16. Crossbones
For once it wasn't raining, it had stopped shortly after the two teams had climbed into their tanks and drove off, and though it was still a very unpleasant day the girls of Ooarai were in good spirits. They had a lot of reasons to, Miho knew. Their opponents were for once not overwhelmingly strong and better armed and prepared, they didn't had more experience and the bigger team. In fact, the girls of Alexander Academy were outnumbered with them having 29 members in 9 tanks and Miho and her friends being 44 girls in 10 tanks, Panda Team not joining them for this match.
It had been a difficult decision who would not be a part of this match, a completely new problem for the girls of Ooarai, but in the end it had been simply decided by drawing straws, with little Dallas drawing the shortest straw. Miho hoped her friends weren't too bummed about not participating this time.
/
Feet propped up on footrests, munching on snacks, drinking fruity cocktails and just relaxing, the four girls of Panda Team were really sad that they couldn't participate in the match. They were being forced to sit under a large pavilion in comfortable armchairs, watching the match unfold from there, instead of being inside their cramped, uncomfortable, smelly, loud steel box, being shot at and being shaken around like in some carnival ride without safety belts. Yes, they were very, very sad about this.
Together with Tsutsui Orimi, who had organized everything, the four girls wallowed in their misery. Their content smiles, relaxed poses, satisfied sighs and moans as they tasted their cocktails and snacks, all that was just a mask. Yes, for sure.
/
The rust red Panzer IV of Anglerfish Team didn't so much rush through the light forest but merely rolled forward, keeping pace with the rest of the tank force of Ooarai Girl's Academy, the Mark IV of Shark Team crawling along as fast as it could. Which was not that fast, especially when compared to Tanuki and Duck Team, but the old fighting vehicle sure was an imposing sight to behold.
Miho had her head and upper body pushed out of the commanders cupola and everyone else who could was riding with their heads pushed out of their tanks as well, and thus she had a very good view of everything going on. Which wasn't that exciting, just two columns of five tanks each driving through a sparsely forested area in southern japan, birds singing and some bunnies scurrying to safety. The latter much to the delight of Rabbit Team, and Miho as well if she was honest with herself. Perhaps this was a good omen. And even if not, they sure were cute, as Saori eagerly pointed out.
As much as Miho wanted to watch the small cute animals, she knew that she had another task altogether. It was her job to make decisions and revise a plan, taking into consideration a hundred different things and then deciding on a course of action, including what tanks her team had, what tanks the opponent had, the layout of the battlefield and what state it was in and a hundred million other things. Reading a map only told her so much, seeing the battlefield was something else altogether. And what she saw was that the ground was drenched with rain, wet, soft and covered in puddles and small pools of water. Not yet a complete mud field, but not far off either.
Leopon Team had already nearly gotten stuck once and she saw a huge splotch of mud and dirty water splashing onto the front and side of Duck Team's old Type 89 as they drove through yet another large puddle of water and mud. They didn't get stuck, they didn't even slow down, but it was not boding well for Miho and her team on that front.
"What are you thinking about Miho?" asked Yukari, sitting on the side of the turret with her upper body poking out of the side hatch.
"Oh..." Miho turned to her and smiled, then giggled. "I just thought that it's good that Mallard Team is no longer driving a Char B1. I'm sure it would have gotten stuck sooner or later in this weather."
Yukari nodded and mirrored the smile, but she turned her head upwards as a moment later another loud bang of thunder rolled over the sky, far in the distance. But coming their way. "It looks like we are not out of the worst yet either."
"Awwwww," pouted Saori, as well having her head pushed out of her hatch. "I don't like rain. Sensha-Dou is so much more fun when the sun is shining."
The other girls giggled and then Hana said, "That may be, but as flowers need water as well as the sun to bloom, we can only truly appreciate the warm rays of the sun after we have experienced the cleansing rains."
The only one who didn't giggle at that was Mako, but she did smile.
The starting position of Ooarai Academy was flanked on one side by a small stream which was also the edge of the designated battlefield, marked with a simple fence and some signs. The girls parked their tanks, turning off their engines for the time being, knowing they had about twenty more minutes before the match would actually start, giving them enough time to grab a bit to drink or eat or visit the lavatories, if the need was there for it. And for Miho to study the map and come up with a plan.
"The whole battlefield is wooded hills interspersed with flat grassland," summarized Erwin, having joined Miho together with Anzu, Azusa, Hanami and Ogin. They had set up a small foldable table on which the map of the area was laid out, allowing them to come up with a plan together. "There is a small stream, which feeds into this one, running through the middle, cutting the battlefield in two. And a small town, nestled around that stream, in the north."
"We'll take this hill here," said Miho, placing her finger on a certain part of the map, one which showed a height that was softly sloped on one side, but quite harsh on the other. "It is a great defensive position, forcing them to come to us."
"Wouldn't Tita-San and her friends expect us to do that?" asked Azusa, before she blushed as she realized that she had just criticized Miho-Senpai. "Umm, um,... I didn't mean... I'm sorry."
"No, there is no need to apologize," replied Miho with a smile, actually chuckling at how cute Azusa was behaving. She was sure many boys would be fawning over her if they could see her that way. "I am just doing my best and together we can do much better. So, what do you mean by that they would expect us to do this?"
"Ummm..." Now with all eyes at her, Azusa blushed only more and her knees were trembling, but she swallowed and calmed her nerves before she answered. "Well... It is what we did in the match with Kuromorimine. And then again when we fought against the University Compound Team. And when we faced the girls of Omi-Goshu."
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never suffer a defeat," quoted Erwin, nodding in agreement and looking a bit smug as well as if she was trying to emulate a wise sage. She glanced at Azusa, smiling at the younger girl, appearing to be perhaps even a bit proud.
Miho looked down at the map, slowly nodding in understanding. Azusa was right, retreating into a well defensible position was a tactic she often employed, especially when under duress. And surely the girls of Alexander Academy had seen recordings of their matches, it was what she would have done if she had the option. "You are right," she said then after a second. "We scrap my first plan. This is the new plan, Maneuver Camellia."
/
Fired from a signal pistol, a red flare shot into the darkened sky and went off with a small explosion, a cloud of red and yellow colors bursting into every direction and forming a clear signal that the match had begun.
Sitting on the backside hatch of the small turret of her Somua, Burek grinned broadly. This was it, this was finally it, their first Sensha-Dou match. They had fought several matches in Tankathlon, a version of the sport with light tanks, less rules and not federation approved, but they had never before faced any enemy in an official Sensha-Dou contest. Not even a proper training match, no one had wanted to waste their time with them.
"Let's go, let's go! Break a leg girls!" shouted Tita nearby, to much cheering and whooping as the tanks were started, engines roared to life and with the beautiful orchestral sound of diesel and petrol being burned and tracks clanking their modest but proud tank force came to life. Burek herself couldn't help but grin broadly and wildly as she felt the rumbling of nearly twenty tons of steel below her, the old french cavalry tank rolling forward and then quickly gaining speed.
Yes, it was an old model that was horribly outdated by the standards of many schools. Yes, it's gun was not very powerful. Yes, the one girl turret was not very practical. Yes, the transmission of this particular vehicle had a tendency to work up and it smelled a bit of cheap aftershave. And yes, there were many far stronger, better armed, better armored and simply better tanks out there. But it was hers. She and the other girls had saved it from a scrap yard and restored it in long hours of work, they had been the ones painting it, twice now, they had been the ones repairing it over and over, going hunting for spare parts and putting more man hours, girl hours, in than into anything else ever before.
She had even spend more than two hours the night before painting on the large black skull and crossbones on the front and the right side of the turret. Before someone had asked her why she didn't just use a spray can and a stencil. As the question had come after she had finished her work, she had thrown her pencil after the other girl, much to the amusement of everyone.
They drove over a small ditch, making the whole vehicle shudder and tip slightly forward for a second there, forcing Burek to hold on, her green hair swaying in the wind and with the motion and getting into her eyes. She grumbled under her breath, then shouted, "A little warning next time!"
"If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!" yelled the lanky, broadly grinning Rakija, all but standing on the back of her tank, the by now dark green and khaki camouflaged Maresal, holding on with one hand while swinging the other around as if she was at a concert. "This is awesome!"
Behind Rakija, from Burek's point of view, was their now khaki and brown Panzer II, rushing through between two trees and then all but sliding down a small ridge, not slowing down as it did so. The older German model was adorned with black flame patterns on the lower half of the hull, which was the origin of the team's name, Team Burner. Or perhaps it came from the team's commander Cevapcici, the gas mask and Stahlhelm wearing maniac, who had a penchant for crazy stunts, fire, engineering and musical instruments. And combining them. Like playing a flame-thrower trumpet while riding her tank. Which she was doing right in that moment. And Burek really had no idea how she could play a trumpet while wearing a gas mask. She also didn't want to know either.
While the nine tanks rushed down the soft hillside in a very lose formation, taking a very direct path through light woods and patches of bamboo forest, Burek turned to her other side, searching for Tita. Who was very easy to find, because while most of their team members rushed forward in a wild mixture of controlled chaos, utter chaos and normal chaos, cheering and whooping and screaming as they did, Tita rode her Panzer III like a queen, leaning lazily out her cupola in the middle of the formation, appearing as if nothing was amiss and she was just out for a relaxing Sunday stroll.
Giving her driver a small kick to signal her where to go, Burek indirectly steered her tank next to the German one, driving close enough so that they could actually talk with one another. Well, shouting really, but that wasn't new to them. "Oy boss!"
Tita turned her head slightly, her expression not changing, but the toothpick in her mouth wandering from one corner to the other. "Yeah?"
"What's the plan?" shouted Burek over the sound of engines, cheering schoolgirls and small plant life being crushed under tracks. Somewhere behind her the olive green L-60 drove through a particular large patch of mud and water, splashing the brown sticky substance wide enough that it hit two other tanks, including one of the girl's who was riding hatch open and now started to yell and scream and curse, much to the amusement of everyone seeing it.
Tita meanwhile turned her attention back forward, waiting for a second, then she said, shouted really, "We can't face them head on. We need to bite away at them, taking out individual targets and create an opening we might exploit. Their flag tank is the Chi-Nu, right?"
"Yes," answered Burek after a moment, wanting to make sure that she was remembering correctly. "Yes, the gray-green Japanese tank with the anteater on the side."
"Right," replied the pompadour sporting captain. "We have nothing which could take that one on head on. We need to be smart about this. We will fight them like wolves in the night."
In the far distance lightning flashed and thunder roared and a second later the first raindrops started falling again, ending the short reprise from the water from above.
"Um, I don't think that's actually how wolves hunt," thought Burek out loud.
Tita only shrugged. "Don't care, sound's cool."
"Yes, it does," agreed Burek with a giggle.
/
"No sign of them yet," spoke Taeko, the radio operator of Duck Team, into the microphone and then looked to her friend Shinobu who sat right next to her, driving the tank.
Noriko was once more dressed in the rain coat over her uniform jacket, standing on the commander's seat and scanning the area with a pair of binoculars. The rest of Duck Team, Taeko, Shinobu and Akebi, were hunkering down inside of their trusty and old Type 89, ignoring the hum created by the rain hammering unto the hull of their tank, and more or less just waiting. Shinobu was driving, but considering that they weren't rushing ahead at a breakneck speed she wasn't totally concentrated on it, instead nearly lazily steering the twelve ton vehicle onto and then over a wide bridge.
That meant that despite being in the middle of a match, they had a lot of time to talk with one another, or in the case of Akebi to go through some papers for some reason.
"Have you yet decided what to get your brother for his birthday?" asked the brown haired Shinobu suddenly, not taking her eyes off the road.
"No, I still haven't had any good ideas," replied Taeko, sighing slightly. "He's at that age, you know? He's really into one thing one day and the next he isn't anymore. I was thinking about gifting him a volleyball set, but that would be more for me than for him."
"Didn't you say you thought he has a crush on Nishizumi-San?"
"Oh, don't remind me." Taeko blushed slightly and sighed. "That was so embarrassing as he asked me all those questions."
"Hihihi," giggled Shinobu. "I think it's kinda adorable. You could get him perhaps a dakimakura of Nishizumi-San with her autograph of her."
"I don't think my parent's would appreciate that," answered Taeko. "And even if, where should I get something like that?"
"Oh, the Sensha-Dou shop on the carrier sells them."
Taeko's, as well as Akebi's, head shot around to stare at their driver. "What?!"
"You don't know? Hmmm, guess not." Shinobu smiled at her friends, not taking her eyes off the road. "The student council decided that it would help to gather funds for the school's team. So they have made a deal with the Sensha-Dou shop, selling all sorts of merchandise. Model kits, shirts, hats, mugs, car stickers, even dakimakuras of Nishizumi-San."
"Why don't we know of this?"
"Um, perhaps they want it to be a surprise."
"Do you think we could make some merchandise to promote our volleyball club to get some new members?" Noriko wanted to know, bending down to look back into the tank's hull and actually see her friends. Which had the effect of it now raining into the tank, but no one seemed to be overly bothered by it.
"Oh, that's a great idea," agreed their fourth member, the blonde Akebi, eagerly. "When we have a fifth member we could open our club again."
"But where would she sit in here?", wanted Taeko to know, looking around the already cramped tank. Not that they were uncomfortable, being quite used to sit in these tight quarters and making due with what they had, but it wasn't exactly luxurious or roomy. "We would need to get a bigger tank."
"But we can't do that!" yelped Akebi immediately. "This is our tank. It's practically our fifth member."
"Exactly," agreed Noriko, nodding eagerly. "We are the eyes and ears of Ooarai's Sensha-Dou Team, we are the fast flying ducks, the speediest of all tanks."
"Um, isn't Tanuki Team's Locust even faster?" whispered Taeko, but no one heard her. Well, in fact everyone did hear her, but her argument was simply ignored.
"We rose this tank from the very beginning, we can not simply abandon it," declared Akebi fiercely. "We will just get a new tank and get enough new club members to have them man that one, simple."
"Yes, that is-" began Noriko, but suddenly Taeko raised her hand to silence her friends and the other three girls fell silent immediately, their commander all but jumping her upper body back out the hatch to look if she had missed anything outside.
"Tanuki Team has made contact," said Taeko then, her voice firm and steady, but a slight ting of excitement in it as well. "The whole tank force of Alexander Academy, downstream, a kilometer north."
"Change course, we set up a fast strike high pitch!" shouted Noriko down into the hull and immediately the older Japanese tank turned quickly. Having just cleared the bridge they left the street and hit a patch of short grass and mud, rushing ahead into a northern direction. Maneuver Camellia was a go.
/
Just a few days prior, Kasumi, Nanako and Hanami, in other words Team Tanuki, had spend far too much time adding a Smoke-Bomb launcher to the side of the turret of their small but beloved M22 Locust, having no prior experience with such a task and thus needing more time than trained people would need. But it got done and they had been quite proud of their successful task, even being praised by their senpais of Leopon Team.
With a nasty screeching sound and a loud clang the Smoke-Bomb launcher gave up and was first squashed and then ripped from the side of the turret, hit by a shell of a dark green, brown and khaki camouflaged tank, a Skoda T-15 to be precise. Not that any of the girls really cared who it had been precisely, not with them all but driving for their sheer life and the whole of Alexander Academy behind them.
Nanako, her usually quite cute face at this moment stricken with panic and terror, all but ripped the steering pillars back and forth in a mad effort to dodge any incoming shots, the whole vehicle around her shuddering and shaking and rumbling dangerously. Not that it sounded anything different than usual, but to her it sure felt like it. Dirt and grass and smoke was send into the air right at the edge of her view and in a burst of inspiration she turned switched directions, swerving off to the left.
A loud grunt could be heard as Kasumi was pushed against Hanami thanks to the laws of physics, but no one said anything. Well, no one but Aka, the small red furred kitten finding it highly annoying that her nap had been interrupted.
With a sudden burst of speed the dark M22 rushed ahead, practically flying over a small ditch, crushing a bit of shrubbery under the tracks and then shaking dangerously as a shell hit the side, but bounced off harmlessly.
"Clear!"
"Fire!"
With a defiant roar the 37 mm gun spat it's deadly load backwards, but sadly hitting only the ground several meters to the right of the target, the formerly mentioned Skoda T-15 which simply rushed ahead, going after the Locust. Not many people were aware of it, but firing while on the move in a WWII tank was pretty much impossible, at least if you still wanted to hit something.
Bursting from a small patch of bamboo wood and jumping down a small ridge the whole tank force of Alexander Academy rushed after their target, ignoring every rules of safe driving there was. Rumbling, roaring, spitting flame and smoke, the nine mismatched tanks of Alexander Academy went after the black M22 like a pack of rabid wolves, some of the girls having their heads and bodies pushed out of their tanks, whooping and cheering and screaming.
Shells all but rained, Nanako doing her best to keep moving and to move their small but trusty tank in unforeseen directions, switching directions constantly as explosions ripped apart the ground, shots missing them and metal pinged off their hull. Lightning flashed, rain poured down, mud was sprayed everywhere. Another shot landed, fired by the auto-cannon of a Panzer II, but the small round bounced off the rounded turret, leaving a nasty mark but nothing more.
/
Reaching the open field between the woods and patches of forest which Tanuki Team was trying to cross, the Panzer III commanded by Tita burst forward. The pompadour sporting girl with the sunglasses, which she still wore despite the weather and the rather lacking light, rode with her standing on her seat, meaning her upper body was poked out the hatch, her arm leaned lazily on the edge of her cupola. "Fire!"
For a second nothing happened, but then a loud bang rocked through the air and a 37 mm round shot through the air, the hull of the Panzer III rocking. For the burst of a second it looked like they would hit, as if they would land a good shot, but then an explosion of mud and smoke several feet to the left of the American M22 Locust signaled that they had just missed. Tita grumbled slightly, but she didn't say anything. Instead she turned slightly to get a better view of what was exactly going on.
Rushing through the torrent of rain in a wild mob, leaving trails of mud and dirt and smoke behind them, the nine light to medium tanks of her team were following after the cheeky girls of Tanuki Team, having just reached open ground. Of course the small American tank fired back, but with only one weapon against nine they didn't had much of a chance, especially not with such a peashooter.
But then it wasn't like Tita or her underlings, um, teammates had much better guns at their disposal. Grabbing the microphone she then commanded to her whole team, "Form a firing line, swarm out. BigMac, Foxy, Ronin to my left, Hot Piece to the far left. Burner, Oni, Akira to my right, in that order, Crossbones to the far right. Let's get these annoying girls!"
A series of whoops and cheers were the answer and following the command the tanks swarmed out, forming a rough but serviceable line facing into the direction of the fleeing M22 that was driving in zigzag lines. It wasn't an elegant maneuver, not in the least bit and any girl from St. Glorianna seeing it would most likely have a screaming breakdown at the near collisions, the rough formation and the crude execution. But it served for the time being.
"And keep firing!"
Ammunition was practically pumped down the distance, machine gun fire with tracer rounds lightened up the darkness of the afternoon, explosions left small craters in the ground, mud and water thrown onto the tanks and into the girls faces, lightning flashed and wind howled and it was just glorious. Just glorious and incredible. The rumbling and humming of engines, the thunder of explosions and guns, the pure and sheer power. For a second Tita allowed herself to close her eyes and just enjoy, before she looked down, feeling a tap on her leg and saw a small note handed to her by the radio operator, which she took. The note, not the radio operator, that would have been stupid. But hilarious. Channel 13.
Understanding what her friend was telling her she switched her own radio to the mentioned channel, a semi legal addition to her tank that was not exactly forbidden by the federation but frowned upon, and said, "Yes?"
The voice of Burek came to her ears, her friend sounding a bit concerned. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"What do you mean? And shouldn't you be loading your gun and shooting instead of talking with me?"
"I switched with Brodeto, I'm currently in the radio operator's seat," explained her green haired friend. That did actually explain it, as the Somua Burek was commanding was a three girl tank with a one girl turret, even if some schools operating it changed that around a bit. "And what I mean is, that this might be a trap."
"Pfff, naa," waved Tita off, just moments before the gun of her Panzer III shot again, once more missing. Missing by a lot one might add, but like said before, shooting while driving was very complicated and hard. And perhaps even more luck than skill. "And even if, you think I could stop the wild bunch now? And anyway... We need this. We need the first kill."
Burek didn't answer and Tita liked to imagine that her friend understood. This was their chance, their opportunity for something good. A good omen. Her underlings, um, teammates, friends even, were nervous. None of them showed it, but this was their first official Sensha-Dou match, their first shot ever and it was against Ooarai. THE Ooarai. The champions. The school who had defeated both favorite schools using outdated, undergunned, fewer tanks and had only grown stronger since then.
The khaki and olive green Skoda LT of Team Foxy fired, swerving slightly as they did, but then the driver got it back under control.
No one believed in them. No one thought they would have even the slightest chance. But if they managed to land the first kill, would be the first to take out a tank of Ooarai, even if it was only their smallest tank... Then they could show it to everyone.
Team Oni, driving an olive green L-60 adorned with bright red oni masks painted on all four sides, fired. The shot missed, of course, but it made the Locust change directions once again.
The wind pushed the rain into her face, the cold water pricking her hot skin, almost but not quite hurting, making Tita smile madly. She bit her lower lip, barely able to hold back her thundering heart from jumping out of her chest. If they could do this, then perhaps they could... If they could manage this, only this one thing, this one single, tiny thing, then perhaps...
/
"Fire!"
/
A loud boom, far louder and more thunderous than anything Tita had ever heard before, echoed over the battlefield like the roar of an angry dragon. Mud, grass and smoke exploded in a giant cacophony of sound and heat and force, just a few meters behind the Maresal of Team Hot Piece. It was not the sound of any gun mounted on any of the tanks of Alexander Academy. It was something far more dangerous.
It was the sound of a 8.8 cm gun mounted on a Tiger (P) and the impact of it's round.
In Tita's head for a second or so she saw a massive monster part tiger part dragon part rabbit part anglerfish rising out of the earth, ready to devour her and her puny little friends. Then the world exploded around her as the trap snapped shut.
/
Hana couldn't really believe it, neither could anyone else of Anglerfish Team, but Maneuver Camellia had worked better than anyone would have thought. With Mako having maneuvered the Panzer IV into a good position at the edge of a patch of shrubbery and trees Hana could now shoot as if this was some sort of game at a school festival. No obstacles, nothing to hide behind, just perfectly flat ground and a whole group of tanks right in her view. She waited another second, waiting for the right moment as she aimed at an M5 adorned with a big cartoon burger on the side and then pulled the trigger.
With a powerful, ear shattering boom the gun fired, the round send across the battlefield at a flat trajectory and the empty shell case was spat out, landing in the sack attached to the gun. Hana could already see in the corner of her eye how Yukari moved to reload the gun, moving swiftly and smoothly, like always, maneuvering the heavy shell around. The shot actually hit, slamming against the rear side plate of the tank, but didn't penetrate and glanced off thanks to the angle.
"There you go Hana," said Yukari just a few moments later, slamming the breach shut again.
"Thank you Yukari," replied Hana with a smile, before she once more looked through the sight to find the next target.
/
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, rain hammered down unto the battlefield, the ground was turned into a mud bath, the crashing and thundering of massive guns being fired and the explosions of the rounds shredding everything they hit turned it all into a nightmare scenario.
With eight tanks from Ooarai arrayed in a nearly full circle around the open field, half hidden under and behind trees and shrubs and rocks, the girls of Alexander Academy had driven right into a trap. Not even a very sophisticated trap, one into which no experienced Sensha-Dou commander would fall into.
But as it was the mismatch of light and medium tanks of the delinquent girls were caught right in the middle of a killing field, suddenly surrounded. The powerful guns of the Jagdpanzer and the StuG threw their deadly loads, narrowly missing the speeding tanks, disrupting the already confused formation even more and just a moment later a shot fired by Mallard Team hit the turret of the Skoda T-15 dead center. The tank shuddered and the driver swerved to the side, colliding with the far too close M3 Stuart, both tanks slowing down and nearly coming to a halt. Which saved them, as just a moment later a shell fired by Anglerfish Team zipped past them and would have hit the Skoda if not for the collision.
The piping hot, glowing shell of the Type-3 Chi-Nu however hit the unfortunate and battered Czech model, impacting in the side with full force. The engine died, the tank nearly fell over as it slid thanks to the mud and then it stopped and the white flag popped out. The first kill of the match went to Ooarai and Team Ronin was taken out.
"We need to get out of here, pull back!" yelled one of the girls of Alexander Academy over the radio and a second later the small Tankette, a Skoda S-I-j in beige and khaki decorated with the logo of the legendary movie Akira, took a U-Turn and rushed back into the direction they had come from.
"No, don't-"
Tita's panicked command wasn't finished as she was interrupted by yet another near hit, the wave of hot air making her nearly wince, the shuddering of her Panzer III making her cling to the edge of her cupola. She had no idea who had fired, neither did she really care, she only knew that the shit was hitting the fan and she needed to do something quickly and everything was panicking and what should she do and this was not how it was supposed to go and what should she do and...
Another loud boom, another explosion, this time she was thrown to the side and only after a second did she realize that they had been hit. But they were still driving, they weren't taken out, they weren't defeated, Team Shooting Star was still in the race.
"What should we do?"
"Oh fuck!"
"Crap crap crap crap crap..."
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Turn around, get out of here, were every single instinct inside of Tita screaming at her and she turned half around, looking for a way to escape, some way out of this. Only to see how Ooarai's Duck Team had arrived behind them, having come to a stop at the edge of the patch of forest they themselves had driven through, at the upper end of the small ridge, cannon aimed directly at Team Akira.
For a second everything was happening in slow motion. Tita saw with crystal clarity how the unimposing but still deadly gun of the old Type 89 rocked and spat fire and how the glowing hot shell flew through the air. Unimposing the weapon may be, but the small tankette they had aimed at was even less unimposing and she saw how the small armored vehicle came to a sudden stop, the engine dying, the whole craft gliding forward a few more meters. Then the white flag popped out and Team Akira was taken out.
Then reality snapped back in with cold rain, loud thunder, explosions, panic, speed, a harsh wind and the utterly crushing realization that she had screwed up majorly.
It was all happening too fast, things were progressing too quickly. Out of the corner of her eye Tita saw how Team Foxy in their khaki and olive colored Skoda LT vz. 35 swerved around, facing directly towards the north, and returned fire. That's it, they needed to shoot as well, they needed to go down fighting. With a shivering hand she grabbed the microphone of her radio, barking orders. "Everyone, swing north and shoot and don't stop driving, just shoot and drive!"
The effect was immediate, if not what she had hoped for. While some of her teammates did as commanded, their tanks turning north, spitting shots and roaring in defiance, not all did. Well, better than nothing. The stragglers got it a few moments later, following behind, so at least there was that.
While her driver turned her own tank north and then once more pushed onto the gas pedal, speeding up, her gunner took aim and just fired, not even remotely having any real chance of hitting anything. But even if that was the case, still better than nothing. She could barely make out the three tanks of Ooarai in the underbrush, not with the rain and the dark sky and the chaos all around her, but she did see how a glowing shell impacted against the hull of a dark, looming shadow, a monster in form of a box, leaving absolutely no impression. And then the Tiger (P) replied.
With a deafening crash close by, and a force that should have ripped Tita's ears off in a more dramatic scenario, the shell hit the front hull of Team BigMac and then exploded. The American M3 Stuart sputtered forward perhaps half a meter, before coming to a stop and popping the white flag.
"It's a Tiger!"
"We're screwed!"
"Nope, no chance!"
"Everyone, shut up and follow me!" Tita all but yelled into the radio, holding onto the edge of the cupola. And to her own driver she screamed at the top of her lungs, despite using the build in communications system, "Right through between them!"
Another shot, another rocking sensation and then time seemed to slow down as they rushed ahead to the front of the small impromptu formation, by accident creating a sort of V shape, an arrow head, the six tanks driving forward at full speed. Tita felt her knees grow weak and the only reason she was still standing was that she held herself up using her arms, holding onto her cupola, biting the inside of her mouth bloody in fear and panic and anticipation.
A second longer and then suddenly she was right between the imposing Tiger (P) on one side, the turret trying to keep up with the suddenly swarming smaller tanks, and the tall, downright towering, M3 Lee on the other side. She might have imagined it, but she got the impression that from inside their tanks the girls of Ooarai watched them rush past, suddenly unable to catch them.
And then trees and leaves and underbrush and patches of bamboo and mud and dirt and poor sight and her knees gave out under her and she collapsed down into the hull, darkness welcoming her. Just as the canopy of the forest was now covering their poor, battered tank force, taking them into it's cold but protective embrace.
She looked up, looking into the faces of her gunner and loader, the two girls looking at her nervously, perhaps even shivering slightly. This had gone poorly. No, that wasn't the right way to describe it. This had gone absolutely miserably bad, it had been a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Not really thinking but simply acting she said to her radio operator, "Tell everyone to swing east as soon as we clear the forest. We go round the small hill, then drive north and regroup in the city."
"They are pursuing us!"
The voice of Rakija coming over the radio made her shudder. But before she could say something Burek already did so, her green haired friend saying rather calmly, "Don't worry, we're on it."
"Burek, what are you planning?"
"..."
"Burek? Burek?!"
/
"Hey, are you ready to do something crazy?" asked Burek, having just turned off the radio and starting to climb out of the radio operator seat. Her two teammates, one of them having a bright red bob and the other a pale blue pigtails, gave her a concerned look, before grinning and nodding. "Perfect, then..."
/
Studying the map of the battlefield, Miho had an idea what the girls of Alexander Academy would do. Pushing the button on her throat microphone she said, "Mallard, Tanuki, Duck, Rabbit, pursue Alexander Academy. The rest, we drive east and then north, around the forest, we will cut off their retreat."
"Roger."
"Aye aye skipper."
"Got it."
"Yes captain."
"k"
With Anglerfish Team having taken position on the east side of the field, or killzone as Nekonya had described it, Mako had already turned their tank north to drive into the designated direction, rolling forward slowly to let the other teams catch up a bit. There was a moment of calm, almost placidity, with the shooting and the fighting over for the moment, the poor girls of Alexander Academy having slipped out of their grasp.
Miho felt nearly bad for them. She hadn't thought Maneuver Camellia would be that successful, the plan had been to perhaps lure one or two overeager tanks into a trap, not all of them. Just to let them reveal their position and then going after them, but when the whole group of nine tanks had chased after Tanuki Team like a bunch of rabid dogs, Miho had quickly adapted the maneuver and they had laid a simple yet effective trap.
This sure was a bad start for their opponents and she felt for them, she really did. For the first time in a long while, Miho got an experience like back when she had been vice commander at Kuromorimine and battled against smaller schools like Yoghurt Academy or Waffle Academy. Just... crushing them. It left a slightly sour taste in her mouth.
"I really admire their bravery," said Hana suddenly, looking almost wistful. Yukari and Saori turned to look at her, as did Miho, and as the long haired girl noticed the attention she got from her friends she gave them a soft smile. "They charged right into the mouth of a lion. It is like the samurai of old, fearlessly riding into battle, facing incredible odds. It is like out of a romance novel."
"Yes," agreed Miho, giving the other girl a thankful smile. "That is a really brave thing they did. Perhaps reckless and some would say stupid, but they do not lack for spirit and bravery for sure."
For a moment the girls shared a smile and a giggle, then both Saori as well as Miho tensed as the radio lit up once more.
"We're under attack, the opponent is counterattacking!" called Yuuki of Rabbit Team over radio. "Visibility is really bad, we can't see anything, we are under attack. Unknown number of assailants."
They wouldn't do... Well, perhaps they would. Miho looked to her friends once more, looking for guidance, and seeing the determined look in Yukari's eyes and the trust in Hana's, Miho took a decision. Once more pushing the button on her microphone she said, "All teams, descend unto Rabbit Team's position. I repeat, descend unto Rabbit Team's position."
/
"Whoooooooooohooooooooooo!"
Screaming at the top of her lungs, her green hair flowing in the wind, Burek held on for dear life as her Somua charged right headlong into battle. Wood splintered close by as the shell of one of the other tanks hit a tree trunk, but she ignored it, she just kept yelling and whooping. "Yeeeehaaaawwww!"
The big form of the tall, and ugly, M3 Lee rumbled forward through the trees, it's hull cannon firing, but missing.
Burek wasn't stupid, she knew what was going on, what she was about to do. What they were about to do. At full speed they rushed past the American Tank, grinning wildly at them, close enough that the tracks nearly hit one another, and then forward, their own cannon spitting a shell. Of course they didn't hit, that hadn't been the point anyway. Just be a nuisance, just be a problem, just make as much of a ruckus as possible.
Their Somua was rocked and shuddered as it was hit, everything inside groaning and grunting and screeching, but they kept driving. Like a crazy cat with it's tail on fire they drove and fired and she kept yelling and screaming, even laughing, weaving through between the trees.
Another shot, nearly hitting, then wood splintered somewhere and close by the ugly front of an Australian Sentinel practically poked out from between several bushes, as if trying to see what was going on. They changed direction once more and once more their gun roared in proud defiance of all odds, the glowing shell missing by miles but whatever is new, right?
She didn't even know what they were shooting at, it was too dark and too confusing and just too much else going on to identify whatever was in front of them. But whatever it was, it had just fired, the barrel still smoking and that was their chance. Burek pounded onto the top of the turret and yelled loudly, "Brace!"
The tank of Ooarai tried to dodge, swerving out of the way, but not fast enough. Just in time Burek slid down into the turret and braced herself, before steel hit steel and a French cavalry tank smashed right into the side of a Japanese medium tank. The lighter I-Go was nearly toppled over but just not and everything inside both tanks, including the ones riding them, was thrown around violently, ending in some nasty bruises.
For a moment there was a downright painful, nasty, horrible sound of metal being deformed, before silence fell. Disentangling from her teammates, Burek slowly climbed out the turret, looking at the damage being done. And then grinned broadly. Yes, they had been taken out and the front of her Somua looked like it had been badly mauled by a angry mashine. But the side of the other tank, the Type 89 I-Go of Ooarai's Duck Team, didn't look any better. And both tanks were showing the white flag, both being out of the match.
Her plan had really be a different one, making as much of a ruckus as possible, getting as much attention as possible, distracting Ooarai as good as they could. But then, she had never been any good at sticking to a plan. None of them were.
Burek didn't know it yet, no one did, but Team Crossbones had just saved the entirety of the Alexander Academy Sensha-Dou team for the time being.
Because while the girls of Ooarai rushed in to make sure that there were no more bad surprises lurking in the woods, needing to make sure that the smaller, more mobile group of lighter tanks wouldn't slip past them and attack from behind, five battered but still running tanks broke out of the forest into the open and swung east. As lightning flashed one last time, Tita led her beaten, bruised and demoralized team out of harms way to fight yet another battle. They had no idea how, they had no clue how they should do it, but the match wasn't over yet.