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Chapter 6

  “Are they really going to rely on Eren to seal the gate?”

  Reiner Braun watched his best friend Bertholdt Hoover growing more agitated by the second. As a fellow soldier, Reiner moved across the roof and landed a hard slap on Bertholdt's back to bring him back to reality. “Hey, don’t get so nervous. There are still Titans all around the city. As insane as it is, we need to trust the Elites and the Stormtroopers can protect Eren.”

  As a Warrior, Reiner leaned in close to whisper, “The Empire made it clear they don’t want to see Eren dead. They’ll make sure he seals the gate and gets out alive. We shouldn’t expose ourselves and give them more targets. Not until we know more about the Empire.”

  Swallowing a gulp, Bertholdt nodded in agreement.

  The struggle for Trost wasn’t over yet. From what Reiner had picked up from the messages relayed between Imperials and the Wall Military via the comlinks, Eren in his second transformation had temporarily lost control and attacked one of the Empire’s Juggernauts, disabling it. Losing one of those giant carriages diverting the Titans, coupled with the animalistic roar you’d have to be deaf to not have heard uttered by Eren, had prompted several Titans inside Trost to set their attention on him. The finite munitions of the Empire’s arsenal was also apparently running low, allowing more Titans to enter through the outer gate. Cadets, soldiers, and troopers were deployed off the Wall and into the district to keep the roads in front of Eren clear for him to deliver the boulder. Their immediate surroundings devoid of Titans, Reiner and Bertholdt were watching the moving column of steam produced by Eren’s Titan body resisting the immense weight of the boulder threatening to crush him.

  It was still hard to swallow, accepting the fact that the suicidal bastard really was a Titan Shifter. Even from this far away, with Eren’s head angled to add further support for the boulder over his body, Reiner saw the same green eyes worn by the kid. White-armored Stormtroopers and the brown silhouettes of Garrison soldiers were like flies moving around Eren, taking out the Titans infringing on his path.

  “For five years we’ve searched for a lead like this,” Reiner muttered to himself. “We find it, and then the Empire waltzes in and changes everything. What kind of luck is that?”

  “A lead for what?”

  Reiner tensed immediately, as did Bertholdt.

  Turning around, they saw Marco Bodt staring at them in confusion.

  Then Marco frowned. He came to his own conclusions. “Guys, I know some of the Stormtroopers threatened you, but now’s not the time to be antagonizing them more. Commander Pyxis said he came to an agreement with Lord Vader. We have to trust there won’t be any more incidents like at Trost HQ.”

  Reiner replayed what he had said and confirmed he didn’t give away his and Bertholdt’s true purpose being on this island. He let out a sigh of relief.

  “What lead were you talking about, Reiner? For five years you’ve been looking, you said?”

  And Marco just had to dig for more information.

  Thankfully, Bertholdt stepped in, showing initiative for a change. “A lead to finally retake Wall Maria,” he said hurriedly. “The Empire, and Eren as a Titan, can help with that, a ton. Right?”

  A little sloppy, but Reiner grinned to emphasize the point. “Yeah. You know Bertholdt wants to join the Military Police. I’ve always wanted to go back to our hometown since it was taken from us after the Fall. I knew that meant the Scouts, high death rate and all. Now with the Empire here and Eren somehow transforming into a freaking Titan, I might actually live to see home again.”

  Marco likely could tell Reiner was forcing his grin. It might have worked in Reiner’s favor, Marco mistaking it for battle fatigue, or the same crazed desire to see the Empire in a good light as other cadets like Armin or Mina had shown. “I know things have gone crazier than any of us could have imagined,” Marco said, “but you need to stay focused, Reiner. You, too, Bertholdt. Think about Wall Maria later. We need to focus on surviving now.”

  “Your friend speaks the truth.”

  Reiner tensed again when Sergeant Major Sheckil and two Stormtroopers joined Marco. They levitated and landed with ease thanks to their jetpacks, so much more advanced compared to ODM gear yet outwardly much more simple in design.

  “You four were ranked among the top ten capable cadets in your unit,” Sheckil said. “I hope you will remain committed to the mission at hand over petty grudges like Ackerman.”

  Four?

  Reiner’s unspoken question was answered by the arrival of Krista Lenz, the sweetheart of the 104th, the girl of Reiner’s dreams, and his future wife.

  … A pleasant fantasy which Reiner the Warrior shouldn’t indulge in.

  He was surprised to not see Ymir with Krista. That foul-mouthed girl surely would have fought to keep herself close to Krista with the Titans and the Empire shaking things up, but Reiner supposed the officers in charge weren’t in the mood to entertain Ymir’s wishes and had tasked her elsewhere. In Ymir’s place was another Stormtrooper shadowing Krista.

  Bertholdt remaining stiff while in the presence of the foreign officer who had ordered rifles be drawn on them wasn’t unexpected. Marco was obviously in the camp of admiring the ability of the Imperials and what they may contribute to the Walls. While Reiner steeled his own nerves as best he could, he noticed Krista shying away from the trooper near her. The girl looked smaller than her already petite size when put next to the intimidating figure of the trooper. Bertholdt and Reiner were ready to fight the Imperials if the need arose, but Krista looked ready to run.

  She was afraid. The soldier in Reiner wanted to go to her, protect Krista from the troopers who’ve already proven they were willing to kill them (or at least “stun” them) as easily as aid them. The Warrior stomped down that feeling and set his eyes on Sheckil, not with hostility but with resolve.

  “Sergeant Major Sheckil,” Reiner said in the short lull between combat, “where exactly did your Empire come from? Lieutenant Sunber said you’re all foreigners to our entire world. What does that mean?”

  For a second, Reiner thought he would be ignored, but Sheckil answered the question with his own. “Do you understand the concept of a world? Specifically, of a planet within a system of other bodies orbiting a star, like the sun shining over us?”

  Marco looked up curiously. “Doesn’t the sun rotate around the world?”

  Staring at the sky, Krista said nothing. Neither did Bertholdt.

  “We get the general idea,” Reiner said.

  Astronomy in the Walls was naturally years behind what the rest of the world had learned, and the Royal Government was careful in how far scientific studies advanced in their home, but the people in the Walls had a century to stare at the sky and think about the stars scattering in the night. While not quite commonplace, the Warriors’ intelligence gathering had confirmed it wouldn’t be unheard of for imaginative fiction pieces, written down or spread by word of mouth, or for intellectual papers in the Interior to talk about the sun, the moon, and other skyward objects moving across the heavens.

  Reiner assumed the idea that the world beyond the Walls was spherical and rotating around the sun, or derivatives of that basic premise, didn’t do much to inspire people to travel into Titan territory compared to other topics. People like Sasha were more enamored by the promise of immediately workable land to develop for food, and those like Armin gravitated toward the allure of seeing completely alien landscapes that had little to do with the stars above. Astronomy was a mostly “safe” topic to be explored. It wasn’t as if the technology both a hundred years ago and in the current day existed for the skies above the clouds to be ventured far in.

  It didn’t exist on this planet, at least. And if Reiner understood the Imperials’ words right…

  “The Empire reigns beyond your planet,” Sheckil said.

  Marco caught on quick to what the Imperial was saying. “Wait. Lieutenant Sunber was being literal? You… came down from the sky?”

  “We are soldiers of the Galactic Empire,” Sheckil stressed. “Galactic denotes a galaxy, a vast collection of countless stars, bestowing sunlight to various planets. Some are as lifeless as the rock Yeager is carrying. Others, like your world, have untapped potential to serve as prosperous members of the Empire.”

  Krista spoke with a small voice. “You control whole planets?”

  “And the monstrous Titans control yours. So long as Lord Vader commands it, we will ensure ownership of your planet returns to humanity. Should the Empire favor your home, it may even occur in your lifetime.”

  Marco looked hopeful. Krista was avoiding everyone’s gazes. Reiner and Bertholdt shared yet another wary glance with each other.

  Was Sheckil intentionally maintaining the lie? That humanity wasn’t on the brink of extinction? That this world was full of prosperous nations and diverse peoples? That the residents of Paradis were in fact cursed Devils destined to be exterminated? The Imperials claimed the Titans were totally alien to them, but…

  These Imperials were human, right? They said they were, and looked like it, so… so humanity already existed on other planets?

  If the Imperials came from outer space, shouldn’t they at least be aware that the world wasn’t overrun with Titans? Have they really not encountered or seen civilization outside of the island?

  Mikasa had the right idea not to trust the Empire. If only her protective instincts over Eren hadn’t made her act so impulsively. The Warriors knew they had to tread with more caution against an unknown threat like the Imperials.

  Marco voiced an idea Reiner had been considering himself. “Can your Juggernauts also fly? Like… expand bird wings from the sides? Or are there pipes circulating around to release gas and push it…”

  His words trailed off as everyone became absorbed by the sound of rumbling.

  Not the stomping of Titans, no. Reiner would have compared it more to the crackling engine of a Marleyan airship as it soared against a windy sky. Naturally, he suspected the sound signaled the arrival of the Empire’s aerial vehicles that had brought them to this planet. If their blasters were comparable to muskets, then Reiner briefly imagined what the Empire’s airships could look like in relation to Marley’s.

  What flew over the Wall was so much worse than what he pictured.

  There were half a dozen of them, the Imperial flying machines. Larger than a typical horse-drawn carriage a noble would use. Armed with cannons spewing the same searing bolts of energy as the blasters, only more massive and destructive.

  Between their compact size and startling speed, the Titans were no match for the flying machines.

  God, Marley’s airships would be torn apart like paper.

  “Good,” Sheckil said with satisfaction. “The gunships are finally here.”

  Reiner didn’t need to look at Bertholdt to know he was thinking about how the Colossal would fare against the gunships. Reiner was still thinking about how much firepower the troopers’ blasters would be required to penetrate the Armored Titan’s hardened shell. A rapid-fire barrage from their rocket launchers had a good chance of doing it. Annie with all her hand-to-hand skills and mobility would probably be a glass cannon at best when it came to the Empire’s fiery weapons. She and Reiner could intercept individual jetpack troopers who targeted their napes, but in an open field, with no cover in the sea of grasslands on Paradis…

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  If they had flying machines, then they should be aware that the Walls weren’t the last bastion of humanity the Island Devils believed it was. Right? Unless their usage of the flying machines were… limited, somehow? Were these gunships even space-worthy? Or were there spaceships actually more massive in size elsewhere that were used to ferry the gunships to the planet?

  In any case, what Reiner was seeing right in front of him – gunships flying low enough to shoot level shots of blasterfire at Titans before returning to the air to loop back around to hunt more targets – showcased their undeniable combat ability, whether or not they’ve reached lands beyond the island.

  “I’m surprised they sent the gunships instead of the Sentinels,” said the trooper next to Krista.

  “Larties are old favorites for Torrent Company,” said another trooper. “Army has to settle with ay-fives, but the lookalikes prefer–”

  It was the most casual conversational tone Reiner has heard the usually stoic troopers speak with. He was disappointed when Sheckil shut it down before any more could be parsed from the talk. “The gunships and your Elites will continue covering Yeager’s approach,” Sheckil announced, back to business. The troopers straightened up, and the cadets pulled away from the gunships to face the Sergeant Major. He assumed his regular pose of holding his comlink to his ear and mouth. The form of an officer assuming command was strangely comforting. It was a far more familiar sight than the flying machines, especially for the ignorant Eldian Devils. “The crew of the Speardrift is still alive. Titans are trying to get to them. We will assist rescue efforts there.” When Sheckil and his men shot upward with their jetpacks, the officer looked expectantly at the cadets. “You answer to Gamma Squad now. Support us, and we support you.”

  Working further with the Imperials was an opportunity no Warrior should waste. Reiner threw in token resistance to hide his eagerness at learning more. “Can we get confirmation from one of our actual superiors that we answer to you now?” Reiner called out to the levitating Imperials. “Or do we have to go on faith you won’t shoot us in the back when we aren’t looking?”

  He could feel Marco’s uneasy stare on him, but what really made Reiner falter was Krista pulling at his wrist. “Please,” she said in that sweet, gentle voice of hers.

  The Stormtrooper who had identified himself earlier as Sergeant Narthax – yet Reiner couldn’t distinguish clearly where on the armor denoted his rank – spoke up. “Every second we argue is another second the Titans spend trying to gorge on our people and yours already at the Juggernaut trying to save Captain Bex’s crew.”

  With that, the Imperials flew away, Reiner and his peers jumping off and keeping up.

  Too many among the cadets had been overzealous in sharing information with the Imperials. The troopers knew who the top ten in the 104th were. With three troopers and Sheckil attached to the four cadets, Reiner assumed the Imperials wanted to keep a close eye on them like how that Fox trooper had been shadowing Armin, discreetly threatening Armin when Mikasa had come near. Jean, Sasha, Connie, and Annie likely have their own tails.

  On the surface, the generous interpretation was that the troopers were helping protect the lives of the next generation of Wall soldiers in the ongoing battle. The more cynical angle was placing men to turn those future elites into hostages in a moment’s notice. While not the most valuable leverage the Empire could take to hold against the Walls, it was a consideration Reiner couldn’t dismiss.

  Reiner watched one of Sheckil’s troopers lag slightly behind to fly closer to the cadets. It was the same man who had been following Krista. Did the Imperials recognize her natural beauty, too?

  Another dreadful thought hit Reiner: the Imperials kidnapping them. Maybe they wanted to experiment on them, confirm if there were more Titan shifters like Eren, or study the natives of this world in general. The Warriors were set in their ways, but the others could also be persuaded, whether through benevolent or malicious means, to serve the Empire. As informants to the culture and military protocols of the Walls to make an occupation run smoother. As recruits with the promise of living a better life with the Empire’s more advanced technology, which presumably extended beyond to the blasters and comlinks if they ruled an entire galaxy. As young, healthy, fit slaves…

  Their group arrived at the plaza with the fallen Juggernaut shortly. Soldiers were already nipping at the Titans crawling all over the area. With the Stormtroopers in play, it was a natural system of soldiers and cadets distracting the Titans for Gamma Squad to round behind distracted giants and blast vulnerable napes from safe, elevated positions. Sometimes troopers shot at a Titan elsewhere on their body to keep them from catching a soldier who wouldn’t otherwise have avoided a Titan’s reach fast enough.

  Normally, Reiner would be watching Bertholdt’s back, and vice versa, but they both knew their current priorities took precedence. They had already clarified with Annie for her, during the chaos of the battle, to try getting closer to Eren in his Titan form and gauging if he was the Coordinate or the missing Attack Titan, and observe more of the Imperials’ reactions to Eren. Getting assigned to the Juggernaut was a welcome boon, as Bertholdt swooped in when there were openings in the Titan siege to help pull out the vehicle’s crew members. Although he couldn’t parse much from the vehicle itself, Bertholdt got a personal look at the armor of the crewers, which appeared to be a mix of colored Stormtrooper armor and the fabrics of the Imperial officer uniforms.

  Meanwhile, Reiner kept his eye on the Stormtroopers of Gamma Squad. This wasn’t the frantic retreat to Trost HQ. He could afford to let Krista, Marco, and the soldiers around him cover his blind spots, allowing Reiner to examine the troopers’ weapons and armor more critically. The way they could fire their blasters from their hips in mid-air and still hit their intended targets. No apparent need to reload their blasters that Reiner has seen yet, though there were also cartridges on their belts that resembled extra packs of ammo. Reiner identified some sort of smooth black bodysuit worn underneath the dirtied white armor plates. A careless punch from a Titan went through the side of a building, sending broken bricks flying. One soared high enough to hit a trooper on the back of the head, but his helmet must be sturdy enough for the hit to not impede him as he only paused once before returning to the fight.

  Damn, the jetpacks easily outclassed ODM gear. They could even give short controlled bursts of speed like the gear while still allowing true perpetual flight. What kind of fuel did they use?

  Could Paradis’ swords penetrate Stormtrooper armor? How well would the armor stack up against the blasters?

  How well would modern firearms fare?

  How much of this goodwill the Empire was presenting to the Island Devils was truly genuine? And how much could be turned instead, if at all possible, to Marley?

  The Warriors were dealing with too many unknowns. The last resort remained the same: cause a distraction in Trost and run like hell back to the harbor at the south point of the island, hoping to God they can avoid capture or being killed by the Imperials. They’d have to knock Eren out and kidnap him, too. God knows what lengths Mikasa will go to get him back.

  Before they got to that desperate point, the Warriors under Reiner needed to stay with the Island Devils and integrate themselves with the Empire’s inevitable occupation of Paradis. Learn everything they can, and determine if and how this Empire – not simply from beyond the Walls, but from beyond the stars – can become the edge Marley needed against the other nations of the world.

  After the fall of the Eldian Empire, the world had several decades to develop viable anti-Titan weaponry. Marley thought the Coordinate was their last hope for everything it promised, but the Galactic Empire had the potential to promise so much more.

  If things finally went right, then Reiner can redeem himself for everything that’s happened on this godforsaken hellhole…

  Reiner’s heart stopped when he saw the unspeakable happen. The back of an Abnormal’s hand caught the hook of an ODM wire. Before anyone could properly react, the Titan swung its arm. The hook dislodged only after the Titan’s attacker crashed through a window and disappeared inside a building.

  It was Krista.

  Ignoring Marco’s shouts, Reiner charged forward. He cut through the fingers of the Titan trying to slap him. A burst of gas let him swerve away from the Titan’s snapping jaw, Reiner slicing the nape before he tumbled through the destroyed window. The steam that followed blocked some of the sunlight coming into the room, but Reiner could see enough of a cheap table broken in half and upturned chairs surrounding Krista’s fallen body.

  Reiner dropped his blades and kneeled over her. She was only dazed, eyes shut as she mumbled incoherent noise. It was like a lovely lullaby marred only by the cuts and bruises from her crash. At least there was hardly any blood. Hopefully she didn’t have a concussion.

  It was pure reflex for Reiner to pick up one of his swords and shield Krista when he heard the humming of a jetpack putter out behind him.

  “I’m a medic,” said the Stormtrooper, clipping his blaster to his belt. “Step aside, and stand guard.”

  In an instant, sudden inspiration struck Reiner.

  Indecision had cost Reiner before. He couldn’t afford any hesitation now.

  His larger body already hiding Krista’s collapsed form, Reiner picked up his other blade. Out of the trooper’s view, he made a jagged cut on Krista’s shoulder. She winced and groaned, but she didn’t open her eyes, curling into herself. “I’ll take care of her,” Reiner heard his voice say. “You stand guard.”

  The trooper shouldered Reiner aside and took his place kneeling over Krista. “Your friend will be fine,” he said, pulling out a small pack from his belt that must be a medical kit. “Let me work, and you’ll learn something.”

  Too focused on Krista’s obvious wound, the Stormtrooper didn’t realize there was another Titan looking into the window on the other side of the room, opposite the smashed entryway still clouded by steam.

  If Mikasa really wanted to protect Eren with any sort of effectiveness, she really should have bided her time and waited for an opportunity like this.

  Reiner stood up, blades in hand. In the gap between the helmet and the torso armor, Reiner’s first sword went straight through the trooper’s black bodysuit. Taken by surprise, the trooper gasped, whatever tools he had pulled out slipping right out of his hands. His arms twitched but remained suspended over Krista’s cringing body. Drops of red fell from Reiner’s blade going through the top of the Imperial’s sternum.

  A clean cut from Reiner’s second sword broke whatever latch was keeping the blaster on the trooper’s belt, the weapon harmlessly hitting the floor. Reiner pushed him forward. Giving it a chance, Reiner tried thrusting his second sword directly at the center of the torso armor. He made a mark but didn’t penetrate the bodysuit or draw blood. He either needed more momentum or had to hit it from a better angle.

  There was no time to experiment as the Titan headbutted his way into the room. In the whirlwind of glass shards and chipped wood flying everywhere, Reiner sent a strong kick at the trooper’s back. The Imperial flew out of Reiner’s first sword and fell right into the hungry mouth of the Titan.

  Red blood from both Krista and the trooper remained on the blade instead of evaporating, proof that a human was attacked. Reiner detached the blade from its hilt and tossed the stained metal at the Titan’s face. He hit an eye, making the chewing Titan howl in pain as the ensuing smoke from the injury hid the other pieces of meat in front of it. Reiner moved quickly, stashing the blaster in a closet lying on its side before lifting Krista onto his arms. With his hands still on his ODM gas triggers, he fled through the first opening behind them, escaping from the Titan shoving its arm into the building.

  Reiner knew what kind of story to tell if asked. The nameless Stormtrooper was a hero who saved him and Krista. The blade that had killed him will be lost in the mass of blood already spread by the trooper’s corpse and any other victims the Titan’s already eaten. There would be no evidence of murder to be found. Reiner can freely arrange for himself or one of the Warriors to return to the scene of the crime and smuggle the blaster to somewhere safe for them to study in private. With a number of Stormtroopers already killed by the Titans today, it will only be one more missing blaster among dozens.

  Stepping on a roof, Reiner waved at Marco zipping past him and Krista. Seeing Krista injured but otherwise safe, Marco shared a mutual nod with Reiner before moving over to take out the Titan trying to climb up the building. Other Titans were preoccupied with the soldiers and troopers. Reiner and his girl were safe for the moment.

  He was going to bring her to the Juggernaut crew and their escort situated on the other side of the plaza when Reiner felt a soft hold on his wrist again. He looked down at two beautiful blue eyes staring up at him.

  The soldier grimaced at seeing the perfect woman wearing such a grotesque blemish of red spreading over her jacket. She didn’t deserve–

  The Warrior froze when Krista spoke.

  “You killed him. You killed that man.”

  But… But her eyes had been shut. She had been in pain, incoherent. The dust and debris from the Titan’s attack should have blinded her more, given Reiner the cover he needed for his impromptu plan. Reiner had been careful. He had nearly screwed up with Marco, almost letting him overhear something he shouldn’t, but Krista…

  The excuses and explanations to save face were on the tip of his tongue, until her next words painted a different picture for him.

  “You’re afraid. You don’t trust the Empire.”

  There was no judgment in Krista’s tone. She shared Reiner’s fears. She had stopped him from antagonizing Sheckil and Gamma Squad earlier because she hadn’t wanted to see them hurt Reiner. “Yes,” Reiner said, nodding desperately at the girl still in his arms. He had dreamt of something like this for countless nights during his military training, being so close to Krista and her finding comfort in his presence. “I heard Mikasa attacked other Stormtroopers, too. Sure, they didn’t kill her. They didn’t kill us back at the Trost base either, but no matter what they say, they have the power to take whatever they want from us. They’re not us. The only thing stopping them is probably convenience, not benevolence.”

  “We can’t trust Darth Vader. He’s a monster, I know it.”

  Reiner’s only seen the reported Lord of the Galactic Empire from a distance, and not for very long. Still, hearing someone call him a monster didn’t at all feel unwarranted. There was a chill Reiner had felt even from just knowing he was nearby.

  Krista gripped Reiner’s sleeves. There was no distrust or suspicion in her gaze. She must have opened her eyes in the darkened room only after Reiner had cut her, so she had only seen him take out the trooper and didn’t realize Reiner had harmed her. “We can’t let the Empire take over,” she said. “We can’t let them rule us.”

  She sure as hell didn’t get her spot in the top ten for being a ditzy blond, but Reiner hadn’t known Krista’s innate kindness was saddled with such good instincts to realize the threat posed by the Empire against her small, doomed world. His perfect girl just became so much sweeter. “I’ll make sure they don’t,” Reiner the soldier pledged. “I promise you.”

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