...
CHAPTER TWO – Baroness Vetsera
Szene 004: Girls of Sankt Valentin
After passed a courtyard, Diana and Asaka ended up in front of big garage, the furthest aft building of the castle complex. In front of it was a Burstyn Motorgeschütz, the prototype tank of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Asaka deduced the decorating tank was dead. The front of the garage also was decorated by two wide rolling doors. The rightmost door was opened and by the right of the door was a big brass plaque emblazoned by the name of the building written in fraktur font: "Sankt Valentin Werkstatt. Trespasser will be shot." Asaka couldn't tell if the last sentence was a joke or not.
As they got closer to the workshop a roar and whine was heard from outside, accompanied by white smoke and strange smell reaching out from inside the garage, polluting the early night sky.
Asaka stopped. "Um, Vice-commander what is that?"
Diana sighed. "It's okay. It's the project I told you about." She comforted. "Let's go. The smoke already cleared."
Asaka followed Diana entering the workshop, an oxide red Ferdinand and a dark green Panther to its further right greeted them with their imposing size. Asaka was shocked by the look, not because of she had never seen such tanks, but because she didn't expect to see them on this school.
What the bloody hell. I thought this school cannot afford this kind of Panzer.
The Ferdinand was roaring as though in pain, with white smoke billowing from the engine deck. A bunch of girls was working on it.
"Nanami, keep flooring it!" A blonde girl with twin-tailed hair yelled amidst the roar and whine while working in the opened engine deck. "Tamara, tighten that bolt, quick!"
"Uh, it's strange, which screwdriver I have to use?" A brunette said. She was also standing inside the engine deck.
"The Hexagonal one!" The blonde yelled.
"Hecksa-what?"
"The six-sided one, quickly!"
"Done!" The brunette exclaimed
"It's reaching 200 Degrees. He's going to blow!" Another girl yelled from the driver hatch.
"Not on my watch." The blonde yelled confidently as she kicked something inside the engine bay with force.
To which kick and fading out science-fiction-like whining and whirling noises, the Ferdinand stopped roaring widely and started to sounded more or less like a tank would. Everyone sighed in relief. A girl with black hair came out of the driver hatch, looking relieved.
"It's 100 Degrees and continuing to drop." The driver said in relief. "I am turning down the engines and the motors."
"Peculiar, He is fine and dandy two days ago." The blonde sighed.
"Well, that does it Clare!" The brunette cried, throwing a screwdriver to the floor. "This tank is just trash, why is that vampire so hell-bent on fixing this crap?"
"That was not a very careful rant, Tamara." Diana said flatly.
"What! Why?" The brunette asked, as if challenging.
"Bang!" Suddenly a loud metallic noise was echoing across the workshop. Asaka looked to the source of the noise.
Atop the Panther, stood a tall and lean girl, one foot on top of one of the hatches. Her hair was long, and white. Her skin was pale as the snow. But what caught her attention the most was her eyes, scarlet and faintly glowing. She was wearing a variation of the Sensha-Do uniform that Asaka had never seen before. Instead of grey and red, the colour was white and red. Instead of bronze, the buckle was golden. On her collars were big red collar taps with three silver stars pinned on. She also wore a white oversized greatcoat with red lining, worn over her shoulders like some kind of cape.
So, she is really a vampire. Asaka thought in awe.
"Sorry for that, I fell asleep in my Panther over here." Vetsera said, her voice was soft, calm but serious. Asaka felt she had heard the voice before. "But Tamara, let me answer your question with a... hypothetical question. In battle, what would you do if you meet an IS-3, a Super Pershing, or Devil forbids, a Maus?"
"I...I... didn't" Stuttered Tamara, frozen in her place like a deer in the headlights. "I didn't see you there, commander."
"Genau!" Exactly! She squeaked. Then she lightly jumped to the ground.
Vetsera trotted up to Tamara. "You would not do anything, because one generally will deer in the headlights of such beasties. Sensha-Do battle is a battle of wills, Miss Tamara. Now, If we have at least one of the dreaded 88mm cannons in our pocket for the Sensha-Do heavy monsters, the girls will find the competition a bit more...winnable." She explained. She had a suave, quick and brusque manner when talking that reminded Asaka of fictional characters such as Sherlock Holmes.
"But, Commander, we've never had a Sensha-Do battle in over a year, let alone a competitive match." Tamara protested again.
"Yes, I intend to change that." She said with a more serious manner as she picked the screwdriver Tamara threw and fidgeted it in her hands. "Now, let's address the problem. Miss Dietrich?"
"Aye!" The blonde threw a salute with almost comical manner. "It seems, we need to regulate the ignition by installing back the voltage regulator, but this time we rig a cable from it to the speed selector on the driver's panel, so we can bypass it from the driver's seat. I can make it the fourth speed be the bypass switch. The chance of overheating will be reduced, but still very high. Permission to do it, commander?" She said concisely.
"Süß! Lesser chance of being burned alive is always better." Vetsera agreed, excitedly. She handed the screwdriver to the blonde. "Permission granted."
"Another modification? Just what are you two trying to do to the motors?" Said the driver.
"Improvement, Miss Suzuki. Can't make omelette without breaking eggs." The blonde cut in.
Diana cleared her throat, finally announcing Asaka's presence. "Vetsera-sama."
Vetsera finally noticed Asaka. She riveted her scarlet eyes at Asaka for a couple of seconds, then casted a friendly smile.
Vetsera approached and reached out her hand. Asaka took it. "Hello, hello, Asaka Haida, right? Welcome to Workshop Sankt Valentin, our team's own tank restoration and conservation centre. Ich bin die Kommandantin, Viktoria Verena Freiin von Vetsera, at your service. You may call me Verena, in an informal situation."
"Welcome to our commander's overengineered basecamp!" The blonde cheerfully cut in from behind Vetsera.
"That cute blonde is Clarice Dietrich, our own in-house, engineer, mechanic, electrician, piano player and radio operator. She is from engineering studies department, you see. The other girl behind her is the fastest loader in the south, Tamara Murakawa of Sport Studies. And that elementary school teacher over the driver's hatch is Nanami Suzuki, the driver of my panzer, of the Naval Studies. Ladies, miss Haida is here."
"Just Clare is fine." Clare said. She was a small girl with giddy look and long blond hair in two bunch in some sort of twin-tails. She was wearing dark green overall like the other crewmember.
"Yo!" Tamara greeted flatly. She was a brunette with slightly tanned skin and strong posture.
"Hello Asaka. Nice to meet you!" Greeted the driver, almost like a teacher greeted her student, especially with half-rim glasses she was wearing. Then she paused. "Hold on, I am not elementary school teacher!" Nanami shouted at Vetsera.
"Nice to meet you too, everyone. I hope I'm not intruding, you guys looks busy." Asaka said, bowing slightly.
"And now you girls are familiar with each other, would you do the thing I told you earlier, Miss Dietrich? The deadline is afoot." Vetsera said smilingly.
"Aye-aye!" Said Clare, cheerfully saluting to Asaka and Verena before going back to the Elefant. "Miss Suzuki! Bring that crane over here, please!"
"Thank you for helping, everyone!" Vetsera yelled. Then she turned at Asaka. "Now that was not the only reason, I invited you to this humble workshop, Miss Haida." She said gravely, motioning Asaka and Diana to follow her walking. "Let's step away from the 70-tonne fire hazard first.
Szene V: Verena's Volition
"Now, about the Elefant in the room. I was in monumental process of resurrecting it. I found the big guy, along with the Panther and many other tanks in the bilge. All of them are broken and/or prototype tanks, too dead, too unreliable and too rare to be sold or operated. They were relics of a bygone era when our team was the arch-nemesis of Kuromorimine Girls Academy, relics of our glory days, Miss Haida." Verena explained as the three walked towards the Panther.
"This team was once on the same league with Kuromorimine?" Asaka innocently asked, she hadn't heard about it at all.
Verena chuckled. "Yes, in the olden days, our team was a true powerhouse. Kuromorimine, Steyr and Pravda, the trinity were always rivalling each other. Like the older Prussia, Austria and Russia. I want Steyr to rise back back to the trinity."
Rivalling Pravda and Kuromorimine? From a team that hardly joined any competition in the past ten years? That ambition is a bit difficult isn't it?
"So, you are attempting restore all of the old tanks for that?" Deduced Asaka.
"Indeed," Verena said with a cryptic faint smile. Then she returned to her ecstatic self. "This team cannot compete with only a bunch of Turans and Hetzers. I would restore all of the dead tanks screw by screw, if that what it takes to bring this team to its former glory! And, that is what we did with Diana's Tas and my Panther, but I hit a couple of speed bumps when I started on the Elefant due to the nature of its propulsion system." Continued Verena, quickly ecstatically.
The three girls arrived to the Panther. Standing next to it, Asaka could see clearly that this Panther was a very special one, a Panther Ausf. F. The turret is numbered 555, written in bold white on the turret side and rear hatch. The front glacis, above the turret numbers and the side-skirt sported the simplified version of the team emblem, a black two headed eagle and a black heraldic shield depicting a hollow cross on its chest.
Upon reaching the tank, Verena lightly and easily climbed up to the turret and took something from inside the hatch. "Welcome to my home. Please, please sit wherever you like, sorry for the mess." She said excitedly. She then tossed a metal tin at both Asaka and Diana.
Asaka caught the tin without any problems, but surprised Diana almost didn't catch it. Vetsera chuckled at the sight. Her chuckle was soft and more like a giggle.
Asaka looked at the tin she caught. She would be annoyed, if she wasn't astonished at the eccentric commander. "Scho-ka-kola?" She asked.
Verena wiped her hands with a clean towel. "Apologies I can't host a dinner. The school is rich, the sensha-Do club, not so much." She explained, then she put a piece of the chocolate along with her thumb and index finger into her mouth like a child. "Yummy, This alone is a luxury. Uh, You know what? Come sit by me up here. Both of you!"
Diana, Vetsera and Asaka sat side by side and shoulder to shoulder atop the turret, facing its left. On far side of them Nanami and Clare was working on the Elefant.
Asaka was sitting on Verena's left. Verena was at least 6 centimetres taller than Asaka's 166-cm self.
The night wind from the opened doors fluttered her white hair to Asaka's direction, sending sweet-smelled aroma that she didn't know came from her body or her hair. Asaka also noticed her beauty. She had fine high cheekbones, fair skin and graceful face features. However, her scarlet eyes were lonely and distant, gazing voidly to far end of the workshop.
Verena put another piece of chocolate into her mouth again. "Where were we? Ah, as I was saying. The Elefant and this cat is fairly competent panzers. But, we know that materiels is not the only matters for our team, be an easy matter if it is." She rambled while chewing the chocolate. "Say, A-Chan. What would you do to unite the team?"
What? Is she testing me or something? And who the devil is A-Chan? Thought Asaka. She cleared her throat. "Well, I don't know I am qualified to answer that question, Commander."
"Nonsense." She chuckled. "Anyone is qualified to answer. The answer, on the other hand..."
"Maybe just speak your mind, miss Haida. Humour her." Diana finally said.
"Well, for the first, I'd ask you to address the crew more often. There's a rumour circling around the new members that you're really a vampire."
"Hey Asaka!" Diana glared.
Vetsera burst out laughing. "It's okay, It's funny and true. Perhaps, I should catch some sunshine more often. So what is the second suggestion, A-Chan?"
Asaka shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a match or something. I joined the team for a tank battle, and the only thing this team fighting so far is themselves."
"A common enemy, hmm." Vetsera leaned over and rests his chin on the back of her right hand, as though deep in thought and contemplation.
"A match these days might be impossible, not when the 63rd Nationals is under way."
"It's not entirely impossible, Diana. We can ask the eliminated team, or have the match for another time." She murmured while still deep in thought. "Hmm, well, naturally we cannot challenge too much a stronger team, lest the morale will be even more broken."
Then Verena snapped her fingers. "I have an idea." She cried. "But first, I have to ask. A-Chan do you want to be my gunner?"
The question struck Asaka like an 8.8 cm shell to the face. She paused for a moment. "O... kay, maybe. I don't see any reason to refuse...But, are you sure, Commander? Me in my last team was..."
"Perfect." Verena blurted. "The Ashen Shark of that certain school, there's no one better to man this cat." Said Verena as her finger drummed the turret roof. She then smiled widely. "I don't care about the nasty things."
Asaka looked at Diana, she only nodded. "Congratulations." Said she. "Don't disappoint her."
"I haven't actually shot a Panther gun." Said Asaka, still reluctant.
Verena laughed again. "Don't worry, I can assure you it's much better than any your old tanks, it's a Panther F, for devil's sake!" She said excitedly. She then produced a leather pouch from her pocket and handed it to Asaka. "A gift."
Asaka opened the pouch, it was a red silk gorget patch in the shape of a right-angled trapezoid with a metallic relief of a five-sided star. "Collar taps? I thought only Overall Commander and Vice-commander wear this?"
"...And their crewmates." Diana added. "The crew of the Commander and Vice-commander wears such taps to distinguish themselves as crew of the command tanks. It's an old tradition."
"The commanders' crewmates and distinguished members wears it. I say you're at least two of those things. A-Chan." Said Verena.
"I..." Asaka paused. "Thank you, Commander."
And, suddenly, as if on another cue, the Elefant whined to life again, this time, it was smoother and with notable absence of fire and smoke. After a moment, Clare stood atop the casemate. "Sweet Apple Pie! It's working!" She shouted at the trinity.
Verena, stood up and gave a thumb up over to the engineer. "Sehr gut, Fräulein Dietrich, Sehr gut." She shouted. She then sat down and put her arms over the shoulder of the vice-commanders and pulled them to her, flushing them both. "See that, Diana, Asaka. That is a good premonition. I have a good feeling about this team!"
"Now, about my idea. Miss Haida, how about we and the crew catch some sun while watching the semi-finals?"
Chapter II – Baroness Vetsera – END