Fandom The Wings of Freedom [Attack on Titan]

[Priya]

((Hey guys! I'm finally back from OKC! Sorry I couldn't reply while I was gone. Anyone care to catch me up or give me a lead back in?))

 

[CelticHero37]

(Basically the Recon Squad went on a mission to map out titan activity in preparation for the push outside of wall Maria. But, of course there were some mishaps. So now my character is looking for the Commander to figure out a new plan. Running into your character would work too.)

 

[sox]

Ren watched the soldiers return in silence, her hair casting a shadow over her eyes. The plan hadn't worked out the way they'd planned. All the troops had succeeded in was riling up the Titans. "Michael," she addressed, her voice low and menacing. "I want you to tell me in detail exactly what the hell went wrong. This mission was crucial for our plans tomorrow. Failure to complete a task such as this is unacceptable." She stared him dead in the eye, an inferno in her gaze. While she was fairly understanding when it came to mishaps in battle, collecting info was vastly different. It was crucial that one not be seen, and only the utmost skilled troops were expected to take part. Botching a mission like this was not favorable, especially given their time constraints.

 

[CelticHero37]

Though Michael didn't appreciate the Commander's tone, he understood it. It was the same tone he had given his officers. There would be no pointing fingers or naming names, because he was responsible for the recon squad. But how much he took from the commander would definitely reciprocate to those underneath him.


Standing at attention with his hands behind his hips, he recounted, "A titan appeared and threw my men off guard. They acted out of impulse and emotion."





Then Michael put his head down and sighed. He was about to make his own evaluation, and it wasn't one he would enjoy giving, "I do not believe the recon squad is mentally prepared for dealing with a titan, Sir."

 

[sox]

Vreni looked each of the soldiers in the eye, taking care not to miss anyone. While she loved her troops more than anything, it wouldn't do for them to flop when it counts. She had to make tough calls every now and then, and tonight was no exception. "I was thinking the same thing," she finally agreed after taking a minute to calm herself down. Clearing her throat, she motioned towards the area behind her. "Go. Rest. Treat any wounded." She turned back to Michael. "You, stay here."

 

[CelticHero37]

Nodding, Michael nodded and waited for the other soldiers to move off to their duties. Then he simply waited silently for the Commander to say what she was going to say. Michael could not guess what else the Commander would say, which made it almost interesting to him.

 

[sox]

Once the other soldiers had all moved past, Ren paced outwards a couple steps before turning back to face Michael. "Now's the only chance you have to convince me to let your team stay on the mission. Go."

 

[CelticHero37]

The Commander's request took Michael by surprise. He had just told her that he didn't believe the Recon Squad was fit for duty. Now she was asking him why they are fit to stay. That didn't quite make sense to Michael, so he simply elaborated, "I'm sorry sir, I must not have been clear. I do not believe that the Recon Squad is fit to partake in missions that could involve titans until they learn to control their impulses. As a unit, they are the best titan killers of the human race. But that's all we've trained them how to do. They don't understand tactics, strategy, survival. On top of that, most of them hold emotional ties to their motivations. In other words, they can fight a titan and win, but they don't know how to fight a war against the titans. If you were to utilize them in the upcoming mission. Their usefulness would lie in a full on assault of titans to clear a specific trajectory."

 

[sox]

"You were plenty clear, sergeant. I'm aware that your team isn't fit for the job- that you haven't trained them properly or by the standards at which we need them. I'm also well aware that the Survey Corps has had the lowest output of soldiers this year than any other." The commander locked her eyes onto his, radiating a powerful aura. "I'm not giving you this opportunity on a whim, sergeant. You're familiar with my policy. Mess up in training or on a minor mission, you have one mistake left before you're out. Mess up on a major operation where more than a couple supplies are at stake, you're out for the rest of the season. I'm being generous just this once and letting you rethink this. Make the wrong choice and your soldiers won't be participating in any activity for a long while." Ren didn't have the luxury of being able to lay off any soldiers she wanted. Even if they had screwed up, they were better than putting trainees on the field. Still deciding between her options, she needed Michael to give her the small push to make the call.

 

[CelticHero37]

Michael had continually told the Commander that the Recon Squad was not prepared, yet she seemed intent on giving them another shot. There had been a lot of stress in the air lately as a result of the major mission approaching. That most likely played a part in the rash decisions. Perhaps with a little more definitive instruction, they would perform well.


It made sense why the Commander wanted to give them a second chance. Even though they had messed up, they were still the most trained in their profession. Yet if the Recon Squad was going to work efficiently as a unit, Michael needed his officers to understand war, not just battle.


Looking down at the Commander, Michael replied, "If you can hold of the mission for one more day, I believe I could provide you with an effective Recon Squad. If not, I suggest that they be put to use helping the garrison. The Recon Squad has been trained, but this is their first major reality check. There are a few more lessons they need to learn."

 

[sox]

For the first time since the mission, Vreni cracked a hint of a smile before returning to her stony expression. "Granted. You have all of tomorrow. Do it right, sergeant. Dismissed." That was all she had needed. If this plan failed, it was unlikely that the Survey Corps would get the funding it so desperately needed.

 

[Priya]

Anais gathered herself and approached the commander after she had dismissed the sergeant. "Commander?" she greeted, questions pressing on her mind. "What's our plan for tomorrow? What would you have my squad and I do?" Anais hated to request orders from Ren, but there were certain times like these when she found she had no other options.

 

[sox]

Ren directed her attention to the approaching officer, taking her eyes off of Michael. "The recon team is taking the day for training, so the mission will be pushed back to Tuesday. Run things over with your squad. Make sure they have their movements set beforehand. We don't want a repeat of this disaster."


She noticed Asce sauntering over, dragging a trainee behind him. "Found this one snatching our potions," he informed Ren, waving a bottle of alcohol in the air. "The brat's got a bit in his system, too, so he probably doesn't know that he's 'bout to go down a hell of a dark road."


Ren sighed, rubbing her temples as she felt her blood boil. The day couldn't seem to end quickly enough. "Send him back to his dorm and have someone watch him. I'll use him as an example. If anyone else gets their hands on our supply, don't hesitant to give them a beating."

 

[CelticHero37]

Michael was about to ask the Commander one more question when Asce walked up with a rather unstable soldier. Michael cast the soldier the death glare, though he was too drunk to care. This was the last thing Michael needed after the mission failure he just had. He walked over and grabbed the drunk soldier by the collar. "This one's my responsibility Commander. I'll take care of the situation. The is just one thing I request for tomorrow. Three passes into Wall Maria territory. Could you approve that?"

 

[sox]

Ren nodded in agreement. "Granted. Just don't screw up, soldier." She swept her silver hair up into a high ponytail and planted her hands on her hips, turning to the two from Special Ops. "Anaïs, you and Asce can head back. Get some rest, stay hydrated, et cetera. All that's left is planning." She closed her eyes and sighed. "More planning."

 

[CelticHero37]

Michael tugged the drunken soldier along behind him. Looking up, the soldier started to tremble a little. Though he was still plenty drunk, the man could tell he had dug himself into a very deep hole. Escorting the man into the Recon Squad camp, he ordered for him to be brought to a room for the night. A man wouldn't remember his punishment when he was drunk. So Michael was going to let him sober up a little bit and give him just a sliver of hope that he might not get in trouble. That would make the initial punishment even worse. Then he walked over to his own room and quickly went to sleep.


Waking up at 4:00, the Sergeant moved quietly to the room where the soldier was resting. As he approached the door, he gave it a light knock. After a moment, he knocked a little louder. He was going to ride out the calm a little longer and wait for the right moment to strike. That moment came as the soldier slowly opened the door, still confused about what went on the night before.


Immediately Michael was in his face, "Get your uniform on soldier!! You look like drunken slob! But I guess that makes sense because they caught you steeling bottles of whiskey from other soldiers! I think we've got the lowest scumbag in the military right here! You not only endangered yourself because of your irresponsibility, you decided to endanger your friends too?! Well look here everybody! Private Scumbag wants to invite the titans to dinner! Let me guess, you just needed to clear your head huh? Well a titan would have been more than happy to do that for you, and that's just where you belong you pile scraps! You know what? I like that better than scumbag! Alright scraps, time to get to work!" Michael grabbed the shivering soldier by the collar of his coat and shoved him out the door onto the dirt road, "On the floor is where you belong Scraps! Now quit whining! You have to pack three horses for a ride past Wall Rose! I know you always wanted to meet those titans Scraps! So here's your chance! Get your lame excuse for a body moving Scraps! Does your back hurt? You need a chiropractor?!" Michael jabbed his foot into Scraps' back, knocking him over.


Normally packing three horses wouldn't be a big deal for anyone in the military. But with Sergeant Major Duinnin on your heels, it was quite possibly equivalent to hell. He'd never just let you complete something, he'd just kick you back down and throw another insult at you. If you got pissed and tried to attack him, he'd just put you in a choke-hold or arm-bar until you gave up. Of course it didn't help that Scraps thought they were taking him to the titans. Which was exactly what Michael wanted him to believe.

 

[CelticHero37]

After an hour and a half, the horses were saddled and ready. Michael ordered Scraps to do a few more odd jobs, but let off him a little. Finally, the thanked the cadet for the help and sent him on his way. But not before telling him that he'd discuss with the commander the final consequences of his actions. Personally, Michael didn't think the soldier should be allowed to continue on the mission, but that wasn't his call.


Once Scraps had disappeared, Michael turned back to the Recon Camp. He knocked on the doors of his two officers and asked them to meet him in the stables in a half hour. It was still early, but not as early as it had been for the other soldier. Besides, Michael wasn't really mad at his officers. He understood their actions. Which is why they needed some extra training. Then he walked to the stables and waited for his officers.

 

[FlibbertyGidget]

Mae shoved a few things in a satchel and tossed it over her shoulder. She rapped on Katherine's door as she passed, then continued to the stables. Trying hard not to drag her feet, Mae wondered what she was heading into.

 

[killercandy15]

Katherine had just finished wolfing down her breakfast as she heard a second knock on her door. Curious as to what was going to happen so early, she snatched her bags and ran to catch up with Mae, who didn't seem as enthusiastic about being up early. Upon nearing the stables, Katherine could see a few horses were saddled up already too, and she was extremely curious as to what was going on.

 

[FlibbertyGidget]

Mae went to one of the horses and rubbed his nose. She glanced over her shoulder at Katherine. "Ready for whatever this is lieutenant?" They were going some distance if they needed horses, and she wasn't excited about it in the least. She would rather stay at the base and run drills.

 

[CelticHero37]

Noticing that his officers had arrived, Michael approached. "Good morning. I apologize for getting you up so early. Yet I need to teach you a few things today. I've requested permission to travel beyond Wall Rose. We'll be observing the titans today. So make sure you've got your full gear."

 

[killercandy15]

Katherine was about to respond to Mae when Michael began to speak. She simply nodded happily at Mae before turning to him and listening. She knew something was going to happen as a response to the chaos of the previous day. However, she didn't expect going out of the walls just to get close to titans. Most people can't take getting close to them before loosing their calm. However, most also don't go out just to see titans even if they are crazy. "Sir, what do you mean by 'observing the titans'? Are we going out just to look at them like wild animals or...?"

 

[CelticHero37]

Michael nodded. "Observe in nature. Hunters always have a sound strategy. Yet sometimes the prey escape. Why is that? Because the prey understands the hunter. You two are my leaders, and I need you to be independent. Thus I need you both to be comfortable around the titans. I can't have you making rash decisions. Let's ride."

 

[FlibbertyGidget]

Mae kept her mouth shut and checked her gear. There was nothing insane about going out to observe the titans. After all, it was the job she'd signed up for. But her brain was yelling for her to go back to bed and take this on another day, when her stomach wasn't flopping and she could actually breathe. Instead, she mounted her horse and waited for the next orders.

 

[CelticHero37]

Michael nodded when his officers mounted their horses. "Alright, you'll find a small breakfast in your packs for when we get a chance to eat. Follow me, we'll be taking a back road today. We don't need a big procession to put people one edge."