Attack on Titan Fanfiction – Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Chapter 7

Calm Before the Storm

“Why would they do such an inhuman act?” Prime Minister Otto Dietrich asked, incredulous. 

They were at the Palace in the capital, holding a top-level briefing, with the top-ranking officers of the military and government now faced with deciding the next course of action. Queen Historia was present, the shadow of concern in her eyes marring her resplendent beauty.

After a month of investigation, including intel gathered in Noblain and Vespucci via Levi’s network of operatives, the Paradian Royal Navy came up with the conclusion that Noblain intentionally, secretly loaded tonnes of contraband weapons in the Aniastulia. The list was mind-blowing: 6 million rounds of rifle cartridges and 45 tonnes of filled shells. It was enough to blow up an entire ship.

“The route and timing of sail had been planned by the Noblainian Navy so that they could have favorable results either way: if Cistidu spared the ship because of the civilian passengers, then Noblain will have much-needed weapons delivered to their port. If, on the other hand, Cistidu sank the ship, the attack would most definitely anger Vespucci, enough for them to join the continental war. Cistidu, to their own detriment, chose the latter course of action. Noblain will finally have an ally powerful enough to decisively determine the result of the war. There is a saying: ‘The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy’. Noblain followed this to the letter,” Jean concluded in his summary of the reports.

That was when Dietrich’s anguished voice filled the room. “In other words, what you are saying, admiral, is that Noblain effectively used the civilian passengers as human shields?”

“I’m afraid so, Mr Dietrich,” said Jean.

“But you have said time and again that Noblain’s Admiral Gainsborough was one of the wisest, most clever men in naval history. Yet now he simply appears evil to me,” said Otto Dietrich.

The Prime Minister was shocked and felt betrayed. He attended a diplomatic event two years ago and met the legendary Admiral Nicholas Gainsborough, who put on the charm. Gainsborough can be utterly enchanting when he wants to be. Dietrich was disappointed to find out that the person he considered to be a most admirable man is not what he seems.

Jean tried explaining the workings of the mind of his former mentor.

“Gainsborough is the wisest and most clever in naval warfare. As for his political beliefs…well, for him, the end justifies the means,” replied Jean. “He sees man as inherently selfish and will act only in his own self-interest. For a leader like himself, in the name of national interest, it is important to only pretend to be virtuous than to be truly virtuous. Better to be feared than loved, he liked to say. Gainsborough’s goal in life is to acquire, retain and expand power, and he does this through naval warfare. He subscribes to ammorality, which means that in certain situations, the rules of power have priority over those of ethics and morality.”

“Remember that human shields are as old as time, Mr Dietrich,” Armin added his two cents. “Not that it makes them right. But we Eldians are experts at it. The vanguard towns, the Land Reclamation projects, the Shiganshina recapture strategy. The only difference is that we executed them on land while Noblain did it on water. All of them done in the name of the Greater Good.”

“In other words, Gainsborough is a flawed human being, and we human beings are capable of evil,” Levi deadpanned. “Noblain was desperate and believed it had run out of options. But don’t ever deceive yourself, Otto. All of us are capable of that kind of evil. In fact, our own ancestors did their share of mass killings, and their blood runs through our veins. We Eldians have managed to survive by sacrificing our fellow Eldians.”

“I beg your pardon, honorable sirs, but why are you defending this wretched monster?” Dietrich wailed. 

“We aren’t defending him, Mr Dietrich. We are merely staring reality in the face,” answered Jean. 

“Moving on,” Queen Historia says, turning to Jean, “what is Cistidu’s latest reaction on the matter, admiral?”

“Cistidu argued in vain that they had the right to sink the ship because she was carrying tonnes of contraband weapons, in direct violation of the Cruiser Rules,” Jean replied. “They insisted that the Aniastulia was an armed merchant cruiser and thus a legitimate military target, as stated in the International Naval Warfare Rules. The fact that she was using neutral flags meant she tried to deceive, which is also a violation of the Cruiser Rules.”

“And is anyone listening to what Cistidu is claiming?” Queen Historia asked.

“No, Your Majesty, no one seems to be listening. Vespucci least of all,” Jean replied. “Vespucci’s Secretary of State, Brian Jenningson, said in an interview with a national newspaper that ships carrying contraband should not be allowed to carry civilian passengers because that would be turning them into human shields. He was fired by the President the following day.” 

“Is Vespucci’s attachment to Noblain because of their history?” Dietrich queried.

“Yes, Mr Dietrich. Vespucci is a former Noblainian colony, thus they have strong political affiliations with Noblain. They’d rather blame Cistidu for sinking the ship than criticize Noblain for violating international law,” Armin explained.

“But why doesn’t Cistidu just show the cargo list to the world? That would prove them right, wouldn’t it?” Dietrich wanted to know.

“The problem is,” Jean replied, “Noblain is officially denying that the Aniastulia carried anything contraband to begin with. They flat-out reject the discovered list of contraband weapons, saying it was all a fabrication on the part of the Cistiduan secret service. Noblain insists all the Aniastulia had as cargo were a few boxes of empty shells and a few hundred small-arms ammunition.”

“How do we know who is really lying, and who is telling the truth?” asked Dietrich.

“I will personally vouch for the information gathered by my operatives in Vespucci,” Levi answered. “They found out that the dockhands who loaded the contraband onto the ship were paid a sizable amount of hush money. The amount of cargo was far more than the few boxes that Noblain claims. The dockhands said the cargo arrived in a military convoy disguised as vegetable and grain trucks.”

“Our Navy knows Noblain is lying because we witnessed the nature of the second blast,” Jean added. “A torpedo alone could not have caused such an explosion. This is a fact that the HMS Erwin Smith crew can corroborate to, but of course no one will believe us because we are Eldian scum and island devils. Noblain can make whatever claims it wants and we can only watch.”

“And Vespucci will just believe those claims without investigating on their own?” asked the Minister of Defense, Konrad Sauer.

“Vespucci will believe those claims because no one has mastered the art of propaganda better than Noblain,” said Armin. “As Noblain had predicted, the entire nation of Vespucci is furious, the inflamed populace calling on their government to declare war on Cistidu. Noblain is taking full advantage of the civilian casualties to show the world the evil incarnate that is Cistidu. The Noblainian propaganda machine is distributing illustrations and photos of drowned children to newspapers around the world, in order to sway public opinion.”

“This massive propaganda campaign will trump the logic of war and the agreed upon methods of warfare,” Jean added. “Cistidu is justified in claiming that the Aniastulia was not an innocent ship. But such valid claims pale in significance to images of human suffering.”

“But why doesn’t Noblain just ask Vespucci for help? If they are that desperate for financial support for their war couldn’t they just beg Vespucci for a loan or something?” asked Sauer.

Armin shook his head. His patience was being tested. “That is not how nation-states operate, Mr Sauer. A Head of State doesn’t just ask his counterpart for money and have it delivered to his state treasury in no time. Vespucci has an isolationist policy with regard to global affairs, and a protectionist economy. It’s been that way for hundreds of years. As a rule they simply do not wish to involve themselves in the complex geopolitical problems of the continent, because these problems go way back in history and are messy and dirty and will take vast amounts of resources to solve. Vespucci so far has only been concerned with national growth and development. Gainsborough is fully aware of Vespucci’s reluctance to be engaged in the continent, so he came up with the Aniastulia mission. Vespucci is a proud and protective state and does not take lightly the death of its precious citizens. The country will seek revenge on Cistidu by siding with Noblain.”

There was a loud sigh in the room. “Hold on a minute, Armin, all of you. Did it ever occur to any of you that this is not our problem?” said Sauer. “This whole thing is between Noblain, Cistidu and Vespucci. Why are we involved again?” 

Armin, doing his best not to roll his eyes, explained the whole thing from the beginning.

Sauer turned to Jean, “In other words, this is all your fault, isn’t it, Admiral Kirschtein? If you simply ignored the sinking ship and went about your way, then Paradis would never have been involved in the first place. You should’ve just let all them smelly foreigners drown! They don’t care for us, why should we give a damn about them?”

Jean shook his head sadly. “I suppose a politician like you can see it that way, but in the Navy we follow a Golden Rule. Putting aside the moral imperative of helping a ship in distress, there is a statutory obligation for a ship’s captain to act. We are compelled by maritime law to help a fellow ship involved in an injury-causing event. Let me quote from memory from the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea:

The master of a ship at sea which is in a position to be able to provide assistance on receiving information from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance, if possible informing them or the search and rescue service that the ship is doing so. This obligation to provide assistance applies regardless of the nationality or status of such persons or the circumstances in which they are found.

– International Convention for the Safety of the Life at Sea

“In other words, t’was the right thing to do, you ignorant twat,” Levi summed up, glaring at Sauer. “There was absolutely no fucking reason for the HMS Erwin Smith to refuse to help, and to help as fast as she could.”

“We did contact our Coastguard, but because they were farther away from the Aniastulia than we were, we proceeded to do the majority of the rescue. The Coastguard arrived two hours later, but if we left them alone to do the entire operation there would have been very few survivors due to the freezing waters,” Jean explained.

“Alright, alright, so you went ahead and did your Good Samaritan thingy,” Sauer rolled his eyes, continuing angrily, “but couldn’t you have said you saw nothing about torpedos and second blasts and all that? Just say the fog covered everything or something? Wouldn’t that have gotten Noblain off our backs? I should never have approved that facts-based official statement you wrote for the ministry!”

Now it was Jean’s turn to be angry. “Listen, Konrad, if I could take back that day and relive it then I would not have chosen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. But I was, and I did two things: fulfilled my legal and moral obligations and told the truth as it happened. The ship’s log is sacred and it recorded every minute of the event as witnessed by me and my crew. We have made the log public. I have decided that lying will lead to worse consequences than telling the truth. Now I have to face the consequences of being truthful and you’ll need to face them with me, because whether you like it or not, your fate is tied to mine. It is thanks to the Navy I have built that you can enjoy a prosperous life in the capital. Never forget that, Konrad. Now pay your dues and think of ways to get us through this crisis, instead of complaining to me about something I cannot undo.”

“But you’re leading us to war with Noblain!” Sauer bemoaned. “Everything’s still all your fault!”

Jean was about to say something but Armin raised a hand saying, “Let me deal with this, okay?” He seemed even angrier than the admiral.

Turning to the politician he began, “Look, Konrad. As a fellow cabinet member I briefed you on this yesterday, as a courtesy, but apparently you weren’t listening to me because today I had to repeat everything I said. Noblain has been eyeing our natural resources since Eren Jaeger died. They’d have come for us already, if it weren’t for the continental war with Cistidu. Noblain agreed to admit Jean and his crew into their naval war college because they needed every cent they could get to finance their war. We are a small country compared to them, and they think that whatever Navy we manage to build they’ll just swat away like they’d swat a fly. That’s how Noblain regard Paradis: a rock they could easily conquer and plunder.

The politician grunted.

“That’s how they regard most developing countries, for that matter, with their colonies around the world,” Armin continued. “Now after the continental war is over they will use our handling of the Aniastulia crisis as an excuse to attack us. But they’ve been meaning to attack us anyway, regardless of what Jean said or did. If the Aniastulia didn’t happen then they’ll just cook up some other event. Remember, we are dealing with a state that put civilians, including its own citizens and plenty of children, on an armed boat so that its enemy can sink it, in order to get financial support from another country.”

“And they simply label it ‘collateral damage’,” Hange added. The Air Force marshall had been silent the whole time, but they were speaking now in a cool, calm voice. “It was me who suggested that Jean and his crew be sent to Noblain for training, while I was still the commander of the Survey Corps. Do you know why?”

Sauer shook his head.

“No? It has been in the files all this time and as our Minister of Defense you have the requisite Access Level to read it. But anyway, since you obviously don’t read the archives, I’ll tell you why,” Hange continued. “Even before the walls collapsed, during my stint as a spy in Marley, I made an assessment, a comparative analysis of the economic, political, cultural and military conditions of the countries surrounding our island, and came to the conclusion that there were two nations we needed to be wary of, if and when the walls collapsed and we lost our titan powers. These nations are Marley and Noblain. Marley we can deal with, as we’d been spying on them for years now, and thanks to cooperation from Magath and critical intel from Pieck, Reiner and Annie, we will not be groping in the dark when it comes to engaging with Marley.”

Unconvinced, Sauer grunted again.

“But Noblain then was a black box,” Hange continued. “All we knew was that they were the strongest naval power in the world and conquered weaker nations the way one eats a bag of peanuts. So Jean and his crew went there not just to train but also to learn as much as they can about Noblainian society. Thanks to his time spent in Noblain, Jean is now our country’s–if not the world’s–foremost expert on the Noblainian Navy and their legendary admiral, Nicholas Gainsborough. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’. Do you understand what I’m trying to say, good sir?”

“No,” said the man with a hint of annoyance. “Enlighten me.”

“What I am trying to say, Konrad, is that we in the military have been preparing to fight Noblain for years now, because it was just a matter of time. Jean did the right thing in telling the truth about the Aniastulia sinking for several reasons, one of them being that Cistidu will be less inclined to attack us once they recover from defeat in the continental war. Better the devil you know, as the saying goes,” Hange finished.

Jean was about to say something but this time it was the Queen herself who raised her hand. “Look at me, Mr Sauer,” she commanded. “Before the Navy held their first press conference, Admiral Kirschtein came to consult with me. He told me he planned to tell the truth about what they saw, withholding no information whatsoever, but that there will be consequences for speaking honestly. He asked me whether I was willing to face the consequences. If not, then he will withhold the facts, which he will do for me although it will be against his better judgement. Do you know what I told the admiral, Mr Sauer?”

The politician shook his head.

“I told Admiral Kirschtein that if he so much as withheld a tiny bit of information from the press then he shall be faced with the unending wrath of the Queen herself. I demanded a no-lying stance because I want a government that is open, accountable and honest. I want a free society with a government obligated to share information with its citizens. As a Cabinet member you know that I demand proactive disclosure, open records and transparency, and campaign finance disclosure. I will not rest until we have achieved government transparency across all branches, including the military. I understand the need for state secrets, but in the case of the Aniastulia, the Prime Minister and I have decided that the information we have about her sinking should be made open to the public, with no tampering whatsoever. Is this not so, Mr Dietrich?” Queen Historia said, glancing at the prime minister.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Dietrich says meekly. Paradis was officially a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Historia only the titular head of state, but she was the undisputed Eldian Queen who had the mandate of the people and exerted a strong influence over the nation’s political and cultural affairs. She made “suggestions” that were best interpreted as directives.

Queen Historia was far from finished. Again she turned her chilly gaze at the Minister of Defense. “Shall I tell you why honesty and transparency are of utmost importance to me, Mr Sauer?”

“Please do, Your Majesty,” Sauer could only croak.

“Because I have seen with my own eyes how lying can lead to utter destruction, both self-destruction and the destruction of many others, including ones one does not wish to destroy. Years ago, an Eldian spy from Marley by the name of Reiner Braun came to Paradis, only to find out that the island devils he was sent to destroy were only human beings just like himself. He grew fond of them, became their friend. He was faced with a dilemma: keep on lying to them and deceiving them about his covert mission, or tell the truth and ask for help. He decided to keep on lying until the guilt and weight of his deception destroyed him. I cannot help but think: what if he decided to come clean and tell the truth? What if he approached the Survey Corps and told us the truth beyond the walls, told us the truth behind the titans, told us the fact that the Eldian spies’ families were kept hostage by the Marleyan military so they had no choice but to do as ordered? I believe in my heart that the Survey Corps would have listened to him and came up with a plan to help him and his family. But that is not what happened, and we all know how it ended,” Queen Historia said.

She glanced at the faces around the room. “Most of the people in this room are my comrades back when I was a soldier, and they all know that it was not only Reiner Braun who was destroyed by his own lies. There was also someone else, an Eldian woman from Marley who was dear to me. Her name was Ymir, for whom my daughter is named. Ymir also decided to lie to me and to the Survey Corps. She died trying to pay her debts to the people who made her suffer and eventually killed her. Again I cannot help but think: what if, instead of lying to me, she decided to tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Even after all these years I cannot help but think: if only I’d been told the truth early on, I could have helped her, could have convinced the Survey Corps to save her. But that is not what happened, and we know how badly it ended.” There was a catch in her voice at the mention of Ymir’s name. 

The 104th graduates glance at each other, looking pained. They wanted to reach out to her, hug her, tell her she did everything she could under the circumstances. But she was Queen now and they were her subjects and they were in a top-level meeting.

“What I want us all to learn from these examples, Mr Sauer, is that a lie demands another, then another, until one is buried in a mountain of lies, wherein by then it becomes impossible to extricate oneself. Eventually one suffocates under the weight of one’s deception. When we apply this to the Aniastulia crisis, lying on behalf of Noblain will only put us in a bind. When Noblain find that we are willing to lie on their behalf, they will ask us to do it again, and again, on and on until eternity. There will be no way out for us because once we become their lackey we have given up our sovereignty, our self-determination. No one in the world will take us seriously anymore because we–that is, the words from our mouth–are for sale to the highest bidder. We become no more than someone else’s puppet. Once it is found out that we lied, anything we say from then on will never be trusted again.”

She stood up and walked toward the window, her back to the room.

“As you are well aware, Mr Sauer, already no one trusts us by virtue of our history. It will take thousands of steps and many years of hard work and truthfulness and patience to reach a level where our country is acknowledged as a full member of the international community. We start that process by refusing to lie, by telling the truth. I want our acceptance to be based on honesty, not deception. I do not merely want it, I demand it. I say this not because I operate from a place of naivete or idealism, but from the harsh lessons I learned from history. For more than a century my ancestors have lied to our people, kept us in the dark to our own detriment, to our near-annihilation. I refuse to do the same. History must not repeat itself.”

“I understand now, Your Majesty,” Sauer responded in a tremulous voice. 

“Listen, Konrad, I don’t even know why you are the Minister of Defense, because whenever I came to you for a consultation you have proven time and again that you couldn’t give a damn. You allow us the military to do our work with great autonomy, not because you trust us, but merely because you couldn’t be bothered to be more involved. I wish you’d show more interest. You know, learn about us soldiers. Admiral Jean Kirschtein was 100% right in his choices,” said General Connie Springer. He stood up saying, “The Royal Army stand squarely behind the Royal Navy.”

Marshall Hange Zoe also stood up, saying, “As do the Air Force.”

“And the Special Forces,” said Brigadier Levi Ackermann, standing up.

Getting on her feet, General Hitch Dreyse-Schulze said, “Don’t forget the Military Police.” 

“If by my life or death, I can wield diplomacy to prevent a war, I will,” Armin said, standing up.

Jean stood up and looked around the room, at the faces of those who rallied behind him and those who gave him grief. His hazel eyes shone with love and gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, all,” he said simply.

Queen Historia looked around the room, at the faces of her loyal military leaders. In a clear, strong voice that rang to the farthest corner of the conference room she said, “Eren Jaeger once said, that we are free because we are born into this world. Freedom is our birthright. I believe that in this world, there can be no freedom without truth. We speak the truth, and we demand the truth from others. With truth as our armour we shall fight for our freedom, and the freedom of our people.”

Konrad Sauer stood up reluctantly, legs shaking, voice trembling. “If this is indeed the will of the Queen, then the Ministry of Defense will see it done.”

The Queen’s big blue eyes on him were ice cold and calculating. “I am disappointed in you, the way you so childishly reacted to the crisis, the thoughtless things that came out of your mouth: ‘It’s all your fault, Jean! You should have let the foreigners drown! You should have lied to earn an enemy’s good will!’  How disappointing you are,” the expressive eyes said. Next she will gently “suggest” to the Prime Minister that it was time for a Cabinet shakeup. Konrad Sauer knew his days as a Cabinet minister were numbered.

Suddenly Queen Historia clapped her hand and said cheerfully, “Well, now that the morning’s agenda is done with, shall we have a tea break? In the afternoon we look forward to hearing the Navy’s proposed additional plan of action as well as updates on Admiral Kirschtein’s three-fold mobilization strategy that the Parliament is currently legislating. But first let us have some nourishment.” 

With the rays of the morning sun coming through the window panes making her blonde hair form a golden halo around her face, the Queen, with a lovely smile, turns to the head of the Special Forces and says, “What exotic tea blend have you concocted for us today, Captain Levi?”

Thank you so much for reading! Please take a moment to share a thought or two in the comment section below. Your comments give me life and are a real source of encouragement. xoxo, hana

Next – Chapter 8: The Invisible Rope

Back – Chapter 6: Admiral Nicholas Gainsborough

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References

The excerpt on helping boats in distress is from the document: 
Maritime & Coastguard Agency, United Kingdom. International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. (2007). Government Digital Service.

“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” is a quote from the film: 
Francis Ford Coppola (Director), Mario Puzo (Screenplay). (1974). The Godfather Part II [Drama Film]. United States, Paramount Pictures/The Coppola Company.
Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli and Petrarch are also attributed similar quotes.

The scene where Jean’s friends stand up to declare their support of his decisions was inspired by the film:
Peter Jackson (Director). (2001). The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Drama Film]. United States/New Zealand, New Line Cinema/WingNut Films.