"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow"
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Sadies leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh as he looked out the window to the training grounds which for once were quiet, the Scouts had departed some time ago now, they had stayed far longer than originally expected due to a resourcing problem with the expeditions meaning both Lynne and Henning had nothing to do other than continue the cadets training or do their own training.
"So, Sadies these are your graduates?" the voice of an officer behind him made him turn in his chair to glance at him at the corner of his eye, he was a thin man with sunken cheeks and small glasses balanced upon his nose, he was older that Keith Sadies, which was saying something, he was not that young himself.
Keith knew he must have done this a while, from his glance he could tell how unimpressed he was with his cadets reports, seemingly none stood out to him, but he figured that if he'd been doing this as long as he had then he'd seen all sorts of cadets from all four regions, all of the words must mean nothing to him at this point, he simply looks at the grades.
Keith couldn't blame him in doing that, he knew he himself would've gone mad going between each detachment and searching through piles of papers reading whatever scribbling the Commandants had made; he briefly ponded that if he knew the other Commandants didn't bother, why did he put so much effort into his reports.
"51 Graduates then?" he asked setting the papers down and pulling out a small book where he began making some small notes, "That's the smallest group to pass this year, The North had 78, East 60 and West 96" he commented scribbling away, "285 overall".
Keith cocked a eyebrow, this only confirmed his suspicion that he was the only one who took this seriously, the others simply slacked off on the job to the extreme, it didn't take a genius to know that kids coming into military training were never all cut out for this, in reality you should only ever get a 25% pass rate if you train properly, this didn't seem to be a care for the other Commandants.
"I heard you gave your cadets special training this year?" the older man asked.
"Indeed, I requested two Scouts to come visit and train the cadets, Scout Lynne and Scout Henning of Squad Miche" he said confidently, he didn't flinch under the mans gaze, he knew he too wanted to get out of here, maybe go see his wife at home or something else along those lines, so they both may as well cut to the chase, "They were incredibly helpful, due to their assistance I believe we have one of the best graduating classes this year" he leaned back in his chair interlocking his fingers.
The man nodded scribbling again briefly looking to his book, "There were multiple cadets you made a special note for, those you are considering for the top ten, can you provide me with a more detailed reason please" he asked though not really sounding like it was a question, more a demand.
Keith nodded, he didn't have a clue of the mans exact reasoning for wanting this much, all he was meant to do is file the reports and leave, but maybe this was simply sating an old mans curiosity, one or two of the reports may have actually caught his eye, "One of my most promising cadets is Annie Leonhart, the girl has a fire and a natural instinct for combat, she'd likely be able to take on most people and never be at a disadvantage".
"There is also Mikasa Akerman, that girl is very capable, but her emotions get the better of her in all circumstances, she has a strong rivalry with Leonhart which I hoped would bring the best out of them both but there's been little sign of major change".
"Reiner Braun is another cadet of interest, the surname is right, but he does still have brains despite his appearance, he's no genius but he does well in command and has earned the respect of all his peers, now his partner that Bertholdt Hoover is a strange one, very quiet but he is skilled with combat but definitely follows Braun's lead on most things, he never wants to take the initiative".
"Now there's Eren Yeager, he's a kid with a fire inside him, he's willing to do anything as long as its training to kill Titans in some way or another, of all the Cadets' this year he intrigues me the most with his never say die attitude but that will only get you so far, there's still a few lessons in life he needs to learn".
"Marco Bodt, is a very commendable Cadet, he does well in most roles, but he excels at team leadership, there's not a Cadet who wouldn't follow him as a leader, he's a leader who knows his team well, he understands his comrades but doesn't let them walk over him or each other, quite commendable in fact though it's a shame he wants to become a MP".
"His close friend however is Jean Kirschtein, a mouthy little shit from the inner walls, thinks he's owed the world and is one of the most vocal about joining the Military Police; but he's not all faults, his ODM skills are some of the best in the class, he has a natural aptitude for it and he does too occasionally have a head on his shoulders, he's almost a perfect solider he just needs to shut his mouth".
"Next there is Sasha Braus, she must come from one of those hunting villages judging by her manners but aside from that she is more promising than others, her reflexes are quick and pair that up with the ODM gear then it puts her above most of the others, it's one of the reasons I suspected she was a hunter".
"Then you have Conny Springer, the kids an utter block head but insists on calling himself a genius" he scoffed, "The one thing I can't fault him on is his ODM skills, the dumbass can make quickest turns and is probably the most agile in the unit being so small, if only he could put a brain in his head".
"And finally, we have the most unique cadet, Christa Lenz, she's interesting to say the least, some of the cadets have even taken to calling her a goddess, she had this effect on them that makes them trust her; when she started, she didn't know her arse from her elbow but of all I believe she's improved the most, more than enough to maybe qualify for the top tens, though that could easily change".
The man nodded not stopping his scribbling, "Can you tell me anything about other notable cadets" he enquired.
Keith had put two and two together now, this all must be for some statistics, a report can only tell you so much with how little you can fit on those sheets, they wanted the very words of the commandant to see what cadets are the most promising and who had the best crop this year not just what was written down, their personal opinions.
"There are a few, Armin Artelt for example, his skills are pathetic, but his brain is extraordinary, in fact I would put him up against most of the higher command for strategic planning".
"A girl called Ymir is notable, she has no major aspects, her combat skills are average along with everything else, but she does have a passion for picking on the weaker slightly quieter cadets who don't want to push themselves, bizarrely some of them even come out better after".
"There is also Thomas Wagner, a strong cadet, not yet top ten's but close, he had excellent ODM skills, but his teamwork and coordination needs to be polished on, he has potential most definitely"
"Along with him is his almost copy, Nack Tierce, very similar to Thomas in his ODM skills are very good but everything else needs a lot polished, both have a terrible habit of abandoning a mission to save a comrade even when they are going for the killing blow".
"Floch Forster is notable too, he seems to bring out a confidence in the other cadets and doesn't back down from challenges, problem is he can never really step up to a challenge either; he has this close friend Daz who he keeps close to him, in fact I believe Floch has helped Daz become better not perfect, only minor improvements really".
"There are a few others too, Cadets Hanna Diament, Franz Kefka, Samuel Linke-Jackson and Ruth D Kline but they can all be grouped into the same category of having one notable skill but everything else is terrible but on the battlefield, they may last longer than most, if they're lucky".
"Milieus Zeremski had potential at the beginning but has had severe drawbacks as his training continued, his ODM was promising but in the end he only barley passed much like the rest of his tests, a promising cadet who simply let his heart get the better of him".
Sadies shook his head with no others coming to mind, "I believe there was one last minute addition to the passing group, a Cadet Carolina?" the man asked looking up and closing his book, seemingly knowing this one wouldn't be worth a note.
Sadies sighed and rubbed his brow, "Mina Carolina, of course" he sighed, "She'll definitely be at the bottom of the passing grade, the 51st; in honest I think it was luck that got that girl through, she had no real skill for being a soldier, but she does have something" he muttered the last part so the man couldn't hear him.
"She was always more interested in making friends with everyone rather than her training and to her credit she did, she even got through to the most isolated of the cadets but yet, this doesn't help her skills" he leaned back turning his chair to look back out the window.
The man simply cleared his throat and gathered the papers, "That's all I need, what have you done with the cadets now then?" he asked as he slowly put his jacket over his shoulders and the papers under his arm.
Sadies didn't turn to face him, "They've been sent to Trost for a few weeks for some observation work on the Garrison units, they'll come back here at the end of the month for their final grades then be sent back to Trost to do the usual Garrison shift until selection night" he answered as the man opened the door and left without another word.
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Miles away in the southern most district of Trost, a small group of cadets were walking the busy street, "How can it be this busy!" Mina exclaimed throwing her hands behind her head while pouting, "I don't even see how we're going to find out Garrison Officer in this mess!".
"You shouldn't be so hasty Mina" Reiner laughed from behind, "This walk is the first break from training we've gotten in months, would you rather this or carrying those weighted bags again" he commented.
"Ah, fair point" Mina agreed puffing out her chest and her pout leaving.
"Honestly this is an exciting time all by itself, haven't been in town for three years" Eren said looking back to the others, "Just seeing other people again is…" he trailed off, his eyes trained on something ahead of them.
Mikasa and Armin noticed and followed his gaze seeing what had stopped him themselves, "Mr Hannes!" Armin called out getting the attention of a tall Garrison Soldier with blonde hair who snapped around at his voice, his golden hazel eyes locking onto the three of them.
"Eren, Mikasa and Armin!" he called handing his clipboard to a nearby soldier and running up to the three of them with a large smile on his face, "I haven't seen you three in years, are you okay?" he crouched down to their level to look them directly in their eyes and seeing their affirming nods.
He gently reached forward and grabbed Eren's jacket, "Look at the three of you, full fletched cadets, you've come far from…" he trailed off as a saddened expression crossed his face, "Eren, Mikasa… I'm sorry about Carla, I should have…"
Eren stepped forward and cut him off, "No don't… I always thought we could save my mother but…" he trailed not sure of the right words to use, "I now know there was nothing that could be done, but you saving us, gives me and Mikasa the chance to avenge her" he nodded his head.
Hannes took a moment before a small smile crossed his lips and he placed his hand on the now 16 year old boys head, "Yeah, I know you will kiddo" he grinned before looking to Mikasa, "I never got to apologize to you Mikasa, that day when I grabbed you, but you know I had…"
"…No choice" Mikasa nodded in understanding, "You saved me that day just like Eren said, thank you Mr. Hannes for everything" a tiny smile graced her lips, she was thankful to this man in many ways, no matter what happened, neither her or Eren could hold anything against him.
Back in Shiganshina they always treated him like an uncle, he was there whenever they needed him, saving them from fights, helping with housework, and on more than one occasion helping make then sharing dinner with their family.
In reality, they could look at him as the only family they had left in some sense, only difference now was that they were all soldiers.
Armin looked back to the rest of their group who seemed to be distracted by other things aside from Mina, who was muttering 'Mr' and 'Sargent' to herself, "We call him Mr. Hannes Mina" he smiled getting her attention, "It's just what we called him growing up" he smiled beckoning her over.
She approached and donned her favourite bright smile, "Mina Carolina" she saluted making the others laugh.
"Mina there's really no need…" Eren trailed looking back to Hannes and seeing the rose on his chest decorated with gold thorns and leaves, "You're a Sargent now" he muttered ashamed he hadn't noticed sooner.
Hannes looked to his badge and back up with a small smile and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah I suppose I am, after everything I decided to finally do something and focused on climbing higher, here we are, even have my own squad now" he laughed before looking back at them, "But you can still call me Mr. Hannes, except in front of other officer, they get extremely angry with that" he whispered the last part making small smiles cross their faces.
"So, who are the rest of your group?" he asked putting his hands to his hips and stretching to his full height as the other cadets focused back to them.
Eren turned around, "This is Reiner Braun and Sasha Braus" he turned to indicate to his other comrades behind him who gave their own nods of greetings.
Hannes noticed this and offered a small smile in return, "Any of you thinking of joining the Garrison regiment then?" he asked and a hand form Mina immediately shot up but the rest stayed down leaving Mina looking awkward, "What about the MP's" Reiner's came up.
His eyes focused on Eren who had that determined look, was it so selfish of him to want the three of them to join the Garrison or the MP's where he could either keep them safe or they'd be far from harm.
He'd served the Garrison a long time, and seen countless Scout party's leave and few return, and sometimes those that did weren't always in one piece, the image of any of these three, Eren, Mikasa or Amin ending up like that sent a shiver up his spine.
Part of him wanted to make them join one of the other regiments, to be safe, he could bare the guilt of having Carla die and then her child and adoptive daughter meeting the same fate, he simply wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"Eren, please don't tell me you're still…"
"SURVEY CORPS ARE RETURNING, STAND ASIDE, SURVEY COPRS RETURNING!" A loud voice called out as several Garrison troops cleared the way making a path in the road and sure enough walking through were the Survey Corps.
As Eren stepped back and stood beside Mina he noticed the Commander had a serious expression as he consulted a taller man with blonde hair that parted down the middle with the mark of a Section Commander.
As the convoy passed, a notable amount of female cheers sounded as Captain Levi rode, his ear seemingly being talked off by another Section Commander with a ponytail who seemed to be almost teasing him about his 'fans'".
Finally, a cart came by as murmurs of worry echoed about, looking closely you could see why, sitting in the back of the cart was Captain Sky, the hair covering the left side of his face with the rest of it being tied back gave him away even from the side angle they were on.
"Is the Captain okay?"
"What happened to him?"
"Is it serious damage?"
The cadets wondered this too, luckily for them, an all too familiar Scout happened to ride past, "Hey Instructor Henning!" Reiner called out getting he mans attention as he rode by them at the rear currently.
He looked down from his horse to see them and cocked an eyebrow, "This is a surprise" he said stopping his horse in front of them, "What are you six doing here?" he asked his eyebrow not moving.
"Part of our final duties as Cadet's, we have too observe Garrison duties" Reiner answered getting a nod in response from Henning seemingly understanding, "What happened to the Captain?" he then asked the question on everyone's mind.
Henning looked ahead to see the cart moving on, "Don't worry it's nothing major, the short story is he took a bad fall and badly injured his leg he'll be out a month or two depending, and be confined to a hospital bed, can't tell you where" he answered not wanting to bore them with the details of what exactly happened.
"Oi Henning come on!" the familiar voice of Lynne echoed out.
He nodded and bid his farewells to the cadets before following the rest of his unit.
"Whatcha think happened?" Sasha questioned with a head tilt.
"It's nothing to concern yourself with Cadet's" Hannes said clapping his hands, "I must assume you lot are my observation unit then as none others are here, follow me and I'll take you through the basics".
They nodded and followed suit with Eren lagging behind watching the Scouts leave with his mind wondering, "Eren!" Mikasa shook him before he turned and followed the others, his mind continuing to think about what might of happened.
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Chapter done, we're nearing the end of their time as cadets.
Can you guess what is going to happen yet?
Let me know what you think.
Also let me know if you would want chapter titles or like them left as they are.