Chapter Text
I was just a child when the stars fell from the sky, but I remember when we built a cannon to destroy them and in turn, how that cannon brought us war. War was an abstract concept, simply a show on T.V. And as a child, I saw it in some far away land, saw people with no faces, no names, holding the guns that fired. At least, that’s how it was, until that final day of summer…
I was on my way to school that day, when I heard the sound like distant thunder. In the blue skies above me jets drew dizzying circles like a crazed waltz. A battle raged on in the beautiful skies far above…I could not tear my gaze from them.
There was a deafening roar. And a sharp silhouette appeared, as if to graze the grass atop the very hill I sat, and streaked past me. The fighters played cat or mouse in turn as they climbed ever higher. One of the fleeing planes, a yellow thirteen on its wings, disappeared into the distance and one of the planes fell from the sky, spewing orange flames as it spiraled to crash by the cape…
The same cape where my family lived…
Now they only live in my memories of the past…
The victor circled to confirm his kill. And on his craft was a large number “00” emblazoned in blue…
I will never forget this…
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The door shut behind him with a ‘click.’ His hand shot up to brush a stray strand of black hair from his face as he began the trek to the briefing room. The Chief would be briefing them on what would become the first mission in their counter strike against the enemy. Even after their victory at Quinta all those years ago, they had been forced to retreat and Legion’s chances of regaining what they had lost had been slim ever since.
But this new plan was supposed to be specifically devised to allow them to slowly regain ground once more, in hopes of finally ending this war that had dragged on for far too long.
The sound of his boots hitting the stone floor echoed through the empty halls. It wasn’t like him to be late, but this was his first day back on duty since the accident. And while on a test mission of all things.
It was supposed to be a simple affair in which he tested out the new model fighter jet to see how it handled, so he could give a review to his Chief, who was considering purchasing the newer model for the air force. But something had gone wrong and he lost control of the jet. When he ejected and pulled the parachute cord, it had wrapped around his ankle. The cord had pulled taught as air caught in the chute, his ankle quickly twisting out of position, leaving him with no choice but to be on medical leave for the last five months in order to recover.
His ankle would never be the same, but he was a fighter pilot; ankles weren’t as important for him.
He hurried down the corridor toward the briefing room. This was a last minute meeting, so it likely meant that they would have to head out as soon as the briefing was over. As he approached the door he could hear the chatter of those already inside. He flung the door open and was quick to take his seat at the table inside the room.
“You’re here, Levi.” The Chief noted. “Good, let’s get started. Hanji.” He gestured for the spectacled brunette at the front of the room to begin.
“Aw.” Hanji pouted. “You said you’d use the call signs! It’s my birthday after all!”
“Sky-Eye…” He sighed. “The floor is yours. Please get on with it. Time is of the essence.”
“Of course, Erwin! Thank you!” The woman grabbed a tablet from the table, flipping open a file as the screen behind her lit up in shades of blue and white.
“Good morning! As you all know today is September fifth, my birthday!” They shouted before their face grew serious. “But on to business. You will be briefed and then receive orders for deployment, effective immediately.”
“Late last night, enemy agents destroyed our early warning radar network, allowing several Wolf bombers to penetrate our air space. In approximately fifteen minutes, we expect this bomber formation to strike Shiganshina Air Base, and then move on to targets at Trost. Our air defense forces are extremely weak at this point in time; hence our general HQ is a sitting duck.”
“This is why we are enacting Operation Umbrella! It is mission critical that you destroy the bombers and neutralize the threat before they get past Tulsa Island. Remember, you are the first line of defense for Trost, and the fate of Legion lies in your hands.”
When they had finished going over the general plan of attack and formation that Erwin was suggesting be used, everyone was quick to get to their feet and head for the hangars. Heading out the doors to the main deck, the salty sea's air clung to Levi’s skin. It wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed, but this was home until the war ended.
The L.S. Rogue was a large aircraft carrier, larger than most, that housed Legion’s commanding officer and its finest air squad, Wings of Freedom. Each member had their own fighter jet: an F-22 Raptor. Only the pinnacle of modern aviation was used by the Legion and right now the Raptor was it.
Only part of the squad would be going, despite all of them being briefed. This was a failsafe that Erwin insisted be put in place. Should one member fall while a mission was ongoing, there was to be at least two other squad members left behind and prepped for immediate take off. It insured a higher success rate and after what had happened with the last squad…
Let’s just say things hadn’t been ideal on that particular mission, hence the new failsafe that had been put into effect.
This would be the first time Levi flew with his new squad and he was more than a little worried. Part of that concern came from the fact that his newly acquired life partner was on the squad now. Individuals who were involved romantically weren’t supposed to be allowed to work on the same missions or squads: conflict of interests the rule book stated.
But Erwin had made an exception to the rules this time, claiming that Levi and Eren had just worked too well together to not put them on the same squad. Said it was riskier for them to be apart than to be together.
The bastard; he was probably just still pissed off that Levi hadn’t chosen him back in the day.
They didn’t have much time to work with today before they had to be in the air, but it never failed. Just like clockwork…
He felt a hand come down gently on his shoulder. “Hey.” He turned to meet dazzling green eyes.
“Hey.” Eren just huffed out a quiet laugh.
Then he pulled Levi into a tight hug. “You be careful up there, got it?”
“When am I not careful?”
“True, but still…I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Levi hated this part. The quick ‘stay safe’ parting was never enough in all honesty. But it would have to do. He gave the younger a quick peck on the lips. “Same to you, kid. You stay safe as well.” And Levi was turning to climb into his jet.
“I love you.” He heard Eren call out before his helmet closed into place over his head.
Yeah kid…love you too. He thought as he watched the glass slide shut over him and felt the jet rumble to life. He sent up a prayer to anyone listening and was thankful for a moment that Eren was on standby today.
This would be the day that he would see what the others could do. He hoped on high that no one fucked up, because Legion only got one more shot at this. Today was their shot at redemption and the world would be watching.
It was time for them to stop being a damn sitting duck.