Eight days after the Stohess battle

Mikazuki's reawakening had caused quite a stir within the military brigade as a whole, and by all accounts, that stir was surprisingly mixed.

The moment his awakening had been made known, the Tribunal had called the brigades in for a meeting in Sina's primary court, the same that had been used prior to decide the initial fates of Mikazuki Augus and Eren Jaeger. Just a little over a week prior, a similar meeting had taken place here, though that previous one had been sloppy and haphazard, owing to Dhalis Zachary's sour mood over all that had transpired.

Now, just a little over a week later, Erwin and his present subordinates all hoped that Zachary would reconsider his stance on having Mikazuki executed, though he knew that it was a longshot, one that he'd have to fight tooth and nail for as he settled in on his spot in the courtroom.

Unsurprisingly, the MPB side of the military brigades had more or less vouched for the boy's immediate termination, though Nile Dawke had reigned them in, with him stating that they still needed some time to interrogate him before they could decide his fate. Said fate had an eight-out-of-ten chance of being death, but it was still better than nothing.

There were a handful of vocal opposers within the Military Police, however, key of which being one Marlow Freudenberg, who stated that Mikazuki should at least be given some amnesty for stopping Annie's rampage. Likewise, one Hitch Dreyse had also voiced some support for the pilot, albeit in an incredibly lazy manner. Still though, support was still support, and those that stood by Mika accepted it graciously.

The Garrison were unsurprisingly neutral on the matter, what with Dot Pixis' preference for not taking sides and all that. The elderly Commander never did like to dip his toes into the messy world of inner-wall politics, but still… he did offer a few of his thoughts.

"That boy's only just awoken from his coma. Give him some time to recover before you go in and yell at him."

Erwin had appreciated the unspoken aid that had been given to him by Pixis, though he could not thank him beyond a simple nod of his head at the time, one that Dot graciously mirrored with a smile.

Garrison Commander aside, however, the brigade as a whole were all divided on what to do with the pilot. Most of them, as with their Commander, were neutral, whilst some, namely Kitz Woermann, were supportive of Mikazuki's execution, albeit out of general paranoia due to them having not interacted much with the pilot beforehand. To them, Augus was just a murder machine in human skin, nothing more, and the sooner he was gone, the better.

Others, however, opposed this, namely the Elite trio of the Garrison, Rico, Ian and Mitabi, amongst many others that were a part of the Trost Incident. Their reasonings were obvious, and they'd side with the Gundam pilot until the bitter end, something that was made clear when Rico, of all people, had yelled directly at Pastor Nick's face when he demanded the pilot be executed for the umpteenth time.

"A FAT LOAD OF NONSENSE COMING FROM SOMEONE THAT HASN'T SEEN JUST HOW MANY LIVES THAT BOY HAS SAVED! WHY DON'T YOU PICK UP A SWORD AND JOIN THE FRONT LINES NEXT TIME, NICK?! THEN YOU'LL SEE HOW ARDUOUS IT IS TO FIGHT, WITH OR WITHOUT HIM!"

Ian and Mitabi's respect for their fellow Elite only grew that day, and Pixis himself had to hide a chuckle behind a fake cough, though that was besides the point.

The Survey Corps side of things was unsurprisingly all for Mikazuki's continued existence. Their reasonings were easy to pin down by now, and pretty much everyone voiced their support for the kid. Erwin's support was, unsurprisingly, the most vocal, with him reiterating that, whilst Mikazuki did fail to live up to Zachary's high expectations of him, ultimately, as the Commander of the group he was in, the blonde should be the one to shoulder the blame.

"Mikazuki's abilities are not to be doubted, Zachary. The soldiers in my brigade can attest to this. He was a valiant soldier, one that went above and beyond when it came to carrying out his role during the expedition. His failure was attributed to sloppy planning on our part. We… no, I did not account for all the possible outcomes, and as such, I and I alone am to blame for Mikazuki Augus' failure to live up to your high expectations."

Zachary had heard these words before. Erwin had said them to him a little over a week prior in a bid to shift the blame onto himself. The only difference, however, was that his mind had been a little hazy during the previous gathering thanks to how he had to deal with multiple issues all at once, and as such, his decision making skills weren't at their sharpest. Now that he wasn't distracted by other issues and focusing almost solely on Mikazuki's situation, however, Smith silently hoped that the man would recede his stance on Augus' execution, or at least reconsider it.

And, much to his delight… the Military Premier did change his stance on the matter… sort of.

"I believe that my initial decision had been rash. Although the Expedition did not go as planned, it has still proven that Mikazuki Augus is very much a capable asset."

The Survey Corps had noticeably relaxed at this, with them liking where this was going… until…

"But… the issue regarding his loyalties still stands. His connection with the traitor, Annie Leonhardt, is still very much a question left unanswered. Friends though they may have been, I for one believe that he has conspired with her in some way. While it is true that he spared her no quarter during the Battle in Stohess, it has come to my attention that Mikazuki Augus is also under suspect of having known of Annie Leonhardts abilities beforehand, and he had kept it from us for one reason or another."

Most of the Survey Corps hopes had died when he said this, especially at the disapproving tone of the Premier, though they said nothing on the matter as he continued.

"Even if that wasn't the case, there also stands the case of his Titan-"

"GUNDAM!"

Only Hanji would be brazen enough to yell at Zachary for that. Her boldness caught a few off guard, but Dhalis did not heed her comment.

"Hm. Whatever it is, the boy's other self shows no sign of recovering from its damages. In fact, the reports from the Survey Corps and in person observations tell me that it possesses no form of regeneration. As such, seeing as how it is physically incapable of recovering from its injuries, and seeing as it had struggled so much against the traitor, it is reasonable to assume that its injuries have gotten the better of it, and by all accounts, it has likely outlived its usefulness. The Military Brigades have no need for a weapon that is falling apart."

That comment had floored the soldiers, with all of them, namely the Survey Corps and some of the Garrison, shocked at what they were hearing. Zachary's reasoning was… in a weird way, logical, but even so…

"Sir, with all due respect! Although it is damaged, Barbatos is still very much a useful asset to us all! If you intend on doing what I think you're gonna do, then-"

Hanji's words were quickly cut short when Zachary waved a hand to silence her, and though she was reluctant, the bespectacled Elite nodded and grit her teeth.

"I understand your qualms, Hanji Zoe, but the… Gundam is clearly falling apart, even in its dormant state," not exactly a lie. A recent report stated that a portion of the Gundam's left arm armor had fallen off its frame (said report failed to mention how the soldiers had been chipping away at it for quite some time, but no one cared to bring that up right now). "To rid ourselves of it now would be better than to have it fall apart on the battlefield or, worse, have it turn on us at an inopportune moment."

"And if you get rid of the Gundam… then what will happen to its pilot?"

The question posed by Mike was a valid one, and by all accounts, the rest of the room wished to know as well. Mikazuki was in a strange position, where he was inherently more useful than practically everyone else in the room, but his one useful quality was being written off by Dhalis thanks to its damages, and the young man himself, although a powerful asset, even without his unit (he ranked Number 2 as a Trainee for a good reason) was under suspicion for treason, leaving him in a precarious spot. The pilot's life was literally hanging on by a thread, and Zachary would be the one to cut it if he thought it was a benefit to them.

And ultimately…

"With the current uncertainty in regards to his true allegiance, I will be pushing back the date of his execution. I will acknowledge that he is a good soldier, even without his Gundam, but until we can ascertain his true allegiance, he shall be kept under lock and key. Should he be found innocent, he will be made a free man, but if he is found otherwise, his sentence shall be carried out immediately"

… he chose a compromise, one that everyone could agree on, however begrudgingly. Erwin himself had released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Zachary had ultimately decided on this, and as for everyone else, they were relieved to know that the pilot would still have a chance at life, but honestly, a good majority of them, despite not wanting to think it, still had a feeling that ultimately, execution would be his fate, as even they, to a small extent, did suspect that Augus was, at the very least, a tiny bit aware of Annie's treason prior to the Stohess battle and had chosen to not tell them.

They just needed to learn why he hadn't done so.

Either way, though, after Zachary had made his final decision regarding Mikazuki's fate, the meeting had been adjourned, with the brigades filing out of the courtroom at the drop of Zachary's gavel. A few of the Survey Corps lingered behind, however, with Hanji, Levi, Mike and Erwin being a few of them that remained, stewing in anger as they acknowledged how most of the decisions made today were… less than ideal, so to speak.

Surprisingly enough, however, the Elite Garrison trio had remained as well, with them approaching the Elite Survey Corps with a look of silent sadness.

Still though, there was some hope in their eyes, hope that was shared by their Survey Corp counterparts as they lightly saluted Erwin, who mirrored the gesture with a nod.

"I must say, I'm surprised that the three of you supported Mikazuki as much as you had. You especially, Rico," stated Erwin lightly, with him glancing down at the platinum blonde as he spoke. Rico grew mildly sheepish as she acknowledged his words, with Ian chuckling lightly as he lightly patted her shoulder.

"Rico tends to be passionate about the things she strives to protect. We could all take a page out of her book on that front," chuckled Ian in approval. Rico didn't seem too happy with his words, though she said nothing about them as Mitabi added on.

"And if I'm being honest, it was personally nice to see that damn pastor be brought down a notch or two. Guy was getting on my nerves," huffed Mitabi, with him crossing his arms as he smiled approvingly at Rico, who had to hold back a grin this time as she tried to not take credit for that. She failed, though, as she rolled her eyes and fistbumped her fellow Elite, who chuckled softly as that happened. Off to the back, Hanji couldn't resist a light chuckle at this, with Levi and Mike humming in approval of the small team's camaraderie.

"But still, Rico's outburst aside, I would like to ask, Erwin; how is Mikazuki? He's only just awoken, yes? Is he doing alright? I can't speak from experience, but surely a waking from a one-week coma would be quite uncomfortable," hummed Ian curiously, and at that, the blonde sighed softly and responded.

"Mikazuki is holding up decently, considering his current situation… but still…"

Elsewhere

"Kh…!"

"There are… complications, in regards to him having been asleep for so long."

"Easy now, Mikazuki. Easy… one step at a time. Don't force yourself…"

Nodding lightly as he listened to Lynne's words, Mikazuki forced his weight up onto his own two legs before he stepped forwards once more, only for his knees to fail him as he collapsed. Before he could hit the floor, however, Nanaba, whom he was leaning against for support, strengthened her grip on both his arm and his waist to keep him from collapsing fully, something he was appreciative towards as he allowed her to pull him back up to his maximum height.

Off to the side, Henning, Gelgar, Tomas and the MPB medic watched on as the pilot took a few more steps towards Lynne, who spoke words of encouragement to him, whilst using Nanaba as support. It was certainly an awkward sight to behold… but alas, it was a necessary one regardless.

Them being here all at once was no real accident or coincidence. Hours prior, after they had been told of Mikazuki's return to consciousness, Mike had ordered for the entirety of his team to oversee the pilot whilst he, begrudgingly, reported this to his higher ups. Considering how he wasn't back just yet, his team supposed that his report was taking a longer time to file in, but that's besides the point.

Squad Mike, sans their namesake, had overseen Mikazuki for a bit, watching him drift in and out of consciousness a few times, until he had finally woken up for good. His blurry eyes had scanned the room swiftly before they landed on the one closest to him, Lynne. Thereafter, he glanced between the other Elites that were in the room with him, and upon realizing that he was, in a way, alright, he had spoken.

"... oh."

The deadpanned nature of Mikazuki's words remained, even as he recovered from his week-long coma, and it got a chuckle out of Henning, though that aside, the pilot took some time to recover from his awakening, and once he had his bearings back on, he began asking some questions.

"Where am I?"

"Where's Annie?"

"I want to see my friends."

"How long was I out?"

"What happens next?"

The Elites had answered his questions to the best of their ability, though even they knew that they had some restrictions for their answers. Mikazuki couldn't know everything, and to a certain degree, the pilot seemed to understand this as well, as he never pushed an issue if his superiors deemed it necessary to remain tight-lipped on it. In truth, he just lacked the energy to push the matter, though in this case, it worked out in the Elite's favour.

What didn't work out in their favour, however, was when Mikazuki was told that Mina was being held in captivity for the time being. It was an accidental slip-up on Henning's part, with him unintentionally stating that Carolina's current status wasn't too far off from his own. This was more than enough to spur the pilot into action as he forced himself off the bed before anyone could react, though right as he attempted to stand up, his legs shuddered before they gave way beneath him.

"Muscle atrophy," was the medic's comment on the matter, with her observing sadly as Mikazuki was placed back on his bed. His lack of physical activity had caused his muscles to weaken quite a bit. Thankfully enough, his muscles were not completely atrophied, as he had been able to stand upright for a handful of seconds before collapsing, but if he wished to regain the strength he once had, he'd have to work towards it.

And that more or less led to the present, with Mikazuki grimacing as he was kept upright by Nanaba and cheered on by Lynne, with him walking about his cell/room under the watchful eye of his superiors. The Elites were, at first, a little privy on assisting him in his recovery, though they relented after the pilot's glare got to them. And furthermore, the medic had stated that his muscle atrophy wasn't serious, not just yet, and if he began moving about now, he'd be able to avoid some of the more serious symptoms that would arise, should he remain bedridden.

The medic's words more or less solidified the Elites decision, and after just about three hours of constant work, Mikazuki was already improving, if only by a little, as he found himself able to take a few shaky steps forwards, without Nanaba's help, though a full recovery was still out of his reach for now.

"I know that telling you this is counterproductive to your efforts… but you are aware of how, when he recovers, it's likely that the first thing Mikazuki Augus will do is to try and find Mina Carolina… right?" stated the medic as Lynne and Nanaba swapped places with Tomas and Gelgar, both of whom took the role of being Mikazuki's support and cheerleader with varying degrees of seriousness. Henning, who remained outside Mika's cell/room, huffed at this, with him crossing his arms before speaking.

"Yeah, but he probably won't get too far with that. And besides, we're responsible for his well being, and as such, we're also kinda responsible for overseeing his recovery," stated Henning nonchalantly as he eyed the medic, eliciting a snort from her as she got ready to fire back at him, only for the Elite to beat her to the punch. "And before you say it, all of us were busy with damage control over Stohess, filing reports over the incident and keeping an eye on Barbatos these past few days. We couldn't keep an eye on the kid, and trust me, Lynne was always worried for him."

"... I see. So he's like your kid, then?" mused the medic, with her grinning as she saw Henning tense up. The sarcasm had been apparent in her voice when she had spoken, but still… the growing heat in the Elite's cheeks told her that she had sort of hit the nail on the head with her words, though before she could say much else, the taller man grumbled and shook his head.

"... he was a responsibility. A punk that I can't say I liked when he first got here. He's hard to reign in and a proper bitch to keep tabs on," stated Henning, with him frowning as he recalled his earlier history with the pilot. Mikazuki, more so towards him, had been rather rude in his own unique way, but even so… "Still though, the kid isn't unlikable. Probably cos I spent months with him and all that, but… I have to admit that, even beyond his usefulness as a pilot, that boy's got a good head between his shoulders and a heart larger than he needs it to be. It just took me some time to realize that."

"I… I see. That's surprisingly profound, coming from someone like you, Henning," grinned the medic, with her nudging the Elite lightly as she spoke. The aforementioned soldier's cheeks burnt with embarrassment as he turned and glared at her, not that it helped shut her up, though, as she continued. "Mikazuki must be like a little brother to you, hm?"

"Can it, lady! If anything, Lynne treats him like her own son, so why don't you go tease her over-"

"Tease me over what, Henning?"

"AH!"

In a somewhat comical fashion, Henning, after having been snuck up on by Lynne, leaped into the air and landed in the medic's arms. Said medic snickered a little as she held the decently sized man up in her arms without much issue, though as soon as he realized what had happened, the Elite got off her and put some space between himself and the doctor. His teammate, on the other hand, snickered as she leaned playfully against her pal's shoulder.

"You jealous over the fact that I like treating Mikazuki like my kid, Henning?" hummed Lynne with a grin, to which her junior pushed her off him in annoyance.

"Heck no! There're many other things to be jealous of, and you mothering that brat all day falls near the bottom of my list!" huffed Henning as he crossed his arms in annoyance. Lynne snickered at this as she got ready to tease her junior just a bit more, though before she could do so, the door to Mikazuki's room/cell swung open, and in marched Erwin, Levi, Mike and Hanji, all of whom looked to be rather dour at the moment, giving everyone else present a bad feeling about what was to come.

Still though, it didn't stop them from showing respect, as a majority of the soldiers present saluted their superior whilst Gelgar moved to have Mikazuki sit atop his bed before joining them. Mike waved a hand to signal for them to be at ease, which they did, and thereafter, the soldiers all filed in, with some sitting on the ground, others standing by the walls whilst Erwin in particular moved to stand directly in front of Mikazuki's bed.

The medic, sensing that something somewhat serious would be coming up, opted to vacate the room temporarily, much to Erwin's appreciation, and once she was out, everyone turned their attention back to the pilot who, to his credit, did not waver under the attention whatsoever.

Silence pervaded the room/cell briefly as all the soldiers remained unsure of what to really say. Hanji appeared a little uncomfortable with this as she fidgeted around a bit, as did Gelgar, Henning and Lynne, though before long, Erwin broke the silence by exhaling sharply and bowing his head, with him frowning all the while.

"Mikazuki Augus. I am glad to see that you are… doing well," greeted Erwin solemnly. Mikazuki huffed at this; that was probably as good a way to start a conversation, he supposed. It wasn't as though he could do one better, so he just went along with it as he nodded.

"As well as I can be," mused Mikazuki with a shrug. Erwin almost laughed at that, though his chuckle would've been decidedly humorless.

Another long pause followed, with Erwin seeming strangely small in the metaphorical sense as he observed Mikazuki in silence…

And then, he spoke, this time with his head bowed and his arms behind his back, sounding more apologetic than he has in the past few decades.

"Allow me to skip the pleasantries, Mikazuki Augus. I, personally, am here to apologise to you face to face. This may seem sudden, but… although your efforts during the Expedition were above and beyond what any of us had expected, poor planning on my end of things made it impossible for you to live up to the expectations of my superiors," apologised Erwin, with him speaking out with a firm tone of voice. His sudden apology did, admittedly, catch Mikazuki off guard, not that he showed it all that much. Upon finishing, the Commander raised his head and continued. "I do not expect any proper forgiveness from you, but just know that I am sorry for putting you into this position."

"... okay," hummed Mikazuki, with him showing no signs of forgiveness or bearing a grudge with his words. Just complete neutrality, with said neutrality catching the Commander off guard as he actually flinched at his words. Still, the pilot's demeanor having not changed, even after being out like a light for so long, came as a relief to him, and as such, he didn't really question it as he sighed and took a step back, nodding to show that he was done speaking, and with that, a silent block found itself broken as Hanji and Mike stepped in, with the former crouching by Mikazuki's bed whilst the latter stood by it, staring down at the pilot with a small amount of visible worry.

"Erwin's sappy little apology aside, are you feeling okay? Like, really okay? Don't lie, you got that?" inquired Hanji, with her squeezing Mikazuki's shoulder gently as she spoke. Mike hummed, silently echoing his fellow Elite's inquiry all the while, and at that, the pilot shrugged, signifying that he was fine, though Henning contradicted this with a snort before he told them about his muscle atrophy issue, something that made Zoe flinch. "Jeez, kid. We'll help out wherever we can with your recovery. Hey, Levi, you've got some weights, right? I think Mikazuki could use some of the weaker ones to build up his strength."

"Hm," grumbled Levi, which more or less translated to an okay in Hanji's ears, prompting the woman to thank him as she offered him a thumbs up, and thereafter, the whole visit devolved into a rundown on what had happened in the courtroom.

They got the big stuff out of the way first; Mikazuki's fate was literally a 50/50 split down the middle, or perhaps a 33/66 difference right now, with the 33% going more towards the possibility of him actually keeping his head whilst the remaining 66% going towards him getting swiss cheesed by a firing squad. The soldiers that weren't present for the courtroom meeting paled at this, though Mika himself was surprisingly neutral on it, with him keeping his cool in spite of his uncertain fate.

"You're taking this new info a lot better than I expected," hummed Levi, amused as he watched Mikazuki nod as Erwin finished talking about his fate. To this, the pilot simply shrugged.

"I already knew that they wanted me dead beforehand. It's not much of a surprise," mused the pilot flatly. The other soldiers were just a little taken aback by his words, with Levi and Erwin joining them in being surprised after they glanced over at Mike, who sniffed at the air twice to judge Mika's scent, only to realize that he was being completely truthful based on his smell alone.

"And what about Eren being spared? Doesn't that… infuriate you?" asked Gelgar, with him sounding as though he were actually the infuriated one as he grimaced. To this, Mikazuki shrugged.

"Not really. I'm glad he's getting a second chance. Maybe I'm a bit annoyed, but it's not the end of the world I guess," huffed the pilot, with him sounding worryingly nonchalant in regards to his fate. It bothered a few of his superiors, with just how lackadaisical he sounded in regards to his own death, but they didn't wish to push the issue, at least not right now, as he shook his head and continued. "But… what about Mina, Nac and… Annie, though?"

"What about them?" mused Mike.

"I… your teammates told me that Nac is alright. He's back in Rose, safe, which is good to hear," stated Mikazuki, with him sounding genuinely relieved at this. It warmed the hearts of his superiors to a certain extent, to see the young man loosen up a bit, not that it really lasted, though, as he eventually scowled lightly and continued. "I also heard that Mina was locked up like I am."

A quick and minor flinch from Erwin could be seen as he turned towards the members of Squad Mike, with his eyes eventually settling on Gelgar, who fidgeted the most out of all of them, and glaring at him in annoyance for letting such an important piece of info slip. Still though, it was inevitable that he'd find out, so he opted to let this slide for now.

"Mina Carolina's current… incarceration is a light one. Her living conditions are optimal and she has not been approached by anyone outside of a trusted few individuals, and even when she was, she would have at least one of us on standby. You do not have to worry for her," assured Mike calmly, only for Mikazuki to huff in annoyance.

"But why is she behind bars? That's what I want to know. She did nothing wrong," stated Mikazuki coldly. The temperature of his room/cell dropped a good few degrees as the soldiers acknowledged how, even though he wasn't at full strength at the moment, the pilot was still very much able to send a chill down the spines of even Mike and Levi.

"... it's because she's suspected of being in league with you and, by proxy, Annie. The Tribunal already suspects you for treason, and her being found in your Gundam's chest only makes them suspect her as well. Until we can prove, for complete certainty, that she is not an accomplice to Annie Leonhardt, we are forced to keep her there," explained Erwin solemnly, and when Mikazuki opened his mouth to speak… "And to clarify, I… do not believe that your word would cut it. Whilst Zachary himself may believe what you say, he still has reason to believe that you are lying. He has no real love towards you, and by all accounts, he still believes that the best cause of action is to have you killed. Because of this, he will likely take everything that comes out of your mouth with nothing more than a pinch of salt."

"He claims to be a man of fairness, but he's just as fallible as the rest of us. Letting his own personal fears get the better of him," groaned Lynne near the back, with her crossing her arms in annoyance as she spoke. Erwin heard her comment, though he didn't say anything to refute her as went silent, allowing Mikazuki to process what he said.

"... she hasn't been hurt… right?" inquired the pilot after a few moments of silence, to which Erwin shook his head.

"Not to our knowledge. Your friend has been periodically training to pass the time, and she has some of us to talk to whenever she isn't. No MPB has laid a finger on her," supplied Nanaba, with her grinning as she recalled the muscles on the girl. Again, nothing too impressive, but still noteworthy for someone that didn't even break the Top 50 in Trainees. Mikazuki nodded at this, seemingly appreciating her words, as a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"Good… good… and… what about Annie? Did I kill her?" continued Mikazuki, with him begrudgingly dropping the situation with Mina as he segwayed into the other issue on his mind. The mention of the traitor's name dampened the already dour mood of the room significantly, but even so… he got his response rather quickly, with Tomas clearing his throat before responding.

"Annie is still alive. She was unconscious when we found her, and her healing abilities allowed her to recover from whatever you did to her in between leaving your Gundam and passing out," stated Nanaba. She spoke rather solemnly as she clasped her fingers together in an awkward manner, and as she concluded, Mikazuki nodded slowly. He seemed… unwilling to ask further, as he knew that the more he learnt about Annie's fate, the angrier he'd get, and in his current state, the last thing anyone, himself included, would want is an enraged pilot.

"Good. That… that's good as well. Thank you," muttered Mikazuki with a huff, seeming both happy and reluctant to end the topic here, though he pressed on regardless, with him now staring at Mike as he continued. "Barbatos?"

"... I am to assume that my team has told you about what the MPB are doing to it?" asked Mike, and to that, Mikazuki nodded. He knew about how the Tribunal was already planning on dismantling it for spare parts; it was practically an open secret by now, though he just wanted confirmation on that. Upon seeing his nod, Mike mirrored it with one of his own. "Then you know everything that's planned for it."

"Destroying Barbatos would make me just a normal soldier. If they want to keep me alive," stated Mikazuki as he acknowledged the wider ramifications that came with the destruction of his Gundam. The other soldiers went silent at this as well, with them grimacing as they, once again, acknowledged how valuable the unit was to them. The thing was worth at least an entire brigade's worth of A-Ranked soldiers… and now, it was going to be taken from them, one way or another.

But even so…

"Barbatos is no doubt your key selling point, but we can't exactly look past your skills either. You're ranked second amongst the graduated 104th Trainees for a reason, after all. Even if the soldiers decide to axe your Gundam, you'll always have a place with the Survey Corps, so don't go doubting your place in the world, you got that?" cheered Lynne, with her marching up to give Mikazuki a light squeeze on the shoulder as she spoke. The young pilot appreciated her words… but still…

"... thanks. I… nevermind. Just… thanks, I guess," muttered Mikazuki, with him looking between the various soldiers around him as he spoke. It felt… odd, really. He felt as though he could trust these people, a strange feeling to have when, for the past few years, the only ones he could truly trust were Mina, Nac, Annie and Mrs Carolina. Now… he had… well, not friends. Perhaps acquaintances was a better word, but either way… he had trustworthy people from outside his initial friend group, and something about that made him feel… whole, so to speak.

Still though, Erwin, despite his silent delight at hearing some thanks be thrown his way, brought the mood back to a reasonable level as he nodded lightly.

"You're welcome. But please, save your thanks for when… if we manage to save your life," said Erwin, to which Mikazuki snorted in amusement.

"33% aren't the worst odds I had to work with, Commander," stated Mikazuki as he sensed that the conversation was reaching its end. As he said that, Erwin hummed thoughtfully, with him asking a question of his own.

"Is that so?"

"Mmhm."

"Then humor me, what was the lowest percentage odds you had to work with in the past?"

"..."

HEAT BUILDUP EXCEEDING CRITICAL LEVELS

ARMOUR STRESS LEVELS AT MAXIMUM

FUEL TANKS IGNITION IMMINENT

JOINT STRAIN SURPASSING 80%

COCKPIT OVERHEAT IMMINENT

CHANCES OF SURVIVAL - 0.002%

"..."

ACTION REQUIRED

SEARCHING FOR APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION

…

"..."

…

"..."

…

"... Earth's gravity is amazing…"

"... I guess 0.002%."

And as he said that, the other soldiers present, Erwin included, stared at him as though he were making a joke, but then they remembered something, with Levi pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief whilst Hanji sighed in bemusement.

"Right… you don't actually do jokes…"

And to that, the pilot simply shrugged.

Not much else had transpired thereafter, with the conversation lolling to a close after Mikazuki had told him of his lowest percentage survival, and thereafter, the soldiers slowly filed out of the room, leaving Mika to recuperate for the rest of the day all the while. They didn't leave without some parting words, however, as Nanaba and Henning promised the pilot that they'd inform Mina of his awakening, something that he appreciated, whilst Lynne, Tomas, Gelgar and Hanji all stated, in their own ways, that they were incredibly happy that he was still alive, with Lynne showing it more so than the others as she pulled the boy in for a hug.

Mikazuki returned it without resistance, something that surprised even himself, though he didn't dwell on it as they departed.

Levi and Mike exited next, with them exchanging nods with the pilot before leaving, and finally, Erwin remained. With his subordinates out of the picture, the Commander found himself growing a little fidgety as he eyed the pilot with an uncertain expression.

"... I meant it when I said I was sorry, Mikazuki. A verbal apology more than likely rings hollow in your ears, so… just know that I'm working my hardest to make sure that you get your 33% chance," reiterated Erwin once more. Upon hearing this, Mikazuki, frowning lightly, leaned forwards to better look his Commander in the eye.

And unlike previously, the pilot didn't look all that neutral. If anything, he just looked… annoyed, and something about that look felt worse than if Mikazuki had just appeared angry.

"I don't forgive you. But I will accept your apology, since it's what Mina and Nac would want. That's all I have to say to you," was all the pilot said, and Erwin, to his credit, didn't seem too surprised, though his words did sting a tiny bit. Either way, though…

"I understand. Rest well, Mikazuki Augus."

"Yeah. you too, Erwin Smith. You look like shit."

And in spite of himself, Erwin couldn't help but snicker as he acknowledged the truth behind those words, and moments later, he left, leaving Mikazuki to rest on his own.

Though of course… the pilot did no such thing. He had rested for over a week at this point, after all, and the prospect of laying down and sleeping was incredibly unenticing to him at the moment. He craved some movement, and after a few moments of laying in his bed, he grumbled to himself and forced himself upright, with him scowling lightly to himself all the while.

Turning on the oil lamp on his bedside table, Mikazuki quirked a brow when he saw that there were a variety of flowers lying by the lamp. He hadn't noticed them prior, not whilst he was recovering his mobility, and with a curious frown, he grabbed one and brought it towards himself, sniffing it lightly. It smelled a little dead… but he appreciated the fact that his superiors had got him some in the first place, with him almost smiling as he set the plant back onto the bedside table.

That aside, Mikazuki, with some effort, swung his legs over the edge of his bed and began to set his weight upon them. He scowled when he felt them shudder beneath him; without Nanaba assisting him or the encouragement of his superiors… it felt just a bit more difficult to move about freely, but Augus wasn't one to give up easily, and with some conviction, he began moving around his cell/room atop his shaky knees. On his own, he managed to walk about the area thrice before he collapsed onto the ground in a heap of exhaustion, though it wasn't all bad.

At least he could feel some strength coming back to him, even as he crawled back onto his bed to take five. With great effort, the pilot hauled himself back up onto his bed and breathed in and out deeply. His muscles all pulsated with exertion as he laid there, his eyes shut tightly, but still, there was a surge of accomplishment surging through him as well. He could feel his strength coming back. Slowly, yes… but most definitely, it was returning.

It felt… odd, to say the least, to have his strength sapped from him to such a degree. The pilot was used to being a brick shithouse, someone that could take a few hits and return them with a vengeance. Now, however, he felt as though he'd crumble under the very first blow, and it was a horrendous feeling to have. But then again, if one of the strongest young adults were to have all their strengths stripped from them within a metaphorical blink of an eye… they too would agree that the feeling would suck as well.

Gritting his teeth together as he tried to ignore the pain in his limbs, Mikazuki huffed and rolled to his side, with him mumbling nothing in particular to himself as he did so. With a scowl, the pilot shut his eyes and slowly but surely fell into a dreamless sleep, though he did have one passing thought go through his mind as he lost conscious once more.

'I hope you're all doing alright…'

'... Mina…'

Frowning lightly as she rolled to one side, Mina felt herself feeling strangely… cozy as she curled up into a little ball. It was a weird sensation to have, especially here, but still… it made her smile a tiny bit as she hugged herself and slowly fell into a dreamless slumber.

"... Nac…"

Pausing briefly as he looked up from his book, Nac frowned as he snapped it shut without bookmarking the page and silently marched towards the window. Frowning lightly, he held a hand up to his chest, wondering what that strange sensation he had felt moments prior even was… though he paused when he noticed how there was a Crescent Moon out.

For some reason, the sight of the Crescent Moon put him at ease, and for all it was worth, the sensation in his chest wasn't a bad one either, though rather abruptly, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Ms Carolina grunt and move towards him from behind, prompting him to turn and spot his parent with a small bag on her back, seeming determined to move out at a moment's notice.

To this, Nac simply nodded, with him motioning for his parent to follow him out. There was a reason he was still in his Survey Corp uniform, after all.

"... you too, Annie. I hope you're… doing okay…"

Her flesh still smoked as she recovered from the day's bout of interrogation, and Leonhardt had half a mind to not heal them. But still… something in her forced her mind to do so regardless. Her injuries patched themselves up, even though Annie's will to live had seemingly been snuffed out by now.

The light in her eyes had faded by now as she remained bound to the wall, but still, her heart forced her regeneration to take place regardless. More so out of an instinctual need to survive… but also because she felt… she felt as though just expiring here would be too easy.

She deserved everything that was happening to her. This, and then some. She deserved to suffer for everyone she's killed… and for hurting her friends the way she did.

If only she knew just how much her friends opposed this line of thought.

"The kid's doing well, so that's a relief."

Those words were the ones that ripped Hanji's eyes away from the notepad she had been reading, and as she glanced over at Levi alongside Erwin and Mike, the bespectacled woman could only not in agreement as she snapped it shut.

"Yeah. Mikazuki's awake… but still, shit's far from over," mused Hanji as she threw her notebook over her shoulder and stood up from where she sat within Erwin's Sina office, and as she spoke, Mike nodded solemnly. Just because Augus had woken up didn't mean that he was in the clear just yet, but he didn't wish to dampen the mood any further than she already did, and as such, he kept his mouth shut.

"You seem a little more relaxed now, Hanji. Were you really that worried?" mused Erwin, with him almost smiling as he spoke. In response to this, Zoe simply grinned sheepishly, with her shrugging playfully in response to this.

"Who wouldn't be? Hearing that he was gonna be executed set me on edge, and don't you guys dare claim that you weren't affected either," snarked Hanji, with her giving Mike and Levi the stink eye as she spoke. Mike glanced away awkwardly at this, with Levi huffing as he took a sip of tea.

"Hmph. Well, I personally didn't give a damn. He's a good asset, but outside of his skills, he doesn't mean much to me," huffed Levi indifferently, but even so, everyone present could hear the underlying tone of dishonesty in his voice. The midget had definitely been worried for Mikazuki in his own way, and now that he was finally confirmed to be alright, his voice sounded less tense.

"No comment," was all Mike said, though he was clearly in the same mindset as Levi at the moment, and that in itself made Hanji chuckle lightly as she stretched herself a little. Erwin too said nothing of this, but the small twitch of his lips more or less confirmed that he was glad that things panned out how they did.

Still though…

"Now that he's awake, the higher ups will no doubt want to squeeze as much info out of him as possible…" muttered Hanji sadly, with her acknowledging how violent the interrogation methods employed by the MPB could get, though in response to this, Mike scoffed.

"They won't get a chance. My team'll be by his side for the next few days; general orders from me. We're responsible for overseeing him, so naturally, interrogating him falls under our jurisdiction as well," stated Mike, sounding almost smug as he spoke. To this, Hanji blinked a little as she took a moment to process the underlying meaning behind her friend's words, though once she did, a knowing grin appeared on her face as she lightly punched the sniffer's upper arm, causing him to grin ever so slightly whilst Levi rolled his eyes at the scene before him.

"No Comment my ass, Mike, you like the kid!" accused Hanji with a grin, and to this, Mike shrugged.

"Again, no comment," defended Mike half-heartedly, and at that, Hanji chuckled lightly, though moments later, she sighed and got on to another topic at hand.

"Now that we can stop worrying over Mikazuki, though, I do wish to do… something personal, if you'll allow me," mused Hanji, to which her fellow Elites eyed her with trepidation. They didn't like her tone of voice… it told them that she was up to no good, but even so, Erwin had enough faith in her not blowing up half of Sina as he sighed and bit the bullet.

"And what would that be, Hanji?" asked Erwin, eliciting a rare scowl from the aforementioned researcher as she crossed her arms tightly and glared out the closest window as though it had personally killed Sawney and Bean.

"I'd like to have a chat with Pastor Nick."