Chapter 17:

The two tanks quickly narrowed the fog-shrouded gap between them, with engines thundering and their wildly spinning tracks churning the grass beneath them to dirt. Miho and Makoto clung tightly to the rims of their turrets, both girls peering through thick murky air in the hope of spotting their adversary before another shot was fired.

Miho was first to spy a large dark silhouette looming out of the fog directly ahead of her tank, followed an instant later by Makoto, as her new friend's Panzer came barreling through the mist into view.

"Mako, turn hard right!"

"Minako, turn left now!"

Fortunately for the young commanders, their drivers had also glimpsed each other's Panzer, and wasted no time attempting to pivot the massive vehicles out of danger. Unfortunately, Mako and Minako both chose the same direction of escape. The tanks drew parallel to one another just as the outside edges of their fast-revolving tracks touched, rubbing together in a loud cacaphony of grinding metal and a shower of sparks.

The Panzers broke physical contact after a few seconds and began slowing down, though still running along mere centimeters apart, with Makoto and Miho staring speechlessly at one another. Both girls found themselves breaking into relieved smiles, then laughter, waving at each other before their Panzers parted ways.

Miho dropped into the base of the turret. "Great reflexes, Mako! That could've gotten ugly."

Her driver replied, "I've been feeling sleepy all morning, Miho-san. But I'm wide awake now."

. . . . .

Makoto also ducked inside out of the fog. "That was way too close! Minna, is everything ok in here... nani? Where's Usagi?"

"Odango atama is down there, Mako-chan" Rei pointed. "Don't worry, she's fine."

"No, I am not fine, Rei-chan!" Usagi's voice angrily retorted from somewhere below, where she lay sprawled face-up on the floor of her station. Only her feet were visible, sticking up in the air beside her seat. "What was that awful scraping noise after Minako made that crazy turn, Mako-chan? It made me slide off my chair and fall down and... Ohh! I squished my headphones!"

"Mako-chan did tell you to hold on tight, Usagi-chan" Rei reminded her, unable to stop snickering at her friend's predicament.

While the odango-haired girl slowly righted herself amid much muttering and grumbling, Makoto complimented her driver. "Arigatou, Minako-chan. You and Mako both made your turns just in time."

The bubbly blonde smiled back over her shoulder. "Mako-chan, am I good, or am I great?"

"I'll go with great... at least for the moment" the brunette chuckled. "Take our tank back into the trees before Hana shoots at us again. We'll fix Usagi's mangled headphones, regroup and try something different that's hopefully... a little less exciting."

. . . . .

Thirty minutes later...

"Minna, that's it" Makoto sighed. "We've been taken out... again."

With the sharp sound of the kill still ringing in the ears of the girls of Luna team, the brunette pushed open the two-piece cupola hatch of her disabled Panzer and climbed out, standing on top of the turret. "Wonderful" she muttered. "The fog is finally lifting." Clattering tracks announced the arrival of the victor's tank, and Miho's Panzer soon pulled alongside.

Makoto gave her friend a respectful bow. "Sumimasen, Miho-san. I wish we'd done better today. That was a great kill."

The other commander smiled warmly back. "Please don't feel down, Makoto-san. You put up a really challenging fight! My team had to work hard to win this battle."

The brunette chuckled, "I thought we were doing pretty good too. That is, until we tried to sneak up behind you in the fog and Minako gave away our position when she drove straight into that tree."

The driver's hatch of her Panzer opened and Minako's head emerged. "Gomen, Mako-chan!" she apologized, her pretty face blushing red. "I guess I made a tiny little mistake, turning left when I should have turned right! Anyway, what a silly place to put a tree!"

"We're in the middle of a forest, Minako-chan. Where else would you expect to find a tree? In your apartment?"

"Good point!" the blonde giggled.

Makoto glared evilly at the small white flag that had popped up from the top of her Panzer. "If I see that damned flag one more time, I'm going to rip it right out of there and throw it over the side of the ship." She grinned, "Maybe we should start our next skirmish with the flag already up, Miho-san. It'd save everyone else the trouble of shooting at us."

The other Panzer's commander laughed, "Makoto-san, I've felt the exact same way more than once. A lot more, to be honest!"

"Are you sure you still want us on your team when you go up against that other school on Saturday? I wouldn't want to do something dumb and ruin your chance of winning."

"Absolutely!" Miho nodded confidently. "I like the way you fight, Makoto-san. Your team is fast and aggressive, and Ami is an amazingly accurate gunner. We need skills like that against St. Gloriana."

"They're that good?"

"Hai, they are. Those girls are very disciplined, with powerful tanks and a strategy that's difficult to counter."

"Well... we'll give it our best, Miho-san" Makoto promised.

"Hai. I know you will."

. . . . .

After lunch, Miho escorted the new girls to another building on the Ooarai campus to collect their new Sensha-do uniforms. "We don't usually wear them unless we're competing against another school" she told her newest team.

"I hope they're bright orange!" Minako exclaimed. "Now there's a color I look good in!"

"I hope they aren't" Ami shuddered.

The girls entered a large room containing long aisles of clothes-hanging bars with shelves beneath, and Miho led the other teens to a section containing blue-grey jackets and accompanying white skirts. "Here they are. Your names are sewn inside the collars. Minna, do you like how they look?"

Minako found her jacket, removed it from its hangar and eyed it critically before trying it on. "Well... it isn't orange, but it's not bad at all! I approve, Miho-san!"

Rei told the blonde, "Minako-chan, allow me to give an expert opinion. Your fashion sense obviously isn't nearly as refined as mine."

"Yes it is!"

Rei ignored her, trying on her own jacket in front of a nearby mirror. "Miho-san, these uniforms are tasteful, practical and elegant. They may even make Usagi appear somewhat competent, which is the highest praise I can possibly give them."

"I heard that!" Usagi scowled back.

"I hope so, Usagi-chan" Rei replied. "You're standing right next to me. At least your ears still work."

"Miserable!"

Miho giggled. "You are close, to tease each other that way. Have you all really known one another for so long?"

"Hai" Makoto chuckled. "It feels like we've been together for... thousands of years." She heard Ami softly gasp and winked at her.

As her friends collected their new clothing, Makoto asked, "Miho-san, do you have any plans for tonight? If not, we'd like to return the favor and invite your team to my apartment for dinner. Maybe you can even tell us more about this St. Gloriana school and what to expect on Saturday."

"Hontou? If it's no trouble for you, I'm sure the girls would love to come! Arigatou! I think that becoming more familiar with St. Gloriana's team is a great idea too. What time would you like us to drop over?"

"Better make it six-thirty, Miho-san. I'm a little rusty and may need some extra time to prepare."

"We'll be there! You enjoy cooking, Makoto-san? I admit I'm not very good at it."

Usagi answered for her brunette friend with a wide grin. "Miho-san, when it comes to Mako-chan and her cooking, I'm the real expert here! And I can truthfully say, get ready for a meal that'll knock your socks off!"

. . . . .