Girls Und Panzer: Mother Russia
Chapter 1: The Euro League's Best
Japan is the heart of Tankery, but where there is one league there are others that fight with different rules and different tactics. We treat our tanks as members of our family, and hold them up with pride when we take to the battlefield. I am Commander Alexandra Agapova of Team Orel, and I bid you all a fond welcome to Russia.
I am a student at the Kursk All-Girls School of Armored Combat. In short, we train high school girls in the ways of the tank along with their general studies. The Russian System of Armored Combat is different. Different schools around the country specialize in different forms of tank. We specialize in medium tanks and tank destroyers.
We have a saying at our school: 'Keep your glass as full as your confidence'. When your glass overflows, then things get messy and things go wrong. One should be as confident in themselves as they are in the tank crew. So what kinds of tanks will you find us training in should you come for a visit. One tank you will find is the T-44.
It is fast, agile, and carries a good gun. These are qualities that make a good tank. You need a good crew that make those qualities apparent. I have a crew in Natalya Novichkova our loader, Zorina Pronina our driver, and Anna-Maria Yankova our gunner. I assure you my use of pronouns is not without purpose. My tank crew is my family.
"We got news from the dean, we are going to Japan," said Natalya,
"Japan? What for?" I asked curiously as she handed me the notice in the hallway,
"Apparently since the formation of the Euro League a decade ago, they are interested in seeing what we can do, The Japanese want us to send our best tank crews to come and compete," Natalya explained, my loader is a very pretty girl with long curls of brown hair like a lion and light brown eyes. Because of her hair, we call Natalya 'Mufasa'.
"So we have been chosen? How lovely, has the rest of the crew been informed of this?" I asked, Natalya nodded 'yes', I have watched the Japanese compete on the television. I have some questions in mind for one the tank crews. For example, who in their right mind paints a StuG III bright red?! We could hit that all the way in Moscow.
"The dean said that two medium tanks crews will be chosen, and two tank destroyer crews, the numbers seem kind of small, but we take what we are given," Natalya informed me, I find it amusing to watch her hair bounce up and down with her walking gait. Her mother competes in Olympic skeleton, and she wants to be just like her.
Natalya is a member of the skeleton club at our school. It is not hard to tell she competes with her long legs, and large powerful thighs for her size. She wears oval wireframe glasses giving her an adorable bookworm look, "Why should we come with numbers only to get eliminated from the competition? This isn't World War One," I joked lightly,
"If you want my say in this, Japan wants the best to compete, they looked to us," said Natalya,
"The Japanese have taste I must say, then we best not disappoint," I replied,
The next day, I was summoned to the dean's office. Commanders like me wear the M35 uniform, and are mostly recognizable by our blue pants with the red stripe, and we wear goggles to go with our peaked caps, "It is good to see you are taking the recent news well, милая ('milaya' or sweetie)," said our dean from her desk, Irina Stefanyakova.
She is a five-time Euro League Champion, and Russia's only undefeated champion. She has retired, and seemed to take an easier job training us to set a good example of what it means to be a part of a tank crew. She is also my aunt. Natalya, Zorina, and Anna-Maria were there, giggling at my expense, "Thank you, Major," I said with a salute,
"At ease," she said, and stood up from her desk as I followed her order, "now then, your crew will be joined by Team Yastreb, and two tank destroyer crews, Team Grifon and Team Drakon," I have competed alongside these crews in the Junior League Championship. We lost to France. Do not judge. You try facing an AMX 50 Foch tank destroyer.
Team Grifon and Team Drakon both use the SU-122-44. A formidable tank hunter, "You are dismissed," she said, and I saluted and was about to make my leave, "not you Agapova, I need you to stay for a moment," she said, and the other side of my auntie comes out. My aunt is a tall, curvy, and buxom woman with the strength of a mother bear,
"Oh my little Mishka, I am so very proud of you!" she cheered happily, hugging me and lifting me up and spinning me around,
"Argh...thank you Auntie, Auntie...my back," I cringed in her extra loving hug,
I can see it now that I may look like my aunt when I grow up some more. We both have silver hair, and brown eyes. It must run in the family, though I go for a spiky boyish look, and my aunt looks like Trinity if she dyed her hair silver, "My apologies, it is just that this is such a big step for you and your crew, and it is hard to contain myself,"
"Listen now, I do not expect you to be like me, trust me, if you win too much then no one likes you," said my aunt with a hand on my shoulder, and the other ruffling my cap, "remember, it does not matter if your crew wins or loses in Japan, you go and show what we Russians can do, I will be proud you did the best you can, now go kick some ass,"