Chapter 1

Tùzǐ was not having a good day. Just that morning the little NC-31 had set out with his team hoping to get a little easy combat practice on the outskirts of a ruined city. He never dreamed they would run into anything their T29 leader couldn't protect them from. What could be scarier than a T29?

The sound of a cannon ripped through the air. Tùzǐ's turret spun to the side in time to see the Covenanter beside him die, turret blasted to scrap metal by the incoming shell.

"AMBUSH! GET TO COVER!" boomed Thrasher's voice over the panicked shouts of the smaller tanks. Tùzǐ sprinted for a ruined building, shells screaming past. He was almost to safety when another shot struck the building right in front of him. They were firing from both sides! Tùzǐ looked around desperately, but there was no other cover in sight. Suddenly he felt his fuel run cold. A few hundred meters behind the group, he spotted one of their attackers: a Hellcat.

The NC-31 crept through the forest as quietly as he could, turret swiveling constantly. Any second he expected to see an enemy tank crest a rise, or worse, feel a shot ripping into his hull from a hidden tank he failed to notice. Thrasher hadn't seen them waiting. No one in the team had. How could Tùzǐ expect to?

A brick fell from the building where the shell had hit, startling Tùzǐ back to his senses. He revved his engine and rammed through the weakened wall, causing part of the roof to collapse behind him. The Hellcat didn't seem to have seen him. Safe - for now. Trying to stay as quiet as possible, he peeked out through a small hole in the rubble. The Hellcat fired again, and another tank exploded into flames. Tùzǐ backed into the shadows, whimpering quietly.

Tùzǐ took deep breaths, trying to calm his rattling ventilation system. Those bandits must still be looking for him. He'd been fleeing all day, alternately hiding from the big tank destroyers and fighting hit-and-run against the weaker tanks they used as expendable scouts. He hadn't seen any sign of the rest of his team. They probably hadn't made it out of the ruins.

A deep boom shook the building where Tùzǐ hid, and the enemy Hellcat went up in flames. Tùzǐ turned toward the sound, and caught a glimpse of Thrasher through one of the building's windows. The T29's smoking barrel swept around, searching for more targets. His turret was marred by dents from bounced shells, and several of the smaller tanks huddled near the heavy, trying to use his hull as cover. Tùzǐ considered making a run for them, but then he spotted another ambusher beyond the group. This one didn't look like a tank destroyer. Its silhouette looked British, and it was nearly the size of Thrasher. Bigger than a Churchill, even bigger than a Black Prince. A rear-mounted turret. And the size of that gun…

As Tùzǐ crawled up a small rise, the sound of a shot split the air. He nearly screamed before he could stop himself. The shot had come from nearby, but not close enough to be aimed at him. Someone was fighting over the hill ahead. He crept forward cautiously as the cannons continued to sound, ready to fall back at the smallest sign of danger.

Tùzǐ gasped as he recognized the bandit. He was about to scream a warning to Thrasher when the FV215b(183) "Death Star" fired - directly at the back of Thrasher's turret. The T29 disintegrated like he was made of tissue paper, shrapnel flying in all directions. The explosion was so massive it enveloped the tanks hiding behind Thrasher. Tùzǐ didn't see whether any of them survived. He retreated into the darkest corner of his hiding spot and huddled there, immobilized by fear. Several hours passed before he worked up the courage to look outside again. Only the empty city, dotted with smoking wrecks, greeted him.

Tùzǐ's turret crested the hill just enough to spot the tanks fighting in the valley ahead. Two Hellcats hid behind rock outcroppings to his right, trading shots with an unfamiliar KV-1. The Hellcats had each suffered several wounds, but they didn't appear to have scratched their opponent. As Tùzǐ watched one of them fired, and the shell slammed into the KV's gun mantlet with a loud clang. Her turret shook with the impact, but it didn't seem to have done any damage. She swung her gun toward the offending Hellcat, fired back, and the tank destroyer caught fire, exploding a moment later. The second Hellcat tried to make a run for the end of the valley. The KV-1 turned her turret slightly, paused a moment to aim, and fired a shell into its back.

Tùzǐ inched backward, wary of this newcomer. Yes, she had killed two of the bandits, but who was to say she wasn't a bandit herself? If two Hellcats couldn't even scratch her, Tùzǐ didn't have a chance in hell. He watched nervously as the KV-1 turned back and forth, turret scanning the valley walls. She and Tùzǐ spotted the Death Star at the same moment, rolling down from the end of the valley opposite the dead Hellcats. Tùzǐ froze, too frightened to even think of running. Fortunately the Death Star wasn't looking at him. The KV-1 was caught out in the open, with no cover nearby. She rolled backward slowly, moving towards a small depression in the valley floor, but Tùzǐ could tell it wasn't deep enough to hide her. At most it would cover her hull, leaving her turret exposed.

The Death Star rolled forward almost casually, clearly not concerned by the retreating KV. And why should it be? Its armor was far too tough for her 85mm cannon to deal with, and even if she could penetrate it she would need quite a few shots to destroy such an enemy. The Death Star would only need one. The KV-1 stopped at the edge of the depression and calmly faced the massive tank destroyer, turning her hull diagonal to it. Tùzǐ watched in mixed horror and confusion. Does she really think she can angle enough to bounce one of those shells? Is she overconfident or just suicidal?

I've got to help.

Tùzǐ inched forward until he could bring his gun down to aim at the enemy. He didn't have any illusions about damaging a tank like that, but maybe, just maybe, he could distract it long enough to allow both of them to escape. He brought his gun on target, started to aim…

The Death Star fired. At the same moment the KV-1 reversed as hard as she could, dropping the back of her hull into the depression. Her turret tilted at a crazy angle, the FV's shell clipped it - and skipped off, exploding in the air just beyond its target. She threw her engine back into forward gear and climbed back onto level ground. Bringing her gun on target, she fired back at the Death Star, neatly blowing off its left front drive wheel. Tùzǐ saw an instant change in the demeanor of both tanks. Suddenly the FV215b(183) was the one looking worried as the KV-1 circled around it with the air of a predator. As she passed the side of the bigger tank she fired a second shot and clipped off its left rear drive wheel as well. The Death Star tried to turn its turret to follow her, but when it reached 45 degrees it stopped with a clang. Its turret didn't have the traverse range of an ordinary tank. The terrifying tank destroyer was helpless.

The KV-1 stopped behind the Death Star and took careful aim at the base of its turret. She fired, and a massive explosion heralded the detonation of the FV's ammo storage. The tank destroyer's turret sailed off in a high arc to land nearly a hundred meters from the wreck. Tùzǐ was rooted to the spot, awestruck. The KV-1 drove past the wreck of her enemy and stopped in the middle of the valley. "I know you're up there," she called out, gun swinging up towards Tùzǐ's vantage point. "Come down, little one. I won't bite."