Hey there! Sorry it took so long, but yeah, life's a thing and as much as I want to I unfortunately can't constantly write. Though, I sure as hell am attempting to speed things up a little, so we'll see how that go.
Also, special thanks to a particular definitely-not-a-cursed Swedish notebook for helping me out! Go check Rihnoswirl and his works out as well, they're on this site as well!
I wonder if the Grammarly plugin just straight up edits my words after I copypaste em into the site, just realized that it wasn't disabled here...
Also, I've got a new cover!
Six
It had been a day after she arrived at the schoolship, and right now Louise was at the school tailor getting her new uniforms. Due to her lessons only starting the next day, the young Tuckerman was not exactly in a rush to get this sorted out, and currently accompanying her was someone to help her out.
"All okay in there?" Alisa called from outside the changing room.
"Y-yeah…" Louise replied meekly.
That wasn't true.
Granted, she had successfully managed to change into her freshly-issued Saunders school uniform just fine. The long-sleeved white shirt and the equally-long-sleeved grey blazer fitted her perfectly. The sneakers fit well, and the calf-high black socks were nice, even though this was the first time she's wearing socks that reached beyond her ankles. Yeah, these were okay, no problems with them.
What was not okay, however, was the red skirt. It only reached a few inches down her legs, very considerably less than those few she was used to wearing.
Obviously, she had seen the uniform before, but she wasn't expecting herself to feel this exposed with this skirt.
"(You can't be serious…)"
"What was that?" the pigtailed girl asked from outside.
"N-nothing!" the young Tuckerman quickly answered, moving on to...
"Uhh, Alisa?"
"Yeah?" was the reply, sounding as if the vice-commander wasn't paying any attention.
"H-how do you do the tie? Never worn one before."
"Ah, easy. Just go over-under-through-down-under-up."
"..."
Obviously, that wasn't very helpful.
Ten full minutes passed, and Louise was still inside.
"Okay, why the hell are you taking so long?" Alisa finally asked, walking up and pushing the door open.
Louise, who was still busy trying to get the tie done properly, was startled by the sudden intrusion, jumping and pulling it a tad bit too much. Now being choked, she quickly yanked against the grasp on her neck, succeeding in loosening it.
The pigtailed girl, upon seeing this, laughed in amusement. "Hahahaha! What are you doing?!"
A red blush on her cheeks, the young Tuckerman quickly grabbed her casual T-shirt and tried to shield her lower half from view. "W-why did you..."
The other girl continued laughing for a while, much to poor Lou's embarrassment.
"Alright, I had enough," Alisa finally calmed down. "Here, I'll help you with that," she continued, moving up and helping the young Tuckerman do her tie.
"There, it's done," she declared, stepping back. "Why are you covering yourself down there?"
"I-it's the damn skirt! It's way too short!" was the embarrassed reply.
"Nah it's not, you'll get used to it," the vice-commander grinned. "Many did."
"Eh…"
"Yeah, and they didn't do it by hiding themselves," she continued, pulling away the shirt despite Louise's reluctance to let go. "Yeah, this is a perfect fit. You're good to go!"
"I-if you say so…" Lou muttered, slowly putting her hands away from shielding the center of the bottom of her skirt. "How do I look?"
"You look smart!" Alisa smiled. "We got the sizes sorted out rather quickly, huh. Well, since that's done, let's go get the other sets and we're off. Just wear this home, unless you want to go through the hassle of changing again."
The young Tuckerman looked at her casuals, then down at her skirt. "... I guess I'll not change then."
"Sweet! Let's get going then."
A few minutes later, both girls left the mall, Louise carrying a few plastic bags full with her new uniforms and various other items, a hand-carried school bag included.
"And yeah, for some reason we have our tailor shop located outside of campus," Alisa continued. "But it's no biggie."
"I see," the younger girl nodded as they approached the Willys MB parked beside the street. "So, where to now?"
"Just a few places to check things out and I'll go crash at your place," the Saunders vice-commander replied. "Kay gave me permission to take off from the team today, so we'll just do stuff together, alright?"
"Sounds great to me!" the young Tuckerman nodded as she loaded her clothes at the back and got into the front passenger seat. Sitting down, she blushed a little and closed her legs tighter, keeping her skirt pressed closed.
"You don't really wear skirts, do you?" Alisa snickered as she started the engine.
"W-well, only my school uniforms, the previous ones that is. And they aren't as short as these…"
Great to tease then, the pigtailed girl mused to herself mischievously as the Jeep drove off. Gotta tell them 'bout this.
"So, where are we headed?" the young Tuckerman asked.
"The Workshop, I've got to check on some tanks being repaired there. Then I'll show you around, the place is amazing!"
"Sounds cool. Hey, isn't Ace there as well?"
"Yes she is. You can go check on her as well, of course."
"Yeah, I will," Lou smiled.
A few minutes later, the Jeep turned into the gates of the Saunders Workshop, the wide-open entrance to the warehouse-like building immediately visible. Various Shermans in varying conditions were parked in the small open space between the building and the walls; some of them were probably repaired, while others looked like they've been through hell and back.
Driving past them, Alisa pulled the Jeep over just inside the building, behind the entrance. Now as both girls got off and walked deeper into the shop, Alisa with a tablet in hand, Louise was able to see what was inside the Workshop for the very first time.
The place was huge for a tank workshop, but it was nowhere near as large as the team's garage back at campus. Perhaps as large as half a football field, with 20 feet from the ground to the roof, the highest portion of the walls being occupied by vents. There were many working spaces around, each able to accomodate a single tank and having its own full set of equipment necessary for tank maintenance and repair, including tools, shelves, tank parts, steps, ladders, pumps and an engine crane, to name a few, and some had their own elevated tank platforms for more significant undercarriage work. Around them were a number of mobile gantry cranes, their use shared by all the working spaces. Most of these spots were occupied by tanks, all of them Shermans.
The rear third or so of the Workshop, though, was divided off by another wall, access only granted through a currently-shut entryway. The young Tuckerman had no idea what lay behind it.
What she could see (and hear), though, was that this was a lively place, full of unending activity, with Shermans being repaired from relatively minor hull damage to something severe enough to necessitate the removal of their turrets and/or engines to access the issue. The repair crew girls, all of them wearing brownish-grey jumpsuits and yellow helmets, were busy working on their respective tanks they were assigned to, a few of them scurrying across the shop to various areas, each with different tasks at hand.
Alisa, leading Lou along, walked towards a particular Sherman being worked on, waving at the blonde girl with a blue scarf standing just in front of the tank. Noticing the vice-commander, the friendly-looking girl kicked another girl, who was on a creeper board working on the undercarriage of the M4. When she pulled out and looked up to yell something inaudible to the other girl, Louise realized she looked identical to the other girl, aside from the red scarf she wore. The first girl pointed to Alisa, and the second one quickly understood what she meant, quickly getting up and rubbing her hands on her grease-stained jumpsuit.
"Alisa!" the two shouted simultaneously over the surrounding noise.
"Brooke! Holly!" the pigtailed girl greeted back, also shouting over the noise. "You two told me you'd get this backlog cleared in two weeks, I gave you three, what happened?"
"I think you gave us too much time, Vice-Commander!" the grease-covered mechanic with the red scarf sarcastically replied. "It would've been done right on time, but that's before your maniacal 1st Years had a go! How the hell are we supposed to keep up when those amateurs erase an entire week's worth of work in a single afternoon training session?! Better question, how did they even accomplish that?!"
"What my sister means is that we're doing the best we can, but sometimes things get in the way," the blue-scarfed girl continued. "Such as when someone forgets to put fresh batteries in her alarm clock, and doesn't wake up before lunch," she chuckled, giving the red-scarfed girl a joking poke in the side with her index finger.
"Ugh..." the red-scarfed girl grumbled. "Also, if you want an idea of the shit we have to deal with, that one over there was a bitch to work on," she pointed down to an M4A1(76)W parked a distance away. "The whole hull had so many holes it looked like Swiss cheese, and you know we can't just replace and weld a new armour plate on because they're Casties. It wasn't fun patching so many damn holes up! And that wasn't the only one like that, how'd you expect us to deal with repairs when your team insists on turning our finely-built machines into colanders?!"
"They obviously weren't all damaged to that extent Brooke made it sound like, but there were seriously a lot of holes everywhere on a lot of them," the blue-scarfed girl clarified. "We'd love to have more time," she continued, giving Alisa a pleading look.
"Very well then, you've got three more weeks," Alisa sighed. "The newbies were a bit more neglectful and abusive to the tanks than I thought. I hope it isn't too taxing on you two."
"Oh it's nothing, simple Band-Aid-tier work, stuff like suspension bogeys smashed into the ground after the tanks drove off a ledge, barrels that got wrapped around trees or were used to swordfight with the opponent, and engines with their pistons blown off because they decided to ignore the redline and use the whole tachometer!" Brooke retorted sarcastically. "Of all the problems they have, damage from gunfire is ironically the least of our concerns. But we'll get it done for you guys; they'll all go back to the garage good as new."
"Thanks a bunch, Alisa!" Holly beamed. "We'll get it all done in time or my name isn't Holly! By the way, who's that new face you've got there?"
"Oh, this is Louise," the vice-commander introduced, putting an arm around the young Tuckerman's shoulder. "She's the newbie everyone's been talking about."
"Oh, so you're Lou! Hello!" the mechanic beamed, shaking Lou's hand. "I'm Holly, and the grumpy one there's my twin sister Brooke."
"Yo," Brook waved, giving her sister a little annoyed glare a moment later.
"H-hello," the young Tuckerman smiled timidly. "Brooke and Holly?"
"Yep, that's us!" the blue-scarfed girl continued. "We're Saunders' head mechanics. Whenever something breaks, we put it back together in no time."
"I see," Lou nodded, thinking about something. "Don't mind me asking, but your names, are they… some sort of hidden joke?"
"... What." Brooke deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.
"I-I mean, it's just, ya know…" Lou stammered, "Brooke and Holly... B-Broken and Whole…?"
Silence.
Which was broken with a sudden chuckle from Holly. "That's the first I've heard about this!" she giggled. "No, they're just as they are, no wordplay around here."
"Oh, sorry for misinterpreting then…" the new girl blushed.
"It's all good! It's interesting that you saw something, though."
"Yeah, she's a pretty perceptive one, eh?" Alisa smiled, ruffling the young Tuckerman's hair.
"Indeed! I guess you brought her along to show her the place as well?" the blue-scarfed girl asked.
"Yep," the pigtailed girl nodded.
"Well, allow us to join in later," Holly smiled. "We'll be done on this one here soon, so go ahead with your checks first, we'll catch up."
"Sure. Come along, Lou," the vice-commander beckoned as the two girls walked off.
"Why am I 'Broken'..." Brooke grumbled as she returned to the undercarriage of the M4A1 as her twin sister looked on in amusement.
Over the next few minutes, Alisa, then Holly and Brooke, brought Louise around the garage, showing her the various tools, equipment and activities in action, much to the impression of the young Tuckerman. As the little tour proceeded, she soon learnt that the rear section of the Workshop is a specialized area for heavier jobs such as heavy repairs, drastic modifications and even complete rebuilds. Though, she unfortunately doesn't have a chance to take a look inside currently, but Holly assured her that she will get her chance soon.
And soon enough, the girls arrived at one particular Sherman being inspected by a team of mechanics. With her turret rotated 90 degrees clockwise and her engine bay covers opened up, mechanics around her conducting checks and others nearby flipping through technical manuals and blueprints, it is obvious that this inspection is far more detailed than the ones conducted back in France.
"Ah, yes, we've been very busy with your tank," Holly commented as she watched Lou stare at the Easy-Eight in pride and excitement. "This is our first time working with an M4A3, let alone a tank with HVSS, and the moment we heard the news that the school bought an E8 we went out and dug out as much as we could about this variant."
"Well, the A3 in general is very similar to the A2 with everything except the engine and consequently the engine covers, and you guys have A2s around," Lou replied.
"We found that out soon enough," Brooke agreed. "Therefore we're already good to go for the most part. Of course, we've got no prior experience with the Ford GAA and HVSS, but we managed to find the info we need. Nice," the red-scarfed girl added, "you know your stuff."
"Which is evident in the remarkable condition this E8 is in, even considering the wartime damage," Holly smiled while the turret began to slowly move under manual traverse. "From what we're told from the Team Command trio, Ace has quite a history and is a part of your family, isn't she?"
"Yes she is," the young Tuckerman beamed proudly. "She's been worked on by the entire family since the day she entered the basement, and I personally started out with helping out my Gramps at a very young age."
"Which is definitely impressive, considering the working space, tools, parts and the fact you and your family actually did well," Brooke affirmed. "That being said, it is evident that the shortcomings of having a tank spend decades locked in a basement without proper support did indeed catch up. Relatively small stuff, though, like suspension wear, for one. But it's nothing difficult to repair, when we get the parts that is."
"Yeah, we're sourcing the suspension parts and tracks overseas," Alisa elaborated. "Wouldn't be hard to find actually, but they'll definitely cost quite a bit."
"Aye. Of course, it goes without saying that we're also refitting your tank to sensha-do spec in the meantime. You aware of what the mods are?"
Lou nodded. "Carbon coating, damage calculation systems and a souped-up engine?"
"Yep, that's basically it. I'm mostly concerned-"
Brooke was interrupted by the sound of the Ford GAA being started, the V8's roars standing out over the other engine sounds in the Workshop.
"... about that," she finished.
"Actually, I don't want to use this GAA," Louise interjected before the red-scarfed mechanic could go on. "Mods and tuning are one thing, but engines in any tank are considered expendable and will inevitably be eventually destroyed in matches, right?"
"Yeah?"
"So, therefore I want to preserve this one as a running WW2-spec," the young Tuckerman continued. "This is an OEM Ford GAA after all, I don't want it in a situation where its destruction is guaranteed."
"Yeah, that'll be a good call. But how are we going to find another GAA, let alone multiple ones for sensha-do?" Brooke asked.
"Simple, just get the already readily-available sensha-do GAF and modify it into a GAA. The GAA and GAF are literally the same engine with different names, the only actual differences being relatively trivial parts due to them being used in different tanks, namely the intake and exhaust manifolds, oil pan and flywheel."
Brooke pondered over the suggestion. "Oh, yes, that works. Makes things much easier for us as well."
"The GAF?" Holly asked. "What's that?"
"It's the engine used in the M26 Pershing," her sister explained. "We can get them domestically as they're still being produced for sensha-do for Pershing users, All-Stars being the one we're most familiar with."
"Ooh, that's neat!" the blue-scarfed girl nodded. "How are we going to modify them for Ace?"
"Use my GAA as a reference for the GAA-specific parts, then fabricate copies for our sensha-do use," Tuckerman suggested enthusiastically.
"You forgot we've got blueprints, Tuckerman," Brooke smiled. "We can start making the specific parts already."
"O-oh, right, my bad," Lou blushed.
"Well, now that we've got the engine settled, on the topic of mods do you have anything else in mind?" Holly asked.
"Actually, yeah, quite a bit," the young Tuckerman replied enthusiastically. "I want the additional track armour removed, and then I want the side skirts taken out as well. Oh, yeah, the fake muzzle needs to be removed as well, since it's pretty pointless now. But do keep it around though, it's part of history…"
As the discussion continued, Alisa smiled in amusement as she watched the young Tuckerman go on, her typical shyness absent. Apparently, it seems that tanks bring out the bolder side of her.
"Sooo, that's done," Alisa sighed as she sat down on Lou's bed. "Now we get to rest. Seems like you've settled in already," she commented, looking around.
"Yep," Louise replied, sitting on her chair.
"That was fast."
"Yeah, unpacking was quick," the young Tuckerman commented. "Finished it before I went to shower."
"I see. Oh, yes, Lou," the vice-commander suddenly remembered, "I should've mentioned it to you earlier but Ace will most likely be classified a Level 1."
"A Level 1?"
"Oh, right, you're not aware of the system. Well, you see, sensha-do has a classification system in terms of historical significance, and within each class comes a tier of various protections for the tanks. Level 4, the Reproduction class, is the lowest possible class and basically means that tanks under this have no protections from, say, being scrapped. As the name implies, it's used for all reproduction tanks, since they bear no actual historical significance. One-of-a-kinds, those ones that have no historical examples, are the exception however, being the only ones in this class to be granted full protection against being cut up for scrap."
"Ooh, I see," Lou nodded. "Tell me about the others."
"Level 3, the Legacy class, is used for original tanks by default, since they're all basically museum pieces being used in a sport. At this point, all tanks classified here and above are automatically granted full protection against the scrapyard, so that's great," Alisa continued. "You'll be surprised at how many Level 3s and above there are everywhere. Moving higher up, Level 2, the Veteran class, is made up of original tanks that actually saw action in combat at least once, and these tanks are guaranteed preservation in museums if they were ever to be taken out of sensha-do service. And finally, Level 1, the Hero class, is given to original tanks that have seen significant combat careers, or at least have fought in combat at least once and significantly damaged as a result. And of course, Ace fits that bill perfectly. Not only do Level 1 tanks have all the benefits that the lower tiers have, they will also have funds to guarantee keeping them running as museum pieces."
"Wow, that's nice! We've really guaranteed Ace's future, haven't we?"
"Indeed," Alisa smiled. "Level 1's granted on a case-by-case basis with very thorough background checks and all, but at this point it's safe to say that she's definitely going to be approved. Speaking of which, do you know that Kay's tank's a Hero-class as well?"
"Really?" Lou blinked, surprised. "What did it go through?"
"6 June 1944," was the reply.
"(Oh, oh holy shit!)" the young Tuckerman's eyes widened excitedly. "Really?!"
"And that's just for starters," Alisa went on. "That Sherman went on to fight all the way to Berlin as well."
"Wow, cool! Does she have a name?"
"Yeah, it's been Blondie the entire time."
"Blondie? Blondie…" Lou pondered over the name. "Hmm, Blondie…"
"What is it?"
"Pretty sure my Gramps mentioned that name in his stories before."
"No way, it can't be this coincidental!" Alisa gasped.
"Well, I guess it's a small world," Lou giggled. "Too bad I can't ask him anymore, but we can always check her service history. If it really is her, that'll be really cool!"
"Yeah! Actually, speaking about your grandpa, may I ask you something?"
"Hm? Sure."
"Well, we know your 'Gramps', you've mentioned your mother before, and we've met your uncle as well. I couldn't help but notice, where's your father?"
"Oh? Don't have one," Lou replied as-a-matter-of-factly.
"That was fast," the pigtailed girl commented, a little surprised.
"Well, I mean, of course I have a biological father," the young Tuckerman elaborated, leaning back on her chair, "it's just that I've never even met him at all. I mean, he did bail even before I was born, and my mom died when I was only a few years old, so…"
"Oh, yeah…"
"Ah," Lou realized, "I didn't mention my mom's death to you guys before. But yeah, now you know."
"Oh? Yeah, you haven't," Alisa nodded, almost forgetting that she knew things that she wouldn't have known without the ghost of a certain old man. "Damn, I'm sorry."
"No, don't be!" the girl quickly assured. "It's all just part of life to me. I don't miss the father I never had, but I do miss Mom. It's just... I don't know, to me that's just life. She's gone, so is Gramps, and here I am, it's not like I'll see them again by being depressed." She gave a wry smile. "Sorry, I must sound really terrible…"
"Nah, I get what you mean," Alisa answered. "I don't know about your grandpa or mom, but they wouldn't want you to feel sorry for yourself just because they're gone."
"Yeah, that's true," Lou chuckled. "And besides, I've still got Ace. As long as I've got her, a part of them is still with me, especially Gramps. Always. And I intend to live my life to the fullest anyway."
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" the vice-commander nodded, smiling. "On a related note, if there's anything you need to talk to us about, just come."
"Sure, thanks!"
"No prob. Anyway, yeah, tomorrow's your first day at school, and the first day in the team as well," Alisa said, changing the subject. "Excited?"
"Definitely!"
"Yep, as I thought. Don't be late, okay?"
"Yeah, I won't!" the young Tuckerman smiled confidently.
"(Oh, fuck!)"
That was the first thing Louise said when she opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock.
She was running late.
Jumping out of her bed, Lou rushed off to prepare herself for school, brushing her teeth while changing into her uniform at the same time. Once she was done with the former, she hastily fixed her shirt's collar and tried to put on her tie in front of the mirror, once again not being able to do so.
"(Ah fuck this shit,)" she muttered to herself as she gave up, slinging it over her neck and rushing out of her bathroom, grabbing her grey blazer on the backrest of her chair, putting it on and then grabbing her school bag. Thankfully, she had packed everything last night.
Still attempting to put her tie on, she realized that she didn't even have time to make toast for breakfast, wearing her socks, putting on her shoes and promptly leaving her apartment. Hastily locking the door, she proceeded to run to the lift lobby and wait impatiently for a lift. It came, she got in, still trying to fix her tie, she reached the first floor, the doors opened and off she went, sprinting off and attempting not to be late on her very first day at Saunders.
Halfway through her journey, she finally managed to put her tie on properly, and it was only after then did she button up her blazer. She was still about to be late though, running past houses, shops and other people on the way.
"(Shit shit shit shit shit!)"
Soon enough, however, the school came into view and got closer, and the young Tuckerman sprinted ahead, feeling less worried as she realized she was going to make it.
Running through the front gates, she stopped to catch her breath, relieved that she wasn't late.
Then as she looked around, to her increasing confusion, the girl realized that the courtyard was quieter than expected. Much quieter. In fact, there was nobody else around.
Well, nobody else except a bored-looking prefect at the gates, looking down at her tablet.
Lou walked over to her. "U-uh, excuse me," she asked, "where's everyone?"
"Oh, you're an hour early," was the answer she got after the prefect checked her watch, not even looking up at the young Tuckerman.
"Wait, what?" the new girl asked incredulously, checking her phone. "What do you mean an hour early?"
"Oh, yeah, we crossed timezones during the night. Think you missed the announcement."
Louise blinked blankly, completely speechless.
"Yeah. You'll get used to it."
After that spectacular punctuality on her first day, everything afterwards proceeded along well for Louise. Taking the time to walk around the school, the young Tuckerman was awed by the facilities of her new school; truly, this was more like a university than a high school. And unlike what she had believed would be the case, Saunders appears to have more of an American, therefore Western design and environment rather than those seen in typical Japanese high schools, something that greatly contributed to Lou feeling more familiar with the place despite this being her very first day here.
Entering her new classroom for the very first time, Louise was quickly noticed by her new classmates at their desks, who quickly approached her, curious and excited about the new girl. Apparently the word about Saunders' latest foreign student had spread around quickly and everyone was eager to find out the lucky class she ended up in. Tuckerman quickly made many new acquaintances, despite her shyness, something that many of her classmates found adorable. Which, of course, made her feel even more shy.
"Wait, really?! You're in my class?!" a familiar voice shouted out estactically as a familiar ponytailed yellowish-haired girl darted over to Louise.
"N-Naroko?" Lou looked at the girl in surprise. "T-this is your class?"
"Yep!" the driver replied estactically. "Welcome!"
"Ah, so this is the new girl you guys were talking about?" a gentle-looking, short brown-haired girl asked, walked up from behind.
"She is! Ah, Lou, meet Mae, she's our crew's machinegunner. And Mae, her name's Louise, but we all just call her Lou."
"Nice to meet you," Yazawa Mae smiled, shaking the young Tuckerman's hand.
"L-likewise," the new girl blushed. "I d-didn't see you back in France."
"Oh, I wasn't there at all! Tripped and sprained my ankle, so I was forced to remain on board," the girl grumbled.
"I s-see. How's your ankle now?"
"It's healed, no problems anymore," Mei smiled reassuringly. "But I still missed out on everything…" she muttered.
"D-don't worry, it wasn't much," Lou comforted. "And I'm sure we'll have another overseas opportunity in future."
"Yeah, I hope so," the short-haired girl nodded. "But that aside, welcome to Saunders and the team! I hope you'll have a great time around!"
"Thanks, I will," Tuckerman nodded sheepishly.
"Oh, seems like lessons are about to start," Naroko commented as she looked at the clock. "Let's go get ready!"
A short while later, the teacher arrived, and Lousie was soon formally introduced to the rest of the class. After the greetings, the young Tuckerman was then told to pick her own seat, which surprised her, having had the impression that she did not have the liberty to do so. Nonetheless, she took the chance and chose a seat directly behind Naroko and Mae, to the latter two's delight.
As lessons started, there was a bit of a "culture shock", if you can call it one, regarding language in particular, but Lou quickly adapted to them, not being any real concern. As lessons continued, the girl realized that she was, surprisingly, very well on par with the lessons, even ahead in some aspects despite the fact that everything was all in Japanese. It seemed like coping with her studies was one thing she wouldn't need to worry about anymore.
With recess finally here, Louise was introduced by Naroko and Mae to the school cafeteria for the very first time, very pleasantly surprised at the food being served there. Granted she was already hungry, but that doesn't change the fact that the scrambled eggs and grilled bacon were absolutely delicious, and from the answers she got from her two friends this was an everyday item, to her delight.
After that, lessons continued as per usual, and soon enough lunchtime arrived. Before that, however, Louise was told to report to the teachers' office for a short while to get a few more things sorted out, namely a short briefing about school and the relevant stuff. Naroko and Mae stayed outside the office and waited for Tuckerman to be done, and soon enough all three of them were off to the cafeteria. The Western meals served were just as delicious as breakfast, but Louise was much more focused on what came once lunch was done.
Club time.
And speaking of which, her two friends noticed the time and realized they had completely forgotten about something they had to do.
"Yeah, we're gonna get a move on first, we'll tell ya 'bout it later. See ya!" Hiroko grinned as she and Mae stood up.
"Bye, Lou," the latter waved politely as they briskly walked off, empty trays in hand.
Waving back, Louise continued with her lunch, having quite a while more before she had to turn up. Kay sent her a message last night telling her to report to the club room first, and that is what she was going to do.
After her meal, that is.
"Oh, you're early!" Kay greeted cheerfully as the young Tuckerman entered the club room. "Hey, you look smart in our uniform!"
"T-thanks," the girl smiled and blushed. "The skirt though…" she muttered to herself.
"So I've heard, you'll get used to it," Kay beamed. "Come on in!"
Stepping in, the young Tuckerman looked around her surroundings. It was a rather ordinary-looking air-conditioned club room, not what she was expecting. The biggest feature was the window that ran almost the entire length of the opposite wall, its four glass panels shut as the air-conditioner was working. The place wasn't bare, of course, with furniture such as a coffee table, sofa, rolling whiteboard, armchairs and chairs spread around. Behind the sofa was a decently-sized bookshelf set with its back against the right wall, packed with items ranging from books about tanks and sensha-do, both in Japanese and English, to hardcover files with unknown contents, some of them looking pretty old. Following where the bookshelf ended was a computer desk, facing the wall and currently occupied by Naomi.
"Oh, heya Lou," the sharpshooter turned around, greeting the young Tuckerman who politely waved back. "You're half an hour early," she continued, rolling her chair back checking the wall clock above the windows.
"Yeah," Lou nodded before resuming her look around.
Hung on the left wall in a wooden frame, above a small shelf with more books, was a large painting of Shermans, all bearing the Saunders insignia and painted in the typical shades of olive drab the team uses. Two M4s, one M4A1(76) and a Sherman VC Firefly were the Shermans present, all of them depicted as fighting an unshown opponent.
"Yeah, it's pretty well-drawn, isn't it?" Kay commented as she walked up beside the new girl, drinking from a can of Coke.
"Yep, it's nice," Tuckerman nodded.
"One of the art students drew it for us years ago. It was from an actual fight, I think. Wasn't even here yet though, so I don't know what it was about exactly."
"I see…"
"How's school anyway?"
"Oh, it's been splendid! Naroko and Mae are in my class, so that's great!"
"Ooh, sweet! I bet they were ecstatic to see you around!"
"They were! And I can keep up with the lessons, so that's that. And the canteen's great!"
"Yes, it is," the blondie chuckled. "Well, glad you've settled in proper!"
"Yeah, it's not hard at all," Lou grinned.
Then, she noticed something. Well, someone. Well, lack thereof.
"Hey, where's Alisa?"
"Oh, she's conducting training for the 1st Years today along with her girls," Naomi explained.
"Ah, so that's why Naroko and Mae ran off in a hurry earlier on," Lou realized. "Wait, aren't you in charge of training?"
"Yeah, but the actual physical training isn't always me," the sharpshooter chuckled. "My job is to put together training programs, schedules and all, and then assign one of us three to do the physical work."
"Oh, I see," Louise nodded. "I reckon she's going to address certain complaints the two Workshop twins gave her yesterday."
"Oh, yeah, she was mumbling 'bout that earlier today," Naomi chuckled. "It's odd you know, the issues only come when they actually get into practice matches."
"Well, training and the actual deal are two different things after all."
"Indeed. Well, that aside, Kay, aren't we supposed to be giving her an orientation program now?"
"Oh? Yeah, sure!" the blonde commander beamed. "Since you're here we'll start early, alright?"
"Yeah, no prob!" Lou nodded.
"Alright! So, we'll first show you some stuff on the computer, basically our team's history, sensha-do rules and basic etiquette. It's going to be a bit of a crash course, but don't worry, you can look up our history in detail afterwards and rules and etiquette are just common sense."
"Sounds good to me."
"Cool! Naomi?"
"Yeah, hold on," the sharpshooter replied, clicking on the computer a few times. "Hey," she turned around, "do we really need to show her that vid?"
"Of course not," Kay replied.
"What vid?" Lou asked curiously.
"It's a JSF sensha-do introduction video that everyone usually watches on their very first day."
"Oh, that one," Lou recalled. "I've watched it a few years back. It's boring, isn't it? Doesn't show the true scene of sensha-do other than that German team either."
"Heh, she feels the same way," Kay grinned.
"Who doesn't?" Naomi replied, amused.
"Oh, I'm not the only one?" Tuckerman blinked.
"Yeah, but Kuromorimine, being the traditionalists they are, had a good say in the making of the film, thus why it turned out like this," Kay explained. "It also explains the theme about sensha-do being for females and participants becoming well-bred women. Which I can tell you don't like either, considering your background."
"Yeah, that theme's just wrong," Louise nodded. "Tanks aren't just for girls. Believe me, I should know."
"Yeah, it's odd how tanks have become associated with women," Naomi nodded. "But still, imagine sensha-do with boys."
"I wonder how different it'd be," Kay pondered.
"Well, to be honest, probably not much," Lou commented. "I mean… yeah."
"... Yeah, that's true," the commander nodded in agreement. "Anyway, back to the point, let's get started, shall we?"
Some time later, after the slides, Kay and Naomi brought Louise into the garage, where the 2nd and 3rd Year students were tending to their own tanks. Bringing the new girl around, the commander and vice-commander talked in detail about various stuff to the newcomer, who was listening intently.
"Now, let's talk about tank companies," Kay continued. "The team is made out of three companies. The 1st Tank Company, Yankee Company, is our main force, and that's where we three belong to. We can do basically anything required, so that's pretty straightforward. The 2nd, Apache Company, specializes in mobile tactics such as flanking, ambushing and trapping. And last but not least, the 3rd, Eagle Company, does reconnaissance for the rest of the team. In a match we usually send tanks from all three out, so don't worry about whether any are neglected."
"I see," Louise nodded as she looked around. "Quick question, do you guys only ever use Shermans?"
"Yeah, the team's currently made entirely out of Shermans. Why do you ask?"
"Well, wouldn't it be better for us to have a more diverse selection of tanks?" Lou asked. "I mean, we can be more competitive that way, the companies can use tanks most suited for their tactics."
"Oho, getting down to business already, are we?" Kay chuckled, ruffling the young girl's hair. "Well, truth be told we haven't been looking into it, especially owing to how well the team's running with the current setup. I'm sure Alisa's been researching this on her own, though, so maybe you can discuss this with her."
"Yeah, she's probably been looking stuff up herself," Naomi agreed. "But yeah, as we stand now there's no real need for anything beyond our Shermans."
"Oh, I see," Lou nodded.
"Well, it's still great that you've asked," the commander beamed, patting Tuckerman on the back. "Anyway, whatever company you'll be in is up to the commander, whoever that is."
"Ah, I se- Wait, what do you mean by that?" Lou did a double take.
"Well, we haven't come to a decision on what you're gonna be yet, of course," Kay replied nonchalantly. "We'll decide and tell you by tomorrow, no worries."
Her heart nearly stopped. "W-wait, so…"
"What's wrong?" the commander asked, slowing down.
"D-does that mean I might... not be the commander?"
"Oh, that's what's bothering you?" the blondie smiled, turning to look at the younger girl. "Well, the commander position is not something that we give randomly or by request; to be the commander, you need to be capable of being a good one. This is something me, Alisa and Naomi will decide in private for everybody, after going through the abilities and weaknesses of the candidate. Of course, we've got to be fair to everyone, we can't put someone in the commander's hatch just because she's a friend or we like her."
"Yeah, I understand," Lou nodded, still rather unhappy. "That's only right to do, and I did expect something like this. I'll go with whatever decision you guys come to with no trouble, no worries."
"That's good," the commander beamed, patting Tuckerman's head.
"You don't look happy still…" Naomi commented.
"Well, I never said the decision will necessarily be one I'm happy about," Lou replied. "But nevertheless," she continued, tugging her blazer down, "as I said I won't let it get in the way. You have my word on that."
"Good to hear!" Kay smiled. "Honestly, I'd be concerned if you weren't unhappy, since it's Ace and all."
"Yeah…"
"Well, we'll see tomorrow, don't go on fretting over it!"
Not "fretting over it" was the last thing Louise was doing.
The rest of the day had gone by in a daze, and the young Tuckerman had absolutely no mood to do anything else, too occupied with her thoughts as the sun set and the sky darkened.
With only her desk lamp turned on in the darkness, Lou, in her nightclothes, lay in bed, motionless and staring at the white wall beside her, hugging one of her pillows for comfort. Her hair was let down, some of it covering her face.
The thought of not being in command of her own tank further gripped her heart as she hugged the pillow even tighter.
Needless to say, she was unhappy. Very unhappy. Yes, it was only fair that a commander should be competent and be selected to be one based on competence. And yes, she shouldn't have assumed that she would be the commander of Ace to begin with.
(You know this), Lou's voice chided herself in her head.
At yet, the thought of being in another "lower" position, in Ace no less, really made the young Tuckerman feel extremely uncomfortable. Her grandfather was Ace's commander, nearly died in her and brought her home. The entire Tuckerman family, all three generations, had kept her alive and kicking for decades, and her mother was also a commander back in the day. Hell, Louise herself fought to keep Ace away from the French authorities. And once Ace was safe at Saunders and Lou would finally able to pursue her sensha-do dreams, she was going to be… the machinegunner?
(You know very well that's not necessarily the case.)
"(Well it could be!)" Lou retorted out loud, throwing the pillow against the wall, watching it fall back onto the bed. "(And you know what I mean by that.)"
(Just as you could still be the commander?)
"(Yeah, but what are the odds?)" she grumbled, jumping out of bed and pacing the room, moving her hair behind her head. "(They'll probably pick someone else, like a 2nd or 3rd Year.)"
(A tank's crew often share the same year due to how they were selected. Ace will more likely than not be made out of four First-Years, you included.)
"(Well, fair enough, but I'm literally half a year behind everyone else,)" she grumbled as she tussled her hair. "(I'm never going to be the commander am I…)"
(Why are you so fixated on being the commander anyway?)
"(You tell me!)" she shouted. "(It really doesn't feel good being akin to a fucking prisoner in your own fucking tank! You know this.)"
(Do you actually see the other positions as inferior?)
"(You know what I mean. Don't twist it.)"
(I do. But what can you do about it? Just climb the ranks and you'll eventually make it, you are clearly aware of what the crew hierarchy is like.)
"(Yeah, by the time I do I've probably graduated,)" Tuckerman laughed rather bitterly. "(Did they even take account of me when they got Ace? Am I really just a nuisance to them that comes packaged with a good thing? Is that why they were obligated to take me in?)"
(You know very well that's not the case, and if those three heard you right now they'd be very hurt,) the voice admonished.
Louise stopped, realizing what she had just spewed out. She took a deep breath. "(Yeah, I've gotten out of hand…)" she muttered. "(What am I saying…)"
(Talking to yourself is a potential symptom of psychosis.)
"(No it's not, I'm just vocalizi-)" the girl replied for a while, then stopped and sighed, allowing herself to fall onto her bed facefirst. "Merde…"
Meanwhile back at campus, despite the lateness, the lights of the sensha-do club room were still brightly lit. Other than the three heads of the team, the rest of Alisa's crew was also present, all of them having had a late dinner together.
"So," Alisa asked as she put down her empty cup of soda, "what's Lou gonna be?"
"Hm, tricky," Naomi pondered as Kay, shutting the fridge, went on to open yet another can of coke. "She's familiar with the turret and gun controls, and does shoot rather okay for a first-timer. With practice I think she can become quite proficient at it."
"About the same can be said for loading," commented Helmet-chan while wiping her hands with a paper napkin. "She seems sorta comfortable with her movements, but the bit of struggle against the weight of the shell itself is noticeable."
"And we all saw her drive back in France, Yuko and I caught that when she barreled into the base behind the wheel," Gunner-chan noted. "I think everyone around saw that, she seems to be okay at it."
"Yeah, don't remind me again," Alisa grumbled. "The mere thought of it already gives me motion sickness."
"Damn, I missed out on quite a lot, didn't I?" Mae sighed. "And all because I tripped…"
"Hey, don't feel bad about it," Naroko comforted her close friend. "You really didn't miss that much! Just a couple of things here and there is all."
"Yeah, I guess…" the machinegunner sighed again. "I'm not gonna miss out on anything else, I swear."
"You've still got a long way to go," the pigtailed vice-commander patted her most junior crew member on the shoulder. "And lots of fun ahead, too."
"And I'll be here to guide you, always," Naroko smiled.
Mae's mood lifted in response. "Yeah."
"Anyway," Alisa continued, "of course, there's the position of tank commander. But is she worthy of it?"
She sat down on the sofa and grabbed an onion ring. "Personally, and this isn't objective, I vouch for her being the commander. It's only right; Ace is part of her family, with her grandfather being the previous commander and caretaker for decades until his recent death, and Louise herself had been taking care of the tank since she was a kid, along with literally the rest of her family. Making her anything less than a commander is rather harsh and sort of a personal low blow to her even if she doesn't see it that way, don't you think?"
"I agree with the sentiment, but you know we can't let that alone decide her position," Naomi presented as the pigtailed commander munched on her onion ring. "We've got to be completely impartial about this, no exceptions. We've never given any girl we liked a special case to be a commander, and we won't with Lou. We need to have legitimate reasons to grant her the position. No matter how right or fitting it may already feel."
Alisa sighed. "Yeah, I know. She's completely inexperienced in sensha-do as a whole, to begin with."
"I've got one more thing to add," Kay spoke as she got up from the shelf. "Back in France, just before we left, I got Lou to do the brief on the journey over the radio on my behalf, right."
Nods came from everyone except Mae, who was listening to everything intently.
"So, yeah, she stammered a bit at the start and end, but don't you guys think she did a pretty good job?" the blonde commander asked.
"That is true, but radio expertise alone doesn't determine that she'd be a good commander," Alisa countered. "Even if it does play a huge role in being one."
Kay chuckled in response. "You girls don't see it, do you?"
"What don't we see?" Naomi raised an eyebrow.
"Well, run through everything we've gone through again along with that," the blondie replied. "She knows how to drive, load, fire and communicate; no matter how skilled she is at them, she is able to do all nonetheless. A fundamental, critical criteria of being a tank commander is understanding how the tank works, how the crew functions and how to relay commands and information to them and other tanks. Doesn't Lou check that box?"
That realisation dawned on the other girls.
"Hey, that's right!" Alisa gasped.
"That checks out, yes," Naomi nodded.
"And of course, as Alisa said, it's only right," Kay smiled. "And on the point of experience, Lou may be completely inexperienced in sensha-do, but everyone starts out completely inexperienced as well, even tank commanders. Hell, I can say that on a newcomer's level, with her current knowledge she's actually ahead of at least most other commanders when they just arrived in the team."
"Yeah, that's a really good point," Yuko nodded.
"Sooo, I guess the debate's over then?" Naroko asked.
"Of course," Naomi grinned. "We'll inform her tomorrow. She looked rather depressed when we told her she might not be the commander, let's see how she reacts tomorrow."
The poor girl had been tossing and turning in bed until she finally fell asleep late at night, unable to shake the horrible feeling of not being Ace's commander off. When her alarm clock rang, she dragged herself up to prepare for and head off to school, and for the entire morning and into the afternoon she trudged around school like a zombie, the thoughts still constantly haunting her, to the worry of both Naroko and Mae. Every time they asked her what the matter was, Tuckerman shook her head and refused to talk about it. Of course, the machinegunner and driver did notify their commander of the newcomer's behavior and asked whether they should break the good news to her early. But Alisa insisted that they waited till club time.
And soon enough, that time arrived.
"Yeah, you're the commander!" Kay replied, beaming.
"W-wait, really?" Lou stammered, not entirely believing what the three girls were saying. "Am… am I hearing it right?"
"Yes, Lou," Alisa chuckled, looking at the look of utter surprise and disbelief written on the girl's face. "You. Are. The. Commander. You didn't mishear."
The girl blinked, her heart pounding in her chest, still thinking that she might be hallucinating. "I-is this real...?"
The team commander and the vice-commanders laughed.
"Of course it's real!" Naomi replied. "You're not dreaming, Lou! You're wide awake!"
And with it finally sinking in, all thoughts about not being the commander were absolutely eliminated, and light flooded into the young Tuckerman's heart once again.
A wide grin on her face, Lou politely bowed to her seniors. "Thank you. Thank you so much," she beamed in relief. "I won't let you down, I promise."
"That's the spirit!" Kay patted the young Tuckerman. "I said we will have to go through your merits, and we did late last night. We didn't show you any favoritism; your merits proved worthy."
"G-glad to hear it," Louise smiled, dizzy from happiness. "Man, I… I was so worried…"
"Yeah, you looked like hell!" Naomi chuckled.
"Yeah, Naroko and Mae told me you looked half-dead the entire day!" Alisa laughed. "Did you really lose sleep over this yesterday?"
"I-I mean, not that much…" the young Tuckerman blushed sheepishly.
"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore!" the blondie laughed, patting the younger girl on the back. "Congrats!"
"T-thanks… W-wait," she asked, a little worried, "I'm the commander of Ace, right?"
"Duh!" was the reply from Kay. "Why would it be any other tank?"
"(Oh thank god…)" she muttered in relief. "I asked just in case you meant I'd be in another tank."
"Ah, no worries, obviously you're with Ace, zero doubt on that! Though, that being, you need a substitute tank for the time being while Ace's being modified, for training and all."
"Oh, that's true," Lou nodded, thinking for a few seconds. "For a substitute, an M4A1(76)W will do the job perfectly, being the closest available to the E8 in terms of performance and controls. Of course, the A1 has a cast hull, the R975 isn't a GAA and there's no HVSS, so there are some things that can't be really replicated, but one will be the best choice nonetheless."
"I'm guessing the M4A2s aren't suitable?" Naomi asked.
"Well, while they're pretty similar except for the engine, that engine's precisely why I don't want to use an A2," Tuckerman explained. "The R975 has power and torque outputs and curves closer to the GAA than the 6046, which will train my driver closer to the GAA and make the transition much easier. And it's the better engine anyway."
"I see," the sharpshooter noted. "Seems like you've got that covered."
"Yeah, I do. So, when do we get the tank?"
"Well, we can get you one right now," Alisa nodded. "In fact, we've got multiple to choose from."
The four girls stood in front of a row of multiple M4A1(76)Ws, all of them uncrewed.
"Well, go ahead," Alisa said. "See which one clicks with you or something."
"Well that's quite a lot to choose from," Louise commented as she walked closer to visually inspect the one in front of her. "Do they have the same performance?"
"Yeah, they're all the same," Naomi replied. "You probably can just randomly pick one and go, you know."
"I could. But I've got a few things to look out for," Lou answered as she climbed up the Sherman and onto its turret, checking it from the top. Not finding what she was looking for, she stood up and started looking over at the other M4s.
The ones on her left did not have what she wanted. She turned over to the ones on her right.
A moment later, she caught one. "There, that one, second from the right," Tuckerman pointed to the puzzlement of the three team leaders before climbing down. Walking over to the tank in question at a brisk speed, the three girls just followed, curious to what the new girl had found.
Arriving at the M4A1(76)W in question, its paint faded and dust covering the entire tank, Louise noticed something else the moment it came into view. "Hey, does the Federation mass-manufacture different variations of the same turret model, or are they all of the exact same design?"
"All of the exact same design will be correct, usually the latest or best version of the design. Why did you ask?" Kay raised an eyebrow.
"Then unless a turret swap was made I reckon this one right here's an original Sherman," Louise's eyes sparkled as she climbed up this tank and onto its turret. Kneeling down on just her right knee and facing the three girls down below, she pointed at a small ring on the left side of the turret close to her, molded between the top and left sides. "That's an extra lifting ring, something that was left behind for a while after Chrysler's aborted T23 project tank back during that time. As that name implies, the T23 turret originated from this prototype tank; when it was cancelled they decided to use this turret for the 76 mm Shermans as it shared the exact same turret diameter as the Shermans themselves. 69 inches, if I'm not wrong. Anyway, the prototype tank T23 had a boom for lifting its power pack and that ring supported a part of that boom's rigging. This is something that was eliminated from the design in subsequent molds, which means that this is a very strong indication that at least the turret was actually manufactured from the war. Unless the Federation did retain the ring for a few mass-produced T23 turrets."
"Ooh, I see," Kay nodded, intrigued. "I've seen a few of our 76 mm tanks with these rings, never really got to look up why."
"Yeah, didn't know either," Naomi nodded.
"I do," Alisa grinned.
The other three girls looked at her with some surprise.
"Hey, it's some trivia I looked up," the pigtailed girl chuckled. "Come now, wouldn't it be more surprising if I didn't know?"
"... Yeah, that's a good point," Naomi relented and Kay nodded.
"But I doubt Lou took notice of it because of a ring, am I right?" the pigtailed vice-commander smiled.
"Yep, I caught something more important, right here," Louise smiled, grabbing something beside her. Pulling half of it open, the three girls realized that she was referring to the split loader's hatch.
"Oh, you want a tank with a loader's hatch that's similar to Ace's!" Kay grinned.
"Yep! The small things matter, I need this tank to feel as similar to Ace as possible for my crew," the young Tuckerman explained as she shut the split hatch. "I'll check the interior," she continued as she opened the commander's hatch and climbed in, slipping out of sight.
"(Oh goddamn, oh Jesus-)" was what Kay, Alisa and Naomi heard before Lou sneezed loudly, bolting out of the turret a moment later.
Sitting on the cupola, covering her mouth and nose, she sneezed four more times back-to-back. "(Holy fuck,)" she panted as she fanned the air in front of her, not realizing that she had slipped into English, "(that's dusty as shi- HACHOO!)"
She sneezed quite a few more times as the other three girls moved over to the right side of the tank and looked on, amused.
"Need a hanky?" Alisa asked.
"N-nah, I think that's the last of it," Lou heaved as she slowly moved her hand away from her mouth and nose. Once her heaving subsided and she was certain she was not going to start sneezing again, she dusted both her hands off. "Man, when was the last time this tank was cleaned?"
"Not recently, that's for sure. It's been a while since anyone even touched these tanks."
"Well, obviously we'll need to clean her up," Louise commented as she got up and shut the hatch. "I'm not going in there until we get the dust out. But yeah, I think I'll go with this one."
"Sweet!" Kay gave a thumbs-up. "Guess that's settled! We'll leave her here and come back tomorrow."
"Sure. And now for my crew," Lou commented as she hopped off the front of the hull and onto the ground. "Do you guys have anyone assigned to me?"
"Oh, nope, you get to choose your own," the blonde commander grinned. "Only from the reserve girls, though; don't steal the girls from other crews."
"Of course, that's a given," Tuckerman chuckled as the group walked away.
"But for today many are at their second clubs, since today is for the secondary clubs," Kay explained. "Perhaps you might pick one in future."
"Well, the automotive and racing club is a thing, right?"
"Yes it is," Naomi nodded.
"Yeah, I'll look into it," the new girl smiled.
"Oh crap…" Alisa muttered under her breath.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad…" Lou pouted.
"Yeah see, she looks just like you when she does that!" Kay laughed to Alisa's embarrassment. "Anyway, If you want to start picking people, do it tomorrow. Oh, do turn up in your team uniform and bring your PT kit along, alright? We've got stuff to do."
"Sure thing. What now, though?"
"Well, back to the club room then. You can do whatever you want there, no worries."
"Not me though, I need to catch up with my crew on stuff," Naomi said.
"Oh, go right ahead then!" the commander said. "We'll catch up with you later!"
"Sure. Later," the sharpshooter waved as she walked off.
A few minutes later, as the girls climbed up the stairs, muffled music and singing could be heard.
"Hey, that sounds like Rin," Lou noted.
"Yep, that's her!" Alisa's face lit up. "That's my girls, they're a band."
"Woah, cool!"
"Lou, wanna go see them?" Kay asked
"Sure!" the young Tuckerman nodded.
The music got louder the closer they got to the studio in question, but just as the three girls were about to reach for the door, they heard Rin call for it to stop.
"Hey, that didn't sound right," Louise heard the gunner say as Kay opened the door.
"Heya!" the blondie greeted.
"Oh, Commander!" Rin greeted, holding a guitar in her hands and slung over her. "Ah, 'Commanders' then, and hey Lou!" she added on, noticing the two other girls.
"Hey." "H-hi."
Yuko, Mae and Naroko greeted and waved at them as well, each being a guitarist, bassist and drummer respectively.
"I'm guessing you guys told her about the decision already?" the orangehead asked, adjusting her helmet.
"Yeah, we did," Alisa smiled.
"Figures, she doesn't look like she's about to pass out anymore!" Naroko laughed.
Lou blushed. "Ehehe…"
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Mae smiled. "We were worried sick for you."
"Y-yeah, sorry 'bout that," the young Tuckerman apologized sheepishly.
"Not a prob!" Naroko gave a thumbs-up. "And congratulations on becoming a commander!"
"T-thanks!"
"So, what brings you guys here?" Helmet-chan asked.
"Nothing much, just showing Lou what you guys are up to," the vice-commander replied. "We were just talking about secondary clubs."
"Ah, I see," Rin nodded. "Well, one tip for you, Lou, contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere you're not actually expected to put in as much time and effort in your secondary club. Of course, doing so if you want to will be great for everyone and go ahead with that, but your priority is always the main club, and in our case thas is the sensha-do team. But like I said, don't let that stop you from getting attached to your second club!"
"Got it," Lou nodded. "Thanks for the advice."
"Pleasure! Anyway," the gunner beamed proudly, "this is our band! I'm the lead guitarist and singer, Yuko's the harmonics, Mae's the bassist and Naroko's the drummer."
"We only started this earlier this year," Yuko continued. "Initially Rin and I wanted to duet, but we realized these two actually coincidentally played something as well, so we modified our plans. Pretty neat, huh?"
"It's cool," Lou nodded, impressed. "So, what were you guys working on?"
"Oh, we're just practicing this piece we've been working on. We plan to perform someday, so please show up!"
"I will, just send me the invite," Tuckerman smiled.
"After we get it right first, of course," Yuko commented.
"Well, we'll leave you four to work on it then," Kay replied. "Keep up the good work!" she grinned, giving them a thumbs-up.
"We will!" the orangehead beamed. "See you guys later then!"
"See ya!" Gunner-chan said as the four of them waved at the other three girls, Louise shutting the door behind her. "Alright then, from the top. Let's do a good one!"
"Sure!" "Yes." "Yeah!"
Naroko cracked her knuckles and picked up her sticks, knocking them together to the beat. "And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three!" she counted out loud before striking her drums.
"I just feel my wind!
I just feel my shine!
Sora ni, rise and run!"
"Well, what do we do now?" Lou asked as she entered the club room with Kay and Alisa.
"Well, not much to be honest," Alisa shrugged. "Perhaps I should go check on the Workshop again, see how things are going."
"You really just want to get a milkshake from the 'shake store, don't you?" Kay smiled knowingly.
"... Yeah, I do," the pigtailed girl sighed.
"Well, go right ahead, get me one too, my usual! What about you, Lou? My treat!"
"O-oh? V-vanilla for me, then," Lou replied. "Y-you don't have to pay for me, though."
"No, I insist!" the commander beamed.
"W-well, alright, thanks then," she nodded.
With Alisa off, the two remaining girls continued chatting, with Kay asking Lou about how Saunders had been to her so far and how she found the place to be, then giving the younger girl some tips and tricks. The topic at hand soon moved away from school and into various topics, such as other interests, various favorite things and into stories and personal experiences, Lou sharing many of the stories Joshua had told her since young, how life was back in France and her ups and downs. Kay also opened up and talked about her life, from her childhood to middle school, through her own ups and downs, to how she met Darjeeling, to her entering Saunders and how she ended up as the team commander.
Eventually, the conversation moved on to more recent events; namely, the story of Ooarai's rise to power in the first half of the year. Lou listened in awe and a sense of disbelief as Kay energetically recounted the saga-like events; from the deal the student council made with a MEXT official to save the school from being shut down, to Miho's arrival to their sensha-do club's resurrection, to their climb from their friendly defeat against St Gloriana to toppling Kuromorimine in the 64th Sensha-do National Championship, to the MEXT guy going back on his word, to a new deal to beat All-Stars against impossible odds, to six other high schools, Saunders included, coming together and joining forces to help Ooarai, and finally being able to defeat the university team fair and square despite everything done to make them lose, and of course save Ooarai.
"D-did all of this really happen?" Lou asked, still unable to believe that something like that could happen.
"Yeah!" the blonde commander laughed. "Yes, I know it sounds too epic to be true, but trust me, we were all there! Besides, there are videos on the matches online that you can look up, go take a look sometime!"
"I think I'll do it soonest possible," the young Tuckerman nodded, her curiosity having already been piqued by the recount. "I gotta see this for myself."
"Especially the match with All-Stars! Watch how cool we all were!" Kay grinned. "Thirty tanks advancing together, all with the same goal. It's epic! Anyway, I think I need to go check on my crew," the commander realized, looking at the clock. "Is it okay I leave you here alone?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Tuckerman nodded. "I'll go look up on everything about Ooarai meanwhile," she grinned."
"Sweet!" Kay chuckled, getting up and walking towards the door. "Well, I'll go now. Tell me all 'bout what you think!"
"I will!"
With the door gently shutting, Louise pulled her phone out, very curious about the saga-like recount of Ooarai's rise to power. As someone who actively followed the American tankery scene, she realized that she had not paid as much attention to Japan as she should have as she typed in the search words. However, she was sure that something this big would've reached her and caught her attention nonetheless; so, why didn't this?
Perhaps it had something to do with her network in France; after all, it was from another country nonetheless, and unless she was specifically searching for or following them they wouldn't appear automatically. Perhaps she merely missed it, especially when she was busy looking after her grandfather. But there they were nonetheless; videos of Ooarai's fights. And, of course, the young Tuckerman jumped right into them. And soon enough, she was hooked, completely amazed at what she saw.
And finally reaching the match against All-Stars, seeing the thirty tanks deployed at the start put a wide smile on her face, which stayed on as the rest of the action, insanity and tension continued. But as the footage continued, a hint of envy surfaced in her mind. Everyone at some point or another blamed themselves for not taking a certain step, decision or path and seemingly missing out on a great opportunity. More often than not, though, these were based on speculation, with the true outcome of the other side destined to forever remain unknown for sure.
But sometimes, those possibilities weren't as unknown as others were. Sometimes, the consequences of a choice were so staggeringly obvious in hindsight that one couldn't help but feel regret over it. That form of regret was now filling Lou's thoughts, and it was really bugging her. If she had done enough research to realize that Saunders was taking in foreigners as students a year ago, maybe she would've sent an application last year. Perhaps she would have been accepted and gotten herself into the fold at the start of the year instead of the second semester, alongside Kay and Alisa and Naomi. And then she could have been there for that rollercoaster of a summer she had just missed. The fact that she had anyway most certainly seemed a great missed opportunity to her, especially when it was the result of the mistakes made by herself, or at least that's what she thought.
Besides, she knew her grandfather, always so supportive of her, wouldn't mind her finally spreading her wings and pursuing her dreams even as his health was failing.
… Right?
The young Tuckerman sighed. Of course she wouldn't leave her Gramps alone in the final months of his life, even if the old man insists that she go ahead. Which means she wouldn't have applied anyway.
A good few minutes passed and the match reached its conclusion. Shortly after the video ended, the door of the club room opened and Kay strode in.
"Phew, that was quite a while," she commented, shutting the door behind her. "Well, what have you been up to?"
"Well, I've looked up Ooarai and everything that happened with them; all of it," Lou smiled, putting her negative emotions aside for a while. "That's quite the story, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it really is!" the Saunders commander beamed. "I told you it was epic!"
"Yeah, it is."
"Well, unfortunately I got taken out, but hey, it was really fun!"
"Yeah, I can tell…"
"Man, that was fun though! On hindsight though, perhaps I should've fielded more of our Shermans to help, but then again it all turned out well, didn't it?"
Then, she noticed the dejected look of the younger girl staring down at the floor. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Well, it's just…" the younger girl looked up and smiled wryly. "Man, I've missed out big time, haven't I?"
"What do you mean?" Kay asked as she sat down beside the younger girl on the sofa, curious.
"I-I mean, you all saving Ooarai is great!" Lou quickly said, not wanting the blonde girl to get the wrong idea. "It's just…" she softened, lowering her gaze again, "... I just wish I was there as well," she admitted, a hint of guilt of envy in her tone. "To take part in it, to contribute something to something this big. Stuff like this doesn't happen every time after all, and when they do everyone pays attention to it. And because of what you guys did you all will go down in history as the heroes of the saga, and rightfully so too! But I just feel like… like I'm coming in only after the curtains are shut, where nobody is there to watch me, dancing in the quiet, dark stage after an unforgettable act, in the embers of a dead campfire. I'm just a nobody following behind the heroes and will never be noticed by anyone, and it just… it just sucks."
She chuckled sadly and sighed. "I sound like an attention-seeking bastard now, don't I…"
To her surprise, Kay giggled. Looking up, Lou found her hair being ruffled by the older girl, which elicited a blush from the young Tuckerman. "Nope, not at all!" the commander grinned. "I completely understand what you're saying; it's just like being the side character of a breathtaking story, only to realize at the end of it that there was an epic saga and you've completely missed out on something utterly cool. Isn't it something like that?"
Louise nodded, fully agreeing with the Saunders commander's description.
"Well guess what, that feeling's perfectly normal!" Kay beamed comforted. "Everyone's been through that before! Me, Alisa, Naomi, Rin, Yuko, Naroko, Mae, everyone has felt this way before at some point. Like you now, I kicked myself over missing out on something great before, you know!"
Her tone shifted to one akin to that of a doting older sister. "But it's not about the story you've missed; rather, the story that counts the most is your own; the one only you yourself can write. And that story only writes itself when you don't pay it any attention at all! I never thought about helping Ooarai out until we arrived at that point in time, for one! So don't worry 'bout your act on stage, Lou;" she smiled comfortingly as she patted the listening younger girl on the back, "Ooarai is but only an act of a show you were simply not a part of. Your performance, on the other hand, lies just right ahead, and contrary to what you think, the stage is brightly-lit and a full gallery is eagerly anticipating your performance. And how it'll go is whatever you make it, and guess what, I've got a good feeling that you'll definitely rock the stage!"
The young Tuckerman looked up, her mood having been lifted as a result of being comforted by Kay's words. "Y-you think so?"
"Of course!" the blonde commander replied, her hands moving to hold Louise's as she looked at the younger girl in the eye. "So make it a good one; put aside the previous performance, go ahead and just dance your heart out. Promise me you will."
Staying silent for a few moments, now motivated and encouraged, Louise gave a firm, determined nod. "I'm gonna have my fun," she grinned.
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Kay beamed, patting Lou on the back again. "That was quite a fancy description from you, wasn't it?"
"T-that was just in the heat of the moment," the young Tuckerman blushed.
"Nah, you've definitely got a flair for theatrical dialogue!" the blonde commander laughed.
Just then, the club door opened.
"Sorry I took so long," Alisa said tiredly as she walked in, covered in oil and grease all over. In the plastic bag she held in her hand were the milkshakes the other two ordered. "I decided to go to the Workshop after all, helped with quite a few stuff."
"Nah, we didn't get impatient," Kay replied as the pigtailed girl plopped down on the sofa. "Nice of you to help them out anyway! Did you get Naomi a milkshake too?"
"Of course, chocolate," the vice-commander smiled as she reached for her strawberry milkshake and passed the vanilla milkshake over to Lou.
The younger girl took her first sip. "Woah, this is great!"
"It is!" Alisa grinned. "They're not expensive either! Pretty popular amongst everyone around. What were you guys talking about, anyway?"
"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary, we were talking 'bout past stories and then we moved on to what happened with Ooarai, and then I answered some concerns Lou had," the commander replied as she took a sip from her milkshake. "Right, Lou?"
"Y-yep," Tuckerman nodded.
"Well, seems like I didn't miss much then," Alisa commented. "Man, I really could use a shower."
The rest of the day went on normally, and soon enough night fell.
With her homework done, Louise crept into her bed, ready to knock off for the night. She had a big day tomorrow, so she figured she should try not to have a repeat of last night.
Unfortunately for her, she was too excited to fall asleep, much to her annoyance.
Tossing and turning around before finally lying straight and looking up at the ceiling, the young Tuckerman recalled what Kay told her earlier that day.
She smiled to herself and shut her eyes. "(Time to rock the stage.)"