Dein Weg ist Mein Weg
Chapter XXXIX
Katyusha's Gambit
The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers whipping back-and-forth was all that filled the large truck as it moved across the frozen battlefield, rocking violently as the cold winds buffeted it from all sides.
A superstitious commander would see it as an omen, but Katyusha was not a superstitious commander. She knew every strength and every weakness of both her own team and her opponents. She knew of the recent additions to the enemy's forces, and of Nishizumi's reputation.
Neither of which frightened her in the least.
If anything, she was far closer to laughter than tears. She was facing a school full of losers, with a second-rate commander at the helm. It was almost enough to make her laugh. She had defeated them last year, and she would defeat them again. The next ten, no, twenty years of the tournament belonged to Pravda, the powerhouse she had forged with her own two hands. Her legacy was all but secured. All that stood between her and true, immortal greatness was her pitiful excuse of an opponent, and once she had slain this dragon once more, it would be within her grasp.
"We have arrived, Katyusha," Nonna said calmly as the truck came to a halt, and turned off the engine. "But are you certain about this? It is not good to be overconfident."
"Hah, Katyusha is not overconfident. Katyusha is just the right amount of confident! The Great Katyusha beat her last year, and will beat her again this year! They are all inferior to the great Katyusha, and they need to know it! To understand how far below the might of Pravda these ants stand!"
"Very well, Katyusha" Nonna conceded. "[We still have a match to win, though, so at least try not to upset her,]" she added in Russian.
"What was that?!" Katyusha asked. "I've told you to speak Japanese!"
"I was just saying that our enemies should consider themselves lucky to be graced by a visit from great Katyusha," Nonna smiled, and exited the vehicle. The fresh snow creaked under her feet as she made her way around the truck to let Katyusha out, before the two marched the final few meters over to the enemy staging ground.
"Alright, where's your commander?!" Katyusha called with a scornful laugh at one of the tank crews in their dark jackets as they worked on the German tank before them. "Tell Nishizumi that the Great Katyusha will speak with her!" Some of the tankers looked over towards Katyusha and Nonna with some uncertainty, but no one moved to do as she had commanded. She was about to have Nonna clarify that it was not a suggestion, but then she laid eyes on her prey. "Nishizumi!"
A dozen or so meters away, the girl she had spent every waking moment of the past few weeks studying came walking out behind a German tank, her short brown hair fluttering in the cold wind. Nishizumi glanced up from the clipboard she was carrying with a dour, disinterested expression as she walked, and paused for a moment, seemingly puzzled at the sight of Katyusha, but without any of the interest that would imply. "Snowstorm Katyusha…" she said in the same disinterested tone that her expression conveyed, "You're shorter than I expected." With that, she returned her gaze to the clipboard and continued on the same trajectory as before, walking over towards another tank.
"How dare you…" Katyusha growled, and with a short series of quick, well-practiced movements made her way atop Nonna's shoulders. "You are all beneath the Great Katyusha! Your tanks, your skills, and your height, Kuromorimine Scum!" she added in a taunting and confident laugh.
If Nishizumi was intimidated or infuriated by Katyusha's comments, she didn't show it. She didn't even react, as if Katyusha, now that she was no longer of interest, had simply ceased to exist. Instead, Nishizumi simply continued her inspection and made a small, nearly unnoticeable nod to one of her subordinates as she walked. "Erika," she called quietly, and within moments a girl with snow-white hair was walking beside her, always keeping two steps perfectly behind as if she was a clockwork doll.
"Hey!" Kayusha called out in annoyance, trying to regain Nishizumi's attention. "Don't you dare ignore Katyusha! We will crush you like the Siberian winter! We'll destroy every last one of you like Bagration destroyed Army Group Center! And now that your sister's gone, all the glory will belong to Katyusha, you stuck-up dogs!"
The mention of her sister made Nishizumi stop, just as she was about to disappear behind another tank.
"I see I am dealing with fools yet again. How disappointing…" she said coldly, and turned around with an expressionless void of a face that sent chills down Katyusha's spine. "But I feel magnanimous today, so allow me to teach you a lesson: There is only one Nishizumi, and I do not share that imposter's weakness."
"Y-you will… I… I mean…" Katyusha stammered out, her entire body feeling cold and unresponsive as she tried to formulate a response. "W-we w-will… We'll b-b-beat y-yo-..."
"It is said we only gain wisdom through suffering," Nishizumi continued, completely ignorant of Katyusha's stuttering reply, "and today I will make you very wise." Without another word or moment, she turned and walked away, her white-haired subordinate following just as robotically as before.
"[Nonna!]"
"[Ah, Klara,]" Nonna nodded in acknowledgement when she saw the blonde sprinting towards her. "[Is everything ready for the battle?]"
"[Yes, everything has been prepared, and everyone has been drilled in the commander's plan,]" Klara replied, and slowed down to match Nonna's pace as she approached. "But, is everything alright with Miss Katyusha? She hasn't seemed herself since you came back from Kuromorimine's camp.]"
"[She's completely fine,]" Nonna reassured, although after a short pause she wavered slightly and added "[at least I hope she is. It seems that facing the younger Nishizumi shook her quite badly, although she kept on insisting she was perfectly alright on our drive back.]"
"[Poor Katyusha…]" Klara said with a solemn sigh. "[She was so excited to outdo herself from last year.]"
"[Indeed,]" Nonna agreed. "[It's a shame being scared makes her seem so adorable,]" she added with a light chuckle and a rare smile. One which Klara soon shared in as they neared Katyusha's command tent. "Katyusha, the match is beginning soon. Are you rea-"
"Huh-wha?! Didn't anyone teach you to knock?!" Katyusha yelled in annoyance as she panickedly tried to escape from the great wall of blankets and pillows she had fortified herself within.
It took all of Nonna's composure and strength of will not to react, but just behind her she could hear Klara let out a small giggle. Luckily for her, Katyusha didn't notice. She was too preoccupied with making it seem like she had in fact not done what the two of them had just come upon her doing.
"[I don't care if I get demoted, that is the cutest thing I have ever seen,]" Klara said in a low voice.
"[Really makes you wish you had a camera at the ready, doesn't it?]" Nonna replied.
"H-hey!" Katyusha yelled as she finally escaped her self-made prison, and re-adjusted her tanker's cap. "What was that?! I've told you to stop speaking Russian!"
"Apologies, Commander Katyusha," Klara said with a bow, and left the tent.
"Is everything alright, Katyusha?" Nonna asked once they were alone, as Katyusha made her way over to the small desk in the corner, sitting down in the chair beside it. "There is no shame in being scared, you kno-"
"I'm not scared!" Katyusha protested, as she distractedly pushed some of the pieces on the nearby chess set around. "Why should I be afraid of-... of-... of s-someone l-like h-... I'm not afraid, alright?!"
"Of course not," Nonna answered with a nod. She knew there was no point in pushing further. "Still, the battle will begin soon. We should get ready."
"Right… right…" Katyusha mumbled, before taking a deep breath and leaning back in the chair. "We're changing the plan," she said confidently after a moment, and lurched forwards once more, peering over the board. "I'll show her who's short…" she added and pushed one of the bishops into place, before knocking over the opposing king. "Alright, come on!" she said triumphantly and burst to her feet from the chair, storming out of the tent with confident steps. Nonna simply smiled privately at the sight, and followed after.
"So, what does this new plan of yours entail?" she asked as she caught up with Katyusha. It didn't take long, considering the natural difference in their strides.
"We're dropping the Ruy López opening," Katyusha explained as they walked. "I'll break Nishizumi in the first minutes with the Scotch Game instead. She won't know what hit her!"
"I see," Nonna replied. "I take it you want me and Klara to stay behind then, instead of moving out like planned?"
"You'll stay at the back with me as a tactical reserve."
"Very well," Nonna said with a small, sly smile as she reached down to help Katyusha get atop her T-34/85. "We'll protect you well, Katyusha."
"It's not for me! And I'm not scared!" Katyusha said angrily. "It's just in case of emergencies, if she does something unexpected. That's all!"
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes, Commander," Erika replied and snapped to attention, her arm raising in salute almost automatically as Miho approached her. "All preparations are completed, and the team is awaiting your orders, Commander."
"Well done, Erika." Erika felt a wave of warmth run through her body as Miho's words washed over her, driving out even the most biting cold of the arctic battlefield. Miho paused as she reached Erika, and began to slowly pace back and forth before her as she continued. "You have done well today, Erika," she said in a cold, low voice, keeping Erika frozen in place with nothing but a few syllables as she waited with baited breath on Miho's every word. "You seem to finally have learned your place well," Miho continued, and brushed the hair from Erika's cheek with the back of her hand. "You didn't raise your voice even once towards our 'opponents'. You behaved yourself perfectly."
"Th-thank you, co-hah-commander…" was all Erika managed to say. Her mind was too mushy from the commander's praise to say much more.
"In fact, I think you've made yourself deserving of a reward; You'll command the vanguard today."
"I-I… I will?" Erika stammered as her focus began to cling to the word 'command', slowly returning to her. "B-but, commander… su-surely you should lead us? To avenge last year? I don't think I could-"
"Perhaps that is the issue," Miho said coldly as she slammed her hand against the Königstiger behind Erika, taking a step forwards to keep her in place. "Perhaps you lack the necessary vision, when it comes to producing the proper results… Just like her…" she added with a scornful smirk.
"N-no… I can… I can do it… I promise!" Erika blurted out, even as she had ever increasing difficulty to think clearly. Her heart was racing wildly and her mind was fogging over as Miho pressed her knee between hers, pinning her skirt against the tank behind her and preventing any escape or movement. "I'm nothing like her! I'll make you proud, Commander!" she finally yelled back in protest.
"Oh, my sweet Erika..." Miho nodded with a satisfied smirk, keeping her eyes locked with Erika's as she reached her free hand down Erika's leg, letting her fingers play around the hem of her skirt. "Pravda are nothing but a bunch of incompetent fools. Once we kick down the door, the whole rotten structure will collapse." Miho's other hand then left the cold metal of the Königstiger's side armor, instead curling itself around the nape of Erika's neck. "I know you won't disappoint me. Will you?"
"O-of course not! I will… I will… I'll do anything you ask!" Erika answered with a whimpering nod, as Miho's freezing fingers sent chills down her spine and her other hand sent warmth pulsing up her leg.
"Good girl…" With a final venomous smirk, Miho pushed Erika further back against the tank, pressing her body so close against Erika's that they might as well have been one, and kissed her. Erika knew from experience that there was no point in resisting, nor did she have any interest in even trying, as Miho's tongue pierced between her lips like a red-hot dagger and turned her thoughts to mush.
The world was dark and cold. There was nothing. Nothing but the cold and the darkness. Until finally, it began.
A whizz and a bang.
Far off in the distance, as if she was at the bottom of the sea, Erika could hear it. The signal rocket, marking that the battle had begun. She slowed her breathing and gripped the edge of the cupola tight, slowly steadying herself and clearing her mind. Just like Miho had taught her.
Just like Miho…
She waited with baited breath, frozen in place as she felt the cold air flow through her lungs. Until at last, after what felt like an eternity, the radio crackled to life.
"Erika… Begin."
Miho's command was simple and her words were short, but to Erika they were a symphony of warmth caressing her ears as she finally opened her eyes and stared out across the frozen wastes. She knew exactly what Miho wanted. She was the only one who knew, the only one who understood. She wanted Erika to destroy them all.
"Yes, Commander..." she said coldly to herself, reaching a hand to the mic clasped against her throat as all around her the whirr and rumble of engines sprung to life. Reaching a hand out before her, she could feel Miho's hand upon hers, guiding her, acting through her, like they were one and the same. Erika smiled and shuddered at the thought, before finally giving the order. "Kampfgruppe Erika; Panzer marsch!"
The roaring engines of her subordinate tanks answered, and as one, they began moving out across the barren and snowy fields.
"King's Knight, report in," Katyusha called into her handset, and watched her breath fog up in the cold air as she waited. A few seconds later, the radio crackled to life.
"King's pawn and Queen's pawn have reached E4. We're holding at F3 for now," Emiko Amemori, commander of the BT-5 codenamed King's Knight, answered. King's Pawn and Queen's Pawn were the two T-34/76s that joined in Pravda's vanguard.
"Any sign of the enemy?"
"No visual sightings yet, Commander," Emiko replied. "But we think they're getting close. King's pawn says they see exhaust smoke at E6."
"If you get a visual, engage them as best you can," Katyusha ordered. "I'm sending Queen's Bishop's Pawn to support you, but whatever you do, don't give up the town before I say so. Make them fight like their lives depend on it for every street! Not one step back until White Queen and the Bishop's are in position, d'ya hear?!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Bounce, Commander. Negative damage."
"Dammit!" Leila swore, and slammed the side of her fist against the Panther's interior wall beside her. "Take aim and fire again!"
"KMM-312, report!" Erika's bitter voice called in her headset, and Leila reached over to flip a switch on her radio before responding.
"We're pushing them back, Commander," she replied. A shell pinging violently against her turret's side armor caused her to flinch, but barely a moment later she continued. "These Pravda girls are just so damn stubborn. Every time we push them out of cover, they just move back a block and make us do it all again!"
"Any casualties yet?"
"KMM-264 got a track blown off as we approached the town, but they should have it fixed soon. No other casualties, Commander."
"This is taking far too long…" Leila heard Erika mutter. "This is boring me," she commented a moment later, before giving a new command over the full team channel. "KMM-100, move in to support our advance. All other forces; distract the enemy, and keep driving them back!"
"Queen to King," Nina's voice crackled over the radio. "We've reached F3 and are in position. So are King's Bishop and Queen's Bishop."
"Any opposition?" Katyusha asked. "Did anyone spot you?"
"Negative, Commander. Kuromorimine are too busy with King's Knight and the Pawns around D4 and E4."
"Excellent," Katyusha mumbled to herself with a satisfied smirk. "Load HE-shells, aim, and prepare to fire. How long until you are ready?"
"54 seconds," Nina answered, after what sounded like a quick referral with Alina.
"Then I want you to synchronize your fire with King's Bishop and Queen's Bishop, and be ready to fire at will exactly one minute from now!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Knowing that every moment of the next minute would count, Katyusha swiftly switched channels on the radio. "Calling King's Knight and all Pawns in the vicinity of E4," she yelled into the handset, making sure to let her tone of voice convey the urgency of the order. "Fall back to D2, and abandon the defense of E4. Give those Germanophilic dogs what they want, and fall back!"
"Yes Commander!" a trio of voices replied, coupled with some other form of acknowledgement on how they were retreating.
"Commander, this is Queen Bishop's Pawn!" Aemi Sakai called. "We are pinned down near the town square. We can't fall back! Please, send reinforcements to draw the enemy's fire."
Katyusha swore privately to herself upon hearing this, an old Ainu curse she had heard during her summers back home. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist, hoping to find evidence that it would be doable, when she already knew that the opposite was true.
"Queen Bishop's Pawn…" she said slowly, standing up in the cupola so she could just barely make out the firefight still raging in the center of the distant town. "I'm… I'm sorry. I can't send you any help. Thank you for your valiant efforts, and I know you will make me proud in the finals as well."
"I… I understand..." Aemi responded after a few moments. "We'll see you on the other side, Commander."
"Commander Katyusha?" Nina's voice asked in Katyusha's ear. "We have our aim and the guns are loaded."
"Yes…" Katyusha said quietly to Ami, "I'll see you on the other side." She then flicked a switch on her radio to once again connect to Nina, solemnly glanced over at Nonna in the IS-2 beside her, and pressed the button to speak. "You may fire at will. Unleash Hell."
The air shattered and cracked with thunderous booms as Queen and the two Bishops, Pravda's KV-2 and ISU-152 tanks, roared to life and opened fire on the town, drowning it and everything within it in a hailstorm of smoke, dirt, gunpowder, loose brick, and fire. Then the cannons roared once more, leaving no time for the dust to settle or anything within the town to seek shelter. Another set of roars, another set of explosions, taking each other's place seamlessly in what appeared to be an unending cycle, until two minutes later, Katyusha once more raised the handset to her lips.
"Cease fire." Pravda's heavy guns died down, leaving a strange, unnatural quiet in their place, and a light ringing in the ear of anyone even remotely close by. The town was no more, an enormous cloud of dust and smoke and dirt slowly dissipating over, but still hiding most of the rubble and ruins that the bombardment had reduced the town to. Katyusha paused for a moment, and gazed upon her handiwork, much like she had done against St. Gloriana last year. She sighed, drew a deep breath to calm herself, and then spoke once more. "King's Knight, Queen's Pawn, King's Pawn!" she ordered with a thunderous and haughty yell. "Advance to E4, and mop up what's left of their vanguard! Then we'll take the fight to Nishizumi!"
She let go of the handset and leaned back against the cold rim of the cupola, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Glancing over to Nonna, she saw her vice-commander looking upon her with concern and worry, and in an effort to dissuade any further such looks, Katyusha muttered something inaudible, crossed her arms and looked away with bitter pout, before sliding back down into the relative warmth of the turret, closing the hatch above her.
If there was one thing Katyusha hated about Sensha-Do, it was all the waiting. Waiting to see if a shot had done its job, waiting for tanks to get in position, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Every second felt like a minute and every minute like an hour, and she hated it. She tried to simply lean back in her seat and casually kick her legs, but that got just as boring as waiting very quickly.
"Queen's Pawn to King."
Katyusha's face lit up like a christmas tree at the radio call, and almost fell out of her seat as she lunged for the handset.
"Copy, Queen's Pawn!" she replied excitedly. "Status report!"
"We're at E5 now. We count four downed Panthers, and Queen's Bishop's Pawn eliminated. No one's been hurt though."
"Any enemies still left?"
"Negative, Commander," Ren Kobashigawa, commander of the T-34/76 designated King's Pawn, interjected. "There's nothing but rubble left here. We'll hold the crossroad while you prepare to move ou-..." The radio went silent for a moment, and in the distance the faint echo of cannonfire could be heard, before the radio once again crackled to life with far more panicked tones. "What the?! Queen's pawn is downed, I repeat, Queen's Pawn is downed!"
"What on earth is that?!" Emiko yelled in frightened panic.
"I don't know!" Ren yelled back. "Rotate 40 degrees and fire!"
"Nothing should have survived that bombardment!"
"Obviously you're wrong, because it's still moving! Shoot dammit, Shoot!"
"What's going on down there?!" Katyusha yelled into the handset and opened the hatch above her, springing to her feet to see the town from the cupola. "King's Knight! Status report! King's Pawn! Answer me!"
"It just won't stop!" Emiko's crackling yell answered, completely unresponsive to Katyusha's command. "It's humongous!"
"Fall back!" Ren yelled back. "We need to retreat! Now! It's a goddamn Ma..." She didn't get a chance to finish the sentence before her line went silent, her yells replaced by a monotonous crackle.
"King's Pawn is down! Falling back!" Emiko reported. "It just won't budge, nothing we throw at it even leaves a scratch! Commander, we need reinforcements! We need them no-..."
"Emiko! What's down there?!" Katyusha yelled bitterly into her handset. "Ren! Answer me!"
But the only reply she got was the whistle and crackle of a dead line.
Whatever was down in those ruins, it just took out three of her tanks in the span of less than a minute...
"It's quiet…" Nikki Mukai, the commander of the ISU-152 Queen's Bishop commented as they entered the remains of the town square.
"Too quiet…" her twin-sister Kimie, commanding Queen's Bishop's own twin King's Bishop, agreed. "Are we sure this isn't just some prank by the Pawns?"
"They know better than to joke around during a battle. Especially during the semi-finals," Nonna replied as her IS-2 came to a halt between them. "Make a loop of these blocks here," she added, and pointed to a pair of "blocks", even though they were really nothing more than some vaguely square piles of rubble. "Don't take any unnecessary risks, and assume there's an enemy around every corner. I want constant updates, and the moment you see anything, report it at once."
"Yes, miss Nonna!" the two twins said in unison, and disappeared into the hatches of their tanks before moving out on their reconnaissance mission.
"This is King's Rook," Nonna continued into her radio once the twins had left and she had set out to search her own sector. "There's currently no sign of enemy activity."
"Well, keep looking!" Katyusha yelled back. "Whatever that Baba Yaga is, it took out three tanks like it was nothing!"
"Don't worry, Katyusha," Nonna chuckled. "I'll be careful."
"What?! W-why should I care?" Katyusha stammered, before composing herself back to her usual, angry self. "It's not like I'm worried or scared or anything!"
"Of course not," Nonna calmly replied, indulging in a small private smile at her teasing. "[Klara, keep alert and make sure to protect Katyusha in my absence,]" she added in Russian, leaving the conversation solely in her and Klara's realm of understanding.
"[Of course, Nonna. I will protect her with my life,]" Klara answered. "[Happy hunting.]"
"Hey! That was definitely about me!" Katyusha yelled. "Stop! Speaking! Russian!"
An ear-shattering boom a few blocks away made Nonna instantly switch back to her local channel, leaving Katyusha and Klara to the linguistic debate that would surely follow.
"Contact, one tank! Grid KS-12!" Kimie yelled over the radio.
"This is King's Rook. Bishop's, form up on the town square," Nonna ordered calmly, and without even needing to give the order, her driver Kaori already had the IS-2 turned around and thundering towards the meeting point. Nikki was already there when they arrived.
"Where's Kimie?" she asked with worry in her voice. Before Nonna could answer, Queen's Bishop slammed into the remains of a wall at a nearby street corner, Kimie standing in the cupola and looking panickedly over her shoulder as the ISU-152 sprinted the final few dozen meters to its allies.
"Kimie! Are you alright?!" Nikki asked her sister.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Kimie answered through short, panicked breaths.
"What was it?" Nonna demanded. "What are we facing?"
"I… I… I don't know! I didn't get a good look!" Kimie answered with panic in her voice. "It… it just barely missed us, and then we fired, a-and it just bounced clean off. It's like we were a fly…. I've never seen anything like it, but whatever it is, it's angry. Oh lord, is it angry!"
The distant clattering of treads on pavement grew louder and louder as Kimie tried to explain what she'd seen, before coming to a halt.
"Get down!" Nonna yelled, and the three of them dove back into the relative safety of their turrets just before another explosion sounded, and a shell banged violently against the side of Nonna's turret, throwing Nonna and her crew wildly in their seats as the tank was pushed at least a meter to the side. Standing back up in her turret, she peered at the cloud of smoke and dust now filling the street from which Kimie had reached them, and the clattering treads once more began their march. As the cloud slowly began to dissipate, and the iron monster beyond began to come into view, Nonna heard Nikki sigh beside her.
"They have a Maus…"
"Commander, this is King's Rook. We have identified the enemy."
The sound of Nonna's voice once more sent Katyusha scrambling for the handset.
""Nonna?! What is it?! What's going on down there?!" she yelled as she lifted her binoculars to better see the commotion in the town.
"It seems Nishizumi decided to bring a new toy," Nonna answered nonchalantly. "It's a Maus."
"What?! No one in the highschool circuit has a Maus!" Katyusha replied in disbelief, but continued after a moment. "Just… just hang in there, ok?! I'll send some reinforcements to help. Queen should be more than enough to-..."
"No, Katyusha," Nonna answered calmly. "Thank you, but no. Your plan is still good. Kuromorimine is going to take this as an opportunity to take the town for themselves and then counterattack. We're luring the Maus away from the town, so stick to the plan."
"Nonna! You are going to hold out until I say so!" Katyusha yelled back. "Hold and stand your ground, and wait for reinforcements!"
"Katyusha. Let me handle this. Do not throw victory away for my sake," Nonna replied just as calmly. "[But thank you. Your heart is greater than the biggest Russian bear.]" A small click followed, and the radio returned to nothing but crackling silence.
"Nonna? Nonna!" Katyusha yelled angrily into her handset, but there was no reply. She ground her teeth for a moment and felt a freezing wet in her eyes that she quickly brushed away with her sleeve. "What are you looking at?!" she yelled at the commanders of the tanks around her. Glancing over towards the ruins and just making out the Maus chasing nonna and the Bishop's at the edge of town, she saw the exhausts of what must be the rest of Kuromorimine's forces advancing towards the town. It was only a matter of time before they reached it, just like Nonna had said. "And why are you standing around here for?!" She flipped a switch on the radio and yelled once more into the handset. "Queen! All remaining pawns! Advance to E5 and prepare to destroy the enemy! For Pravda! For victory!
"For Pravda! For victory!" came the response both out loud and over the radio, and the remaining four T-34/76s of Katyusha's forces rolled out towards the ruined town with a victorious cheer that slowly evolved into a triumphant singing.
"They're just not giving up, are they?!" Nikki commented as another shell flew past just between Queen's Bishop and Nonna's IS-2.
"Why should they?" Nonna replied. "They know just as well as we do that we can't take them out."
"But… but there has to be something we can do?" Kimie asked as her tank steadied itself once more. Seeing as they had been the first to spot the monstrous tank now chasing after them, her driver was swerving a lot more erratically than Nonna's or Nikki's.
Nonna turned her turret around to get a better look at the Maus, but refrained from firing. She knew that the only gun on Pravda's team that had even a chance of penetrating and eliminating the super-heavy tank was the 122mm gun of her own IS-2. And that was only if she could get a clean shot at its rear armor.
But, seeing as the Maus made sure to always keep its strong frontal armor towards her and her alone no matter how much they split up or swerved, she felt fairly certain that the enemy commander knew that as well.
"Map," she said coldly to her loader, and was swiftly handed the map of the battlefield, marking their path from the ruins with her finger. There… that's where you fall… she thought, and handed the map back. "Kimie, Nikki," she called over the radio, "just stick with me for now, and avoid their shots as much as you can." She then proceeded to quickly summarize her plan to the two twins.
"You got it, Commander!" Nikki replied.
"O-... OK, Commander…" Kimie answered with a lot less certainty. "B-but.. I'll trust you!" With a final, fearful back at the Maus, she nodded towards Nonna and disappeared into the hull of her tank.
Nonna turned her turret once more and relayed her plan to her own crew, before closing her eyes and beginning to hum quietly to herself, moving through the lyrics in her head as she waited for the right moment.
[She was walking, singing a song about a grey steppe eagle]
[About her true love whose letter she was keeping]
[Oh you song! Little song of a maiden, head for the bright sun]
[And reach for the soldier on the far-away border]
[Along with greetings from Katyusha]
Below her, she heard the treads slip for a moment and the ride became slightly more bumpy. This, combined with the now much louder clatter of their tracks, let her know that they had left the snow-covered field behind, and were now almost ready for her plan to be enacted.
As she glanced up over the edge of the cupola, she saw the Maus following, and a flash of light from the muzzle of its cannon that roared once more, just barely missing them."Now, Commander?" Nikki asked.
"Not yet," Nonna replied coolly. "Wait for my signal. Just keep acting like normal."
A couple of seconds later, the Maus roared once more and sent a shell dangerously close to the rear of her IS-2, but thankfully it was just slightly too high and to the right, and bounced off the side of the turret instead. A deep, incessant clatter followed as the Maus also left the snow behind, and Nonna knew the battle was over.
"Now!" she ordered, and barely a second later, the two twins broke off from their wedge, each sending their ISU-152 in its own direction, and soon after skidding into a spin to face the Maus. The two assault guns fired in unison, sending over ten kilos of high-explosive ordnance into the ground just ahead of the Maus.
For a moment, Nonna worried that her plan hadn't worked, even as Kaori turned the IS-2 away to enact the second step of the plan. But then, she got the confirmation she needed.
A deep, sonorous crack like the snapping of wood sounded across the open field, and was soon followed by an orchestra of creaking, cracking music as the ice under the Maus' treads began to give way. The Maus, it's commander no doubt realizing what was about to happen, tried to reverse, to get back onto solid ground, but it was too late. The thick ice of the frozen lake collapsed under the Maus' incredible weight, and sent the hull of the super-heavy tank into the water below.
The lake wasn't deep, only a meter or two, but it was enough to stop the tank dead in its tracks, and prevent it from maneuvering further as King's Rook moved in a wide arc around the downed monster, preparing to strike at the now vulnerable rear. The Maus, not content to go quietly into the night, followed Nonna with its turret before stopping, and firing one final defiant salvo of revenge, setting off the white flag of Nikki's ISU-152.
A moment later, Kaori put the IS-2 to halt behind the German goliath, and Nonna delivered the death knell.
"Aim acquired, Commander!" Jin Suda called from the gunner's seat. "Panther at 11 o'clock, in my sights."
"Loading complete!" Nina called backas Alina worked the mechanism to load the massive shell into the KV-2's gun. "Fir-"
A roar of cannonfire sounded a moment before the KV-2 did, and the entire tank shook and lurched, the floor beginning to tilt under Nina's feet.
"Negative hit, Commander!" Jin reported. "Shot went wide!"
"Right tread's thrown," Kaida Konuwa yelled up from the driver's seat. "We're dead in the water!"
"What hit us?!" Nina demanded, even as her and Alina began the arduous work of reloading the gigantic 152mm howitzer.
"Enemy Jagdpanther just moved in!" Jin answered a few moments later. "They must have waited behind the corner! They're advancing this way, Commander!"
"They're gonna be ready to fire again any second," Alina noted nervously.
A moment later, cannonfire thundered once more, but the KV-2 didn't shake from the impact. Nor was there the distinctive whipping sound of their white flag-system activating.
"J-... Jagdpanther eliminated, Commander?!" Jin reported. "And the Panther's pulling back!"
Nina laid the heavy shell to rest in the loading channel, and climbed up to the commander's cupola to get a better look. As she opened the hatch and hauled herself up to see, she saw their salvation racing towards them down the street perpendicular to theirs, and with a clean shot on the Jagdpanther.
"Nina, status report," Nonna demanded as her IS-2 and one of the ISU-152s came to a halt beside her.
"It-it's all out war, Miss Nonna," Nina replied. "Kuromorimine are trying to push us out, and we're pushing back as much as we can."
"What are the casualties?"
"Rika took out a Panther over by F4 but got taken out by a Jagdpanther. You just took out the other Jagdpanther."
"Has anyone seen the enemy flag tank?"
"N-no, no one. She seems as defensive as Miss Katyu-I-I mean.. the Commander."
I don't think she's being defensive as much as she's just biding her time, Nonna thought to herself.
"But Hako and Rie are fighting hard over by E5," Nina continued, "facing off against two panthers and a Königstiger; 334."
"The enemy Vice Commander…" Nonna noted. "So we have four pawns, you, and us then?"
"Y-yes, Miss Nonna," Nina answered. "But we've lost our right tread, so we can't move from here. It'll take at least another two hours for us to fix it."
"Don't bother with repairs," Nonna ordered. "Hold this street, and deny them the opportunity to flank us. King's Bishop and I will go and relieve Hako. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Nonna!" Nina replied with a salute, but just as she was about to slip back into the safety of the turret, she heard a voice in her headset.
"This is King's Rook's Pawn. Contact, two enemy Panthers spotted. Moving around the town at H5." Waki Ota reported.
"They must be trying to outflank us!" Nina said with worry.
""King's Rook's Pawn, this is King's Rook," Nonna replied over the open channel as her and Kimie began speeding away through the ruined town. "Hold your position. I'm taking King's Bishop to intercept the contacts."
"Keep firing! Drive them back, like the spineless cowards they are!" Erika commanded, even though the battle for the town had descended almost completely into a stalemate. Her forces would push Pravda back a block or two, only for the Russian tanks to strike back as Kuromorimine advanced without the cover of the ruins, bringing the battle right back to where it had begun.
Both sides occasionally pulled back a tank to try and push down another street, but neither of them possessed the superiority of force to affect the armored wrestling match. But soon, none of it would matter.
The commander had sent two additional Panthers, the final reserves of their force, to loop around the town and strike at Pravda's rear. The final blow was coming, she could feel it.
"Erika."
The sound of Miho's cold voice in her ear focused Erika's attention once more on the battle, driving away any distraction and redoubling her strength.
"Yes, Commander!" she pressed against her throat mic and answered, as 334 let out another roaring strike across the rubble-filled street, driving an advancing T-34 scrambling back for cover.
"Report."
"The battle has stagnated, Commander. All our forces are committed, as are the enemies."
"Then it is time," Miho answered coldly. "Prepare for my arrival."
"Yes, Commander!" Erika replied with a smile, and switched the channel on her radio. "Kuromorimine!" she yelled over the airwaves. "Our time is now! The final victory is here! Panzer Vor!"
A violent cheer answered her, and chants of "Panzer Vor! Panzer Vor!" and "For Nishizumi! For Kuromorimine! For Victory!" followed as the German tanks roared to life, pushing will all their might against their cowardly foes.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nonna…" Kimie said and bowed, trying her best not to look at the white flag now flying over her ISU-152. "I should have been more careful."
"It's fine," Nonna replied, and shook her head. "It was an ambush, not your fault."
Their skirmish with the Panthers had been a swift one, if costly. As Nonna and Kimie approached the road where the Panthers were supposed to be nearing the town from, they had found nothing. As they moved to search the area, the two Panthers had crept out of hiding and fired on them both in perfect unison, taking out Kimie's assault gun, but barely missing Nonna's IS-2. This mistake had proven to be the two German tanks' undoing, as they stood not even the ghost of a chance against Nonna in her Soviet heavy tank. A short duel later, the two Panthers stood just as defeated as Kimie's ISU-152, and Kuromorimine's flanking attack had been thwarted.
"Is everyone alright in there?" Nonna asked, as she quickly circled Kimie's assault gun in preparation to rejoin the battle.
"N-no, everyone's alright," Kimie answered. "Don't worry about us, go help the others."
Nonna gave a quick nod, and lifted her handset to speak. "This is King's Rook. The two Panthers at H5 have been eliminated, and I'm moving to-"
"M-miss Nonna!" Rie Akagi interrupted in a panic. "I'm sorry, she just cut right through us! The rest of Kuromorimine is pinning everyone down, we can't do anything!"
"What's going on?" nonna asked and wordlessly made Kaori speed away towards the town again.
"I-it's the enemy flag tank! KMM-101!" Rie replied. "They broke right through the battle as if we weren't there. We couldn't barely get a shot in, and those that did just bounced right off like flies. She's charging right towards-"
"[Katyusha!]" Nonna gasped, and let the handset fall from her grip. "Kaori! Get us back to the commander. Now!"
"Right away, Commander!"
The IS-2's skipped and slid across the cold and icy ground, sending sprays of powdered snow flying and almost throwing Nonna and the rest of her crew from their seats as it drifted and turned, heading at top speed back towards Katyusha's position.
"[Klara, come in!]" Nonna's voice called over the radio.
"Nonna?!" Katyusha yelled into the handset. "What's going on down there? And cut it out with the Russian!"
"[I hear you, miss Nonna,]" Klara answered calmly into her own handset, ignoring Katyusha's angry protests for the moment.
"[Nishizumi broke through our lines. She's heading your way,]" Nonna continued. "[She's coming for Katyusha!]"
"What's going on?!" Katyusha yelled in exasperation. "What's going on?! What is she saying?!"
"[Do not worry, Miss Nonna. I will not fail to protect Katyusha,]" Klara assured with a smile and a nod.
"I said speak Japanese, for pete's sa-"
"Miss Katyusha," Klara said calmly. "Stay behind me. The enemy commander has broken through our defenses and is charging towards us as we speak.."
"Wh-wha?!" Katyusha stammered. "N-nishizumi's coming this way?"
"Yes. But do not worry, Miss Katyusha. I promised Miss Nonna I would protect you, and I will not fail."
"A-as if I need protecting!" Katyusha scoffed not quite as convincingly as she would have liked. "Let her come! I'll… I'll take her down myself. W-with one hand behind my back!" She paused for a moment, and glanced over at Klara, before looking away. "B-but I don't want to get my hands dirty, so… so I guess I'll let you handle her."
"Of course, Miss Katyusha," Klara nodded with a smile. "I will do as you command." As she looked over towards the ruins of the town and the battle raging in the distance. Between the battle and them, she could see the violent storm cloud of snow flying, getting ever closer.
Miho Nishizumi was heading their way, and she would have to face the storm by herself.
"Miss Katyusha, please back up a bit, and make sure to stay behind me," she asked kindly over her shoulder, before dropping into the gunner's seat of Queen's Rook, her trusted IS-2.
"Y-yeah. S-sure," Katyusha mumbled, and disappeared into the turret of King, the T-34/85 that was her personal command tank. "B-but you'll spend 15 days in the gulag and pay 200 rubles if you fail, ok?!" she added over the radio.
"Of course, Miss Katyusha," Klara responded with a private chuckle. [But I do not plan to fail you, Miss Katyusha…]
"[The gun is loaded, Commander!]" Rin Okura called from the other side of the gun.
"[Driver ready,]" Iki Funai followed from the driver's seat.
"[Radio ready,]" Eho Murai finished from down in the hull.
"[Good. Keep me updated on Miss Nonna's position,]" Klara replied.
"[Yes, Commander.]
"[They're almost in range,]" Iki noted.
"[Yes, I see her…]" Klara acknowledged, and leaned close into her gunsights, making final adjustments to her aim as she moved the crosshairs onto the small beige dot at the center of the private snowstorm Nishizumi was kicking up with her lightning advance. She drew a few deep breaths, opening and closing her hand a few times and letting her fingers squirm for a little while to warm them up and counteract the cold. She leaned back in her seat, let her head roll across her shoulders once or twice, before leaning back into her sights, exhaling, and pulling the trigger.
Klara was not superstitious. She remembered how her grandmother would tell stories of monsters and other unnatural creatures, and beings with strange, unbelievable powers. She had always laughed and asked for another story, always loving to hear what would happen when another human found themselves foolishly facing off against these supernatural forces. She loved to hear more, and had even brought a book of stories from Russian and other folklore with her when she moved to Japan, but she had always written them off as just that; stories.
There was no such thing as monsters. There was no such thing as creatures with strange powers, and there was no such thing as beings who made deals with devils and the supernatural. No one could stop time, dodge an arrow, or move without being seen.
At least, that's what she had always believed. If only her grandmother could see her now, staring in wild disbelief as Nishizumi's advancing Königstiger almost seemed to phase out of existence and move unseen to avoid her shot. Her shot, which she knew was lined up perfectly, simply missed and vanished into the fluttering snow.
"[Shot… shot went wide…]" she said in disbelief. "[load again!]"
"[Reloading]"
The wait while Rin loaded another shell was excruciating. The 122mm gun of the IS-2 was powerful, yes, but it also took more than 15 seconds to load even by a skilled loader, which in a heated battle might as well be an eternity. And all the while, Klara could do nothing but follow Nishizumi in her gunsights, the Königstiger growing larger by the second as it approached.
"[Brace!]" Klara called as the muzzle of the German tank lit up in a flash of thunder. "[Evasive maneuvers!]"
A few moments later, the IS-2 shook and lurched to one side, almost causing Rin to drop the heavy shell she was holding.
Klara didn't even have time to ask for a status report before Iki confirmed the worst. "[We've lost the left tread, Commander! We can't move!]"
[Come on, Come on…] Klara preyed privately in her thoughts. She knew there was no point in trying to rush Rin's work. She knew just as well as the rest of them how important her work was.
"[Loading almost complete, Commander!]" Rin called, as if sensing Klara's distress. "[Almost there.]"
[Commander!]" Eho called up from the radio operator's seat. "[Miss Klara says she will be here soon. She says she almost has Nishizumi in her sights.]"
"[Thank you, Eho,]" Klara replied, moments before the IS-2 shook again with a terrible, metallic ping echoing through the interior of the turret. For a moment, no one moved or said anything, before a storm of activity began. Rin continued loading faster than Klara had ever seen her do before, and both Eho and Iki made themselves equally busy. Sensing that the decisive moment was closing in, Klara let the rest of the tank leave her mind, and returned her focus singularly to the crosshair, the trigger, and the gun. She leaned into the sights once more, and started to rotate the turret to correct her aim.
Except, nothing happened. She pulled harder on the small crank, but the only response she was given was a low, metallic groan as gears clunked and ground against one another.
The turret ring.
Nishizumi had knocked out her turret ring.
She exhaled, drew fresh breath into her lungs, and calmed herself, before leaning into the sights once more. She would need to make this shot with just her manual controls. No matter what she tried, the turret would not budge. Thankfully, Nishizumi was far enough away that she could afford to spend a few seconds aiming with just the gun itself without losing track of her. And so she aimed, and waited.
She blinked, and for a moment found herself back in the forests of her youth outside Novosibirisk, with her grandfather correcting her grip on the rifle, and telling her to calm down and breathe as she aimed. A lone elk walking through the trees took the Königstiger's place, aware that danger was close by, but too proud to worry.
"[Miss Klara is preparing her aim,]" Eho called out, somewhere in the distance where Klara could only barely take note. She was too busy focusing on the elk.
"[Go on, Klara. Calm yourself,]" she heard her grandfather say in her mind "[Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breath in. Aim and put your finger on the trigger. Breathe out. And squeeze.]"
"[Gun's reloaded!]" Rin called to her across the Russian forest, like a mother calling for her children to come home and eat dinner.
Klara blinked once more, seeing the dark splotch of the Königstiger against the white cloud of snow perfectly as she led it's path with the crosshair of her gun, and fired.
The 122mm gun finally roared to life once more, and Klara knew for sure that her shot would strike home this time. She followed the shell through her sights as it flew through the air. But before It could impact with its target, the Königstiger once more moved in a way which klara could not explain, spinning like a Moscow ballerina and jerking to a halt, the place where it was supposed to have been now being replaced by a great big nothing.
But beyond this nothing, a few hundred meters further down the path of Klara's shell was another dark splotch against the white winter snow, one that had also sent a shell flying on the same trajectory.
"[I'm sorry, Miss Katyusha… I've failed you...]"
The IS-2 rocked and shook as Nonna's shell struck Queen's Rook square in the front armor plate, and King's Rook did the same as Klara's shell struck home. Klara didn't need to neither see nor hear the white flag pop out of Nonna's tank. The one flying above her own told her everything she needed to know.
"Nonna! Klara!" Katyusha yelled as her two defenders fell, struck down by each others' blades, and still Nishizumi did nothing but advance towards her. "F-fire! Fire!" she ordered, but in her panic, her gunner Megu Arai fired too soon and sent the shot far off course, hitting closer to Klara's tank than Nishizumi's Königstiger.
"I-I'm sorry, Commander!"
"Reload! K-keep firing!" Katyusha yelled, but a strange, cracking snap sounded a moment later. As Katyusha opened the hatch and saw the barrel of her T-34/85's gun blown clean off, she felt her body shudder and shake as the cold wind chilled her spine, and spots of wet stained her cheeks.
A few meters away, she was face to face with an emotionless demon having taken the shape of a human girl. A human girl who smirked at her with nothing but scornful disdain, before the cannon of her tank roared once more, the Tiger's jaws snapping shut around Katyusha and devouring her dreams of greatness.
"Pravda High School's T-34/85 flag tank is no longer operable. Kuromorimine Girls' Academy wins the match, and advances to the final round."
"Atari."
Clack
Clack "Atari."
Clack
Clack "Ata-"
"Ami, I swear, if you say Atari one more time…" Maho muttered, and glanced up at her opponent. "I'm not blind, and I can read the board just as well as you can."
"It's common courtesy," Ami said with a teasing smile. "What if I didn't mention it and you end up losing the game because of it?"
"I'll take the risk," Maho replied, and put down her stone, extending the lifeline of her almost-surrounded grouping for just a little longer. "Your move."
The familiar clack of a stone being placed on the board followed a few seconds later, and as Maho glanced up, she saw Ami barely able to contain her grin. But ultimately, she simply nodded and gestured to Maho that she could place her stone.
The next few moves passed in silence, which in a way seemed counterintuitive, but suited Maho perfectly. Her and Ami had met in Ami's apartment every sunday for the past few weeks, and once again taken up their tradition of playing Go from years earlier. In theory it served as a mutual training session for the two of them, giving them a chance to work on their tactical and strategic thinking without involving whole teams of tankers, but in practice it served just as much as an excuse for the two to meet and talk over a cup of tea. Even though Maho was rarely a very talkative person, but Ami had known her for long enough to not only not mind, but also be able to keep the conversation moving for minutes on end all on her own.
"Your move," Maho reminded, and looked up from the board when the rhythmic clacking of stones ceased. "Ami? It's your mov-"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ami replied, and glanced pointedly at the board and Maho's last placed stone.
"No? You placed a stone, I placed a stone, and now I'm waiting for you to place a stone."
"I see…" Ami said with a satisfied smirk, and took a large swig of her beer. "And, remind me… what is this situation called again?" she continued, and pointed down to Maho's stone.
"Ami, cut it out," Maho muttered. "Stop messing around and just play, ok?"
"No, I'm curious," Ami continued to tease. "What's this thing here called again? You know where you place a stone that leaves my group of stones here with only one liberty left and if you put another stone around them then they have no liberties left and they all get captured and taken off the board?"
"I'm not in the mood…" Ami didn't say anything else, but Maho could feel her leaning in with that incessant smile of hers, readying another comment to further stall the game if Maho didn't play along. "Fine…" she muttered after a while "if I say it, will you just play?"
"Promise!" Ami replied with a teasing cheer.
Maho sighed, and glanced over to Ami, but finally acquiesced. "Atari. Now, will you just play your move?"
"Of course," Ami smiled, and swiftly put down another stone, leaving the group Maho had attacked to its fate and instead trying to start a new fight in the upper corner. Maho leaned back and stroked her chin as she considered this, using her free hand to reach into the bowl of stones beside her. But as she was thinking, her planning was interrupted by a high-pitched ringing. Ami reached over to her bedside table and picked up her cellphone, got up from her seat by the board, and walked over to the balcony door. "Take whatever time you need," she said with a soft smile, and walked out on the balcony, closing the door behind her.
Maho tried her best not to let Ami and the phone call distract her, but once she had considered the board and made her move, she was left alone in the apartment with nothing better to do than occasionally glance through the glass door at Ami smoking a cigarette as she soundlessly talked with whoever was on the other end.
A few minutes later, Maho saw Ami hang up and sigh. But instead of returning inside to continue the game, she remained on the balcony, looking out across the sea and lighting up a second cigarette once the first one was of no more use.
"Bad news?" Maho asked as she opened the door and walked out on the balcony, leaning against the railing beside Ami.
"Atari…" Ami said solemnly and sighed, sending a cloud of smoke from her lips as she exhaled.
"What?" Maho asked, assuming Ami was just continuing her gag from before.
"We're all in atari now…" Ami replied. "That was the head of the Federation, and they say there is nothing they can do for Ooarai. Says they can't be seen to be partial to any one team, especially so late in the tournament."
"Well…" Maho muttered. "Isn't that just peachy…"
"I'm sorry, Maho," Ami said quietly. "I wish there was something more I could do. I really do…"
"It's fine…" Maho answered. "It's not like there was much chance of things just solving themselves anyways." She stood quiet for a few moments, before shaking her head and mumbling to herself, "The pipsqueak should have just taken the stupid deal, instead of making this all my problem…"
"What? Did you say something?"
"No, it was nothing…"
They stood there for a few minutes more in silence, looking out across the carrier as Ami continued smoking.
"I played E13," Maho said after a while. "No atari," she added a second later.
"You really want to play that game out?" Ami asked, glancing over with slight surprise.
"What do you mean?" Maho asked, keeping her focus mostly on a seagull perched on a nearby roof.
"I'm happy to play the game out to its conclusion if you want," Ami replied. "But I don't see much point. I've just been losing points for the past few moves, so I'm equally happy to concede."
"Huh… thanks for the game then, I guess," Maho answered.
"Thanks for the game," Ami echoed, and crushed the stub of her cigarette in the ashtray before putting a hand on Maho's shoulder. "You've gotten really good, you know. I can hardly believe you're the same girl I first beat the snot out of all those years ago."
"I'm still convinced you cheated that time," Maho muttered, causing Ami to laugh.
"I really mean it, Maho. You've grown a ton since I first met you, and you've really become something else. That's a compliment, by the way," Ami added with a smile.
"Thanks…"
"I really mean it," Ami reiterated. "You've grown from a girl following in your mother's legacy and shadow, to a young woman all her own. Even since we met here a few months ago, you've grown."
"I said thanks, didn't I?" Maho muttered in reply, and looked out towards the sunset instead.
"You did, but I don't think you meant it," Ami said with a teasing grin, and wrapped one arm around Maho's chest, locking her in place while she used her free hand to ruffle Maho's hair.
"Hey! Let go of me!" Maho yelled in protest, but the years of difference both in age and professional military training meant she could do little to wrestle free.
"Not until you accept the compliment," Ami laughed, and started grinding her knuckles against Maho's scalp. "And mean it!"
"Ow! Ow! OK, OK, thanks for the compliment!" Maho acquiesced. "Now let go of me, you mad-woman!"
"Alright, alright," Ami continued to laugh, but did as she had said and let go of Maho, who took a few steps away from the Captain and readjusted her shirt and hair. "So," Ami asked after a few seconds as if nothing had happened, "Did you see Kuromorimine and Pravda yesterday?"
"No…" Maho said bitterly, and returned to leaning against the railing. "But I understand Miho did the Nishizumi style proud."
"Yeah…" Ami sighed. "Say what you will about Kuromorimine… but they get results…"
"It's not very difficult when you don't care about the cost," Maho muttered. "You and I both know that…"
"I suppose," Ami replied with a solemn nod. "So… any bright ideas on how to handle St. Gloriana?"
"Not a one," Maho said matter-of-factly. "None that will work, at least."
"What are the sticking points?" Ami asked. "Anything I can help with?"
Maho scoffed and turned around to look back out at sea. Where to start? "Darjeeling…" she said thoughtfully. "I don't know enough about Darjeeling. I've fought Earl Grey, but never her. If I'm going to come up with a strategy to beat her, I need to know how she fights. I need to know her tricks and her preferred strategies. I need to know what tanks she'll bring and why. I need to know all of that and more…"
"And you know nothing, I take it."
"Quite so…" Maho sighed.
Maho left Ami's apartment soon thereafter, and began the walk back to her own. As she walked through the summer evening, the streetlights slowly turning on as the light of the sun dimmed and disappeared below the horizon just as slowly, she became lost in thought.
She needed to figure out a plan to defeat Darjeeling, and she needed it soon. Just like everything else since she arrived on the Zuikaku, it was going to be next to an impossible feat considering that they would be facing 15 of some of the finest tanks and crews in the highschool sensha-do circuit with only 8 of their own, none but perhaps Phoenix team being equally well-trained.
And while Ooarai's exploits until now had indeed proved that inferior numbers didn't automatically mean defeat, Maho still needed information above all else. Even when they had been equal in number during the exhibition match near the start of the semester, the battle had been far from close up until the last moments.
And so, the question returned to Darjeeling, and how Maho was to know the unknowable. Sure, she could watch St. Gloriana's other matches during the tournament, she could scour the internet for articles about Darjeeling's command, and watch commentators talk about her style. But that still wouldn't tell her what tanks she'd be facing, or in what formation or how they would be deployed. She needed information she didn't have, she needed better tanks and crews that she didn't have, she needed to think and to figure out somethi-
"Ow!"
Maho returned to the present moment as something collided with her face, and caused her to take a step back. As she looked at the ground before her, she saw Yukari sitting on the sidewalk, massaging her forehead. Evidently, Maho had rounded the corner and accidentally collided with the loader.
"Oh… Com-..." Yukari began, but realized her mistake, trying to cover it up with some fake coughing. "I-I mean, Maho! I'm… I'm sorry, I should have been more carefu-"
"No, it's my fault," Maho interrupted, and reached down a hand to help Yukari back to her feet. "What are you doing out this late?"
"Oh, I… I just… I just finished a model, so my room stinks of paint and glue right now. Thought I might as well take a walk while I air it out. Wh-what about you?"
"I just needed to stretch my legs," Maho replied, and continued on her path, giving Yukari a short, simple wave as she walked off. "See you at practice."
"Yeah!" Yukari nodded. See you there!"
After a few steps however, Maho stopped. She felt another moronic thought grip her mind, and despite her frantic search for a counterargument, she could find none. And so, in the end, she sighed, and turned around once more.
"Yukari," she called out, walking back the dozen or so steps that separated the two, "you don't have a St. Gloriana-uniform lying around, do you?"
Next time on Dein Weg ist Mein Weg: When one attempts to infiltrate St. Gloriana, one enters into a game of cat and mouse. And the Ark Royal has a great many cats aboard….
Author's Notes:
So! New chapter, and another case of me completely hoodwinkinking and bamboozling my audience. Yes, Ooarai will not be facing off against Pravda, but St. Gloriana.
This probably feels rather strange to a lot of you, but I have two main reasons as to why I decided to go down this path.
First of all, by switching the battles around, it gives me more opportunities to do things differently than they happen in canon, which obviously means there's more interesting stuff to read other than "canon but with Maho". Secondly, while Miho in canon obviously had a certain amount of demons to face by fighting Pravda, I don't think Maho shares this view. Miho was torn between her choice to save Koume and the others, and her actions giving victory to pravda. But Maho has moved beyond putting the loss on herself, and I couldn't see much interesting character development to be gained from having her and Katyusha square off. (As a third point, I originally believed that I didn't have much interesting stuff to do with Pravda, and that there was little-to-no development I could give them beyond canon. I like to think that I proved myself wrong with this chapter.)
So there you have it, that's why the battles have been switched.
For this battle I also wanted to try writing in a bit of a different style, one which i am still not entirely certain in my choice of, but that I hope you all enjoyed.
Beyond that, i don't think I have a great deal more to say. Next stop will obviously be an infiltration of St. Gloriana which will be fun to write, and then we're heading towards Ooarai V in the semis.
I'm still rather busy with school and everything else, so I shall make no promises as to when another chapter sees the light of day, but I can tell you that I already have 2 thousand words of chapter 40 written, so hopefully it won't take too long.
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support and your continued reading of this story of mine, and if you do feel the need and want, I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, so don't be shy about leaving a review.
Until next time, Comrades!
/Rihno