The next two days after Katyusha got that certain order from Tokyo were spent in calm and silence for the girls of Count High School. Relatively. Nothing special has happened in these 48 hours but they could feel the tension, unrest and disquiet in the air. They knew exactly that hell can break loose anytime. On the first day they tried to continue the dialogue with the JSF directorate but they couldn't reach them. They didn't get answers for their letters and all the telephone lines and radio frequencies were deaf.
Fearing the worst, the school's student council and the tank commanders of the Sensha-Do team gathered together in the council room.
"Ceasing the communication can only mean one thing: invasion." said Mizuki.
"Impossible! We did not do anything bad to them! They wouldn't attack their own schools!" complained Kumiko, the council's vice-president.
"Some of the boys' schools thought the same before and look what happened."
"They were always secondary members of the Federation in the eyes of all the directorates. They must take our opinion more serious. We have to find a solution through negotiations!"
"What negotiations? They broke the communication with us!"
"Whatever we decide, we have to decide it quickly." said Marina. "I think we all agree in one thing: our situation is dangerous. If they attack, there is no guarantee that we can resist them alone."
"Is there anyone we can ask for help?" asked Mizuki.
"I think our only real friend now is Viggen High School. But as they are on the other side of the country and surely will have their own problems, it seems very unlikely to me that they'll be able to assist us." said Marina.
"And what about…" said Maiko, the council's treasurer.
"Hm?"
"The boys' schools?"
"Don't make stupid jokes Maiko-san." replied Ayaka. "Even their smallest problem is bigger than us. And do you think that they would want to help us when we are members of the JSF they hate so much?"
"But they did not attack us when they had the chance. Isn't that a good sign?"
"Still, their forces are all far away and the federal army stands between them and us." said Marina.
"There is still someone else. The IMAF." said Maiko.
"True, but that could be problematic too." said Ayaka. "The JSF is not a member of it, so they couldn't intervene just like that."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Okay girls, listen." spoke up Marina. "Even if our team is not the biggest in Japan, it's not a joke. The first defense line of our own school should be us. President, I'd like you to allow me to set up watch around the city."
"Permission granted Marina-san." nodded Ayaka. And so, the commander went to the hangars where all their tanks were filled with fuel and ammunition since the past 24 hours, ready to move anytime, and ordered some of Count's Panzer IIIs to take ambuscades around Soma and report if anything happens. As Marina looked after the small tanks as they were rolling out she could still barely believe what was happening. She never thought before even in her wildest dreams that someday she'll find herself in a situation like this.
Next day
On the second day, after the scouts spent their whole day and night with guarding the roads, the Panzer III crew who were watching road E13 finally saw something.
"Bat four to Strigoi! Do you hear us comandor?" their tank commander radioed.
"What is it bat four?" asked Marina.
"We see several tanks of Pravda approaching Soma! They are 12 kilometers away from the outskirts of the city!"
"What unites they've got?"
"The KV-2 and multiple T-34/76s!"
"Begin to retreat! But keep an eye on them!"
"Yes Comandor!" replied the other girl and the Panzer III disappeared in the woods.
Meanwhile in Soma, Marina gave her further orders. "Mizuki! Take all the R.2s, T-38s and Mareşals and take positions west from the city! I stay here with the Panzer IVs and Stugs as reinforcement. Stop them at the Uta River and do not let them any closer! If they attack you do not fear to use your cannons! Call us immediately and we will come to your aid!"
"Understood!" saluted Mizuki. "You have heard it girls! Să mergem (Let's go)!" The light tanks and the tank destroyers fired up their engines and rolled out of the hangar one by one.
Nina's POV
Nina was standing in the huge turret of Pravda's KV-2. She was the leader of the army group. Needless to say there was nervousness in her as she never got a mission like this before. However to be honest, what could possibly go wrong? Sure, the students of Count High School will get scared enough only by their presence that they'll join the war by their own will. If they would need a bit more "motivation" then they can easily defeat them, there is no way the Romanian styled school's team can resist them long with those tanks, right?
After a bend they were now closing to the bridge of the Uta River. In the distance Nina saw something strange so she took her binoculars. She got surprised. The bridge was completely blocked with barricades and on the other bank light tanks, Panzer IIIs and tank destroyers were lined up.
"Looks like they were waiting for us." said Alina inside the tank. In that moment the radio of the KV-2 let out a static sound.
"Count High School is calling the commander of the unit of Pravda Girls' High School!" sounded Mizuki's voice in the device.
"Here is the commander." replied Nina.
"I must warn you to turn back and suspend all operations against Count High School. Otherwise we will not hesitate to open fire."
"We are sorry but we've got a direct order. And I must warn you to join the federal army at the northern front!"
"We are sorry as well, but we can't do that."
"Alright, we stop our advance and give you time for thinking."
"Copy that Pravda. We are waiting for your first shot!" replied Mizuki.
In the next hours the sides changed a few more messages. Pravda told Count to move with their tanks against the Confederacy and Count rejected this each time. The night has come and both sides were preparing themselves for the next day, whatever will happen. But deep in their souls all of them knew it.
Next day, early morning
Shortly after sunrise Mizuki went on a patrol to check all posts of their line. At 08:00 a.m. she got a radio call from one of the Panzer IIIs which was positioned on top of a hill.
"Vice-commander! The tanks of Pravda are moving into battle formation!"
Mizuki didn't waste her time, she immediately called Marina.
Marina's POV
The students who stayed behind slept in the hangar last night as they were in constant standby. Marina woke up with the dawn. She yawned as she opened her eyes, her sleep was restless. Only a few minutes passed after breakfast when they called her to the radio. She heard Mizuki's voice in it.
"Comandor, something is happening on the other riverside! It looks like Pravda is preparing for attack!"
"Do what you have to! We are coming!"
"Da!"
"Atenţie everyone! Head out right now! We are engaging! Are you ready?"
"VIAŢĂ-N LIBERTATE ORI MOARTE!" shouted the crews of the Panzer IVs and Stugs as they quickly stood up and rushed to their vehicles. In the blink of an eye they were rolling out of the building with Marina at the lead, standing in the cupola of her Panzer IV.
She didn't know that in that exact moment the first grenade left the cannon of one of Pravda's tanks.
Mizuki's POV
The T-34s unleashed their first volley and the shells impacted on the eastern bank of the river. The guns of Count replied immediately but their light tanks and Panzer IIIs barely had any chance against them. Only the 75 millimeter DT-UDR cannons of the Mareşals were a serious threat for the Russian tanks. However the small tank destroyers had no ideal positions as the area around them was a plough field so they always had to move and they couldn't aim well.
Despite all of their attempts to hold Pravda back, their opponent reached the bridgehead. The KV-2 fired and the huge HE shell swept away all the barricades. They stormed through the bridge without problem, Marina and her unit needed about twenty minutes to take that few kilometers long journey from Soma to the river. The first strike of Pravda was a success.
When Marina arrived they tried to hold their ground but the dominance of Pravda became clearer minute by minute. It was barely two hours into the battle and they were pushed back to the suburbs of Soma. At the Soma City Bus Terminal they managed to show some resistance but when evening came they had to give the station up.
After that the defenders faced a choice. Should they lure Pravda to the north where they can use Count's usual tactic in the forests or should they position themselves on the streets of their school's home city? If they choose the first option they could have the tactical superiority but the city itself and the school building will left undefended. If they choose the second option Soma and the school will have much more safety but then Marina and her friends will not be able to count on their shadow like tactics.
Their time was short so they had to decide quickly. Eventually they chose the first option and drove into the darkness of the woods.
A few minutes later Nina's army group has arrived to the forest too but they stopped. The commander of the KV-2 now faced the same dilemma like her opponents before. If they chase them Count can fight on more equal terms and obviously she didn't want that. No, instead of that they'll march into the city.
But before she could give this order a T-34 suddenly charged forward. "Ataka!" its commander yelled. "After the cowards!"
"Irina wait!" Nina tried to stop them but the lonely tank disappeared between the trees. "Damn it!"
Marina's POV
Marina was looking around from her tank as it was standing behind the bushes with stopped engine so it will not make a noise.
She heard the creak of tracks and the sound was closing. So they followed them? To her surprise it was a single T-34 without any further support. It was suspicious.
"Bat six, do you see any other enemy tanks?" Marina asked.
"Negative comandor." came the reply.
Does this mean that this tank went on its own way alone? "Oh you poor fools." shook Marina her head.
Irina's POV
Irina ordered her driver to stop. She opened her hatch and popped her head out. She saw nothing. Impossible! How could a whole Sensha-Do team vanish without a trail so fast?
Her tank was standing in the middle of nowhere without anyone in sight. It was impenetrable darkness all around; the visual range was only a few meters. All she could hear was the breeze, the rustle of the leaves and the most disturbing one, the caw of crows.
Within a minute she started to regret this whole thing. It was like a damn horror movie. Sometimes she heard the cracking of branches and she always had to turn toward the sound but again, she saw nothing. And it came from everywhere. Her heart rate accelerated and she begun to take deeper and deeper breaths.
Then suddenly a low caliber shell bounced off her tank's side armor.
"Shit! Turn around, turn around!" But as soon as she said this, another shell struck her frontal armor. "Fire at the muzzle flash!" The 76 millimeter gun roared but all it hit was the ground, not the enemy tank. Then another grenade hit the side armor. Then another hit the rear armor. Then the side armor again. Then the frontal armor. Then the rear armor. Then the side armor.
The scared crew of the T-34 was constantly turning around and firing but they still saw nothing or hit anything.
"Driver, get us out of here now!" Irina screamed and they tried to break out of the circle where no shot came from. They didn't know that they were running into Count's trap. When they've got between two small hills a sudden shot from the slope destroyed their left tracks and immobilized them.
Up on the hillside Marina gave the order. "Here you are ladies."
Her gunner looked into the crosshairs and smiled. "La reverdere. (Goodbye.)" She whispered and fired. So did all the Panzer IVs and Stugs from the hills. A terrible rain of steel bombarded the T-34 and when the white flag popped out it was in a so bad condition like never before.
Then silence lapsed again. Marina leaned back in her chair. But she couldn't get much rest for she got a message on the radio.
"Comandor! The rest of Pravda is moving toward the city!"
"Mersi. All units! Regroup and line up in the Baryo Park!"
The tanks of Count turned around and went to defend Soma and their high school. Though this victory was an easy one they knew that they'll have to face much harder or… Who knows? Maybe even futureless fights.
However, they did not know that some people will stand up for them and want to help them. And what was about to happen on the other side of Japan with Viggen High School will utterly convince these peoples.
Aaaand we continue our ride on the waves of the Japanese Sensha-Do war everyone! Hope you enjoyed it! Stay always tuned! As always, leave a follow or favorite if you like what you read and leave a review if anything came to your mind!
Have a nice day!