A/N:

Hello Readers!

I would like to preface this chapter to share with you all something special. A little over a year ago, on October 22nd 2019, I posted the first chapter of Dust Devils on Archive of Our Own. (With me later cross-posting to FFN and Wattpad )

Man.

It's been over a year writing this story.

Whether you've been a reader since chapter 1 first published or just stumbled upon this story the other day, I thank and cherish you all.

Without further ado, here is the next match of the internationals! Enjoy!


Saturday August 31st, 2013

Brandenburg, Germany

Around 76 kilometers from the German capital of Berlin laid a nature park named Dahme-Heideseen. An expansive place of nearly 600 square kilometers of divine wilderness, and of which, only a small portion of it will be seen by both teams today as it has been sectioned off for today's match. Another round of the world competition was soon to begin and already was the spectator's area absolutely rife with activity. A normally empty valley now hosting thousands of people who have come to see the match live as it goes down as close as they can be allowed. It was seven o'clock in the morning and both teams were there along with their machines. Despite the early hour, not one member of the Mojave Rose team felt groggy in any sense of the word. The inherent exciting nature of a tankery match has seen to that. As before, the team were spread out among the spectator's area to enjoy their small amount of time before they had to head out. Valarie was with her crew as they walked around at a leisurely place. The girls had no place in particular to go visit, just going whatever captured their attention the most. Some cups of coffee were the first thing they enjoyed when they arrived, but coffee does not last forever.

"We still have half an hour to kill before we have to drive to the starting area," Ashley informed. "Not in the mood to browse any of those tacky gift shops."

"Well, how about the mood to eat?" Heather suggested.

"I could do that," Ashley replied. Then she turned to Valarie. "Your sister runs a food tent around here, right?"

"Yeah," Valarie confirmed. "All part of that cultural exchange that's traditional to international tankery."

"Let's go pay her a visit then."

The T-44 crew, newly motivated by their hunger, went directly to Catalina's food then that was thankfully not too far them where they were. At the tent, they could see that it was serving a sizable crowd of customers. Peaking over their heads, Valarie caught sight Madison who was overseeing the cooks and cashiers. By the look of her pleased face, Valarie could tell that things were going very well. She maneuvered through the crowd to get her attention.

"You guys are pretty popular, huh? Just like in Spain?"

"Better than Spain!" Madison corrected with a proud smile. "Word definitely spreads around when you serve exquisite steak and eggs, among other fine items on the menu. Speaking of which, you here to place an order?"

Valarie nodded. "Nothing to heavy. I'm thinking scrambled eggs."

"Hmm. A bowl of scrambled eggs mixed with sausage?"

"That'll do nicely. Four bowls please."

Despite the crowd, the T-44 crew were handed their food within a few short minutes. Valarie suspected that Madison had told the cooks to prioritize their order but she wasn't going to complain. As they ate, they were joined by Louise who was wandering about the area. Her hands were behind her back and was looking toward a stage nearby to them."

"Hey Louise, what's up?" Valarie greeted.

"Not much. Just mentally preparing for the match."

"Same here."

Louise glanced at her. "Got any idea what they'll do with that stage?"

Valarie shrugged. "Who knows. Could be anything."

A moment later, a large group of girls made their appearance heading in the direction of the stage. They were all wearing uniforms stylized after the quintessential British explorer of the Victorian age; khaki-colored shirts and pants, long brown boots that reached beyond their knees, and on the top of each of their heads the familiar pith helmet. The girls got on the stage and got organized. To Valarie, who they were was unmistakable.

"The New Zealand tankery team," Valarie remarked. "Port Chalmers."

"What are they gonna do on that stage?" Emma wondered.

Louise slowly walked forward to the stage, and excitement growing within her by the second. "I know what they're going to do. Oh man. This is gonna be so cool!"

A large crowd had gathered around the stage, their emotions a mix of curiosity and eagerness. On the stage, the Port Chalmers tankery team have arranged themselves in neat rows standing at attention. Most of the girls were of a fair complexion, thought a good amount of them were of Maori descent. Like Louise, these Maori girls sported facial tattoos as part of their facial heritage, though these tattoos were on their chins rather than all over their face, which displayed these beautiful patterns. The crowd then quieted as if they received some unheard order.

A Maori girl stood at the front of the group where she then yelled out a phrase in her native language.

"Ka mate! Ka mate!"

An instance later, all on the stage entered into a pose of power and intimidation. They all struck their chests in unison and with such ferocity that Valarie was convinced that those girls have just given themselves bruises. The group, sans the leader, then chanted,

"Ka ora! Ka ora!"

What these words that the New Zealand team were screaming to the crowd not a soul understood, but that didn't. The emotion behind their voices and how loud they were told volumes. Words that held significant meaning to the Maori people. Their physical actions, too, were as dramatic and exaggerated as their yelled chants. Their movements were splendidly choreographed, moving as one. They swayed from side to side, struck their chests and thighs, and stomped the stage repeatedly with their feet in a rhythmic fashion. Their faces were a sight to behold with their eyes bulging and tongues sticking out. All the while, they continued their chants.

"Ka mate! Ka mate!" yelled the leader.

"Ka ora! Ka ora!" dutifully replied the rest.

The repeated for a few short and intense minutes. The bellows from the New Zealand team was nonstop that no doubt provided entertainment to the crowd, though at the same time demanded respect for this cultural practice.

Port Chalmers soon concluded their dance, the exaggerated facial expressions and movements gone and now again standing at attention. The crowd showered them with applause as the girls walked off the stage and made their departure.

"Okay. What just happened?" Emma questioned, fairly surprised over what she had just witnessed.

"No clue," Ashley responded. "But whatever it was, it was extremely cool."

Valarie looked over to Louise, who throughout the whole performance, had a face of awe. "So, what did we just see?"

"The Haka," Louise answered. "A traditional Maori dance."

"Haka," Valarie repeated. "That's a pretty intimidating dance."

"Intimidation is the point. The Haka can be done as a way to challenge someone. With origins going all the way back to war dances, it's not surprising."

"You know quite a bit about them."

Louise had a half-grin on her face. "I guess when you're indigenous yourself, you have a greater innate interest to learn about other native peoples. From all my reading, I've learned that despite all the differences in cultures and vast distance, we all have this common struggle," she paused. Her gaze shifted toward the ground in silent contemplation. Then she twirled to face the T-44 crew with a full smile. "Well, I gotta go and get my crew together so that we're ready for go time. See ya!"

Louise left. The T-44 crew finished their breakfast and checked the time.

"Ten minutes before we have to go," Heather informed. "Should we go to our tanks now or is there anything else to see? Have to be quick though."

They looked toward Valarie.

"There is this one place," she told them. "It won't take long."

Valarie beckoned her crew to follow. She led them to a tent that was close by. It looked different from the rest, with its color a bright vibrant red. Inside this tent was a singular object stored securely in a glass case. Gold-colored ropes surrounded the case along with a few match officials tasked with keeping a vigilant eye on it. The T-44 crew approached and examined the special item.

A Pattern 1796 Light Calvary Sabre.

The grand prize for winning the world tournament. Exquisitely handcrafted with the finest silver for the bade and rare wood for the grip. It was polished and shined magnificently. Valarie laid her hands on the rope and gazed at the sabre.

"This is what everyone wants. What they desire. Winning the title is great and all..but to have something physical to represent victory is something truly special." Valarie remarked.

"Looks very pretty. I love the silver." Emma added.

"God, you can kill someone with a single stroke with that thing. A slash to their back or face and that's the end for them." Heather commented, transfixed by the prize.

Ashley cleared her throat. "Sure. Sure. Totally unrelated, but, I think it's a good idea to keep you away from sharp objects."

"Ha. Funny girl," Heather said, looking directly into Ashley's eyes. "What a comedian you are. I just can't stop laughing."

"There is no need for the sass."

Heather took a deep breath. "Oh, I'm just in a feisty mood because of our match. Which...we ought to be going now."

"Agreed," Valarie said, taking one more glance at the sabre. "I got a captain to meet."


Kilometers away from the spectator's area, just outside the set boundaries of the battlefield, two vehicles were driving fast toward a designated spot. One was the Humvee that belonged to Mojave Rose, American flag flapping in the wind on the roof. The other vehicle was a Rolls-Royce Armored Car, green in appearance and though it had a machine gun turret, it still moved with elegance that was becoming of the brand the car was associated with. In a grassy pasture, the two vehicles came to a stop a few meters away from each other. Valarie and Ray were the first to get out and stood in front of the Humvee.

"They turned a Rolls-Royce into an armored car?" Ray said with some surprise. "What country came up with a crazy idea like that?"

"The United Kingdom." Valarie answered.

"...Of course."

A moment later, the doors of the Rolls-Royce flung open and out came two girls. One was of fair skin, had brown that looked supremely brushed and flowed past her shoulders. It glossed in the sunlight. The other girl was Maori, hair long and black. The leadership of both teams got together and shook hands to start things off.

"Howdy!" Aaria Taumata, captain of the Port Chalmers tankery team, exclaimed with high energy. "A fine day to have a match. Not a cloud in the sky."

"Ah, howdy," Valarie responded after some hesitation. "Don't really say 'howdy' in California to tell you the truth."

"Oh, I know," Aaria said with a wave of her hand. "I just really like that word. Let's get introductions over with. I'm Aaria Taumata and this is my capable sister-in-arms, Quinn Huntley.

"I'm Valarie Woodlin and this is Ray Rosario. My capable, uh, brother-in-arms."

"Ah yes, you Americans are all coed. You'll get no grief from me or Quinn. Nope. Not a single negative thing."

Quinn, from the moment she got out of the car and saw Ray, couldn't get her eyes off him. She examined him closely and savored all the details. "No. Definitely no grief from me," Quinn stepped forward closer to Ray. "In fact, I think more guys should be in tankery. It would be so fun."

"Right?" Valarie remarked. "We got a few good guys on our team, simply the best. As dedicated as any girl."

"Hopefully in our match we'll get to see that dedication first hand. Ah, I'm sure your fellas will do a bang up job," Aaria said. Her gaze then turned toward the Humvee. "Oh! Is that the real deal? Always wanted to get up close and personal with a Humvee."

"C'mon closer then," Valarie invited. "I'll show you all the neat details!"

Valarie gave Aaria a tour of the Humvee as Ray stood off in the sidelines, patiently waiting for this captains meeting to come to an end. He was eager to return to his IS-3. Quinn studied him from a short distance away, then walked up to him.

"You probably hear this from all the girls on your team, but, ah," she blushed. "You're real handsome."

"Thank you," Ray replied with a blush in kind. "Though, not a whole lot of people on the team actually say that."

"Really?" Quinn said with exaggerated shock. She composed herself. "My, is Mojave Rose a school for the blind?"

Ray chuckled. "Ha. No. Its just not a thing that happens. Though, I guess some of the girls could be saying such things secretly."

"Well, I'm not surprised. Girls on your team take a look at you and act all stupid trying to get your attention."

He chuckled again and his blush grew redder. "I think you're overstating how, ah, wanted I guess, on the team."

Quinn scoff. "Mojave Rose must truly be a school for the blind. How can they fail to see a handsome guy like you? Wonderfully tall, hair fairly long as I see a bit of it poking out from your helmet, and skin a tantalizing light caramel color."

Ray put his hands behind his back and raised a brow. "You're flirting with me, aren't you?"

Quinn smiled. "Maybe. Maybe I'm just engaging in really friendly conversation."

"I'll just have you know that I—"

Quinn rose a finger to silence him. "No more talking. We'll get know each other better on the battlefield. I know your tank. Making it this far," she was right in front of him and drew her voice down a whisper. "I'm sure you can show a girl a great time."

Ray couldn't formulate a response. He got a feeling he'll get some special attention in the match akin to the team's Montana match. Yet, in this case, for the total opposite reason.

Over at the Humvee, Valarie had finished showing Aaria all the little aspects of the vehicle. The leaderships of both teams reconvened.

"I gotta say, you two are much more friendlier than the Portuguese team we fought last month. Guess it was the language barrier." Aaria complimented.

"Thanks," Valarie replied. "We're just being who we are."

"Keep being you. The world can always use more friendly people," Aaria said, then paused. She looked up to the sky for a moment. "This is random, I know, but I quite like you're national anthem. Favorite lyric is about a rocket's red glare. That begs the question," she looked directly at Valarie. "Does your rockets have a red glare?"

"...Rockets?" Valarie said quizzically. "I, uh, don't know what you mean."

"Ah, ah, ah," Aaria said with a wag of her finger. "I believe you do. Two RP-3 rockets mounted to the Cromwell on your team, one on either side of the turret. Impressive firepower and it'll bring hell on anything if it hits."

"How do you—"

"You find all sorts of interesting things when you browse the internet," Aaria told her. "Though, considering your reaction, I'm led to believe you are aware of the photos of your Cromwell with its rockets...and of your AMR 35, the new gun for your Jumbo, and a Type 97. I'm sure you two got a lot to think about."

"You got that right." Valarie said coldly

The leaderships exchanged their goodbyes and remounted their vehicles. On the way back, there was a silence in the Humvee that Ray soon broke.

"How...how do they know about all of that? I can understand them knowing about our AMR. They could've seen a recording of out Spanish match. But the rest? How?"

"I don't have a clue," Valarie said, looking straight ahead, her right hand clenched in a fist. "She said they were photos."

"So, who took them? Either someone took photos of us during our recent practices or they came from the garage."

"I don't like either scenario. Whoever took those photos, I will find out and make sure those are the last photos they'll ever take," Valarie took a breath and cracked her knuckles. "Anyway, that's later. Gotta focus on the now. We got some shooting to do."


The wind was strong. The sound of the swaying leaves of the trees filled the air. At one side of the river that divided the area of engagement was the forces of Port Chalmers, composed entirely of Allied armor. Late model Shermans, T-34s, Churchill, among others. In addition to all of that was a contingent of T-40 Soviet amphibious tanks and Sherman DDs. Strapped securely to their hulls were the team's decoy tanks, their false panzers, currently dismantled for ease of transport. Aaria looked at them from her ACIII Thunderbolt, which boasted a 25-pounder gun. She was proud of the team's own 'navy', with them proving their worth in countless previous matches. At the same time, they were also trying a new tactic with the imminent deployment of their decoys.

"They're gonna do some work," Quinn said from her IS-4, parked next to Aaria. "Wreck absolute havoc from behind enemy lines."

"That they well," Aaria said with a nod. She got on the radio. "Alright ladies, one last recap of our strategy. Our Jackson with our lovely Isla will drive like hell to the tunnel to cross it. We have a bit of an advantage here as our starting area is closer to it. The Jackson will get on the American's side of the river ASAP and delay them."

"I'll keep them pinned down so you girls can get to position all nice like." Isla added.

"Good," Aaria continued. Quinn will hold the inside of the tunnel in her tank doing what she does best; holding the line. All the while, our amphibious platoon will move north to find a suitable place to ford 'cross the river. From there, they'll attack the Americans from behind. We'll pincer them. Good copy on all that?"

Her team delivered a resounding yes. A match official standing off to the side was keeping careful attention to the time. At 8:30 on the dot, the official fired her starting pistol.

"Showtime! Let's roll!" Aaria exclaimed with immense energy.

The Port Chalmers tankery team drove headlong into the German forest, guns lock and loaded for the Americans.

~Line break

The cool morning air has utterly vanished, replaced with the hot, chocking fumes from engines of various sizes and power. The Mojave Rose tankery team were on the move, making a south-western advance to the train tracks so follow them to the tunnel that served as the only connector to both sides of the battlefield. Why go to the tracks first and not just head directly to the tunnel? Going as the crow flies would have the team driving around the dense forest, weaving around trees to avoid them. They would certainly slow down and them not traveling at their best possible speed could allow the enemy to seize the tunnel. As there was clearings on either side of the tracks, the team will use them as roads.

Mojave Rose were organized in the usual fashion, a v-formation, with a notable exception. The light tanks of the team drove ahead acting as a screening force. 500 meters away from the rest of the team, Cassidy was out of the hatch and heavily scrutinizing the terrain ahead.

"Ha. French tank deep in Germany," Cassidy said to herself. She tapped the roof of the turret. "This must feel good for you little buddy."

"Screening force," Valarie said over the radio. "Got eyes on anything?"

"We see...trees, more trees, and a possible sighting of a squirrel. Will inform you of any new developments." Cassidy said with heavy sarcasm.

"Noted, Skink. Remain vigilant."

"Oh, yes ma'am," Cassidy reported for an exaggerated salute that no one saw. "Our eyes are razor sharp."

For around twenty minutes, they drove through the forest occasionally blessed by open fields where they could open up the throttle. Valarie was constantly checking the map on her tablet to have an everpresent awareness of the team's progress. The blue blips on the screen inched closer to their destination."

"We're coming up to the tracks now," she informed over the radio. "When we get there, we'll stop for a moment."

They came out of the forest not long after and the team were now before the tracks in question. The metal was rusted and the wood half rotted. Nature was in the process of reclaiming this man-made invention as the gravel could scarcely be seen as it was nearly covered with overgrowth.

"Hold old is this track?" Natalie wondered.

"Pre-war." Valarie determined.

"Pre...what war?" Aubrey commented. "By the looks of it, the tracks look like they were built before war was even a thing."

"Interesting you say that. People have found evidence of warfare since prehistoric times," Ray said in lecturing mood. "Nearly 15,000 wars have been waged since 3500 BCE. Of course, not every war is cataloged in the historical record. A war between tribes of homo sapiens and neanderthals sure has happened eons—"

"We're not in a classroom, Juniper," Valarie reminded. "Save it for next time."

"Oh...alright."

"Man. I was getting hooked there." Aubrey said with some disappointment

Valarie looked down the tracks that led to the tunnel. A moment of contemplation later, she dispensed orders.

"Sierra, move to this designated position on the map," she said as she tapped on her tablet. "Everyone else, drive along the left of the tracks. Move fast. We have to reach that tunnel before the enemy."

The team dutifully and without hesitation complied with her orders. The SU-14 split off from the main force and drove to the position Valarie had selected for them, a grove of trees that provided both cover and concealment. The remaining tanks pressed on with the tracks as their guide. A few kilometers were drive without anything noteworthy occurring. This sparked hope within Valarie. The calm of the forest told the team that Port Chalmers has yet to cross the tunnel. Yet, the first seeds of doubt were about to be planted. A faint noise in the distance could heard by the commanders who were out of their hatches. It was something mechanical for sure, perhaps related to an engine. But that was all the team could gather.

"What the hell can be that loud?" Robin remarked, her head high in the skin.

"Some sort of super-heavy tank?" Mia guessed. "Better not be. One experience is enough."

"I really don't like the sound of that." Sage added.

Valarie remained quiet, her ears trained trained on this sound. "So faint, it has to be a few klicks away," she reasoned. "But it can't be an engine. No engine is that powerful to be heard kilometers away. Especially with all these trees acting as sound barriers."

The sound grew even more faint, then stopped all together.

"It's gone," Valarie said. "Hmm."

"Whatever it is, we'll find out soon." Ray commented.

The team drove for another few minutes when the terrain changed. The trees went away and in their place was an expansive grass pasture with some hills and bushes. Another mundane crossing over open ground.

Mundane until it wasn't.

Suddenly, a piercing whistle was heard by all and a moment later the ground next to the VK was cratered, pieces of the earth showering upon the German prototype. Quickly, Valarie turned to the direction where the shot came from.

"All turrets traverse right!" she ordered. "Search for the hostile tank that took a shot at us!"

Those with turrets scanned the area beyond the right of the tracks. Various pairs of eyes feverishly looked for anything that remotely resembled a tank.

"I don't see anything out there!" Marielle reported."

"Same here, nothing!" Aurora shared.

"They must be well-hidden and were waiting for us." Valarie remarked, annoyed.

Out of her hatch and with binoculars, Haley was going from bush to spot anything out of the ordinary. On one bush she lingered, suspicious. Then, she saw the flash of a muzzle.

"Incoming fire!"

The shot from the unknown assailant sped across the land and nicked the rear tracks of the SU-100. Pieces of metal were flung about. The tank destroyer started to veer to the right.

"Ah! What's going on!?" Nora demanded.

"Tracks hit! Lana replied. "I can't turn left!"

"Stop the tank! We'll just go in circles otherwise," Nora ordered. "Oasis! Our tracks got struck! We can't move!"

Valarie immediately looked behind her and saw the SU-100 dead in the water. She glanced forward and saw a large depression in the ground that would make for excellent cover. A plan was formed.

"Juniper, push Ocotillo forward. We're all gonna take cover in that depression. Everyone else, grenade launchers! Pop—" A shot landed nearby, exploding. "Pop smoke!"

Their immediate surroundings became shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke. The IS-3 carefully drove up to the rear of the SU-100 and pushed the machine forward. Two more shots from their ambusher were sent into the smoke but only the ground suffered. Once the smoke cleared, Mojave Rose was no where to be seen.

In their hidden spot, the M36 Jackson remained still. Isla had her face against the gun sight, then, reclined back and let out a breath.

"You managed to score a hit on one of them," Sienna said, her commander. "But not a knock out."

Isla turned to look at her. "We're what? 2500 meters away more or less? I got lucky to land a shot near 'em. Their SU-100 will need to repair."

"Hmm," Sienna hummed. She poked out of her hatch and with her binoculars searched the tracks. "There must be some depression over there where they're taking cover in."

"Yup. They'll have to peak out sooner or later and once they do I can nail them. But I need to be closer."

"Roger, we'll move up. Gotta do so anyway. Can't allow their artillery to drop a bomb on us."

On the other side of the tracks, the Mojave Rose team were, for now, safe from being shot at but their progress has completely halted. The SU-100 crew immediately set out to repair their tracks. As they did, the rest of the team remained idle

"God, we cannot afford to delay," Valarie moaned. "But we can't leave Ocotillo behind.

"And we can't have this enemy tank shooting at us all the way to the tunnel," Ray chimed in. "We'll suffer casualties for sure that way."

As Valarie thought about their next course of action, she felt a tap on her thigh from Emma.

"Do you think it's that girl we heard from the radio?" Emma asked. "Isla Campbell?"

"Could be," Valarie remarked. "A Jackson would fit the description. Fast enough to get over here and those shots landed real close to us."

"So, how do we, ah, deal with this?" Ashley questioned.

"Shoot back," Valarie answered plainly. She readied her microphone. "Jackalope, peak over the ridge and look for the enemy. Your tough turret armor will withstand the enemy's fire."

"Copy," Louise acknowledged. "We're on it."

The Super Pershing drove slowly on the slope of the embankment, only allowing its turret to be the thing that is exposed. Thanks to its good gun depression, the Super Pershing could train its gun on target, if it could find one to begin with. Louise used her vision device to look for the enemy but they were too well hidden.

And they weren't.

Seemingly out of thing air a round hit them. It harshly ricocheted off the turret front, the crew within shuddering and gritting their teeth.

"Good God!" Louise exclaimed, her ears ringing.

"They can't knock us out, but damn, can they hit us!" remarked their loader Elise.

"Jackalope, do you have visual on the enemy?" Valarie asked them.

Louise popped out of her hatch and got to searching. "...No. Nothing! They must be repositioning the moment they pull the trigger."

Valarie sighed. "Understood."

A few meters away, Mia was starting to feel impatient. A fast tank like the Stuart wasn't meant to remain still for this long. Over the radio, she presented Valarie her proposition.

"Oasis, got an idea here. I pop smoke and then speed away toward the tunnel. Whoever is shooting at us will take a shot at me, and Jackalope can use that as a chance to take them out."

"Hmm," pondered Valarie. "Maybe if both you and Mirage make a go for it, it'll increase your chances of success. Race to the tunnel and report your findings. But don't engage with anyone."

"I'm game!" Aurora said eagerly! "Better than just sitting here."

"Alright. Nomad. Mirage. Go when ready." Valarie said to them.

The Stuart and Puma got next to each other and prepared for their made dash. After physical and mental preparations, the smoke grenade launchers on their turrets were fired, unleashing a cloud of smoke in front of them. They waited a moment for the smoke to spread and thicken, then, they went for it. Out of the depression, the light tank and armored car had their throttles hammered as they raced toward the rail tunnel. A distant muzzle flash was the response to this action. The round disappeared into the smoke and instead of hearing the sound of the the ground being pummeled, there was an explosion that corresponded with the violent clash of metal.

"Nomad? Mirage?" Valarie raised over the radio.

"I'm here and moving fast!" Aurora reported. "I don't see Nomad following though."

The cloud of concealment was banished away by a strong gust of wind, revealing the Stuart, its right sand mangled by a heavy hit and white flag on its turret.

"Son of a bitch!" Valarie cursed. "They got Nomad through the damn smoke!"

"That's gotta be Isla," Emma determined. "Her intuition as a gunner is superb."

"Lucky us."

At the Super Pershing, Louise has witnessed the whole ordeal go down and caught sight of the bush that the enemy had used. "Eight o'clock. 1500 meters. Send a round in that bush!"

Jocelyn at the gun took aim at the target and made out the range. Without delay, the Super Pershing fired. Louise observed the fall of shot and to her dismay saw a spray of grassy dirt erupt into the air.

"Damn...nothing. Again." Louise said with a sigh.

A distance away from the Mojave Rose team, the M26 Jackson has pulled back and broke line of sight from the Americans. They went to the nearby forest, their concealment aided by their camouflage net draped on top of them. Isla felt proud. Real proud. The rest of the Jackson's crew shared in her sentiments.

"Through. The. Smoke," Sienna said with awe. "Those Americans know who they're messing with! Our crackshot sniper!"

"Is it a gunner's intuition? Or a woman's intuition? I'd say its both." Isla remarked with a laugh.

"We got them pinned down," Sienna continued. "We pick them off one by one and that'll be a good day's hunting."

"Yes...but our job right now isn't to get them all. Just to delay and we're doing that well. Though their Puma did manage to break through."

"Bah, what can an armored car do?" Sienna said dismissively. "Chances are when that car reaches the tunnel, they'll find it quite occupied," A radio message filled Sienna's ear, who listened closely. "Speak of the devil. We've been ordered to disengage and head to a fall back position. Await next phase of operations.

Isla clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm about to do some real work soon."


Kilometers away from the action, a contingent of Port Chalmers were at the shore of the river up north. They had spent some time looking for a suitable launching off point and they've found it for this section of the river was calm and there was a nice shore to receive them on the other side. The amphibious platoon were ready to execute the next stage of the New Zealand's team strategy.

"Once we cross the river, we are to deploy our decoys are the areas marked on our maps," one of the Sherman DD commanders reminded. "Once that is done, we are to split. The T-40s will begin their search for the American's artillery while the rest will head for the tunnel. Let's go swimming!"

The Sherman DDs had flotation screens attached to their hulls along with two propellers at their rear. The crews erected the screens, which covered the Shermans totally. The T-40s were simpler. Their hulls were designed to be buoyant from its inception. All the tanks drove onto the river and swam across at a slow but steady speed. Their tracks soon treaded on the opposing shore, and like that, Port Chalmers had a beachhead on Mojave Rose's side of the battlefield. The Americans were now flanked.


The SU-100 crew moved with haste. The sounds of tools at work were heard by the team, then ceased. They had hammered in the last pin.

"Track repaired, we're back in business!" Nora exclaimed.

Her crew scrambled back into their vehicle. With some good news, Valarie now considered the team's next move."

"We still don't know if that sniper is out there," Valarie remarked. She scratched her chin. "But it has been quiet for a while. We're taking a risk. Everyone will move out together, guns aimed in the direction of the sniper. The tunnel is still our destination. Move out!"

The Mojave Rose team drove out of the depression and braced for incoming fire that didn't arrive. They remained tense and vigilant but as the seconds ticked by, they relaxed. The sniper was gone. Where they went no one cared. They were delighted and put pedal to the metal to make up for lost time. As they drove fast, Valarie radioed the Puma for any news.

"Mirage, got anything?"

The Puma, thanks to its quick nature, has arrived at the tunnel. Though, to be on the safe side, they were taking cover in the forest.

"We see the tunnel entrance and no one is here." Aurora shared.

"Have you checked what's inside the tunnel?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"...We're scared."

"Uh...got it. Hold your position. We'll be arriving soon."

A half hour of driving elapsed and the team finally had the tunnel in view. Its interior was covered in darkness, of course, giving off a forbidding atmosphere. Valarie instructed the team to take up scattered positions around the tunnel, their guns trained on the entrance.

"Now what?" Robin asked.

"We learn what's inside and go from there," Valarie said. She looked at the IS-3. "Juniper, please enter the tunnel and give it a thorough inspection."

"Oh, geez, okay," Ray responded. "We'll move cautiously."

The IS-3 drove onto the tracks and made its way into the tunnel. The heavy tank moved slowly as it got deeper, the sound of its engine echoing throughout. After a bit of reluctance, Ray asked Jeremy to turn on the headlight for illumination. The tunnel walls suffered from decades of neglect. Here and there were sizable cracks, with some portions flat out missing pieces of concrete. The smell in the air was also suspect. An odd dampness odor that wasn't sickly though neither pleasant.

"So far so good," Ray noted. They rounded a bend and his mood completely changed. "Oh. Christ."

They weren't alone as it turns out. Another piece of Soviet heavy armor was in there with them, bathed in their lights. The commander of this tank was out of her hatch, arms crossed, and had a smile on her. As she was expecting them. A girl that Ray was quite familiar with.

"Why hello there," Quinn greeted. "Was hoping you'd be the one that be sent in here first. Don't bother shooting. Neither of our guns can penetrate our respective frontal armor. Plus, the smoke and the harsh echo of the blast will be annoying."

"Alright..." Ray said slowly. "I'm going to hazard a guess and say you've been tasked to hold the tunnel in your...IS-looking tank."

"An IS-4," Quinn said with pride. "A fine piece of kit if I say so myself. But man, those engine cooling fans are loud as hell. You can hear them from the damn moon. That's why the engine is off. It's loud outside, but it's another level of awful when that noise bounces off these tunnel walls."

"So it was you that we heard earlier," Ray said to her. "We heard something in the distance on our way here."

"Yup. Can't sneak up on anything with this thing. But it doesn't need to be sneaky. It needs to hold the line, take the punishment, and dish it out!"

"Hold the line?" Ray repeated. "See, that's a problem. You see, I would like my team and I to cross the tunnel."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to comply with your request. Even for a handsome guy like you."

Ray nodded to himself, thinking. Then, he took off his helmet, revealing his hair that was long enough to cover his hears and hang over his eyes. He ran her fingers through them to get it neat. Ray got a plan. Whether it was a good one was another matter. He was going to try and smooth talk his way to the other side. "Oh, sweetheart, can't we work something out?"

Quinn looked right at Ray and got all flustered. "Um...ah...man, it's getting hot in here. Aha...maybe we can work something out. My crew can keep a secret. What about yours?"

"I'm sure they can. Though, give me a moment to chat with them."

"Sure thing. Don't keep me waiting too long."

Ray nodded and went into the turret. Inside, Ryan and Cesar looked at him with bewildered faces.

"What...what are you going to do?" Ryan inquired.

"Are you going to cheat on Natalie?" Cesar asked more bluntly.

"Absolutely not. No. Never," Ray proclaimed. "I'm going to butter up that girl, make her all bubbly and easy going so that she'll just let us pass. I'm not going to kiss her or anything else beyond that.

"So...no third base?" Ryan questioned.

"Are you really asking that?"

"I'm just making sure. Hey, on a related note, you made it to third base with Natalie?"

Hearing that, Ray couldn't not stifle a blush. That told his crew everything.

"No need to say more Ray," Cesar said, patting his back. "Though, doing this, I'm not sure Natalie would like it."

"We won't tell her. Keep it all low-key."

The radio came alive.

"Juniper, what's your status? Is the tunnel clear of the enemy?" Valarie inquired.

"There's a blockage in the tunnel. We're working on it. I'll give an update soon."

"Hmm. Alright. Stay safe."

Ray popped out of is hatch and saw Quinn checking herself out on a personal mirror to get her hair just right. Upon seeing him, she put it away and gave him a warm smile.

"Shall we continue our negotiations?" Ray said to her.

Quinn hopped off her tank and climbed aboard Ray's. She sat on the turret right by him. "Yes please. But, the kind of negotiations I like don't involve words."

She leaned in toward Ray who immediately backed off.

"Huh?"

"Hold on now, darling. Let's not move too fast here. I want to enjoy our time together. Savor each last moment."

Quinn chuckled. "Oh you love to tease a girl, don't you?"

"One of my most favorite things."

The two co-captains continued to flirt with one another, exchanging all sorts of sweet words and making each other blush. Though only Quinn was flirting with the intention all of this leading to something more. For Ray, it was just a means to an end for the benefit of the team. Still, he had his fun in all this. However, he neglected something. His radio headset was live. Every word the two were saying was broadcasted to the rest the Mojave Rose team and they had no idea. Outside the tunnel, they reacted to what was going down.

"Well, um," Valarie said, clearing her throat. "Interesting blockage in the tunnel."

"Now this is an unusual tactic," Paige remarked. "Flirting with the enemy. Let's see if it pays off."

"God help him if this isn't some plan of his." Cassidy added.

The commanders who were out of their hatches looked to the Jagdpanzer where Natalie was poking out. She remained still, silent, and paying full attention to the conversation.

"I really hope you know what you're doing Ray," Valarie said quietly to herself. She glanced to Natalie. "Because if not...you're going to be torn apart."

As they waited, suddenly, from their rear, the team heard the snapping of a tree, Valarie turned around instantly toward the source of the noise, her mind now entirely elsewhere. It quickly dawned on her what was to fall upon the team.

"We've been outflanked!" she exclaimed. "All tanks about face and prepare to defend your positions!"

The team had their front armor facing toward the armor approaching enemy. The four Sherman DDs have arrived and the two sides instantly opened fire on the other. In the tunnel, the echo of cannon fire was heard by the tanks within.

"Looks like things are heating up out there where it should be heating up in here." Quinn said with a wink.

"Yeah..." Ray said, looking behind him. All the flirting got him somewhere. But it was to a place that he refused to tread. Quinn wanted something from him that he just could not give. That something he would only give for the girl he truly loved. "Alright look, I have to tell you. I have a girlfriend."

Quinn was taken aback over this revelation. "W-what? The way you were acting this whole time, I thought you were single. Oh my god..."

"I'm sorry. I would've told you earlier during the meeting of our team's leadership but you cut me off. But I shouldn't have led you on. It was a scummy move."

"I...I was so excited, you know?" Quinn told him with a crestfallen voice. "To meet a guy who did tankery and eventually date him. That is just the coolest thing to me. Back in New Zealand, no guy does tankery. None of 'em. But then, I hear of you Americans and learn that you're coed and, god, I was so excited to meet you guys. I never had a boyfriend, you know. Sixteen and never dated. Can you believe that? I thought that...maybe...by meeting you Americans I could have my chance. But that won't be happening."

"...I'm sorry. You're a great girl, honest, but I'm already committed to a relationship to a girl who is just as amazing, kind, dedicated, and passionate. I could list all the things I love about her but the internationals would long be over."

Quinn looked down for a moment. Ray could make out a tear strolling down her cheek.

"She's real lucky to have a guy like you." she said softly.

"I'm the lucky one here," Ray told her. "She hated me at first, but either through the grace of god or luck of the drawl, she came around to me. Her confession of her love will always stick with me. We got lost in a forest and—"

The cannon fire outside intensified. Over the radio, Ray could hear the frenzied conversation of his team as they defended themselves.

"I have to go help them," Ray said to Quinn. "They'll need a big gun like this to back them up."

Quinn rubbed her eyes. "I understand. Good luck."

Ray was surprised by that. "Oh? Good luck? You want me to beat your team?"

She laughed. "Not necessarily. I just want to wish you well. Also...would it be too much to ask for a hug?"

Ray reached out and wrapped his arms around her. For the several seconds they were in an embrace, Quinn was on cloud nine. A simple hug was just what she needed. She hopped of the IS-3 and returned to her own tank.

"Goodbye!" she said with a wave.

"For now," Ray told her. "I'll be back real soon."

The IS-3, under his guidance, started to reverse its way out of the tunnel. Back outside, the Mojave Rose team were holding their own against the Shermans, though the Puma was struck and knocked out during the initial volleys. The Shermans used the forest to their advantage, using the many trees, rocks, and collapsed logs as cover from returning fire. In addition to that, they were retreating and taking up new positions to keep Mojave Rose guessing. Though that wasn't all. The Jackson has joined the fray and took up a position around 1000 meters away. Unseen, Isla peered through the gunsight for the 90mm gun and saw the tanks of Mojave Rose fighting. She had the best problem a gunner can have; a target rich environment. Yet, the match could be won with a single shot.

"Where are you..." Isla said to herself. She trained the gun first on the ACIV, then the VK, then on the T-44. But none was the specific tank she was looking for. "I got no eyes on their flag tank."

"One of their tanks went into the tunnel. That could their flag tank." Sienna suggested.

Seconds later, the IS-3 reversed out of the tunnel. It immediately turned around to have its pike armor facing Port Chalmers. No flag was on its turret.

"Nope not those boys," Isla said. "None of the tanks here are the American's flag tank."

"Then that means..." Sienna said, then stopped. She got on the radio. "Aaria! Their flag tank is their artillery!

From the other side of the tunnel, Aaria heard the message loud and clear.

"Understood. The T-40s are already on the hunt for their artillery. Do what damage you can to the rest of the Americans."

"Copy that!"

Aaria adjusted her radio. "Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"Remain where you are. Can't have the Americans use the tunnel as cover. Hey, did any of them make a move in there?"

"No. It's all quiet in here," Quinn shared. "We'll hold our ground. We always do."

The firefight at the tunnel entrance was fierce and casualties for Port Chalmers were beginning to mount. The Sherman DDs only had short 75mm guns so they were largely ineffective against the more heavily armored tanks of Mojave Rose. Tanks they could knock out, such as the AMR and Type 97 were using friendlies as cover. A shot from the Panther II to a Sherman's turret front knocked it out, and a sabot round from the ACIV immobilized another right in the center of its front hull.

The Jackson from its spot sought out a target. From her sight, Isla spotted the Cromwell, and good timing too, as in that moment it let loose its rockets toward one of the Sherman DDs. They fell short but their explosions were brutal and deafening. She hated that. Truly, hated that sensation. Another explosion was heard, one even larger. It was from the SU-14, their far off artillery. Mojave Rose were calling in fire support. Isla brought the gun to bear on the Cromwell and fired it a shot. The side of its turret got slammed and moved no longer.

"Gotcha, you rocket-lobbin' wankers. Another shell!"

The gun was reloaded and Isle searched for her next target. She came upon the SU-100. Whose gun was aimed right at them."

"Reverse...ReverseReverseReverse!"

The Jackson made its hasty retreat just when the SU-100 fired its shot, barely missing them.

"That's right, you better run!" Nora exclaimed.

"Hey, they're all retreating!" Paige informed.

The two remaining Sherman DDs slinked away and the area become silent thereafter. Mojave Rose took this moment to catch their breath and inspect their vehicles. Valarie got out of her hatch and took a look at her tank. There were some impact points from the Shermans, but nothing serious. The IS-3 parked right next to her.

"What's our status?" Ray asked her.

"Mirage and Yucca are down. With Nomad, that's three tanks down." Valarie shared.

"Got it. What's next?"

"Well, we still need to control the tunnel. You did anything about that...uh...blockage?"

"It's an IS-4. And no, couldn't do anything about it. Can't penetrate its armor and neither could they. We just stared each other down until the fighting got started."

"IS-4? Oh! That's gotta be what we heard earlier! Those—"

"Engine fans."

"Right! Hmm," Valarie pondered. "We can't have the enemy behind us so we have to finish them off before we move on to the tunnel. Though...I do wonder why they made a hasty retreat."

Ray took a look at the team's tanks. "All the the team's tanks are here, except for Sierra. And Sierra is our..."

"...Flag tank." Valarie finished with a gasp. "Ray. You, Jackalope, and the tank destroyers will remain here to maintain control of the tunnel entrance. Everyone else will be with me to hunt down the Kiwis on our side of the river."

"Roger that."

"Oh, and one more thing. You had a hot mike."

"What? Oh...oh shit."

"I'll leave you to it."

With that, the T-44 set off with the VK, ACIV, Jumbo, Panther II, Type 97, and AMR in pursuit of Port Chalmers. As they drove off into the distance, Ray looked anxiously toward the Jagdpanzer IV. Its hatches were shut. He nervously tugged on his uniform.

"Please Natalie...I hope to god you heard all that I said."

He hopped out of his tank and started to walk over to the Jagdpanzer when one of its hatches opened, revealing Natalie. Her face was plain which told Ray nothing about how she really felt. She pointed towards the nearby tree and gestured to go there. He complied and went behind the tree where he was out of sight of the team. Ray didn't have to wait long before Natalie joined him.

"I can explain everything, just hear me out—"

Ray began to explain but before he could utter another word he was hugged by her and held tight. He was surprised and intensely relieved.

"I already heard your explanation," Natalie said, voice muffled as her face was pressed against his chest. "I heard everything that you said."

"Oh thank god," Ray said with a breath. "You heard it all even during a firefight?"

"It took a lot of concentration to hear you talk to that girl in the tunnel when shells explode around you. But I managed. I gotta tell you, at first, I was furious. I really thought you were...cheating on me."

"I would never." Ray said. He took of her helmet and brought a hand to caress her hair. "I'd never do anything that would hurt you."

"I know. It's just that," she stopped to take a deep breath. "I've been cheated on before in my last relationship. I thought it was happening again."

The couple gazed into the other's where they then kissed each other in warm passion. When they broke the kiss, they smiled at each other.

"Shall I walk you back your tank?" Ray asked, teasingly.

Natalie locked her arm with his, taking up his offer. "I'd really like that."


Where they were, it was nice and quiet. Too quiet in fact. The tranquility of the area the SU-14 was positioned has brought down the vigilance of the crew. The wind rustled the leaves in a soothing melody and the birds occassionally chirped their tunes that added on to the calm. Them letting their guard down was not without reason. Being artillery meant by nature they were away from the heat of the action, and what more, with how the battlefield was configured meant, in their mind, that they were as safe as ever.

"Why aren't we the flag tank every time?" Amber wondered.

"Yeah," her sister Gwen chimed in. "We're always far from everyone."

"But if we are the flag tank every time, the teams we go against will know that and hunt for us the moment a match starts." Raven, Amber's third sister said.

"We're artillery," Abby, Amber's fourth sister reminded. "We're going to be hunted no matter what."

"True..." Amber remarked. She looked to Jacqueline. "Hey, we got any fire missions or what?"

"Huh?" Jacqueline muttered. She rubbed her eyes. "Sorry I dozed off a little there."

"That's okay. It's not like you're the commander or anything."

Jacqueline glared at her. "Hey, it's fine. There is no way in hell we're gonna get ambushed. The tunnel is the only way the enemy can come to our side and the rest of the team is already there. They have to fight through them to get to us."

A voice came over the radio. "Sierra, the enemy has flanked and made it to our side. They are hunting for you. Stay put and improve your concealment."

Once Valarie's voice went away, Jacqueline saw all the eyes of her crew on her.

"Ha..." she laughed nervously. She then adjusted her uniform. "So are you just gonna look or me or are we gonna get to work?"

Not in the particular mood to get shot at, the SU-14 crew got out of their vehicle and proceeded to better camouflage their machine. Amber and Gwen retrieved the camouflage net from its storage container on the outside of the vehicle and strapped it on. Raven and Abby sought out weak tree branches and bushes to pull out to apply them on the SU. The last remaining members, Jacqueline and Lana were using their shovels to dump clumps of dirt on the exposed portions of metal. With their incredibly hasty work done, they piled back in their machine and waited.

"We gotta be quiet now," Jacqueline told them. "Listen for engine noises."

The SU-14 lacked something that the rest of the team possessed; vision devices for the commander. If Jacqueline wanted to see something outside she had two options; One was to rely on Lana, the driver, and the two gunners, Amber and Gwen, for they had vision devices of their own. The other option was to get out of her hatch. But the latter wasn't an attractive option right now when the current priority is to remain hidden.

The artillery crew waited with the tension in the air steadily growing. Every little sound heard outside could potentially be the enemy which added to their anxiety. When the distant rumblings of engines were heard, they all froze. Jacqueline checked her tablet and saw that the blue blips that represented the team were not close enough to be the engine sounds they were now hearing.

"Alright," she said slowly and quietly. "We're gonna find out if what we did is enough."

A panic was beginning to spread through her crew.

"I-If they find us, they'll knock out," Raven stuttered out. "And that's it. We're out of the tournament!"

"Fuck man, being the flag tank is too much pressure!" Gwen cried out

"You guys calm down!" Jacqueline exclaimed

Distant cannon fire erupted followed by a flurry of machine gun bursts.

"Oh god! We've been spotted! It's all over!" Amber wailed.

"No, wait!" Jacqueline said. "That gun fire sounds farther away. It's not from the enemy."

The engine sounds they heard then started to become faint as they changed direction. About a kilometer away, the segment of the Mojave Rose team that set out to find the enemy have fired a volley into the air in a bid to attract Port Chalmers and it has worked. The tanks that potentially could have stumbled upon and brought an end to the SU-14, and in turn put a stop to Mojave Rose's ambitions for the internationals, had now turned around and drove at full speed toward the cannon fire. The artillery crew finally breathed

The rest of the team a kilometer away were driving headlong to come to the aid of their friends and with their shooting, has now made their presence known. The T-44 formed the tip of this echelon. Valarie's mind worked hard to guess what kind of tanks could they expect to meet.

"We fought of Sherman DDs, so they do have amphibious tanks." Valarie thought aloud.

"Called it!" Cassidy shouted over the radio.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. You win," Valarie responded. "Now, there has to be more. What other tanks can be amphibious and legal in tankery. Hmm..."

She reached for a tank reference book and flipped through the pages, humming as she read. Valarie wouldn't be reading for long when a voice over the radio seized her attention.

"Enemy spotted!" Marielle reported. "It's a small tank and it has its side to us."

They stopped and Valarie popped out of her hatch. She trained her binoculars on the spotted tank and got confused.

"That's a CV-33. That's not amphibious! How did it get over here?"

"Who knows," Marielle remarked. "But what I do know is that it's a target. Fire!"

The VK sent a shot to the CV. The round hit and exploded, shattering the tank into pieces. The team watched, stunned over the destruction that just happened. For Valarie, her confusion mounted.

"What the hell? Get me closer to that 'CV'."

The T-44 drove toward the spot of the destroyed tank. She got out of the T-44, knelt down, and grabbed a piece of the remains. She felt the texture of the piece in her hand.

"This isn't metal. It's wood," she said as she analyzed them. "It was a decoy."

She remounted her tank and her crew noted her excitement.

"Why do you look so happy over the decoys?" Emma asked her.

"Because I'm fangirling here!" she answered with a smile. "I seen this before! In the Japanese nationals there match with a school that also used decoys. My god this is so cool! Port Chalmers have taken it too another level. Using full wooden mock-ups."

"From far away, they look like the real deal," Heather noted. "What's the process to deal with them?"

Valarie got on the radio. "Be aware of fake wooden tanks," she informed. "To be on the safe side, shoot any tank you see. Real or fake."

They pressed on for their hunt of the enemy. Every so often, they would come across another one of Port Chalmers' decoys where one of the tanks would shoot to destroy them. The decoys were mostly based upon T-40s but tankettes were used as well, all expertly constructed to be as real looking as possible. One member of the team, though, had a poor opinion on them. Cassidy, out of her hatch, spotted another one of the decoys and felt compelled to make a comment.

"Man, I can close one eye and still tell that's fake," she noted. Her binoculars were on them. "Nathan, you can make a better looking tank outta paper mache."

"Just shoot it already. Valarie told us to shoot the fake ones too." Nathan reminded her.

"Hey, you're not the commander. I call the shots! literally!" Cassidy resumed her attention on the decoy and saw that its gun was rotating and now aimed right at them. She let out sigh. "Well. That's a strike out."

The 'decoy' was in truth one of the T-40s that had found them. A round from its 20mm gun was sent right to the AMR and the little tank sputtered to a stop. Before the rest of the team could retaliate, it had already scurried away.

"T-40s, hmm?" Valarie mused. "That can definitely cross a river. Their entire team can't be fully composed of amphibious tanks so there can't be that many of them in our vicinity."

"Oh god, there is still the rest of their team to deal with on the other side of the river." Robin whined.

"This is going to be a long day. It's about to be noon." Paige added.

"Alright guys, let's have some positive energy here," Valarie told them. "When that supply drop comes, we'll make it a goal to secure it. Those things have good stuff in there that will surely elevate out moods. Now, let's focus on the task at hand."

With something to look forward too, the team, their spirits rejuvenated, carried out their tasks. The remaining tanks of Port Chalmer's amphibious platoon have joined together to form one unit. Though they were at the disadvantage. When it comes to amphibious tanks, by design, they don't have the biggest guns nor the thickest armor. The amphibious tank commanders took stock of their situation and came to the conclusion that amassing their forces together was their best and only option together. With their weaker firepower, they would eventually lose against Mojave Rose so they elected the upcoming fight as hard as possible for the Americans so that they will have to work diligently to get them. This would not only serve to inflict more damage on Mojave Rose, but to also give their Jackson ample time needed to carry out its own task for the Jackson was not going to join them but instead headed to the tunnel.

The T-44 and the group they were leading found themselves in a field where a hill was presented. On this hill were the tanks they were looking for. They stood upon it in an almost defiant nature, their guns pointed toward the direction of Mojave Rose. The T-44 came to a halt and the rest of the tanks followed suit. The two opposing teams stared each other down. Valarie examined the enemy carefully, their turrets unmoving.

"Sierra," she said over the radio. "Fire mission."

The coordinates were relayed and the SU-14 crew got to work figuring out the range and angle of shot. Its gun elevated in the air and the hull was travsered to get pointed in the right direction. All the calculations were done and triple checked. A moment later, the air exploded as an HE shell was now out for delivery. Jacqueline kept a close eye to her stopwatch. Two and a half seconds for shell travel time.

Over at the hill, Valarie waited for the shot and it landed with a thunderous impact. But it fell too far behind the enemy who were just dusted with pieces of the ground.

"No effect on target," Valarie relayed. "Overshot."

"Ugh. Copy. Correcting" Jacqueline replied.

"Hold on," Valarie said. She spotted the enemy on the hill moving forward to get their gun to bear and let loosed a barrage of there own. The ground below was peppered with shot. "I'll get back to you!"

The T-40s, though only armed with a weak caliber gun, quickly grew annoying for Mojave Rose. Their 20mm guns were autocannons, fed by an 11-round belt of ammuntion. They fired their rounds in a quick succession, paused to reload, and resumed firing, all within seconds. The only tank that they could even hope to knock out was the Type 97, but Valarie was acutely aware of this and situated her own tank in front of it to protect them. The Sherman DDs held their fire as they looked for a suitable target and soon their guns were aimed at the ACIV.

"You wanna shot us, huh?" Robin said as if she was insulted. "We got sabot with your name on it!"

The Sentinel took aim on one of the Shermans and fired, its shot sailing over its target.

"What the hell? How did you miss?"

"Sorry!" Alexa said. "I'm still getting used to the velocity of the ammo. I'm compensating for range too much!"

"Ah, whatever. Reload!"

Mojave Rose proceeded to climb upon the hill and returned fire where they could. A shot from the T-44 slammed into one of the T-40s, the light tank bucked back a few feet over the intensity of the impact. When they were halfway up, the tanks on the top made a sudden charge down the hill that surprised them in a desperate gambit to sow confusion among their ranks. The speedy T-40s moved quick enough to slip past Mojave Rose, still shooting as they did, to get to the bottom of the hill. The Sherman DDs weren't as fortunate. It's fatter sibling, the Jumbo, reacted fast enough to knock one of them out, followed by action from the VK that finished off the other. Now, their attention turned to the T-40s.

Aubrey in the Type 97 saw the T-40s behind the team's position. They were still moving away from them as if they were retreating. With the new crew wanting to play their part in the match, they moved to engage.

"Let's finally shoot something!" Aubrey declared to her crew. Their 120mm short gun traversed and tracked on one of the T-40s. The gunner, Savanna, concentrated like she never done before as she carefully ranged the target. When she felt confident in her work, the trigger was pulled and an HE shell was lobbed toward its destination. It wobbled in the air as it flew and smacked into the rear of one of the T-40s, the explosion shuddering the whole machine.

"Yes!" Aubrey cheered. "Our first knock-out!"

The remaining four T-40s stopped and all turned their guns upon the Type 97.

"Ummm. If the rest of you guys can pitch in, that'd be real nice you." she said nervously over the radio.

From the sky above there was the brief sound of whistle that was followed by a bright flash of fire and smoke. Where the T-40s were, was consumed by this fireball and when it dissipated they all lied wrecked, the white flags on their turrets tattered and singed by the flames.

"Woah." Aubrey gasped.

"Sierra, good effect on targets. That's a four-in-one." Valarie reported, her voice filled with satisfaction.

"Ha! Not as good as our shot back in Arizona, but can't complain about getting four of 'em!" Jacqueline remarked.

"Yes, if only there were a gas depot here," Valarie recalled. "That's ten of their tanks down. Must've been their whole amphibious squad. That leaves on tank left on our side of the river; their Jackson."


The tunnel entrance has been dormant since the departure of most of the team. The IS-3, Super Pershing, SU-100, and Jagdpanzer have their cannons at the entrance though nothing has emerged in all this time. This, Ray knew. He was aware that the IS-4 was in a much better position to remain in there than to try and launch an attack. He gazed into the shadows, wondering how he could dislodge the heavy tank from its perch. His eyes wandered to the tracks that led into the tunnel. Ray pictured the tracks in their heyday, when trains still ran on them going to and fro to destinations all over Europe.

"Got it." he said to himself.

"What?" Ryan questioned.

"Got a plan to get through the tunnel."

"Cool. But how?"

"I'll tell ya later when the rest of the team comes back."

"Gee. Thanks."

Over at the SU-100, Nora was out of her hatch, though instead of looking to the tunnel, her attention was spent to their rear. She had this increasing paranoia that something lurked in the shadows of the trees. Seeking some sort of answer, and ideally, comfort, she dug out her tarot cards from her pocket. They were shuffled and dumped on the roof of her machine. She choose a card at random. It was an upright Moon.

"Fear. Anxiety. Intuition." Nora said, remembering its meaning. That was all she needed. She recovered her cards and ordered her vehicle to face the forest.

"What are you doing, Ocotillo?" Natalie inquired

"I got a strong feeling something is out there," Nora replied, staring out to the trees. "I think we're being watched."

Natalie looked toward the forest as well. "I guess there's always that chance..."

The Jagdpanzer joined the SU, their guns pointed to the wilderness. Ray looked on at these new developments, then nodded.

"Now that's a good idea. Two looking at the tunnel, another two watching the forest."

Nora maintained her watch on the forest. Eyes going from tree, to bush, to fallen log. It looked like it expanded all the way to infinity. So many pieces of cover to hide behind to strike and to slink away before any kind of retaliation can be administered. The forest can be a place of tranquility and for one to foster a connection to nature, but ask any army from any era of history and they will tell you how the forest can solicite feelings on consternation and be the site of disaster. Teutoburg Forest, in this same country, exemplifies that notion to tragic perfection.

Nora hoped that the next match the team has isn't at a forest. Hell, she hopes there won't be any trees at all. She dashed these thoughts as now she had to focus. Her vigilance paid off as through her binoculars, the new and improved ones that she had requested from Valarie, she spotted the most of subtle of movement from a disturbed bush. Then a muzzle flash.

"Reverse, now!"

The SU-100 lurched backwards and just barely did avoid a shot from the Jackson. The IS-3 and Super Pershing immediately turned around to face the enemy. A gaunt quiet arrived as the four machines stood their ground, those with turrets scanning the environment. Where they were, they had no cover. Exposed. Pinned down by a sniper, like infantry. The four machines dared not move as they feared the one that did would be the next target. But that didn't matter. Another shot was fired, striking the Jagdpanzer and out popped the white flag.

"Goddammit!" Ray exclaimed. "Where are they?"

"I don't see them!" Louise replied. "Is the rest of the team on their way back?"

Ray checked his tablet. "Ten minutes away at the least."

Another shot was fired and it hit and bounced off the upper glacis of the Super Pershing.

"Why are they going for us?" Louise said with puzzlement. "That Jackson can't knock us out from the front. Why aren't they going for Ocotillo? No offense."

"It's cool," Nora replied. "You're on to something, I think."

The Pershing was hit again on its upper glacis, though in a different spot. Ray thought wildly as to what was the purpose when he focused his attention on front hull of the Pershing. It was well armored, but not totally.

"Your hull machine gun." Ray spoke.

"What? We don't have a hull machine gunner. What about it?" Louise inquired.

"Your front armor has a hole it for the hull machine gun to shoot out of. They're aiming for that."

"But...but that's an impossible shot!"

"It can be impossible if you wiggle your hull."

Getting the message, the Super Pershing traversed in place from left to right at random, ensuring that the next hit it soon then received was another bounce.

"Alright, now what? They're still shooting and we don't get eyes on them." Louise remarked.

"Wait for the rest of the team to arrive," Ray told her. "Ocotillo, get behind me and Jackalope. We'll protect you from incoming fire."

The SU-100 remained still.

"Ocotillo?"

"We're going to try something," Nora told them. She then looked toward her gunner. "I trust you Leah. Do what you do."

Leah replied with a nod and brought her eyes to the gun sight. She scrutinized the environment that she could see and when she asked, the tank destroyer traversed as needed. Outside, the Jackson fired another at the Super Pershing and, like before, it bounced.

"Alright Isla," Sienna said sternly. "That's enough at the Super. Take aim and fire on that SU. It's something that you can actually knock out!"

"One more chance, Sienna, please!" Isla begged. "If I can knock out a Super Pershing from the front by hitting that small hull machine gun port, my god, I'll be legendary! It'd be like getting the title of gun shot bride.

Sienna could feel that Isla was obsessed with doing anything that could boast her already impressive career as a gunner.

"Fine. One more shot, but that's it."

"One more is all I need! I'm zeroing in."

The Jackson repositioned. Back at the SU-100, Leah adjusted the magnification of her gun sight and continued her examination of the terrain. She eased her breathing to achieve some level of calm as the last thing she needed was some random movement of her body interfering with her aim. Still, she was sweating all the same. That couldn't be helped. She traversed the gun horizontally when she halted. Her eyes stared at a large bush and noticed a small peculiarity. A perfect, black circle nestled in the bush with faint smoke emanating from within. The muzzle of a cannon that had just fired. Leah grinned.

"G'day. Mate."

At the press of the trigger, she fired a shot that soared down range. The shell tore into the bush and slammed dead center into the Jackson, its crew rocked by the impact. Its hull mangled and a white flag waving in the wind, Port Chalmers was now without their crackshot sniper.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Nora exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around Leah. "You got them! You got them real good!"

"Amazing!" Ray added. "Ocotillo, well done!"

"The long-range nuisance is no more. Vanquished." Louise said calmly with a clap.

Not too long after, the rest of the team arrived. Ray looked toward the T-44 with a smile and got on the radio.

"Oasis, I am proud to report that all enemy tanks on our side of the river have been eliminated."

"Fantastic!" Valarie exclaimed. "Now, we can focus on the rest of them. Just gotta figure out how to deal with their IS-4..."

"Oh. I've got a plan just for that."

Inside the tunnel, the IS-4 was in the same spot it has spent the majority of the match thus far. Quinn had heard all the shooting that transpired outside and was curious. She listened to the radio and got some information of what was going on. Their amphibious platoon was wiped out and the most recent report stated that their Jackson, too, was out of action. Things haven't gone exactly to plan for Port Chalmers but Quinn's orders to hold their position in the tunnel remained firm. She was taking a drink of water when the echos of engines filled the tunnel. Quinn looked forward and soon saw the IS-3, with Ray out of the hatch. He soon stopped.

"Hey there," he greeted. "Told you I'd be back."

"I never doubted you," Quinn replied. She looked behind the IS-3 and saw the Super Pershin, and another tank behind it, and another. "What are you doing?"

"You already know."

"Your gun can't knock me out."

"Who said anything about shooting?"

Quinn looked at him puzzled, her head cocked to the side. "I don't understand."

"Trains' coming."

"W-what?"

"There's a train coming and it ain't making no stops till it reaches the other side."

Ray got into the turret and closed his hatch, leaving a still confused Quinn. But she won't be confused for much longer. The IS-3 speed toward her tank and slammed into their hull, metal screeching as it rubbed against each other. The Super Pershing behind him joined and pushed, as did the tank behind them. The whole team was pushing the IS-4, their combined strength forcing the Soviet heavy tank to give ground. Quinn ordered her tank to drive forward to combat this but their engine strained and whined under the heavy load. The Mojave Rose tankery team, together, kicked out the IS-4 from the tunnel.

"My god, Quinn!" Aaria cried out when she saw the IS-4. "What happened to not giving ground?!"

"I didn't give them anything! They took it!" Quinn retorted.

The IS-4 reversed and yield the tunnel to Mojave Rose. They kept their momentum and the team poured out of the tunnel. First out was the IS-3 who received a flurry of shots but was not harmed. Next was the Super Pershing that withstood the same amount of punishment. These two tanks formed up next to each other and proceeded to open fire on anything that moved. The sight of these armored beasts along with their powerful guns compelled Port Chalmers to start a retreat. The next tank out of the tunnel was the T-44 and it immediately joined the firefight. More of Mojave Rose's vehicles emerged from the tunnel, the VK, ACIV, Panther II, further increasing their firepower. The SU-14 from afar made its presence known, too, by dropping a shell among Port Chalmers' ranks.

"Ugh, this situation is untenable!" Aaria remarked. "Fighting withdrawal! Once we're clear, we turn and drive like hell to our secondary positions!"

The remaining tanks of Port Chalmers reversed while still shooting. Mojave Rose formed into a line and advanced upon them. All the commanders were in their turrets as the outside has become a battlefield in the truest sense of the word. Except for Valarie. She was out of the cupola, using the hatch as her only means of protection. Emma would've complained and demanded that she enter the turret but she was far too busy operating the gun. Shells whistled around Valarie. Some hit and ricocheted off friendly vehicles with others landed and exploded on the ground. One shell hit the ground right next to the T-44 and exploded. Valarie was peppered by debris and felt something nick her arm but her focus was elsewhere. Her body was full of adrenaline and she absolutely loved it. The thrill of the explosions, the whistle of shells flying over head, the sensation of the blast of a cannon, all of these and more Valarie lived for. There was no other place in the world she'd rather be.

Port Chalmers suffered two casualties but they managed to pull back enough to turn around and make their retreat. Mojave Rose engage in pursuit when Valarie then heard the drone of an airplane.

"Ah, supplies!" she said happily. She checked her tablet and saw a diamond-shaped blip. Her smile grew as she saw that the location of the supplies was much closer to them than Port Chalmers. "Juniper, Jackalope, Owl, Arroyo. Move up half a klick and form a front line in case Port Chalmers attempts a counter attack. The rest of us will head to the supplies."

"Copy that, save us some of the good stuff!" Ray replied.

The team split off. Valarie lead the group toward the supplies that were a short distance away. The orange smoke was a much needed sight for Mojave Rose. With ammo, fuel, and food waiting for them, they picked up the pace and parked around the supplies. People hopped out of their tanks and descended upon the crates, tearing them open.

"Let's get some fuel first before anything else," Valarie told her crew. She was the first out of the tank and approached the supply drop. As she grabbed a fuel canister, she felt that the mood changed. Members of the team were looking at her with concerned looks on their faces. "What's wrong guys? Why are you looking at me?"

"Your...arm," Haley said shyly. "Look at your left arm."

Perplexed, Valarie did so and saw what everyone else saw. On her upper left arm, she saw that there was a tear in her uniform that exposed her skin and around this tear was a stain that wasn't sweat. Only then, when the adrenaline finally subside did she feel pain.

"Looks like I got hit," Valarie said plainly. "I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened earlier."

When Emma caught up with her, she reacted much differently.

"Oh...oh my god! Valarie! You're hurt!"

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? Not that bad!?" Emma nearly screamed. "You're bleeding!"

"It's just a nick of the skin."

"Does it hurt?"

"...Yeah. It's starting to sting."

Emma turned to Ashley. "First aid kit and some water. Now."

"Some bandages will do. But, the water?" Valarie asked.

"Cleaning your wound."

"Sounds a bit much to me."

"It's not", Emma responded, looking directly in Valarie's eyes. "A piece of shrapnel has gave you a cut. How are you not...concerned at all?"

"It was something I expected to happen sooner or later. It's a risk that can't be avoided."

"Well, if you could just stay inside the turret—"

"I told you before why I have to be out of the hatch," Valarie said, interrupting her. "I need to see the battle go down as clear as I can and give out the orders as needed."

"And what if you get injured again, hmm?" Emma said, her eyes began to water. "What if instead of your arm, you get hit in your throat?" She stepped closer to Valarie and brought her voice to a whisper. "I don't want to see you fucking bleed out right in front of me."

"The last fatality in tankery was in 1965," Valarie responded, her voice calm and collected. "I'm not going to be the next one. No one on this team will."

Emma wrapped Valarie in a tight embrace. From her breathing, she was on the verge of tears. "I...I just can't bare to see you get hurt."

Valarie rubbed her back. "I know. But it's just the name of the game."

Ashley returned with the first aid and handed it to Emma.

"In that case, you'll have to put up with me patching you up every time you get hurt." Emma declared.

"Oh no, my girlfriend taking care of me," Valarie laughed. "A fate worse than death."

Grinning herself, Emma rolled up Valarie's uniform sleeve and got to work tending to her wound. The rest of the team gathered the supplies and strapped the excess onto their hulls. Heather and Ashley, after putting in more rounds and topping off the fuel tank, watched Emma wrap a bandage around Valarie's arm.

"She's dedicated," Heather remarked. "Real damn dedicated."

"No kidding," Ashley said. "To an unhealthy extreme."

"She needs a break where she does nothing tankery-related for like a week."

Ashley laughed. "Good luck making her."

Emma finished wrapping up Valarie and the pair returned to their tank. With the group laden with supplies, they drove on to rejoin the rest of the team. Over the radio, Valarie ordered the SU-14 to cross the tunnel for they had remained on the other side this whole time. Once they were across, she gave them another order.

"Destroy the tunnel, Sierra."

"With pleasure!" Jacqueline responded. She addressed her crew. "Load an anti-concrete shell!"

The loaders happily complied with their task.

"I love expedited shipping." Raven said with glee as she grabbed one part of the shell.

Within twenty seconds, the anti-concrete round was put together and in the breech. The SU-14 turned around and at short range fired its shell right into the ceiling of the rail tunnel, bringing down a cascade of rubble that sealed it. The battlefield was now truly divided, with only one side of it now populated by the match participants. The artillery drove to a new firing position as the team reformed. The excess supplies were shared with the rest of the team that weren't at the supply drop. Once everyone was restocked on the essentials, and having a fair share of snacks, they drove in one line to cover as much ground as possible. They'll locate enemy. That is an eventuality.


Kilometers away, the remaining forces of Port Chalmers were all together in the middle of the forest. Aaria was contemplating their next move. The battle situation has developed not necessarily to New Zealand's advantage. But, with their IS-4 still operational, they still had the means to do some real damage.

"Would be wise to take up a defensive posture," Aaria thought aloud. "Quinn, you're up front and center. The rest of the team will be right behind for support"

"Copy that," Quinn replied with a quick nod. "And I'm sure you, yourself, will keep out of sight?"

"Well, duh," Aaria told her. "I am the flag tank."

"Gotcha. Let's get ready."


With every meter the Mojave Rose team drove, it mean one less meter Port Chalmers had to hide. They were making steady progress toward the set boundary of the battlefield. Beyond it, it was a no-fire zone. Any tank that crossed this boundary had one minute to return to the area of engagement as soon as possible. Should they fail to do so, the monitoring equipment installed in all tankery-sactioned vehicles would automatically disqualify them from the match.

It was well past four o'clock in the afternoon. The sun had reached its apex in the sky and had started its descent to sink below the horizon. People were starting to feel weary, the match beginning to take its toll. But with both sides feeling that the end was near, they couldn't afford to lose their focus. Not now.

After around twenty minutes of driving, the Mojave Rose soon came upon Port Chalmers holding an elevated position. When the two teams saw each other, the shooting immediately began. The ground in their area quickly became cratered as shells exploded, trees were splintered, and steel hit. The IS-4 drew most of the team's attention, with the tank itself receiving seven shots and bouncing just as many. When Mojave Rose approached close enough, Port Chalmers jointly reversed.

"We're not gonna hurt that IS-4 from the front with any of our guns." Ray remarked as the IS-3 fired another ineffective shot.

"Shoot their tracks," Valarie ordered. "I want that thing to crawl to a stop."

The Panther II was the quickest to respond. They stopped, took aim, and sent an 88mm round that shattered not only the tracks of the IS-4, but destroyed its left roadwheel. The heavy tank could no longer move.

"God, that is going to be agonizing to repair," Quinn remarked. Through her periscopes, she peered at the Panther II. "Amazing a thing like that is actually legal. No matter. We've beaten our fair share of cats. Take them out!"

The IS-4 with a thunderous boom brought down the Panther II with a shot at its turret cheek. Casualties were mounting on either sides with the VK getting immobilized by a Churchill. Though, now with the IS-4 now totally unable to move it was vulnerable to a different type of threat. The SU-14, thanks to the coordinates supplied to them by Valarie, got them ranged in. With an HE shell ready, the artillery piece fired. Valarie from out her hatch paid a close eye to the IS-4. After a few seconds, the round landed right on its engine deck, consuming the machine in a great cloud of smoke and fire. Once crippled, it was now fully eliminated.

"We have you now," Valarie determined. With her binoculars, she surveyed the remaining enemy team and caught a glance of Port Chalmers flag tank before it disappeared from view. "Flag tank spotted. They're running!"

Ray reviewed the map and learned that they were all approaching the boundaries of the battlefield. The avenues of escape were closing fast.

"Oasis, if we press our attack we can push them to the edges of the battlefield then they'll have no chance of escape. Like a snake constricting its prey." Ray suggested.

Valarie couldn't stifle a chuckle. "I like the sound of that. All tanks, increase speed!"

The Mojave Rose moved with a rapidness that matched their eagerness. What more, not only were their main cannons incessantly firing, but also their coaxial machine guns to add on to the chaos of the firefight. A T-34-85 from Port Chalmers suffered a hit from the Super Pershing while a late-model Sherman with the long barreled 76mm took out the Type 97.

"I don't like it when a new crew gets handled that roughly in their first outing," Valarie remarked with scorn. "Fuck them up."

Somewhat taken aback over the overt hostility in Valarie's words, Emma refocused and sent a round to the offending Sherman, bringing an end to them. Port Chalmers' numbers further dwindled, compelling Aaria in her ACIII use the remnants of her team as a distraction while she escapes. Her tank drove down and embankment and attempted to sneak away by moving past Mojave Rose as they fought her team. Yet, Ray spotted this maneuver of her and immediately ordered his tank to do a hard right. The IS-3 barreled over the embankment and nearly came to a crash in front of the ACIII who screeched to a stop to avoid a collusion. Both had their guns aimed at the other but neither tank fired. Ray popped out of his hatch and Aaria followed suit.

"Well. Good to see you again," Aaria said. She looked quite different compared to when the two initially met. Her uniform had become filthy with all sorts of grime and her face screamed exhaustion, with the same to be said about Ray. "Things have taken a turn."

"That they have," Ray replied with a smile. "Looks like we pushed you guys nearly all the way to the boundary."

"You betcha. You made us feel cornered. All claustrophobic."

"Hmm, this edge of the map stuff reminds me of something," Ray recalled, now sporting a smug grin. He crossed his arms. "You ever seen those old medieval-era maps?"

Aaria raised a brow. "I have," she answered, with the shooting of their nearby teams in the background. "More art than maps really."

"Yep. Wanna know what those old cartographers wrote regarding places at the edge of the world?"

"What'd they write?"

Ray leaned in and delivered his answer that doubled as an order,

"Here be dragons."

Once those words left his lips, the IS-3 at point blank annihilated the ACIII with a savage blast from its 122mm cannon. The shooting in the area promptly ceased not long after as over the radios of all the tanks still operation, this announcement was heard by all.

"Mojave Rose of the United States has won! They advance in the world tournament!"


It was the late evening and the Mojave Rose tankery team were celebrating their victory by lounging in their private tent. The team were having relaxed chattered as they unwind from their day when two visitors entered their tent. All too familiar with this part of tankery, Valarie reflexively got up from where she sat and went to meet them.

"Bloody good show, if I say so myself," Aaria complimented. "To tell you the truth, victory is not nearly as important as having fun in these things and fun was definitely had."

"Likewise," Valarie replied. "I've had a blast."

"We had a blast too. Literally. Thanks to your artillery. Really messed with us."

"That's psychological warfare for you."

They both shared a laugh.

"Good luck, you Americans. You got a lot riding on you."

The two captains shook hands. Though before the leadership of Port Chalmers made their departure, Quinn sought out Ray who was sitting next to Natalie, the pair holding hands.

"Hey," Quinn said to him. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Goodbye," Ray said sweetly. "It was great meeting you."

Quinn turned to Natalie, who was eyeing her suspiciously.

"You...you treat him well, okay?"

Natalie tightened her grip on Ray. "I will."

"Okay," Quinn said as she tried to hold it together. "Um...bye. And...ah...g-good luck."

Port Chalmers left the tent. Madison soon after entered and made a beeline to Valarie and gave her a huge hug.

"Another victory under your belt!" she exclaimed. "You must feel ecstatic!"

"I do," Valarie said, her voice weary. "Do you know where our next match is gonna take place?"

"God damn, you already want to know?" Madison asked, bewildered.

"I just wanna know the location to brainstorm a little."

"Well, I'd tell ya if I knew but I don't. Where your next match will be set hasn't been determined yet.

"Gotcha," Valarie said with a stretch. She took off her helmet and let her hair flow down. "Our day is done. Let's go home."

The Mojave Rose team left the spectator's area. They arrived at the ship late in the night after a several hours drive in a bus back to the Port of Hamburg. Now utterly exhausted, the team retired to their apartments. With a mighty bellow of the ship's horn, the vessel departed from port and set sail for the open waters of the Atlantic. The month of August proved to be a fun-filled month and the team hoped that September will be just as good.

Autumn can an enchanting time of year.