18. Burner
"Do not get drawn into any alleyways, engage at the longest distance possible," commanded Miho into the microphone of the radio set, her voice calm, her composure collected. Despite the fact that at this very moment Mako was steering their Panzer IV at breackneck speed around a corner, fast enough for them to drift slightly on the wet asphalt, and Hana fired another round just a second later.
Outside, down the narrow street of the run of the mill Japanese residential area, their target just in time turned a corner, smashing a parked car in the process, and barely escaped a fiery fate. The shell missed by perhaps half a meter or less, impacting in the wall of a small family home, demolishing said wall of course. The khaki and oliva Skoda LT vz. 35 with the sexy antropomorphic anime fox-girl on the side crashed through a small gate, rushed directly across a short driveway and then through a formerly very pretty garden, taking the back entrance that hadn't been there before. In other words, they fired a shot, destroyed the wall and rushed through the now new hole.
Mako stopped the Panzer IV, looking to Miho, just as Hana fired another shot, having just about arrived in front of the now open, sort of, iron gate. They missed once more, this time turning a car into trash, but it was a close thing. For a second Mako waited, then she asked, "Shall we pursue?"
"Well, it's not an alleyway..." mumbled Saori.
"No, we pull back, we should not expose Anteater Team for too long... Well, we should not expose them at all, but it is kind of impossible not to," answered Miho with a slight shaking of her head. And through it all, she couldn't help but softly smile. Even though they had lost Turtle Team to a sneak attack, oh the irony, and Duck Team to a kamikaze attack, they were still in a solid lead, having eight fully functional tanks compared to five. But the girls of Alexander Academy were fighting back fiercely, which was heartening to see. She couldn't help but to smile over this.
/
After first arriving in the town and splitting up, most teams of Ooarai had teamed up into sort of squadrons, with two tanks each, spreading out and searching the town. With the exception of Anglerfish, Shark and Anteater, the latter because of their status as Flag Tank, Anglerfish to protect them and Shark because... Well, you can't really send a massive Mark IV into a search and destroy mission and expect success. It just doesn't work, it's not how this worked. As was explained to the complaining Shark Team several times.
Still, now that they had made contact with the girls of Alexander Academy, ending in Turtle Team being taken out by a hidden Maresal, Miho had decided to pull all the tanks back closer together.
"They want to fight, so let them come to us," she had explained. This didn't meant that they were huddling all on a single spot, this merely meant that Rabbit, Leopon, Tanuki, Hippo and the now repaired Mallard Teams were staying closer to the flag tank, preferably in visible distance. Depending on what the area allowed.
And laying on her front on the roof of a three story building, one of the few in the area, was one of the girls of Alexander Academy, a pair of binoculars in her hand, a small radio set on her side. Being the radio operator of Team Shooting Star, meaning the command and flag tank, Kajmak had volunteered for this job, as she felt she was the least important member of the team. Having joined the Club just recently, just barely a week before this match, the sidecut sporting Kajmak was absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer intensity and sweat inducing terror of the actual fighting done with their tanks. Seeing it on a screen was one thing, but being inside a rumbling, smelly, tight steel box that was being shot at, barely able to see out, not knowing what exactly was going on... Now, that was something else altogether.
Therefore, even if some would most likely feel this to be a punishment, Kajmak actually enjoyed her special task. Laying on the roof of a building in the sun, slurping from a soft drink she had grabbed on the way, watching the whole surrounding area and informing her own team of the movements of Oorai's tanks. Yes, that wasn't such a bad job as far as she was concerned.
The metal band shirt wearing girl hummed a melody under her breath as she watched the Ooarai tanks move around, swaying her legs as she did so. After a moment she then grabbed the microphone of the radio set and said, "The cute little tank is moving west, along a small street. The Tiger and the American tank are slowly moving northeast on Hieisei-Dori. The pirates, flag tank and their command tank are crawling northeast on Yosei-Dori."
"Got it," came the reply from Rakija, serving as second in command to Tita. Then she asked, "Where are the StuG and the Sentinel?"
"The what now?"
"The last two tanks."
"Oh..." Yeah, she should have guessed that's what Rakija had meant, considering those were the only ones left. Kajmak was happy no one could see her because she was blushing at this moment. "Ummm... wait a moment... ah, there, just arrived on... um... Rokudo-Dori, moving along the river, also north-east."
"Got it, good work."
A grin came to Kajmak's face upon the words of her senpai. It wasn't often that she got complimented on something being done well, mostly because she never did anything well or right according to her family, thus she eagerly took it. "Happy to help."
"Cut the chatter," cut Tita in sharply, but then added after a second. "But Rakija is right, good work. Now everyone else, listen up..."
/
Having split in now three groups able to support one another, with Panda Team switching freely between them and moving at their usual dazzling speed through narrow small pathways, the tanks of Ooarai slowly and carefully moved north-east, roughly along the river front through the town. Now knowing that their opponents weren't down for the count they were all on their toes, meaning that inside the Tiger (P)'s hull the rumbling of the engine and the creaking of track links was the most dominant sound.
Satoko was riding with her head out of the Cupola, the others all were looking out their hatches to keep a good view of the surrounding area. They all were quiet, eyeing the street and yards and buildings carefully, the M3 Lee of Rabbit Team behind them. In the distance birds were flying overhead. The silence, well as much silence there could be when you are inside a massive rumbling steel colossus driving forward, was broken when Suzuki spotted something and almost squealed in delight. "Oh, look! It's a Mazda Cosmo!"
The heads of the other three girls immediately snapped around, their eyes big, seeing the beautiful white sports car. "Oh wow, you're right. A real Mazda 110 S Cosmo," said Hoshino, broadly smiling, nearly grinning. "Oh, what I would give to get my hands on such a beauty."
"She's a beauty alright," agreed Satoko, chuckling and nodding. "But we shouldn't get distracted now, we haaAAAAH!"
The last of her words turned into a yelp as a loud echoing booming explosion rang out close by and then the telltale sound of a shell impacting into the side of their armor all but encased them. It didn't do much, in fact their tank didn't even seem to shake, but the effect was still immediate.
Whirling around in the cupola Satoko spotted the attacker immediately, a backwards driving, meaning retreating, tank that was in the process of slipping into a small underground car park. Having spotted the opponent she practically let herself fall down into the hull, yelling, "Left, left! Return fire!"
The massive Tiger stopped and turned, assisting in the traverse of the turret while the girls closed their hatches and slipped back into the protective hull, the white beautiful car forgotten for the moment. Half a second later Hoshino, looking through her optics, said, "They got away."
"Rabbit Team, cover us," Satoko all but commanded over the radio set, before saying, "Tsuchiya, pursue!"
"Yes!" The engine roared, the tracks moved and with an acceleration that shouldn't be possible for a fighting vehicle that size and weight the German tank took an extremely sharp turn and rushed forward, down the ramp. Nothing could stop such a charge, with unparalleled speed and force their imposing monstrosity of a tank drove forward and down and then smashed into the ceiling.
Metal groaned, concrete splintered, the engine protested, the four girls inside the tank had a near heart attack and then... nothing. Once more the engine roared, the tank rumbled and shook, but it didn't move.
"Oh..." Fearing the worst Satoko tried to open the hatch of her cupola but found it stuck, smashed directly under the ceiling of the small underground parking lot. "I can't get out!"
"We're stuck!" yelled Tsuchiya from her position in the driver's seat, pushing the pedal and moving the levers, but the Tiger (P) didn't budge more than perhaps an inch.
"I can't traverse the turret!"
"Sh-"
The curse was cut off as once more a round smashed into the tank, not doing any damage but annoying as hell. Opening the driver's and radio operator's hatch the four girls, yes all of them, looked out, trying to see what was going on, only to see the small, unimposing form of an L-60 about four meters away from them, the downright tiny 20 mm cannon still smoking. And the three crew members grinning at them and waving, before the small light tank turned around and drove off, out the second exit on the other side of the parking lot. About the same time that several shots and guns being fired close by could be heard, followed by the frantic radio call of Rabbit Team that they were under heavy enemy fire.
/
Since they had first seen their by now beloved M3 Lee, Ayumi and Karina had grown up by leaps and bounds, becoming more self assured, more confident, more experienced in life. They wouldn't under any circumstances run out of their tank in a blind panic, neither would they lie down and give up, not after what they and their friends had achieved. This however didn't stop them from screaming in fear and clinging to one another in an instinct as four tanks rushed out from their hiding places, firing and shooting and making a mighty ruckus.
Azusa yelped as their tank shook and shuddered, hit by a shell fired by the leading Panzer III, two more shots passing them and then a smaller caliber impacting in their side hull, however not doing any damage. "Return fire! Karina, back off, turn left, keep moving! Yuuki, call for heeaaaAAA!"
With a speed that could only come from being either a.) very reckless or b.) completely mad, the four unimposing but certainly quick tanks of Alexander Academy had practically surrounded Rabbit Team, without stopping one might add. While the Panzer III with the red shooting star on the tower and the Skoda with the anime fox-girl on the side came from the left, meaning further up the road, the Panzer II with the black flames and the Maresal with the anime soldier pin-up girl on each side came from the right, meaning from behind Rabbit Team. And as Karina had turned the tank sideways to not be hit from behind, they were now flanked. Perhaps not the best situation ever to put it mildly.
Azusa held onto the tank, yelling commands, grinding her teeth, as the 75 mm main gun in the hull opened up and fired a shell that would surely take out anything it would hit... Which turned out to be no tank, as the driver of the Skoda they had aimed at managed to swerve to the side, saving their bacon. It didn't save the small L-60 that emerged from out the alleyway just at the same time, the shell slamming into it's side at full force and stopping it cold.
Engines roared like wild beasts, explosions rang through the air, metal groaned and Azusa knew, they were pretty much done for, no matter the lucky shot. Still, didn't mean she would go down without a fight. "Aya, aim at the Panzer III. It's their flag tank!"
"We need to get out of here!" That was the voice of Karina, sounding nervous, clearly wanting to get out of there.
"If we do that they will take out Leopon Team!"
"If we stay they will take us out!"
"We will stay!" Azusa didn't slam her fist on the top of the turret, because that wouldn't have done anything but hurt her. But she sure felt like it. She was then silenced as the 37 mm cannon in their turret opened fire, the piping hot shell racing through the air and slamming right into the side of the turret of the Panzer III.
For a moment Azusa wanted to yell in triumph, but then the sound died in her throat as she realized that the khaki and olive colored German tank hadn't been taken out. In fact, it hadn't even slowed down, rushing right into their direction. For a moment she could see the expression of the sunglasses and leather jacket wearing, pompadour sporting commander, smirking at her. Then that moment was gone and the German tank rushed past them at full speed, so close that Azusa was amazed that she didn't hear the telltale sound of metal groaning and squeaking and being smashed together. Well, perhaps not that close. With her eyes widening Azusa saw how the tank rushed past them, the turret turned to the side, the main 3.7 cm cannon aimed right towards-
And then the world was rocked to the side, everything shook, Azusa's ears were ringing and every bone in her body trembled. Someone was screaming and only after a second did she realize that it was her who was screaming, that the sound came out of her mouth. She blinked away the stars in front of her eyes, looking around in a panic. "Are you alright? Anyone hurt?"
"I'm fine."
"Me too."
"..."
"I hit my head... but it's fine."
"I think I broke a nail..."
Relieved that no one seemed to be hurt, Azusa visibly relaxed. And only then did she realized that they weren't moving any longer, that they had stopped. And that there was a white flag in her field of vision, having popped out of the turret close to her left. She let out a small sigh. "Yuuki... tell the others that we have been taken out."
A series of groans and sighs, and one telling silence, came from inside the hull. Which were then silenced by the sudden booming of a 7.5 cm cannon being fired and the explosion as the shell hit, sadly not a tank.
Anglerfish Team rushed around the corner at the far end of the street, the main gun still smoking, Miho having to hold on for dear life as Mako steered the 20 tonnes monstrosity around the corner at a speed that shouldn't be possible for such a vehicle. It was shortly followed by the Type 3 Chi-Nu, also firing and also missing, if only barely.
As if stung by angry bees, the four tanks of Alexander Academy immediately practically turned tail and fled, simply dashing to the side and either speeding down a narrow road or, in the case of the Skoda LT, directly smashing through a storefront and driving out the other side, shooting their way through. It was somewhat surreal to see.
/
Six girls in the uniforms, at least partially, of Alexander Academy jumped up and cheered as the sight of Rabbit Team being taken out was shown on the large screen, whooping and cheering following. It wasn't nearly as loud as the taiko drums which were being set up by the girls of Ooarai or the chanting of the Ooarai school song, but it was something. Several Alexander girls cheered, some clapped, a few threw dirty glances to the larger and more active fan block of Ooarai.
And close by...
"Oh wow, did you see that?" Shannon, captain of the Shamrock School for girls Sensha-Dou team, had slung her arm around Helen Mary Elizabeth III as if they were old friends, talking animatedly about the match, pointing and waving.
"Don't touch me," grumbled the copper haired girl from Omi-Goshu, her teeth grinding.
"Hehe, sorry." Shannon did pull her arm back... and then grabbed Helen's hand as she pointed at something else. "Look, there!"
The suffering captain of Omi-Goshu groaned in annoyance.
/
This whole match was starting to become even more interesting. While in the first parts of the match Alexander Academy had seemed to be completely outmatched, once the fighting had been brought to the narrow streets things had changed. Usually a preferred tactic of her and her teammates, this time they were on the receiving end of these tactics. And it was a nice change of pace, at least Caesar thought so, as did her teammates actually.
With Rabbit Team taken out they had seven tanks remaining and Miho had decided to change tactics, calling everyone back together to redeploy. This meant that currently Oryou was driving their StuG back north-east, towards the meeting ground, with Mallard Team following and closely shadowed by Tanuki Team.
"What do you think Miho-San has planned?" asked Saemonza then, aiming the question at no one in particular but everyone. "She wasn't saying anything over the radio."
"Which is a smart decision, considering that our opponents might be monitoring our communications," replied Erwin, as so often smiling sagely while she was speaking. "The AA girls are clever and strong willed, true Guerillas. It reminds me of Lettow-Vorbek in the Great War."
"More like the Apache against the US Cavalry," added Saemonza, smiling just as smugly.
"The Spanish against Napoleon," threw Oryou in.
"The-"
Caesar couldn't finish her sentence as the deafening boom of a gun being fired rang out far too close for comfort and their entire tank was rocked to the side, the four girls being thrown to the sides, squealing and screaming in fright and shock. After a second the ringing in her ears stopped and Caesar blinked away the stars in front of her eyes. Looking around she saw that no one seemed hurt, but also that she didn't feel the rumbling of their engine through her backside. What had just... Oh no.
Both she and Erwin climbed out hastily, pushing their heads out of the now open hatch, just in time to see the retreating silhouette of the small but potent Maresal, driving backwards to flee through the narrow passage between two buildings they had been hiding inside. Mallard Team opened fire but was unable to hit anything and a second later the roaring of Tanuki Team's Locust could be heard as the small tank rushed over to pursue, but the engagement seemed over.
"Hmmm... kind of ironic," mumbled Caesar, looking at the white flag which had popped out of the hull of their StuG.
/
"YES! YES!" Several other spectators nearly jumped at the sudden screaming, frightened and shocked by the outburst of an unassuming girl in the midst of them. Said girl, a pretty high school girl with a thick brown haired braid hanging over her left shoulder, didn't seem to notice or care, she just pointed furiously at the screen and kept yelling. "That's what it feels like! Yes! Take that! Hahaa! Yes! Payback!"
Further up in the ranks a very amused Kay asked, "Isn't she one of yours?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about, I have never seen that girl in my life," replied Darjeeling calmly, not looking at the other team's captain as she spoke. And hiding her face behind her tea pot.
/
"Hippo Team has been taken out by the Mini-Hetzer, Tanuki Team is following the retreating opponent," informed one of the members of Mallard Team the rest of Ooarai. To her utter shame, Saori had no idea who it was specifically, she couldn't keep these girls apart when only going by their voices. And sometimes even if she was seeing them. She looked back to Miho, seeing her friends concerned face.
"Ummm... What now?" she asked, sending a small glance outside as the loud, groaning, utterly ugly sound of the Porsche Tiger being pulled out of it's pinch. And that was meant literally, as Anteater and Turtel Team were actually pulling the massive steel monster using towing hooks and cables.
Yukari and Hana looked to Miho as well, their friend thinking hard. Finally she sighed and said, "Well... perhaps we need to take a page out of the Playbook of my sister."
She quickly explained her idea, at which the others nodded, Saori immediately relaying that information to the other teams. The only problem of this plan was then mentioned by Satoko, the commander and radio operator of Leopon Team. "Got it. But how will we find them?"
"Hahahaha," came the laughter of Ogin then out of the radio. "Let us experienced sailors deal with that problem, don't you worry."
/
Clinging to the insides of her tank, the narrow, downright cramped Maresal, Rakija grunted as her driver took a turn that was perhaps a bit too narrow, sending Rakija bumping against a hard edge.
"Sorry."
"Shut up, keep driving," replied Rakija simply, no anger or annoyance in her voice, before sending a glance to the back of the tank, thinking about opening the hatch to look out. She knew that it would be best not to do so, that would be highly dangerous and stupid. But then, when had something being dangerous and stupid ever stopped her or any of her friends from doing something, right? Well, this time, because she didn't do it, no matter how much she wanted to know if they were still being pursued.
The boom of an explosion nearby, apparently missing their stolen, um, borrowed museum exhibit, told her that yes, they were still being pursued.
Her driver took another sharp right, once more sending Rakija nearly bumping into something hard, prompting her to grunt, which once more prompted the other girl to mumble, "Sorry."
"Shut up, keep driving."
Perhaps rushing down to ambush the StuG hadn't been such a good idea after all. True, they needed to keep moving to avoid being caught, Rakija was well aware of this fact, but rushing south at breakneck speed, shoot once and then run for the hills wasn't perhaps the smartest decision ever. Especially when hunted by Ooarai's resident speed demon, the Locust, this horrible, dangerous...
Rakija blinked. Wait a moment...
"Hey," she then said, attracting her driver's attention. "New plan."
/
Whatever might be said about the girls of Alexander Academy, they knew how to drive, especially in tight spaces. Rushing through narrow alleys, across hilly streets, through backyards and in a few cases right through buildings, Tanuki Team was not merely hunting the Maresal with the anime soldier pin-up girl on the sides, they were racing.
With her hands in her black driving gloves, Nanako was clinging to the steering pillars of their M22 Locust, her blonde hair practically flying behind her, her tresses whipping the back of her head from the wind. Her face a mask of concentration, her eyes firmly on her target, Nanako didn't allow her concentration to slip, not even as little cute Aka, who was growing a bit chunky lately, rubbed against her leg and begged for some love.
"Taking a right," she said matter of fact, watching how their prey did exactly that, all but drifting around a corner and rushing through a narrow alleyway through which no tank should be able to squeeze. They sure knew how to use the small size of their vehicles to their advantage.
"Taking a right," replied both Hanami as well as Kasumi, Nanako's teammates, indicating that they had heard and understood her and were ready for the sudden shift in movement which would occur in a moment. Not that Nanako would wait for that, she couldn't, but it was nice to know that they weren't about to get hurt.
All but ripping the steering pillars into position she forced the nearly eight tons of steel to move right, despite the masses velocity, following their opponents through the narrow alleyway. Metal groaned and protested, the engine groaned under the stress, something deep inside the organs of the tank gnashed with a suspiciously forbidding tone, but they took the turn. And they had, for a short moment, a direct line of sight at the rear of the Maresal they were going after.
"Fire!"
It wasn't so much a massive boom that rang out but more of a normal boom as the 37 mm cannon opened fire. Kasumi's aim was true, as was her trigger finger, and the small but potent shell hit dead center the sloped back of the Romanian tank... and was deflected without doing any damage.
"Huh?"
A second later the Maresal cleared the alley, rushing out onto the open street and what was turned out to be an open field where a construction site was to be started, but was for the moment simply open, flat ground in the middle of the town. Using the velocity it had and the breaks in a way which shouldn't be done with a fighting vehicle, and much to the shock of Tanuki Team, the heavily sloped tank kept moving forward by drifting and whirling around at the same time.
"Oh-"
Hanami wasn't able to finish her sentence as the much more powerful 75 mm main cannon fired back and this time the echoing boom was much more menacing and powerful, an angry roar of defiance one could say. As was the force with which the small American tank was hit dead center. And this shot didn't bounce.
/
A loud, collective groan came from the left of Darjeeling and Kay as the assembled girls of Ooarai saw how Tanuki Team, so far very successful in using their speed in this match, took the shot of a 75 mm anti-tank gun head on and lost. At the same time a loud cheer could be heard from the girls on the right, as the girls from Alexander Academy whooped and clapped. Some even began to chant, now much, much more involved than they had been at the start of the match.
It was slowly turning into a proper sports match, including two blocks of passionate supporters. And while two girls from Ooarai, dressed in a somewhat ridiculous but traditional get-up, began to hammer away at the large taiko drums which had been set up, on the opposing side an electric guitar and an electric bass were being stirred and then the first sounds of a metal song could be heard.
"Oooouuuuh, this is really turning into something else!" said Kay, clearly enjoying the development, rubbing her hands together. "It is like a real American football match."
"No, as there is proper fan culture and proper chanting and even singing involved, this is actually a lot more like a genuine European football match," replied Darjeeling cooly.
"You mean soccer?"
"No, I certainly do NOT mean soccer. I am talking about football. You know, the game you play using your foot to kick a ball. Opposed to handegg."
Kay let out a loud guffawing laugh, slapping Darjeeling on the back and making the always dignified girl spill her tea. "That's a good one, haha!"
And while the green and white clad school girls of Ooarai began to chant the name of their school, led by Dallas and practically pushed forward by the beat of the taiko drums, the navy blue and white and much more colorful clad girls of Alexander Academy began to sing the refrain of some metal song. An English one. Which sounded as good as one could expect when a bunch of girls not used to it tried to sing in a choir and using a song in a language they barely spoke. Including guitar and bass.
Still, if one listened closely and had some fantasy, the lyrics of the song "Resists and Bite" from Sabaton could be understood.
/
The small and usually very fast hull of the M22 Locust came to a stuttering halt, meaning of course the whole tank came to a stop because that is how tanks work, with a 75 mm shell embedded in the upper hull close to the turret. For a moment there was a tense silence, then in the back of the Maresal just a few meters further up the road the hatch opened and the blonde topped head of Rakija popped out, her eyes huge, her mouth agape. "We took out two tanks in a row?"
She blinked. And then her face was split with a huge grin and she pumped her arms up in triumph, yelling, "WE TOOK OUT TWO TANKS IN A ROW!"
Which led to her losing her balance and falling backwards out of the rear hatch in an ungainly show of lack of dexterity and grace, a ball of gangly limbs and too many joints for her size. "... ouch."
Quickly getting back to her feet, and her teammate helping her up, the cowboy boots wearing girl climbed back onto and into her tank, just as the radio came to life. "Senpai! Senpai! You have to get out of there! The other cars, um, big things, um, tanks are coming!"
Scrambling to grab the radio set, Rakija snatched up the headset of the radio unit, pushing it onto her head. "Slow down, slow down. To whom are you speaking Kajmak?"
"To you Rakija-Senpai! Ooarai is coming your direction!"
"Some discipline when using the cell phone please!" snapped Tita over the airwaves, loud and sharp enough that Rakija actually twitched a bit.
"It think it's called a radio set, not a cell phone..." mumbled the commander of Team Oni, but Rakija ignored her. As well as Tita. She instead closed the hatch behind her and gave her teammate and driver a soft kick with her left foot, indicating that she should turn right, which the girl did after a short moment of confusion.
"Kajmak, from which direction are they coming?"
"Left. Um, my left, um... west, no east... um..."
"Kajmak, can you see us?"
"Um, yes?"
"From which side are they coming?" asked Rakija, concentrating on keeping her voice calm and collected. "MY left or MY right?"
"Umm... your right, they're coming from your right!"
Crap! Quickly giving her driver a soft kick with her right foot, which earned her a glare but the girl did as ordered and turned the tank around, Rakija tried to remember how best to get out of the position they were in, trying to remember what she knew of the map she had seen... Were was the map? While she scrambled around, looking for the darn map she already said, "Drive, get us out of-"
The thundering boom of a tank's main gun interrupted her and she bit back a curse, before she remembered that no teachers were around to scold her. "Crap!"
Explosions rocked the tank, a shot impacted in the hull but was deflected and the engine roared to life as her teammate started a quick retreat. Rakija herself practically yelled into the radio set, "Team Hot Piece under heavy enemy fire, unknown number of attackers, we're trying to get out of here."
"We're coming," came the voice of Tita over the radio, sounding once more cool and aloof.
"No, don't allow yourselves to be drawn into a shooting match. We will get away."
"I said we're coming," replied Tita, still sounding very cool and actually calm. "I'm the captain. I decide. We are coming. 's not like they will see us coming."
"Ummm... about that..." said Kajmak, sounding as if she was shifting around nervously.
/
Like a mighty armored fist swung by the mighty strength of the God of War, capital letters and all, the remaining tanks of Ooarai smashed into the street on which just a few moments ago Team Hot Stuff had reigned supreme, firing wildly and bringing thunder and destruction. Five tanks with the combined weight of 154 tons thundered down at the small two man, girl, tank, a combined number of 7 main guns firing and turning the street into a warzone.
Disregarding their normal style of operating, the girls of Ooarai embraced the fact that they outnumbered and outgunned their opponents and now simply did what the Sensha-Dou teams of Kuromorimine or Pravda would do. And that meant, as Miho had explained it: Smash the opposition into total submission and then smash it some more.
Two more shots barely missed the retreating Maresal, one fired by the Tiger and one by the Sentinel, and the ground to the left of it exploded into a shower of asphalt splinters and debris. The Romanian tank destroyer swerved to the side, just barely avoiding being hit by a shell from the Panzer IV, before dodging to the side and simply smashing into the front of a small building, taking this small detour and then reemerging at the side of it and turning back to the main street.
"Movement at starboard! Enemy fleet approaching! Make ready for boarding actions!"
Although the voice was hard to make out with the loud roaring of tank engines all around, Miho still turned her gaze to the right, even though she knew that she couldn't see anything there beyond buildings. However just as they passed an alleyway she could, for a fleeting moment, spot the speeding form of a khaki and brown Panzer II, moving all about parallel to them. "Alexander Academy tanks to our right, they seem to want to cut us off at the end of the street. Keep moving, there's a football field there, we will fight them there."
"Yes Nishizumi-San," yelled Sodoko back.
"Yes," came the reply from Satoko
"k," answered Nekonya.
"Aye aye skipper!" answered Flint enthusiastically. It wasn't Ogin, the commander of Shark Team, who was answering because Flint was actually the radio operator. And because Ogin was...
"Freshwater pirates at starboard, it's their full fleet, three light landships and one medium, moving at the same speed as we do! Let's cut'em and hang'em like a drunken sailor, aye!"
… busy clinging to the highest point of the flagpole and yelling at the rest of the team like a lookout in a crow's nest.
"Aye!" yelled the whole of Shark Team back, despite the fact that by any logic they shouldn't have been able to hear their commander. But when had logic ever stopped them from doing anything.
"Clinging to a flagpole has to be against some school regulation," mumbled Sodoko in her own tank, but she let it slide this time. Because she had other things to worry about, like actually fighting a Sensha-Dou match. "Turn the turret right, as soon as we emerge we will shoot at them!"
"Hai!" yelled the rest of Mallard Team, eager for revenge for getting first their track destroyed and having to repair it and then being unable to do anything about Hippo Team being taken out.
Once more the mighty boom of the Panzer IV's 75 mm could be heard and once more the shifting, swerving Maresal just barely avoided being hit, by mere centimeters one might add, making Hana sigh in slight annoyance. Everyone else would have grunted, but she was far too dignified for that. "The driver of this tank is very skilled, she rides the currents of the battle like a sparrow dances through the air."
"More like a slippery eel," deadpanned Mako, just a second before she drove their fighting vehicle over a parked scooter. Her face remained utterly stoic and unmoving as the small vehicle was crushed under 20 tons of German steel.
And then suddenly the buildings flanking the street made room for open space, the street now running around an open football field which was surrounded by a wire net fence. A fence that was simply crushed beneath tracks and hulls and ripped open by the barrage of tanks rushing through it, just as the two teams opened fire at one another.
Metal was groaning and being all but shredded, explosions rocked the air, the smell of petrol and diesel and fire and smoke was cast over everything, girls were shrieking as their tanks were hit with shells and in a fashion not unlike two snarling packs of wild predators the two tank forces practically smashed into one another. With a powerful explosion the 75 mm cannon of Anglerfish Team roared angrily, Yukari just having reloaded, and the shell hit the side of the olive green side of the L-60 of Alexander Academy full on.
The tank was basically pushed back, swerving to the side, and then came to a sudden stop. A moment later the white flag was popped, followed by the angry, furious snarling of the commander of the tank pushing her head out and crying in frustration. This didn't of course stop the battle from continuing, but it sure made for good TV.
"Harharhar! Keelhaul them! Cut off their heads! Take away their favorite plushies!" yelled Ogin from her position far above the battle raging on, totally ignoring how absolutely dangerous this was. And also totally ignoring the fact that at this point it was far better to climb down as they didn't need an lookout any more.
Dirt and earth and mud was thrown far and wide, the ground of the football field was ruined, and more explosions rang out as weapons kept firing. A shell hit the end of the Maresal from the side, sending it twisting and turning and in the motion fire was returned, the shell hitting the Sentinel of Mallard Team but bouncing off as they have hit from a bad angle. In retaliation the 2 pounder of the Australian tank fired, but they missed, though they totally demolished one goal post. If they had aimed for that it would have been very impressive.
"Shoot their Flag Tank, ignore everything else!" yelled Tita and only then realized that she hadn't spoken into the microphone of the radio set. Grabbing it she repeated, "Shoot their Flag Tank! Ignore everything else! This is our only-"
The groaning of metal upon metal and the ugly, tearing sound of something ripping interrupted her. Close by, actually practically next to her, the left tracks of Shark Team's Mark IV was shredded, followed by a small explosion, sending the girls inside squealing and cursing, then the side gun opened fire and actually managed to hit Tita's Panzer III.
She cursed under her breath, holding her breath for a second, before she realized that they hadn't been taken out. As if in revenge her gunner returned fire, just as they were taking a sharp turn and pushed past the lumbering WWI vehicle, the force of the shot being fired rocking the whole tank. At close range the shell couldn't miss, hitting them square in the front like it was some kind of drive by shooting. Tita didn't even look if they scored a kill, so to speak, but just turned to look for Ooarai's Flag Tank.
Behind them another loud explosion rang out through the Landship as the engine gave out and the old fighting vehicle died a heroic death. It tried to crawl forward another meter or two, but simply gave out like a dying man. The white flag popped out, followed by a cry of anger from Ogin, still high above the battle that was raging on under and around her. This did in no way even slow down what was happening of course, but it made her feel a bit better about it.
"Shark Team has been taken out!" yelled Saori into the radio. "Leopon, Mallard, stay at the sides of Anteater, protect them from being fired upon!"
She realized what she was doing a moment later, namely giving commands, and she whirled around in panic, only to see Miho smile at her and give her a firm nod. "I was about to give them the same order."
"Hai, Miporin-Sama!"
"You don't have to call me sama..."
It was nothing short of a slugging match at close range, at extremely close range even. A Sentinel, a Chi-Nu, a Panzer IV and a Tiger (P) were fighting it out in a wild brawl with a Panzer III, a Maresal, a Panzer II and a Skoda LT vz. 35, with mud and dirt being sprayed everywhere, explosions tearing up the ground, smoke and exhaust fumes clouding the air. It was loud, it was fast paced and it was, most of all, vicious.
Maneuvering around at an impossible speed and using maneuvers for which no tank was meant the Skoda LT vz. 35 weaseled through between the taken out Mark IV and the still operating Tiger (P), just taking a sharp turn and then being rammed frontal by the Sentinel. The crew managed to land a single shot, right into the middle of the Sentinel's turret's frontal hull, but were then hit themselves by a round of the Panzer IV, practically throwing the Czech tank to the side and taking it out.
Team Leopon fired a round and were about to fire another time, when they were practically rammed from behind and the small autocannon of the Panzer II was close enough to aim directly into the weakest part of the armor, the exhaust grill at the back. A small chain reaction occurred as the small 2 cm round was fired and hit something important. Suzuki, armed with a fire extinguisher, already climbed out of the tank, but the Panzer II rushed away already, having succeeded at their target.
Anteater Team hit the Maresal, but the compact tank destroyer was merely whirled around, returning fire but hitting Anglerfish Team's Panzer IV, doing no lasting damage.
The Panzer III of Tita and her teammates barely dodged being shot to pieces by the Sentinel and the Chi-Nu, dodging just out of the way, managing to drift past them and fire a single round from behind at Anteater Team. They missed, but it was a close thing.
Mako maneuvered the Panzer IV past the smoking and taken out Skoda, rounded the Tiger (P) and then turned into a drifting maneuver, allowing Hana to take aim. Pulling the trigger the mighty 75 mm main gun of the German tank roared in anger and fury, spitting it's potent shell. The rushing Panzer II was hit at the side, not taking it out but certainly slowing it down, making the smaller tank wobble along it's path, as much as a tank could wobble. The shell fired by Mallard Team however did take them out, hitting the rear part of the side, doing just enough damage to make the engine die down and forcing the tank to pop the white flag.
With only her own tank, which was also the Flag Tank, and the Maresal of Rakija remaining, Tita grunted, clenching her teeth, narrowing her eyes behind her ever present sunglasses. Hammering at the hull of her Panzer III she yelled, "Let's show 'em! Charge!"
Ripping the steering pillars back, at least one of them, her driver turned the tank around, rushing then full speed ahead, right at the formation of the Sentinel and the Chi-Nu, coming from the side. Thinking fast Sodoko gave a simple command, "Full stop!"
Immediately Moyoko, the driver, hit the brakes and the Australian tank came to a full stop in a matter of a few meters, suddenly standing right in the path of the Panzer III.
Just in time the driver of the German tank managed to steer out of the way, dodging by a matter of perhaps thirty centimeters, sliding over the muddy, wet ground past the Sentinel, being missed by the shot, and drifted past them. "Fire!"
The 50 mm cannon fired, the shell flying through the air with deadly accuracy. Tita stood still, time seemingly slowing down, as she could see how the shell flew straight at the back of the Chi-Nu, the aim true, nothing in the way, hitting the back of the hull... and then bounced.
Time snapped back into real time and the sound of another cannon going off way too close for comfort ended any of her dreams of making a miracle come true. With the force of an angry god the shell fired by Anglerfish Team hammered into the hull of the Panzer III, the whole tank rocking to the side, shaking the occupants and making them shriek with terror and shock.
Tita opened her eyes, having closed them in fear and horror, blinking. The sight of a white flag greeted her. The sight of a white flag and the sound of a siren going off a few seconds later.
"The Flag Tank of Alexander Academy has been taken out! The winner is Ooarai Girls Academy!"