The Steel Girls
Chapter 10 : To the 64th!
On the way to the hotel, Nagoya
After the Drawing. 12.07 PM
SM commanders beside Alexa marked the previous "bumped to" event as a mark of hostility they will receive during the competition. The German girl always on her own world since then. She didn't even responded to questions properly. Shiro is very concerned with this situation as she thinks about the way to gather Alexa's senses back.
"It's quiet fortunate for us to fight against new competitors so we're fighting purely with skills we have." Try Shiro to lighten up the situation.
"..." Alexa slowly turned her head to Shiro's with flat expression. "Yes." She returned to her sightseeing looking outside the bus.
The platinum blonde girl is unsatisfied with Alexa's answer. "Is she some sort of trauma to you?" She doesn't give any respond. "Seriously, can you move on?"
"I'm just shocked..."
"Really? What's up with her?"
"She devastated my team and won the national championship in Germany. I failed to protect my flag tank at that moment. She had all the glory and declared a hostile act against any Stahlmädel schools. And now..."
"She wants to destroy us?" Shiro guessed.
"Y-Yes." Alexa's voice stuttered.
"Hehe..." Shiro giggled, suddenly her conversation partner turns her vision. "It's not like it's gonna be your fault when we're defeated in the finals, especially by her."
Alexa started to regain her senses after hearing her leader's encouragement. "I guess you're right."
"Good then, Phew..." Shiro exhaled in relief after successfully helped Alexa even just a bit. Shiro took her cellphone and checked for incoming messages. "Hm, from Chiyo."
Stählmadel GHS, Tank Maintenance Hangar
12.22 PM
A girl in glasses and long dark brown hair is sitting calmly near a portable gantry crane with her phone on her hand. She sometimes unlocked her screen like expecting something on her phone. Suddenly her phone ringed for a second. "Here it is!" Chiyo read the message from her boss, she smiled then quickly went outside the hangar to her crews. "Let's get to work, where are the Technicians?"
"Some of them is still hanging around somewhere... I'll contact them to gather up." Answer Chiyo's underling.
"Okay! Tell Aichi to bring the KV here... I'll do something with the damaged tank on the back." Order Chiyo.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Stahlmädel GHS, Class II-B
Monday, After school. 02.02 PM
"I still wonder why they didn't let us get near the tank shed..." After all the lessons finished, Erika can't help but in deep thought after what she did during the school break. "I mean... It's odd, y'know."
Alexa listened but rather focused on her smartphone. "I don't get bothered, probably there's a maintenance on the tanks and it involves sensitive yet expensive parts..." The brunette German put her phone to her uniform pocket. "Why did you visited the tank shed, anyway?"
From afar, a blonde German runs through the hallway to Alexa and Erika's. She seems like in a hurry. "Thank God I met you guys!"
"W-What's going on, Wilma?" Alexa seems puzzled.
"Shiro-san want every member of sensha-do team to gather in front of the tank shed."
Both class II-B students nod. "Is it involving a prohibition to enter the facility during school break?"
"Geez... Why the heck do you think about such unimportant stuff."
"I-I can't stand secrecy, you know... It make me feels uneasy sometimes." The gyaru stuttered.
"Okay, let's not waste a time. Where are those two?"
"Already there. We'd better hurry." Then, all the three students taking a quick pace to the tank shed.
At the Tank Shed...
In front of the buildings all members of sensha-do team gathered unorganized. All of them is having a conversation with each other. There is also new faces that was never seen during the previous meeting with the fellow teammates.
"Hey, Alexa-senpai!" Four junior students waved their hands at the newly arrived Alexa.
"Hi everyone..." Alexa waves back. She approach the sophomores whom she help during the very first combat training. "So, Tajima-chan. Have you told your crews about what you got during the seminar?"
"Oh-hooo I have." Tajima put on a proud smile. "Now everyone is more then prepared to fight even if it means to fight strong schools."
"That's the spirit. Hi five, everyone!"
"Yay!" Shinoda, Kei and Roxy followed their leader.
From afar, Alexa's crew is looking at their Commander. "I want to be hi fived too... How about you, Helga?"
The silent girl shake her head. "You nuts?" Said on what Helga write on her phone to Ai. She helped her scrolled the phone. "What are you, elementary student?"
"How could you type that fast?!" Ai shouted.
*Cough cough* suddenly, a voice from a megaphone coming from the front of gathered students. A figure with a straight, long platinum blonde hair is stand taller than the others. "Thank you for coming here and I'm sorry for this sudden call..." All students suddenly went silence. "As you can see, We're going to Nagoya to determine who will we gonna fight and I know that you guys already know who will we fight against..."
"Shiro-san is really spirited today." Figure Erika.
"If it's true that "men behind the gun" factor is important during sensha-do, then we have to make sure our tanks are running properly and less flawed..." All the students agreed by nodding. "Today, all of you will drive your tanks to the newly-prepared place to push our vehicles to the limit..." The tank shed's door is opened revealing all the tanks with the newly-arrived Sherman tanks colored in Olive drab at the front.
"Sherman tanks?!" Wilma's eye widened.
"I didn't know that we're receiving a new tanks. Nice..." Erika smiled while crossing her arms.
"W-What are they doing with our KV-1, Edna?" Ask Edna's crew to her leader.
"I dunno..." answer the girl with tropical hat. "But our firepower is greatly increased, which is good."
"Come to think of it..." A purple haired girl leaned to Alexa's position. "I heard that you want to change tank. What tank will you choose?"
The brunette put her right index finger to her bottom lip. "I believe you guys gonna love my choice... Wait. How could you know?"
"Secret, teehee..."
Jade School Carrier Forest. Plains section.
All the tanks driven from school to the forest has finally arrived to the destination. All the teams are opening their hatch to let the heat inside the tank away. Shiro pressed her throat mic while her head is outside the cupola. "Attention all units, park your tank by a row consist of 5 tanks and the rest followed to the rear."
"Da, kommandir!"
"Roger that, boss!"
"Jawohl!"
As ordered all 5 tanks parked first making a row and followed by others. Shiro's T-34-85 parked between Nikita's and Sadako's Jagdpanther. On the edges, Edna's specially-treated KV-1 is on the far left and Ilya's Mark III M tank on the other side.
As everyone dismounted their tanks, Shiro is already on the ground with Edna and Sadako. "Hmm... I don't see Alexa's tank."
"Now that you mention it, Sadako..." Shiro try to look at all direction for Alexa and her tank. "Ugh..."
"Hey, who's using a Panther tank?" Yell some crew.
A tank is approaching them in full speed as they're the last among the already arrived tanks. They parked on the last blank spot braking just in time avoiding unnecessary collision. Everyone is looking at it until their crews step outside their yellow-colored German medium tank. "Hello, girls!"
"Alexa?!"
Alexa and her crews hop out from their new tank. It's a Panther G colored in yellow with number '207' written on the turret beside the Stahlmädel school logo. "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone." Alexa apologize to the others.
"Well, you're not really late." Tajima answered.
"Even if she's late, I wish you peoples be at least a bit smart..." All eyes turned to someone with a high, mocking tone. The girl have a dark brown, short wavy hair and blue eyes "I mean... You see that thing. It's a Panther. A thing that bogs down and aflame easily!"
"Oh shit, that bitch is at it again." Whisper Roxy while slapped her forehead.
"Does she always like that?" Ask Kei.
"Hohoo you don't wanna know."
"ATTENTION ALL UNITS!" Shout Shiro from the top of her tank. "Starting from Edna's position, we will start a run through the proving ground two by two. For now, we will wait for our maintenance team to arrive..."
Helga wasn't listening as she looks at her back. She nudged Erika who's listening to the commander. "..."
"Hm? What is it, Helga?" The silent girl pointed at the sound and truck silhouette. "Holy hell..."
"Ah, there's our technical team."
The truck is parked beside the tanks not far from their position followed by tracked vehicle but with cranes on top of them. There's like 4 kind of vehicles like that with different chassis, 2 of them looks classic and the others are modern-looking.
A chatter started among the tankers including Alexa's. "Helga, do you know what tank are those?"
Helga typed something on her phone. "Those are an Armored Recovery Vehicle. Tank, but made to support the mechanics during the maintenance " Her phone is producing a voice of a young woman.
"Hey it's voiced again."
"I'm tired of showing my phone."
"I see..."
Everyone from the truck and ARV is exitting their respective vehicles. They are girls around high schooler age using dark grey wearpack, boots and gloves. The one seems to be their leader is approaching Shiro. "So... At last, we're helping you guys."
"Well, since everyone at Hagane Tech are in need of field experience on handling machineries I can't let this experience go to waste. Especially those ARVs."
"Hahaha..." The wearpacked girl with baseball cap and ponytailed black hair laughed. "I just can't believe that we managed to take care of them until this year."
"D-Does that mean the cost of maintaining the ARV itself is that high?" Nikita is slightly stuttered.
"Nah... Hehe. Not that high."
Alexa stare at the ARV provided by the technical school. It reminds her with something she saw at her father's workplace. "Those are modern Bergepanzer."
"I know right!" Wilma approached her brunette friend. "At least there are no rules about what year of certain ARV could be used."
"And then postwar vehicles tends to be more reliable and more capable handling heavy tanks even the Jagdtiger if neccessary. My, that's clever." Alexa slightly nods and Wilma followed.
Wilma look around and saw a girl that was grabbed a bow machine gun from the damaged Panzer IV. This time, she's on a Sherman tank and with her comrades. "That weirdo is joining the Panzerfahren team."
"That's their right to join."
"I know Alexa, but..."
"Come on, let's get prepared." Alexa quickly get to her tank. The rest of hey crew followed her.
"H-Hey, wait for me!"
Hours Later after Tests
It took more than 2 hours to determine a tank's capability and flaws especially during quick check-up after the trial. Several tanks experienced power loss especially on the Shermans and Jagdpanthers. A tweaks have to be made by the mechanical teams to make sure the engine run with their full potential. Edna's newly retrofitted KV-1B shows no difficulty on carrying the KwK 40 L/48 in their cast turret. New members founds much trouble during the obstacle test making the technician team must help the driver or even replace the driver for a short moment.
"I bet Helga's hand is sore now, hehe..." Erika giggled.
"..." Helga gestured by flexing her arms.
"Ooooh... Playing strong aren't ya..." The tanned girl approached the driver and pushed her bicep with index finger. "Gulp..."
"What is it, Ericchi?" Ask Ai.
"What kind of girl having this hard bicep?"
"Handsome girls." The black-haired girl smiles widely. "But then, Helga is more of a cute girl so... Handsome cute girl maybe haha..."
"Real shit? You don't get upset with that?" Helga shook her head and gave her a thumbs up. "You're not different than Ai when it comes to weirdness, sometimes."
"Okay guys, let's get outta here for a moment. Sky's getting dark." Suggest Alexa after she went outside through commander's cupola hatch.
The time of evaluation has come as some technician is sticking some sort of sticker to all tanks. Tajima's tank received a green sticker with a text "Pass" written on them. Tajima has no clue what that mean as she stare at it while thinking.
"What's with the sticky thing?" Ask some loud blonde girl definitely a foreign student. Her tank received a yellow sticker with text "Conditional" written on them. "What the heck is Conditional?"
"Eeeeeh..." The other Sherman operator seems not amused "Red? Why tho?"
"How am I supposed to know Lenna, geez?"
"Ah, looks like we forgot to inform everyone about it..." The technician that close to Shiro suddenly stood beside the American girl. "We have our own standard about something's capability not exceptionally tanks. Green means your tank is ready even for the worst, yellow means a light maintenance needed, red means serious issue coming from your tank and must be fixed."
"Why my tank get yellow sticker while those German tanks are green?"
"It is not because we sided to any faction. Do you even realize that your Sherman is a used tank, Christie-san?"
"W-Well, duh... It's a Sherman."
"It wins the war doesn't mean it'll not be damaged. They need to replace the sparkplugs on your engine. I know you want to ask about it. And yes, I'm a head mechanic." Christie sweatdropped yet stunned.
"E-Excuse me..." Lidya approached the head mechanic. "Why red?"
"It's a symbol of communism." Lidya's eyes widened. "Kidding. Turret motor must be replaced because it's underpowered, suspensions must be updated, and the engine's must undergo a little overhaul."
"B-Blin... That much?"
"That much. Please take note that your tank is in used condition."
"Y-Yes, Head Mechanic-san."
From top of the red-stamped Sherman, Lidya's commander, Henny said something while muttering in her language, "That's why I hate tanks, they get worn out easily than the firearms. Fucking tanker's life... greased monkeys." Said the British girl in audible voice.
"Okay everyone...!" Shiro ask for the tanker's attention through her megaphone. "The tanks which received yellow and red stickers must undergo a repair so I'm affraid none of those tanks are available to use until it's finished." Shiro explained.
"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone answers calmly.
"Okay, it's getting darker alright. Head straight home after you parked the tank. Now, let's move out!"
After Parking the Tanks...
As the tank shed door is closed and everyone left the school ground, Henny and her crews headed to the Schulewehr armory. Lidya goes first, quickly like wanted to grab something. "Welp... We're joining sensha-do team in the end, guys happy by the way?"
"Yeah..." Iris nods in agreement. "So, Henny... Arent'ya gonna tear that black collar thing for a sassy pink tabs?" Ask her with the iconic English accent.
"Maybe not. I'm still a Schulewehr soldier." The heterochromia girl crossed her arms.
"Talk about dedication, eh..." The girl with glasses tried to grab something from her pocket. "Oh, bloody hell... My fags gone."
"Eehhh? Who told you to start smoke?"
"It's mine cuz I bought it, Love... Not because I smoke it."
"The heck is that supposed to mean?"
"Welcome to the Tealand." Matsuda suddenly joined the conversation, making Henny sweatdropped.
Not long, a Kubelwagen arrived and stopped close to the group. "Let's go home, girls!" Yell Lidya from the driver seat.
"Ah, okay!" Everyone jumped to the convertible car. "Wait, where's Lenna?"
"Hey, fellas!" Lenna waves her hand, she seems walking together with someone. "Oh and, Henny... Shiro-senpai would like to have a quick word."
"Hmm..." Henny jumped from the car and quickly headed to their direction. "Lenna, get into the car first..."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Shiro looked at the blonde girl run to the Kubelwagen. She put her hands to her uniform's pocket. "Thanks for coming Henny."
The wavy-haired girl crossed her arm. "Make it quick, I'm tired now."
"You could've been softer..." Shiro gently smiled. "I want to know more about the Blackshirts."
"Quick or detail?"
"Quick, and detailed."
"Very well..." Henny walked away in instant after hearing what Shiro wants. She returned to the car this time by the door instead of jumped. "Let's go, Lidya."
"Something's going on?"
"No... Just another "favor" to ask." Explain Henny to the driver.
"Okay, Mademuazel'... We're leaving." Lidya starts the engine and drive away leaving Shiro behind looking at them. She walked back to the tank shed with no expression like letting everything flow.
In some School Carrier, 422km from SM.
The Same Time...
4 girls are having a conversation at some sort of Café on the outskirt of the city. On the tables there are papers with names, tanks, and tank formations on it. The sophisticated female with blonde hair gently chewed the Pizza served on the table while the other two on her front is busy reading a papers while sipping a cup of coffee.
"Found anything neccessary, girls?" Ask the blonde girl with long hair and emerald green iris.
"Ugh... Impossibile, il Capo..." Complain a messy, orange haired girl. "This is too sophisticated for our troops and equipments."
"Ano..." A girl with braided blonde hair tried to speak up. "I believe conventional tactics would be necessary, Ansaldo-san."
"If I were you all I'll go with anything il Capowants..." A black haired girl put down her coffee cup to the table. "You juniors better start to respect your senior's words."
"Ara, Carcano-san... Don't be so hard on them." Ansaldo gently calmed the hazelnut-colored Carcano.
"I'm only stating the correct attitude of appreciation towards someone with higher rank."
"That's not necessary. Breda-chan and Beretta-chan is in the moment of learning the situation. It's good to train them on showing expression and reacted towards some statement."
"Haha!" Breda quickly stood from her seat. "You hear that, Canoe!"
Carcano stood from her seat. "You better watch your mouth lady! Use honorary ranks when talking to someone with higher position! Got that?!"
"P-Please everyone calm down... We're having a serious talk here."
Ansaldo clasped her hands on the table showing a great aura of women with dignity fading her sisterly side. "Settle down, please..." Both arguing girls looked at Ansaldo then take a seat together. "It is settled. We'll perform a conventional tactics as proposed. For further discussion regarding tactics and strategies will be discussed the day after tomorrow with the commanders. Capisci?"
"C-Capisco, il Capo!"
Stahlmädel GHS Tank Shed, Office.
3 Days Later...
"We've been recruiting quiet a number of members despite the number of tanks we have. It's very important to wrap it up as soon as possible."
Alexa furrowed her brows as Shiro stated about the recruitment. "For the reserves?"
"Not just the reserves..." Shiro put her hand to her shirt's pocket. "But for the 'Special Purpose' team."
"Eh?"
"I want you to work as an unconventional warfare combatant. So that means, you need to pick your personnel wisely." Shiro taps her subordinate's shoulder.
"What's that even mean? Am I gonna do dirty jobs?"
"N-No..." Shiro stammered. "Take it like..."Stoss-gruppe"." Shiro talks with weird German accent
"I don't know what that supposed to be but okay, with conditions..."
"Oh, what is it?"
"I pick my own member." Alexa making a deal.
"Hmm... Deal!" The Platinum blonde-haired girl offered Alexa a handshake.
As both girls reaching an agreement, everyone outside the tank shed are learning about the tanks they'll soon use. Everyone is on the high spirit as they match to their first annual sensha-do competition thinking of winning all the matches.
Author's Note
Awright! Chapter 10! It took forever to be able to write again after the test :P. Oh well, thank you for evevrone who waits and read the fanfic. I'm still able to write due to your supports in many form :3. Thank you to Fire Lord 626 for the corrections and making our fic better. More fav or reviews, the better for motivational purpose. See you again next time, folks!