The Commander, Erwin Smith, stared out at his troops, studying the new faces and committing them to memory. He knew that very few of these troops would survive what was to come.

As he studied the crowd, he noticed a familiar face and smiled at her.

The woman Erwin had smiled at was one of his closest friends since childhood. She has been with him since his first day in the Survey Corps.

After giving his welcome speech to the new soldiers, Erwin walked over to speak to the woman.