Chapter Text
The Military Police now had a titan in their custody, and Trost District was near ruins: two things Commander Nile Dok never expected to hear while drinking his morning tea.
The news reaches him in the form of a rattled cadet sent to his office. In the far east of Sina, behind the security of The Walls of Stohess District, the Commander's reposeful morning is interrupted as the weight of unexpected crises comes knocking on his door, and the scent of his tea wafting through the air settles thicker than ever.
He's told that the Garrison of Trost District was the first on the scene. Copies of official reports in his hand claim it came with a flash of lightning, by others materializing out of thin air: The Colossal Titan . He's told it vanished as quickly as it came, setting off a devastating chain of events; Titans flooded the district, hundreds dead and injured, leaving his military with more casualties than they'd wish to bother themselves with.
In another wave of frantic reports came the word of a Titan Shifter . The Garrison describes this as what resembles a human boy, possessing the unnatural ability to transform into a fifteen-meter Titan—the very enemy of mankind, terrorizing their lives and welfare since the beginning of time. Reports of casualties, evacuation efforts, and the ongoing struggle to subdue word of mouth about this Titan Shifter follow soon after the first dozen written records.
When he finishes flicking through the reports, Nile Dok rises from his desk. "Set a meeting for the senior officers in Sina as soon as possible," he orders, his tea now long cold in the corner. "Tell Lieutenant Sterne I need her to report to my office now ."
What he's not told is that Lieutenant Sterne had already been on duty for the past six hours.
It's a mess outside Ermich District; a loud, crowded, and frightened mess. The city's eminence now reduced to nothing but a cacophony of noise and fear.
Stationed in the South of Wall Sina, miles away from the torn repose of Nile Dok's office, Lieutenant Sterne learned of the events in Trost long before her commander did, when her city awoke to shrill cries and desperate pleas cutting through the silence of the night.
" Wall Rose has fallen! " men, women, and children cried from behind the might of their gates, just as crickets chirped and owls hooted. " Let us through, please! They'll kill us! "
Lieutenant Sterne arrived as soon as her responsibilities summoned her to the scene, clad in her military uniform and her hair pulled tight in a bun. She and her men had gathered outside the district before the sun had even risen. Section Commander Roeg arrived shortly after her with much to say, yet little help to offer.
"The ferries don't sail at this hour. Why are there people here?" he had then asked—no, demanded —for an answer.
She supplied. "They're not here by boat, sir."
At this, he sneered. Her face soured, and even more so once she heard his next words: " Keep them out, " then followed by something along the lines of " It's a ruse! " and " How desperate! " And from then on, Section Commander Roeg took every opportunity to express his distrust in the words of the evacuees, believing instead that this crisis was merely a ruse, fabricated with the intention of breaching the luxury of Wall Sina. However, Lieutenant Sterne saw frightened civilians where he saw liars. His orders were absolute, yet she argued to no avail. It ended with her following through with the higher-ranking officer's orders in reluctant compliance for the rest of the morning.
It had now been nine hours since the Garrison squads stationed in the district received orders to assist in what they were told was a worse situation down south. Eight hours since this crowd of civilians, some injured and most exhausted, arrived outside Ermich, begging to be let in. Seven since the Military Police Brigade superseded as the district's first line of respondents in the absence of the Garrison, and Section Commander Roeg insisted the gates of Ermich stay closed as a response.—
"When is Squadron Nine estimated to report back?" The Lieutenant turns to an officer stationed inside the district, whose squad she remembered was assigned to quell panic from the residents of Ermich, though efforts have fallen futile.
"About four hours from now, ma'am." The soldier firmed his posture into a salute. "They headed out after Squad Six was already en route to the capital to resolve the shortage of supplies and rations."
"Have we received word from the higher-ups? Or, shit, anything from them?"
"No, ma'am."
—And six hours since she arrived on the scene without a clue what was happening.
The Military Police of Ermich District have received no instructions to expect refugees from villages in Wall Rose, nor have they received any word of a breach in The Walls. The picture is painted plainly, yet the edges of the canvas are out of the Military Police Brigade's line of sight. She reminds herself to note this in a summary report she knows she will have to file later, anticipating the necessity regardless of the outcome of today.
The soldier watches her suck in a sharp breath before he asks, "What are your orders, Lieutenant?"
"Stand by until further notice," she says with an exhale. "Inform me immediately when anything changes."
Or, simply hold down the fort. Without the directives of the higher-ups, there isn't much for her and her men to do otherwise.
Though the sun now peeks over the height of The Walls, Sterne and her men stay shrouded in the dark. Sterne patrols the area to ensure that the injured are with the paramedics and that her men and refugees alike are hydrated, rested, or, at the very least, still breathing. The rest of the time, Sterne watches mothers clutch their babies tight against their chests, fathers feed children stale bread distributed as rations, and families huddle together in fear.
It's noon when Squad Nine returns with more supplies and the message from Commander Nile Dok. She scoffs when she hears it, "Unbelievable," then entrusts her authority to the next officer in charge.
It's as if the sun is glaring at her from up in its place in the sky, but Lieutenant Sterne wastes no time and sets out to Stohess District as soon as she receives the word.
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆
After over a decade working for the Military Police Brigade, Lieutenant Luella Sterne thinks she's seen and heard everything. That is, until she realizes these circumstances aren't like any case she's worked on. Now, she's sure nothing comes remotely close.
"What the fuck is a Titan Shifter? " is the first thing the lieutenant asks when she meets Commander Nile Dok in the hallway of Military Police Headquarters. There are more questions she means to ask him, all of which she doubts the man can answer. One especially floats above her puzzled mind: Is that what those people in Ermich were so afraid of?
"I see you've been briefed on your way here," the Commander says, exasperated, as he continues walking down the hall. Although perplexed, the lieutenant doesn't stagger, following on his right as she's accustomed to. "What took you so long?"
Lieutenant Sterne reaches Stohess District by carriage before twilight. At this hour, every hall in their headquarters bustles with commotion in response to the crises that greeted their doorstep this morning. Despite having been on duty before the sun, then, and only then, did the Lieutenant learn of the true nature of their circumstances.
Her question to the Commander fades away amid a city of people likely asking the same thing. On the contrary, when Nile Dok asks, Luella Sterne is obliged to answer.
In no effort needed to give a concise report, she tells him, "The Garrison's out assisting troops in Trost, and I deployed a few squads to stand guard outside Ermich in their place. No one bothered to tell us to expect evacuees; there's a shit ton of them in Ermich, and Section Commander Roeg wouldn't let them in the gates without confirmation that Titans breached Wall Rose."
The Commander turns to her with a confused glare. She continues, "We didn't find out until noon that The Wall was sealed by... whatever this Eren Jaeger is."
"Evacuees?" He repeats, "From the south?"
"Yes, sir. They traveled by foot—no ferries, carriages, or military escorts—from Rose all the way to Sina."
He pictures it in his head: entire villages of people traveling hundreds of miles of land alone. The commander knows what it means for the Military Police: casualties. Multiple of them, as if the hundreds of losses in Trost weren't enough." This day just keeps getting better and better," he sighs. Sterne couldn't agree any less.
It makes sense to him that Lieutenant Sterne would be one of the first officers called in to take charge in such emergencies. She's proven herself efficient in many high-pressure situations before this one—of course, this was hardly the first kingdom-wide crisis they've dealt with—and her results were nothing short of exemplary. A bolo tie sits around her neck for a reason: a stark red jewel symbolizing her merit.
Knowing the reports will reach his desk before the night ends, Nile Dok saves her any further questions, giving his lieutenant a brief nod as they continue down the halls of headquarters. "Squad Rafael and James are in the Stohess Courthouse preparing for the Titan Shifter's arrival. I cannot supervise them myself, but I want reports on their operations."
"Yes, sir."
The two halt when the hallway ends, stopping at one of the many doors lining its length. The door to the headquarters meeting room, Sterne recalls. "As half of the Garrison workforce is down south, one of their Section Commanders has sent for me. I'm expected to discuss a compromise with him. Alongside our lack of men, we lack supplies to arm the troops displaced in Trost. The Provisions Squad is opting to seek assistance from the Capital. Their captain should have filed a report for me to review and sign. Have them deliver it to me as soon as possible."
Sterne takes little time to pick up on the gravity of the situation. Simply put, the Military Police Brigade has its hands full, and as usual, Nile Dok is expected to be everywhere at once. As the Commander's first lieutenant, this is where her responsibilities lie, so she assures him, "I'll take care of it."
"I expect you to.” With a hand on the knob, Nile Dok turns to her. "Meet me in my office when I'm done."
The Lieutenant salutes, one fist over her heart and one behind her back, as he pushes the door in and enters the meeting room. Luella regrets not having packed a change of clothes on her way to Stohess, realizing her day was far from over.
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆
Midnight. Military Police Headquarters, Stohess District. The conversation that the Commander and his lieutenant have in his office is one that is confidential.
Luella Sterne sits on the cushioned chair in front of the Commander's desk, straight-spined, cross-legged. In a room adorned with maps and military insignia, the Commander's gaze falls upon one inscribed with the layout of the kingdom: three perfectly round Walls nested within each other, forming concentric circles, and the four districts situated outside each one.
Nile Dok breaks his eyes away from the diagram as he sighs. In his hands, he holds an envelope. "Will you be expected back in Ermich District?"
The rhythmic tap of the Lieutenant's fingers on the arm of the chair comes to a pause. "By my men? No, I've placed my authority on the next ranking officer. I assume Section Commander Roeg will continue handling emergency response and relocation of squadrons."
"Good."
"By my family, however..."
"Withdraw from your duties in Ermich. I need you here," he orders.
Sterne does not waver in the slightest. "Okay," she replies, as if indefinitely dropping all responsibility and leaving her city was that easy for her. Then again, maybe it was. "Why?"
The Commander walks up to where she sits, handing her the envelope. Sterne runs her palm across the material. The envelope is thin. "That's all the information we have on the Titan Boy so far."
"Not a lot," she states bluntly.
He retracts his hand back to cross his arms to his chest. "I've already informed the Logistics Division that you'll cooperate with them to lead the investigation on Eren Jaeger. I need—"
"Need me to find out all there is to know about him. I got it, sir." As she finishes his sentence, she sets the envelope on his desk next to her. Then, she stands, leaning against the desk and placing her hands on her hips. "Do I need to find out what you plan to do with this boy, too? Or will you make it easier by just telling me?"
He pinches the space between his eyes when he turns to her. The Lieutenant sees through him like glass. "There's not much to say. We need him dead. He's more trouble than the Walls could ever handle."
Luella eyes him curiously. "You don't think it's too soon to tell?"
"It's never too soon, Sterne," and he leaves it at that. "Five days. We'll meet with the Premier in five days to state our case. I'll sweep up this shit show on our hands, and you get to work."
"Yes, sir."
"That is all, Lieutenant."
Luella Sterne does not stagger, nor does she falter. Most importantly, she doesn't draw conversations out longer than needed. So, Sterne leaves the room at his word, walking out the door with the military insignia embroidered on her back facing his.