Five minutes earlier…

Bobbing up to the surface, Yukari pulls her rebreather off and is greeted by the frigid air of the sub-arctic Aomori Harbor. She reached up and took hold of the target ladder as Erwin surfaced next. The pair reach under the water and remove their flippers, before glancing up the impossibly tall ladder. The goggles over Erwin's eyes begin to fog and the drops of water quickly freeze, making the already dark ship even harder to see. She pulls them off, resting them over her brow.

"So, who goes first?" Yukari asks, to which Erwin holds up a fist after a moment. They shake, and Yukari draws 'scissors'.

Erwin draws 'rock'.

*"After you, Guderian." She says with a smirk. Yukari rolls her eyes and begins to climb.

"Minnow...this is...Starfish." Erwin strains behind her. "We've reached...the ladder...beginning...ascent." The pair continue until Yukari suddenly stops and holds up a hand when they reach the top. Before Erwin can ask, she hears the problem.

"Nenavizhu morskoy vzdukh." A girl grumbles somewhere above them. "Ot soli menya toshnota." (I hate the sea air. All this salt makes me sick.)

"Vy slishkom mnogo zhaluyetes'." Another replies. (You complain too much.) Yukari slowly lifts herself up to see two Pravda girls facing each other and leaning against the railing. Both appear to be armed with PPS 43 submachine guns, which are leaned against the rail as well. Yukari shifts herself to one side and quietly hooks herself to the top rung with their rappelling gear, waving to her companion to do the same. Erwin slowly copies her movements, and Yukari points up and holds out two fingers. Riko looks up, then points to her wrist, as if to ask, "Can we wait for them to leave?" Guderian looks at her watch and shakes her head.

"Menya?" The first guard asks. "Vy kogda-nibud' vstrechali odnu iz novykh devushek Bell Wall? Vchera odin zhalovalsya, chto yeye pal'to slishkom tyazheloye." (Me? You met one of those new transfers from Bell Wall? Yesterday, one whined to me about her coat being too heavy.)

Her friend scoffs and shakes her head. "Hmm...Mne ne nravitsya imet' na bortu etikh glupykh suk. Nikakikh trenirovok!" The first nods in agreement. "Oni sobirayutsya ubit' lyudey." (I don't like having those stupid bitches on board. They have no training! They're going to get people killed.)

"More people here spoke Russian than I thought…" Yukari muses. She looks back at Erwin, holds up three fingers, then begrudgingly draws her thumb across her throat. Her companion flashes a worried expression, but doesn't object. The two draw their knives and Yukari counts down. On one, they reach up and grab the girls by their coats, stabbing them both in the throat before throwing them overboard. Yukari quickly unhooks herself and climbs aboard, while Erwin is stuck watching the two girls hit the icy water below, before floating for a moment and sinking to the bottom of the harbor. Yukari picks up one of the sub-guns before reaching out to her partner.

"Come on, Rommel. We've still got a ways to go." Riko shakily unhooks from the ladder and takes Yukari's hand, pulling herself up and shuddering for a moment.

"Let's not do that again." She says, picking up the other gun and reaching for her radio loaned by Saunders.

"Minnow, this is Starfish. We've reached Checkpoint A. Over."

Moving along to their target hatchway, there is still no response from Saori.

"Minnow, this is Starfish. Do you copy?" Erwin hisses.

As she moves to ask again, Takebe finally responds.

"I copy, Starfish. Go ahead."

"We've reached Checkpoint A. Moving internal. Pufferfish is clear to light the candle."

"Understood. Pufferfish, you may begin when ready."

"Copy that, Minnow-san." A voice that sounds like Yuuki says.

"Hit it, Aya." Azusa orders.

"Ka-Boom." Aya replies devilishly.

Near the bow of the carrier, several explosions light the night, followed a few seconds later by the sounds of the blasts. Yukari tugs open the hatch as an alarm wails throughout the ship.

"Vnimanie! Obnaruzheny vzryva u vkhoda na bereg!" Someone calls over the ship's tannoy. "Ataka povstantsev prodolzhaetsya! Gruppy boyevoy gotovnosti trevoge!" (Attention! Explosions sighted off the bow! Rebel attack in progress! All combat teams to Alert One!)

"Sounds like they bought the 'Rebel' angle." Erwin observes as the hatch closes. The pair begin to make their way down to the Deck Ten pool house locker room. A klaxon continues to croak throughout the ship, but little seems to happen in the way of the general student body being affected.

"Worum geht es Ihrer Meinung nach?" A girl asks at the end of the corridor. (What's that all about?) Interestingly, she's speaking German instead of Russian, and Yukari spots an unusual patch on her slightly out of regulation uniform.

"Ah...Wer weiß mit dieser Leuten?" Her friend answers half heartedly. "Es ist ein Unglück nach dem anderen." (Who knows with these people? It's one calamity after another.)

"I think some of the girls here are from Bell Wall." Erwin whispers. "Pravda and St. Gloriana, Saunders, B.C. and Kuromorimine have all been pressuring them to join forces with them. Looks like Pravda's winning that little conquest."

"No one seems happy about it either." Yukari comments.

The pair shadow the Bell Wall transfers, who continue chatting, for a while before ducking down another stairwell.

"Deck Ten. Here we are." Erwin pushes on the door for the locker room, but quickly reels back when she sees several Pravda girls inside.

"Place is packed." She hisses at Yukari. "We have to get out of these suits."

"Is there a bathroom inside?" Riko hesitantly pushes on the door again, seeing a bathroom to the right of the entrance. The two make a beeline for it, quickly cramming themselves into one of the empty stalls.

"Now what?" Yukari asks once they confirm they weren't seen.

"This was your idea." Erwin retorts. Her partner looks down at her wetsuit, then at her, then shrugs and begins unzipping.

Matsumoto's shoulders drop.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Using a handful of towels to conceal their suits, weapons, and themselves, the pair of infiltrators make their way into the locker room, trying to look inconspicuous.

"Vy videli nyanyi Risoty?" One of the swimmers asks her friends, hanging up her towel.

"Tot, chto sverhu?" Another says, untying her bathing bottoms.

"Eto bylo potryasayushche!" The first exclaims.

"Ona mogla popast' v sbornuyu." A third comments whole heartedly, pulling a shirt over her head.

"Think we should make chit-chat?" Erwin whispers. "Try to blend?"

Yukari nods, finally finding their lockers. "Ask me about the explosions outside. Maybe they don't know about it."

"Chto, chert voz'mi za shum?" One of the swimmers asks no one in particular.

"Chto po-tvojemu proishodit?" Erwin asks, in a less than perfect accent. (What do you think is going on?)

"V obyavleniy govoritsya o vzryvakh." Yukari answers, drawing the swimmer's attention. (The announcement mentioned explosions.)

"Kakoy? Vzryva?" One asks.

"YA byl na palube, kogda eto sluchilos'." Guderian says as Erwin opens their lockers. "Kucha vzryv na beregu."

"Kto by mog takoye sdelat'?"

"Kazhetsya, oni dumayut, chto eto povstanie." Erwin answers, stuffing their wetsuits into her locker and readying her disguise.

"V obyavleniy govorilos': Boyevyye Komandy V Trevogu." Yukari continues, making a show of fixing her towel.

"Anya, eto pro nas?" (Does that mean us, Anya?) One girl asks another. At her nod, the three swimmers quickly change into their military uniforms and scramble out of the room, leaving Yukari and Erwin watching where they had been in slight shock.

"Works for me." Erwin comments after a moment, taking her radio out of the towel bundle. "Starfish to Minnow."

"Minnow to Starfish. Say status?" Saori asks over the radio.

"We've made it to Checkpoint B. Continuing as planned." Erwin says. "En route to Checkpoint C." The two quickly dress and leave the locker room, now headed to Deck Seventeen.*

Meanwhile…

"Tulta!"

The captured IS-2 rocks backwards as it's gun erupts, hurling a 122mm shell at a guard tower where someone had been firing an anti-tank rifle. The round strikes near the top, knocking the nest down to the ground.

Pufferfish Team had taken some hits, but everyone was still mobile. The buildings around them showed evidence of a protracted battle, with large smoking holes in many, and others completely collapsed. While Pravda seemed to be keeping reduction of property damage in mind, the Ooarai girls didn't. They were making life hell for the defenders, repeatedly moving to different firing positions. Mika's tank, Puffer One, had already gotten its first kill. A T 34/76. Luckily, it seemed that these tanks were League Certified, as a white flag had popped up after a hard hit to the turret.

Puffer Two, Azusa's '85, was the most mobile. They were currently the farthest away in between a pair of warehouse buildings. Rabbit Team's tendency for 'up close and personal' type battles was working for them so far, as their position allowed them to attack the checkpoint's scarcely defended flank.

Puffer Three, the other IS-2 commanded by Noriko, was in the center of the street firing at everything that moved. The Ducks were used to having a Type 89 with a fairly small gun, so they were finding sheer excitement in getting to use such a powerful tank.

Puffer Four, Anteater's '85, had the attacking force's left flank secured. They were parked comfortably at the base of the Aomori Bay Bridge, ensuring the escape route was open.

"Puffer One, this is Puffer Three."

"Tulta!" Mika shouted again before answering. "Go ahead."

"What exactly are our rules for engagement again?"

"Try to aim only for armored vehicles, but if anyone on foot gives you grief, you may deal with them."

"Fire! *BOOM* Roger that."

"This is Puffer Two. I can see several girls running to the checkpoint with...is that an RPG?"

"Two, I see one aiming for you! Pull back, nyaa!"

"That was close!"

"Four, can you see them from your spot?"

"I see it. RPG team, 200 meters." Ayumi calls out.

"Gun up, Piyo!"

Ayumi squeezes the trigger, sending an 85mm round in the direction of the ground team. The rain and darkness make the effect difficult to see, however Azusa was able to continue her attack undeterred, so Ayumi had likely hit her mark.

"I am loving this tank!" Yuuki says excitedly, slamming another round into the IS-2's breach. "We need to get one for Ooarai!"

"I hope not to replace ours!" Aya replied. "I wouldn't trade our Lee for anything!"

**Sidestepping around their new 'shipmates', Erwin and Yukari continue their trek through the Kiev. Thanks to large gatherings of military-esque Nonna-led Katyusha Victory Development Committee members in some hallways, they've had to change course numerous times for fear of discovery. Their uniforms were fairly regimental, complete with ushankas. The weapons seemed a little out of place, but anyone had yet to question the pair, so they pressed on in their attempt to find Deck Seventeen.

"NKVD is everywhere." Erwin says under her breath. "How are we supposed to find this place?"

"We'll find a way." Guderian says optimistically. "We always do."

Feeling as if they had circumnavigated half the globe, the infiltrators were quickly becoming lost in the endless maze of passageways.

"Are you so sure?" Erwin asks, stopping at an intersection. "Where the hell are we now?"

"Hold on...does that say 'Vehicle Engineering'?"

The two gaze at the illuminated sign on the wall for several seconds.

'Armored Vehicle Research and Engineering Division' Is written in English, Russian, and Kanji.

"This is where Ishida is from." Yukari observes, glancing up and down the hallways. Upon closer inspection, the halls in this area were becoming taller and wider, and the quiet hum of machinery was becoming louder.

"The shop is that way..." Erwin says. "...you thinking what I'm thinking?"

At her partner's nod, the two make their way to the Engineering shop and shoulder open the doors, where several pairs of eyes gaze up at their entry.

"C-c-can we help you, comrade officers?" One girl asks nervously.

Yukari glances at Erwin, then back to the small crowd of students.

"Perhaps you can." She begins. "We're here about a one 'Ishida Koshkin'."

The girl in front of them glances back at her fellow engineers.

"Lead Engineer Ishida? S-s-she di-disappeared from the shop...a-a few days ago. No one has seen or heard from her."

"Well that's exactly why were here." Erwin says, picking up on her friend's intention. "We want to find her. You ever heard of a little group called...The Frost Conglomerate?"

"You're with them?" A girl in the back challenges after a moment.

"We're helping them, yes." Yukari says, stepping further into the shop. "See...we may know a thing or two about the tank you lot built, thanks to a certain Masa Utsumi."

"You know her?" The same engineer asks. "Where is she?"

"Likely wherever Ishida is. Point is, we want to help you."

"I'd bet you want to see the tank." The first girl says. "Follow me."

The engineer leads the pair to a garage of sorts on the other side of the shop. Inside is a large freight elevator that likely goes all the way up to the top deck, several parked T 34s of different variants, a handful of T 70s and IS-2s, and the KV. Parked further away from the others is the outline of a tank under a large sheet, which the pair of engineers pull away to reveal something that Yukari and Erwin hoped to never see again.

The T 34/85 they had destroyed.

The charred and broken machine looked exactly as it did when they had last seen it. Its left track was still missing, as well as one of the sprockets. The left saddle fuel tank was blasted open and bent to the side. The turret was still aimed in the direction of it's attacker, Ooarai's Panzer. Dark streaks of long-dried up blood still coated the side of the turret, as well as the driver hatch, and the entry hole from Isuzu's shot was still clear as day, in the engine bay just behind the crew compartment.

The tank looked as if it was still reliving it's last moments. Trapped in an endless time loop.

Yukari approaches the vehicle first, going so far as to climb onto the turret once again. On top, the hatches were still open, and, other than the removal of the crew remains, the interior was untouched. Akiyama couldn't fathom how Miho had made going inside look so easy.

Then again, she had a history of heroics.

Erwin stays down below, closely looking over the entry hole in the side. Inside the steel hull, the armor plates did not appear to be metal. The cross section made by the shell impact more closely resembled torn plastic or a splintered piece of lumber. At her touch, Erwin nearly jumps when a piece of the armor plate chips off and lands in her hand.

"Silicon carbide." One of the engineers says, to which Erwin nods. "We wanted to try to make the tank lighter...We didn't...we didn't want...this...to happen."

"We saw in the architecture drawings Utsumi got to us." Matsumoto says, slipping the chip of armor into her pocket.

"At this point, I don't care what happens to us." The Pravda girl continues. "Tell the world what happened here. The tank's crew deserves it. Please...help them find peace."

The Ooarai Reki-jo looks the girl square in the eye. She clearly harbors guilt for what had happened to the freshman crew, but now a sliver of hope could be made out. Erwin nods.

"We will."**

"Nonna, pozhaluysta… bud' razumny." Klara pleads, following her angry friend to the 'Re-Education Department'. (Nonna, please...have patience.)

"YA popytalsya!" Nonna growls. "Katyusha chut' ne zastrlila menya, kogda ya rasskazal yey, chto sluchilos'." (I'm out of patience! Katyusha was furious after I told her what happened. I'm through playing games.)

They round a corner, brushing past a group of students heading topside to respond to the attack. "Yekaterina sygrala etoy rukoy, chtoby otvlechen. Derzhu pari, ona zdes'." (Ekaterina's people are trying to distract us. If I'm right, she's already here.)

Reaching the holding room corridor, Nonna gestures to the guard she had posted here, unconscious or possibly dead on the floor. She starts to enter the room, but is caught off guard by english voices that she didn't recognise.

"...it's alright, Ishida. We're here to get you out. Erwin, can you help me?"

"Erwin? Chto?" Klara whispers.

"Eto Ooaray!" Nonna shouts, rushing in.

"Nani?!"

Erwin jumps in surprise and turns around, barely dodging a bullet fired by one of the tall Pravda girls in the doorway. She tries to ready her PPS, but the weapon is ripped from her grasp and she's thrown off by a swift pistol whip to the face, sending her ushanka flying. Her attacker raises her own weapon, but is stopped by Yukari grabbing her wrist and collar and slamming her against a bulkhead. Nonna's gun falls to the floor, but she still easily overpowers the shorter Ooarai girl with a kick to the groin, then lifting her up and throwing her into the instrument table. Erwin attacks again, this time grabbing Nonna from behind and wrapping her arms around her neck. Blizzard staggers backwards and the two struggle for a moment. Erwin is eventually able to get one of Nonna's fingers into her mouth and she bites down. Hard. Nonna screams loudly and steps backwards, repeatedly body slamming Riko into the wall, eventually grabbing a tuft of her hair with her now bloody hand and smashing her head into the iron bulkhead until she lets go. Nonna steps away from her, holding her injured hand tightly, only to reel in pain and surprise when Yukari returns and hits her in the shoulder with a wooden bat. She swings again, striking Nonna in the back, but the third is stopped when the more experienced fighter turns on her heel and takes hold of the bat, ripping it out of Yukari's hands and hitting her in the stomach with its handle. The keeled over student is forced to the floor when Nonna brings the bat down on the back of her head. She raises the weapon again, growling "Upornyye vrediteli!" but is stopped by another gunshot and a bullet driving itself into her leg. Her eyes shoot to the other side of the room, where Erwin is seated on the floor, pistol in hand, firing wildly in her direction. Another round strikes Nonna's shoulder and she stumbles backwards. Now being driven solely by adrenaline, Yukari reaches up and grabs Blizzard's ankle, pulling her foot out from under her. In the fall to the floor she drops her bat, which Guderian picks up, a red mist suddenly descending after witnessing what Nonna has been doing all this time.

Raising the bat over her head, Yukari brings it down repeatedly on the helpless girl on the floor, blindly swinging the weapon in a fit of rage brought upon by pain, fear, anger and fatigue. She swings again and again, but quickly tires herself out. Panting rapidly, Yukari's vision clears and focuses for a moment, showing a clear picture of what she has just done. Nonna is a mess. Bloodied arms and hands, face beaten to a pulp, her breaths coming quick and shallow. Yukari looks down at the wooden bat in her hands. The thing is cracked and battered, and completely covered in blood, and the Ooarai girl's eyes widen with horror. Sitting back, she drops the bat, both of her bloodied hands finding their way up to the sides of her head, and she begins to sob and hyperventilate at the same time.

The room falls silent, filled with the scent of sweat, blood and gunpowder, Yukari holding her head tightly and whimpering every now and then. As Erwin drops her gun and moves to stand, the other Pravda girl from earlier enters the room, quickly moving to help Yukari. She gently puts a hand under her chin and lifts up, cradling her head, but is stopped by Guderian pointing her pistol in her face in a panic.

"Nyet!" The blonde girl insists. "No shoot! I help!" She stops and waits for a response from Akiyama.

"Miss Klara...is a friend." A very tired Utsumi says as Erwin begins to untie her. "She's...okay." Yukari drops her gun, struggling to focus her watery eyes on the girl before her. The impact to her head was making the room spin, and she was quickly becoming nauseous and dizzy. Klara stands and glances down at her badly beaten former comrade on the floor. Nonna is in bad shape, but her breathing is beginning to even out, so at least she was alive. She then helps get Ishida out of her seat, who's still broken knee screams in protest, as Utsumi finds the strength to stand on her own and Erwin moves on to her injured companion.

"Yukari! You okay?"

Yukari herself blinks hard several times, shaking her throbbing head. Once her eyes return to some form of focus, she looks up and nods.

"Yeah…" She says with a sniffle, wiping her eyes and nose, inadvertently smearing her face with blood. "Yeah I'm good." Erwin helps Guderian to her feet and they collect their weapons, reloading the ones that they have ammunition for.

"Klara…" Yukari says slowly, bracing herself against the bullet-riddled bulkhead. "If you want to help us, show us the fastest way to the aft helicopter pad." The tall Pravda girl simply nods, leading the way out of the room.

"Minnow...this is Star...Starfish…" Yukari says with an audible strain. "We have the package, and are headed for Checkpoint D."

"Understood, Starfish." Saori replied with a hint of worry in her voice. "How did the extraction go?"

"Not smooth...Blizzard tried to stop us...but...we handled her. Suggest...switching jamming to the ship...over."

"Copy that. Switching over to school-wide." Saori nods to Pekoe, who presses some buttons and flips a few switches. The voices in Miho's headset are replaced by garbled static a few moments later. "We'll have Tug Boat spin up and head your way. How many are with you?"

"We've...picked up two more. Nonna's second, Klara, and the Conglomerate contact...Utsumi. All of us are injured in some capacity."

"Minnow copies all. Pufferfish team reports that they are under heavy fire. Do you still need their distraction?"

"Negative. Tell them...tell them to break off."

"Pufferfish, this is Minnow. You are clear to disengage."

At the sound of injuries, Miho takes off her headset and eyes Saori for a long moment. She felt so helpless, with her friends down there in a heap of trouble.

"Go ahead, Miho." She's startled by her sister's voice, turning around to see a smile on her face. "I can take care of this. Go."

After a moment, Miho puts her headset down and runs to the helicopter hangar.

"Wait one, Tug Boat. You've got someone coming along." Saori says as Miho runs past.

***"Understood, Minnow-san! All tanks, deploy smoke! Head for the extraction point!"

The four captured Pravda tanks begin their smokey withdrawal, but Azusa's is suddenly stopped by a massive salvo, breaking both tracks and damaging the turret ring, locking the gun in place.

"Mika-sensei! We've been hit!" Azusa cries out. "We can't move!"

"Mikko! Halt!" The IS-2 skids for a moment on the wet pavement. Mika looks down at Yuuki in her loader spot, clearly distressed at the situation her friends are in.

"Full reverse."

The commandeered Stalin-2 begins to crawl backwards towards the stricken T 34/85. Looking through her porthole, Mika can see Saki try to climb out, but get forced back down by machine gun fire from the Pravda tanks. Mikko parks the girls between Pravda and the Ooarai freshmen, with Aki turning their turret to return fire.

"Tulta!" Mika orders. Their cannon erupts and a round slams into one of the T 34s on the opposite side of the street, silencing it's machine gun. Mika opens her hatch and waves to the Rabbits, all of which quickly scramble out of their now smoking tank.

"Saki! Go!"

"Agh! My glasses broke again!"

"You'll get new ones, Aya. Just come on!"

"Jatkosota saves the day again!"

"Just a little further and we're home fre-ACK!" The bespectacled freshman is cut off by a 7.62 round striking her in the stomach and pushing her back and into Saki's unexpecting arms.

"AYA!" Even Maruyama herself can be heard wailing. Azusa scrambles to help pull her injured friend onto the IS-2.

"All aboard!" She shouts to Mika. "Go!"

The tank belches out more smoke, roaring forward to catch up with the others. Anteater's T 34 drops back to protect the exposed girls from the incoming fire, and the three tanks make a mad dash across the bridge to their extraction.

"Shark, this is Pufferfish." Mika says calmly. "I hope you're ready for us, because we're coming in hot."

"Copy, Puffer! Breaching now!"

Even the freshmen clinging to the top of the wet tank and caring for a badly injured Aya can't help but look through the pelting rain in awe as the massive Saunders submarine surfaces at the end of the ferry dock. It's on board artillery system automatically targets the pursuing Pravda tanks and opens fire on them, some of the rounds landing a little too close for comfort. As Pufferfish Team rounds the last turn and thunders down the dock, a hatch on the sub opens and a pair of Saunders students climb out. One is holding an American M9 Bazooka that appears a tad too large for her, and her partner is clutching a bag of rockets. The two run towards the stern of the sub and take position, loading a rocket into the tube. At the same time, the three surviving tanks roll to a stop and their crews scramble out.

"They're closing in!" The Saunders rocketeer shouts as her companion finishes loading.

"You're good! Hit it!" The girl slaps her friend's shoulder and plugs her ears. A cone of fire erupts from the bazooka and a rocket sails towards the Pravda formation, striking a tank's wheel and snapping its track.

At the provocation, the machine guns start up again, pelting the parked tanks and whistling over the girls' heads. A pursuing KV-2 fires its main gun and strikes one of the stolen IS-2s, toppling the tank just as Akebi climbed out.

Next out of the sub hatch is none other than Kay, M1911 in her waistband, ducking under machine gun tracers as she runs towards the members of Rabbit, who are struggling to lift Aya off of the tank.

"Here! Let me!" The taller Saunders girl takes hold of Aya's ankles, trying her best to ignore the blood and rain mixture soaking her hands. She lifts the whimpering freshman up and lets Karina take her shoulders, and the two quickly run back to the sub.

At the same time, the rocket launcher fires again, striking the KV in the turret and shearing off its gun barrel. The loader notices the Ooarai girls running past and takes her friend's arm, and the two retreat back to the hatch.

The Saunders crew form a human chain to lower Oono down the ladder and to Sick Bay, which her crewmates follow. Kay watches as the last one, Mika, begins her descent, only to look back in shock as several girls from Pravda have jumped out of their tanks and onto the sub.

"DIVE! DIVE! NOW!" She screams down the ladder, yanking her pistol out and aiming at the closest girl. "Get off my boat!" Kay fires, striking the girl in the leg and making her stumble and fall on her face, before rolling into the water. She keeps firing into the crowd of attackers, hitting a few of them, until Mika comes back up and pulls her down.

"A ship needs it's Captain, Kay! Get down from there!"

The Saunders commander grabs the hatch and pulls it down as the submarine begins its plunge. Buckets of water pour down the ladder until Kay gives one final pull and spins the wheel, sealing it shut.*** On deck, the Pravda attackers either scramble off the sub or begin tugging and banging on the hatch, which Noriko and Taeko are holding closed for good measure. Kay shoulders her way through the crowd of girls they had rescued, many shaking off the rain and never-before-felt level of terror they had just experienced.

"Are we under way?" She calls out to a group of her crewmates.

"Yes commander. Five meters, eight knots and counting."

Kay nods, removing her dripping wet helmet and unbuttoning her soaked flak jacket, the adrenaline from the rescue beginning to wear off. "Good...good." She heads up to the Bridge and picks up her radio. "Minnow, this is Shark. Precious Cargo is aboard, and we're out of here."

"That's great news, Shark! How did the extraction go?"

"Not exactly to plan. One injury, one of the Rabbits. She was brought to Sick Bay. I'll find out her condition soon."

Takebe is silent for a moment. She is like a mother hen for Rabbit Team, so hearing that one of them was hurt must be hard to take.

"Understood." Saori finally says quietly. "Starfish is on their way to their own extraction. You're clear to head back to the Marina."

"Copy that. Egressing to the north. Send my regards to Oddball. Shark out."

"All units: This is Commander Katyusha. Our school has been savagely attacked by the Frost Conglomerate. They rampage throughout our ship, our HOME, mercilessly taking the lives of your comrades."

Finally escaping the steel maze, Yukari, Erwin, Ishida, Utsumi and Klara finally reach the top deck at the stern. Katyusha's words echo throughout the ship as the group approaches the landing pad.

"Here!" Klara confirms.

"Perfect." Yukari says, still nursing her head injury. "Tug Boat, this is Starfish. We're at the LZ. Where's our pickup?"

"Tug Boat is on the way." Erika answers. "ETA is one minute. Hold tight."

"These monsters must not leave this ship alive. Everyone! Search every inch of the school! These girls must be stopped!"

"Aww, crap." Erwin mutters. Everyone turns to see a patrol of Pravda students heading down the path they had just come from. Yukari hands Klara her PPS.

"Here. I'd wager you're a better shot than me at the moment."

"Don't attack yet." Klara whispers. "They have not seen us."

As the girls hide in a treeline and hope that the patrol leaves, the roar of helicopter blades suddenly pierces the air. Squinting against the rain, the Pravda girls watch as an FA 223 swoops overhead and hovers over a clearing just a few meters away. They stare at the helicopter for a moment in confusion, until they see several girls jump out of the nearby trees and run towards it.

"Promyshlenniki!" One of them shouts as they raise their weapons.

"Na korma zamecheny zakhvatchiki! U nik yest' vertolet!" (Intruders spotted at the stern!) One girl says into her radio, pulling it away when she hears a blast of static from the other end. The patrol runs for cover as Klara guns one of them down, with Yukari helping a hobbling Ishida and Erwin carrying Utsumi. As they run, Klara can only look on in horror as a surge of Pravda girls suddenly storm their position.

The door to the helicopter slides open, and Yukari is greeted by a familiar face.

"Miho?!"

"Yukari! Get in!" The Ooarai commander takes Ishida's hand and pulls her into one of the empty seats.

"Come on, Klara!" Guderian shouts over the engines and gunfire.

"Nishizumi!" Erika calls out. "That gun is at the door for a reason!" Miho looks to the doorframe to find a STG 44 rifle strapped to the wall. She reluctantly picks it up and loads it, taking aim at her friend's pursuers.

"I should stay." Klara replies, forcing several student's heads down with a burst of 25mm Tokarev. "The Conglomerate needs help."

"I should, too." Utsumi insists, trying to push Erwin away. "Ekaterina will need m-" She's cut off by yet another gunshot, this one striking her in the back. As Erwin picks her up again, Yukari uses the confusion to grab Klara by the shoulder and pull her into the now bullet riddled helicopter. Miho drops her rifle and slams the door closed and Erika quickly lifts off, recoiling as she's suddenly showered in bits of glass. A dismayed Klara watches as the landing pad slowly gets smaller.

"Hey! I need help!" Erwin calls out. Everyone turns to see 'Katya' Utsumi motionless on the floor of the cabin. Klara rolls the girl over, and she cries out in protest at the sudden movement. Erwin and Klara quickly get to work on stabilizing the Pravda revolutionary, leaving Miho and Yukari simply staring at each other for a long moment.

"Minnow, this is Tug Boat. Precious Cargo is secure." Erika says with a relieved tone, pulling a long piece of cockpit glass out of her arm. "Prep medical, we're not all in one piece. Over."

"Copy that, Tug Boat."

****Miho could barely recognize the girl she had last seen only a few hours ago. One eye is black and blue, the brown of her iris nearly drowned out by a spider web of red. Blood trickles out of her nose, sticks to her hair, and there's more of it on her hands. Her Pravda uniform is tattered and torn, with several rips in the skirt, buttons and bits of the sleeves missing, and one of the stockings down around her ankle. Her eyes seem to struggle to focus, but suddenly widen once they do. Yukari quickly reaches out to hug Miho, who graciously returns the gesture.

Other than a quiet jubilation from Erwin when they succeeded in saving Utsumi, the ride is silent. The engine was noticeably laboring, thanks to the several holes in it, but they were still airborne. Miho and Yukari simply held each other quietly for the entire ride, with Yukari occasionally mumbling, "We made it...we...we made it."****

Meanwhile…

Katyusha, doing her best to keep her anger under control, watches the vaguely familiar aircraft fly past and up into the clouds. Countless lives had been taken, several tanks destroyed, her ship, no...her home broken into, and all she could do was watch as the perpetrators escaped.

"What is it now, Nina?" She growls as her young friend enters the room.

"The rebels have caused serious damage, Lady Katyusha. They took Ishida and Utsumi."

"Where is Nonna?"

"She was cornered and attacked. She was badly beaten, but she's alive."

"And Klara?"

"She...went with the rebels."

Rage reaching a boiling point, Katyusha stares at Nina's reflection in the window. "Never before have I been so disappointed."

Nina looks down. "I'm deeply sorry, Lady Katyusha."

"Don't be sorry. Be better." Katyusha turns around. "In fact, the only reason I'm telling you this, is because you seem to be the only one left I can trust. I want you to lead an all-out assault on the Kuromorimine carrier. That helicopter was theirs."

The first year looks up again. "Madam? I believe that would be unwise."

"Them coming here in the first place was unwise." Katyusha counters. "They shall pay for every life lost here tonight...ten fold!"

"The Federation would not-"

"I. Don't. CARE about the Federation!" The smaller girl shouts, throwing a tea cup against the wall. It shatters, and the dozens of pieces scatter everywhere.

"All that will come of attacking anyone is more suffering." Nina insists. "We tried, Lady Katyusha. We tried to conceal the truth. But with Ishida, Utsumi, and Klara gone...I believe there's nothing we can do."

Katyusha lets out an anguished scream, slamming her fists down on her desk. Sitting down in her seat, defeated, she begins to quietly sob. Nina chances an approach, but is stopped when she reaches Katyusha's desk.

"Don't...even think about it." She sniffles. "Get...just...get out...bring Nonna to me while you're at it."

Reluctantly, Nina bows her head and leaves the room. A deflated Katyusha had nothing else to do but wait for the Federation to come breaking down her door.

"Maybe they'll let me stay in charge."

A/N Phew. That was heavy.

So the mission went...mostly...without a hitch. All that's left now is to head home and hope that Pravda believes that the rebels did this. Katyusha is not the type of person you want to anger.

There are a few music scores I listened to while writing and proofreading this, for inspiration and a bit of emersion. If anyone's interested, there are some stars scattered around for when scores should stop and start.

(*)- GTA 5 Bureau Raid (Fire Crew) when Michael is planting the bombs

(**) GTA 5 Cleaning out the Bureau

(***) Call of Duty 2 Big Red One 'We've Got Company'

(****) Call of Duty 2 Big Red One 'We're Headed Home'

But to each their own.

Also when Yukari and Erwin are in the locker room, the swimmers are talking about how one of their teammates could be a professional swimmer, like in the Olympics. I'll be honest, after I wrote this whole thing, translations were and afterthought. The conversation itself is inconsequential, but the important stuff is translated, or can be understood with context.