The world was peaceful. At least that was how it appeared to Maho.
She couldn't hear the screams of her comrades. She couldn't hear the bangs and explosions as shells hit and bounced off their armor. She couldn't feel the tank rattle. All she could feel was how she was sinking. Sinking, deeper and deeper into the abyss.
She tried to fight it. She tried to get herself back to the surface. She tried desperately to regain control of herself. But no matter how hard she tried, she only sank further. Dark tendrils grasped at her from the abyss and embraced her as she was pulled down deeper. It was a calm and comforting embrace. Soothing and gentle as she sank and finally found herself at the bottom. She was too weak to resist, and could do nothing but watch as the tendrils bound her.
Her body was no longer hers. It was nothing more than a puppet, being moved according to the darkness' wishes. Her mind was foggy and empty, her thoughts thick like syrup, and as the dark tendrils' embrace soothed her further, she closed her eyes, giving in fully to the darkness.
A/N: Hi, Rhino here. Just popping in to say that while the rest of this chapter is mainly shown from Maho's perspective, it's not her own conscious actions. Hopefully that's obvious, but just so you know. Maho might be doing it, but she's not the one to consciously decide to do it.
"MAKO!" she yelled across to the black-haired driver. "Turn 15 degrees to the right! That Matilda's about to fire!"
"I'm on it," the girl replied, and the tank jerked to the side, just in time to deflect the incoming shell.
"HANA! Return fire! Their left track is wide open!"
"Huh? But…"
"DO IT!" Maho practically screamed both up into the turret and over the internal radio, and after a second Hana did as instructed. The shot didn't hit quite right, and bounced off the front armor instead.
"DAMMIT!" Maho slammed a fist into the wall by her seat. "I thought I told you to take out their tracks!"
"Maho, what are you…" Saori yelled down to her, interrupting herself with a scream as another round hit the Panzer IV's armor.
"I'm saving our sorry asses!" Maho yelled back up. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're being slaughtered out there! The command tank is out of action, so you can either lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way" Maho didn't wait for a reply. "Team B and C, fall back through the ravine! I'll hold the rear and cover your escape!"
"Copy that Ankou! We're moving out," came the reply from Erwin. The Type 89 soon joined in. "Thanks Ankou, good luck! We're getting out of here!"
"Mako, back up 5 feet and turn me 60 degrees left. We're about to get one hell of a beating from the Churchill! Get ready to reverse on my command!" The tank moved as she wished it, and while it did, Maho turned back towards the turret. "Yukari!"
"Yes Commander?" she replied instantly.
"Get the gun reloaded! I need to be able to return fire five minutes ago!"
"Already done, Commander!"
"Well, at least someone knows what they're doing…" Maho muttered to herself, and waited.
"Maho, what are you doing? You're the radio operator, not the commander?!" Saori called down from her seat. "Mako, get us back in position, and stop listening to her. We've got enough chaos to deal with…"
"If you move this tank so much as a centimeter, I'll throw you out of the turret myself!" She counted the seconds in her head, and called out to Mako. "NOW!" A near ear-deafening bang could be heard as the Churchill's 75mm cannon fired, and the Panzer IV reversing put the front armor at just the right angle to get the shell to bounce. The impact still pushed them back a good meter. "Alright, I've done enough! Mako, get me out of here!"
"As you wish," she replied, and quickly got the Panzer IV rolling at top speed down the ravine in pursuit of their allies. St. Gloriana's tanks were right on their heels as they retreated, firing shell after shell in an attempt to halt them.
As they rocketed down the ravine, Maho opened the hatch above her head, and began to climb out.
"Maho!" Saori yelled over the radio. "Please get back in the tank! You'll get hurt, or hit by something or you'll fall off and probably die!"
"Right now I don't give a damn!" Maho answered over her throat mic. "Just get your ass down in the radio operator's seat!"
"What?!"
"You heard me! Now go!" By this point Maho was up and out of the hatch, slowly walking on top of the Panzer IV to ensure she didn't lose her balance while it barreled over the uneven terrain. Once she reached the turret, she yanked the commander's hatch open. Saori was still in her seat.
"ARE YOU DEAF?! Get out of that seat!"
"But it's a really tight squeeze to get down there…" Saori complained, but Maho just smacked her over the head.
"Unless you want to try and save this absolute mess of a match, you're getting out of my seat NOW!" Saori finally gave in, and began to make her way down into the bowels of the tank. As soon as the seat was empty, Maho heaved herself over the side of the turret and down into the Commander's seat.
"Hana!"
"Y-yes?"
"Take out the lead Matilda. Aim right at the turret ring, that ought to get them off our tail."
"Right…"
"Preferably some time today!" Maho glared at her unwilling gunner, and the turret soon began to turn. Maho didn't even have to look to know the shot had missed. She slammed a fist on top of the turret and swore to herself, before ducking back into the tank and calling down to Saori over the radio.
"Saori! Get Teams B and C on the line, and tell them I'm on my way."
"Oh, o-of course." The ginger fumbled with the radio, but soon got the other teams on the line.
"Hello? Noriko? Erwin? … Hi, it's me, and we're… No, Maho's fine. She's actually… you know what, I'll tell you later… Where are you right now? … Uhuh…" She turned back around and called up to the turret. "They're at the highway into town, Maho."
"Tell them to await my arrival, and then we'll get St. Gloriana to follow us into town. Hopefully we'll do better in the streets than we're doing out here!"
"Right! Guys, wait where you are right now, and we'll be there soon… Yup, we're gonna get them to follow us into the town… Yes, I know we already tried an ambush... Well, this time it's gonna work… No, it's not gonna be like when you tried to get back together with your ex... Because he was a slob and an idiot!"
Maho reached up to her throat and pressed at her mic. "If you're just gonna use the radio to gossip, I'll deal with it myself."
"Oh... eh, right. Look, talk to you later. We'll be there soon."
As the rocky ground of the ravine gave way to the tarmac of the highway, the StuG III and Type 89 came into view. As soon as she saw them, however, Maho had to yell down to Saori. Both tanks stood completely still, and as far as Maho could tell, their engines weren't even running. "Get a hold of those morons and tell them to get going! I'm not exactly rushing for the hell of it!"
"G-got it!" Saori replied, and began fiddling with the radio. A few seconds too many later, the rumble and exhausts of the engines appeared, and the tanks began to roll in the same direction as the Panzer IV. They continued along the highway, towards Ooarai proper.
As they joined up, Maho was pretty sure the commanders of the two other tanks tried to greet her or simply have some idle chit-chat, but she just glared at them and any attempts quickly quieted down.
"All remaining tanks, go into the town and split up. Use knowledge of the town to your advantage. Trick and trap the enemy as much as possible. Team A, out"
As they reached an intersection at the edge of town, the three tanks parted, each going its own way into the city. The Panzer IV was once again alone, and what had been a desperate game of tag was now turning into one of cat and mouse.
"They've disappeared…" the commander said, speaking over St. Gloriana's radio wave. "Spread out and find them."
"Copy that, Commander!" Nilgiri replied, and took off down the road to the west, with Hibiscus following closely behind. As they got further from the main force, Nilgiri signaled to slow their movement. She didn't want any surprises to pop out, and as the new commander of one of the Crusaders had proven, surprises did more damage when you moved too quick to see them coming.
"It's quiet…" she said over the radio, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings as they crawled forwards.
"Too quiet," Hibiscus replied, and nodded when Nilgiri met her eye. "We should be able to hear their engines. They can't have gotten that far."
"Yeah…" Nilgiri took another look around her, but still saw not the faintest hint of the enemy. "It's not like they could just hide."
"Perhaps not, but still. Keep an eye out." Hibiscus looked past Nilgiri, and nodded to the junction they were coming up to. "Guess we'll have to split up some more. You go left, I'll go right."
"Affirmative, Miss Hibiscus!" Nilgiri gave a quick salute, before ducking back into the turret of her tank. As she reached the end of the road her Matilda turned left as ordered, and Hibiscus made her way to the right. She had barely gotten 10 meters down the road before she heard an explosion behind her. Turning around, she saw Nilgiri's Matilda with its white flag popped out, and a trail of smoke emanating from behind two buildings.
"Well, looks like we found them," she sighed. "Get us turned around."
"Yes, Ma'am!" her driver replied, and they quickly turned to face the now-defeated tank. Popping out from between two other buildings a few dozen meters away came the StuG III in it's ghastly color scheme, and Hibiscus ordered the chase.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hibiscus!" Nilgiri bowed and apologized as they passed. "I should have been more careful."
"Don't worry about it. We found the buggers, and that's what's important." Hibiscus replied. As they began to drive off, she turned back and called out to her teammate, chuckling a little as she did so. "Look at it this way; At least you've kept your streak going!"
"That's not funny!" Nilgiri yelled back, but Hibiscus had already turned around a corner in pursuit of the assault gun, so she just sat back down in the commander's seat and sulked.
"It was a little bit funny," Nightingale, her gunner, said and looked up to her. "I mean, I don't think we've ever been in a match where we don't get taken out firs…"
"Just shut up."
"One Matilda down, and we're getting away scot-free!" Riko laughed over the radio, reporting on their daring raid to the commander. "U-94 scores a kill in the dark! It's just like the Battle of the Atlantic!
"Yeah!" Caesar said, equally enthusiastic. "Or like the battle of Kalkriese!"
Saemonza was about to chime in, but their beloved StuG rattled from the shell that had almost hit them, and so she kept quiet.
"Looks like we've got company," Riko noted with a smug grin, glancing over her shoulder to the Matilda that had taken up the pursuit. "Oryou, take us into the alleyways, and we'll slink away without a scratch!"
"Yes, Commander!" Oryou answered gleefully, and they disappeared without a trace in the many alleyways of Ooarai. Outsiders like their opponents could never navigate them with any speed. But they, who had been born and raised in the city, knew the twists and turns well. And so they would strike like ghosts in the dark. Riko smiled to herself, amused by her getting to take up the mantle of her idol and namesake.
"I told you the lower profile of the StuG would come in handy," she said to Caesar as they drove, hidden from view behind a wall. "There's no way they know where we are."
"Uh… yeah… about that…" Caesar replied, looking up at the banners they had attached to their tank. "I think we might have not thought this through…"
Riko didn't have time to answer, as an explosion sounded on the other side of the wall, and the StuG jerked to the side, before stopping. They had been hit. A white flag popped out, and they were defeated. Soon after, one of St. Gloriana's Matilda's drove past where the alleyway met the road again, and stopped. A girl with deep red hair popped out of the commander's hatch, and cupped her hands around her mouth as she called over to them.
"You know, the paint job might not have been the best idea, but putting the flags on was an even worse one!" she taunted. "No point in having a low profile if you're gonna put up a big sign saying where you are!"
"Yeah, yeah! Just get outta here, ya redcoat! Or I'll come over there and show you why you don't mess with the Afrikakorps!" Riko yelled back and waved a fist in the girl's direction. The red-head laughed, and soon drove on, leaving them stranded where they were.
Rukuriri scanned every alley and street as she moved through her sector of the town. Matcha, her squadmate and senior, was performing her own search a few blocks away, which gave a sense of security to Rukuriri. Even if she was to be ambushed or taken out, Matcha would soon arrive on the scene and deal with her attackers. But Rukuriri had no intention of being defeated today. She was the only first year-commander that the Commander had chosen to bring for this exhibition match, and so she needed to prove herself. If she could make a name for herself during this match, she would get a headstart over the other first-years, and would be that much closer to a seat in the Tea Garden. And the quicker she got a seat in the Tea Garden, the closer she was to being promoted to Vice-Commander. Or maybe even Team commander? 'Lady Rukuriri' did have a certain ring to it.
All she had to do was take out a tank or two, and not get taken out herself. What could go wrong? Sure, it was the first time she had actually fought in a real match, but she had performed admirably at every training session the team had held ever since she joined in April, and how different could it really be?
Her prayers were answered when she turned a corner and saw a set of flashing lights on a nearby garage door that slowly opened. Amateurs, did you really think you could hide so easily? She thought and scoffed, before quietly directing her driver to place them right in front of the door.
"Are you sure about this Commander?" her gunner asked nervously. "We're really hemmed in here. What if they sneak up on us?"
"Fear not, the only place they can come at us from is right ahead. Just like a fox striking when the hens leave the henhouse, I'll take them out right as they think themselves safe. Just be ready to fire as soon as they're in view." She threw her braid over her shoulder to keep it out of the way, and readied herself.
"Yes, Commander…"
Rukuriri's attention was squarely focused on the garage door before her as it slowly opened. The wait seemed to last an eternity. Seconds seemed to take minutes, and minutes hours. She felt her muscles tense up, and determination coursed through her veins. This was the beginning of her legend. The first kill of Rukuriri, the Scarlet Pimpernel of Yokohama, the one her grandchildren would ask her to tell stories about. But as the door opened, and sunlight slowly crept in through the opening, she could finally see that the garage was empty. She had been duped. She heard the sound of a cannon being loaded behind her, and she turned around in a panic, trying desperately to get her gunner to rotate the turret.
Behind them, rising from an underground garage, was the Type 89, and its cannon was aimed right at her engine with only inches for the shell to travel. The turret of her Matilda hadn't even turned 90 degrees before the Type 89 fired, and a white flag popped out beside her, taunting her as it blew in the wind.
"What..." she asked flatly, not entirely accepting what had happened. "What just happened?"
"You just got taken out by the best volleyball team in Ooarai!" a short dark-haired girl replied with excitement from the hatch of the Type 89, clearly celebrating. Several whoops of excitement from within the tank joined her.
"But… but… No I didn't! That's not fair! You cheated!"
"Oh yes you did. We never cheat!" The dark-haired girl answered.
"Did not!" Rukuriri yelled back.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Are you two done?" Rukuriri turned to the road beside them, as did the crew of the Type 89 who all popped their heads out of their respective hatches. In their arguing, they hadn't even noticed Matcha's Matilda II rolling up beside them. She looked at them all like they were idiots.
"M-m-miss Matcha…"
"Rukuriri…" Matcha shook her head in disappointment.
"I-I-I-I was… I mean, this isn't what it looks like… I... uhm..." She fumbled in a panic for what she actually wanted to say, but in the end all she could do was point accusingly at the Type 89. "They cheated!"
"You Liar! Just because you fell for our trap doesn't mean we cheated!" The dark-haired girl looked like she was ready to climb out of the turret and start a fight, but Rukuriri was equally furious.
"Yes, you did!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Oh for crying out loud, just shut up the both of you!" Matcha yelled at them, and her turret turned to aim at the Type 89. Even though the crew seemed too occupied with the argument to care. The Matilda fired, the Type 89 rattled a bit, and its white flag popped out.
"I'll be sure to note your contributions to the team to the Commander, Rukuriri," Matcha said coldly and began to roll away down the street. Behind her she could hear the argument flare up again, causing her to sigh. "I knew we shouldn't have brought a first-year to this match…"
"Your orders, Commander Matcha?" her driver asked over the internal radio, and Matcha returned her focus to the match.
"Get us to that intersection and we'll see what's in store." Matcha picked up the transceiver from its place beside her, and called in. "Commander, this is Matcha. Rukuriri has been eliminated, and the Type 89 has been dealt with. Our sector is clear, and we are currently at grid G-6. What are your orders?" Matcha took a sip of her tea as she listened to the new orders. "Copy that Commander. We're on our way." She hung the transceiver back in its place, and relayed the orders to her crew. "Take a left. Hibiscus has already dealt with the StuG, so we're meeting up with the Commander to deal with the Panzer IV. Rendezvous is at L-2."
"Affirmative," her driver replied, and they were on the move.
"Okay, just stay safe. We'll deal with the rest. You did good."
Saori put the transceiver for the radio down, before nervously turning to call up to Maho in the turret.
"Teams B and C have been taken out. They did get two of the Matildas, but we're the only ones left."
"Damn amateurs…" Maho growled, and clenched her fist. "Three tanks left then… Two Matildas and a Churchill." She mumbled pondering the possibilities. "Well, I've dealt with worse. Even if I had more to work with than this old rust-bucket…"
"I guess we're done then…" Yukari commented with a look of resignation.
"The hell are you talking about?!"
"I mean, we're the only ones left, and St. Gloriana has three tanks heading our way. What else can we do?"
"I'm going to keep going! I've only lost a single match in my life, and I don't intend for this to be the second!" Maho stood up and looked out from the turret, and in the distance she could see the exhausts of St. Gloriana's tanks creeping closer. "Mako! Start the engine back up, but don't move. Hana, aim right at the sign of that apothecary and wait for my signal. Yukari, be ready on the reload. I'm gonna show those tea-slurpers who they're dealing with."
The field was silent save for the rumble of their own engine, but not to Maho. She sat back down in her seat, and closed her eyes. She had been trained in tanks for as long as she could remember, and in the distance she heard the near inaudible sound of the Matildas' Leyland engines and the Churchill's Bedford one. The Matildas were leading the column. Or rather, one lead and one followed, with the Churchill between them.
Most would call her ability to perceive tanks she couldn't see 'witchcraft'. Some even called it impossible. But it didn't matter what others called it, she saw what she saw. She knew exactly where their adversaries were, and she knew where they were going. She didn't move, and she barely breathed, keeping her focus squarely on the enemy. She only waited. Waited for the perfect moment to strike. A few more seconds, and it would be here.
"Fire." She spoke coldly as she gave the command, and Hana obeyed. The cannon of her Panzer IV fired, and the shell flew across the open street towards what seemed like nothing. But Nishizumis never missed. Just as the shell was about to impact with the sign she had told Hana to aim at, the lead Matilda rolled out into their line of fire. The shell hit, and the Matilda was no longer operational.
"Alright, that ought to slow them down a bit. Full speed ahead!" Maho ordered, and they began to move. "Turret at three o'clock, fire on my command!"
"Yes Commander!" Hana and Yukari both answered in unison, already partway through completing their tasks.
"Now just a little bit more…" Maho mumbled as they got closer to where the Matilda had poked out, and just as they came to the next closest street, she ordered them to stop. The Panzer IV jerked forward violently, before settling. "Fire!" Maho yelled, and the cannon sounded. The remaining Matilda II that had tried to make its way down the street and up onto the avenue was taken out. "Now turn around and get us the hell out of here!"
They slowly began to turn, and in the corner of her eye, Maho could see the Churchill pushing the downed Matilda out of it's way. It fired a shell towards them that barely missed, and the game of tag was back as they began to rocket down Main street, the Churchill following close behind.
The chase continued down Main Street, with the Panzer IV doing it's best to stay ahead of the Churchill while weaving back and forth to avoid St. Gloriana's fire. There was no way for them to fire back. They needed to get close if they were going to penetrate the British armor. Looking ahead, Maho saw their opportunity.
"Mako! Turn me onto and down that alley 700 meters away!"
"You sure?"
"I gave the order didn't I?! Just do as I say!"
She let go of the throat mic, and turned down to Hana and Yukari. "Is the gun loaded?"
"Yes, Commander!" Yukari answered with a confident smile.
"Turn the turret around. I want it pointing straight back, running parallel with the tank."
"But, we're not in a position to do any damage…"
"Just turn the turret and watch me! Lowest possible elevation!"
"Got it." The two girls jerked slightly to the side as the turret began to rotate, and back again when it stopped. Looking out from her hatch Maho could see the Churchill getting closer and closer, slowly making up what little ground they had gained. She reached a hand up to her throat, and spoke with calm fury.
"Mako. As soon as I give you the order, I want you to put the tank into reverse and get me back up the alley as quickly as the engine will allow. Am I clear?"
"Alright, you want me to go down the alley, and then back up again. If that's what you want, sure. I can't speak for how the drivewheels will deal with it though."
"Just do it. After this they won't matter anyways."
After about a minute, Maho's view shifted wildly as the Panzer IV turned and slid across the pavement, fitting perfectly down the narrow alley. As soon as she couldn't see the Churchill anymore, Maho counted the seconds, and clasped her throat mic.
"NOW!" The tank hunched forwards as it stopped, and the tracks spun for a moment as they tried to gain perches and pull the armored beast back up the same way it came. "Come on, come on…" she mumbled as they began to accelerate back up the alley, and just as they flew out and onto Main Street again, the Churchill came passing by. The plan had worked perfectly.
The Panzer IV was now perpendicular to its British adversary, and its turret was aimed right at the Churchill, with only a few meters for the shell to travel. The commander of the British tank was no fool however. The Churchill's cannon was also turned and aimed down the alleyway, right at the Panzer IV. There was the flash of cannonfire accompanied by a deafening roar, and dense smoke engulfed both tanks as they fired.
Next time on Dein Weg ist Mein weg: The smoke clears and the dust settles, St. Gloriana's Commander shows her face, Maho returns to herself, and has a heart-to-heart with an unexpected someone...
Author's Notes:
Well, that went well I think. Not the battle itself of course, it's a goddamned shitshow and Maho ain't doing too hot, but the writing worked out a lot better than I expected. As you've seen, I've decided to give a little heads up/preview/hint of what's coming next, which i think will be a neat touch.
Special thanks to CrabbyCakes for helping me look over the chapter.
ArashiKazama, The evidence certainly points to her being dead, doesn't it?
LofiFozzy, I should have replied last week, but yes, it is indeed a little nod to Hawkeye.
As always any reviews or thoughts are appreciated.
See ya next week
/Rihno