The airships were sighted in the distance, but the Ki signatures of those on board had been sensed long before. Even had they not been in radio contact with the transports, the soldiers would have been ready in place for their imminent arrival. Landing zones had been clearly marked, and docks had been cleared for the ships following in tow. Soldiers of the expedition flew alongside the airships both as security and to clear space on the craft.
They were the first to land, quickly swapping over with the soldiers awaiting them and allowing them a rest. For any soldiers who had genuinely been too tired, there had been chances to rest atop the airships, but even for those who had not needed a break midway they were feeling the exhaustion now. Flying between countries was quite the endurance test for many of the soldiers and their Ki's. Though they had been rigorously trained for it, such a flight after combat had still proven taxing for many.
As such, when the airships came in to land they were greeted by fresh troops all dressed smartly and waiting with welcoming expressions. The disembarking was neatly organised, and soldiers directed everyone through clearly designated lines and towards gates where booths of soldiers were waiting to process them. The booths themselves were not hastily constructed, however much of the processing area was still outdoors as they awaited expansion following their first use.
Pieck was among those in the queue, her parents now seeing Paradis and having quietened after having spent the entire trip talking to her about all that they had missed. She had of course been happy to answer their questions, and greatly loved seeing them again, so she'd had no issue with explaining everything that had happened since she'd left.
"Names?" The woman in the booth smiled politely, forms at the ready as she prepared herself with practiced experience.
"Pieck Finger, here with my parents. You should have their details already?"
"Ah yes." The woman turned away. Whereas most new arrivals would need to give details about their names, occupation, relevant skills, dietary requirements, family connections, and more, Pieck had been given the chance to fill in all the details she knew about in advance. There was certainly going to be some details that had changed with the years since she had last seen her parents, but much of the work was already completed.
When the woman passed the previously completed form to her, she did so with a pencil and another new one for in case it needed to be rewritten. Such was standard practice in the booths, initial key details for families being taken down onto their forms before being let through so that they could sit down inside and complete them without holding up the queue.
As they were processed through, Pieck could see the ships coming into dock at the harbour and soldiers landing with passengers holding onto their backs. A few looked terrified, but most were exhilarated at the process of actually flying. Several children were begging for rides and promises for later trips were given. Pieck lost sight of them as they moved through and into the large open area.
Soldiers milled around through the crowd, assisting with those who needed it and getting supplies for others. Some people were illiterate, especially those who were not given special skills as training for work under Marley businesses, for those people there were soldiers willing to guide them through what was required and even write for them. For Pieck, witnessing it all was a bizarre mix of feelings. Long had she come to accept her actions and what the 'devils' of Paradis Island actually were, but seeing them be so welcoming and supportive of their brethren was another matter entirely.
Shame bit at her again, but she swallowed it down and helped her parents through the forms. With so much of it already complete, it didn't take them long to finish and move through the next set of booths where the forms were collected, and they were given what was essentially a welcome bag. Documents detailing the history of the nation, their culture, government system, economy, foreign policy, and more. It was a thick set of papers that answered every question that a newcomer might have had. If Gohan hadn't been so instrumental in improving options of mass production, then it would have been incredibly difficult to brief so many people.
Within the papers was an extensive detailing of Gohan. Pieck understood very well what it must have been like for her parents and all the others to be greeted with a superhuman saviour, and the papers were not shy of detailing his good deeds. His first appearance in Shiganshina now seven years before, and how one of his first acts was to lift a boulder from atop a woman when he was only 11 years old. His years of survival in the Titan infested wildnerness, his enlistment into the military and heroic deeds in Trost saving countless lives and slaying just as many Titans. The fights against the warrior Titans, his assistance to overthrow the false King and fight against the secret ruler of the walls. Then there was his rebuilding of the Eldian military, and his vow to liberate the oppressed Eldians around the world. His larger-than-life aura couldn't be done justice even by the immense number of words that were written down on him.
Along with the bag of papers had been another gift, a set of keys for their new home.
The path past the booths led them to a sprawling set of homes, with guides on hand to assist anyone who needed it. With the map in their hands and Pieck's prior visit, it was very easy to find the house marked as theirs. A rather simple brick and wood home, perhaps smaller than their own back in Liberio but as Pieck opened the front door she felt an immense swell of freedom within her.
The pantry came stocked with food, long life items and some simple luxuries for them to enjoy. The houses were chosen for specific family sizes, theirs being a two-bedroom house for her parents and her. Yet in spite of the limitations of the size, there was no sign of skipped steps or shoddy workmanship. She had seen when the village had been under construction, much of it being built by soldiers using Ki abilities to carry vast quantities of materials or simply fly as they assembled roof structures.
It had been an inspiring sight, and now she was finally welcome within the home that they had built for her. They had indoor plumbing, a chimney, and even electricity connections. The combination of futuristic technology and older fashioned architecture gave it a charming aesthetic that Pieck couldn't help but feel almost overwhelmed by. As she laid down on her bed, shutting her eyes and taking in the smell of a new and unused home, she felt a peace she didn't know she'd been craving.
She didn't even realise she'd fallen asleep, her parents waking her in time with the ringing of a bell. The papers they'd been given had told her about what this was, a welcoming speech to be given by the queen herself. Pieck had never met the queen, in spite of the number of other people she had met. They had never stated it outright, but it hadn't been difficult for her to assume that she was, and would always be, considered a security risk.
As she and her parents wandered through the village and towards the station square, more flying soldiers passed overhead, and Pieck felt even more certainly that calling her a security risk seemed ridiculous. These people were so far above her it was still hard to comprehend.
The crowd gathered in the square seemed in markedly higher spirits after being given some time to settle in and see their new homes. Confirmation of promises being fulfilled put a great many concerns to rest. There was a sense of hope and optimism amongst them all, and Pieck saw countless smiling faces as they were packed into place. The royal train arrived and pulled into the station to the roaring cheers of the crowd.
A portrait of the queen and other notable figures had been included in their information pamphlets, but even without knowing what she looked like the crowd would have been in cheers regardless. Their new queen, the woman who had rescued them from oppression and given them a freedom with real hope. They were already in love.
A royal guard made their way to the stage first, along with several military officers before they saw her. The crowd screamed in approval, and among them even Pieck found the mood infectious. The beautiful queen of Paradis Island, taking to the stage before them with a practiced regalness that did not hide her warm and caring aura. She waited for the crowd to calm before she spoke, microphone before her.
"My people, my brothers and sisters from across the sea. I welcome you home."
"Another scout team is trying to infiltrate on the eastern side."
"You'd think they'd have learned that it doesn't work by now." Jean grunted at Sasha's report. He paced around the room in annoyance, rubbing at the creases of his eyes, it was far too late in the night to be dealing with this. His ever-diligent aide Sandra was by his side with a cup of coffee that had been requisitioned from the Marley military stores. He'd lost count of how many cups he'd had now, if he wasn't careful this may start to become a problem for him. "Sasha, take your team and go and remove them."
Sasha saluted and left. She didn't need her team for it, but the point was far more about the force they could bring than simply that the Marley sneak attempts could be detected. They had made several attempts to sneak into the internment zone, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Each one of them had failed, and he didn't know what they hoped to accomplish. There were no prisoners for them to rescue, all surrendering Marley soldiers had been released during the day.
A more cynical part of his mind spoke up, and he begrudgingly found it hard to ignore. They could have been making assassination attempts, trying to kill the 'superhumans' while they slept. Or destroy supplies? That more naval ships had arrived in the area suggested the possibility that they would try to cut them off from resupply. It wouldn't work of course, but he wasn't giving Marley much credit at this point.
There was another possibility however, perhaps the soldiers were on a mission to kill someone other than the Paradis soldiers. Perhaps they were there to kill those who had remained? A message that the Paradis Eldians would not be able to protect them, and that they shouldn't make any attempts to leave. If they actually succeeded, he could see those who remained accepting the message. The one's who stayed had been exceptionally fearful, not only of Marley's reprisal, but also of the Paradis soldiers themselves.
A hundred years of being told that Eldians were scum, but those on Paradis were the worst of all had taken hold in many. He was disappointed, but unsurprised when he had first heard of attempted attacks by some of the Eldians they had come to rescue. That the Marley military employed a sizeable number of Eldian soldiers surrounding Liberio did not make him feel any better.
He had seen the reports on them too, scouting was made exceptionally easy when all they had to do was fly up and look through binoculars. Growing formations of infantry, and their artillery line was continuing to swell immensely. That it would be all aimed at Gohan did not concern him at all, but it was doubtlessly stressing the residents remaining in Liberio. All they would need to do was continue making it through the night. Come the morning, the fireworks would begin and then Marley would be forced to surrender.
He chuckled at the mental image of what would happen if they did not. After all, what hope did they have against someone like Gohan?
The train had come to a halt a long distance from the front lines. The front lines themselves were collapsing under the recent Marley withdrawal, and it wouldn't be long before the train was enveloped by advancing Mid-East forces. Which was why the train was ordered to detach a single box car and travel back the way it came.
For hours under darkness, the box car sat idle and alone on the train tracks before human eyes saw it again. A line of infantry walking in the direction of the tracks came across the odd sight, Mid-East alliance soldiers scouting ahead of the main advance. There were booms in the distance, artillery fire echoing as their guns chased after fleeing Marley troops, yet none of the soldiers paid too much mind. Their focus was entirely set on the wagon that had seemingly been left behind for no clear reason.
"What do you think, did it come loose? Get left behind as they ran?" One asked, taking a stroll around the perimeter of it.
"Connectors don't look damaged." The man was bent down and looking at the connection system with a lamp light. "Must have not been connected."
"Well they were leaving in a panic, maybe they forgot to hook it up?"
"Not likely." The sergeant looked around the area, eyes peeled for any sign of ambush. "There's no depot, no rallying point, nothing near here. No train would stop here without good reason."
"You think they left it here deliberately!?" The soldiers gripped their rifles and backed away. "What is it, a bomb?"
"Odd plan if it was. Who are they going to kill out here?" The sergeant's open doubt and relaxed tone managed to soothe tensions until he spoke again. "Only one way to find out the truth, open the door."
The soldiers hesitated, looking back and forth to wait for anyone to step forwards. Unfortunately for them, the sergeant grabbed one at random and shoved him towards the wagon. "Go! Open it."
The man continued to hesitate, but discipline drove him forwards eventually. Feet dragged their way through mud until he eventually reached the door of the wagon. Shaking fingertips reached out and touched the latch, slowly undoing and opening the door. Rifles aimed inside, ready to fire into the darkness at whatever was within.
Yet as the door opened… they saw nothing. The man at the door slumped in relief, poking his head inside for one final inspection before he turned back to them.
"It's empty!"
Rifles lowered, heartbeats calmed, and a few good-natured jokes began to be shared until one voice spoke up.
"Louis? Where's Louis gone? Anyone see him?"
The chatter dipped, and one by one the soldiers looked around to realise that one of their comrades had disappeared. Hands gripped their weapons tighter, but slowly they spread out and searched the area.
"Louis? Where'd you go? Louis-!" The man halted suddenly as he stepped on something soft. Looking down he had to peer closely through the darkness before he could see what he was standing on. It was a bundle of clothes. More specifically, it was a military uniform of the Mid-East Alliance.
He cocked his head in confusion, picking it up to inspect it more closely. He read the name on it and his brain stuttered to a halt as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. It was Louis' uniform.
"What the fuck…?"
A gunshot rang out in the dark, and the soldiers whirled around just as a rifle fell to the ground, clattering against the dirt. As the wind blew, only the fabric remains of a uniform were seen left.
"Who the fuck-… where's Matz!?"
"Jannik!" Cried another voice, and quickly the soldiers realised that one by one each of them were disappearing. All that was left was a bundle of clothes and their weapons.
"Circle up! Stay in the light!" Despite the sergeants' orders, several soldiers panicked and sprinted away, their terrified wails disappearing into silence as they entered the darkness around them.
Those that remained bunched up as commanded, rifles scanning the darkness as trembling hands looked at anything they could see. All that could be heard was their own heavy breathing as each of them looked around for anything at all that seemed out of place. Nobody knew who fired first, one rifle being fired before everyone began to unload into the darkness, shooting wildly at anything that seemed strange.
Some didn't even have a target in mind, just shooting with reckless abandon as the sergeant tried to shout over their gunfire.
"Cease fire! CEASE!"
As their rifles were emptied, the gunfire eventually dropped and the flashes of light from muzzle blasts had revealed nothing. Heavy panting breaths were all that was heard as gunshots faded away. But the heavy breathing sounded wrong. One by one, each of them realised that the breathing wasn't coming solely from them.
Deep and heavy breaths were coming from the shadows, raspy pants that seemed strangely inhuman. The sergeant slowly pulled himself out of the huddle, stepping towards the shadows with rifle aimed at the ready. He could see nothing but the pitch black, but as he stepped closer the breathing was getting louder and louder. It was in his ears, he could feel the breathing on his skin, the moisture in the air. He held fire as long as he could until he saw them.
Eyes.
He squeezed the trigger, only for a grotesque hand to grab his arm and jerk it away. He tried to scream, only managing to open his mouth before a massive tail speared into his neck. He gurgled, what would be his dying breaths as his body began to droop. Powerful acid was sprayed inside his body, melting muscle and bones as his form sagged and only skin contained the liquid inside. A liquid that was quickly drank through the tail and into the monstrous form that it connected to.
Stepping out of the shadows, Cell's manic eyes fixed themselves upon the remaining soldiers. Their screams lasted only a few short seconds before the night returned to silence once more.
When it was over, nothing was left in the area but uniforms and rifles.
Gohan jerked out of the bed. He was panting, mind racing. What was that he had felt?
"Gohan?" Petra's hand came to rest on his shoulder, concerned eyes looking back at him. He paused, gulping down air as he forced himself to calm.
"I thought, I thought I felt… my dad?"
His heart ached at the feeling. As much as he stretched his senses, he couldn't feel what he had any more. His head fell into his hands, a wave of anguish rolling over him. Petra embraced him from behind, holding him tight as he shook in despair.
"It's okay… it's okay…" Petra's soothing words helped his heartbeat slow, and her hands gentled stroked his hair. As her fingers brushed through his locks, he sagged against her body. "What happened?"
"I… I was asleep, dreaming. I thought I felt my dad. It was weak, but it was so much like him. I… it must have just been a dream."
He didn't know why he had been dreaming of his father out of the blue. He missed his father deeply, just as he did everyone, but so many years of distance had dulled his pain. So why now?
"What's on your mind Gohan?"
She sat upright, not content to go back to sleep until she was sure that Gohan was okay.
"I was just thinking, I wasn't sure why I was thinking about my dad. Maybe because of tomorrow? Dad was a leader, he would know what to do in a situation like this."
"Hey," Petra cupped his face in her hands, "don't go doubting yourself again. You've had years to plan this, and we've all been in agreement with you. You're not alone in this. Not now, not ever."
He sighed and took her hands in his. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"And stop apologizing." She pulled him in for a kiss that he returned happily. As the two laid back down, he held her tightly and she did the same in turn. But still, his mind could not let go of what he had felt.
It had felt just like his dad. It wasn't just imagination, he had felt it. There was a strong part of him that wanted to go and investigate, to see whatever it was that had made him think of his father. But ultimately he remained, laying in the bed with arms around Petra as he continued to feel out again. As always, there was nothing. As time ticked by, eventually he managed to let it go, drifting away into dreams of seeing his family once again.
The massive trench network around Liberio was perhaps unnecessary, but it had been built as a show of force to both the invading Eldian forces and to Marley's own troops. Rumours had spread far and wide amongst the ranks of troops until everyone had heard of the mystical appearance of Gohan and his powers.
Many had seen him, but even those who hadn't had heard every detail from every mouth. Some of the rumours were exaggerated, claiming that he was as tall as a Titan and a monster in more human form. But all of them had featured some description of his immense speed, his ability to move faster than the eye could see.
Questions about how Marley could fight such an opponent were being answered by the plethora of artillery guns and shells that had been mounting in quantity consistently. Willy sat with pocket watch in hand, waiting patiently as the seconds ticked by one after another.
"It's unlike you to be so nervous." His sister could read him no matter how much he hid his feelings. Though he showed no outward signs to anyone else, he didn't pretend otherwise to her, merely nodding back in response.
"Gohan is unlike anything I ever imagined, even after such a short conversation with him. He holds powers of incredibly capability and a determination to use them. Yet what he demands, it would tear Marley apart."
"It would tear the world apart." She corrected. "He won't stop at Marley, he'll force the entire world to heel to his rule, his decree. His version of morality. Whatever it is he believes, we will all be forced to be subservient or else. We cannot fail here, or we doom the entire world to servitude under him and his ilk."
Willy sighed in his chair, rubbing a hand through his hair. "At least we don't have to deal with the potential risk of the rumbling anymore, that's a threat that we can be assured is removed."
There was a knock at the door, and after being called to enter a soldier snapped off a salute to Willy. "Sir! Gohan has been spotted leaving Liberio and heading towards the centre distance of our lines and the outskirts of the city."
"An odd place to stand, why there?" Lara wondered aloud, but Willy already knew the answer. Strangely, it did not fill him with any reassurance, only further dread.
"He's giving us a target. Easy for us to hit, and safely away from the city and its people. He's doing it… to prove a point." Willy rose and with a wave dismissed the soldier. "He told us to throw everything we have at him, and we shall. And he seems entirely confident that we are going to fail."
"And what about you, what do you believe?"
Willy hesitated at his sister's question. He knew what he believed, and he hated himself for it. "I believe that soon… we will have an answer."