"coms check, driver can you hear me?" with a soft-spoken but with a hint of a tremble in her voice

"yep all good"

"Gunner?"

The gunner raises her thumb up "I don't personally see the reason why we need an intercom set in this Tetrarch to be honest" said the gunner "we are so close together."

"well the drivers going to have a fun time trying to hear us." the commander responded.

The radio then spluttered into life with whines and high pitch squeaks. "Sarah, do you copy?" A calm voice said.

"Yes loud and clear!" replied Sarah.

"Good luck today the trials will now begin! But before you go, have you heard this proverb?"

Sarah looked down at her hands which were squeezing a black British tankers beret with a badge on the front, she closed her eyes to reflect back on this whole ordeal which had taken place in the last year.

1 year earlier.

Sarah Alexander was you're not so average English girl, well for the 2010's she dressed in a 40/60's look with pin curl brown hair with green eyes with a thin frame. Her room was filled with memorabilia from those era's from the Beatles all the way to Humphrey Bogart, with posters to records, books to mugs. In the corner of her room there was one area untouched by all this, was a picture in a frame with a woman with a baby on her lap with a 3 year old boy to the left of her and a man standing behind the child all were smiling, well apart from the baby which was crying its eyes out.

Whilst lying on her bed listening to her record player with some classic rock and roll songs being played not doing anything on this hot summer evening and with school being closed for the holidays it was heaven on earth, her phone rang, she answered the phone.

"Dad why are you calling you should be working." She said jokingly.

"But its great news James has gotten through to the Great British Cup an…" said in an excited manner like a kid being told he can have any sweets in a candy store.

"Yes, dad I know that" cutting him off.

"But this is the deciding match I'm going to take a day off work I'll say I'm ill or something so I can see this match in person. Do you want to come?"

"But I'm really busy at the moment." She responded.

"come on really?!" he said sarcastically "at least do it for James we need to give him all the support we can give to him, the commander of Bovington Academy is a real privilege and if he wins this, is a golden key that will open many doors."

"But it won't make much difference if I'm there or not."

"But mum would be there for him."

She looked at the picture for a couple of seconds at the smiling woman in the picture.

"I'll also get you some chocolate marshmallow ice cream!"

"Fine….! but it has to be a least 3 scoops!"

Her dad laughed "I'll send you over the info by text and will pay for your travel. Love you Sarah."

"You too dad!"

And then hung up the phone and walked to her window, looked out on the sun hanging over the sea with its warm orange glow with her carrier ship sailing towards it as if to have a little more sun.

One week later she was on English shores again with a ferry dropping her off with other students, parents and workers to their home port of Boston. She walked to the local arcade which had penny machines, shooter games and impossible to win claw machines, and decided to have a go for old times' sake to try and get a toy from the claw machine.

"I had an inkling that you would be here, we would spend hours trying to get one of those big bears from those machines" a familiar voice said "the manager of the arcade felt so bad for us as we were there for 2 hours he opened up the machine and gave you the bear."

She turned to see an older man with black comb-over hair, with a couple of wrinkles and grey eyes in smart casual clothing.

"Dad!" she and he embraced.

"How's work going it much be exhausting going from here to Japan so often." She said.

"Well, the Japanese car market in Europe is having a boom at the moment. Good for the company and my air miles but it takes its toll." He responded "quick we best be on our way the train leaves in 10 minutes"

On the train, they talked with beautiful rolling countryside in the window.

"Well, you know after ever battle each team looks at the match and analyses every little detail." Sarah said.

"I know so either he can go for the tried and tested tactics or do something wild and unpredictable which would increase the chances of a loss." He said "but if I know James he is very brash and would take a risk if he felt if it was worth it. You know in for a penny in for a pound and all that."

"Well as we know Jacobite High is a pretty strong school known for being fearsome warriors and take no prisoners which is good for them in the table" he passed over his tablet and showed her the league table.

1st Jacobite High Played: 2 won: 2 Lost: 0 Kills/death average:+5 Points: 2

2nd Bovington Academy Played: 2 won:2 Lost: 0 Kills/death average:+2 Points: 2

3rd William the 3rd college Played: 3 won:1 Lost: 0 Kills/death average: -3 Points: 1

4th Cardiff College Played: 3 won: 0 Lost: 3 Kills/death average: -8 Points: 0

"So Jacobite High want a long fight then." she said looking at the table "and want to make Bovington bleed tanks. So he has to take the flag tank out quick and finish the match quick."

"Yes, you would think that but wouldn't Jacobite know that as well." He responded.

"I guess you're right what to do. James will really need to plan this one out pretty good" passing back the tablet.

Three hours later they arrived at their destination for the match with hundreds of other people joining them mostly friends, family and even the possibility of talent scouts. She could see the grandstands with the large screens in the distance the closer she and her father got, the big and bigger they seemed to get, she thought by the time they got to the stands the screens would be touching the clouds. Tankery memorabilia was everywhere on little pop-up stalls with mini tank models, deactivated shells from 20mm to even 122mm she walked past one stall with clothes, her eyes danced around the stall and made contact with a British tankers beret, she asked the stall owner if she could try it on she nodded. It was a perfect fit and felt it worked amazingly with her 50's dark red dress when her dad saw her with the beret on he walked over.

"Oh, how James would be proud right about now."

He looked over to the owner "so how much would you like for it."

"Normally £30 but as she fits it so well I give it to you for £20."

"Thank you so much." Sarah said smiling.

Her dad passed over the money and they walked over to the stand as the match was about to begin. They sat down with vendors selling drinks, hot dogs, fish and chips and most importantly Ice cream they ate ice cream together, the Tannoy speakers then came to life.

"Welcome everyone to this final match of the Great British Cup this year has been a great year for Tankery in the UK and great talent from all participating teams this has possibly been the most interesting we've seen in a long time and we wish good luck to our other teams William the 3rd college and Cardiff College who finish 3rd and 4th respectively and wish them all the best for next year. Ok now, this is how the teams have lined up for today's final match the decider on who will be the 2010 Great British Cup winner."

The screens turned on to show the roster appear.

"Bovington Academy

2x Tiger II

And

28x Comets

with the flag tank being Bovington's Commander James Alexander "

The screen then showed a picture of James' arms cross with his body face to the right but his face looking towards the where the camera would have been he was wearing his khaki coloured shirt and green tie and looked like a younger version of his father.

The crowd cheered from the Bovington supporters with Sarah's dad making the most noise; to the embarrassment of Sarah "you got this James! ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND!"

"Jacobite High

10x T34 – 85

10x x Churchill MK 7

10x Jadpathers

With one of the Churchill's being flag tank being vice Commander Malcolm Robertson, the commander of Jacobite High is Andrew Clyde" again the screen showed a picture of Andrew Clyde in the same pose he was dark ginger with a couple of light freckles with traditional Scottish dress.

The crowd cheers again from the Jacobite High supporters someone even played Scotland the Brave on their bagpipes.

"Remember the teams do not know the other team's roster." The tannoy announcer said, "Here come the commanders" the screens changed to live pictures of the two meeting in the middle of the soon to be battlefield. They shook hands and exchanged words but there was no volume so the crowd had no idea of what was being said. They got back in there jeeps and drove back to their starting points.

"The match will begin in 5 minutes" the tannoy proclaimed.

"Well that's a strange lineup James has gone for" said Sarah to her dad "any ideas?"

"I have no idea but it's going to be good."

The battlefield was flat not even a molehill was in sight, There were two prominent woodlands one in the north and one to the south separated by clear grassland in-between them on the east and west sides was also clear of trees so any flankers would be easily spotted, Bovington would be attacking to the north and Jacobite to the south.

"This looks like a Jacobite win to me son." one crowd member said behind Sarah "this is a defensive battle only a fool would attack its basically world war one all over again it will be a game of attrition and with Bovington tank selection they won't hold out for long." Sarah had to agree with that statement, what was James thinking is he throwing this game on purpose?

A white flare was shot into the sky in the far distance.

"The match has now begun." said the tannoy.

R/N I based the year on the anime came out as I can't found out which year it's meant to be set, also my plan is to have a new chapter out ever Sunday crossed fingers. Also if you read the chapter this week (27th-2 Feb) apologues the league table came out all wrong due to Fanfiction document reader not liking spaces.