The days leading up to Eren’s and Mikasa’s trial were fairly uneventful. Mikasa never stopped giving Triton Squad and Miche the stink eye. Eren answered what questions he could about himself and his Titan power, even if most of his input was unhelpful. He assumed their commanding officers were too busy with the Empire’s integration with the Walls to host a personal interrogation session. Even as prisoners, Eren and Mikasa were graciously updated on basic stuff going on outside their cell: the relief effort supplied by Imperial rations and technology, cadets being placed in a combined task force as honorary Imperial soldiers…

  The most interesting news was hearing about an actual safe zone established on the outside of the Trost’s rebuilt gate; something the Garrison has never been able to do. The Empire’s cannons and improvised fortifications were enough to take out Titans long before they got close to the safe zone. The first chance Eren got, he had to see it.

  And he was going to be free and able to see it soon enough. The same went for Mikasa. For this trial awaiting them, they were going to get out of it alive, no matter what.

  Eren can turn into a Titan. For as many people who will see him as a freak, there had to be more people like Commander Pyxis and Darth Vader who were smart enough to know Eren’s power was a tool for taking back the land stolen from humanity. To take back Kyojin, as the Empire had named their planet.

  Vader definitely knew more about Eren’s situation. A talk with him was also on Eren’s list of priorities.

  On the top of Eren’s list at the current moment was reeling back from the woman doing her best to poke her head through the bars of his dungeon cell. The light from the torches hanging in the hall made the glint in her eye glasses look more menacing than she probably intended. The yearning smile that slowly spread across the woman’s face didn’t help. Her arrival had been startling on its own, grabbing the metal bars with such force that the entire thing shook and echoed a clanging sound throughout Eren’s and Mikasa’s small cell.

  Eren only half-heartedly resisted Mikasa’s obligatory hug meant to shield him. It wasn’t danger Eren felt from the stranger’s focused stare. It was… interest. Enthusiasm. Someone not afraid of the “Renegade Titan.” Even the soldiers in Miche’s squad were still uneasy around Eren, yet this obvious Scout eccentric wanted to see him.

  “Eager today, are we,” said Ghoul, who was at her usual spot at the Imperial half-circle playing some alien card game in the hall, “Captain Zoe?”

  The white-armored Stormtrooper, Switch, hummed. “Isn’t her rank Section Commander?”

  “It’s all part of the streamlining for the task force. Zoe, you know you’ll get your chance to pick at Yeager after the trial.”

  This Captain Zoe turned her grinning face to the Imperials. “What can I say? You Imps and Stormies have been spoiling me rotten with your thermal detonators and repulsorlifts for too long. I couldn’t help myself from taking the opportunity to sneak a peek at our very own Titan!”

  Miche, leaning casually against the bars, chuckled. “Got tired of the metal Titans already?”

  “That’s just it, Miche! They aren’t Titans.” Zoe faced Eren again. “Our boy here truly, undeniably, positively is a Titan! The Renegade Titan Shifter! Isn’t that right, Eren Yeager?”

  Mikasa came out swinging with the hostility. “Don’t come near him,” she warned.

  “Yes,” Eren answered as he wretched his arm free. In her mind, Mikasa probably thought she’d have an easier time using their ankle chain as a weapon without holding onto him. “I’m the Titan Shifter. Who are you?”

  “Captain Hange Zoe of the Scouts! May I say, it’s a pleasure to–”

  Ghoul abruptly stood up, a hand holding a portable comlink near her head. “We’re on the clock. Walk and talk, or save the chatter for when Yeager walks off as a free man.” She nodded at Miche, who moved to unlock the cell door.

  The flippant black-armored Stormtrooper – a Storm Commando, like Ghoul – barked a laugh. “A free man. Right. A kid like Yeager would be getting his head dunked in the ‘fresher if he didn’t have his nek battle dog protecting her precious pup.”

  Eren had no idea what a nek battle dog looked like or what a ‘fresher was, but he didn’t have to be a genius to understand it was an insult. It wouldn’t be the first from the Commando. Frowning, Eren cut to the chase and asked, “Is the trial being held today?”

  “Somebody give the changeling a prize!”

  As Miche entered the cell, he snapped his fingers and was thrown a set of stun cuffs from Switch. Miche gave a Hange Zoe knowing look. In response, she pouted, but quickly regained her smile and winked. She slipped away, waving at Eren as she did so. “Sorry we didn’t get long to talk. Things have been crazy even without accounting for your shifting powers. Hell, it might be weeks until we get to chat again, but if I don’t find you, you come find me.” Her grin became feral with excitement. “Don’t be surprised if you get back into Titan-shape and get rushed by an Imperial walker, cause it’ll probably be me piloting the baby!” Then she was off.

  Leaving the dungeon, Eren put the strange Scout at the back of his mind. The two squads that had served as wardens for the pair of cadets now escorted them to their trial.

  They eventually came upon a large set of double doors. The courtroom on the other side was filled to capacity. One half of the room was filled with commoners. Soldiers not acting as guards were grouped around the central area where the prosecuted were supposed to stand before the attending judge. Eren spotted Armin among the soldiers and gave a resolute nod when their eyes met. Mikasa probably did the same. All three of them were going to be together again soon, Eren was sure.

  The wary glances and uneasy stares from everyone else in the room didn’t fill Eren with much confidence, but he powered through the scrutiny and marched with determination.

  Triton Squad joined a batch of Imperial officers standing in their own section of the court. Miche Squad split apart when they handed the cadets off to a couple MPs. Eren and Mikasa were brought to the center of the room. The stun cuffs were rearranged to restrain their hands behind their backs in a single chain. The MPs removed the shackles on their ankles, but the cadets were still left in an awkward position since they were practically back-to-back, the cuffs tangled around a tall wooden pole embedded into the floor.

  When the MPs moved away, the man who would decide Eren’s and Mikasa’s futures entered: Premier Darius Zachary, the Commander-in-Chief of the Wall Military.

  “All right,” the bearded veteran said as he made himself comfortable on his perch overseeing the courtroom. “Shall we begin?” He cleared his throat with a cough before looking down at the cadets. “Your names are Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman. As enlisted soldiers, you both have sworn to surrender your lives when called upon in the line of duty, for the good of the people of the Walls. Is that correct?”

  They answered in unison. “Yes, sir.”

  “Conventional military doctrine dictates your tribunal be held in a court martial. As Commander of the Wall Military, it falls to my discretion how this trial proceeds. Of course, now that his Royal Highness has declared the Galactic Empire our allies, we must also accommodate their presence and hear their grievances. Any objections?”

  Eren shook his head. “No, sir.”

  A beat of silence followed… because Mikasa didn’t like the Empire getting special treatment, but the quiet didn’t linger for long. “No, sir,” she echoed.

  The Premier didn’t call out Mikasa’s hesitation. “Good. Let us proceed.” He turned over the documents before him. “The purpose of this trial is to determine the fates of Eren Yeager, the so-called Renegade Titan active during the Battle of Trost, and Mikasa Ackerman, charged with violating the initial truce with the Empire as established by Commander Dot Pyxis of the Garrison. Speaking for the Empire is Stormtrooper Commander Daine Jir of Torrent Company.”

  Eren had a good view of Daine Jir and his fellow officers. Black uniforms like what Lieutenant Sunber wore, though Eren noticed the red-and-blue plaque over Jir’s chest was slightly different. Denoting his higher rank as a Commander?

  “There is already an existing mandate,” said Zachary, “established to pardon Wall soldiers and civilians who succumbed to hysteria and responded rashly to the Empire. By all accounts, Ackerman would be eligible for this pardon, but the Empire has requested she be included in this hearing with Yeager. Commander Jir?”

  “The pardon should only be applicable to those with the discipline and willingness to pay for their mistakes.” There was deference in Daine Jir’s words. The Empire must really respect military types like the Premier. “Miss Ackerman attacked men of the Empire in a misguided attempt to protect Yeager from harm. We should expect more rebellious behavior from a child like her depending on Yeager’s sentencing.”

  So whatever befell Eren, he and Mikasa were going down together.

  Premier Zachary nodded. “Fair enough.” His steady stare set its sights on Eren again. “Unsurprisingly, many rumors have spread regarding the relationship between the Empire and the Renegade Titan; paranoid gossip accusing the Renegade as an attack dog tamed by the Empire. Mister Yeager, perhaps you can clear up any misunderstandings on that front.”

  Eren almost couldn’t believe the wave of anxiety hitting him. Everyone’s eyes were on him again, only now they were expecting something worthwhile to come out of his mouth. Something that would make them feel at ease to be around a “Titan.” The scrutiny here felt different, so many people afraid of him.

  Taking a deep breath, Eren said, “Well, Trost was the first time I met anyone of the Empire.”

  All doubts in Eren were instantly replaced by contempt when a Wall cultist standing with the MPs spoke.

  “Heresy! The boy should not be given the right to speak! It was he who used his unnatural powers to violate the purity of Wall Rose, and enabled the Empire to desecrate her holy might even further!”

  It was people like this “pastor” who made arming and defending the Walls more difficult than it should be. As if making practical modifications to preserve the damn things would “defile” inanimate objects when real, living people needed to be protected.

  More people from the crowd used the cultist’s interruption as an excuse to speak out.

  “Shut up, you loon! Everyone in Wall Rose would be scrambling for the Interior if it weren’t for the Empire sealing Trost! Between them and a Titan on our side, Wall Maria is as good as ours again!”

  “Are you insane? There’s no way a Titan can be trusted. Just kill him and be done with it. He murdered an Imperial already, didn’t he?”

  “How do we really know the Renegade and the Colossal Titans aren’t servants of the Empire? How do we know this entire trial isn’t just a sham for the Empire to retake control of their Titan?”

  No, that was completely wrong! “I was born and raised in Shiganshina,” Eren shouted at the top of his lungs. “I’ve never met the Empire before the Colossal’s second attack. My – My Titan shifting. I didn’t know I had that power either.” The rabble quieted down. Eren had their attention again. “I didn’t mean to kill Captain Bex. I didn’t want to. I can learn to control my Titan. I only want to fight in the name of humanity!”

  The Premier’s gaze was unflinching on Eren. “You claim no prior relation to the Empire.”

  “Yes! I’m grateful for them helping take back Trost, for saving me, but I know as much about the Empire as anyone here not wearing an Imperial uniform.”

  “That does fall in line with what the Empire has told us. Even so, the fact remains you are a human being who has displayed the unprecedented ability to instantaneously spawn a fully functioning Titan body. You informed your caretakers – Miche Squad of the Scouts, and Triton Squad of the Empire – that memories of your father, Grisha Yeager, injecting you with a syringe resurfaced. Whatever was in the injection is presumably what granted you the power to Titan-shift, and considering that your father is listed as deceased after the Fall of Wall Maria, all that remains is the key to the cellar of your old home in Shiganshina to potentially find more answers for your condition.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Another audience member, wearing expensive garments making him out as a spoiled merchant, spat out, “Condition? Becoming a Titan isn’t some ‘condition’! He needs to be put down–”

  “How can we be sure Grisha Yeager is dead?” asked an MP. “Titans can regenerate wounds. What if he faked his death?”

  Zachary shut off that line of thinking immediately. “Confirmation on Grisha Yeager’s death comes from Commandant Keith Shadis of the Cadet Corps.” Eren was surprised to hear Shadis contributing to the investigation surrounding Eren’s case, even tracking down leads on the Yeager family. “There is no reason to doubt his word. Moreover, Grisha Yeager is noted to have been a respected doctor who did work in the Interior from time to time. It’s been theorized that the senior Yeagers’ home being situated so close to Titan territory and his access to well-off clients may have enabled him to conduct experiments to create a Titan serum, but that’s only speculation. We only have Eren Yeager himself and the key to his old cellar to garner more information.”

  Worried whispers in side conversations spread across the audience. Zachary’s strong voice drowned them out. “Commander Jir, does the Empire want to hold Mister Yeager accountable for his murder of Army Captain Xorbo Bex?”

  The officer glanced at Eren with an indiscernible look he couldn’t read. “According to the boy’s own testimony,” Jir said, “he wants to repent for his crimes, and he appears legitimately remorseful for Captain Bex’s death. The Empire can allow the pardon to be applied to him, but we can let the Kyojinites settle their own differences with Yeager first.”

  Eren almost wanted to relax, let his tense body go limp. It was a relief to know the Empire was open to letting him get back out there and prove himself, but as Jir said, Eren’s countrymen needed to settle their issues with him first. The day wasn’t over yet.

  “Very good,” Zachary said. “Now, two of the Walls’ respected Regiments have petitioned to claim custody over Eren Yeager: the Military Police, and the Scouts. The Military Police may present their case first.”

  The MP rep stepped to the front of his congregation. Eren noticed him give a subtle glare at the pastor who spoke earlier before facing forward. “Thank you, Premier Zachary,” said the MP. “I am Nile Dawk, Commander of the Military Police.” He read off a script on a sheet of paper in his hand. “Our recommendation: following a thorough examination of his physiology, the subject Eren Yeager should be disposed of immediately.”

  Of course. Of course complacent, short-sighted MPs would be taking this stance.

  “While he played a part in the victory at Trost, we do not believe he has any reliable control over his Titan form. Reports from Garrison soldiers cite he was mindlessly killing enemy Titans with no conscious regard to aiding his fellow soldiers or avoiding collateral damage. When Yeager killed Captain Bex, he did so by severely damaging one of the Empire’s Juggernauts and disallowing it to participate in the battle. The Imperial crew manning the Juggernaut were at risk of dying just as easily as Bex because of Yeager. Furthermore, when Cadet Mikasa Ackerman moved toward Yeager in his mad Titan state, he attacked her.”

  Mikasa already confessed to Eren about that incident during their stay in the dungeon. It felt wrong to be the reason behind the scar on her face, no matter how miniscule it actually was, but Mikasa didn’t begrudge him for it, and Eren made his peace with it.

  “Learning about the Empire and the existence of a humanity living freely beyond our planet has done enough to rattle and disturb the citizens of the Walls,” Dawk said. “Whatever benefits we may receive as a client of the Empire, the Military of the Walls must show that we are doing everything in our power to guarantee the people’s safety. Once our doctors have gathered all the information we can from him, subject Yeager is a proven danger we have a duty to eliminate, permanently.”

  The Premier stared down Dawk for a beat, then motioned to the group opposite the MPs. “And now, I’d like to hear the Scout Regiment’s position.”

  Eren had to strain his neck to see the Scouts, looking over Mikasa’s shoulder. A tall blue-eyed man with a stern disposition not too unlike Jir’s stepped up. “Yes, sir. I, Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps, propose Eren Yeager be reinstated as a soldier and placed in Joint Task Force Xamaural, under the purview of the Scouts. We will utilize his Titan powers to reclaim the entire island in the name of Kyojinite humanity.”

  Dawk had an entire speech, but that short explanation was all Commander Erwin gave. Premier Zachary waited for more to no avail. “Is that it?”

  “Yes. The Empire’s generosity and the Walls’ ability to reciprocate can only go so far with the limited resources we each have at our disposal. Freeing more land from Titan control and returning it to human hands has always been a defining objective of the Scouts. Cadet Yeager can be trained under careful watch and deployed in the field to expedite our mission.”

  So this was the Scout Commander. The soldier who succeeded Commandant Shadis, and who was responsible for spearheading further expeditions against the Titan horde. It was under his leadership that people like Captain Levi, Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, never wavered in their service. To serve under Commander Erwin was always part of the package of joining the Scouts, and now Eren’s right to join the Scouts was being fought for by the man himself.

  “Quite bold of you,” Zachary remarked, “to believe the first Titan Shifter humanity has ever seen can be suitably trained when we have no precedent for it… Of course, Mister Yeager has stated he is more than willing to learn how to control his abilities. So, Mister Yeager.” Zachary peered intently at Eren again. “At the start of this trial, you agreed that you were willing to surrender your life as a dutiful soldier. Will that stance still hold true whether you are given to the Military Police or the Scouts?”

  No, there was no future, no world in any galaxy where Eren would join the MPs or submit as their prisoner. The Scouts were the only way forward for him.

  Granted, there was also the Empire, but their representative in Commander Jir wasn’t saying anything. Eren had no one else to lean on but the Scouts.

  “Sir,” Eren began, “I believe I can contribute far more as an active soldier than as a corpse. I’m… I’m not afraid to die, as long as I know it’s in service to humanity. I joined the Military to retake Wall Maria and – and to allow our people to explore the world that belongs to us. To visit the oceans of saltwater surrounding our island. To see the Titans turned extinct.”

  Another naysayer Eren couldn’t see uttered, “That kid is a Titan.”

  Something in the faceless voice’s tone set Eren off. “Yes, I’m a Titan!” Eren yelled. The crowd flinched back. “A Titan fighting for everyone living in these Walls! I bet plenty of you haven’t even seen a Titan before. At least I can choose to fight for–”

  “You can’t choose,” interrupted Nile Dawk, glowering at Eren. “As you said yourself, you didn’t mean to kill an Imperial, as I’m sure you didn’t mean to almost kill Cadet Ackerman either.”

  Eren’s body was jostled against the wood pole, pulled by Mikasa trying to stand up while they were still cuffed together. “He said he can learn to control himself!” she cried out. “He hasn’t used his powers to hurt anyone else. It’s been days since Eren last transformed.”

  “Because he was trapped in an underground dungeon chained to you.”

  “Eren did nothing after Miche and Triton Squads brought us up to the top of Wall Rose after he first woke up. He hasn’t done anything today after we were brought to ground level and escorted here. That shows Eren legitimately doesn’t want to risk hurting anyone else.”

  With a sneer, Dawk shook his head before raising his voice, directly speaking to Zachary and the crowd. “I believe Cadet Ackerman’s input on this matter to be too biased for it to be considered in this trial. We have reports from when she and Eren Yeager were nine-years-old, when they–”

  He was going to bring that into this? The night Eren saved Mikasa? And when she saved him? When together they destroyed those inhuman, good-for-nothing wastes of space?

  Except Dawk never got into the details of that night, because Commander Jir cut him off.

  “They are chained together entirely because Ackerman and Yeager care for each other greatly,” he said. “Does the Military Police not see this bond as assurance Yeager genuinely wants to do better and fight to protect the home he shares with nearly everyone else in this room?”

  The mocking sarcasm was as clear as day. Jir wasn’t acting strictly professional anymore. He almost came off as haughty like a noble with the way Jir held his chin high, but Eren knew it was a confidence that had to have come from gods know how many battles the Imperial must have fought on an untold number of planets. Who else would Darth Vader have sent to speak for the Empire?

  Like the MP he was, Nile Dawk didn’t appreciate the objection from a real soldier. “What business is the Titan Shifter of the Empire’s when you’ve already stated you would let us decide his fate?”

  “We understand the need to remove threats that risk disrupting the established order and defy the statutes of superior authority. There are actual and effectual means to remove threats. Actual is expedient: death. But an effectual method is to turn the threat into an active asset, as the Scouts have suggested.” Commander Jir looked down his nose at Dawk. “To your point about studying Yeager’s physiology, I’m sure the Legion’s medical experts can gather more useful information from a live specimen than your doctors. There’s much they can learn from our people.”

  The Wall pastor scrambled to the front of his party, nearly shoving Dawk away. “Be silent!” he screeched. “You Imperials desecrate the ground you stand on with your very existence! Ignorant outsiders have no right to interfere in–”

  Jir continued to talk as if the church freak was only white noise. “It certainly speaks volumes how the Military Police and their advisors are so consumed by fear, while the Scouts are confident in their ability to tame Yeager and use him to fulfill your society’s dream of reclaiming your home from the Titans.”

  The Imperial hit it right on the head: everyone who wanted to see Eren dead feared him.

  And it pissed Eren off, seeing the rampant fear in so many people’s eyes. If they weren’t watching Jir talk over Nile Dawk’s complaints or waiting for Zachary to call order to the courtroom, then they were trembling at the sight of Eren… What was Eren doing that made them so nervous? He was still on his knees, restrained next to Mikasa. And these people think Eren would – what, just spontaneously turn into a Titan at the slightest provocation? Are they idiots?

  “What are you so afraid of?!” Eren yelled at the cowards, who again shied away from him. “Afraid of me? You MPs want to dissect me, and you church cultists want to see me burn at the stake, right?”

  Dawk shut his mouth and stared at Eren with surprise. Jir frowned and folded his arms. The Imperial wanted to see where Eren went with this.

  “Things must look so simple from where you people sit back and get fat in the Interior,” Eren accused his detractors, “when it was people like me – not Titan shifters, but cadets, Garrison soldiers, Scouts, Imperials – who fought the real enemy at Trost: the actual mindless Titans. We went out there and cut open their napes, felt their blood splatter on us. Felt ourselves bleed when they tore off our limbs and ate our friends.”

  Getting a hold on the cuffs, Eren pulled himself to his feet. He could feel Mikasa looking at him in shock. Eren set his leer on Commander Dawk. The MP officer was likely everything someone like Jean or Annie would devolve into if they had their way and made it into the Interior. They’d run away and hide, cowering in fear, despite having all of the strength and skills to actually do something about that fear. Rise above it. Surpass it. Fight.

  “I have the power to make sure more Trosts, more Shiganshinas, never happen again,” Eren declared with all his heart. “You need me out there fighting for you if you want to go to sleep at night without worrying when the next gate is going to get smashed in! Let me fight for you, and the entire world will be freed from the Titans!”

  Everyone was stunned into silence.

  It reminded Eren of the night before Trost, when he inexplicably gave a speech that had convinced Connie, Thomas, and others to join the Scouts. The words just came to Eren naturally.

  Surely, Eren’s current audience will finally under–

  Dawk hastily turned to one of his MPs holding a musket by its sling. “What are you doing?” Dawk said in a panic, Eren’s heart falling. “Take aim, damn–”

  Eren shuddered at the odd ringing sound and a flash of light hitting him at once. His first instinct was that it was a gunshot, but no. When Eren opened his eyes, he saw that it was a blaster shot, fired from the compact weapon now held in Commander Jir’s hand. Above Eren’s head, he saw the blaster bolt had hit a point on the wood pole, leaving a blackened chunk that caused the top portion to fall to the floor.

  Premier Zachary let out an amused chuckle. “I assume you meant to land your shot there, Commander Jir? It would otherwise be poor marksmanship compared to the live demonstrations of your blasters the Empire hosted the other day.”

  Jir maintained his cool. “The Military Police Commander was frightened by Cadet Yeager’s impassioned speech and hesitated to order a subordinate to train their weapon on a potential threat. I was led to believe the MPs were composed of more disciplined stock.”

  More heated than ever, Dawk barked, “That’s enough! There’s no–”

  “If the Scouts take custody of Yeager, then per the terms set with the Kyojinite Royal Highness, the Legion and the Scout Regiment assume a shared responsibility over the Renegade Titan, as we do for all members of the Joint Task Force.” Jir bent his arm to point his blaster to the ceiling, a faint smoke trail from the barrel disappearing into the air. “I believe Yeager is authentic in his pleas to master his powers and honor his duties to the Walls. If he does prove to be unreliable, every single Imperial on this planet is capable of permanently ending the Renegade, whether he is a Titan or a human.”

  Zachary hummed in thought. “Yes, I recall that it was a Sergeant Fox who weaved around normal Titans and successfully cut Mister Yeager out of his giant body in Trost. Mister Yeager is also in the top ten of his cadet unit, but I presume the Empire and the Scouts have their share of able-bodied men to keep the boy’s human-self in line.”

  Eren privately smirked at Nile Dawk visibly realizing he was losing this trial. “Premier Zachary,” Dawk said in desperation, “there is still much we don’t know about the Empire. Their goodwill at Trost does not mean we should allow them–”

  Jir shot with his blaster again. The initial flash and the speed the bolt flew was too much for Eren to track, but he felt the heat of the bolt move through the gap between his arm and torso. When Eren twitched, he found his arms moving more freely than before; the Imperial shot the cuffs! Breaking the restraints, releasing Eren and Mikasa without harming them. There was no marksman Eren would have trusted to make the shot with a musket or a pistol.

  “The terrible Titan is free,” Commander Jir announced as he holstered his blaster. “The Empire is in no position to subdue the monster. What’s your next move?”

  Eren wasn’t sure how to answer, or how the MPs would react.

  He didn’t expect for Captain Levi to leap away from the Scout group and knock Mikasa to the ground. It was the first time Eren had seen anyone get the upper hand on Mikasa in a single move.

  There was no time to stew on Mikasa’s assault or to do anything about it, as Miche Zacharius was suddenly in front of Eren and kneeing him in the gut. The last thing Eren remembered before returning to the dark was seeing Levi pin a resisting Mikasa down, and another sharp pain on his temple where Miche landed another hit.