Attack on Titan: Suicide Run IC

[Julian84]

GRMM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLE3X6jmAus&index=5&list=PLYX-9Ms9JaMUYOSmIhjfveXrZjZioJUCs)

Piercing rays of light peaked over the imposing stone heights of Wall Rose, signaling a new day, the day of judgment for veteran squads from the courageous Survey Corps. Five groups of seven-man teams were being sent beyond the wall into the expanse of the outer ring, now under the control of Titans that had burst through Wall Maria years before. It was an untamed wilderness now, crawling with threats. Their mission was to retake Helbrecht, a city halfway to Wall Maria, as a forward post from which the Survey Corps could expand.

One of those squads, led by Captain Dirk Peters, were assembling in the stables, preparing their horses and awaiting the signal to begin the operation. They all knew of each other by reputation… Any survivors of excursions to the outside always made a name for themselves. Each brought skills and talents to the table that would hopefully help them all survive… Hopefully.

Elionart the Slayer, credited with killing a powerful abnormal in the field.

Felix Brandt, a clever and thoughtful tactician who had led the surviving members of his former squad to safety, outwitting ferals living beyond the walls.

Hugo Stein, a withdrawn man who had survived the last mission to retake Helbrecht, an utter failure.

Julian Waltz, almost a feral that had come in from the expanse, having already killed several Titans as a young boy.

Sara Becker, a young woman who was said to possess preternatural talent using 3DMG.

And finally, the “Eye of the Storm”, Heinrich Müller, a man of renowned leadership talent. Unfortunately, no one realized his real name was actually Dietrich, a mistake in boot camp that had haunted him for years.

Perhaps this squad might survive what awaited them beyond the wall.

Maybe.

[Space Lawyer]

They were all probably going to die. Hugo knew that damn well. The last mission to retake Helbrecht had seen massive casualties. By the end, it was Hugo and Beatrix, riding back on the cart with whatever remains they could find of their companions rotting in the back. When the order assignment had come down, moving Hugo from his comfortable position on the wall and out into the field, Beatrix had near lost it. She was unequivocal in her assessment of what to do out there. "Screw them all. You see the Titans closing in, slaughtering everyone again, you get out. Don't let them get you killed." Hugo wasn't planning to leave everyone to die, but he wasn't about to make a heroic stand against impossible odds. He was a scout, not a warrior.

Hugo flicks open his lighter and sets a flame to the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. He read the words on it again, the lessons from the last time he went outside the wall. He had survived last time by following those basic rules. Maybe it would work again.

[neriractor]

"The wait before the battle", Elionart said to a Little kid asking what was the hardest part of his job; but the kid coudn't grasp why that was the hardest thing for a men who fights titans, is the wait that troubles him the most because he looks for the moment; he looked for it the entire time, that beautiful moment where a men becomes a god. When he can feel the spoils of the olimpus by charing zeuz hobby of killing titans.

They had picked quite the team, to the point Elionart was even more eager to meet them than to get out of the Wall; his legs itched and his forehead sweated as he finally met one of the best in the crew: The legendary Hugo who survived a Long expedition, an achievement not even Elionart could surpass(by virtue of this being his first Long-term trip).

Elionart approached the man and disregarding the concern on his Face he tried to pay his respects: "hello, it is an honor to meet you Mr.Stein, I am Elionart Winter and I believe we are going to be on the same team, am I wrong?"

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo

Hugo looks at this new, small man with dead, haunted eyes. Looked like he wouldn't take up much room in the cart, if the Titans didn't get him in one bite. "Yeah, I guess so."

That wouldn't last for long.

Should learn his name anyways; got to have a name to attach to the bits.

[Grthr]

Julian

The stable finally came into view. Julian was late, as usual. Despite all of the scolding he received, Julian never changed. He’d always moved at his own pace. Often his reasoning for being late amounted to nothing. This time his fight left him with a few bruises. He needed to occupy his time somehow before leaving for the expedition. This morning, a short brawl with a man stupid enough to be drunk this early occupied his attention. Julian won of course; a drunk man who can barely stand doesn’t present much of a fight. His blood pumping. This feeling of excitement. This is how Julian staved off his boredom. After this, his confidence wouldn’t waver, even in the face of titans.

Hopefully Captain Dirk doesn’t ask many questions. Julian thought as he pushed open the door to the stables and sneaked off to where his group should be. Thankfully, he only saw two soldier idly chatting. No Captain in sight.

[cubedancer]

Sara

Since the tragedy at Wall Maria, Sara had been waiting for the orders to come. She had no desire to meet the horrors that lay beyond Wall Rose but defending humanity and disabling the titan threat was why the army had beckoned her. That, and the wish to use her childhood acrobatic talents for more than display, something her reasonably affluent parents would not have let her do anyhow.

They had not understood her desire to join the military either, especially her interest in the Survey Corp, when they might have been able to pull strings to get her into another regiment. Sara's head however had been full of tales of bravado and daring and she had admired the skills the Survey Corp developed. The reality of joining them was a lot more grim but Sara put her thoughts aside. If I die reclaiming land for humans against something as inhuman as titan, then so be it.

She entered the courtyard, face set in determination but her eyes and mouth softened when she saw her horse, Jan, the chestnut with the white patch over his eye. She went up to him, letting the animal nuzzle her hand before silently taking stock of her fellow Corp members. A little worse for wear, apart from Elionart he looks ready.

[Grthr]

Julian

Life presents opportunities at every turn, and it’s up to you to seize them. Even though he didn’t realize it Julian lived out this creed, and life had just presented a great opportunity. The beautify lady who just walked into the courtyard was his next opportunity. She looked young and radiant. Her short, dark hair was lovely in the morning light. Everything about her seemed sublime, and Julian was brimming with confidence as he walked over to introduce himself.

“Hello milady, I’m Julian. What’s your name?” Julian spoke elegantly with a smile sitting on his face next to a few fading bruises.

[cubedancer]

Sara and Julian
The Courtyard

"I'm Sara," Sara answered. Julian was an imposing figure and looked a little rough around the edges but he had nice eyes. She held out her hand. "So where did you get those bruises?"

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk

Walking out from near the stables to meet the crew being assembled to join him, Dirk sighed, 'I can't believe they made me a Captain...' He mused silently to himself. He honestly disliked his title; he hadn't earned it on his efforts. Hell, he hadn't even yet left the city in 24 years of living...he'd only been given it by the recommendation of a man better than Dirk who had seen him soothe the nerves of some Rookies, a man whom Dirk had seen stomped flat by a Titan like he would stomp an ant. However, despite his feelings toward said prestige, he had a duty to his fellow humans...

"I welcome all of you to this gathering." He murmured evenly but firmly, his voice carrying over the group but not overwhelming their own conversations. "If Felix Brandt or Heinrich Muller are here, I'd ask for them to step forward so that I may speak with them first. Thank you."

[Grthr]

Sara and Julian

“Oh these!” Julian’s voice hints at his surprise. He’d forgotten about his wounds in his confidence. His face glows red for a moment and his smile is replaced with a bit of confusion. “Yeah, umm. Just a few- I mean, a small fight. Nothing too serious. So anyways,” Julian’s confidence returns and with it his former visage as he gently reaches out to hold Sara’s hand. Her face definitely showed it was a bit more forward than she expected, but Julian didn’t realize. “Tell me about yourself. What’s a pretty young lady like yourself doing here in the Survey Corps?” Saved it!

[cubedancer]

Sara and Julian

Sara was surprised at Julian's boldness, actually taking her hand instead of shaking it, but she smiled as he blushed over his fight. Fierce maybe, but modest too.

"It's like another lifetime now but I wanted to be a scout for a long time," she began to answer, "I wanted to help serve everyone in the walls and it seemed the best way. The engineers and the police can do good work but it never seemed like enough and the police are always caught up in politics." Sara paused, considering it best not to discuss the MP too much. "People can look down on the scouts because they think it's foolish meeting the titans head on but I think those people are just afraid. It reminds them we all live in the shadow of titans. To be free of all that, to help us be free, I wanted to be part of it." She shrugs. "Now I am." Sara's face returned to its earlier look of determination.

"Anyway, the Captain's arrived. We'd better get ready."

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo

"People can look down on the scouts because they think it's foolish meeting the titans head on but I think those people are just afraid."

Hugo shakes his head. Damn right we're afraid. If you meet a titan head on, you're dead. Simple as that.

It didn't matter if this girl wanted to act the hero, trying to charge into the titans. Just another corpse that didn't know it was dead yet.

[Grthr]

Sara and Julian

“Come on. Didn’t you hear him? He’s looking for those guys. We don’t have to stop talking over that.” Julian pleaded with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

[Esprit]

Felix

So, he was going out of the walls again. Felix knew with certainty that every venture out, his chances of dying, of traipsing into the jaws of a Titan, careening into the steaming maws of hell, were greater and greater. At this point it was just a fact of life, but that didn't change the tight, nervous feeling in his chest.

He glanced up when he heard a more commanding voice over the idle chatter, straightening when he heard his name. This must be the leader of their group, if he was asking for the two of them by name... "I'm Brandt," he said, moving towards Dirk and stopping in front of him. Felix clasped his hands together in front of himself, and then glanced the man over - he certainly had the makings of a leader, from the look of things, at least."You're Dirk Peters, I assume?"

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk

"Correct." Dirk replied, "Felix, I've had the liberty of looking over the files of everyone Command is assigning to me for this mission, and of the varied talents each has been listed as possessing, you're the only one with a noted background of strategic knowledge. Unlike plenty of commanders, I'll say up front to you that I will be relying upon you and your talents." He said calmly, keeping a level, friendly smile on his face, "What we've been assigned is a mission that could easily result in all of our deaths...but I'd like to keep that number as low as possible, and I'm sure you feel the same.

Which brings me to my point. I have two strategic questions I'd like your insight on. What would be the better way to have our squad travel, as one large group or two smaller groups? I know there will be risks with each, but I will trust you. And secondly...is there anything you can think of that might be able to help us should I requisition it from Command? Anything at all?"

[Esprit]

Felix

Felix listened to what Dirk had to say, and he gave a small nod of acceptance. "I'll do my best, sir."

He looked down thoughtfully, pressing a hand to his chin. "It's hard to say." Of course it was. He could feel it already, though, that uncomfortable feeling under his diaphragm, knowing that the wrong decision could be paid for with lives. Many lives... Possibly even his own. This couldn't be taken lightly. "Both have benefits and drawbacks. As a single group, we can provide better reinforcement to each other, and it will be easier to pass along information and coordinate with each other. However, since the group would be larger, we face the possibility of drawing more titans at once. If we split up into well-rounded teams," Felix glanced at the rest of his teammates. "Then we will be more likely to cover more ground at a quicker pace, and individually may draw fewer titans at a time. If things go south for one group, the other may be able to... take advantage of the distraction. That comes at a risk, though, because it won't be as easy to communicate between the two groups and we won't be as able to provide support to each other across the groups."

"That said..." He shifted his weight again, meeting Dirk's gaze. "The ultimate decision is, of course, up to you, but I feel like the positive aspects of splitting into two groups may outweigh the negative, providing we try to stay relatively close to each other for communication purposes. As for something from Command... I can't think of anything at the moment." Felix offered a small smile.

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo

Hugo approaches the captain and other two, offering his opinion regardless if it is wanted or not. "We need to split up. A bigger group just means more titans. Keep in flare sight range. If things get hairy, we can focus on not getting ourselves killed until reinforcements show up."

He thinks for a moment on what Command, ensconced in their safe walls, could provide out in the field. "We'll need maps, and after-action reports from the last expedition. If we compare them, we'll be able to figure out where titans were encountered. If we get lucky, we'll be able to scavenge from the old battlefields if we run low on supplies. We should be able to figure out where the titans are gathering too, where they're walking. Anything we can do to avoid them between here and Helbrecht."

As an afterthought, he adds "Oh, and avoid the forest. Ferals nearly got me last time in there."

[neriractor]

Elionart and Sara

*sight* all the tactical shenanigans of the leaders escaped Elionart's understanding, he knew they were important but he was never the man for that, so he leaved it to the experienced on those matters.

His boredom,overwhelmed him until he decides to walk around. His eyes caught a peek of the piercing Blue eyes that he didn't think he could see again. ¡SARA! Elionart screamed as he sprinted trough the stable with his arms Wide open.

Atfer putting all his strengh into a huge hug he looked up at sara's confused Face, and regreting his form of greeting her he took two steps back and with a serious (and slightly blushed) Face extended his Hand towards Sara *gulp* "you probably don't remenber me, I'm Elionart;we were in the same Group back at the training camp... I sort of avoided you because you were really pretty and talented. why on earth will you say that?!!

*akward silence*

"Sooo... Anyway, I didn't know you had joined the survey corps, you had one of the top places, how come you didn't join the police?. All that without noticing the tall (for him) shicked man standing just a few steps from him.

[Grthr]

Julian, Elionart, and Sara

Julian frowned at the turn of events. Not only did this man interrupt his conversation, but he also potentially ruined his attempts at flirting. Worst of all this guy seems to be close to Sara already. Julian’s vision started go a bit red, and his heart began to race. “Excuse me, we were in the middle of a conversation. Who on earth do you think you are?” Julian made no attempts to hide the disdain in his voice.

[cubedancer]

Julian, Elionart and Sara

Sara felt the need to begin preparations. Talking about joining the Corps made her think about their odds of making it through the current mission and just being able to do something always took her mind off things. Also she wanted to know what the survivor from the first Helbrecht run might say. He must know what we face.

She was about to mention it to Julian when Elionart came rushing over and she was engulfed in a hug. She flushed a little, realising that Julian still held her hand and withdrew it to help support Elionart. Oh Elionart. Eager as a puppy she could not help but grin at him, even though she only remembered him as the smallest guy in the group who always got picked on by the physical trainers. Got quite the reputation now, though.

"I remember you Elionart," she patted him on the shoulder a little awkwardly, "uh, I'm glad you remember me too." She glanced at Julian as he glowered at Elionart. "It's OK, Julian, we're all on the same team here." She did her best to sound casual but could not help flushing again at all the attention. "Julian and I were just talking about joining up. I couldn't think of being anywhere but the Survey Corp. It always just felt right to me. I mean, if there were no scouts, what would we do about Wall Maria?"

[Grthr]

Julian, Elionart, and Sara

And now she’s defending him!? “’Same side’,” Julian’s irritation faded as he spoke. “Yeah, you’re right.” I’ll just deal with him later.
“So what are you going to contribute to the group Elionart?” Julian’s intent to challenge him was still evident even though Sara’s presence forced Julian to act calmer. “From your looks you don’t look ready to take on the titans. I’m guessing you’ll just be a strategist for us.” Julian annunciated the “just” as a clear mocking of those who stay out of the fight. He couldn’t respect anyone who refused to get involved in combat.

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk

Dirk nodded at Felix, "I agr-" He had been about to say, before Hugo walked up. In truth, Dirk had been planning on seeking this man out after his consultation with Felix and Heinrich. Listening to his suggestion, he chuckled wryly. "I would expect no less from the only man to come back from the last expedition." He remarked, "Still, thank you for your suggestion. I will requisition the maps and after-action reports from Command before we set out. As for battlefield scavenging, we'll have to see...resources like that might be too heavily damaged to be of use, but it's still something to look into.

In regards to flares, the following are the colors for this mission: Red means to recollect into one group, green means to fall back, blue means under attack, and white smoke means all clear to proceed..."

He had been about to say more, when he saw Sara, Julian and Elionart and sighed, "Felix, if Heinrich shows while I'm distracted, please bring him up to speed on our plans. I'm going to go see what's all the commotion."

Dirk, Julian, Sara and Elionart

"Is there a problem here?" He asked evenly to the assembled three.

[neriractor]

Elionart, Sara and Julian

"Well I'm relieved I was getting the feeling you were just going to think I was just some weirdo, I totally feel you, I think more people should join the scouts, if half the people that join the Wall fixers joined the scouts we'll have a true army to figth the titans, so how many missions have you been on? Elionart Said while completely ignoring the Guy standing beside him until he Said something that really caught his ears.bla,bla,bla... Just a strategist.

He turned with a glare made to melt demons, because even when Elionart liked strategist for the role they Play in missions, he felt insulted, of course when he noticed Sara's Expression he decided to Play nice Guy and extended his Hand out to Julian. you huge piece of **** I'm gonna rip of your head and stick it so far into your butthole... "Julian is it? I'm Elionart Winter nice to meet you, my job is to protect the team leader from danger and eliminate the titans at the point of interest.

As he awaited for a answer from Sara the squad leader asked about their activities; Elionart turned and with his best smile answered: "Sara and I were just chating about the plan and the marvelous commander we got, plus checking the horses to see if they were in peek condition" he Said intentionally leaving Julian out

[cubedancer]

Dirk, Julian, Sara and Elionart

Oh great the captain's come over. "Sorry, if we interrupted anything, Captain," Sara replied briskly, hoping to shield her embarrassment at her failure to diffuse the situation. "We were just trading stories while looking over the horses." Sara glanced at Julian and saw that he was about to explode. "Julian too." She gave him a quick smile. Hopefully he keeps his aggression for the titans. "We're all looking forward to reclaim Helbrecht."

[Grthr]

Dirk, Julian, Elionart, and Sara

Julian’s face distorted with rage as he looked back at Elionart. Elionart’s glare showed that he had accepted the challenge. Now all of Julian’s focus was on him. He didn’t care that the commander had come over, and he didn’t notice Sara’s smile. All that mattered in this moment was teaching Elionart a lesson. “I heard everything!” He was on the verge of yelling. “I don’t appreciate the way you’re treating me! Sure you say that you’re here to kill some titans, but you wouldn’t stand a chance! That’s probably why they recruited me because they needed someone who could actually protect them!”

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk, Sara, Julian and Elionart

"I see...Sara, would you mind if I borrowed these two for a moment for a private conversation?" Dirk asked politely, before staring sharply at the two men and pointing away from the gathering. "You two, follow me."

[Fluxriflex]

Dietrich Müller, Dirk, Julian, Sara, and Elionart

A mission to reclaim wall Helbrecht? Sounds like suicide. And these men are probably thinking that too. I wonder if...

" ...If Felix Brandt or Heinrich Muller are here, I'd ask for them to step forward so that I may speak with them first. Thank you."

Huh, looks like the captain's preparing a plan of action. Good. It'll give me some time to think.

Looking down at his well-worn notepad, Dietrich sketches a rough map of what he knows is between them and Helbrecht. It'll be rough, he thinks to himself, but I know these men can do it. Hell, if anyone should have been eaten already it would've be me. Dietrich lifts his hand up to his left temple, brushing the scar where a titan had nearly chomped his head off. If it had been just a few more inches... He shudders. Best not to think about it, don't want to wear my nerves thin before the battle even starts. Speaking of that, when do we leave for this mission anyway? Dietrich pulls his neatly-folded mission papers from his breast pocket, glancing over the suspiciously vague information on the page. Hmm... Name: Heinrich Muller Date: May 04, 847, Target Location.... Wait... Did that recruiter really do that? Heinrich Muller? Oh for Pete's sake! Müller glances around for the captain, but he's no longer up on the platform.

"SARA!" followed by the sound of quickly-paced footfalls, catches Dietrich's attention.

What in the world? Dietrich wheels around, looking for the source of the commotion. He notes a clearing, where a short young man and a taller, more intimidating looking fellow are lingering around a fairly attractive woman, made slightly less attractive since it seemed as though the shorter man was squeezing the life out of her.

Oh boy. Not this again. Some girls become prey before they even set foot on the battlefield.

Looking over the crowds, Müller spies Dirk's head popping out above the rest of the recruits.

Looks like a leader if I ever saw one, let's just hope he has the wits to go with it.

Making his way around the clusters of recruits, Dietrich eventually makes his way to the captain, noticing that the two men he saw earlier are lingering behind him.

"Captain Peters!" he declares, "Dietrich Müller, or should I say, Heinrich Muller. If you catch the person who wrote these mission details up, tell them that they need to pay a little bit closer attention to detail. Heaven help him if he spelled Commander Erwin's name wrong."

[Grthr]

Dirk, Julian, Elionart, and Sara

Darn. So close. Julian turns away from Elionart and looks Dirk in the eyes. Julian matched his gaze for a while, testing the man's resolve. Dirk's face was stern and his gaze sharp. This man clearly wasn't afraid to use swift punishment in order to maintain order. Julian knew that disobeying him wouldn't be a good idea. I shouldn't mess with him. He definitely has the resolve the discharge me. Julian slowly raised his arm to his chest. With deliberate movement Julian showed Captain Dirk the respect he deserved with a quick salute before turning towards where he pointed.

[cubedancer]

Sara

“I don’t appreciate the way you’re treating me! Sure you say that you’re here to kill some titans, but you wouldn’t stand a chance! That’s probably why they recruited me because they needed someone who could actually protect them!”

Sara felt angry when Julian launched into his spiel. It's not about you or him protecting anyone, it's about what we can do for everyone fleeing for their lives. She could not get the words out in the right way before the captain stepped in.

"I see...Sara, would you mind if I borrowed these two for a moment for a private conversation?"

Probably for the best. "Not at all," she murmured as the captain addressed Julian and Elionart, leading them away a pace or two.

Then a rugged figure from further up the courtyard approached, hailing the captain, bright blue eyes assessing everything with a calm gaze. So he must be the one they call The Eye of the Storm. Good, maybe his influence is what we need right now. Her gaze lingered on Dietrich but then Sara set to work, greeting Jan again. She stepped into the stable, stroking the horse and brushing him down. "Time to get ready for another mission Jan." Jan nodded, shaking his head and snorting. Well she knew where she stood with the horse at least.

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk

Looking over at Dietrich for a moment and nodding, "One moment.", Dirk turned back to Julian and Elionart. "I'll make this quick, gentlemen. I'm not sure what history you have, or whether that near-fight back there was spontaneous bullheadedness. That said, I want you to take a good, hard look at each other, and then at our enemy. Is the chance for death by being eaten, being crushed or being stomped worth it? Is the slapping aside a potential helping hand worth it? We're in this together, folks. We need to be able to count on each other at all times, otherwise...we're done for, as a squad and as a species. Think about that before you nearly attack each other over your egos. For now, go back to the stables."

Dismissing them thusly, Dirk turned to Dietrich, "My apologies for the mistake. I'm glad you're here, since you're actually the second person I wanted to talk with after I discussed strategy with Felix. We've made the decision to split into two smaller groups when we leave. I'd like for you to head the second squad, if you have no objections, of course."

[neriractor]

Elionart and dirk

Elionart saluted the commander and before leaving asked: "commander, are we leaving tonight or tomorrow morning?

[Grthr]

Julian gave Elionart a hard stare while Captain Dirk was speaking. This punk, I'm going to teach him a lesson the minute I get the chance. There's no way Captain Dirk won't find out if it happens here though. I guess he's right, we need to make it through this mission, then I'll deal with him. Julian looked back at Captain Dirk as he finished. "-and as a species. Think about that before you nearly attack each other over your egos. For now, go back to the stables."

Julian salutes as he speaks, "Yes sir." in a typical tone of respect given a superior officer. Then he walks off to find himself a horse making it a point to stay away from Elionart.

[Fluxriflex]

Dietrich Müller, Dirk Peters

It's Dietrich!

"Of course." Dietrich replies with a forced smile, a vein in his forehead betraying his usually pleasant demeanor. "Also, the name is Dietrich, not Heinrich or whatever they decided to call me, though if you have some other clever name for me I wouldn't mind."

"How are we going to decide who goes in what group, Dirk?" Leaning in, Dietrich mutters in Dirk's ear, "If I were you, I would separate those two from that girl." Nodding towards Elionart and Julian, "We wouldn't want them getting themselves killed because they were distracted by a pretty face now, would we?"

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo takes a long, slow drag on his cigarette. Damn fools, fighting over some girl like they weren't all about to be eaten. Oh well, let them strut around like rutting deer. They'd be easier prey for the titans. As long as they didn't interfere with the mission. They'd probably be the first to die, either trying to outdo one another or save the girl.

Might as well go ahead and make a list, keep track of everyone. Hugo goes over to a nearby desk, a neat stack of paper, ink, and a pen provided for final letters home and wills. In his spidery writing, he records the names of the squad, each ready to be crossed off.

[ScrambledBrains]

Dirk and Elionart

"Tonight, under cover of darkness. While we'll be a bit less able to see, it will hopefully let us slip by some Titans unnoticed. For now, make sure your horse is ready."
Dirk replies.

Dirk and Dietrich

Dirk nods at his second in command, "I agree with you, but from what I can tell, the majority of the aggression lies upon Julian's shoulders. My plan is to take Sara, Felix and Elionart with me, while you take Hugo and Julian. We'll re-group on occasion to trade information, but otherwise ride as two separate forces. Check with Felix for the signal flare colors for this mission..."

Dropping his voice to a whisper, Dirk sighed, "Honestly, I hope your calm rubs off on Julian. I've heard the stories about your exploits, Dietrich, and while I agree with him that we need a certain sense of energy to face the Titans, a reckless one like him is little more than fodder. Try to teach him, if you can."

[cubedancer]

Sara

Sara finishes seeing to Jan and glances over at the trio by the captain. Julian appears mollified and Elionart seems to be happy to have things to discuss with command. Too early to go over to them for now. She sighs. She would have looked forward to riding out with those boys, talking about the old days with Elionart and hearing Julian's tales of the battlefield. Stupid, concentrate on your preparations. Julian was clearly too much of a wild card and Elionart, well, she only knew him now because he had made a bit of a name for himself. To get to know either one better would ruin the cohesion of the squad.

Sara made her way to the desk in the corner where rookies would fumble, writing down their last words to friends and family they had left behind, in shaky scrawls. She had started like that but had never left a letter behind as she had been too nervous on her first mission to write anything beyond a name. She had screwed the piece of paper up and almost thrown it away before tucking it, crumpled into a pocket. Now it was almost a superstition, to carry an almost blank piece of paper with her into the unknown.

Sara saw that the survivor was there, writing. A last will and testament? What did he face at Helbrecht? She reached over for a piece of paper and cleared her throat. "I'm Sara. You must be Hugo Stein? I hope you don't mind me asking you about the last mission you were on?"

[Space Lawyer]

Sunken eyes turn a distant gaze on the girl. "Yeah, sure. There isn't much to it, actually. He finishes writing out the names, folds up the paper, and puts it in his pocket. "First guy died before we even left. Horse kicked him in the head. We made it to a village in between here and Helbrecht. First spotted the titans there. They got the sergeant and one other. They had us surrounded. I retreated to a hill, started a smoke signal to call for reinforcements. I joined up with what was left of another squad, and we eventually met up with the rest of my squad. We tried to get through forest. Turns out the whole thing is infested with ferals. They got two with arrows. I got a cracked rib and another guy broke his ankle. Of course, titans showed up. Then we encountered an aberrant; seriously, the most abnormal one I've ever seen. Thing went after other titans just as much as it did us." He stretches and cracks his knuckles, trying to recall the flight back.

"Of course, by then we had seen enough. We found this old cart, hitched the horses to it. Siegfried died along the way; turns out he had taken an arrow. He bled out in the back of the cart. Bea and I, we went along back, picked up all the pieces we could. Never found most of them. Could barely identify the rest. Seems like most folks who lost someone out there just took a piece for their own though. They wanted to believe some part of their dead had come back, to have something to bury and memorialize."

"Then they pinned a medal on me, stuck me on the wall, and there I had hoped to stay."

[cubedancer]

Sara and Hugo

Sara listened as she held Hugo's hollow-eyed stare, listened as he detailed the slow death of his squad on the run into Helbrecht. They didn't even make it.

"Then they pinned a medal on me, stuck me on the wall, and there I had hoped to stay."

She nodded. "I'm sorry." Words stuck in her head as she tried to clear her thoughts. There were faces she had seen and would never see again. Were the deaths ever worth it? She had always believed so. Perhaps I just wanted to make sense of it all.

"You said ferals were in the forest?"

[Space Lawyer]

Sara and Hugo

"You said ferals were in the forest?"

Hmm, yeah. I didn't get much a good look at them though. Too busy trying to get out of there. They were covered in furs and leaves or something, hiding in the trees. They ambushed us when we cut through the forest. I'd prefer to avoid that place if at all possible."

[cubedancer]

Sara and Hugo

So banditry was alive between the towns beyond Wall Rose as well. Sara looked grim. Well to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

"Thank you Hugo, I suppose it's up to command." She could not shake the dread Hugo seemed to exude as she clutched her blank piece of paper but knew she could not afford to let it seep into her. She looked out at the wall, towering above them. Waiting is the worst part.

[neriractor]

Sara and Elionart

Having finally been sent back and with knowledge of when they were planning to leave. He was thinking about what to say perhaps invite her a cup of coffee.

When he got close and saw the look of concern in her face, he wanted to say something soothing, but no. He had seen that look before, there was nothing he could do about it. He returned to take care of the horses, a bit of sadness on his Face. I hope we all survive.

[Fluxriflex]

Dirk and Dietrich

"...Try to teach him, if you can."

"Hmmm" Dietrich nods "Yes, I believe that would be for the best. That kind of rage is best used when funneled through the right channels. Just look at Captain Levi; cool and collected on the outside, but a furnace underneath."

Walking away, Dietrich makes his way through the recruits. Hugo and Julian, huh? Well, our group will be short a member, but I suppose that's for the best, gives me more time to focus in on each one.

What did I need to do next? Oh that's right, find Felix to get the smoke codes.

Dietrich spots Felix's lean profile out from the crowd and heads toward him.

Hugo and Dietrich

Dietrich stumbles and bumps shoulders with Hugo. He looks up towards hollow, apathetic eyes that seem to tear themselves away from the wisps of smoke trailing from his cigarrette.

Goodness, it looks like he's lost the war before we even started fighting.

"My apologies! I..." Dietrich catches himself as he notices the name "STEIN" embroidered on Hugo's jacket "Are, are you Hugo stein?"

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo, Dietrich, and Sara

A man, clearly one of the squad, bumps into Hugo, with an apology. "Are, are you Hugo stein?"

How the hell do all of these people know who I am?

It was a bit suspicious.

Still, best to answer. "Yeah, that's me." The man's jacket says "Müller". Must be that Heinrich guy the captain had been looking for.

[ScrambledBrains]

By himself once more, Dirk sighed and returned to the stables. Seeing everyone preparing their steeds, he walked over to his own horse, a chestnut brown beauty, "Well, Gloria..." He murmured, as he stroked her mane, "We're gonna go on something of an adventure...if anything happens to me, please run back here..."


Right before we leave, I plan on Dirk giving a speech to everyone. So, hope no one minds... :smallsmile:

[Julian84]

GRMM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxqirT3mt_U&list=PLpI7ls08WIzjkLd13vWnKSbIhcpPiybOT&index=3)

With their preparations complete, a courier arrives in the late afternoon with the after-action report for the last operation to regain Helbrecht… Ultimately a failure, as Hugo has pointed out in extensive and excruciating detail. The day wanes towards nighttime as they gather their horses together, joining the column of other Survey Corps squads heading to the gate. The imposing heights of Wall Rose tower over them, feeding their imaginations with nightmares of Titans in the darkness beyond.

Throngs of men, women, and children watch their silent departure, holding candles and lanterns to light the soldiers’ way, some throwing coins or flowers as tokens of good luck. Some cry, knowing these young men and women would never return. It is a somber procession. As they arrive at the main gate, the squads arrange themselves parallel to the wall as the Troop Commander goes from team to team, handing out night flares.

Sensing his opportunity, Dirk goes before his squad to deliver a speech.

[ScrambledBrains]

"Well...here we are, folks...some of you...nay, most of you are probably frightened." Dirk began. "I cannot blame you for that. I'm scared too. But I will say to you that life lived in fear is not a life worth living. We could hide behind these walls like sheep, attempting to be willfully ignorant of the blade dangling above our heads, letting the Titans slowly push us to extinction, but that too is not a life worth living. We cannot run and we cannot hide. Our only option is to face our opponent head-on, no matter the cost.

I want each of you to look at your fellows. Take in their faces, their expressions, their emotions...until we return, these are your comrades in arms...these are your brothers and sisters. Alone, we are powerless before our opponents...but together, we stand as one...we stand together, to show these Titan bastards that humanity will not go quietly into the dark! WE STAND AS ONE!" He finished.

"Now, let's ride! Sara, Elionart, Felix, you're with me. Hugo, Julian, you leave with Dietrich."

[cubedancer]

Sara

Sara nodded at Dirk's inspiring speech as she led Jan from the stables, scanning the faces of her team mates. The drawn Hugo, the reassuring features of Dietrich, Julian's flashing green eyes, Elionart's grin, Felix looking determined and Dirk, the captain, eyes bright as he brought his chestnut round to the front of their column. She clicked her tongue and nudged Jan into a trot so that he might fall in a little to the right, behind the captain's horse.

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo

Well, that was a good speech. Maybe we'll live a few seconds longer, or at least die a bit less miserably.

Hugo spurs the horse underneath him into a trot. Nobody had gotten kicked in the head yet, so that was a good omen. Hugo takes one last, long look at the gates. I'll be coming back here soon, one way or the other.

[Grthr]

Julian strides with the group on his horse. He was about to go on his next hunt, and he was excited. His grin would have shown his excitement, but His face just made it look imposing. After Captain Dirk’s speech the gate was the last obstacle in his way. All that was left was to follow Dietrich out of the gate to face his enemy head on.

[Julian84]

With a grinding squeal, the gatekeepers raise the barrier that separates men from titans, a gust of cool wind rushing in and grasping at the soldiers’ hair and clothes. A pitch black abyss awaits them, nothing can be seen past the threshold of the gate. For a moment… All is still, no one moving, no one wanting to take the first step beyond the wall… But with a wild cry, the troop commander rears back his horse and charges forward! “For humanity!” He roars as his squad follows after him, galloping through the gates into the wilds beyond…

Squad 4 follows behind the others, led by Dirk and Dietrich into the night. Their hearts pound in their chests, the cold night air stinging against their faces as they charge forward through the plains. Slowly… Their eyes begin to adjust to the moonlight, allowing them to see copses of trees, abandoned houses and barns, and broken down carts with the mounds where horses had been killed before they reached the walls in time. There were no human corpses among them.

Dirk signals the others to split off as the five squads spread out to avoid attracting Titans, a technique now being utilized thanks to the ideas of Commander Erwin. Dietrich moves north, Hugo and Julian trailing behind him as Dirk moves south, Felix, Sara, and Elionart follow closely.

Team Dirk

The group of four rides hard for an hour, slowly approaching their first landmark and leaving the safety of the wall behind. Briefly, they sometimes spot other detachments of soldiers riding in the same direction far off in the distance. The imposing atmosphere of the outer ring has taken on a more eerie tone… No one has seen a titan yet, it seems. Communication between the detachments, however, is spotty at best.

Looming out of the dark, they see a small hamlet appear in front of them. They ride past the buildings, Dirk using hand motions to direct them to skirt around the edge of the town, avoiding getting caught up in the small buildings and narrow streets. As they pass, though, they catch a looming silhouette out of the corner of their eyes… And a titan falls from a side-alley, crashing down in the midst of their formation!

Roll to avoid harm!

Team Dietrich

The trio heads west silently, noting the presence of comrades far off in the distance. The lack of visibility is… Incredibly nerve-wracking, and they can only hope they don’t ride straight into a Titan just wandering around. As they ride, though, they spot a red flare shooting into the air near their position!

What will they do?

[ScrambledBrains]

[roll0]


Will edit in more after I see my die results. Just so I have something to work with.

Dirk, at the head of the team, managed to slip away from the Titan falling toward them with a swift leap! But as he and his steed moved, he felt something go wrong...

[Grthr]

Julian looked to the red flare illuminating the sky with the color of blood. Another group already found a titan. Tough luck finding a titan in the dark. Julian thought to himself as he kept moving forward hoping that his chance to fight a titan would come as well.

[Space Lawyer]

Red; recollect in one group. Hugo looks toward Dietrich. The captain had put him in command of the little group, so it was his call. There were certainly titans over in the direction of the flare (what else could it mean?), but sometimes it was better to be near an enemy who's location was known, rather than just hoping that the enemy wasn't out there. Of course, it would be best to be nowhere near any enemy whatsoever.

[neriractor]

Elionart quickly directed his horse to the left, his Old horse got killed in the last mission but this one will do. He closed in with the commander and looked toward the dust cloud hoping for his comrades to come out, should I kill it?he started thinking but waited for the commander to give a sign.

[cubedancer]

Sara

Now that the wait was over Sara relished riding Jan through the dark, feeling freedom return to her, despite the ever present fear of the titans. Adrenaline rushed through her and she almost sensed the titan before it fell upon the squad, instinctively swerving from its path.

[Julian84]

Team Dirk

The horses neigh in panic as the Titan crashes down in the midst of the formation, scattering some of the soldiers. While Jan and Felix bolt out of the way, hurriedly making their way to safety, Elionart and Dirk are thrown from their horses, hitting the dirt and rolling until coming to a standstill. Their mounts ride off into the night, stricken with terror. Looking back, they see that the Titan is crawling closer, but they may be able to escape it!

Team Dietrich

The Eye of the Storm assesses the situation carefully for a minute before nodding decisively. “We’re going in.” He says, pulling on the reins and riding towards the flare, Hugo and Julian following behind. They arrive at an overgrown crossroads and see a supply cart to the north, inexplicably on fire as four other soldiers watch it quietly.

Roll Awareness

[Space Lawyer]

Hugo trots his horse up carefully. It was a shame to see such valuable material going to waste. What could the soldiers be burning a cart for?

Then it hits him. The titans weren't entirely stupid. They might operate entirely on instinct, but that would be enough to draw the to the fire. He keeps an eye out, alert for danger.

[Grthr]

Julian rides over and looks towards the fire. Great. They left a light in case we need to fight the titans here. Julian thinks to himself as he stares into the fire. The fool continued to stare as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and before he realized it he could no longer see anything but the bright island of fire in the sea of black.