"Steady people! Everyone move steady, there's spaces aplenty for everyone!"
Soldiers moved aisle by aisle checking on their passengers and making sure any bags of theirs was as stored as possible. Not everyone had brought a bag, and some had brought far too much, such was an inevitability with a hastily executed evacuation. Most had been sensible however and packed only essentials. They would be given anything else that they were missing upon arriving back at Paradis.
Floch moved and performed one final check before heading up the stairs towards the command deck. The airships had multiple decks on them, now filled with people and their supplies, but a smaller top section had been kept clear for all but military personnel. The captain and his crew were completing final checks of the machine's internals, information that Floch wouldn't be able understand if he tried.
"Everyone's set, we're ready to lift off."
"Good, we're waiting on one other ship and then we'll be convoying away. Estimated five minutes before we go." The captain turned away from him and began speaking into one of the radio's to the other ships, and Floch left him be.
He returned to walking through the airship, checking that everyone was still in place and behaving well. There was a tension to each of them that he didn't blame them for. This was to be a big change for them. Possibly exciting, mostly terrifying. The people here were acting on faith or desperation. Were it not for the ships sinking and burning in the harbour, they may have broken and returned to their homes. Trust in Gohan and proof of their abilities had kept them believing in a better future however.
He passed by Pieck as he walked, and felt mixed feelings towards her as he did so. She had technically done very little or no offensive action against Paradis, claiming her actions when the village of Ragako had been turned into Titans had been carrying supplies only. During her incarceration she had never once taken hostile action trying to escape, and everyone had noted her as being polite and seeming a decent person. She was however, still a former member of the warriors, soldiers who had been ordered to exterminate the Eldians from the island, a fact that he couldn't wrestle away from his mind.
As he passed her however, he did see the way she spoke and sat with her parents. They loved her in a way that only parents could, and it was clear that the feeling was mutual. It was heartwarming enough for him to feel uncomfortable and leave them be. At the end of the airship he could see the rest of the evacuation in progress.
Ships were beginning to cast off from the harbour. Most were being driven by Paradis soldiers who had been given a rough guide on how they operated. It was not an ideal chance for a learning experience, but it would have to do. Others were being piloted by locals of Liberio, those who had boating experience as fishermen or sailors. In spite of the deliberate squalor they were being kept in, the Marley government had cleared decided that they did not want to waste the valuable labour pool. Many Eldians worked a diverse range of industries and had developed suitable skills. None would be allowed to make major use of it of course, few would be allowed to set up their own businesses and they would definitely not be allowed to become large franchises.
Under some mild supervision, those Eldians with the capacity to were setting sail and on their way to Paradis Island. There would be concerns about travel capacity, whether or not they would be able to bring everyone who wanted to leave. Return trips would be possible, but those left behind were at risk of panic. However a plan had been made just for that.
"We're ready to disembark!" One of the soldiers shouted out, and those outside began to close up the doors to the airship.
Those outside were amongst those who would stay. Gohan was the only one who would be needed to remain to keep the peace, but others would be remaining as a show of force and security for the other Eldians of Liberio. Floch had felt envious when told he would not be amongst those remaining. While many soldiers felt joy at the order that they would be bringing their brethren home, many more had been eager to stay in Liberio afterwards.
The desire to take the fight to Marley, to stand as the bastion wall against their aggression and protect those who needed it. Such a desire was strong indeed. Floch himself had been fairly disappointed by his first bit of combat as a Ki user. The Marley navy had put up little fight against such overwhelming strength and now Floch was already heading home.
But he could accept it. A strong part of Gohan's teachings had seen a heavy emphasis placed on the mental aspects of Ki. Control and meditation were core principles, but so had mental peace. A calm mind, free of hatred and impulse, those were the strengths he had wanted to see in his pupils. Ostensibly it had been due to the importance of these matters in becoming a strong Ki user, however Gohan had also secretly been adamant that he would not empower a wounded people to rise up and become monsters. His teachings and powers were for justice and protection, not for vengeance.
He'd spent quite some time cultivating a new culture in the military, but it had worked. Gohan was still just as idolised since the day that the Titans had been destroyed, arguably even more so, and people were willing to change heavily to suit the image he presented.
As he watched Liberio begin to shrink off into the distance as the airship flew away, he wondered just what might else have been. Had Gohan not been there to guide and temper such emotions. Just what might their first strike back have looked like? He didn't know, but he could imagine it, and the mental image of a burning Liberio had him shuddering. With a final look, he turned away and looked back towards the evacuees they had saved.
The trains were approaching and stopping at the outskirts of the city. Long columns of wagons coming to a halt as soldiers poured out and officers ordered them into position. The trains themselves came armed with artillery pieces, some being dismounted whilst others remained and were being prepared to fire.
Soon to arrive were mounted divisions from regional military bases. Due to the hasty response of their forces, as well as the ongoing war, far more limited numbers and forces were available to deploy against the invaders than was liked. Still, as Willy Tyber stepped off the train, he felt a renewed sense of confidence in their chances as he saw infantry beginning to line up.
Smoke and fire were billowing in the distance, the remnants of their once mighty fleet in the Liberio waters. Willy may not have been a traditional patriot, but even he was enraged at such destruction. They had been informed early on, but seeing the distant burning put it all into a new perspective.
Willy stood to the side, out of the way but still with a clear and commanding view of the action. As he stood observing, he saw the people fleeing from the city. Most were civilians, a few were soldiers on horseback coming to rendezvous with the reinforcements, something that shouldn't have been necessary unless there was something that couldn't be communicated by radio.
Intrigued, Willy began making his way closer.
"-that was his orders sir, but they can't be correct." The Liberio soldier was saying to the reinforcing general, an older man Willy hadn't learned the name of.
"How the hell could he order a retreat, even a partial one. Those damn invaders are kidnapping our people, and he just stands aside!?"
"General," one of his aides spoke up, "given the severity of damage to the fleet, don't you think we should listen to his orders?"
"Admiral Frey was an idiot and General Magath is a coward. Order the artillery to set range for the interment zone and load for rolling barrage. From the wall to the docks we'll blast our way through and take back our land."
"But sir, what about the reports that state the invaders are… bulletproof."
The general fixed his aide with a glare. "Clearly these reports are false, there is no such thing as someone being bulletproof, or flying, or shooting beams of light. These are clearly results of extreme stress, and nothing more. Soldiers miss their shot and think their enemy is simply bulletproof. Now go and order the artillery."
"Yes sir." The aide snapped off a sharp salute and begrudgingly moved to carry out the order. Willy found himself agreeing somewhat with the young aide. Though he longed for vengeance, he was more than a little hesitant to act given what he had heard from the reports by the Liberio defenders.
Such acts were quite simply impossible, but unlike the general he wasn't quite so ready to dismiss them as total fabrications. Something was happening here; he just wasn't sure what. His feelings were made moot as the orders were carried out and the artillery made ready to fire on the internment zone. Willy felt some kind of sympathy for the residents, especially those who had remained loyal and remained in their homes instead of attempting to leave with the invaders.
However, such were the casualties of war.
"FIRE!"
As the order rang out, artillery pieces began their barrage onto the city. The first volley of shells were fired and then… nothing. With the crews waiting for the shells to land to confirm their positioning, the soldiers were left entirely perplexed as not a single explosion sounded in the distance.
"What happened? Did we hit them?"
"I… I don't know sir." One of the artillery spotters was searching through his binoculars for any sign of impact, yet there was nothing. "No smoke, fire, debris. I can't see any sign of impact."
"Did the shells fail to detonate? Did you idiots fuck something up!?" The general barked at the crews, who swallowed down the insult as was common for superior officers.
"No sir! All shells were ready to fire as required."
"Then why didn't they explode? Has someone tampered with our ammunition?"
"Every shell sir?"
The general paused and considered the man's words. His brows remained furrowed in determination, but a hesitation was clearly visible radiating from his body now. "Load second volley and fire again."
His order was subdued, almost muttered, but the soldiers moved as commanded anyway. They moved slower this time, confirming every shell and each sight was accurate. As before, no fault was found, and so with hesitation they each began to fire. Once more the artillery boomed, and the soldiers waited for the impact. And again, complete silence was all that followed.
"What the hell is going on?" The general looked on in sheer bemusement, scratching at his head in wonder.
"You guys really don't like looking up do you?" Each and every one of them jerked back in response to the new voice, looking upwards to see a young man floating in the sky with a hand holding multiple artillery shells all balanced atop one another.
"What the fuck?"
"He's flying."
"Are those our shells?"
The general cut through the soldiers chatter with a roar. "FIRE!"
Rifles were raised, yet the man just rolled his eyes at their actions and tossed the shells over his shoulder without a look. The shells soared threw the air and exploded miles away against the ground. Willy couldn't believe his eyes and was so fixated on the throw that he almost missed as the first gunshot boomed.
He turned back as the rifles roared into life. Thousands of bullets being fired directly into the man only to harmlessly bounce off and drop to the ground. As soldiers witnessed their guns being useless, they began to stop and stared in disbelief instead. The man simply waited until it was fully quiet before he spoke again.
"Are you all finished? Good. I'm Gohan, I'm here to speak to your leaders."
His name sent hushed whispers amongst the entire army. Many of the soldiers who had come to reinforce were Eldian, and even those who hadn't had heard of the name. Willy stared in complete shock up at the man. It was the same one from two years before, one who had appeared in a vision to all Eldians. Willy remembered the face well, it had been engrained into his mind. What had at the time appeared to be the face of a youthful teenager was now closer to that of a man.
The promise he'd made had now seemed so much more real.
"You'll speak to my gun you invading filth!" The general pulled a gun from his holster and opened fire. Gohan sagged with disappointment and disappeared in a flash. Without even a moment passing, the General was suddenly slumping unconscious in Gohan's arms who laid him down gently.
"W-what did you do!?"
"Calm down, he's just unconscious." Gohan stood up straight and looked around at the soldiers. "Now, who's in charge here?"
Nervously, the men pointed to the general, prompting Gohan to groan in annoyance. "Great. Do I need to wait until he wakes up or is there someone else I can speak to?"
Willy realised he'd first stepped forwards instinctively, drawing Gohan's eyes to him. He found himself suddenly nervous in spite of the young man's calm and easy-going aura. "I am Willy Tyber, one of the Marley nobility. You can speak to me."
"Great. I am here to tell you that every Eldian who wants to leave Marley is now allowed to do that. Any who want to stay are to be given full rights and protections from the law. Real protection, not just empty words."
"I… what?"
Gohan stepped forwards and slapped an arm on Willy's shoulder, walking him along the train as they talked. "Two years ago I made a promise to protect all Eldian people, now I'm here to make that promise the truth."
"I know, I saw that vision."
"You did?" Gohan looked him up and down. "You're an Eldian too, interesting. I wouldn't have thought an Eldian could become a noble in Marley. Why aren't you doing anything to protect the Eldian people from Marley's oppression?"
A flare of annoyance bloomed inside Willy at the blatantly insulting question, but he squashed it down. Willy was certainly no beginner to being insulted, especially as an Eldian in Marley. "The treatment of my people is of no concern of yours. Such actions are justice for the centuries of horrors that were inflicted by the Eldian empire."
Gohan was groaning at the familiarity of Willy's words. "This is like the King all over again…" He muttered to himself. "Why does everyone think that innocent people suffering is recompense for someone else's crimes?"
He could angry mutter to himself all day about that but instead he forced himself to perk back and speak to Willy again. "I'm here because where innocent people are being hurt, I'll be there to stop it. These are innocent people not to be blamed for the actions of their ancestors, and I will not stand by while they are treated so poorly. So, it's time for you to call your leaders and tell them the good news. Every Eldian citizen is going to be given equal rights and nobody is allowed to hurt them unjustly anymore."
It was a peculiar sight to see someone so much younger than Willy Tyber lecturing him as if he and the Marley nation were children. Yet with Gohan's stern-faced determination and utterly uncompromising tone, it was hard for the onlookers not to feel as if they were. For a moment, Willy felt the same, as if he was a little boy being scorned by his father. But he was not, he was a grown man, and he shook it off with great annoyance.
"I believe we are at something of an impasse here Gohan. While I appreciate that you show great care for others, you have led an invasion force to our nation and kidnapped a great many of our people. Marley will not let this stand, you have declared war on our people and this will not end peacefully. Marley will not bow to the demands of invaders."
Gohan's eyes narrowed, and there was a rage that burned brightly behind those eyes. "War was declared seven years ago when Marley soldiers were sent to breach the walls at Shiganshina. Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, and Marcel Galliard. These were the soldiers sent to attack innocent people and lead Titans to slaughter them. Zeke Jaeger, Pieck Finger, and several other soldiers carried out another attack only two years ago. Most of those people are dead now. This invasion has been your warning. I will not stand by and allow any more people to suffer under the oppression of Marley or anyone else. I know Marley won't accept this without a fight, so you tell them to send everything they want at me, and I'll meet them head on. But after, when you've all failed, you will change."
There was no 'or else' in Gohan's ultimatum. He would not threaten them with punishment as if it was a price they could accept instead. He was putting his foot down right now, and he would not accept anything less than total submission. They would see him as a tyrant no doubt, and he didn't blame them. The common people would hate him, despise him, but it didn't matter to him. He was going to make everyone get along and let go of their anger even if he had to stand as the shield between each and every one of them.
Willy looked back in concern. He would not have expected such a furious determination and steadfast refusal of negotiating from someone so young. But then again, this was no ordinary person. This was Gohan, the boy from the vision. A vision that had promised freedom and protection for all. A very dangerous boy.
"Very well, I shall communicate your… intent, to those of the Marleyan government. Though I must ask, why only Marley? If your concern is the Eldian people, they are treated far worse in every other nation. Why not them?"
"Marley is the biggest." It was so matter of fact that Willy blinked in brief confusion. "When Marley is forced to accept that they must treat each other decently, it will be a message to the entire world. But rest assured, the entire world will be following in Marley's footsteps. Nobody on this entire planet will be allowed to oppress anyone ever again." With that, he began to float away, rising high above the soldiers and Willy as they stared helplessly at the man who had given such a decree. "You should be excited Willy, the world is about to change for the better whether it likes it or not."
He blasted away, rocketing back towards Liberio with a trail or light following him. It was a blatant display of his superhuman abilities, a reminder that his words could and would be backed up by force. It was a message that Willy would not ignore.
"Get me a radio to Helos. I need to speak with the council." Willy ordered an aide, who moved almost into a sprint to carry out his order. The capital of Marley would need to hear about the latest development, and most importantly they would need to mobilise. If young Gohan wanted to lay down a challenge at their feet then Marley would meet it. He would see just how powerful the boy was against every piece of artillery in the nation.
And if they failed… well, they had their secret weapon. He was hesitant to use it however, especially as they would need Lara present. The War Hammer Titan may be needed in combat if it came to it. Though if all other members of the warrior unit had been confirmed dead as Gohan had implied, then even she may be out of her depth. Lara was meant to be a fall-back option for controlling Cell if it escaped or lost control, but he would need all hands available to face against Gohan.
The Mid-East Alliance would seize the opportunity, pressing their attack as the Marley forces consolidated against a new threat. For them, he would release Cell. Long had plans been formed for the deployment of their secret weapon, though there was such risk that they were hesitant to do so.
Now all such risk would be worth it. The Mid-East Alliance had to be halted while Marley's back was turned to focus on Gohan. Cell would be something to make them falter, he was sure of it.
Gohan soared back and completed a fly over of the city as he did so. The damage wasn't as bad as he feared it could be. The navy was destroyed, and with it thousands of people had been killed. He'd felt each of their Ki's winking out of existence. It had pained him, in spite of his anger towards Marley. But in a sense, it had been necessary.
The Eldian soldiers of Paradis Island did not have the overwhelming power or control that he had, and so could not have fought such an engagement non-lethally. Their decisive blow against Marley had been as relatively bloodless as possible and had been their responsibility. He could not fight every battle for them, Paradis had to take command and have experience in the operation to ensure that they could handle the future to come. He was not only after all, liberating the Eldian people, but was also helping Paradis Island establish itself as a power that would not be ignored.
He had a moral duty to help everyone he could, but it was not a duty that lay solely with him. Long had he discussed it was Queen Historia, about their purposes and burdens for the future. Historia had sworn an oath that she would protect her people, all of her people, and that her nation would become a bastion of protection for all those who needed it.
Gohan had respected her greatly for that. But with that respect, meant he had to give her the responsibility also. Paradis must act as was appropriate, and as they were able to do. He could sense the people leaving in boats and airship, already on their way back home to the Island. There they would be looked after, respected, and loved. Historia had seen fit that the care they would receive upon arrival would put aside all doubts and fears.
For the people who had remained however, it would be Gohan's responsibility to calm their fears also. They would be terrified, fearing the retaliation of Marley. But he would keep them safe with the assistance of the soldiers who had remained. Marley's true response would be one of violence however, and that immediate action would be on Gohan to face. He did not fear them, they could not hurt him after all. But managing politics was not something Gohan had anywhere near as much experience in as fighting.
Fortunately, he would not be alone.
He descended down to land by a gathering of officers. Levi, Eld, Mike, and a handful of other higher ranking officers including Jean were discussing the operation. They paused as he landed, turning to him expectantly. With a smile, he told them the good news.
"The message has been delivered, now all we have to do is wait."
"Ultimatum you mean." Levi snorted. "The first wave evacuation was a success, only a small number of people remain that still wish to leave. They're feeling pretty uncertain about being left behind, but we've made assurances that they'll be safe. We were just discussing whether to have them flown back by hand, but that would take away men from the defence here."
"Go ahead, that should be fine. Marley has received the message and they seem to be listening. We'll have some time before they stir up any trouble again."
"Good." Mike turned back to face the rest of his officers. "Congratulations everyone, I can hereby call the first phase of our operation a resounding success."
A cheer went up from them, and Gohan smiled brightly. That's right, the first step towards their goals had been achieved. The day had been a complete success.