilst the seven others were able to function without any issues. Two more Mobile Workers were lost when their respective drives both malfunctioned upon reaching their destination, and by all means, that was why the Gjallarhorn scientists had given all of them a single pistol to bring along with them on their journey.

Upon returning, the five remaining Mobile Workers and their Lightspeed Drives were quickly put into storage as Gjallarhorn scientists did their best to improve upon their design. They didn't wish for a repeat of what happened to the three destroyed/missing units, after all, especially when it came time to mount these things onto large scale warships or civilian vessels.

"Indeed, Isurugi. I recall all of what we have learnt during the testing phase," assured McGillis as he nodded, prompting the soldier in question to nod in return as he continued.

"Well, if I may, our scientists have learnt quite a bit more about the device following the testing phase concluded. During the testing phase, the Lightspeed Drive required up to three days in order to clear the distance between the Solar System and the last known location of Gundam Barbatos," continued Isurugi as he glanced up briefly from his notepad. "While this is indeed fast, it is believed that to transport a single Warship from the Solar System to the current location of Barbatos could very well take up to two weeks worth of time. Those aboard the Warship will feel only minutes, if not hours, pass, however."

"Is any of this information confirmed?" asked McGillis, prompting Isurugi to shake his head.

"It is not. I apologise, Brigadier General, but we are making use of an incredibly new and highly theoretical piece of technology. Our knowledge regarding it is… severely limited as of now," apologised Isurugi as he glanced down at the floor a little, seeming genuinely apologetic before he shook his head. "However, what has been confirmed is that currently, none of our Lightspeed Drives will be powerful enough to power a Warship."

"That in itself is rather obvious, is it not?" quipped McGillis with a small smirk on his face, prompting Camice to nod a little as the blonde continued speaking. "How long until we have a functional prototype for Warship use?"

"Our engineers are working around the clock with any and all Ahab Reactors we have at our disposal. At their current pace, by the next three weeks, we will be able to construct three prototype Warship class Lightspeed Drives," assured Isurugi as he lowered the notepad in his hands and eyed his General with a neutral look in his eyes. "Do you wish to inform Tekkadan about this?"

"In due time, Isurugi," assured McGillis with a small nod to show his gratitude towards his surbordinate's relayed information. "Thank you for informing me of all this."

A mild salute was Isurugi's response to McGillis' thanks, and at that, the blonde raised a brow as he watched Camice fidget a little in place as he flexed his fingers. That in itself was rather strange to see, honestly, as Isurugi was always calm and collected, in a perfect state of tranquility, so to speak, and as such, to see him in such an… awkward state was more than enough to get a mild snort out of Fareed as he cleared his throat.

"Is something on your mind?" inquired McGillis as Isurugi shuddered a tiny bit as he was jolted out of his unusual state of mind, though he was quick to recover as he swiftly squared his shoulders and nodded in response to Fareed's question.

"Indeed, Brigadier General. If you will allow me, I wish to share some of my concerns with you," confirmed Isurugi as McGillis rubbed his chin and nodded. Though it was most likely nothing too important, Fareed reckoned that it was better to know what was on his subordinate's mind. After all, Isurugi was never known to be a fidgety man, and considering how whatever was on his mind was able to make him act this restlessly, McGillis reckoned that it must've been at least a little important. "It is in regards to the other Seven Stars of Gjallarhorn and how they view your project."

Ah… McGillis reckoned that he should've seen this coming sooner or later. Isurugi was always worried about the little details in life, after all, and by all means, he was bound to ask this question sooner or later…

"The Seven Stars have long since learnt of this project, Isurugi," explained McGillis, prompting a shudder to go up the aforementioned soldier's spine as he stood a little straighter out of shock. Fareed was quick to pick up on it, however, as he smiled a little and continued. "The issue was considered to be top secret within the ranks of the Seven Stars, and not many soldiers have been informed on it."

"I see. I presume that they do not approve of your actions fully?" quipped Isurugi, and the expression McGillis gave in response to his inquiry was more than enough to answer his question as he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, they do not," lamented McGillis as he exhaled gently and glanced up at Camice with an annoyed gaze. Isurugi did flinch a tiny bit under his gaze, though aside from that, he didn't react much more as Fareed found himself sighing in irritation.

The Seven Stars of Gjallarhorn… for as long as McGillis could remember, they have acted as the governing bodies for the whole organisation. Formed several years after the end of the Calamity War, the main purpose of the Seven Stars was to ensure that Gjallarhorn functioned properly from within. For the most part, during the first few years since they were formed, the Seven Stars did just that, with every member working tirelessly to ensure that the people that Gjallarhorn protected lived safe lives.

In more recent times, however, the Seven Stars found themselves changing, and as of year P.D 325, they have become… let's just say less about the people and more about themselves, so to speak. Over the past few decades, they have gathered a massive amount of power, power that they were mostly unwilling to share, and it didn't take long for a good majority of the current Seven Star heads to grow corrupt with the influence that they had gathered over the years.

The Seven Families that ruled over the Seven Stars, the Elions, the Issues, the Fareeds, the Bauduins, the Kujans, the Baklazans and the Falks… every one of them had a long and powerful lineage tied to their family names, though McGillis found himself respecting only a handful of them as he recognised the threat that they posed against his vision for a reformed Gjallarhorn.

The issue in regards to McGillis' plan to construct a Lightspeed Drive had been brought up by Elak Falk, the current head of the Falk family. At first, McGillis was genuinely surprised at knowing that the overweight head of the Falk family had found out about his little side project, though he was quick to dismiss it when he remembered that Elak's family was well known for digging up old and obscure trivia on rival families, information that could very well bring them to ruin if revealed to the public. With that in mind, the prospect of Elak being the first to learn of McGillis' project wasn't exactly that far of a stretch…

Upon being asked about the Lightspeed Drive, McGillis was quick to answer in a calm and collected tone of voice. He was surprised about being found out so soon, to be sure, but even so, panicking was never his strong suit, and he remained composed as he explained the surface details of the Lightspeed Drive and how he believed that, ultimately, its construction could very well change the world in a good way.

Upon finishing his explanation, McGillis took note of how Elak Falk seemed to like how that sounded, and Fareed could tell that he was already scheming to find a way to monopolise a design that was just barely past its testing phase. While the overweight head of the Falk family appeared content, however, the head of the Kujan family, Iok Kujan, seemed less than pleased with the blonde's proposal.

A frown was the only thing that Fareed could express at the time as the young head of the Kujan family began to accuse him of setting such a project into motion in order to ascertain more power within the Seven Stars for himself. Young and rash, Iok was certainly a lot more… suspicious of McGillis when compared to the other family heads, though before Kujan's accusations towards Fareed could go out of control, the current head of the Bauduin family, Gallus Bauduin, silenced him.

The wise old sage of a man was quick to ease things with Iok, with him claiming that his surrogate son wished only to help the people that Gjallarhorn was meant to protect, and by all means… while he wasn't entirely on the mark with that assessment, the fact that Gallus, the father of the man McGillis had murdered in cold blood, had step forth to defend him was more than enough to make Fareed crack a small, almost unnoticeably smile as he stared at the purple haired man in appreciation.

Gallus Bauduin was not the only one who agreed with McGillis' little side project (for reasons that were not monetary, at least), however, as the head of the Baklazan family, Nemo Baklazan, voiced out his support for Fareed as well. The wise old sage of a man was the oldest member of the current Seven Stars, and with his age came a substantial amount of wisdom, wisdom that the younger family heads tended to heed whenever he spoke to them.

Likewise, the final, and arguably the most powerful family head of the Seven Stars, Rustal Elion, voiced out a small amount of support for McGillis' plans for this Lightspeed Drive of his, though even so, he remained rather apprehensive on the whole thing as, according to what the blonde had told them over the course of the past few minutes, he was unsure on if the Lightspeed Drive was safe or even reliable enough to mass produce in the foreseeable future. Fareed's response to Elion's worries was simple; he would have to be patient, as, in his own words…

"I have some… testers who are more than willing to try out the prototype for a Warship class Lightspeed Drive."

And to that, Rustal simply nodded and said that he was expecting to hear some good things from this project. McGillis, for his part, simply chuckled at that and told the older man that he would do his best.

"But even so… I have the support of more than half the Seven Stars, and that in itself is enough to allow me to carry on with the testing phase for the Warship class Lightspeed Drive…" muttered McGillis as he shook his head, snapping himself out of his mild trance all the while, and stared back up at Isurugi, who nodded at that.

"I expect no less from you, Brigadier General," quipped Isurugi as he saluted his General rigidly, prompting McGillis to smile a little in appreciation towards Camice's words as he readied himself to leave. "Regardless of what happens, I shall remain by your side until the bitter end!"

"Thank you, Isurugi," was all McGillis could really say at that point as his subordinate nodded and turned on his heel to leave his office, and with his departure, things became rather… silent as the blonde rubbed his chin thoughtfully, though before long, the young man snapped out of his mild trance-like state as he reactivated his holographic computer screen and tapped through it several times over, with him only stopping once he found a picture of a certain Mobile Suit.

It was an image of Barbatos that was captured by the optic of a destroyed Graze back during the Edmonton battle. By all means, it was one of the last recorded instances of the Gundam before its disappearance in P.D 323… and in spite of himself, McGillis could never stop himself from revisiting it from time to time, and with every visit… Fareed would ask himself the same question over and over again.

'Where exactly are you, Gundam Barbatos… Mikazuki Augus?'

Saluting was never exactly Mikazuki's strong suit as, thus far, very few people living within the Walls have earnt enough of his respect to warrant him saluting them in earnest, though by all means, he reckoned that he could make an exception from time to time as he, alongside the various members of Team Mike and Levi, plus Hanji and a mostly conscious Eren, offered Erwin Smith rigid salutes.

Seconds after they had done so, Erwin had nodded and gestured for them to be at ease, much to Mikazuki's relief as he lowered his arms and held them behind his back at attention. The other soldiers that were present in his office did so as well, and thereafter, Hanji Zoe took a step towards the Commander's office table and began to file in her report on the Preliminary Expedition all by herself.

Sure, Mike and Levi were present, though they weren't exactly known to be the talkative types, and as such, they allowed Zoe to do the talking for them. And besides… Hanji didn't seem keen on letting either of them get a word in anyways…

For the most part, Hanji's report on the whole ordeal was positive, almost scarily so with her praising the destructive potential that Mikazuki had displayed whilst out on the field, both within and without his Gundam, and just how many lives he had saved just by being a part of the Expedition. Her genuine praise of his skills was more than enough to fluster Mika, not that he really showed it beyond a mild blush that was very easily missed; he hadn't expected the four eyed Titan pervert to actually compliment him and his Gundam at the same time…

Of course, with all that being said, Hanji was very quick to move on to saying how Barbatos was the main contributing factor to the overall success of the Preliminary Expedition, which wasn't much of an exaggeration, really. Although the soldiers of the formation were very clearly apprehensive about it at first, after they had realized that it was no threat to them, and after they had withnessed it tear down Titans en masse, they found themselves growing accustomed to its presence and had even ended up working extraordinarily well with it with minimal issue.

Its very presence was more than enough to boost the morale of the soldiers within its vicinity, as they knew of just how powerful it was, and with it fighting by their side, victory would almost certainly be guaranteed. Her compliments were almost enough to get a smile out of Mikazuki as he listened, though he had to admit that his superior remembering exactly how many Titans he had killed whilst out on the field was more than a little… worrying, especially when compared to Eren.

On the topic of Eren Jaeger, however, Hanji didn't exactly have much new to say about him. Though his abilities were truly commendable, they paled in comparison to the sheer destructive potential of the Gundam, and the expedition did very little in helping any of them learn more than what they already knew of in regards to his ability. Even so, Zoe did complement the fact that the Shifter's Titan form was a respectable stand-in for when Barbatos was unable to be fielded in combat, as, in spite of the (very) obvious difference in strength, the young soldier's Titan form still possessed a respectable amount of power, a complement that was enough to make the junior in question blush in embarrassment as he was still unused to being praised.

From time to time, another member of the group that had been gathered in the office would pipe up to correct or add onto Hanji's words, usually to her chagrin, though she didn't think much of it as she went through her report, and before long, she concluded it with a nod of her head before taking a step back to stand shoulder to 'shoulder' with Mike and Levi and going silent, giving Erwin a handful of seconds to process what he was just told.

About ten seconds passed before Erwin finished processing Hanji's full report, and at that, he was quick to thank the soldiers before him for all of their hard work. Thereafter, the Commander, after going through his usual debriefing speech and his atypical (if a bit more upbeat) congratulations to his soldiers in regards to their exceptional work whilst on the field, was quick to send his Elite soldiers off on their way, with him ordering them to take some time off for a change and spend some time with their families before the actual Expedition came rolling around, and by all means, they were eager to comply.

And yet… not everyone was dismissed so quickly, however, as Erwin had asked for Levi, Hanji and Mike to stay behind. He had also requested for Eren and Mikazuki to do so as well, though he also mentioned that they could leave if they wanted to as, whilst what they were about to discuss was certainly of importance, it wasn't important enough to warrant either of them staying if they wished to depart.

Unsurprisingly enough, Eren, being an incredibly dedicated Survey Corp supporter, remained behind as he wished to know what the issue was, and should he be able to help out in any way, he would do so without hesitation. On the other end of the spectrum, however, Mikazuki didn't seem to be too interested in the whole ordeal, though he remained behind regardless as… well, according to him: "I don't know my way around Karanses. I'd rather not get lost, so I'm going to wait for Mike."

And for all it was worth… that was a pretty good reason. Or at least, Mike thought it was rather sound. Hanji found herself snickering at just how… childish that line of reason sounded, especially for someone who's proven to be just as strong as an Elite Survey Corp, regardless of whether or not he was within Barbatos, and Levi… he didn't really react to Augus' comment as he shrugged and accepted that the shortstack will be joining in on their little conversation.

"I see… in any case, thank you, all of you, for remaining," thanked Erwin as he nodded in appreciation to his subordinates. The three Elites responded by mirroring his gesture while Eren didn't know how to properly respond and simply remained at attention. Meanwhile, Mikazuki had retreated over to the far right of the room and leaned himself against the wall. Reaching into his pocket, the pilot pulled a raisin out of there and threw it into his mouth as his superior continued speaking, seemingly oblivious to the apparent disrespect he was showing him all the while. "I know that all of you are undoubtedly exhausted, and as such, I shall be brief on this."

Off at the back, Mikazuki glanced over at Eren, who was giving him the stink eye for his behavior, as he chewed on his raisin. At that, the pilot raised a brow and fished another out of his pocket. Staring down at it for a brief few milliseconds, the pilot eventually shrugged and threw it towards Jaeger, who gasped and clumsily caught it. The junior was baffled at first, though the pilot responded to his bewildered expression with a shrug, telling him that it was totally up to him on if he wanted to eat it, and after some consideration, he did…

"The traitor. They have attacked us yet again."

… and he promptly choked on the raisin as soon as he heard what Erwin had to say. Eren coughed and hacked like a man possessed as Mikazuki winced a tiny bit and watched as he slowly but surely recovered, and likewise, everyone else present watched with a mixture of amusement and mild worry as the boy smacked his fist against his chest to help him recover.

"S-Sorry… but… d-did I hear you right… sir?" muttered Eren in shock as he wiped at his eyes, prompting the Commander to nod solemnly in response to his words as he continued.

"Yes, Eren Jaeger. You heard me right," assured the Commander as he held back the urge to grimace. Erwin found himself pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a moment to push back his growing frustration, and before long, he continued speaking. "According to a report left by Moblit, they had attacked us roughly five hours ago."

As he spoke, Levi pursed his lips together in irritation while Hanji rubbed at her upper arm with a small amount of worry. She didn't like where this was going… and as soon as he took note of how her hands seemed to be fidgeting around more than usual, Levi was quick to shift away from Zoe before she snapped from the tension.

Mike, on the other hand…

"What exactly did the traitor target, Sir?"

And in response to Zacharius' question, Erwin exhaled sharply and responded…

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Wincing a little at the volume of their (alleged) smartest soldier, Eren, Mikazuki, Mike, Levi and Erwin, alongside several other Garrison soldiers and even a small handful of civilians within Trost found themselves nearly going deaf as Hanji fell to her knees in a truly dramatic fashion and screamed towards the heavens.

Mikazuki was the first to recover from the earrape, so to speak, as he poked at his ear holes with his pinky finger to rid them of the ringing sensation that they were experiencing, and thereafter, the pilot turned back towards Hanji, or more specifically, towards the source of her grief, and found himself exhaling in irritation as he took note of why she was in such a state of distress.

Roughly ten minutes prior, Erwin Smith had told them about just what the traitor had done whilst they were out on the field. Though his words came as no surprise to most of the soldiers present… the revelation was more than enough to make Hanji in particular scream out in shock as she immediately ran out of her Commander's office and sprinted straight towards Trost, towards the holding site for the two captured Titans, Sawney and Bean, with the other soldiers present following her for the Hell of it.

And by the time they caught up with her (whilst they were on horseback), the soldiers bore witness to the poor lady's grief as she screamed up to the heavens in rage.

"They did it, huh? They killed those Titans," drawled Levi as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Mikazuki, who nodded slightly in response to Ackerman's comment as he watched Hanji lean forwards and slam the side of her fist into the ground in anger. As she did so, Moblit, who, curiously enough, had his arm in a cast, shuffled up to her and attempted to calm her down, though all he got in return was his Captain lunging at him and seizing him by the shoulders.

Thereafter, she shook him around like he was a ragdoll as she cried out in agony for the sake of her deceased test subjects, and though it was rather mean spirited for him to admit… Mika found the sight to be rather amusing…

Still though, that in itself didn't distract Mikazuki from the fact that they had lost two noteworthy assets. Although the captured Titans were nothing when compared to Barbatos or Eren's Titan Shifting Abilities, they had a lot of potential behind them as test rats, so to lose them so quickly and so suddenly was… unfortunate, to say the least, though Mikazuki thought little of it for now as he remained quiet.

"Mikazuki did say that the traitor would try and kill the Titans as soon as possible…" reminded Eren as he adjusted the cloak that he was wearing, with him looking somewhat… trepadatious as he spoke. Upon hearing his name being called out, Mikazuki glanced towards Eren from underneath his own Survey Corp cloak, and upon doing so, the Shifter was still able to make eye contact with Augus momentarily, and he was quick to shudder when his grey eyes met Mika's blue pair for the briefest of moments.

"Indeed, but even so… we doubled the security for the site in the event of this happening, and yet… it still wasn't enough to keep our assets safe," lamented Mike, snapping Eren out of his trance as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and took a sniff of the air. The scent here was highly unusual, Zacharius noticed. Aside from the stench of Hanji's grief and the dizzy panic that was emanating from Moblit, among many others present, the Elite Captain couldn't make out much else. At best, there was a smell that very much reminded him of a Military Police Brigade member… but it wasn't precise enough for him to say for sure as he grimaced, with him acknowledging how MPB soldiers had a tendency to come and go around these parts.

"Oi, Erwin, you said that the traitor attacked five hours ago, didn't you?" piped up Levi, with him glancing up at the aforementioned Commander as he spoke. In response to his question, the blonde nodded, prompting the midget to cross his arms and fiddle with his cravat thoughtfully. "Hmph, five hours ago… that's usually when the Garrison working at night have their break. There'll definitely be a lapse in security around that time."

"Indeed. Their attack was certainly calculated, was it not? Whoever our traitor is… they are certainly very knowledgeable on how the Military Brigades conduct themselves," quipped Erwin thoughtfully, with him half-heartedly complementing the bugger who had outsmarted them as he rubbed his chin. In response to his words, Mike, Levi and even Eren stared up at him with amusement and, in the latter's case, baffled expressions while Mikazuki stayed silent. "We must be more vigilant from here on out to prevent more losses… I will conduct a more thorough investigation into the matter within the week, though for now, keep your eyes peeled for any signs of traitorous activity, all of you. We don't know what, or who, our conniving backstabber might strike at next"

"Yes sir," replied Mikazuki, surprisingly enough, as he watched Hanji have a mental breakdown in front of them. Whilst the sight was rather amusing, to say the least, the blue eyed pilot found himself swiftly dismissing the whole issue as he simply exhaled sharply and shut his eyes in frustration.

Almost immediately after he did so, however, the pilot found himself… remembering the encounter he had with that traitor that they were looking for. Though it was brief, the little sword fight they had with one another was more than enough to tell the pilot quite a bit about them; their traitor was strong, above average at worst, though they were certainly not on the level of an Elite or senior, placing them in a Cadet or, at best, junior soldier category. Likewise, the traitor was smart, as they knew how and when to strike in order to maximise the damage they'd inflict upon their foes.

Mikazuki would admit to almost having been overpowered a few times back then, with the traitor's strength almost matching his own, albeit not completely, and their movements… they were so fluid and graceful… and worryingly familiar, something that Mika wasn't exactly thrilled about learning, and to add one last nail onto the coffin… the traitor… they likely had blonde hair and blue eyes… physical traits that only served to unnerve the pilot more and more as he thought about them uncomfortably.

Above average physicality, excellent agility, incredible intelligence and with blonde hair and blue eyes… all of that was a dead ringer for… for…

"Hey… uh, Mikazuki, you alright there?"

Blinking a little as his name was called, Mikazuki glanced over to his side and raised a brow when he saw Eren Jaeger staring at him with raised brows. The Shifter appeared to be rather worried for him, Mika noticed, though as soon as he made eye contact with him, the Titan Shifter noticeably flinched as he leaned his head back a little on instinct, though he was quick to get over most of it as he cleared his throat.

"S-Sorry… you just kinda spaced out for a moment there. I got kinda worried," apologised Eren as he scratched the back of his head in a truly awkward manner. Mikazuki's response to his worries was rather simple, with the pilot simply shrugging a little as he turned back to see Hanji punching the ground in anger. The ground actually cracked a little under her fist as she did so, something that impressed and amused Mika as he watched this happen. "Are… you alright?"

"Yeah," replied Mika neutrally as he clenched his fist in frustration, with him not wishing to believe his own thoughts all the while. Eren seemed to notice this, honestly, as he bit his lower lip and considered asking a question, though he eventually thought better of this as he nodded.

"R-Right… hey, huh… if you ever need anyone to talk to, y'know…?"

"I know."

And with that, the conversation ended, with Mikazuki making no attempt at starting it back up whereas Eren realized that the pilot had no intention of doing so, prompting them to fall into silence as they observed Hanji wailing in front of them.

Some time later

And so, after about fifteen minutes of bawling her eyes out, Hanji eventually allowed the other soldiers present to cart her off as she remained slouched forwards in grief.

The poor lady had a hollow look in her eyes as she allowed the Survey Corp and Garrison soldiers to drag her off to recuperate from her loss, though for as… heartbreaking as it was to bear witness to, Mikazuki, in all honesty, found it more amusing than anything. Call him cruel, but there were still times where he got a kick out of watching others wallow in their misery, and considering just how annoying Hanji could be… he reckoned that this was one of those times.

Vice versa, though, Eren, as he usually did, felt rather bad for the Captain and volunteered to help her get back up to her feet, so to speak, a notion that surprised Erwin quite a bit, though he granted him permission to do so, thus leaving Mikazuki alone with his three seniors as they stood within Erwin's office.

"That kid's a real softy," quipped Levi as he watched Eren waltz off to provide moral support to Hanji. Beside him, Mike, in spite of himself, couldn't help but nod in agreement as Erwin chuckled in amusement; he wasn't willing to agree or disagree with Ackerman, but even so, his laughter told everyone present that he was leaning more towards the former. "Still rather hard to believe that he's one of our strongest weapons against the Titans."

"Regardless of how 'soft' he may be, Eren's drive to contribute to our cause is something that even some of our best soldiers can't claim to possess. Even Keith has stated that Eren has made remarkable improvements upon his abilities through sheer tenacity and willpower alone, something that very many of the Military Brigade lack," commented Erwin with a gentle smile. Mike and Mikazuki both had nothing to say in response to that, though Levi couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes as he snorted.

"He's got drive, sure, but the Survey Corps have no need for these… simple souls, Erwin. Damn kid's gonna be skewered, emotionally if not physically, after his first expedition if he can't shake off the wetness behind his ears," rebutted Ackerman as Smith chuckled and nodded.

"On that, we can agree, though I believe that Eren is anything but a simple soul," muttered Erwin solemnly as his smile slowly but surely faded into nothing. His little comment ended up reminding everyone present that Eren, alongside every last one of their new recruits, were not as naive as a good majority of their previous recruits were. The Battle for Trost had hardened their hearts and souls, and from here on out, Erwin knew that to treat them as mere recruits would be an insult to their abilities.

After all, considering just what the Hell these kids have been through, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to consider them to be tried and true Survey Corps.

"Yeah yeah, I get you, Erwin. These kids are… impressive, aren't they?" relented Levi as he rolled his eyes. Upon hearing him, Mikazuki, of all people, perked up as he glanced over at him, though he said nothing as he kept his gaze on the midget, who continued speaking. "They survived the equivalent of Hell and are still in good enough condition to speak about it. Seems almost unnatural, but what do I know? I'm not one of them."

"We have one of those kids standing right here, don't we?" reminded Mike as he gestured towards Mikazuki, who remained silent as all eyes lowered themselves down, or in Levi's case, up to his level. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Because I'm sure he has better things to do with his time," retorted Levi as he stared at Mikazuki for confirmation. At that, the pilot simply shrugged as he showed quite a bit of indifference to the smaller man's comment, though he didn't disprove it completely as Ackerman snorted and continued speaking. "Speaking of which, can we tell him to go already? He's been here long enough."

"I never thought you, of all people, would be worried for Mikazuki's health and wellbeing, Levi," quipped Mike rather abruptly as Levi rolled his eyes and leaned his back against the wall closest to him. Crossing his arms, the Elite was quick to crack his neck before responding.

"No. I just believe that he has some… people to get back to right about now, you know?" responded Levi in his usual deadpanned tone of voice as Erwin raised his brows briefly in confusion, though before long, he understood just what Ackerman was getting at as he nodded. Mikazuki in particular noticeably perked up when he had heard this, with him finding himself growing somewhat… excited at the notion of being able to be with his friends, though he spoke nothing of it for now as he listened, not wishing to get his hopes up all the while.

"Ah, yes, I see," smiled Erwin, smiling in understanding as he briefly made eye contact with Mikazuki, who noticeably perked when he noticed his gaze, though he was quick to shake it off as he went back to his usual indifferent self once more, prompting his Commander to smile in amusement as he clasped his hands together and continued. "Hm… seeing as how exemplary your work was during the Preliminary Expedition, I deem it prudent to give you some… time off, for a change, Mikazuki Augus. You may spend the night however you wish, though do be mindful of your health; you did just return from battle, after all."

The small, knowing smile present on Erwin's face made it abundantly clear what he was getting at, and upon hearing this, the pilot almost smiled as he acknowledged the kindness he was showing him. Still though, he managed to force it down as he nodded in thanks, and thereafter, he scratched awkwardly at his cheek.

"Well… if you don't mind, I'd like to… meet up with my friends again… all of them," insisted Mikazuki, with him finding it odd to make such a request as he fidgeted around meekly, and to this, Erwin smiled a little as he nodded at his junior's request. It was a simple one, but in truth, he knew that it meant a lot to him, and with a nod towards Mike, the Commander sent a silent message to his subordinate, who grunted and motioned for Mikazuki to follow him.

"Permission granted, Mikazuki Augus. Mike, please bring him to the base where the 104th graduates are stationed. Post haste," smiled Erwin, with him nodding at Mike as he said this. Zacharius didn't need to be told twice as he nodded at the Commander's words, and moments later, the duo left the room, leaving Levi and Erwin to their own devices all the while.

Silence pervaded the air between the two soldiers as they listened to the retreating footsteps of Mika and Mike, with neither saying a thing for a spell as they simply stared into space, though not long thereafter, Erwin's demeanor turned cold as he exhaled sharply, and thereafter…

"... he knows something, doesn't he?" mused Erwin, with him glancing towards Levi as he spoke, and not long thereafter, his short comrade nodded in agreement.

"Indeed…" was his quick response from Levi, with him having noticed a few odd discrepancies in regards to how the Pilot had acted. He wasn't all too familiar with him just yet, but even so, he would've been blind to have not noticed how fidgety Mikazuki was being recently, and to that, Erwin hummed softly.

"Keep an eye on him in the near future."

"Yes sir."