Three days later…
"Good morning, Ooarai! I'm Ou Taiga, of Ooarai Academy Public Broadcasting. Breaking news in the case of Ooarai versus Pravda today! New developments have been released by the Japan Sensha-Do Federation, revealing a conspiracy created by the far north school. Joining me this morning is Federation Director Kodama Shichiro. Mr. Kodama, welcome."
"Why, thank you, Miss Ou."
"Director, tell us. What has the Federation's investigation found?"
"Well, the Japan Sensha-Do Federation has found that the flag tank fielded by Pravda High School two weeks ago, the one that started this whole unfortunate mess, was in fact built by Pravda using an armor material not sanctioned by the Federation. This new armor was intended to be more light weight and make the tanks faster, while maintaining their durability."
"That obviously didn't work out."
"No, sadly not. Instead, the shots fired by Ooarai Academy's tanks penetrated the armor, causing an engine explosion which is what...killed those two girls from Pravda."
While Shichiro speaks, a replay of the tank's explosion is played from an overhead view. Even from so far above, the fiery blast lights the sky, painting everything in a bright yellow light. Even the three Ooarai tanks in the chase are visible.
"What about that accusation of SABOT shrapnel?"
Shichiro shakes his head. "No such report was made by anyone within the Federation. We're not quite sure where that conclusion came from, but it was not us."
Taiga nods along. "For those who don't know." She chimes in. "SABOT rounds for tanks consist of an armor piercing alloy rod, typically made of tungsten, stabilized by fins that discard their casing mid flight. The rod continues to the target, driving itself through the armor. By the time it reaches the interior of the target vehicle, the rod has turned into little more than tiny pieces of superheated shrapnel, which do quite a number on anyone inside."
"They also carry no explosive charge." Kodama adds. "The round that penetrated the tank was indeed a standard, Federation approved HESH...or High Explosive Squash Head...round, which was fired by Ooarai Academy's Panzer. In a normal situation, these rounds would have simply disabled the tank and the crew would have been unharmed."
"Is the Federation raising any concerns about the positioning of the Ooarai tanks? As in, the three of them surrounding the lone T 34 and all firing simultaneously?"
"No. Not at all. This is something that is frequently seen, and frequently used as a tactic...usually by smaller tanks...to overwhelm a larger target. Despite this situation being different, there is no rule against multiple tanks firing at one lone vehicle. It's usually left up to the discretion of the attackers. In fact, this tactic is used by Saunders University quite regularly, and is referred to by them as 'The Firepower Doctrine'. However, what I will say, is that since the referee equipment malfunctioned and failed to deploy the white flag, it is a good thing that the Ooarai tanks did not continue firing. Their restraint is also a contribution to the survival of the crew."
"On that note, I do recall Instructor Ami Chono commending the girls of Ooarai for their first aid and rescue efforts. It seems the name 'Nishizumi' knows no boundaries when it comes to media fame. Do you have anything to add to Miss Chono's comments?"
"No, I would say she spoke quite well. Commander Nishizumi's sense of sportsmanship has clearly rubbed off on her teammates, and in this situation, that sportsmanship saved lives."
"Now in regards to Pravda, what is the Federation's plan for disciplinary action?"
"Well, I wouldn't say 'disciplinary'. This has become a 'legal' matter on many levels. It's entirely possible for Pravda High School to lose it's Sensha-Do team altogether, and be dismissed from the league. League rules were broken which resulted in the deaths of two athletes and students. There will be serious repercussions against Pravda, that I will say."
"Has that ever happened before? Has a school ever lost it's Sensha-Do team in a situation like this?"
"Not for as long as I've been director, nor for as long as I've even been alive I believe. Schools sometimes voluntarily end their participation with the league, which was the case for Ooarai many years ago. I certainly hope that this doesn't happen, but it all depends on the final deliberation. However, as for the rest of the High School League, the temporary hold on practice matches is still in effect until further notice."
"Okay, Mr. Kodama, one final question before we take a short break...There are rumors of a leadership struggle within Pravda High School. Over the weekend, a revolutionary group within the school claimed responsibility for a coordinated attack against the school itself while the ship was docked in Aomori, with both sides using tanks against one another, and a number of students disappearing from the campus. Do you have any comments on that?"
"Internal politics within a given school are not my area of expertise. That would have to be taken up with the MEXT School Administration Board, as well as representatives from the school in question. However, I have heard the rumors as well, and I hope for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict."
"Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen." Taiga says with a smile. "We'll have more from Mr. Kodama, as well as an interview with Sensha-Do Instructor Ami Chono, and comments from Head Administrator Tsuji Renta, all coming up after a short break."
Student Council President Anzu Kadotani presses the mute button on her TV remote, turning around to face the friends scattered around her office.
"Huh? Huh? Aw, come on! It's nothing short of perfection!" She says excitedly. "Name a better outcome to this whole debacle. Go ahead."
"Compelling television." Yuzu says simply. Caesar and Azusa nod in agreement.
"There are several discrepancies I could find." Momo counters. "The helicopter. What did you name it, Nishizumi? Tug Boat? It's an FA 223. The only school to have one is Kuromorimine."
"So the Conglomerate stole it, or bought it, or borrowed it or built one of their own." Anzu replies, flopping down into a chair. "Have a little faith, Momo-chan."
Kawashima narrows her eyes at the use of her despised nickname. "Then where did they get the submarine?"
"There was quite a bit of chaos and confusion." Azusa answers, the only one in the room to have actually witnessed the event. "Some of the Pravda tanks actually shot at each other during our escape. Kay said that a group of girls jumped onto the sub as it dived, but she couldn't see how many. She shot a few of them, too. It's possible that very few even saw the thing...and lived to tell about it."
"And if they did, Ekaterina and her girls will come up with something." Kadotani adds. "We have them to thank for the plan even existing."
Only partially paying attention, Miho found herself staring at the white board behind Momo, which still had the battle plan for Operation: Sneaky Punch written on it. It appears that Saori may have been relaying information to Anzu, or she had been listening in, as an objective list has a small checkmark next to each point, and status updates are written out along each team's projected route. Miho's eyes trace the route Starfish had taken, from the deployment from the sub, all the way to their extraction on the top deck. There are countless points where things could have gone horribly wrong. Erwin had said that they were nearly seen more than once out of their disguises, and that they had killed two guards during their infiltration. What if they had been seen? What would Nonna have to say, if she was even still alive? Erwin had gone into more detail of what had happened to Blizzard than Yukari did, and Miho had no idea that her companion was even capable of such a thing. Violence wasn't ever in Yukari's nature. She thought back to the shy, timid, but enthusiastic girl she had met last year. When they first met, Yukari had been hiding behind a tree, apparently not wanting to be seen by her idol. Miho smiled when she remembered how adorable Yukari's face was when she finally turned around, how scared, yet excited she was.
"And how do we know that this deal is going to stay as smooth as it is now?" Momo asks, pulling Miho back to reality.
"Because it was their idea." Anzu chirps, pulling open a bag of her beloved dried potato snacks. "They have no reason to double back on it. And since the Federation has already finished their investigation of us, and thanks to a vast distance...and lack of witnesses, nobody would believe their accusation."
"Like we were never there." Azusa says, almost devilishly. She glances at Miho in the seat next to her. "Is something troubling you, Miho-senpai?"
Nishizumi shakes the thought of a certain tank crewmember out of her head. "I'm just...still wrapping my head around the fact that all of this actually worked."
"It was quite a flawed and foolhardy plan." Momo says, ever the pessimist.
"But it was the best we had." Yuzu chimes back sweetly. "And I don't think it could've gone much better."
"Hear hear." Agrees Caesar, turning to Sawa. "How is Aya holding up?"
"Quite well, actually. Saunders was a big help. It'll take more than a bullet to stop those stupid jokes of hers. How's Erwin?"
"Oh, you know her. Nothing keeps our 'Desert Fox' down for long."
"Yukari is doing well, too." Miho adds. "She's on fire to go down to the garage."
"That's what I almost forgot!" Anzu says excitedly through a mouthful of sweet potato. "The Federation finished their walkthrough of our tank garage last night. While we can't practice with them quite yet, the garage is open once again. The Automotive Club was out most of the night making repairs, but they'd like the teams to come down and see their work so far, as well as touch up the interiors."
Everyone visibly perks up at the news. Miho eyes the board again, then looks around at the other girls.
"Maybe things would be okay after all."
Ooarai Academy Tank Garage
Ten minutes later…
To say that the girls of the Ooarai Academy Sensha-Do Team were excited to see their tanks again would be quite the understatement. For each team, their respective tanks were more than just a pile of iron on tracks. The tank was a friend, part of the team. Yukari's earlier statement about tanks having a personality all their own seemed more true with each match and practice session. The vehicles had their own form of communication, with each separate rattle, squeak or thump having its own meaning. A low rumble, almost like a purr, the tank was happy. A loud one, it was getting tired or angry and needed some love and attention.
When the commanders in the meeting had arrived, their respective teams were already at the garage. Cleaning, replacing tracks, restocking ammunition, gun swabbing, performing fluid changes, and any other menial tasks, so long as their respective tank was involved.
Yukari for one was over the moon, being able to sit in her loader's seat once again. While helping Hana and Saori clean the interior, she found herself looking around with a nostalgic feeling. It felt like she was seeing an old friend, or had returned to an old childhood hang out spot many years later.
Saori was gathering loose rubbish from around the compartment, while Hana scrubbed the stubborn spots on the floor with a bristle brush. Akiyama picked up her own cleaning rag after a moment, and continued wiping down the walls around her loading station with a broad smile on her face. She glances towards the bow of the tank, where Mako is laying on top, poking her head through her hatch and talking to Leopon's Suzuki about a gear change issue. Suzuki herself is elbow deep in the Panzer's gearbox, looking for the problem gearwheel.
"I notice it the most in the transition from second to third." Mako says, having to speak as loud as she can over the sound of an air wrench somewhere outside. Peeking out through her hatch, Yukari can see Rabbit's M3 Lee on a lift with the tracks removed. Ayumi is trying to remove one of the wheels with the air wrench as their track took damage in the match, but so much torque is required that the gun nearly pulls her off her feet. Karina and Yuuki put their full weight on her shoulders and she tries again, eventually working the stubborn nut off with an obnoxiously long burst. She tugs on the wheel as her teammates cheer excitedly, finally pulling it off and landing hard on her backside.
Also outside were a few girls from the Blue Collar Club. Furiko, from the Operating Engineers group, was working with Satoko on the Porsche Tiger's engine. Somewhere in front of Yukari's hatch, Coda, called Rosie by her peers, from the Metal Fabrication shop was measuring out where the new armor plates would go on the turret, shouting out numbers to her partner Hashi, often called Wendy. Soon after, the two head off to the adjacent welding shop, where sparks are already flying from ongoing work. Elsewhere, Dahlia, from the Carpentry shop and part of the club's leadership, helps Ayumi to her feet and opts to stay with the Rabbits for the duration of their repair efforts.
Yukari ducks back down into the Panzer where Suzuki is halfway through disassembling the gearbox. Her gloves and coveralls are covered in fluid, getting a little more on herself with each removed piece. Meanwhile, Saori climbs out with a bag filled with trash and heads off to empty it, while Hana sits up from her scrubbing and wipes her brow.
"It's great to be back in a tank, isn't it Akiyama?" Hana asks. Yukari smiles at her.
"It is. Earlier in the week, I could hardly think about tanks. Now, it's almost therapeutic."
As the sound of an air compressor outside dies down, the music from a radio that Duck had set up echoed through the garage once again. It's crew had finished cleaning and were now playing volleyball with the Anteaters. Hoshino was working with Mallard to touch up the paint on their Char, and Erwin and Oryou were helping Saemonza decide on a new interior decoration. Remi Takashima had commented on her quiver of arrows and they had apparently taken her seriously. Saemonza was deciding between a large cloth that was similar to her headband, an emblem of the Sanada clan, while Oryou suggested one with an embroidering of Kaishu Katsu. Caesar stands nearby, tightly holding her robe. Satoko had likely told her about Remi's comments, and she remains on lookout for the Official.
"Hmm…" Suzuki mumbles, looking over one of the gear wheels. She meshes the teeth together with another and spins them, looking for any friction. "Is Tsuchiya out there anywhere?" She asks Mako. Reizei looks up and around for her fellow driver and flags her down. Tsuchiya herself arrives a few moments later, climbing into the driver's seat at Suzuki's side.
"Take a look at these. Mako says the gears stick when she shifts up from second." The Leopon driver looks over the gear wheels intensely. "I think I feel it there." Tsuchiya replicates what Suzuki had done, nodding after a moment.
"Maybe it was their blank shot trick?" She suggests.
"I first noticed it after that." Mako confirms. The girls nod to each other and Tsuchiya climbs back out, headed to the machine shop. Looking back to her work, Yukari nearly falls out of her seat when Miho suddenly appears in her open hatch.
"So how goes it?" She asks her crew.
"It's great to be back, Miho." Hana answers first.
"I'll be better once I recover from my heart attack!" Yukari shouts, throwing her rag at Miho. The commander catches it out of the air, resting her arms on the hatchway.
"How're you holding up, Yukari?"
"In all honesty...I feel good." The loader says. "Like, 'That's right, world. I'm back. Is that all you got?'."
"Hopefully, it is." Hana says behind her, wiping up the cleaning solution she was using. "I don't want to see anything like that ever again."
"I wonder how long it will be before we can all look back and laugh?" Mako asks, earning a sideways look from everyone in the tank. "What? I never thought I'd say it, but I'm tired of sitting around."
"Once the Federation investigation officially ends, Sensha-Do will return to normal." Miho explains.
"What do you think will happen to Pravda?" Suzuki asks, adding herself to the conversation.
"I don't know, but Ou Taiga just interviewed Director Shichiro this morning. He said there would be 'serious repercussions'. Pravda might lose it's Sensha-Do team." Miho concludes quietly.
"Hey girls!" Duck Team's Taeko suddenly shouts, turning up the radio. "Listen!"
"...fter a Federation interview with Pravda High School students Ishida Koshkin and Utsumi Masa, who had seemingly disappeared from their positions in the Pravda Armored Vehicle Engineering Division, revealed that this plot was orchestrated by the leadership of the school, going all the way to the top. Federation Officials, with assistance from local Aomori Police, will be bringing in Pravda High School's council president, referred to only as 'Snowdrift Katyusha', as well as other members of her leadership for questioning and possible arrest. Evidence gathered by the Sensha-Do Federation, with assistance from a Pravda revolutionary group calling themselves "The Frost Conglomerate', has revealed that the T 34/85 flag tank fielded by Pravda was in fact constructed at the school, out of non-sanctioned materials, which ultimately led to its destruction and the deaths of two of its crewmembers. An earlier allegation concerning Ooarai Academy using illegal rounds in the match has officially been proven false, and the Federation is making efforts to find how that information was leaked, and by whom."
"So...that's it? It's over?" Yuuki asks no one in particular.
"Don't sound so disappointed." Dahlia says from behind her.
"The Federation's raid on the Pravda school ship 'Kiev' will take place later today, and they hope that this will bring an end to the investigation. ICNR, Ibaraki Central Radio, will stay on top of these developments, and bring you updates as they become available. Until then...back to the music."
"It's over!" Aya says excitedly. "We did it!" Her words start a small uproar in the garage, one that even Kawashima couldn't silence simply by shouting. The PR Manager, after some consoling from Yuzu, opted to wait until the celebration had died down, but she understood why everyone was so happy. The Rabbits hold each other in a big huddle and jump around excitedly, Hippo performs one of their 'Victory Cheers', the Ducks and Anteaters high-five each other, Hana reaches over and hugs Yukari from behind, taking the latter by surprise and unwittingly sandwiching her between herself and Miho, and if one looked closely, they could see a smile forming on Momo's lips.
Later that day…
Pravda High School ship 'Kiev'
To Hibiki Inatomi and Remi Takashima's silent disappointment, Captain Ami Chono had decided to accompany them to Pravda. Things had begun to calm down between the Soviet and the Conglomerate on board. The four Federation Officials were being guided by the Conglomerate leaders themselves to Katyusha's office, high up on the carrier's Island, in order to take her into custody.
"Well, here it is." Permafrost Ekaterina says. "Didn't think I'd be here so soon." She takes the lead in front of Ami, and after a moment of exchanging glances amongst her comrades, pounds loudly on the office door.
"Katyusha!" Polar Polina shouts from her side. "Snowdrift! Your day of reckoning has come!" Permafrost tries again, but no reaction of any kind can be heard from the other side. After a moment, the taller Iceberg Olga shoulders her way to the front, beckoning her comrades aside. She steps back a pace, before heaving forward and slamming the door down with her booted foot.
Inside the office is a mess. Papers are scattered everywhere, pieces of broken dishes are littered around. The aftermath of some rushed medical care can be seen on Katyusha's large desk, with left behind tools, discarded bandaging and clothing, and a decent amount of blood on the desk itself. Other than that, the room is empty.
Katyusha was gone.
"No!" Polina screams in despair, running into the room and desperately searching every corner, every nook and cranny. "Where did they go?! How did they get out?!"
"Well, that fucks up our dinner plans." Windmill Natalia grumbles as everyone spreads out through the office.
"Although, it does make things easier for us." Her friend Arctic Lisa points out.
"They took everything." Hibiki observes. "Now, we have nothing."
"I wouldn't say 'nothing'." Ekaterina says, studying the rather large globe near one of the windows. A bloodied surgical knife was embedded into it, the side of the blade barely touching the name 'Abashiri', on the island of Hokkaido. Above it on the window was writing in a black ink, all in Katyusha's handwriting.
'Reni, Ruiko, Fumi, Shinobu, Shieru'
'Catch me if you can'
A/N Dun Dun DUUUUUUN! All is well, Ooarai is saved, but Katyusha has escaped!
I'm considering a sequel to this...well I kinda have to after this ending.
I think I'm satisfied with this, but let me know what you all thought. All criticism is welcome, but all I ask is that you be honest.
That concludes my first anime fanfic. Thank you all for reading, and keep an eye out for a sequel, as well as the continuation of my other stories. Until then, see you all next time!