Having lost everything to the titans, you find yourself alienated when you wake up alone, in a city you didn't recognize. Deprived of a sense of purpose, you join the Military in hopes of reclaiming what's left of your home, Shiganshina. But is home...
You proceed to give everyone a quick rundown of what Commander Erwin explained during the strategy meeting before you left Trost and bring them up to speed on the immediate plans for your squad.
After suffering massive casualties from the 57th Expedition to the recent uprising, the Survey Corps had shrunk down to just four squads. The Special Ops Squad led by Captain Levi, the Research Squad led by Captain Hange, the Specialized Anti-Titan Squad led by yourself and finally the new recruits led by Commander Erwin.
To make things more efficient, the Commander suggested splitting up. The idea was to have each of the four squads take out the titans in a specific area assigned to them. The concentration of titans varied depending on the area, so it meant that the squads could be assigned to sections where the difficulty was optimal for their skill.
Since the titans entered Wall Maria through the breach in Shiganshina, the bulk of them were concentrated towards the south between Shiganshina and Trost. It essentially meant that the Southern Quarter was the most difficult and had to be assigned to a squad capable of handling it.
Commander Erwin had lost an arm during Reiner and Bertolt's escape, meaning he wasn't at his best. Because of this, he had started taking on more of a mentor role and led the new recruits who transferred to the Survey Corps after the uprising. All in all, it meant that they were the weakest squad, so they're assigned to the Northern Quarter which had the least concentration of titans.
While Captain Levi was the single strongest soldier in Paradis, his entire squad besides Petra were killed during the 57th Expedition a little over a month ago. His new squad was made up of your friends from the 104th: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie and Sasha. While they were all skilled soldiers, they lacked in experience. Therefore, they were assigned to the Eastern Quarter.
Hange's squad has always focused on research and weren't the best when it came to combat. Basically, they specialized in capturing and studying titans over killing them, so they were assigned to the Western Quarter.
Your squad on the other hand consisted of experienced veterans: Rico who was a former Captain of one of the Garrison's Elite Squads, Petra who used to be part of the former Levi Squad and Nifa who was Hange's third-in-command following Moblit.
While you and Annie were relatively new—having graduated from the 104th not long ago like the recently formed Levi Squad—the two of you had the most experience in terms of killing titans; second only to Captain Levi himself. It was to be expected after spending a month in Shiganshina doing just that.
The fact that you had to prove yourself to the council in order for them to approve your plan also played into Commander Erwin's decision. All things considered, he assigned your squad to the Southern Quarter of Wall Maria.
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While the other squads stationed themselves in the outer districts of Wall Rose; Utopia, Karanese and Klorva, your squad was instructed to head to Shiganshina and use the HQ there as a base of operations instead of Trost.
Strategically, it was a good location as you could start taking out the titans from the south while the 'Executioner from Hell' took out the ones closer to Trost. But you had a feeling that part of the reason was to keep Annie away from civilians until the authorities were sure they could fully trust her.
While you had an assortment of skilled members, it was still a new squad and didn't have the level of synergy required to fight as a cohesive unit. One of your primary goals as a Captain was to make sure no one dies— it's the reason you went with such a small group in the first place. To that end, you decide to take some time and train before taking on the hordes of titans in Wall Maria.
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The next day,
You begin training with two objectives in mind. One was to get them used to fighting beside Annie and the other was to bring them up to speed on your recent discoveries. After spending a month endlessly slaughtering titans in Shiganshina, you've improved significantly and have developed more efficient techniques.
You started by updating their kill counts to the standards you set for your squad going forward. "Only solo kills count, and they have to be one-shots to the nape!"
This was derived from what you learned by studying Mikasa during the attack on Trost. You concluded that going after the titan anywhere besides the nape would be a waste of effort because they could regenerate.
While everyone knew about it, it was still common for soldiers to first go after titans' arms and legs to limit their offensive ability and reduce the risk of being grabbed. But you instead focused on improving their speed and agility to avoid being attacked, while always aiming straight for the nape as you predict it would result in more kills while using less gas and stamina.
"Huh? But is that even possible?" Petra asks.
"It is. The key is to take the titans out before they have time to react. We need to work on your speed and agility first, though. I know it's a bit demanding, but I promise you it'll be worth it considering the sheer number of titans in the Southern Quarter." You explain and begin training.
The biggest impact was on Petra, who had the highest record among the three, having been in the former Levi squad for a while. She had a kill count of fifty-eight, but it dropped to just four after you updated it to your new rules.
While training went smoothly, it wasn't as easy to get them used to fighting alongside Annie in her titan form— for reasons both physical as well as psychological. To help them overcome their fear, you device a trust building exercise.
You ask Annie to transform. All three of them froze where they stood as expected. Even though they've fought titans before, an intelligent titan is always a much bigger threat; specially for Nifa and Petra, as they've seen what she's capable of first hand during the 57th Expedition.
You ask Annie to open her mouth. While you noted how the Female Titan looked more approachable compared to Eren's in her base form, it looked rather horrifying when Annie dropped her jaw and fully opened her mouth.
The others watched in anticipation as you step inside and sit on her teeth. Their eyes looked as if they were about to burst out of their sockets. You could see them dread as you step outside and say, "Your Turn!" asking each of them to step inside the Female Titan's mouth.
"B-But Captain, are you sure it's safe?" Rico asks.
"Of course it is. Unlike how Eren was in Trost, Annie's in complete control, watch!" you say and kiss the titan on her cheek. It was to show them that despite her terrifying demeanor, it was still Annie.
Rico was the first to step up. You admired her bravery as she sat on the titan's teeth even though her legs were shaking. Nifa was up next and was a little more reluctant, but she eventually willed herself to do it.
Petra in particular found it difficult to get over the initial fear. It was fair though; after all, she did nearly get crushed by Annie's foot just over a month ago so she likely had some lingering PTSD from it. In time however, everyone got used to it and were able to fight by her side. In about two weeks, they were up to speed and ready to head out on your first mission.
