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CHAPTER V – The Red Chapter
Szene 9: Red Alert
Three weeks after that drama in the coffeehouse window, Svetlana was walking home from the class to her room. Knackered by academics that she never cared of, she walked lazily. On her way to her dorm, she passed landmarks of the Pravda High School, The Red Square, The Red Hall, The Red Campus. Around her way, she saw red flags, red-painted walls, reddish side walk, and red star decorations.
Svetlana sighed in exhaustion. Oh comrade, I really hate red. She thought to herself.
Svetlana arrived in front of her room in the Red Dormitory, home of the brightest or the most resourceful students of Pravda, or both like her. The reddish wooden door of room number 25.10R greeted her like hundred times before, but something was very wrong. The door was unlocked, and Svetlana wasn't the type to forget to lock her door either.
Whoever did this might be still inside. She thought.
She wished she had her Tokarev, the rifle which she had used to hunt games since she was five. Alas, the rifle was inside. Unarmed and possibly heading for an ambush, she left the door and headed to an alternate entrance.
The window to her bathroom was big enough and it could be silently opened with ease. As soon as Svetlana inside the bathroom, she took a knife she stashed long beforehand and sneaked into the living room.
At Svetlana's computer desk in the bedroom, sat a tall girl with long straight black hair. Svetlana knew the girl very well. The girl hadn't realised Svetlana's presence, so she approached behind her and lunged. Placing the knife on her throat by the blunt spine, she held the girl frozen.
"Comrade." Svetlana whispered.
"Red." The girl acknowledged.
Don't call me that. Svetlana spun her knife, now pressing the knife's edge to her throat. "Wrong choice of colour." She threatened.
"Don't let your emotion lower your guard." The girl advised.
With that warning, Svetlana felt a barrel of a familiar rifle on the back of her head. "Привет!" Hello! A girl behind her said.
"До свидания." Goodbye. Svetlana replied.
With a single movement, Svetlana wheeled back, disarmed the girl, and took her rifle back. She now had a good look at her.
The new girl was unfamiliar to Svetlana. For all Svetlana knew, she could be an actual Russian, beautiful, tall with blue eyes and long blond hair. The girl looked bewildered by the fact that she was disarmed, like a kicked puppy.
Who on earth are you? Svetlana pondered as she aimed the sight at the blonde.
And that's when Svetlana felt a cold steel on her throat.
"Didn't I tell you to not let your emotion lower your guard?" The black-haired girl said as she pressed the knife to Svetlana's throat.
Svetlana chuckled. "You did, Comrade Vice-commander Nonna."
Svetlana understandingly lowered the rifle, and handed it to the blonde. "Be careful with that. That's an heirloom."
"And It's empty." Nonna said as the blonde showed the empty magazine and receiver to her. Nonna then released Svetlana.
"Of course, it's empty." Svetlana walked to the door. "Good one, well played." She said as she opened the front door and showed it to both of her guest. "Same time next week?"
"No, we have something to talk about." Nonna said as she sat back down in Svetlana's chair. The other girl also sat on Svetlana's bed nearby.
In my bloody room. Svetlana sighed. "You're the comrade."
Svetlana walked to the kitchen. "Tea? Or something stronger perhaps?" Svetlana asked in Russian.
"No, thank you." Nonna said.
"Something stronger?" The blonde asked.
"That's the girl," Svetlana encouraged from her kitchen. "I can make a pair of White Russian for both of us, um miss..."
"Thank you. I am the new girl, Klara."
Svetlana peered from the kitchen to the bedroom, trying to get another look at her.
"Ah I heard about you, Welcome to Pravda."
She amicably smiled. "Let us have a one-on-one game next time. I will not let you disarm me again." Her expression was friendly but the words sounded like a threat, reminding Svetlana of herself...
"Thanks. But I doubt it. There won't be anyone saving your hide if we go at it again." Svetlana replied with her usual polite tone as she made the drinks for her guests.
"What makes you so sure? There's only one way to find out." Klara argued again while playing with Svetlana's rifle.
"Because, my dear, I am simply better. Here's your drink." Svetlana returned to the bedroom with a couple glasses of beverage. Svetlana pulled a second chair and sat down. "So, you're invading my privacy again, comrade Vice-commander."
"Privacy is often contrary to the collective good." Nonna answered flatly while browsing a file on her hands.
"Of course." Svetlana giggled. That's a way of Pravda for you.
"Do you remember what happened two weeks ago, Svetlana?" Nonna asked.
"Are you joking? Oh, who am I kidding, you're never joking. What happened a fortnight ago is we lost our semi-finals match. And that was on you two, you and Comrade Katyusha. I made myself clear to bombard the church while Oarai was trapped."
Nonna glared at her and somehow, Svetlana felt Klara did too.
"Yes, you made yourself very loud and very clear. Something that could send you to Siberia in a heartbeat, if you were not the next in line to be the commander. Do you still think you could do it better?" Nonna said, still as flat.
Svetlana shrugged. "Hell, if I know. I am just a humble T-34 commander." She said, as she thirstily took her first sip.
"Don't get me wrong, because I believe you could."
Svetlana almost choked on her vodka-and-coffee. "Blin! That's new."
"In fact, you'll have your chance to prove yourself, just not with Oarai."
"Wait, you intend to accept Steyr-Kebab's challenge, don't you? After all these weeks?"
"It has been decided. And after we lost to Oarai, our team's morale is at all-time low since Katyusha first took command. It's only natural to respond the challenge now." Nonna handed Svetlana the file she was reading. "Since you provoke them three weeks ago, they have changed. The members are now somewhat united. They practice and get stronger every day. They upgraded and restored their tanks. All because the possibility of fighting an ancient enemy, us. "
"All because of me? I am truly flattered."
Svetlana read the file. The first page she read was a page full of photos of high school girls along with their stats and data and pictures Steyr in practice sessions and parade. One photo caught her attention. The commander of Steyr was inside an open-topped 1910 Gräf & Stift Double Phaeton, surrounded by a crowd of cheering students. With the outfit she was wearing, the picture looks like a picture of a Habsburg Archduke on a state visit.
"Well done, Baroness. Ruling suits you." Svetlana whispered in awe.
She opened the next page. It was a collection of newspaper and magazine clippings the news on the clippings was more like propaganda than actual news, and it steered against one name: Red.
"Red. All that for calling that school a Rip-off." She murmured to herself. "Well, I admit I stepped out of line."
You don't deserve to be even near a tank! That words haunted her again.
"Are you angry?" Klara innocently asked, pulling Svetlana back to reality.
"A little," She replied as she handed the file to Klara involuntarily. "At least my anger doesn't 'purge' my own teammates." Svetlana chuckled.
"Exactly. Your mouth always brings trouble, you know that?" Nonna warned.
"Indeed, it does. So, when will we fight this Steyr? Has Comrade Katyusha decided it, yet?"
"Neither Katyusha nor me, we've important matter to attend to. Svetlana, you will be the commander for this match. This paper is the tank & crew line-up recommended by Katyusha herself." Nonna handed another file.
"Recommended means ordered, right? Alright, I can do that." Svetlana complied with a confident tone.
"And Klara will be the second-in-command. I hope you two get along."
"Understood." Klara complied, she then winked at Svetlana. "Let's do our best, Svetlana!"
Svetlana frowned. The transfer student as a Vice-commander? She thought. Well, this team has no competent leader other than Katyusha, Nonna and me.
"What's the match details?" Svetlana asked Nonna.
"It's a ten-vs-ten annihilation match against Steyr-Kebab Alliance. Night match. Next week."
"Hold on. Which military genius agreed to that one? That kind of match is clearly designed to disadvantage us." Svetlana questioned.
"Comrade Katyusha did. Whatever the match, Pravda is still Pravda, and Steyr is still Steyr, so is Kebab. Unless, it is too hard for you, Svetlana."
"No... no. I will beat them. It's just very unfortunate to overconfidently let go of big advantages, don't you think? Does Oarai ring a bell?
"Your sarcasm is noted, Red." Nonna answered ominously.
Red. Svetlana tsk-ed "And our ally?"
"Our ally will be Pravda and Pravda alone, Svetlana. We have enough tanks for anything." Klara added.
Svetlana chuckled. "And hands of Katyusha will guide us, spiritually of course, because she has a matter to attend to." Jested Svetlana with a dramatic tone as she opened the file and started reading.
Svetlana paused as she saw the name of a tank printed on the papers and made sure it was just the non-alcoholic vodka.
Three75mm T-34s, Three 85mm T-34s, a KV-2, an IS-2, one T-44-100. Hold on, a bloody T-44-100!
Svetlana whistled. "A T-44-100, comrade? This will be the first time we use the prototype tank."
"Intelligence reported that in the last few months, they ordered one 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, one 7.5cm Kw.K.44/1 L/70, one 29/44M. 80 mm L/58, a couple hundreds of their varying ammunitions, and spare parts belonged to Elefant, Panther and Tas, among other things. Besides, you always want to use the T-44-100, right? Consider it's a gift from Lady Katyusha."
"So, you're saying this line-up is based on shopping bills?" Said Svetlana. "Where did they get the big tanks in the first place?"
"The theory is that they restored the tanks of old Steyr. Only a fool would challenge Pravda with only Hetzers and Turans. Verena is anything but a fool."
"Well, that might be true." Svetlana murmured in thought.
Nonna stood up. "Well, that would be all. I expect you two to lead the team for the practice starting tomorrow. Thanks for the time, Comrade Svetlana. I have to go."
"And I as well," Said Klara, bowing. "Thanks for the drink, Svetlana. See you tomorrow!"
...
That night, Svetlana lay on her bed. Gazing the ceiling of her room, thinking about what was just transpired. She had a bad feeling about this match.
Ten against ten tanks, against the Vampire of Styria, in the damned darkness. And then, there is this Klara character. Svetlana pondered. The two girls just appeared inside my room, giving me a few pieces of paper and asked me to lead a team. Indeed, this is my mess in the first place, but still...
Service and Skill, remember, Red? Verena's voice echoed in her mind. Remember, Red? Red?
She abruptly pulled her blanket over her head and tried to sleep.
I really hate red.
Chapter V – The Red Chapter – END?