Japan Sensha-do Federation Headquarters

Tokyo

One week later...

Seated by herself in an empty room, handcuffs around her wrists, Snowdrift Katyusha patiently waited for her interrogators to return. People from the Federation had come and gone, gaining rather little from her, but they had promised someone better was on their way.

Outside, on the other side of the one way mirror, a door opened and closed, signaling the arrival of that very someone. Several heads turned to see Captain Ami Chōno entering the room.

"Has she said anything?"

"No, Captain." Hibiki Inatomi responded.

Ami sighed and headed to the interrogation room. Katyusha looked up when the door buzzed briefly, then opened.

"Good morning… Captain."

Ami approached the table the girl was seated at. On it was a number of folders and sheets of paper. She reached out and opened a folder. Inside was a damage assessment and casualty report for Kuromorimine Academy. Nearly every building aboard the carrier was destroyed, and student and civilian casualties were over twenty thousand. The next page was before and after aerial pictures of the ship. Before was a bustling metropolis, after looked like Hiroshima after the bombing. The Captain pulled out one of the chairs and sat across from Katyusha, spinning the folder around and pushing it towards her. The Pravda commander glanced down, then back up, to see Ami shrug.

"Well? Care to explain yourself? Maybe try to justify this… devastation?"

Katyusha blinked, maintaining her usual condescending grin.

"I don't feel like I need to. Ooarai fired the first shot of this war. They just didn't know it."

"And the disappearances?" Ami asked. "The kidnappings? Torture?"

"Securing interests. There were thorns in Katyusha's sides that needed… removal. The NKVD is good at what it does; securing victory."

"I would argue the opposite. The NKVD and the Order have been routed, with every member either dead or in custody. Your own second in command, Blizzard Nonna, surprisingly among the latter."

"Very unfortunate, to be sure. No one will ever replace my beloved Nonna. Out of everyone, she was the only one who wasn't disposable."

"So a small Coup d'etat that had… minimal satellite support from Ooarai, Saunders and Kuromorimine, enacted almost entirely by your own fellow students, is… in your eyes, justification for this?" Chōno pointed at the pictures of Kuromorimine.

"Things would have gone much smoother if my fellow commanders, who actually did all of the work at Pravda, had simply said so. Katyusha would have followed suit, and admitted to everything, so long as they had. I had a reputation to maintain amongst the Pravda student body. Imagine the uproar if transparency was Katyusha's way!"

"It only makes things that much worse for you when it blows up in your face. Which it has."

Katyusha rubbed her thumbs together. "When the Conglomerate took over, they forced me and my Comrades out of their homes. We sought vengeance against those who helped them, and continued to support them. By crushing Saunders, Black Forest and Ooarai, we declawed the bear. The Conglomerate is too small and weak to survive on its own. They will collapse by the end of the month, and our crusade for justice will be complete. My surviving Comrades who evaded capture will return, as will I. And everything will be back to the way it should be,"

Ami steepled her fingers under her nose. "And what about you? What do you stand to gain in the long term?"

"I have already gained it. Katyusha's heart is vast, and she wished to help her Comrades take revenge, and she has done just that. I'm prepared to be punished for doing what's right, however unjust it may be."

"Have you ever heard the term, 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul', Snowdrift?"

"Of course I have." Katyusha declared. "Hasn't everyone?"

"Well… that's what you've done. You destroyed three school ships, gaining a death toll of over fifty thousand, not including your own forces, all for what? What purpose did it serve?"

Katyusha silently eyed the Captain for a time.

"Help us understand, Lady Katyusha. Help me understand."

"Preservation." She said finally. "Of a reputation. Pravda, and Katyusha, are not to be trifled with. Ooarai started all of this, by working directly with the Frost Conglomerate. I showed them and their allies the error of their ways. I showed them what happens when you aid terrorist traitors."

Ami nodded. "Vengeance can be a sweet or bitter brew." She said after a few moments. "How did you find it?"

"Is that an official question?"

"Humor me."

"Place yourself in my shoes, Captain. How would you be finding it?"

"Quite bitter." Chōno said after a beat. "To the extent that it wouldn't have been worth waiting for the kettle to boil. Nina, Alina and Klara have left you. Your mercenary company has been liquidated. Your closest companions are in the brig, and countless thousands who fought for you are dead. How many friends do you have left, Katyusha?"

"This variety of vengeance will age like a fine wine, becoming sweeter with time. It will take years for the nation to recover from this war. My name will go down in history. Snowdrift Katyusha, the girl who single handedly turned Japan on its head. The girl who fooled and evaded government agencies for the better part of a year. The girl who brought the biggest schools in the Sensha-do circuit to their knees. I will be remembered for generations to come! I have left a permanent mark on the world." Katyusha's eyes were afire with pride and excitement. "Can anyone else say the same?"

Ami gave a small grin. "You be sure to tell your cellmates at Fuchū all about your glorious exploits, Comrade Katyusha."

Snowdrift didn't falter, simply gazing into Chōno's eyes as she stood up.

"You are going to spend the rest of your life in a concrete and steel pen, that is if you don't get the guillotine. That is what the world will remember." Ami rested her hands on the back of her chair. "Any time the name 'Snowdrift Katyusha' is brought up, it will accompany the words 'evil', 'tyrant', and 'devastation'. There will be no glory, or looking back on the good old days. You will not become a household name. Your legacy will live on, to be sure. Just not the way you would hope."

With that, Ami left the room, leaving Katyusha behind at her table. On the surface, the girl seemed unfazed by the Captain's words. As if absolutely none of it was true.

In her mind, however, one tiny thought began to fester, eating away at her stone like confidence.

"They're going to kill me. For doing what was right. The invasion was to protect the school I love and call home, and I'm going to die for it…

Maybe I'll get to see Nonna one more time."

Meanwhile...

(The Kingdom OST - 'Finale' Plays until end of chapter)

With the survivors of the battle having been shipped home or to the mainland, Saunders was mostly barren. It was with heavy hearts that Kay, Alisa, Naomi and Eileen trekked through the war-torn dormitories to their respective rooms. At least the ones that hadn't been gutted by bombs or fire. Alisa's room on the top floor had been burned out when a plane crashed through the roof. While most of the craft had been blackened by the flames, the teeth on the nose art of the P-40 Warhawk could still be made out. Upon this discovery, Eileen led the saddened commander to her own room further down the hall.

Kay wasn't sure what to expect when she reached her room. Would she be haunted by flashbacks to her abduction? Was there an NKVD hit squad waiting for her?

Opening the door revealed neither. The room was exactly how it had been left, broken and disorderly. Kay stepped cautiously around the shards of mirror on the floor on her way to the closet, where she retrieved her sea bag. The commander rifled through her drawers and closet, stuffing the bag with as much clothing as she could carry. Like Kuromorimine, and Ooarai to an extent, the carrier was uninhabitable, so everyone except for the most essential people had to leave. As a tank commander, Kay didn't fall into that category. At least until some of the school was rebuilt. She, like many of her friends, would be staying at St. Gloriana.

Bag filled, Kay took one more look at her ransacked room.

"Sure feels like longer than two weeks…" She thought.

"Kay! You ready?" She turned around and found her friends standing in the doorway.

The commander nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." Kay shrugged her bag onto her shoulder and followed Naomi out.

Kuromorimine Academy was in an even worse situation. The only intact buildings were City Hall, the Dormitories and the main school building. The surviving tankers who lived in the dorms were going through their rooms and collecting some of their belongings. Commander Nishizumi couldn't bear to set foot in her room, given what had happened there, but her companion had no problem with her borrowing some items.

Erika found herself sitting on her bed, watching Maho neatly placing clothes into her backpack. Her mind began wandering, thinking back to earlier in the week. Watching her beloved commander made some words float through her head.

"The prospect of sharing a life with someone. Isn't that worth it?"

Her mind's eye began showing her an image of the future. She and Maho were adults, at a reunion of some kind, sharing stories about entertaining matches or surviving the war. Miho and Akiyama were there, as well as Darjeeling and Kay. Everyone was in good health and high spirits, joking and laughing together.

Then the scene changed. Maho was with her on a vacation of sorts. Erika recognized where they were almost immediately; the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, a place she had always wanted to go. Nishizumi was smiling and laughing while Itsumi tried to cram a gigantic burger into her mouth.

In an instant, things changed again. Erika was standing on the Bridge of the Graf Zeppelin. Down below, the city was nearly rebuilt, and much more modernized than before. Taller buildings, bright lights and wider streets. The Sensha-do team was back to full strength, and Erika could see Maho at the front of the formation in her rebuilt Tiger.

Itsumi blinked and the vision disappeared. She was back in her room again, still watching her girlfriend pack. Her eyes were wandering up and down, tracking her every movement.

"She's right. It's only been a short time, but it already feels worth it."

"Ahem."

The sound made Erika jump. Maho was standing upright and holding her backpack. "Enjoy the show?"

Erika shifted herself. "Heh. Maybe a little. I was just… lost in thought."

"Well, you're welcome for bringing you back." Maho smiled. "You packed?"

"All set." Itsumi stood up and pulled her backpack on. "Hey, where are we getting sent to, anyway?"

"Most people will be going home." The commander began walking towards the door. "However, the boat is going to be towed to Tokyo to be rebuilt. Kumamoto's harbor is barely large enough, anyway." The pair entered the stairwell, heading for the ground floor. "I will be going there as well, as the team Commander. The school is putting me up in a hotel, so that I can be close by for the rebuild."

"I… hope you have room for one more." Erika said with a pink tint in her cheeks. Maho grinned.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out."

In Yokohama City, at the safe haven known as Ark Royal, a military helicopter had just taken off, after dropping off its precious cargo of eighteen Ooarai Rangers. Each of them were still adorned in whatever uniforms they had last been in, being either Saunders Shooting Team olive drab or JGSDF Type 2 digital woodland. As the others were corralled in different directions based on their injuries or current groupings, St. Gloriana Tea Garden member Chamomile waved one of the Ooarai girls over.

"Chamomile! Hey!" Dahlia said, hugging the girl. "Good to see you again."

"You as well, Dahlia-sama."

The carpenter made a playfully exasperated noise. "How many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?"

The first year smiled. "At least once more. Like always. Anyway, I'm glad I caught you." The pair began to gravitate away from the gathering, with Chamomile reaching into her bag. "While you were up in Abashiri, your friends Freya and Chloe asked me to try and make contact with you. As you probably know I couldn't, but in the event of that, they said that you would know where to find them when you got back." The girl pulled her hand out of her bag and produced a rather large key ring, while guiding Dahlia towards a parked truck on the far side of the lot. When the Ooarai girl looked up, she saw someone very familiar standing in front of her vehicle.

"Also… there's someone who really wanted to see you." Chamomile added. The boy she gestured to looked up at them, his sandy brown mop of hair moved when he did, revealing his cobalt eyes. He stared at Dahlia with a blank expression, quietly watching as she approached. The Tea Garden girl stopped after a time.

"I'll just… give you a minute."

Dahlia stepped towards the boy, letting her sea bag slip off of her shoulder when she came to a stop about two yards away. He pushed away from the truck and closed the distance.

"H-hi, Yumeshi-oof!" The boy cut her off by embracing her in a tight hug.

"Hi, Dahl." He said as she returned the embrace. Dahlia was still surprised by Yumeshi's presence at St. Gloriana. She had no idea what to say to him. He was her ex-boyfriend, and had been for about a year, and while they were on good terms and did their best to remain friends, they hadn't spoken in some time.

"Boy, doesn't that sound familiar?" The Carpenter thought. Yumeshi didn't stop her when she pulled away. "Ehh… this is a surprise." She offered.

"I know. I just… with what happened to Ooarai, I… I needed to know you were safe."

Dahlia held up her wrist, which was still bound. "More or less." She grinned. He gently took her hand.

"You managed to break your wrist? In a war?"

"Well, bullets do that sometimes." Yumeshi rolled his eyes.

"I see you haven't changed a bit."

"Nope!"

"In that case," He snatched the car keys from her other hand. "I'm driving." Dahlia reached out, but Yumeshi held them up high over her head. "You need both hands to drive."

"Hey, I carried someone to a helicopter with this arm." She protested. "Before it looked this nice."

"Just shush and get in." Her friend silenced her.

The carpenter approached the pickup, which had the more 'official' logo of the Ooarai Academy Carpenters on the doors. A meshing of the O, A and C from top to bottom, and the words extending out to the side.

"I kept an eye on it, just like you asked, Dahlia-sama." Chamomile said, bringing the sea bag over and depositing it into the bed. "Exactly the way you left it."

Dahlia patted the truck's hood warmly, before glancing at Chamomile.

"How are things at Ooarai?"

"Well, most of the contamination has been cleaned up. You won't need a mask, or anything. Damage to infrastructure is minimal."

The Ooarai girl nodded. "I guess I've got a site to check on."

"Would you like me to inform your friends of your return?"

"Nah. Let it be a surprise." Dahlia climbed into the truck, as Yumeshi started the engine. Chamomile approached the window as the door closed. "Thanks for looking after her. Catch ya on the flip side, Cam." The pair reversed out of the parking spot and headed towards the vehicle exit ramp.

"Be safe!" Chamomile called after them. "...Dahlia."

"So, how did you end up getting here?" Dahlia queried. "I didn't see Shokaku on the flight in."

"They're docked in Ooarai." Yumeshi explained. "A bunch of us went ashore and booked passage to Yokohama when the news broke." When the Carpenter glanced at him, he was taken aback. "What? You're not the only one with a boyfriend on Zui's sister ship."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just… Thank you. For coming here." Dahlia looked down. "It means alot."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

The truck was quiet for a time while Yumeshi drove down the vehicle exit ramp and onto the dock. With everything that was happening aboard both carriers, traffic was there in force. Staring at the dazzling brake lights of the car in front of them, Yumeshi chanced upon a question.

"So… what was it like?"

Having been lost in thought, Dahlia jumped slightly. "What was what like?"

"You know… Saunders. Or Abashiri. Were you on the front lines the whole time? What did you do?"

"Sure. In both places. The whole time." Dahlia dug her thumb into the palm of her other hand. "At Saunders, I was a sniper. Thanks to my gaming experience, I felt like I knew my way around a gun, especially sniper rifles, so I figured, 'what the hell?' right? I ended up on the roof of the school building, looking out over the battlefield. I… exchanged shots with Pravda snipers, protected the girls down below, even called in a few artillery strikes. That final day and night… I saw everything."

Seeing how troubled his companion was, Yumeshi opened his mouth to interrupt, but Dahlia continued, staring straight ahead now.

"During infantry charges, every time I shot someone, three more would take her place. Mortars, rockets, tanks… targeted the school and the trenches directly. To my left and right, almost everyone went down. One girl was closer to me than you are now. Sniper shot her clean through the head. One bombardment began in the middle of a thunderstorm. The sky turned black. One minute the sun was out, the next, like a fuckin' typhoon. One mortar landed directly in the trench, almost killed Hippo team. It did kill Taeko. The Radio Operator from Duck. Now Saemonza's blind in one eye, and Oryou is an amputee." The Carpenter shook herself and looked down. "The chaos, the blood, the death, it… it was… words can't even come close to describing it."

Yumeshi looked at her. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Me too."

The Ooarai carrier was almost eerily vacant, the silence being disrupted by Dahlia's truck engine or the rattling of the ladder rack on top. In the mid morning sun, the pair could see remnants of the attack's aftermath. Abandoned and shot up cars, broken windows, bullet holes in the walls, tank tracks in the road, making cracks in the pavement.

"Jesus…" Dahlia muttered. Yumeshi grunted in agreement. Privately, he was glad neither of them had witnessed the attack.

When the truck steered onto the road where the site was, the environment changed completely. Some work had evidently been allowed to continue, and a number of Blue Collar girls were around. Dahlia recognized a few, which made her hopeful. They drove through the gate and came to a stop just inside, climbing out in unison with Yumeshi. Almost immediately, she spotted the one person she was hoping to find the most.

Chloe.

The apprentice was attempting to direct a tow truck, which was trying to pull a larger burnt out vehicle out of a small crater.

Before the Carpenter could say anything, she heard a shout and a shrill whistle come from Chloe. The driver of the tow truck had done something incorrectly, and the destroyed vehicle nearly fell off the lift and back into the crater.

["Back!"] Chloe shouted. ["It almost fell off! Move back!"]

["Well, what the hell do ya want me to do?"] The driver, who Dahlia recognized as Dina, shot back.

["I wanted you to tie it down! But you said, 'Oh no. I got it! It'll be fine!' Back it up and we'll try again."]

Dahlia wordlessly came up alongside her apprentice, watching the spectacle. Chloe glanced at her when she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye.

"Jeez, in the aftermath of a war, you'd expect decent help, eh?" The blue haired girl asked, shaking her head. Dahlia silently nodded.

After a moment, Chloe froze. She slowly looked up and to the side, with an expression of disbelief on her face. The foreman returned her gaze with a grin.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Holy shit…" Chloe said. "Dahlia!" The shorter girl jumped up and hugged her carpenter friend tightly, a gesture Dahlia returned with a laugh. The apprentice's exclamation brought the immediate area to a screeching halt, with many other girls looking up and seeing their beloved foreman for the first time in weeks. As Chloe let go of Dahlia, Freya came into view, her arms crossed and an annoyed expression on her face.

"Freya… what the hell happened here?" The foreman asked with a grin. "I swear, I leave you in charge for ten minutes…"

"Shut up, asshole." Freya said, a tear forming, as she took Chloe's place. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"It's…" Dahlia looked up at the growing gathering. "Quite a story."

A/N: And with that, Katyusha's Revenge has been achieved. Yes, I'm sad to say that this war is over. But the story isn't quite finished yet.

An official epilogue is in the works, following the aftermath of the war and its effects on various members of the cast. Some are doing their best to forget, some can't, and others are completely consumed.

What will happen to Ooarai's Sensha-do team? Will Sensha-do as a sport be able to recover? Can Saunders, Kuromorimine and Pravda rebuild? And what will become of Katyusha? Keep an eye out for Girls und Panzer: The Aftermath.

And, be watchful for an 'alternate', darker ending, where things at Ooarai take a turn for the worse. More on that another time

Credits:

Written and edited by: Me!

Co-editor and producer: SilentMouse2015

Special thanks:

Girls und Panzer Projekt

DICE

Activision

Treyarch

Infinity Ward

4A Games (For inspiration)

And of course, to all of you, for your love and support. Thank you all so much for reading and catch you all in the next one

Love- TomTheCat