The Last of Its Kind [AoT]

VII

Trost District. Year 850. Under threat from his own regiment, Eren Jaeger invokes his ability to transform, saving Mikasa, Kyra, and Armin, but striking fear into the hearts of his fellow soldiers.

That brave stand went unheeded, but for the intervention of one man. Dot Pyxis. The highest ranking officer in the Southern Territory.

...

"Excellently said. You have the heart of a lion." Pyxis said pleased with his choice. He walked the edge.

"Staff officers, hup! We have a plan to flesh out!" He announced.

"Wait, we--? We can't actually be moving forward with this as our linchpin strategy. It was just something I tossed out there." Armin said nervously.

"I was thinking the same thing. 'Cept, he seems like a guy who knows what he's doing. Has it all under control, like we can't see the forest for the trees, but he's got a bird's eye view." Eren commented.

"Y'think so?" Armin asked.

"I do. Either way, though, we've got a whole other problem to address before we can get your plan off the ground. And my gut tells me that the Commander's keenly aware of it." Eren replied.

"Which would be?"

"Titans aren't our only foe. Right, Ky? You hinted at it earlier." Eren asked.

Kyra glanced at Eren before nodding soundlessly.

"Look sharp, soldiers. The fate of mankind rests on your shoulders." They stood up straight as Pyxis walked toward them.

One look at the soldiers standing around waiting and you could tell that they held immense doubt, anxiety, nervousness, and fear.

Pyxis walked forward clearing his throat before screaming out. "Attention!"

Once the focus of the soldiers was on him he continued, "Take note. The blueprint of the Trost Recovery Operation is this. Our primary objective is to reseal the hole. Yes, you heard right. What's more, it will be done manually. As for how the task will be done, that's where this fellow comes in. Allow me to introduce Cadet Eren Jaeger. Don't let appearances deceive you. This young man is in fact the successful product of cutting-edge science. Fantastic as this may sound, Cadet Jaeger possesses the ability to fabricate and control a Titan body, at will. Recall the massive boulder roughly a league from the gate. Having assumed Titan form, Cadet Jaeger will hoist said boulder on his back, schlep it to the hole, and voila! And this is where you all come in. Your job will be to defend him. Yes. Defend a Titan against his own kind." Pyxis continued.

Kyra looked at a map. "Actually. Logistically speaking there won't be a need to fight the Titans." Kyra pointed out blankly.

"What do you mean we don't actually need to fight them?" Gustav questioned looking at Kyra.

Armin glanced down at the blueprint as Kyra spoke up. "There's an easier way. A decoy team in a corner away from the breach should be enough to divert their attention away from Eren and those protecting him."

Armin gasped before glancing at the girl. "That's genius, Kyra. Sorry, I know it's not my place to interrupt. I mean no disrespect." Armin apologized.

"It's alright. Just go on with what you two were saying." Gustav encouraged.

"Right. Thank you, sir. This is what she means, see, whatever else is going on around them, Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected in the corner away from the breach, we could lure the Titans out of Eren's path. He could be discrete about moving the boulder. He also won't have to slow his pace while we fight the others off of him. And since the Titans will all be in one area, we can pick them off via cannon fire without incurring causalities of our own. Now I'm not suggesting we leave Eren defenseless. That'd be too risky. We'll need a modest band of Elites to act as his bodyguards. There's no way of knowing how many Titans might come through the hole while he's trying to patch it up. His security detail will need to be able to handle them." Armin informed.