First day of the armistice

"Attention, attention! Extra news: to avoid further chaos the leadership of the Japan Sensha-Do Federation orders an immediate and general cease-fire and commands the armed forces to do not open fire unless they get attacked." said the radio channels that evening in Japan.

Kiyoshi was relatively close to Niigata during the whole war. Still, his home city seemed so distant during all these months. It was evening and he was walking on the street on the way home. He didn't have time to inform his parents that he will come back. He opened the small gate of the garden then went inside the house. In the ante-room he took down his Sensha-Do boots. He heard someone in the living room. He went there and saw his mother arranging books on the bookshelf. After a few seconds Hasegawa Takako turned around. She froze down as if she had seen a ghost. It was her son standing in the door.

"Evening Oka-san." bowed Kiyoshi.

Takako took two very slow steps then she run to her son and hugged him tightly with teary eyes. She couldn't say even a single word because of crying. After a long time she finally took a step back to have a look at him with her hands on his cheeks.

"Are you okay?" asked Kiyoshi.

"Me? Are YOU okay?"

"Don't worry Mother. As you can see, I'm in one piece."

"But…"

"Just sit down, and I'll tell you everything."

They sat down on the sofa to finally talk with each other like a mother and her child.

Oarai

Miho's phone rang while she was sitting on the floor resting her back on the frame of her bed. "Hi Onee-chan."

"Miho… How are you?"

"Guess just like you are."

"Yeah… sorry… stupid question."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have any better idea either. I'm more or less fine if that is what you are curious about."

"Isn't it natural that I care about my little sister?"

"I think you know that better."

"It is. Miho look I… I know that I wasn't always the best big sister in the world. Can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you? For what? For what wasn't your fault?"

"But I…"

"The past is in the past Onee-chan. And? Are you alright?"

"Like you said. More or less."

"I don't think it's time yet to talk about it. It would be better to discuss it later when we calmed down."

"You have a point. I just wanted to hear your voice again. It didn't change at all. And now it calmed me down a little bit."

"Yours did the same to me Onee-chan."

"Then I managed to do something good in this world."

May has passed. Then June has passed. Half of the JSF and Confederate soldiers were at home while the other half of them was still on the fields but now without battles. It was like an unwanted camping in nature.

Not everyone was so relaxed however.

July, Marina's POV

The Sensha-Do team of Count High School was still in standby. Although Pravda has evacuated Soma when the armistice was made, they kept the coastal city encircled. Marina and her teammates still felt themselves besieged. Any attempt to leave Soma with their tanks would have led to a battle. There were other reasons too for them to be worried. In reality their and Viggen High School's status wasn't clarified in the ceasefire-agreement. The JSF could attack them again any time to enlist them into their army by force. Secondly, still no outer support was guaranteed for them. They faced the threat alone.

One day Marina was sitting in one of the school ship's park with the replica of Bucharest's Arcul de Triumf in the middle of it. A large part of Count's school ship's surface was covered with woods so the students had many opportunities to enjoy nature and practice their tactics. She let the sunbeams to smooth her face and she was listening to the songs of birds. This gave her at least a bit of calm.

"What's up Mizuki?" Marina asked the vice-commander when she saw her closing on the sidewalk.

"Swimming in the ocean would be much better than waiting for what they might do Comandor." said Mizuki, gesturing with her head to the west where Pravda was.

"I can imagine it. How is the team?"

"They are weary. Tired of this whole crap and the constant preparedness."

"What could feel those who have spent the last nine months on battlefields? Compared to them we are still lucky."

"I hope our luck will not run out."

"Not until we believe in ourselves."

Katyusha's POV

"What on earth do they want again?" asked Katyusha her radio operator annoyed while a message from Tokyo was incoming. The other girl handed the paper with a troubled look. Katyusha reacted the same way when she read it. "Nonna!" she turned to the tall, black haired vice-commander who was talking with Klara near the JS-2.

"What is it Katyusha?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For this." said Katyusha and gave the message to Nonna.

"Increase the forces of Pravda Girls' High School around the city of Soma and set them up for combat." said the order of the JSF directorate.

"I'm sorry this. I have to move you out of this relative peace." said Katyusha looking at the ground.

"Never feel bad. It's not your fault." replied Nonna. Klara watched her. Nonna's face remained stiff and calm as it used to, but her eyes betrayed her. Her blue eyes were full of despair and sorrow. "And… do they want only me to go there with the girls?"

"Unluckily yes. Without me or Klara."

"I see. Well... I guess there is nothing to do." The three remained silent for a while. "Then… I go and prepare them." said Nonna with a neutral voice.

Katyusha and Klara were watching after her. "Can't we really just… stop?" asked Katyusha. "I don't know if this is still all about the boys' schools. But if it is I hereby declare that I do not care about them anymore."

Klara simply nodded as an answer with her hands on her shoulders. Her face wasn't any different than Nonna's.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm scared Katyusha-sama."

"Of what?"

"Of everything." said Klara at the edge of crying.

Three days later, Marina's POV

Marina wrote protest letter after protest letter to Tsuji but without any effects. The increased army group of Pravda still held them in stifling ring of steel. She stated that this is incompatible with Count High School's security, dignity and free will. But she found deaf ears.

They've had a little beam of light however. Last week the IMAF raised its voice again, this time in the topic of Count and Viggen. They demanded the JSF to withdraw from Soma and Uonuma completely. But Tokyo refused. They stated that this is the JSF's inner problem and they have right to use armed forces against their own schools if they deny direct orders.

Marina herself didn't even really understand all these stuffs. She – who was in the middle of everything – only knew that they were hard pressed. She was hesitant about what to do.

"We are obviously not strong enough to remove them from the city." said Marina to Mizuki as they were checking the tanks in the hangar. "If we start an attack, it will cause a battle. And we cannot win a battle on long terms. If we do nothing however we might go crazy, but there would be a smaller chance for a conflict. Opinion Mizuki-san?"

"We have to end this as soon as possible."

"What would you like to say with that?"

"I do not reject the idea of an attack Comandor."

"Can we afford to take that chance? Now they have far more free forces to deploy against us."

"I'm sure someone will send help if people see our struggle."

"That's very risky you know." said Marina. In mean time they walked out to the railing of the school ship. The Moon was shining and stars were sparkling above them.

"You're right, but if we don't do anything that can be a sign of weakness."

"Prudence and level-headedness is not weakness Mizuki, but wisdom." Only a few seconds after Marina said this, they suddenly heard distant echoes of gunfire. It was coming from the north, from the beach. "What the…"

"Comandor!" someone yelled behind them. A girl from the team was running toward them. "Report from the outposts! Pravda launched an attack from the north! We're getting heavy bombardment!"

"Our "beloved" director decided it instead of us! Let's go!" said Marina and they rushed to their tanks.

"Do we have a chance?" asked Mizuki while sprinting.

"We have to gain time; this is the most important now. They have to react."

Two days later, Vienna

Gustav didn't know in May that he will return so soon. He was heading again to the IMAF's headquarter in the Museumstraße with his friends on a tram.

"I swear I'm starting to feel as a… I don't know what." he said.

"I personally feel myself as someone who's annoyed because we have to do this in the middle of summer." said Gertrud.

"What would you do now instead of this?"

"Probably I would enjoy that I don't have anything to do. Guess I would be sunbathing on the beach. Or have a boat trip to Helgoland. Or visit my grandparents in Bremen. Or travel to somewhere, to the Adriatic Sea in Croatia for example. But not this. I like Vienna too, but not when it's like an oven. "It was very hot on this early July day indeed.

The Assembly gathered together again in the meeting room.

"Ladies and gentlemen." greeted Vogel the delegates. "I'm so sorry we had to interrupt you vacations but we are facing another crisis in Japan. With your permission I'd like to read out a letter which was sent to us by the commander of Count High School's Sensha-Do team. "Respected members of the International Martial Arts Federation! Our school and team are in danger. The Japan Sensha-Do Federation tries to crush us. The tanks of Pravda Girls' High School are rumbling through the streets of our home city. We are getting pushed back hour by hour. The clouds over us are getting darker and darker. We are fighting with overwhelming numerical superiority. Members of the International Martial Arts Federation! We're asking you to help us! Not with advices, not with words but with deeds! Do not forget that the JSF wouldn't respect your schools either if it benefits them! Help us! Members of the International Martial Arts Federation! Help us in the name of justice! Hear our cries! Give us a comradely hand! Save us! With respect and faith: Marina, commander of Count High School."

"That's it ladies and gentlemen. We have supported them earlier but now we should take it to a new level. They are asking us for a direct, armed intervention. As for me I'd still like to solve this in a somewhat peaceful manner. I'll continue to negotiate with the JSF leaders but be prepared for everything." Vogel's voice was determined but in reality he was doubtful. In the past more than one and a half months he was constantly trying to find a solution. Two weeks earlier he managed to create an agreement. Count High School has signed it but the JSF refused.

He changed many letters with Tsuji and his directorate but the same happened. After a week they were still at the starting line. This was when even Vogel who was the definition of quietude lost his patience.

The next session came and everyone in the room knew that words have no use anymore.

"My friends. They are not interested in peace. They didn't sign the peace treaty with the boys' schools and they didn't sign the agreement with Count High School. The time has come for us. To make that decision we need the majority of you to vote with "yes". If you support an intervention in Japan, please raise your hands."

Hundreds of hands rose into the air. Even the Japanese delegates did so.

"Thank you all. Now we need to discuss on the details."

Miho's POV

Miho didn't know why did Anzu call the team to the tank hangar but she had a very bad feeling. When she arrived to the training field the rest of the girls were already standing there in a circle with the president in the middle.

"Is everyone here?" asked Anzu.

"Yes kaichō." nodded Miho.

"Attention everyone! You all know what is happening in Soma. You also know that it triggered a big indignation among the public. Inter alia the International Martial Arts Federation expressed its displeasure too." Anzu here took a deep, nervous sigh. "This morning our directorate announced in the radio that the negotiations have stranded and the IMAF directly endangers us. They've spotted activity around the Sentoki-Do airfields. Likely we will have to face an offensive from the air."

The girls groaned in shock. "Wasn't it enough once?" asked Azusa worriedly.

"It's different than last time. They'll attack our various facilities. Like this place where we are standing now."

"EEEEEHHHHH?"

"We are so doomed!"

"Help us o gods!"

"But what could we do against it?"

"I'll be honest: not too much." said Anzu seriously. "They will send us extra machine guns to mount them on the tanks' cupolas. That's kinda all we can do. They'll give us more information later in the day."

Jajka's POV

Jajka was sitting on top of her tank near Uonuma supporting her head with her hand. But her boredom was suddenly broken. She heard loud buzzing from the sky. She looked up and to her surprise she saw the entire Sentoki-Do team of Adlerflügel passing by above them. The planes which were attacking them not so many days ago now were flying in formation northwards followed by transport aircrafts.

"What are they doing now?" frowned Jajka. She didn't know that Kitamura Tsuguo commanded every Sentoki-Do practicing schools in Honshu and Kyushu to evacuate their airfields, fly to other schools in Hokkaido and Shikoku and bring as much ammunition with them as possible.

The Japan Sentoki-Do Federation has always focused mainly on fighters, multirole fighters and attack aircrafts; they barely had anything to attack ground targets. Therefore the Russian and American Sentoki-Do Federations have also got orders for mobilization. They've had planes better suited to the purpose.

Meanwhile the JSF girls still had a little bit of hope that the worst will not happen.

Oarai

It was break between the classes. The students gathered together before the notice boards on the corridors. New, sinister placards appeared suddenly.

What to do in case of an air raid:

1: If you hear the sirens do not get close to endangered areas

2: If you are at an endangered area when alert starts, leave immediately and get away as far and fast as you can

3: When you hear the alert, go to a safe place immediately and stay there until the raid is over

4: The "all clear" is signaled by 60 seconds of continuous siren sound

5: Always follow the instructions of superiors

For the average students this was more than a terrible shock. To feel that threat can appear on the horizon in every minute. That the enemy is so close.

They stood blankly. How is this possible? How could war come to their own city?

Training field

The tanks were lined up before the hangar. Some of the girls didn't really like the idea of getting inside the vehicles again when they drove them out, even after two months.

During the afternoon they got the plus machineguns, namely MG 42s and now they begun to fix them on the tanks.

Miho was thinking as she was puttering with a screw. She knew exactly that they had the smallest chance to cause trouble to the planes with these weapons. MG 42 is a great machine gun but what can it do in the hands of a tanker against a fast, zigzagging warplane, especially when it flies at high altitude? Or when it's night? She didn't know about any occasion from WW2 when an average tank defeated an airplane.

"Can you handle it Nishizumi-chan?"

"Yes Koyama-san. Thank you." said Miho with a faint smile to the student council member who was standing at the Panzer IV looking up at her commander.

"Look I… I'm sorry. We are the student council and we are supposed to represent the interests of the students. But what did we do for you? Or to end this?"

"Do not torment yourself with such thoughts Koyama-san. It's beyond you." consoled her Miho.

"Maybe. But the little voice in my head tells me day and night that I didn't try everything."

"Me too."

"If someone is not responsible for this it's you taichō."

"Who can tell who's responsible and who's not? Who did the right thing and who not?"

"I don't know. I only know that we shouldn't be in this situation."

"You are reading my thoughts." nodded Miho. In mean time she finished with the machinegun. She leaned back to have a look on the blue sky and the beautiful forms of clouds. But besides the sky and clouds she noticed something else too. A little, dark point flying through the azure at about 6000 meters. "Look!" Miho pointed at it.

The girls looked up and they saw it too.

"What's that taichō?" asked Yuzu shielding her eyes from the Sun.

"An Ilyushin Il- 2 Sturmovik." replied Miho simply.

"What is it doing?"

"It photographs the targets."

Here we go!