Saturday, August 24th 2013

Madison was two-for-two for the amount of times she has slept so wonderfully so far this year. The first time was the night after she met Valarie's parents. Most importantly for her was her meeting her biological father. That day went better than Madison could ever hoped for, and when they accepted her into the family, she felt a tidal wave of relief and happiness. On that particular night, where she shared a bed with her sister, she had a blissful night of slumber. The second time was last night. With Viola now committing to transfer to Catalina, the knowledge that such a person with an impressive familial background would soon become a student, it pleased not only Madison but for the school's administration as well. They had become that more prestigious.

It was a little past seven in the morning and Madison was awake. Nothing but positive vibes filled her body. She reached for her phone by her bed and began browsing. Not only was she catching up on messages from friends, but to also seek inspiration. She wanted to do something special for the Mojave Rose tankery team, those Dust Devils, as they have played a pivotal role in getting Viola to come to this school. Even if most of the team did not interact with or even know about Viola, their mere existence on this ship tipped the odds in Madison's favor. In fact, she was convinced that had the ship was not hosting the Mojave Rose tankery team, then Viola might not have chosen to transfer to Catalina. As such the team was, unknowingly or not, instrumental for the success of yesterday's events. She decided a reward was in store for them. Madison pondered her options.

A party? That was the first thing to come to mind but was she was very hesitant. A party seemed too generic of an award, even if she spent thousands of dollars to make the whole affair luxurious.

New equipment for their tanks? That was an idea that made her excited for a moment, when she then remembered that Valarie had shared with her that the team has recently purchased some new material for their machines. What more, Madison wanted their reward to be a surprise and since she knew next to nothing about tank equipment, this idea was discarded.

A new tank? Madison did know full well that a new tank for the team will certainly be received positively by Valarie and the rest of the team. But, again, she hesitated. The team was bound to receive another tank sooner or later, so to Madison, hastening an inevitability wasn't much of an reward.

Give each member of the team a thousand dollars to spend how they wish? Now that there was an idea. Madison heavily leaned toward idea when there was a knock her dorm's door. She rose form her bed to answer it to find it was Alice. the two girls didn't exchange words at first. They immediately clasped hands, hugged, and let out celebratory laughter.

"We god damn pulled it off!" Alice exclaimed

"Damn right we did. Viola is going to be a student of here and not at Golden Gate. Suck it, Juliana! That's another defeat for you!"

"Oh, was she there? Did she do anything?"

"Yep. And she tried but was too freaking late to do a damn thing. Viola had already made up her mind the time she arrived."

"Oh my god. What was the look on her face?"

"Priceless."

"Oh man I wish I was there to see it myself. But, I had to oversee catering."

"Ah, if only I took a picture," Madison said with a pleasant sigh. "You know, Valarie played a significant role here."

"Hmm? How so?"

"It was a stroke of luck. Some random girls walked up to her during our tour and asked her these questions about tankery. Even Juliana asked one. All of that made Viola very curious about her. Those questions might have sealed the deal."

They shared another laugh.

"So, what happens now?" Alice questioned.

"Administration will be handling Viola's transfer. Good thing the semester is relatively new so she won't have much to catch up on. Oh, and I'm also to give the tankery team a reward."

"A reward?"

"Yeah! Even if most of the team did not physically interact with Viola, them just being here did the trick."

"I see. What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking something simple. A thousand dollars for each member of the team. There's sixty-one people on the team, so that'd be sixty-one thousand dollars total to dish out. Not too much. Hmm...maybe I'll give Valarie, Cassidy and Louise more 'cause they had a more direct role..."

Alice placed both of her hands on Madison's cheeks. "Do you hear yourself sometimes?"

"Huh?"

"You're genuinely considering giving the team sixty-one thousand dollars?"

"...Yes?" Madison said slowly. "Like I said, it's not a whole lot of money. My mom makes way more in interest thanks to her investments."

"Madi..." Alice said with a hint of disappointment. "What did I tell you about acting like the stereotypical rich girl?"

"To...not do it?"

"Yes. And what are you doing now?"

Madison let out a huge sigh. "I'm acting like a stereotypical rich girl who is throwing money around without even thinking. Ugh. My mind just gravitates to money as an answer to things...though money is very much the answer to a lot of things. I still want to give the team some sort reward."

"How about instead of giving the team all that cash, which is essentially bribing them to love you, you get them something that'll help them out in the tournament."

"I want something special though, not something expected like supplies or even a new tank. You know what I mean?"

Alice put on a thoughtful expression for several moments. "Hmm, so maybe instead of something," she wondered, then snapped her fingers. "You get them someone."

Madison looked perplexed. "Someone?"

"Hear me out. Find and invite someone who was part of the last American team who one the internationals. They'll share experiences, advice, and who knows what else. It'd be really cool!"

"Hold on now, the last time the US won the internationals was way back in 1975."

"So? Assuming that we can find someone who was 17 back then they'd be, ah, 55 now. Plus, chances are that a good chunk of the old American team are still involved in tankery in some manner. A wealth of experience to be passed down to the current generation of athletes. You and I both know that such people are keeping tabs on the tournament. I'm sure at least one person from the old team would love to visit. What do you say?"

"I love it," Madison said without delay. "That would be the best thing for them. We'll start looking for a member today. After breakfast."

"Same. I'm starved. You know, fried chicken isn't really a breakfast food but-"

Her words were interrupted when the sound of a distant thud of a cannon was heard. Both girls looked out toward the open window. Another shot rang out, this with more power behind it.

"They don't start practice this early." Alice noted.

"Today's an exception," Madison explained. "They have places to be this weekend."

"Gotcha. What kind of places?"

"Well, later today they're going to a tank museum. Tomorrow, they're heading off to an army base."

Alice stared at her.

"...What?"


Smoke and vaporized gunpowder dominated the air in Inspiration Park. The once cool morning was warmed by the firing of the team's guns. It was early in the morning but not one member of the team felt tired at the slightest. As nothing woke anyone better than the explosion of a cannon shot. For one tank specifically, their actions were more enthusiastic than usual. The moment a round left the barrel, another was already in the breech. The Sherman Jumbo crew were happy. Very happy. Their new 76mm gun has arrived the previous day and has been mounted on their tank.

"Sand mound, 200 meters," Haley ordered, her eyes pressed against the vision port. "Let's hear that sound one more time!"

Another 76mm round was sent down range, scoring a hit on the sand mound that was devastated beyond belief.

"Target destroyed, nicely done!"

The new gun, of course, made the turret of the Jumbo have noticeably less space but uncomfortable. The 76mm shells were also heavier, though Harper was already well on her way to getting used to the increased weight. She will not allow the tank's reload rate to slow down. Oh no. She'll be the best loader she can be.

As the Jumbo crew broke in their new gun, not too far from their position was the ACIV. Robin and her crew were eager to try their new ADPS rounds. Ahead of their tank was a small field where a wooden target laid 500 meters away. Autumn, the ACIV's loader, grabbed a sabot round from the rack and took a moment to gaze at the round.

"God, this thing looks mean," Autumn remarked with a smile. "Dibs on the discarded sabot thing."

"Hey!" interjected Alexa, the gunner. "I'm the one shooting, I want the sabot!"

Robin addressed them both. "Girls, we're gonna fire so much APDS today that we'll be swimming in discarded sabot. Now, let's pop off our first round of the day."

The 17-pounder was trained on the wooden target and the range was made out. The crew eagerly awaited the words that would christen the Sentinel's new use of armor-piecing discarding sabot.

"Fire."

The words left her lips and in the very next moment, the gun was fired. The round escaped from the barrel and its sabot covering was shed off, leaving only the tungsten dart soaring toward the target. It traveled at three times the speed of sound where it reached the target in a fraction of a second. The round punctured through the wood and landed a great distance away in the woods behind the field with a thud. Autumn scrambled out of the tank and went straight for the sabot, now lying on the ground. She picked up a piece but let out a yelp and immediately dropped it. It was hot from being fired.

"Maybe you should wait for a few minutes?" Robin said, who joined her outside.

"Yeah...maybe," Autumn said as she waved her hands in the air. "I need ice. Like right now."

As minor burns are treated, the team conducted their early morning practice with some quickness as they had some traveling to do for the weekend. Over at the T-44, Valarie was paying a great deal of attention to her tablet, watching the blue dots that represented the team go about their routines. The smashed tablets from their first match with Italy has already been long repaired, and now, every tablet as been equipped with a protective case. They won't be smashed anytime soon. She then looked at the time. It was about to be ten o'clock. They've been practicing for approximately three hours. A short practice by any definition, but they have a schedule to abide by. Over the radio, the team were told to return to the garage. After, they went to the apartment complex and got ready. They will be away for the remainder of the day and tomorrow so they packed accordingly. Their destination today was already known and they were eager. But no one could say they were more excited than Valarie. The German Tank Museum in Munster. Not Münster. Two very different places. It's Germany's largest collection of armored fighting vehicles, boasting 150 vehicles from 1917 onward. As the team packed, a charter bus pulled up in front of the apartment complex. Once ready, they piled into the bus and they were on their way. An interesting aspect concerning school ships was how vehicles on the ship disembarked. There was a large and wide ramp that was deployed from one of the lower levels of the ship. It would connect to a road on the dock below. The bus that carried the team moved about the town where it went down a tunnel that took them below the carrier. Not even yet physically on German soil and the team were already fascinated on their trip by the sub-levels of Catalina's carrier. In a short amount of time, they were down the ramp and now on the dock. From there, the bus got on the A7 motorway that would take them to Munster. The place was only about 80 kilometers away so at most they'd take an hour to arrive. The temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit which was rather hot for Germany, but no issue at all for the California-born team. During their drive, they passed by all sorts German cities and towns, with some members of the team trying their best to pronounce them. Of course, Natalie was the only one who could say a town's name perfectly, acting all smug. In addition to the signs of civilization, was all the sections of untamed forests they passed, and in some cases drove through. As noon approached, the bus drove off the motorway and into the town of Munster. On their approach to the museum the team was already greeted with a tank. Situated outside was a prototype of a Leopard 1. Valarie's eyes were immediately trained on this tank and the moment the bus came to a stop in front of the tank museum, rushed out and went straight toward the Leopard. Her crew followed in tow while the rest of the team were more interested in seeing the interior of the museum. Valarie stood in front of the machine with gleaming eyes. The Leopard was equipped with a 105mm Royal Ordnance L7A3 cannon, it painted in the ever familiar panzer grey, with on the turret the emblem Bundeswehr, Germany's Federal Defense Force. What was unique about this tank was that stairs were next to it, which meant that people could actually climb into the machine. Not delaying another moment, Valarie scrambled to the top of the turret, opened the commander's cupola, and got inside. She found herself in the familiar setting of the commander's position. Though the Leopard 1 was no longer in service and decades old, especially with this particular tank being one of the prototypes, compared to the interior of her T-44, it was luxurious. Though, what was not impressive was the armor. German tank philosophy at the time concluded that no matter what armor configuration they cooked up, rounds like HEAT will still penetrate, and if not, an anti-tank round would be developed that does. Thusly, the armor was only strong enough to withstand rounds from 20mm autocannon. What was to be the Leopard's protection was its mobility, capable of going 65 kilometers an hour. Valarie touched at every component that she could reach from the commander's seat. All the while, she had the biggest smile on her face. She popped her head out of the hatch and looked toward her crew, who were checking out the exterior of the Leopard.

"This is beyond cool," Valarie remarked. "And this is just one tank. They got so many more inside."

"God, imagine if we had a tank like this on the team? We'd be unstoppable." Ashley said with confidence.

"Heh, if only. I'm actually glad that the rules of tankery only allows up to WW2-era vehicles. If more modern tanks were allowed everyone would just be shooting HEAT or APFSDS. Armor would be pointless, so the art of angling would be made obsolete. A team composed of King Tigers, Panthers, Ferdinands, Jagdtigers, and, hell, even an E-100 would not stand a chance against a team that had just three Leopard 1s. All that heavy armor, rendered useless. Buuuut," Valarie said, her tone shifting. "Being in a main battle tank like a Leopard 2 or T-80 and utterly destroying an enemy team would be, without a doubt, the funnest thing anyone could ever do. They wouldn't stand a damn chance."

Ashley eagerly nodded. "I'd love to load a HEAT shell!"

"I'd love to shoot a modern smoothbore gun!" Emma added.

"Feathering the throttle of an engine with over one thousand horsepower will feel good." Heather remarked.

The four girls dreamed of operating a more modern tank and all the fun they could have and damage they could unleash. Though, the thought that there was more tanks to see just meters away snapped them out of their daydreaming. Valarie climbed out of the Leopard and together they entered the German Panzer Museum. Not even ten steps inside and already were they presented with armored vehicles. Despite being part of a sports team that involves itself heavily with tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, it did not diminish the feeling of awe when the girls and the rest of the team explored the museum. With over 150 vehicles in its collection, there was a whole lot to see. Valarie walked around like she was in a candy shop. Each tank she saw increased her excitement by the minute. A Panzer III Ausf. L painted in the iconic dunkelgelb paint scheme. A Panzer I Ausf. A that was on a turn table. Valarie used a nearby control that made the little tank rotate in place, giving them all a good look at it. She found it all amusing. Moving along, the T-44 crew came across a Hummel self-propelled gun. They stood before the vehicle, which had a camouflage net covering its open top.

"More artillery on the team would be nice." Heather commented.

"Wow," Ashley remarked. "That's shocking come from you. You were the one who went insane in our very first match with those Bishops."

"Insane, huh?"

Ashley turned a dark shade of red and started to stutter. "A-ah, p-poor choice of words. Sorry."

Heather gave her a look and resumed looking at the Hummel. "Though I absolutely loath the feeling of an artillery shot coming down on us, it's different when the artillery is on your side. I had my reservations with the SU-14 crew at, fearing that one of these days one of their shots would get too close to us. That hasn't happened and I doubt it will now considering they're experienced. Still...if they ever even come close to hitting our tank they're fucked."

They all shared smiles.

"Valarie," Emma then said. "Could vehicles like the Hummel ever be approved for tankery matches?"

"With some modifications, sure," Valarie answered. "Though, machines like the Hummel would need more work than, say, a Hellcat. You'd have to mount a metal plate over the open space. That would reduce the effectiveness of the crew now as things like the Hummel were designed to be open-topped. Just how severe the reduction is varies from machine to machine. You'd then also either have a section of the metal plate act as the hatch, or weld on a cupola from another tank."

"Oh. That seems like a lotta work to make open-topped vehicles work in tankery."

"It is, but you know what? Teams still do it to have vehicles like the Hummel. I know of this one team in Utah that has three Hummels as part of their roster. They have metal plates covering their top and have the copula of Panzer III welded on. They got a rate of fire of one round a minute and it's not a historical modification, obviously, but the ATA, and other tankery governing bodies I'm sure, can make exceptions. They are teams all over with machines like Nashorns, Grilles, and I think one team has a Sturer Emil among their ranks."

"Do you think any team has that in their ranks?" Ashley said, pointing toward a machine not too far from the Hummel. Based on the chassis of a Tiger 1, it was a vehicle whose purpose was to bring down buildings and annihilate concrete fortifications as if they were made of paper mache. In front of this machine was the round it shot. Valarie knelt down next to it and saw that the ammunition was more than half her height had the round be standing up straight. It wasn't a tank for it lacked a turret, nor was it a self-propelled gun. It was a self-propelled mortar. The Sturmtiger. It sported a 380mm rocket-propelled mortar with a circle of holes that outlined the barrel so that all the gases from the immense round would be vented out of the machine.

"I'd be surprised if there wasn't a team out there that didn't have a Sturmtiger. They are people who love firepower over everything else so something like this would be right up their alley. It has a short range, though, so just keep your distance to take it out with ease."

The girls gawked at the Sturmtiger, where even just being on display still emanated an aura of obscene power. Though they didn't dwell on the machine for long. Valarie, with a sense of wonder in her eyes, marched on, with the rest of her friends following right behind.


The museum was not just dedicated to armor fighting vehicles, but also has collections concerning the other elements of war, or the Elemente des Krieges as the museum puts it. Part of these elements are four areas or paths that focus on an element of war. Iron, textile, gold, and wood. Ray and his crew, after enjoying some of the tanks, went down the iron path. This portion of the museum was dedicated to small arms, not only weapons from the world wars, but guns spanning back to the 17th century. They found the walls lined with glass cabinets, stored within were enough guns to equip the weirdest army ever considering the guns came from different ages and nations. Muskets with bayonets and ram rods were on display, looking like they were ready for service. The boys moved along and saw more modern weaponry. Well, relativity modern. Mauser C96s, Gewher 98s MG 08s. They also had a number of Lee-Enfields, the ever-famous 1911, and of course, the Model 1987 Trench Gun. Grenades from the WW1-era was also within the display along with flamethrowers. Then, they was the weapons of the second world war. Though Ray was more versed in ancient history rather than the history of World War II, the weapons the museum had were so incredibly iconic that even he could recognize them from appearance alone. A Thompson submachine gun, a MP-40, a PPsH with a drum magazine, an MG-42, among many others.

"What are the odds any of these guns still work?" Cesar questioned.

Ryan gave him a shrug. "Who knows. Doubt those muskets still work. Maybe the more modern stuff does."

Ray stepped closed to the glass to look upon a StG-44. Placed directly next to the gun was a AK-47. An intentional placement to compare the two assault rifles, as the StG would later inspire the legendary Soviet gun.

"I wouldn't mind shooting an '47," Ray then said. "A fitting weapon, considering the tank we operate. Now, let's go into the textile area. There is a special exhibit there I want to see."

The boys left for gun hall for the textile area. Here, it was a place where all sorts of uniforms were encased in glass displays. One of these cases showcased uniforms of German infantry over different eras. One showed the uniform of German infantry during the 19th century. The next was the clothing of a German soldier of the Empire during the First World War. And the third was the uniform of a Wehrmact. They paused briefly to study them and get their eyefuls. Thereafter, Ray led them to the exhibit he has been curious to see ever since he did some research on the museum prior to the team's visit. In its own glass display box was an assortment of items. In the center was a tank uniform jacket with red patches on the colors and shoulders. Above the jacket was an officer's cap. The clothing looked aged and worn. Also in this display were some images. One of which a drawing of the man who once wore the uniform, and another a photograph. A third image showcased an eagle resting upon a swastika. Yet the item in there that drew the most attention was a special kind of mask. A death mask.

The special exhibit Ray wanted to see was about Erwin Rommel.

"Oh, that's the guy." Ryan then said.

"Hmm?" Ray hummed.

"That uh, that general. He had this nickname that I just for the life of my can't remember. Something...something...fox."

"The Desert Fox?"

"That's it! What a guy, huh?"

"He sure was some guy."

"So, are you gonna go on some huge lecture on his life and combat career, ray?" Jeremey said in a near tease.

"Well," Ray began. "While I do know a lot more about people like Ceaser and Pompey, I did read a little of Rommel to see what kind of person he was. To put it simply...he was complicated."

"Considering the country he served, it's not really surprising."

"No it is not. Still, he's very interesting."

Cesar checked his phone for the time. "It's about to be noon. I want some lunch. There a cafeteria in this place or something?"

"Oh yes there is!" Ray said with glee.

He led his friends to the cafeteria, as he, of course, already knew about well in advance. Ryan lingered for a bit to look at the display for a few more moments. His eyes latched upon a sign that had some English words. Reading them, he got disappointed.

"Aw man," he let out. "The uniform's a fake."


Paige and her crew enjoyed a certain level of uniqueness in the team on the account of them operating a unique tank; A Panther II. It possessed equipment that none of the other tanks of the team could ever mount themselves being night vision, albeit poor night vision. They dreamed of the situation where they can use their 'vampire vision', as they like to call it, to its greatest potential. Them hidden in an ideal ambush position, the sun long set and the darkness of the night providing its shadowy cloak. Shooting the enemy when they can't see you with their deadly 88mm. What was also unique about their tank was how it was manufactured very recently compared to the rest of the vehicles on the team. Unlike say the Sherman Jumbo or IS-3, the Panther II wasn't constructed in a factory during World War II. The Panther II the way the team has it, with the 88mm and Schmalturm turret, was never constructed by Germany. It was, instead, built by Patton Heavy Duty Engineering so that the tank could be used as a prize for the tankery convention earlier in the year. The tank wasn't even a year old. As new as a machine can be for a tankery team. Now, was such a tank stretching history and is a bit iffy for it to be in matches.

Yes.

But were Paige, her crew, and the rest of the Mojave Rose team ever going to stop using the tank?

Nope.

In their minds, as long as it was certified for use by the ATA and the organization overseeing the international competition, it was perfectly okay to keep operating it.

Paige and her crew's experience in the Panther II has garnered an interest among them for unique machines. So, it is no wonder that when they wandered into the museum hall that housed Cold War-era vehicles, they were in their own slice of heaven. There was Leopard 1 for them to enjoy, with this one having sections of its armor sliced off so that its internal compartments can be examined closely. A Raketenjagdpanzer, a tank destroyer that instead of a main cannon, used anti-tank guided missiles to destroy its targets. A Kanonenjagdpanzer, a tank destroyer with a 90mm gun that was from the M47 Patton. It very much resembled a Jagdpanzer IV. Then, there was something truly special. A MBT-70.

A prototype tank that resulted from an American and West German project to jointly develop a new main battle tank that both countries could use in their respective militaries. The tank featured a whole host of new technologies at the time that included; a hydropneumatic suspension that allowed the tank to raise or lower its suspension, an autoloading XM150 152mm gun/launcher that not only fires conventional HEAT and APFSDS rounds but can also fire a guided Shillelagh missile. In addition to that, there was also a remote controlled 20mm autocannon for use against light targets and aircraft. The driver, instead of the usual position in the hull, was now in the turret in their own special space that no matter where the turret rotated, they would always be facing forward.

The MBT-70 project was beset by all sorts of problems with the get-go as the design teams from both countries could never really come to a consensus on engineering practices. What ended the project was its increasing complexity of adding, of at the time, untested technologies and ballooning budget, leading it its cancellation. For the United States, the material and lessons learned from the MBT-70 project would eventually led to the design and adoption of the M1 Abrams.

Though the MBT-70 was a failure, Paige and her crew had a fascination with the tank. Mainly, it was due to the fact that the machine, among other things, had a laser rangefinder.

"God, if only laser rangefinders were allowed," Paige remarked. "Combined with our other tech, we'd be deadly like never before."

"This tank is ugly as hell," Esther, the Panther II's driver suddenly said after looking at the MBT-70 for a solid minute. "The real reason why this project failed was because the engineers saw the prototype and threw up."

"Sure, that can be a reason," Paige said with a laugh. "Though, the combination gun/missle launcher pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh yeah, that part is cool."

Eli, the gunner and sole male member of the Panther II found the MBT-70 cool enough though he let his eyes wander around the hall to see if he could find anything else interesting. In no time, he did find something to gaze out. Or rather, someone. Standing nonchalantly behind Melody, the loader, Eli checked her out. Melody had sun-kissed auburn hair, with one side of it tucked behind her ear, and the other hanging above her right eye. From the moment he first saw her when the crew first joined the team, he was smitten. Though, he also remembered what Ray had told him ages ago.

"Tankery is traditionally a girl's sport and some people are deadset on keeping it that way. You won't face any opposition on this team, thank God, but it's inevitable that you'll face some sort of harsh treatment by those who are obsessed with tradition. That's why I'm asking you to be careful. Very careful. I wish this wasn't the case and that you and I can be worry-free but that's the reality of the situation."

If Eli wanted a relationship with Melody, he will have to tread carefully and let her make the first move. She had given Eli signals...or at least he thinks they are signals. It could also be her being friendly. He's the gunner and she's the loader. In teams all over the world, the gunner and loader tend to be friendly toward each other as they go hand-in-hand. In a vast majority of cases, these friendships only remain friends. Eli hoped he can progress past this stage, but Ray's advice still rang in his head. The best thing to do was wait and let Melody make the advances. If she ever makes them at all.

Eli sighed quietly to himself. What a situation he was in. Yes, he will have to tread carefully but this waiting game won't be allowed to carry on much longer. He'll brainstorm some plan of action and execute it when the time is right.

"C'mon guys, let's head outside. I think they are more exhibits there." Paige then said.

The Panther II crew continued their exploration of the museum. Though, Eli's mind was very much elsewhere.


Some hours have gone by and the team were still eagerly enjoying what the panzer museum had to offer. Still, exhaustion was beginning to take root among them. For Valarie, though, she looked like she had just got here. She was hellbent on seeing every single tank this museum had in its collection and was very insistent that her crew be with her the entire time so that she could share all the facts she had memorized about them. Emma, Heather, and Ashley could just barely manage to keep up with her and they were getting tired. It didn't help that at times Valarie ran from tank to tank to get to them as soon as possible. They were at a display of a 128mm anti-tank gun, with Valarie thoroughly examining the mechanisms that made it work. Nearby, her crew were learning against a wall to rest.

"I'm all about exercise," Ashley said with a breath. "But I hate cardio."

"I have never ran this much before in my life." Heather added.

"Alright, clearly Valarie has incredibly more passion for all of this than we do. This place was on her bucket list for years, and now that she's here, she is going to savor every single moment." Emma told them.

"I getcha. Still, can we not run everywhere?" Ashley asked.

Before she could receive an answer, Valarie returned to her friends with a satisfied grin on her face. She checked the time and let out a gasp.

"Oh wow, it's five already? The museum is gonna close soon."

"Sooo, are we gonna leave for our hotel?" Ashley inquired. "We got that army base to visit tomorrow and I got a feeling we're gonna need all our energy."

"We've got one more tank to see and it's a special one," Valarie told them. "Once we see it, we're done for today."

Valarie then ran off toward the tank in question.

"Oh, Christ." Ashley complained.

The rest of the T-44 crew ran to catch up to her. Thankfully, they didn't have to run for long as they found Valarie standing before a tank. It was boxy in appearance, the tank within a display to make it look like it was crossing a field of barbed wire. The T-44 crew could clearly see Valarie was entranced by the machine, her hands up to her mouth. In white markings was the tank's name, Wotan.

It was a reconstructed replica of Germany's A7V. It was not just some shell for exterior viewing, its fighting compartment was built exactly how genuine A7Vs were back in the war. The accuracy of the reconstruction was down to the last bolt. This was Valarie's favorite tank above all. She just loved how it looked.

"Sturmpanzerwagen," Valarie said, her German pronunciation spot on. "This will probably be the best chance I'll ever get to seeing one...even if it is just a replica. Though, if I ever get near to Australia, I'd go through hell to see Mephisto."

Valarie approached the A7V getting closer, almost letting out a squeal. She moved to an area that allowed her to see inside the tank and it was here that she fangirled hard. Her friends found it all hilarious. She then looked toward her friends.

"I'm going in. Keep a lookout."

"What?" Emma said with surprise. "You're not supposed to do that."

"When will I ever got a chance like this again, Emma?" Valarie responded. "I need to do this. To satisfy an old dream of mine."

After a moment of anxious thought, Emma gave her a hesitant nod. Valarie, pleased, crawled under a rope and proceeded to explore the fighting compartment of the A7V. All the while, her crew maintained lookouts. Whenever an museum employee would appear, they'd get nervous and act all innocent till they walked by. Valarie was out of view, but they could hear her make noises. Not just from moving about the A7V, but also her uncontrollably letting out gasps of awe as she touched damn near everything she could.

"She's...she's having a good time isn't she?" Ashley remarked.

"A great time," Heather added. "She's fulfilling a dream."

"God, I love the sounds of her being happy." Emma commented.

Valarie spent several long minutes getting familiar with the A7V. Once she was thoroughly satisfied, she got out of the tank and rejoined her crew.

"That was...pure bliss." Valarie told them.

"That good huh?" Emma asked.

Valarie gave her a slow nod. "Alright...now we're done here. Send a message in the group chat that we're meeting back to the bus."

The T-44 crew made their way back to the entrance of the museum. During their walk back, Ashley couldn't help but make a joke.

"Val, you had a such a good time in that tank, I'm surprised you didn't walk out smoking a cigarette."

Emma and Heather laughed, but Valarie didn't for she didn't get it.

And that only made it funnier.