In Between The Ends

Chapter Nine

At the same moment back in Veritas, Armin and Oz were quickly making their way down the communications corridor located on the top floor of the Parliament building. They hurried around a corner and walking through the first door on their left. Inside was small box-shaped room with one side completely covered by a large array of technical equipment. Inside Armin made eyes with both Jean and Connie, who both wore the same heavy lines of concern on their faces.

Stuffed inside the tight room was also another engineer he didn't remember the name of and two others: Kiyomi Azumabito, the lead ambassador from the Hizuru nation and a close ally, and the acting President of Marly and leader of Veritas - Andre Wohl.

Wohl was a large and fair man. He had won his campaign the year prior by pledging his sympathies to the Eldian people, which lead to both rejoice and outcry during his election proceedings. He was very interested in the part Armin and his friends had played in the way the world was shaped now, and had become rather devote in the communication/safety of the Queen. He turned to them as they entered the room and greeted them with a pleased grunt.

"Ah, there you are! Good, good. Gentlemen, I wish our meeting was under better circumstances, but I'm afraid this calls for all eyes at the ready." Kiyomi bent slightly to him, looking equally as worried.

Oz slipped passed him with a respectable nod and sat down in a lumpy chair next to the other engineer. It was Pieck who came crashing through the door next, red and huffing.

"What's going on? I had barely landed back on solid ground before they told me I needed to be here, pronto."

"Historia missed her communique this morning." Jean said tightly. "They've been trying to get in contact with her since this morning with no luck." Pieck blanched the same color as Armin had not an hour before.

"Is there any way it could be just a mechanical issue? Something that's broken over on their side?" Armin asked desperately, though he knew he was just grasping at straws now.

Oz looked at him over his shoulder. "We considered that at first. The problem is that we've run plenty of tests to see if that was the issue, but we are still actively connecting with their equipment. There's just... no answer." He turned back to the console and flipped a switch. Loud static could be heard through an audio device sitting on the table in front of him. Oz grabbed a thick wire with large mesh bulb on the top and pressed another button below it.

"Paradis Tower this in Marlyean Base, please respond."

Only continued static answered him. He tried again and again, but all that could be heard was the electrical buzz of the speaker. Turning back to President Wohl he shrugged. "She's never missed contact before sir, especially not since we began planning their removal from the island. They haven't even been late."

"When was the last time we made contact with her or her people?"

"Three days ago."

President Wohl nodded. "This indeed feels worrisome. I don't believe there are many reasons for Queen Historia to miss such an important connection, besides the one I'm sure we are all thinking."

"I KNEW this would happen." Jean spat, running a rough hand through his hair. "I told you we should have gotten her and Mikasa out when the protests started!"

"With all due respect Commander Kirstein, the Queen wasn't willing to leave until she had exhausted all other attempts to regain her foothold with the people." The President said, eyeing him sternly. Jean didn't respond as he began pacing around in the limited space he had.

"Do you think the Jaegerist military got wind of her evacuation?" Kiyomi asked, searching every face in the room for an answer.

"It's possible. Their reach goes very far these days. It's not a stretch to wonder if her regime had an information leak." Oz muttered while leafing through his transcribe notes from the more recent weeks. "But there's nothing in here that suggests she believed there was."